Author: Sol Sharp

The debacle that was the 2024 election in the United States, which is now devolving into a garbage fire on considerable proportions, is an example of an inflection point in history.

For the Shmuley Myers universe, that was when Ralph Reed’s Moral Majority managed, in a lightning swoop, to pass the ill-fated constitutional amendment stating not only that life begins at conception, but also that citizenship is awarded at that time. Turning every non-live birth into a murder investigation, and triggering the kinds of anti-birth control, pro-taming and -controlling of women that even Margaret Atwood’s writings and the fantasies of religious extremists in the Philipines could not match.

I hope the American people veer from the absurdist Calvinist principles that have brought us to this precipice and embrace the idea that a plurality of views, religions, and mores beats the monolith of the fascism of the “majority” (or rich).

September 6-8 are the dates for this awesome convention featuring slews of writers, their fans, and those interested in the business and practice of writing. Events include:

• A critique workshop Friday morning, September 6th.
• Panels on the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres, discussing writing methods, informative talks (such as the latest on what’s happening at NASA), comparing works from a genre, and, of course, silliness.
• There’s a podcast “taped” at the event.
• Authors will be reading from their books, which will also be for sale in the dealer room (along with an amazing used book collection)

For all details head out to https://armadillocon.org/d46/. And check out ongoing updates at their blog.

The last eight months have been a slow-motion horror show for me. Between the horrifying massacre of Israelis in October and the brutal war that still follows, to watching the Israeli government slide toward totalitarianism and fascism — not to be outdone by the insanity that is the American 2024 election cycle — I’m left raw and empty. July 4th for me, this year, reminds me how far the country has slid from the idea of a United America that is celebrated “just like every year.”

The Shmuley Myers series is about murder: whodunnit, whydunnit, and all that. Seeing the hatred and violence playing out on the two stages I care about wears me down. Who wants to swim in the bloody seas of a murder investigation on top of all that reality?

I know Ukrainian authors who stopped writing some of their books because they were dark even before the Russian invasion. I didn’t understand it at the time, but, unfortunately, I do now.

The fourth book, A Measure of Mercy, touches on that quality. Yes, it’s a murder mystery, but not the glory of gory that can be part and parcel of that genre. There’s more loving and understanding enmeshed with the sadness brought on by violence smashing into a family.

I’ve picked up the (virtual) pen again, hoping I can inject, at least myself, with some recognition that Rachamim–mercy, not pity–will be my anodyne for the coming months.

A third state has another tie to bind a woman to a pregnancy (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/15/missouri-law-divorce-pregnancy-violence-abortion). Pregnant in Missouri and want a divorce? Nope, not until the baby is born. I mean, whose body is this, anyway? Keep in mind not all religions have the same laws regarding abortion. But freedom in the US is supposed to be unfettered by religion–it says so in the constitution. Actually, this law violates the 14th Amendment that ended slavery. Because a person disempowered from movement or freedom from violence is, indeed, enslaved.