Lee R. Baldwin's Blog, page 3
April 2, 2013
Underneath Next History
Next History, what’s it about? Alternative history, alternative futures, contemporary fantasy, epic science fiction… how would you categorize Next History? The narrative takes on themes around the nature of reality, of God and the Devil, of supernatural beings we sometimes understand as angels, and drives us face to face with the power humans are now developing from emerging consciousness.
Next History is based on contemporary philosophy and spirituality, such as from Deepak Chopra, Eben Alexander, Jack Kornfield, Caroline Myss, Ervin Lazlo, Alan Watts, Andrew Weil, Marianne Williamson and others.
I got the idea for Next History from a single question. What if we received a clear and accurate history of our beginnings, a history not manipulated by political ambition or belief? This led me to rewrite the story of the mythical Lilith into a tale that could provide hope. After all, do we actually know the truth? Do we?
What a Find – Absolutely AWESOME book!
I was looking for escape fiction, and while the book provided that, it is so much more. It made me think, and it is changing my life. If you want to know the deepest secrets of the universe, this book won’t spoon feed you, but will give you lots of terrific hints. Look over there! Consider this! What would you choose? And last, best, what will I choose?
Most important for me in a book of fiction is the characters. They have to be real people, and they have to make me care about them. The author created characters different than any I’ve seen anywhere, and many of them are folks I want to know better. (Of course, some of them are bad guys I want to squish between my thumb and forefinger.) Now I need to find another book by Lee Baldwin!
~ Maggie Uh-O, on Amazon
A Unique Voice in Story Telling.
Next History is humorous, a cliff hanger, a marvelous love story, and perfectly executed.
I usually dislike reviews comparing authors but Sheri Tepper comes to mind. Not in style but in subject matter and Mr. Baldwin’s heartfull take on subjects usually shied away from by those less brave.
~ Ernie Smitty (Orygun), on Amazon
Thank you for hope…The reading of this book reinforced beliefs I have held for some time. Thank you for hope. I loved the book…
~ Dragonviolet, on Amazon
Beneath it all…is a struggle between the divine feminine and the patriarchy, a surprising theme for a science fiction novel.
The descriptions of the “dreamtime” are lyrical and sensuously enjoyable, sometimes funny. The whole world is hallucinating…. beautifully written with insight and subtelty. The action is fast and totally engaging.
Tharcia is a lovable character, her struggle is heartbreaking…
~ Karuna Chapman on Amazon
March 16, 2013
Why Next History?
A single question drove me to write Next History: The Girl Who Hacked Tomorrow.
What if we found a completely accurate history of our beginnings, an unbiased record that was not passed down verbally, not reimagined in every telling?
I started looking at creation myths of many cultures, located the first feminine archetype, and found scholarly input that became an energy source for every writer’s favorite question: What If?
The answers created turmoil. They pushed some of the characters toward God. Some were driven in desperate search for a demon or an angel that could redeem them. The young female protagonist is prepared to settle for death, to throw away all her money for a single chance to see her mother again. She is driven, yet too realistic to think a Devil could possibly exist. And she laughs at the idea of a bargain with God.
One thing I learned in the writing, it is the intensity of a character’s quest, not what is it, that makes the story move.
Along the way I saw an important flaw in the history and mythology around the archetypal Lilith, the first female created in Babylonian and Hebrew mythology. Did I use that? Oh yes I did.
Next History weaves big-iron predictive knowledge, a plugged-in world population, Sumerian creation myth, and a demonic presence with a hip sensibility to launch us beyond the hyperdata age toward a shifting and dangerous event horizon.
The story is a head-changing whirl toward a future world so outrageous, the survivors
will be forced to adapt, or die.
Jacket Blurb
Exquisite and resourceful Tharcia, at risk in a world where
instinctive drives have been unleashed, seeks her mother for
a final throwdown.
Her only difficulty is that Mom is dead.
Through her peculiar mix of technology and magic, Tharcia ensnares
a strange entity in a geometric prison. It is not her mother.
When Tharcia unearths an enchanting oracle from her deepest being,
her life, and the future of humanity, is about to be reprogrammed.
Will there be a collective, agonizing dive into chaos and depravity?
Will Tharcia reveal humanity’s true purpose?
Or, will nothing change at all, except for the dark fate
of one luckless girl?
Find out for yourself. I felt in the end that I had a story worth telling. It brings up the most important question humans ever face: Who am I and how do I matter to the universe? The answer belongs to you.
March 2, 2013
Next History and Pope Benedict
Recently, NPR’s Amy Goodman interviewed excommunicated priest and author Matthew Fox on the legacy of Pope Benedict for the Catholic Church. Some of Fox’s remarks go to the heart of why I wrote Next History: The Girl Who Hacked Tomorrow, why I saw an important flaw in the history and mythology around womankind, and the archetypal Lilith, the first female created by God in Babylonian and Hebrew mythology.
Here’s Fox on why he was excommunicated:
“Number one was that I was a feminist theologian, he said. I didn’t know that was a heresy. Number two, I called God ‘Mother.’ Well, I proved that all kinds of medieval mystics called God ‘Mother,’ and so does the Bible, although not often enough.
“Number three, I prefer ‘original blessing’ to ‘original sin.’ Jesus never heard of it; no Jews ever heard of it. And they accused me of not condemning homosexuals, which of course I do not.
“They’re really Rorschach tests about what really freaks out the Vatican. And, of course, above all, it’s women and sex. And that is the agenda. Whenever there’s fundamentalism and fascism, it’s about control. That’s why the Vatican, the Taliban and Pat Robertson have this in common: They’re all freaked out by the possibility of bringing the divine feminine back, and with it, of course, the equal rights of women.”
Fox’s ‘divine feminine’ remark resonated with me, because the construction of Next History: The Girl Who Hacked Tomorrow originated with a single question: What would it be like if we discovered a crystal clear record of our creation times, historically accurate and not mythologized or distorted by politics? I discovered that the Akashic Record could fill that need. How could humans find out about the Record in large numbers? The whales could deliver it.
The Whales? Oh yes, I forgot, it’s science fiction.
OK suppose all that stuff. What would we find out? Among other things, we might discover that the goddess feminine in the form of the mythical Lilith has been smeared and degraded since about 2300 BCE, beginning with the stories the Levite priests told about her.
Prior to that Lilith was revered for hundreds of thousands of years as the source of abundance, the font of human life, health, healing and wisdom. My pet theory is that some males cannot live with the jealousy.
Next History in the end is the story of how Lilith comes to be alive on Earth again, how women the world over rise in waking consciousness of the feminine divine and come to be seen as the equals of men in every way. Equals, not superiors, it’s how women roll. Too bad it has to be science fiction, but this is a small seed I wanted to plant for whoever reads the book.
May 13, 2012
Baldwin Books Website
Baldwin-Books.Com, Lee Baldwin’s central book marketing site, is now available, featuring a slideshow and plot synopsis of his adventure mystery novel, Angle of Attack.
From this site, readers can find all the published forms of Baldwn’s writing, including Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Google Play, and Barnes and Noble.
February 4, 2012
Marketing Plan for Angle of Attack
Dr. McKenzie is an Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship at Cal State East Bay (Hayward, CA). He teaches an undergrad class in Integrated Marketing Management. Students learn techniques of business marketing and promotion in an applied sense.
In this course, students are assigned consulting projects with local small businesses. McKenzie invited Lee Baldwin to work with a student consulting team, which will develop a marketing plan for Angle of Attack, available on Amazon.com for the Kindle reader.
Lee will meet with the team between late January through mid-March. First meeting will be to describe marketing plan goals and issues to the team. At the final meeting mid-March Baldwin will receive their final report, and put the marketing plan immediately into action.
Since posting the book on Amazon, it’s become clear to Baldwin that writing a novel is one thing, but promoting and making it visible requires ten times the cost and effort. It is valuable to have a marketing plan, especially as this will be developed by individuals in demographics the novel must reach to succeed.
Baldwin is happy to say that Angle of Attack is approaching 1,000 downloads, and that there are six reader reviews, all of which are 5-star. There has been strong support for the plot, characters, and dialogue. Baldwin sends big thanks to all who have taken an interest in his work!
Clicking this LIKE button will promote the Angle of Attack Facebook page!
January 6, 2012
Angle of Attack Now Live on Amazon for Kindle
REVIEWS WELCOME. This title is FREE for download
this weekend Jan 7 & 8
Adventure and intrigue in a world of extreme flying, quirky women, and the power they covet.
Cicero Clay is a researcher of vintage WWII warbirds, a glider flight instructor, and an accidental convict.
While Clay pursues proof that he was framed, an old girlfriend becomes his Parole Officer.
Now in league with a jailed gangsta boss, the girlfriend has corrupted the County parole system, and wants Clay dead, to protect the gang leader.
While trying to stay alive, Clay’s fights to complete his mission: flying a stolen vintage fighter across three states to a secretive buyer. Clay has never flown powered aircraft.
Clay must deduce the motivations of shadowy characters to survive, and face challenges that push him beyond his comfort zone. In action typical of the story’s unique action scenes, Clay finds out the hard way that a glider can become a murder weapon. And how to fix it before he hits the ground.
Angle of Attack immerses the reader in scenes of extreme flying, rapid plot shifts, and quirky, colorful characters pressed to their limits. The story is set in Santa Cruz, Hollister, San Jose, and other California locales.
Amid the action, a charming love story emerges, as Clay discovers a love he would never have imagined.
Angle of Attack lives up to its title, as a new ally in Clay’s battle appears to attack his remaining enemy with a mortal blow.
August 5, 2011
Dyslexia Patrol Spots Cure for Being Single
Bored? Lackluster? Ill at Ease in Crowds? Single? There is a new fix for that, and you won’t believe how easy this is! And for the needle-averse, it’s now available as a spray!
Now before your worst fears are realized, it cures singleness without singling out (so to speak) marriage as the only solution… that’s right, it simply gets you into a couple fast, without documentation, waiting periods, or any picky hetero requirements.
Laboratory tests have shown that this Miracle Cure lasts at least as long as real marriage! Yes, on the average, you can expect to be paired up for as much as 7 count ‘em 7 years, the length of a typical first marriage in the U.S. And, if you have already been together in a couple, your RE (relationship expectancy) goes way up!
Think of it! One spritz from this innocuous-seeming spray bottle fixes you up for life as we know it. There are, however some Dos and Don’ts.
DON’T SPRAY…
…in the presence of relatives closer than second cousin
…in the presence of ex-partners living or dead
…in the presence of your best friend’s Significant Other
…in a bar or drinking establishment
…when you are over the legal limit
Be Safe! Have Fun! Go Forth and Multiply! (Or divide if you are any form of one-celled life.)
July 24, 2011
Beach View, Capitola – Repainted Photograph
This scene from a strangely quiet beachside restaurant is quite evocative of French paintings of the Impressionist period, in that the sight lines between the groups of people form a certain geometry that I find interesting.
My exhibit of CaliBoy repainted photographs at Leedo Gallery ran through May and June – at the opening we sold 7 pieces.
Have reworked my Lee Baldwin portfolio site to focus more on the repainted photographs, although the glass and the hard-edge impressionist canvases are well represented.
My glass work is now on the planet Etsy, shop name is ModernArtGlass, have a taste.
Click image for larger view!
May 1, 2011
Bronze at San Juan Bautista – Repainted Photograph
Often I use multiple photographs together to achieve a certain composition in my repainted photos. This one was pure magic – the bird was in the shot as I took it, I found out only after I looked at a print later.
This image is one of a series of the mission at San Juan Bautista, the largest of the Spanish missions in California. Built in 1797, the mission was used in the 1958 Hitchcock film Vertigo. A bar in San Juan Bautista uses the name ‘Vertigo’.
My exhibit at Leedo Gallery is up! It will hang through the month of May. It’s at 7436 Monterey St. in Old Gilroy, California.
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