Been a busy summer so far!

Hello CK Westbrook readers,

First, I must acknowledge some of the terrible things happening in our country. My heart breaks for everyone hurt by the Trump Budget bill, and that includes most people. My heart breaks for people losing their jobs for no sane reason, and my heart breaks for everyone impacted by climate change-driven severe weather, especially in North Carolina, New Mexico, and Texas.

Please continue to resist, however you feel comfortable doing so. Protest in the streets, put solar panels on a roof, help your community, and read rebellious books. Thank you!

Book Update:

I received the edited manuscript of The Reason back from my publisher. It will be Book One of the “Before the Impact” series. Isn’t that cool? I can’t wait for this story to be out in the world!

Next steps will be that I read and accept/reject their edits, and we go back and forth a few times until it's perfect. We also work on the blurb, book cover, publication date, etc. It’s very exciting and a little nerve-wracking. I had hoped that by my fifth published book, I would not feel acute impostor syndrome – but there it is.

Fun Events:

I will be interviewed, along with fellow author Steve Altier, on 321 Author Chats on Tuesday, July 22, from 7-8 pm ET.

It’s a live stream, so please join us to watch it live. Here’s the link:
https://youtube.com/live/iivXkDzIoak?feature=share

I will be participating in an Author Talk at the Mount Pleasant Library, with fellow sci-fi author Avrah C. Baren, on Thursday, July 24, at 6:30 pm.

Our talk is entitled, “Strange Realities: Writing speculative fiction when science and history are stranger than fiction.” The authors will introduce you to local sci-fi and fantasy and the key elements of the genres, their writing, and their process to publication. Ms. Baren, an earth scientist, is the author of First Comes Death and the Of Stardust anthology series. Ms. Westbrook is an environmentalist and author of the sci-fi series, “The Impact Series.”

Details: https://mailchi.mp/mountpleasantvillage.org/hiwqee5dwj-13874251

I was interviewed, along with my husband Jeff, on the Set Lusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast, hosted by Jesse Jackson. We discussed Bruce’s recently released treasure trove of music called Tracks II: The Lost Albums, specifically L.A. Garage Sessions ’83. This album consists of songs he wrote between Nebraska and Born in the USA. We discussed the album, each song, our shared love of Bruce Springsteen, and “The Impact Series.”

It’s available on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcasts, including: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-light-and-darkness-the-stories-of-la-garage-83/id1038228650?i=1000716435241

Book Review:

I do not have a book review at this time; however, I am eager to see the movie Elio. It’s an animated science fiction adventure film from Pixar Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. In the movie, Elio and an alien companion must navigate a field of dangerous space debris. The real-time website mapping of space junk around the Earth supposedly inspired the scene. I support anything that calls attention to the trashing of space, and when Disney does it, well, that’s a lot of attention. If you've seen it, let me know what you think.

Space Debris and the MethaneSAT:

As an environmental policy expert, I can assure you we don’t need a satellite to tell us where methane comes from. Now, the MethaneSAT is just a defunct satellite and more space garbage.

The $88 million that the Environmental Defense Fund received from Bezos to give to Musk to launch MethaneSAT into lower-Earth orbit would have been better spent expanding compost programs across the country, educating people to eat less cows, putting solar panels on roofs, or buying politicians to implement the methane rule. 60% of methane emissions are from human activities. The largest sources are agriculture, fossil fuels, and decomposition of landfill waste.

Oil & gas producers are among the largest methane emitters, and reducing it is critical to address climate change. Republicans voted to repeal a federal fee on oil and gas producers who release high levels of methane, undoing Biden’s climate policy aimed at controlling the planet-warming “super pollutant.” It was expected that the fee would have made the industry reduce methane pollution. But now we will never know since Republicans (with Bezos/ Musk donations) killed the fee.

The satellite was launched in 2024. Now it’s space pollution. Nothing has changed regarding methane emissions or slowing climate change. Sigh.

SALE:

To end on a high note, all 4 Horsemen Publications paperback books, including “The Impact Series,” are 30% off through July! If you are looking for a great summer vacation read (and want to boycott Amazon), check out this sale!

https://4horsemenpublications.com/product-category/authors/ck-westbrook/

Until next time, my friends!

I can’t express my deep gratitude to my readers enough. Thank you for sharing this fantastic adventure with me!

CK

Sign up for my monthly newsletter through my website: CK Westbrook

Reviews

I need more book reviews!

Reviews on Amazon - Amazon.com: The Shooting (Impact): 9781644504970: Westbrook, Ck: Books

Amazon.com: The Collision (Impact): 9781644506226: Westbrook, Ck: Books

Amazon.com: The Judgment (Impact): 9781644507124: Westbrook, Ck: Books

Amazon.com: The Aftermath: 9798823203586: Westbrook, Ck: Books

Reviews on Goodreads - The Shooting (The Impact Series Book 1) by CK Westbrook | Goodreads