Baron Alexander Deschauer
  • Home
  • Baron's Books
    • Concentration Camps of Canada >
      • TRC Reports
    • The Art of Wealth >
      • Art of Wealth--Read / Listen
    • Revelation >
      • Revelation--Read / Listen
    • Faust >
      • Faust--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run I -- The Hildebrandt Dossier >
      • MOTR I--Read/Listen
    • Man on the Run II -- How to Get Rich >
      • MOTR II--Read/Listen
    • Man on the Run III--Conspiracy >
      • MOTR III--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run IV--CHAOS 25-06-25 >
      • MOTR IV -- Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run V--Slaves of Circumstance >
      • MOTR V--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run VI--For Richer or Poorer >
      • MOTR VI--Read / Listen
  • News/Media
  • Contact
  • Baron's Blog

Worrying over history...

26/10/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
I am currently working on a manuscript that delves into the essence of the most noble group of people I have come across. In the past, my own prejudice had blinded me to their grace. Slowly, I am realising that their hardships are reflections of my hardships and their dreams are my reality. I want them to dream of more than a stable home or the confidence to stand tall with the full knowledge of their history--one that is unblemished by the sclerotic hand of revisionist history and institutional corruption. These are harsh words when you realise who I am talking about.

I am compelled to write about the injustices visited upon the First Nations' people of Canada by the government of Canada and us, Canadians. Whether I will be a voice lost in the wind will be for time to tell. 

Prior to my blog, I would vent my thoughts to people who dared sit next to me or engage me in conversation. Now, I can record my thoughts and be brought to account if I backslide. 

A short blog today. A reminder to myself that I have started a journey and I must finish it. I can only offer a manuscript. Hopefully it becomes a book that touches people. I aim to have it available in spring, 2017 if all goes well.
0 Comments

Are Hillary Clinton and the Dalai Lama Celibate and Other questions I have...

22/10/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture

On a daily basis, we can see politicians being caught (sometimes literally) with their pants down. Sometimes it is funny, many times not. As I navigate the waters of online existence, I am surprised at things that remain private. Is this because they are not happening or is it because they are too boring for public consumption? In the days of JFK, the media was too respectful to besmirch the President's image. The closest things came were reports of 'rumors'.


If I want to buy a pack of chewing gum at the supermarket, I will be accosted by headlines (tabloid and otherwise) decrying the latest scandal of some pseudo celebrity or public(ish) figure. We smile and pass or possibly buy and absorb. We think that it is news and decide that everything is fair once the person makes themselves a public personality. BUT, now that I am trying to make a splash myself, I am realising how difficult it is for something to happen without a very concerted effort. These tabloid covers are the result of careful brand management on the part of the person/publicist. There are just enough genuine surprises to keep us believing in the news/business model, but the reality is that well over 70% of the 'news' is fed to the outlets.

Every so often, we get a genuine event that makes us smile and touches that collective nerve. I am thinking about the mother who purchased a Chewbacca mask and did a live feed of herself over Facebook. I'm sure she thought it was funny and wanted to share it with her friends. But her laughter was genuine and it went viral. I saw it via the BBC news when it had hit 50 million views in a matter of a few days. The whole clip lasted less than a minute and brought a smile to almost anyone who saw it. It didn't have a message; there was no talking (that I can remember); only laughter of the mother at the ridiculous mask and how she looked in it. I am smiling as I recall it.

Then, I think about public figures who are so in charge of their image that nothing comes out without their say-so. Clinton comes to mind. Not Bill; he was a treasure trove of missteps and the public loved him regardless. Hillary is another matter. She is controlled and managed. What I don't understand is how we haven't heard about any of her boyfriends. Perhaps she doesn't have any. But I find it difficult to imagine in a world of global politics and all the sleaze that goes with it that Hillary hasn't succumbed the way every other male politician has. Is she a saint? Is she not interested? Is this none of our business? Probably, but it seems to be reported on every other politician. For example, why do I need to know that Trump likes to copulate up to five times a day with his pin-up wife? Why do I even know (or care) that his wife posed nude? Or that he trolled the beauty pageants for his jollies? Is Hillary a robot? Does she care only about power?

Or another person: The Dalai Lama. Does he copulate? With whom? Why haven't we heard of any scandals coming from that direction? I would have thought that women would be lining up to give birth or spend time with him. If not women, then men. I haven't heard anything. This is probably none of my business, but you can see what I am saying. We know that priests seem to copulate with their congregation, however distasteful that is. From my understanding, as many as 5-7% of the priesthood are sexual predators. This number may have now been reduced, but it is reflected in the way we think about Catholicism. Many (mostly non-Catholics) will associate the priesthood with child abuse. I haven't heard anything like this within Islam or other major faiths. I haven't heard anything like this within Christianity--apart from the usual abuses that power seems to attract. (Yes, there are abuses within Islam and Christianity as a whole, but it is not an institutional problem; it is a weakness of the flesh.)

Back to reality. Why do we hear what we hear? Who promotes and how is the message getting through? In a world of sensory overload, how does a person get their message across?

My answer: relevance and truth.

Relevance, because most people only care about things that impact them personally. For example, after you purchase a new car, you will find your attention drawn to similar-colored and make of cars. It is an odd sensation. My blue car suddenly made me realise how many other blue cars there are on the road. If you drive a Range Rover, you will suddenly see how many Range Rovers are out and about. Likewise with a white van. I loved my white van. Then I became aware of how many of those things are on the road.

Truth is more important. As we struggle to make sense of the world around us, we try to find people and things to trust. We look for guide posts to ground our movements. We need a structure to hold us amidst the tempest of life. When we trust a person or source, we absorb the material unquestioningly. The opposite is true of sources we distrust--the material bounces off us. Naturally, most of our sources are somewhere in between on the spectrum. Truth resonates within our souls (assuming we have one of those). We find ourselves nodding in agreement as the story unfolds. We find tears flowing when we thought we would never cry again. We find laughter when we thought there was nothing funny left in the world. Truth is the essence of our existence. If we can tap into that, the rest flows as a consequence.

I am searching for truth and relevance in my writing. Time will tell if I have found it.

​
4 Comments

People take blogging too seriously...

6/10/2016

2 Comments

 

I have subscribed to a number of blogs and have noticed a certain trend in quality. Those who are 'professional' bloggers and authors have spent the money to make the viewing experience as easy as possible. They will not harass you as soon as you click on their site--they will wait until you scroll down before their free book or product pops up.

The content of the blogs vary. Some are hugely informative and have taken hours of research and gathering skills. Some are more stream-of-consciousness-writing (ah-hem). Some are total garbage, recycling material from other parts of the web. On the whole, I have found the blogs to be interesting and informative. The only difficulty is the time they consume.

Sometimes, I feel spiritual and look for the deepest meanings in all of life's majesty. Other times, I am looking for mindless violence to pass the time. Some bloggers are so serious in their message--and their message rarely varies. Presumably, if you want to hear a sermon, you go to church. Likewise with these bloggers. 

My blog is less structured than most, yet I still believe in what I write. I am documenting my journey into the online world and the odd dynamics of book writing/sales.


I listened to a podcast from The Creative Penn yesterday where they had an author who described himself as a hack. Joanna (host) smiled and joked that this was meant in the most positive manner. The guy then continued to describe his work as modern day pulp fiction. Joanna let that comment go. For me, I found it interesting because I think that is what most writing is becoming--for the sole reason that authors need to eat. They need to give the audience (within their particular genre) what they want. Faulkner decided to write to his audience before he was able to achieve the commercial success he needed to feed his family in the 1930s. Today, Indie authors struggle to work within the confines of Amazon to sell their books--working with the algorithms and the promotions. What does that mean to the public? More blogs and podcasts and free books or free seminars.

I find it exhausting. I also find it to be a race to the bottom with authors being both the unwitting accomplice and victim. We need to distinguish ourselves, but we also need to value ourselves.

This message may apply to anyone in any field in life. Until we value ourselves, how can we expect others to value us? For me, it is the price of a cup of coffee (for a kindle book). I will give a man on the street a few bucks to buy a coffee (or, more likely, I will buy the coffee and hand it to him). Let's allow the consumer to take a chance and not expect everything for free. Because the cost of the 'free' item is usually much more than the consumer or any member in the chain realises.

That being said, I just got notification from ACX (the part of Amazon that deals with Audible book creation) that my book CONSPIRACY -- Man on the Run III has been put onto audible and iTunes. I am very excited. If you are interested, this is the link to it:

http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Crime-Thrillers/Conspiracy-Audiobook/B01LXQV96N/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srImg?qid=1475737530&sr=1-1


Not sure if/how audio books will sell. I have been enjoying audio books a LOT. It is embarrassing but they are perfect for travelling and walking.

Let me know what you think!​
2 Comments

    Author

    Baron A. Deschauer

    Archives

    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Baron's Books
    • Concentration Camps of Canada >
      • TRC Reports
    • The Art of Wealth >
      • Art of Wealth--Read / Listen
    • Revelation >
      • Revelation--Read / Listen
    • Faust >
      • Faust--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run I -- The Hildebrandt Dossier >
      • MOTR I--Read/Listen
    • Man on the Run II -- How to Get Rich >
      • MOTR II--Read/Listen
    • Man on the Run III--Conspiracy >
      • MOTR III--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run IV--CHAOS 25-06-25 >
      • MOTR IV -- Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run V--Slaves of Circumstance >
      • MOTR V--Read / Listen
    • Man on the Run VI--For Richer or Poorer >
      • MOTR VI--Read / Listen
  • News/Media
  • Contact
  • Baron's Blog