Fire and Fury...

Lawsuits and Amendment Rights

Trump threatens the publisher and author of Fire and Fury with a lawsuit and the publisher responds by moving up the release date. We all chuckle.

But as a journalist and author, the threat of a lawsuit always niggles around in the cockles of my mind.  One always does one's best not be libelous or defamatory and always puts those little disclaimers in the front of the book about it being totally fictitious. And in the case of journalistic endeavors, one keeps meticulous notes, checks out one's sources, and runs things by lawyers.

The right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, are very strong rights in democratic societies, but they are not absolute.  Canada has hate laws, Germany has a law making Holocaust denial illegal. Most countries have laws against publishing state secrets and thus Snowden, Assange and Chelsea Manning got in legal trouble.

This balancing of an individual's freedoms and rights with what's 'right' for society is difficult for many of us. In my novel FATAL ERROR a disgruntled cop, in trying to make a living from a tell-all tale, unveils the identity of a young witness whose testimony helped bring down THE TRAZ biker gang.

Although the police move to prevent publication of the book, they are Canadian cops and it's an American publisher--insisting on exercising first amendment rights. With cross-border jurisdictional confusion and the age-old battle between 'rights and freedoms' versus 'life and limb' things became very dicey for little Katrina.

When rights aren't absolute and the truth is open to interpretation, the ensuing struggles, though intense and unsettling, serve as great fodder for novels and movies.
Fire and Fury has been brought to  you by FATAL ERROR, Book 2 in the BackTracker Series.

At thirteen she falls in with The Traz bikers. At fifteen her testimony brings down the gang. Her genius, beauty and wealth eventually make her a very powerful woman--but Katrina will forever be in danger.

It's not fair!

Around the age of eight or nine, childhood tantrums give way to plaintive tirades against how unjust life is. "It's not fair!"

"If life were fair," we wise adults retort, "we'd be born old and die young. People would fly and seagulls would walk." 

"If Life Were Fair, Horses Would Ride Half the Time" (a book by Ben Goode)

"If life were fair, all the terrible things that happen to us, we'd actually deserve."

Or as Johnny Carson once said, "If life were fair, Elvis would still be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.” 

We start to develop a more mature sense of justice and fairness in our early to mid-teens, and an acceptance that no, life is not always fair.

Well into adulthood, though, we long to believe our justice system is fair, that our political institutions are equitable and principled--unless of course, we're looking for advantages for ourselves and our kin. Unless we believe we deserve a bit more than others...a bigger piece of the pie, a lesser part of the punishment.

In FATAL ERROR (2nd Edition), Book 2 of my BackTracker series, the equability of our justice system is explored from differing viewpoints--a young teen, law enforcement, prosecutors, the media, a biker gang.

As stated in the Book Club Discussion Guide at the back of the book:

"There are cultural differences in what is perceived as fair, leading to different laws and legal systems around the world. Canadian laws allows for justice to be tempered by circumstances yet at the same time, nobody is above the law—the same laws are supposed to apply to everyone equally."

Flexibility and fairness are hard concepts to balance, and not everyone is equal under the law, and circumstances both colour and taint justice.

FATAL ERROR still makes me ponder both the fragility and strength of our legal system. It's a good read...

It's not fair! is brought to you by FATAL ERROR

"Heartbreaking and triumphant" 

"...a dialogue-driven plot with so much compassion" 

“...a lesson and an intense drama in one.”

“Emotions run high in this book.” 

“This book has so much to say; we all should listen." 

“Rebellion, terror, drugs, murder, loss, lies, broken promises—all are there.”

Eileen Schuh, Author
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs

When I wrote the first novel in my BackTracker series, I had no intention of following it up with eight more novels. But if I had intended to write a lengthy series, I couldn't have chosen a more apt subject--drug-dealing biker gangs.

They just won't go away, either in real life or in the BackTracker series. They are rich, powerful, and often beyond the reach of the law. (See my post, Getting away with murder )

They run the illicit drug trade around the world, as well as control the lucrative businesses of human trafficking, prostitution and illegal arms dealing.

My fictional biker gang, The Traz, was brought down in a massive undercover police operation in Books I and 2 of the series (THE TRAZ and FATAL ERROR). However, they are still around in my upcoming Book 4, OPERATION MAXTRACKER.

"You can destabilize them, but you'll never get rid of them," says André Cédillot, organized crime specialist in the article, How the Hells Angels Made a Massive Comeback in Quebec.

He also mentions the Hells Angels expansion into other fraudulent activities. 

In OPERATION MAXTRACKER, The Traz is about to seize control of cyberspace. Now, wouldn't that be lucrative...

And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs has been brought to you by:

The BackTracker Series

Eileen Schuh, Author
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrodinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

 

Crime for Christmas

Mystery, murder and mayhem. Merry Christmas!

 

With my background education in Psychiatric Nursing and Journalism and volunteer experience with law enforcement, the BackTracker stories ring frighteningly true.

Check out this series of  novels, a perfect buy for many reasons across all seasons. The first three books in this intriguing series (THE TRAZ, FATAL ERROR, and FIREWALLS) are already available in both ebook and paperback formats. THE TRAZ also comes in a School Edition, complete with a discussion guide and links to information and help sites for the social issues touched on in the novel.

With the fourth in the series due out in a few months, BackTracker makes a great gift.

The BACKTRACKER Series

Adolescent girls love the fact Katrina is their age and living outside the constraints of parenting. What kid doesn’t dream of doing that? She’s clever, beautiful and extraordinarily wealthy. What girl doesn’t dream of that? 

Katrina leads an exciting life, hooking up with drug dealers and bikers, and brokering cocaine deals. However, the downside of her dangerous choices becomes apparent all too soon.

While her two million dollar inheritance grants her special privileges of power and belonging in the violent gang world, the cost of that membership will be too steep for her to bear. With no guardians, no one to love her and no one to care, Katrina’s future is very insecure indeed.

She may not survive.

Beautiful, wealthy & in danger

Books are awesome gifts. There are few entertainment options that offer so much pleasure for so little money. One can buy a bundle of books and have thousands of hours of pleasure for much less than a single ticket to a three-hour professional sporting event.

And another reason to buy books this season? Most publishers are offering hefty discounts from now to the New Year.

The paperback versions of the BackTracker novels are currently 15% off  on CreateSpace. At check out, use discount code VN8SJ9RL for THE TRAZ School Edition (Book 1) and FATAL ERROR (Book 2). Use code CMUQ66P6 for THE TRAZ Book 1 and FIREWALLS Book 3.

My books are also available as paperbacks and ebooks on Amazon, Smashwords and all fine online book retailers. 

If they aren’t on the shelves of your local bookstore or library, you can ask to have them ordered in.

Eileen Schuh, Author
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Getting away with murder

The chilling headline almost passed unnoticed, coming as it did late Friday before the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

Oh, my goodness, I gasped. They're going to get away with murder!


That was my fear when I was writing FATAL ERROR, the second novel in my BackTracker series, centred around the murder trial of members of The Traz biker gang. There was a technical issue, a slight slip of protocol, a withholding of some minor evidence. Enough, though, that the bikers launch an appeal of their convictions and the Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear their complaints.

The BackTracker Series

Could it be that after undercover agents Shrug and Chad risked their lives and their souls infiltrating the gang in order to bring it down that their efforts are going to be for naught?



Could it possibly be that even though young Katrina finally breaks down and agrees to testify against these violent, powerful men, they are going to be set free? Could it be that no one would ever pay for young Lukas' senseless, violent death?

Young Katrina testified in FATAL ERROR

Could it be that the millions of dollars in taxpayers money spent on the Operation, the investigation, the trials would be spent in vain?

Would it be, after all that, the Traz bikers will walk free, take back the streets, sell their drugs, recruit vulnerable children, kill again...and again?


That scenario was scary enough in a novel, but for me to face it in real life...


Yes, I know the power of gangs so when late last Friday, the start of a long weekend, a judge quietly dismissed the murder charges against a group of Hells Angels, I shuddered.


I had looked forward to following what was being billed a 'mega trial'. A dozen or more Hells were being brought up on all kinds of charges, included many murder charges. This after many more charges had been dismissed because a judge ruled justice was taking too long. A special court house was designed...for everyone's safety.  Then some of those charged pleaded guilty, some died, some walked free and the 'mega trial' turned out to be for five Hells Angels only.


I was to be further disappointed when I discovered there was very little media coverage of the trial. None in English. I had to search with several engines and translate from French to find out what was going on in that special Montreal courtroom. That one of the crown's star witnesses was an ex-Hells Angel surprised me. Bikers don't turn on each other, at least in my BackTracker series they didn't.


Then came the grand slam of disappointments...the trial is dismissed because that ex-biker's testimony contradicted evidence the police had gathered but had not been shared with the defence...for reasons we do not know.


The power of gangs.


In my BackTracker series, members of biker gangs use threats, bribes, drugs, money, blackmail, flattery, romance and bullets to silence the media, to bypass justice, to get their way. They use high-powered lawyers, well-placed allies, and political friends. They use computer hackers to corrupt evidence and lies and conniving to avoid paying for their crimes.


So...what did they use in real life? I have a feeling I will never know.


Here's the link to that chilling Friday headline:

Judge orders end of SharQC Hells Angels trial over Crown's handling of evidence

Getting away with murder is brought to you by:

FATAL ERROR

"Courage and insight make for a compelling read" 

“...a worthy sequel to the explosive ‘THE TRAZ’.”

“Wise, haunting, deeply moving…unforgettable!”

 “The very best in today's motorcycle gang stories just got a little better.”