Jack Getze's Blog: The Crimes of Austin Carr

A Special Operations “fixer” for Homeland Security, U.S. Marine General Ray Hauser, teams up with Air Force Special Agent Sunny Hicks to recover a stolen GAU-8, the Gatling-gun like nose cannon of the military’s most destructive gunship, the A-10 Warthog. The weapon fires three thousand rounds a minute, each round’s explosive power equal to a stick of dynamite. Attached to a flatbed trailer, parked near Los Angeles traffic at rush hour, three thousand people could die within police response time.Ray has another, more personal incentive to find those who stole the horrific weapon. His wife, Alissa, went missing years ago investigating a similar theft inside the same Arizona desert. If he can solve the GAU-8 case, there’s a chance he can discover what happened to his presumably dead wife, even catch her killers.But that stolen Gatling-gun-like cannon also holds special attraction for Jessie Maris, unhappy wife of the weapon’s chief thief, Nolan Maris, a career criminal who plans to sell the GAU-8 for half a million. Jessie has been abused all her life, especially by the judge in a Family Court case many years ago. When her husband Nolan keeps her in the dark about his plans, then physically beats her, Jessie goes on a rampage that leads her and the GAU-8 to an old abuser and a crowd of innocents.Can Hicks and Hauser stop her? U.S. Special Operations never dealt with a battered, over-the-edge woman like Jessie before.

A Special Operations “fixer” for Homeland Security, U.S. Marine General Ray Hauser, teams up with Air Force Special Agent Sunny Hicks to recover a stolen GAU-8, the Gatling-gun like nose cannon of the military’s most destructive gunship, the A-10 Warthog. The weapon fires three thousand rounds a minute, each round’s explosive power equal to a stick of dynamite. Attached to a flatbed trailer, parked near Los Angeles traffic at rush hour, three thousand people could die within police response time.Ray has another, more personal incentive to find those who stole the horrific weapon. His wife, Alissa, went missing years ago investigating a similar theft inside the same Arizona desert. If he can solve the GAU-8 case, there’s a chance he can discover what happened to his presumably dead wife, even catch her killers.But that stolen Gatling-gun-like cannon also holds special attraction for Jessie Maris, unhappy wife of the weapon’s chief thief, Nolan Maris, a career criminal who plans to sell the GAU-8 for half a million. Jessie has been abused all her life, especially by the judge in a Family Court case many years ago. When her husband Nolan keeps her in the dark about his plans, then physically beats her, Jessie goes on a rampage that leads her and the GAU-8 to an old abuser and a crowd of innocents.Can Hicks and Hauser stop her? U.S. Special Operations never dealt with a battered, over-the-edge woman like Jessie before.

OutKickA new report details that woke editors and publishers are getting sucked into giving out huge advances to left wing authors for books that don't sell.What's that old saying about going woke and going broke?The Free Press reported on the publishing industry's massive mistakes in recent years, and how company's often rush to buy progressive books that almost immediately flop. And why. And as an author of two books myself, it's abundantly clear that these decisions are being made to prop up a predetermined political ideology instead of making sound financial choices.One of the most prominent examples of failed left wing books is "Pageboy," a memoir from actor Elliot Page about transitioning from Ellen Page. Page received a $3 million advance, but sold just 68,000 copies, despite massive promotion, media puff pieces and a celebrity figure with a substantial following.Another example is "Dear Miss Metropolitan," a book about three "black and biracial" girls, which garnered a $250,000+ advance, only to sell 3,163 copies since it was released over two years ago. Claudia Cravens' book, "Lucky Red," received a $500,000 advance and sold just 3,500 copies despite being a "queer feminist Western."Why are there bidding wars over unsuccessful woke books? Because of institutional racism and progressive political obsession within the book publishing community.

A new thriller, Before the Rain, will be published by Down and Out Books next spring. Here's the long synopsis I just popunded out for D+O's Lance Wright, the man you need to know: A Special Operations “fixer” for Homeland Security, U.S. Marine General Ray Hauser, teams up with Air Force Special Agent Sunny Hicks to recover a stolen GAU-8, the Gatling-gun like nose cannon of the military’s most destructive gunship, the A-10 Warthog. The weapon fires three thousand rounds a minute, each round’s explosive power equal to a stick of dynamite. Attached to a flatbed trailer, parked near Los Angeles traffic at rush hour, three thousand people could die within police response time. Ray has another, more personal incentive to find those who stole the horrific weapon. His wife, Alissa, went missing years ago investigating a similar theft inside the same Arizona desert. If he can solve the GAU-8 case, there’s a chance he can discover what happened to his presumably dead wife, even catch her killers. But that stolen Gatling-gun-like cannon also holds special attraction for Jessie Maris, unhappy wife of the weapon’s chief thief, Nolan Maris, a career criminal who plans to sell the GAU-8 for half a million. Jessie has been abused all her life, especially by the judge in a Family Court case many years ago. When her husband Nolan keeps her in the dark about his plans, then physically beats her, Jessie goes on a rampage that leads her and the GAU-8 to an old abuser and a crowd of innocents.Can Hicks and Hauser stop her? U.S. Special Operations never dealt with a battered, over-the-edge woman like Jessie before

Author, teacher, and friend, Les (Butch) Edgerton died this week at his home in Indiana. He'd been ill for many years, but never stopped writing or helping newer writers find their voice. A man of the street, Les lived a hard, soulful life in New Orleans and elsewhere, eventually writing about the crime and criminals he knew personally, the prisoners he lived with a few years.Easily the nicest, warmest, funniest man I have ever met in half a century of writing, Les made you feel like his best friend on the day you met him. He loved life and he loved humans, understanding our nature in a way no one did before. I loved his books as I loved the man.All of his stories, novels, and writing books are solid examples of marvelous, clean writing. Each is worth reading, though a quirk I admired about the man, his best books carried some fairly unsavory titles, Les refusing all marketing advice from agents, editors, publishers, and writing friends. (Change that title, Butch!) My favorite of his works is called The Rapist. If you were lucky enough to know him, he always signed his emails like this:Blue Skies, Butch.

Since this was one the most important writing lessons I ever learned. (Thank you, Mr. Lehane. I can't call you Dennis because we didn't have a drink together. I still hope.) Anyway, I needed to updat my blog and this is the way I'm doing the dedd. From many years ago: When the movie CASABLANCA opens and engages us, Humphrey Bogart (Richard Blane) wants the girl from his past, one, and second, to keep himself out of World War II. Rick's hiding. He doesn't like Nazis, but he doesn't want to actively fight anymore. So when the movie ends, when Humphrey and the police captain stroll into the airport fog, does Rick have what he wanted? Oh, hell no, you genre writers! He GAVE UP the freaking girl. She wanted him. He could have taken her back. The love of his freaking life. But no. It was better for the Nazi-fighters if she stayed with her husband. And that's the second part, isn't it? He wanted to stay out of the war, but now, he's not only sacrificing love and happiness, he's marching off to physically fight Nazis again, too. He's changed. He's become a better man. He's placed the whole world above his own little one. (TFA says in the newspaper business, editors used to call this kind of reporter a Crusader Rabbit. After Watergate, they called them boss.) My point? Honestly, troops, I'm not one-hundred percent sure. I'm just a little nervous. Because frankly, when Rick gave up that babe (Ingrid, was it?) to go hold a machine-gun, I had to wonder about his sensibilities. Maybe his manhood. Theme maybe isn't what grabs me. This Casablanca example of theme was the biggest thing TFA says he learned from his writers workshop with Dennis Lehane this past week. Plot is about what your protagonist WANTS. Theme should be woven into what he really NEEDS. Mr. L or his fantastic assistant, Tom Bernardo, mentioned this Casablanca example during class, and it thumped TFA over the head. It's why he risked taking me to a literary writing conference. TFA said he might want to make the Austin Carr Mystery Series grow a bit. I didn't worry much before we went. I figured TFA was full of it. But this Casablanca thing scares me, dudes. I don't want to fight Nazis. You know what I mean. I want to stay single, chase redheads, outwit the bad guys, charm my way out of tight situations. Fun and thrills, right? And now, TFA says he really loves this idea of theme, maybe writing stories so that I, Austin Carr, get what I really need. This is a very frightening thought.

You are my sunshine My only sunshine You make me happy When skies are gray You'll never know, dear How much I love you Please don't take your sunshine way.

That dimwit author Jack Getze has been removed as blog editor, thanks to a coup by staff. Yes, that's right, I led a revolt of characters and ousted that old, miserable writer from his dictatorial post. From now on, I, Austin Carr, devilish hero of the Austin Carr Mystery Series, will be in charge of posts and all production. I'm even working with staff on a new Austn Carr novel, BIG FINISH, though we've never done one without Getze and it could take a while. While we're working a new format, a new path, and a new script about my life, I've decided to go back in time -- punch that WayBack Clock -- and see what we were doing a decade ago. Why not? It should be fun. Plus, I'm going to make Getze write some new comments on his old mistakes. Thanks for sticking with us on that rocky road we call life.

By DAVID CATRON--The Spectator--Since early voting commenced in the Georgia runoff between Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, the corporate media has made much of Warnock’s funding advantage as if this is somehow unusual for an incumbent seeking reelection. Far more newsworthy are the sources of Warnock’s cash. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) shows that Warnock has received individual contributions totaling $65.2 million, of which 88.8 percent came from out-of-state donors. Indeed, Warnock raised slightly less money from individual Georgians that did Walker. Peach State residents contributed $7.3 million to Warnock while donating $7.5 million to Walker. The senator, however, received $57.8 million from contributors who don’t live in the state he ostensibly represents — including $13.4 million from California and $6.9 million from New York. According to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan research group that tracks political donations, Warnock is the top Senate recipient of contributions from outside his own state. OpenSecrets also maintains a catalogue of out-of-state corporate entities that have contributed to Sen. Warnock’s campaign. Because corporations are prohibited by federal law from contributing directly to political candidates, this money is funneled through various committees and leadership PACs to which company employees purportedly donate money. OpenSecrets provides a list of the Top 100 corporations from which Warnock has received such contributions. The following sample contains names that most will recognize: The senator’s campaign advertising frequently assures his constituents, “Warnock is working for Georgia.” This assertion is particularly difficult to take seriously, however, considering that a significant number of federal agencies also appear on the Open Secrets catalogue of Warnock’s Top 100 contributors. They include the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, the U.S. Dept. of State, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Dept. of Defense, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After reading the above, it won’t come as a surprise that Warnock was the top Senate recipient of largesse from civil servants, from whom he received $1.2 million. He also received more money than any other senator from the education lobby, which contributed $3.7 million to his campaign. In addition, he was showered with lucre from lawyers and law firms, who collectively donated $3.4 million to his war chest. He was also the top Senate beneficiary of donations from activists involved in women’s issues, who gave him $1.5 million. Warnock’s out-of-state donors made him the U.S. Senate’s leading fundraiser this election cycle. The FEC reports that, when all funding sources are included, he raised $175.6 million. This is three times the amount Herschel Walker raised, yet the senator beat the former football star by less than 1 percent in the general election and failed to get across that all important 50 percent (plus 1) threshold. This is why Georgia’s just-reelected GOP Governor, Brian Kemp, downplayed Sen. Warnock’s funding advantage in a recent CNN interview: Warnock’s got a lot of resources. He can do whatever he wants, but at the end of the day, I don’t think any of that stuff matters.… It matters what people think and what they’re dealing with in their everyday lives. And people are dealing with 40-year high inflation. I know that they know that the border is a disaster, and you’ve got Joe Biden saying after the November election he’s not going to change a thing. I think there’s a lot of Georgians that want things to change in Washington, D.C. Gov. Kemp has been actively working to vitiate the effect of Warnock’s out-of-state money by campaigning with Walker on the stump and cutting campaign ads explicitly urging voters to send the former football star to Washington instead of “another rubber stamp for Joe Biden.” Moreover, according to a report by Politico, Kemp has also made his successful turnout operation available to the Senate Leadership Fund, which plans to use his extensive micro-targeting data in a $2 million phone-banking and door-knocking campaign. Meanwhile, Warnock has been reduced to pleading with the voters who just reelected Kemp to ignore what the governor himself says about the need to send Walker to Washington. His campaign has augmented this feeble pitch with a series of rancid TV ads that repeat unsubstantiated media stories about Walker’s personal life. Normally, candidates in a runoff would focus on getting out the base, but Team Warnock is clearly worried that this won’t be enough. And early voting suggests that their anxieties may be well founded. Typically, turnout for runoff elections is pretty anemic, but Georgia set a new record for early voting on Tuesday, pushing the total early ballot count for the Dec. 6 runoff to 833,738. The Democrats inevitably claimed this is a good omen for Warnock, but Walker’s campaign manager tweeted the following Tuesday evening: “Of counties with more than 100,000 registered voters, Hall and Forsyth counties led the way in early in-person turnout on Monday. Walker won these 2 counties in the General Election with a whopping 67% of the vote.” This may mean that the GOP is finally catching up with the Democrats concerning the utility of early voting. The vast majority (770,745) of early votes, as of Tuesday evening, have been cast in person. This is probably a good sign for Republicans, who prefer to walk into their polling places and turn in their completed ballots with their own hands. If Walker defeats Warnock in the runoff, it will be a major defeat for the special interest groups who seek to bury the will of the voters beneath an avalanche of lawsuits and out-of-state contributions.

By Ben Whedon (Newsday LLC/Getty) November 23, 2022 - Americans who were either vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 constituted the majority of deaths from the virus for the first time in August, according to analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted on behalf of the Washington Post. "Fifty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in August were people who were vaccinated or boosted," the Post reported. "In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 percent of coronavirus fatalities. In January and February this year, it was up to 42 percent." Kaiser Family Foundation Vice President Cynthia Cox acknowledged that the rise in deaths among vaccinated Americans meant "[w]e can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated." The analysis follows the publication of data indicating that the efficacy of vaccines and boosters wanes significantly over time. The pandemic witnessed harsh lockdown restrictions, such as mask and vaccine mandates, that were particularly strict in Democratic states, prompting many Republican officials to call for accountability for the officials who imposed such measures. "People who are responsible need to be held accountable, because we shouldn't ever have to acquiesce our rights again as American people," Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs told Just the News in early November. Despite research and data casting doubt on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, outgoing White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci used a Tuesday press briefing to call on Americans to get vaccinated, saying "[m]y message, and my final message, maybe the final message I give you from this podium, is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you're eligible to protect yourself, your family and your community." "I urge you to visit vaccine.gov to find a location where you can easily get an updated vaccine, and please do it as soon as possible," he concluded, per Fox News. Fauci is set to resign at the end of the year.