The International Writers Magazine SEPTEMBER 2013

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Welcome to this SEPTEMBER edition of Hackwriters and hope you'll stay to look around. Read us and review the amazing archives too. 14 years on-line and 7300 articles - reviews - stories - destinations. Find something you like - share it on Twitter or Facebook or Linked In or.... Next edition October 1st

Ta- Da! September 3rd - The Repossession & The Hunting by Sam Hawksmoor released across Canada Order now to be sure of getting a copy.

It’s a great thing when a book returns home. Conceived and written in Vancouver - it was hard to finding a home for it over there. It’s all about who you know and I guess I know no one in publishing in Canada (to be remedied).
I finally met an editor in the UK who took a chance on it and now – a few years later than scheduled, it’s returning like the salmon – swimming upstream to spawn in the hearts and minds of the very people it was written for.

Well that’s the plan anyway. Like most other countries independent bookstores are struggling and even Chapters Indigo must be hurting as Amazon squeezes the life out of bookselling. So make room guys, give me some shelf space – if you please.

My plan is to go home to support the book in October should enough people be interested, with stops in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria. But having had the past year of seeing how hard it is to get the book into bookshops in the UK – despite being shortlisted and even winning the odd award – I am not holding my breath. I just hope Canadians discover the books and talk about them (in a good way).

I have probably spent a large part of my life writing stories and screenplays set in Vancouver. Despite the fact of it being the ‘Worlds Most Desirable City’ to live in – the publishing industry isn’t there (London, New York, Paris & Toronto actually) - and although some interesting movies have been made in BC (Juno, Twilight, Final Destination) for example – they weren’t originated there. Many a wannabe screenwriters (like me) make the mistake of thinking they should be writing mainstream movies set in Vancouver and not having the city pretending to be anyplace USA, as it usually does. Of course it's always great to spot which streets have been used for filming and go 'well that's not Cleveland ...'

I know from my days at the Anza Script Readings and the Cold Readings (still going), and other locations, that Vancouver is full of extremely talented writers, artists and actors. One of my favourite BC YA writers is Carrie Mac and of course William Gibson and Douglas Coupland live in BC.

I still write material set in Vancouver and the Islands. I’m hoping that if enough people in Canada like The Repossession & The Hunting that they’ll want to see other stuff of mine. Ever the optimist me.

Of course there is a special chemistry that makes for success. A combination of luck, good marketing, the right people getting behind it – the cover of course. Availability I discover is the key issue. Kids are spontaneous – they don’t like to wait and will buy something else if yours isn’t visible. With thousands of titles coming out yearly – to stand out and stay in stock is the hardest thing of all, but some achieve it. It has to be possible. I guess being Neil Gaiman might be the best trick.

Divergent became a great success because of all of these elements came together (let’s see what happens to the movie). Hunger Games too. But between those – there are thousands of terrific books that vanish – don’t get the support or attention they deserve. It’s hard to say why or how it happens. Often these books will be way better than the ones that get all the publicity – but no one quite knows what the exact formula is to make one book more important than all the others and let’s face it, not all books possibly can be equally promoted. I’m just lucky to get a chance. Hell, buy the movie rights someone.

My books should be appearing in French, Portuguese and Turkish very soon. It will be interesting to see the responses from readers in Brazil and elsewhere.

I’ll come back to what happens once the book is out there. But if you are in Canada right now and looking for an exciting read set in Canada, whether you are a teen or adult – tell your bookshop to order it in – you won’t be disappointed and with luck I’ll be there to sign a few copies in October. Let me know if you enjoyed it.

I’ll leave it to the wonderful Evie Seo who reviewed The Repossession:
‘The Repossession is a must-read YA novel. Well written, rich in detail of both character and world building, it's a unique blend of many different genres - from science fiction, to mystery, thriller and supernatural, with elements of teen romance and drama. Smart, dark and graceful, this story is sure to send chills down your spine…’
© Sam Hawksmoor September 2013

The Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor. View the Trailer here - a fast paced edgy romantic thriller 'The Repossession... will blow your mind and keep you guessing until the very end'. A Dream of Books (SJH) 'Smart, dark and graceful, this story is sure to send chills down your spine...one of the best, and most fascinating, debut novels I've ever read'. Evie-bookish.blogspot Out Now - The Hunting - the thrilling sequel - order yours from Amazon or Waterstones 'Without a doubt, one of the best YA Sci Fi series out there.' Evie Seo Bookish See Sam's previous guest editorial here about THE HUNTING: Hawksmoor

If you're looking for an exciting YA book set in WW2 - Kindle download 'The Repercussions of Tomas D' or buy the paperback - All proceeds go to keeping Hackwriters going - (e-book only in Canada it seems)

The Repercussions of Tomas D
A Hero? Or Englands Greatest Traitor? USA Paperback here

Sam North- joint editor of Hackwriters is the author of Diamonds – The Rush of 72 (Print & ebook)) The Great Californian Diamond Rush of 1872 - a grand American West true life story that made many rich and ruined the lives of almost everyone it touched. ipad (iTunes version) *e-book now only £1.99 Buy these books - they go towards keeping Hackwriters going.

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