The International Writers Magazine Editorial August 2022

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Welcome to this August 2022 edition of Hackwriters. 23 years on-line, 7882+ articles - reviews - stories - travel - share any feature you like and pass them on.

* Every moment of this summer Putin bombs Ukraine and now holds the Nuclear Power Station hostage turning off the power to Ukraine.

- Everyone is either on strike or planning to go on strike in the UK. They just announced energy prices will go up 80% in October. Civil unrest will surely come but it's one way to keep warm - right?
- James Campion ponders Republican Hypocrisy (not for the first time).
- Inflation in the UK is just over 10% now. If that worries you it is 80% in Turkey.
- It finally rained in the UK. A drought has been declared.
- Nearly two years since the US Election and still all we ever talk about is Trump. Now Fox News says even if convicted Trump can run the USA from jail! How far can Fox News and Hannity get up Trump's ass one wonders?
- Sam Hawksmoor's new mystery novel The Book of Ashes is now published. Download now.
'an immensely satisfying story' - Walli Leff on Goodreads.

Editorial: NHS at risk?

I’m spending seven weeks caring for my sister post-op because there are no district nurses available and of course, she can’t cook for herself at present or put her binder on that is probably holding her body together. She had major open chest surgery. So how did the surgery go?

I had to get her there for 7am.  They switched the surgery to the Day Ward, as the main hospital was too hot.  It was 36C by ten am and for the next two days 40.3 C.  Luckily the Day Ward had working air-conditioning. The main hospital has none and the windows barely opened.  More of that later.

The surgery lasted two and half-hours and with luck was successful (we shall know in about two months).  But now they had a patient unconscious, on morphine for the pain and no bed.  No bed the next day either. In a lot of pain and distinctly uncomfortable, she spent two days post-surgery in a chair.

Finally someone died in the main hospital (of heat we discovered later) and she was moved.  Her gratitude for this soon turned to bewilderment as she realised she was in a ward with no air-con, fainting nurses, absent staff and outside temp 37C – inside 33 C at it’s coolest at night.

Never mind my sister having to endure this, the brave, dedicated nursing staff had to work through this every day.  Added to which the hospital management dumped a violent mental patient into the surgery ward with two full time security guards to watch her as there was nowhere else to put her.

I had to sneak in with four avocados for my sister, as she couldn’t face the hospital food.  (To be truthful I thought the menu was terrific and she was later able to muster some enthusiasm for chicken tikka masala and rice on the fifth day).

The care my sister got and the skill of the surgery team was exemplary – all were working in unacceptable temperatures.  I’m pretty sure few were happy about it, or the later havoc in the ward when the mental patient ran amok.  But given the circumstances I’d say the NHS is still working thanks to the staff and despite the foolishness of building relatively new hospitals without the means to cool them in a rapidly warming climate.

The waiting lists are long.  People might risk dying waiting, but the blame lies squarely at the feet of the GP’s who are absolutely not pulling their weight  - thus sending millions of people to an A& E system that was NEVER designed to have so many patients. The after care is a huge issue. I am not sure my sister could hve survived if I wasn't here in the initial weeks.

For the record I haven’t been able to see my GP face to face for nearly three years now and I’m pretty sure this is the same for millions of others. We are as good as our weakest links.  But have some respect for our hospital staff. They are genuine heroes.

PS: My sister is fine for now, but we returned to the hospital to remove the 15 metal pins from the wound on the 25th - a painful procedure. She's a bit grumpy about my vegan cooking but is already able to walk in the garden unaided.

© Sam North - Editor - August 2022
Author of Magenta - The Cure for Sceptics - Diamonds , the Rush of '72.

The Book of Ashes • New from Sam Hawksmoor ISBN: 979-8-837434-952 ASIN: B0B85HFK86 Hammer & Tong August 2022 - print and kindle I miss you so much... even when you’re right here		The Book of Ashes - Some secrets are meant to be kept forever The Case: Delaney and Asha run their own investigation company now. Hired to find a writer who stiffed a client of $10,000 - things go bad pretty fast. "This was supposed to be a simple track and trace job. Find the writer, bank the money. Now it's a horror show."

'We Feel Your Pain' by Sam Hawksmoor ISBN-13: 979-8699087693 Published by Hammer & Tong Print or Kindle from Amazon		We Feel Your Pain – So you don’t have to. The Case: Delaney (42) and Asha (22) run the Office of Berg City Oversight. Their role is to expose the scams, keep the city safe from unscrupulous people.  When something looks too good to be true – it’s a scam, right?  But what if the scam works?  What kind of scam is that?

MISSION LONGSHOT: how far will you go to save one life? Gerry is convinced aliens are going to attack on Millennium Eve - Y2K night. Everyone else is preparing for the end of civilisation. When it happens only Gerry notices aliens land. He and his spacenut pals Jolene and Kali race to be the first to greet them... 'Climate change, lost alien civilisations, adventures in deep space. Great fun with endearing characters'. Kitty Thomas

The Sam North Novels - still available to order Amazon or Lulu

*Keeping Hackwriters archived is supported by sales of our books - so do buy, print or kindle, we aren't picky.
Magenta - A chilling story of kidnapping, burning and strangeness set in the wilds of Lincolnshire

** The Heaviness, & The Repercussions of Tomas D - 'best time travel WW2 story in a long while'

The new edition of 'ANOTHER PLACE TO DIE: ENDTIME CHRONICLES By Sam Hawksmoor & Sam North There's no safe place to hide from a lethal pandemic Print & Kindle - Q&A interview with the authors here A city gripped by fear. People are petrified of being thrown into quarantine. Best friends Kira and Liz once parted are scared they will never see each other again. Teen lovers, Chris and Rachel, prepare to escape to the islands. a taster here The Last Ferry Review from the First Edition: 'Beautiful, plausible, and sickeningly addictive, Another Place to Die: Endtime will terrify you, thrill you, and make you petrified of anyone who comes near you...' Roxy West - Amazon.co.uk

Girl with Cat (Blue) - Shortlisted for the Rubery International Book Award 'a funny, bloody, colorful narrative that never fails to surprise the reader. Girl with Cat (Blue) provides great entertainment'.

'This book was amazing! I was hooked from the first few pages and couldn't put the book down.' Judge, 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. - Honorable Mention

J&K 4Ever - A post-apocalypse love story Sixty years after the end of everything the city of Bluette survives, controlled by a malignant sect.  A place where men rule, girls receive no education and are matched at 16 to the highest bidder.  No one is ever permitted to leave the city and outside is a murderous wasteland of despair. Orphans Kruge and Jeyna have been devoted to each other through all the years of terror in this harsh regime and sworn never to be parted.  But the beautiful Jeyna has been betrayed by the Warden. Kruge has been swiftly banished to the Scraps, under the control of the Keeper. Jeyna is heartbroken; she will not accept her fate and escapes to find Kruge.   'A genuine romance in a bleak but plausible and terrifying setting'.

J&K 4Ever

MARIKKA- exclusively on Amazon Print and kindle 2 Based on a tragic real life event, Marikka flees from an arson attack on her home to the sea, where she meets Starfish boy – a runaway working for Jackson, a scarred man hiding a sinister secret from the world. Meanwhile her real father searches for her with the aide of Anya, ‘the girl who can read objects’. More about the writing of this book ‘Long after my tears dried, my heart stayed with Marikka, Starfish Boy and the strange girl who reads objects.’ CT You will smile, you will gasp with shock, and you will struggle to read the words through your tears. Gemma Williams - Amazon.co.uk

Spy/Romance thriller set during the Blitz in WW2 - Kindle download The Repercussions of Tomas D A Hero? Or Englands Greatest Traitor? USA Paperback here 'Disturbing and very poignant YA love story that presents a chilling alternate future for an England that lost the war.' Marcel d'Agneau 'A brilliant imagining of living in the Blitz, well researched.' Amazon UK 'This is Man in the High Castle for teens and scarily plausible ' *download the Kindle version or buy the paperback from Hammer & Tong

'The Heaviness' for any reader who likes to think about such things as betrayal, revenge, relationships and the laws of gravity. An original Genie Magee story Genie & Renée have just 36 hours to save Rian or he dies 'Without a doubt, one of the best YA Sci Fi series out there.' Evie Seo - Bookish Kindle & print Thanks to readers who have been buying this title. * Also published as Rüya by Marti Yayincilik - The Turkish publishers of TOZ & Golge

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