X. Ho Yen's Author Newsletter (04 Jan 2026)
Greetings Dear Readers,
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=== Status ===
AotF is unofficially on hold. I’m too uncomfortable in The Fourth Reich to write novel-length fiction, especially given I haven’t found my audience, and it may no longer exist. Right now, psychology is against me, hard. It’ll be all I can do to complete the current episode of my animated outreach series, “Space Autistic Author”, which reflects my current state of mind and thus acts as a bit of a relief.
My recent substack posts include a call to make real changes in one’s life—the status quo helps the regime. While voting with our money has been a big part of our lives for decades, I feel there’s more I must do. What that looks like is currently unclear, and as an old autistic with soft bones I’m full of excuses, but this incredibly destructive regime is simply too itchy. I need to spend my time working toward something different rather than pretending there’s shelter in the status quo, even if that something different is escape. Maybe I can escape via a return to aerospace work somewhere else. That’ll be difficult at best, but it can’t happen if I don’t put in the effort.
When it gets bad for resisters, when assets are frozen, employers driven to fire people, landlords driven to evict people, etc., there will be a wave of refugee emigrants, at which point the rest of the world probably will close their gates. Now would be the time.
If you’re on Social Security and you’ve ever commented online against the regime in any way, or donated to a progressive organization like Public Citizen, what is your contingency plan for when they stop sending your Social Security payments, possibly in a stealthy way by introducing impenetrable bureaucratic ‘delays’ to obscure their real intent? (if they even bother to try to obscure their intent) You have no recourse to law any more, at least no recourse that would be quick enough to help you if this happens. That’s their most effective trick, the delaying actions.
If you’re loud online against the regime, like I am, what will you do when they confiscate your bank accounts? At this point, rule of law is out the window, so don’t tell me “they can’t do that”. Checks and balances are not functioning, except in the form of payoffs and the growing wealth of the fascists. Unfortunately, I have zero faith in future elections in the U.S., as the regime has infiltrated voting systems, shut down cross-checking systems, gerrymandered like hell, will deploy ICE and troops in blue areas, and they own the USPS so they can intercept mail-in ballots. Independent sources say they did not actually steal the last election, which apparently means the cult is still huge, so even if you don’t believe they’ll actively interfere in the elections, they might win it outright, which is pretty damned frightening. I was hoping the reverse was true.
Florida is using a fraud-hunting tool used by the right to look for voters to remove from the rolls
I think they’re pushing so hard with the government overturn because they know they’ll interfere with the next election and they expect a backlash when that becomes clear, but they want it to be too late by then. With Murrica apparently in consumerist status quo mode, I’m concerned that’ll be how it plays out. Once they get past that next milestone, there’s zero reason to believe they won’t start putting Dems in front of firing squads and really ratcheting up the Nazi playbook. Whether they win by having enough cult votes or win by stealing the election, it won’t matter—at that point they’ll be so entrenched that even if more of them jump ship, they can get away with murder and replace people with an infinite supply of rabid supremacists. Then MTG will rejoin them, loudly and rapidly.
How Nazis stole assets
White House orders a review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday
US removal of panels honoring Black soldiers at WWII cemetery in the Netherlands draws backlash
US plans to ‘run’ Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro
Coming from a family of refugee immigrants who escaped authoritarian regimes over at least two generations, seeing all this stuff coming is in my bones. I’m unclear on how anyone can not believe it’s coming, or at least that it’s possible, which is functionally the same thing.
All purchase options can be found here: https://XHoYenAuthor.com/books. Both sites include links showing how several of the big vendors allow you to gift eBooks.
Thanks for sticking with me! I hope it’s at least mildly entertaining to watch this author second career thing come together.
Please do share my page with fellow realism-based sci fi fans, especially anyone who enjoys Corey’s The Expanse, Older’s Infomocracy, Card’s Speaker for the Dead, Mandel’s Station Eleven, Suarez’ Delta-V, or movies like “Arrival” and “Don’t Look Up”. I'm convinced my books would appeal to the same audience, because I wrote them for me and I'm in that audience.
Thanks for your support!
XHY
https://XHoYenAuthor.com