The International Writers Magazine MAY Editorial 2017

TRAVEL

COMMENT

LIFESTYLES

REVIEWS

FICTION

Welcome to this MAY edition of Hackwriters. Read us and our amazing archives too. 18 years on-line, 7416 articles - reviews - stories - travel - share any feature you like and pass them on using the links.
Hackwriters cited by HelloTravel.com as "TOP JOURNALISM/NARRATIVES TRAVEL BLOGS 2016"

*We are taking a short break in Belgium until the end of May.

Editorial: 15th May 2017
Reeling from so much political news of late. Trump, as ever, hogs the limelight with yet another foolish executive decision and Emmanuel Macron is sworn in as President of France whilst the UK fights an election with the left wing salivating over a pure Marxist manifesto that harks back to a forgotten age when the unions ran everything and nothing worked. Sadly we have an entire generation now that does not remember how crap everything used to be and could easily be lured into some fake socialist paradise. At least they won't have to worry about getting on the property ladder as house prices crash around them with the rest of the economy. There's always a silver lining hey. We live in uncertain times, Brexit hasn't even started yet and a hard exit is looking more certain now Europe wants all the regional assemblies to ratify any agreements. So ask yourself are you happy? Better open another bottle of wine, you will need it.

On a personal note, I've discovered that I really don't like living in the countryside and have put my home on the market. Who knows if it will sell, there must be someone out there who likes the sound of crows and doesn't mind a mile walk to the nearest shop in the rain. Hopefully someone with a horse as there's a lonely and friendly black stallion in the paddock next door who needs company. Someone who does love the countryside is Regitze Dinesen, the lucky woman who is the heir to the Karen Blixen home. You can read about her training to be a Squire on the link above.

Digital Security
I feel such a fool. Fell for a scam big time last week. Got a call from BT and they said I'd been hacked and as I am used to talking to India because my internet connection is so bad I let them take over my machine. IDIOT! The thief is called Rahul Bajal and he gets you to use Teamview then Validator and it's all nonsense and he will swiftly remove ALL your money via Western Union. He even changed my email to his name! Can't believe I fell for it, but I was tired and in the middle of marking and I just don't think my brain was working that day. For the record British Telecom will never call and if you do get a call from Rahul and his pals, hang up, call your bank, block your cards. Change banks! All my fault for trusting people. The internet is a thieves paradise and the latest cyber attack affecting 100 countries proves.

On Writing:

Luckily May brings good fortune for Sam Hawksmoor at least. The French edition of the Ist book in the Genie Magee trilogy (The Repossession) comes out May 17th as VoLontaires. Published by bayard-editions.com/jeunesse. Let's hope the teen readers in France enjoy it enough to want to move on to part two and I'll try and track down the editor there in Paris to interest them in part three. It's been a while in coming. With luck I will visit a bookshop or two in Bayonne and Biarritz when I am there in June. Genie has become Jenny in this edition, but perhaps Genie doesn't translate well. I am so happy French readers will finally have a chance to read the books though. (VoLontaires - Amazon link)

By contrast my Turkish publisher Marti Yayincilik bought part three in the series 'The Heaviness' at Christmas and are already publishing it this June as Rüya (Dream). Their hardbacks are of an excellent quality and I hope it finds readers. Turkey is in such turmoil I feel so anxious for the young there and their dreams of a safe and prosperous life.

Meanwhile I am working on the final edit of Girl With Cat (Blue) which I hope to publish this summer. My special critic Kitty did a final read through and has made some awkward suggestions that I will have to remedy. That's the problem of asking readers to comment - they immediately have a 100 things they want changed or corrected. Luckily Kitty's suggestions are sensible and although will create difficulties for me I am taking them on board. You can't ask people to comment and then ignore their advice. I have been working on this book for years and it seems hard to finally let go. I am reminded of a Michael Douglas movie where he plays Professor Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys with a novel of thousands of pages he just can't end. I now, at last, have to amend and finally let Jules and Saska out into the world.

There's a ton of things going on right now in this complex world. Trump passed 100 days of chaos with much more angst to come. Spain is trying to make sure we have a very bad Brexit, even though if trade breaks down between the UK and Spain it could devastate their economy. (Who else will buy their cars and wine?) If people are still foolish enough to vote Labour in the UK on June 8th we could end up with Jeremy Corbyn in power, pro-ISIS and a puppet of Putin. No wonder my students don't want to vote.
But Vive La France as they say and En Marche

You can read us, share us and contribute.

© Sam Hawksmoor May 2017
author of J&K 4Ever – a story about young love and devotion is a troubled world.
Print or kindle
Review: (A beautiful love story but also a terrifying glimpse of our future) DK

*As ever Hackwriters is supported by sales of our books - so do buy, print or kindle, we aren't picky.
**And thanks for those who do. The Heaviness, Another Place to Die: Endtime Chronicles are recommended.
also read The Repercussions of Tomas D

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 all new edition of 'ANOTHER PLACE TO DIE: ENDTIME CHRONICLES By Sam Hawksmoor and 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 The Heaviness published by Hammer and Tong 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 this year. If you enjoyed it, please post a remark on Amazon or Goodreads. It all helps. * Now published as Rüya by Marti Yayincilik - The Turkish publishers of TOZ & Golge

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