The International Writers Magazine Editorial JULY 2019

TRAVEL

COMMENT

LIFESTYLES

REVIEWS

FICTION

Welcome to this JULY 2019 edition of Hackwriters. 20 years on-line, 7600+ articles - reviews - stories - travel - share any feature you like and pass them on using the links.
Once again celebrating Hello travel.com - Hackwriters Best Travel blog 2018:

Editorial: July

Yesterday we got a new Prime Minister in the UK in the shape of Boris Johnson and it was 'The Night of the Long Knives' as he dumped 17 cabinet members and replaced them with people he reckons will get Brexit done. The whole media is against him, how own party want to bring him down but he just might be the guy to pull things together. You never know. Anyway we wish him luck. Who could possibly object to an author and classicist taking the reins. We won't. (Although we might balk at the Marquis De Sade).

Welcome to summer. The weather guys say the UK might have three months of sun till September. Let's cross fingers but stay safe, skin cancer is out there - climate change isn't just about the weather. All last week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. James Campion remembers it from the perspective of a six-year old. All told it was a momentous year. Woodstock stands out. Richard Nixon was sworn in, (Not so much an outstanding thing) the Beatles give their last public performance on the roof of Apple Corp (and later produced the wonderful Abbey Road LP, the Boeing 747 flew in its first flight and the Saturday Evening Post closed in its 100th year. John and Yoko 'Give Peace a Chance' and Judy Garland dies in June, as does Brian Jones of the Stones, whilst Mony Python gets its first broadcast. On a chilling note - Charles Manson went on a killing spree. The Moon was big that year - but so was everything else. As a teenager I just remember always wishing I was where it was all happening - but at least I got to see the Moon landing live on TV.

July arrived with record heatwaves all over Europe (44.9c in France) and as we have recently discovered reports of Antarctica melting even faster than the Artic leaving dark pools of icy water that in turn causes more melting. Global warming is happening and with it climate change.  24/25th July saw temperatures in London approaching 37C.
Some scientists claim that catastrophe is only five years away and still they build coal-fired power stations in China and India (almost by the week in China).  Others, like Trump dismiss it all as a hoax, but then again almost everything he does is a hoax one way or another.  Walking on water in North Korea, bringing ‘peace’ to Iran by strangling the life out of its economy, telling non-white Democrat congress women to 'go back to where they came from' to appeal to his KKK base – but polls indicate he could still be president in five years time (or forever if he gets to change the laws as all his dictator pals have). Can Kamala Harris or A.N. Other break the spell? We have 16 months to find out. Assuming California is still there by then. Major earthquakes and aftershocks must be disturbing to say the least. So far, so lucky the aftershocks have occured away from major cities. Here at Hackwriters we realise that you already know the worst will happen and are secretly building an Ark to weather the coming storms (oceans might get a bit rough however). 

Meanwhile the Women's Football World Cup came to an end with the predicted US victory and has been quite a competition with huge audiences. Wimbledon produced a great final with the longest match in a final ever and a new tennis star has been discovered in 'Coco' who will dominate tennis for the next ten years at least. And the British Grand Prix was exciting to watch for a change and of course Hamilton won but had to work for it. At the same time as everything else England won the World Cup Cricket. All this combined to make people happier and forget politics for one glorious weekend.

Now it's Brexit all the way till doomsday. Boris is PM for now but what are the odds for Nigel Farage as PM by the autumn I wonder after a snap election is won by the Brexit party. If you're scared enough to think this, you might want to take a serious punt on it. It could happen, after all, we are all living in an alternate universe now. Either way we await with a growing sense of doom for a ‘No Deal’ exit from Europe on October 31st and the major recession that will follow.  I’ve eaten my stockpile already and can’t afford to buy it all again.  Will have to put a note on the door on November 1st to say "Pastas all gone – please loot next door."

As you might be aware Hackwriters is mainly in archive mode now.  Only sporadic updates will occur but it will remain up on-line as long as I can afford it as a research tool. After all 7600 articles is quite a writer’s resource whether choosing fiction, travel or comment.  A time capsule from 1999 to the present day.  We thank you for reading and do share anything you like. This month James Campion reflects on the imprisoned migrants on the US border and Ms Greenblatt tries to connect with her long dead beloved Grandma ...

© Sam North July 25th 2019
Author of Another Place to Die: Endtime Chronicles

*As ever Hackwriters 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 Sam North Novels - still available to order on Lulu or Amazon
** The Heaviness, also recommended & The Repercussions of Tomas D -'best time travel WW2 story in a long while'

Girl with Cat (Blue) - Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2018 '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. 2018 - Honorable Mention

J&K 4Ever - Love and Devotion in the Wastelands 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.  She is pursued by ruthless Enforcers on horseback, whose task it is to bring runaways back, dead or alive. '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 2015

The new edition of 'ANOTHER PLACE TO DIE: ENDTIME CHRONICLES By Sam Hawksmoor & Sam North Could you live in a world where antibiotics no longer work? Print & Kindle Q&A interview with the authors here A city gripped by fear as a lethal virus approaches from the East. No one knows how many are dying. 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. Do you stay and hide, or do you flee? Review from the First Edition: 'Beautiful, plausible, and sickeningly addictive, Another Place to Die will terrify you, thrill you, and make you petrified of anyone who comes near you...' Roxy West - Amazon.co.uk

Spy/Romance thriller set during the Blitz in WW2 - Kindle download All proceeds go to keeping Hackwriters going 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 with alternative facts ' *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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