Author Archives: philip

Sequel Release: “The Incomplete Artist” by Philip Wyeth

Hi everyone, this is author Philip Wyeth, here to announce the release of my seventh novel, which is called The Incomplete Artist. It’s the second book in the Ashley Westgard series of detective stories, although it was written as a standalone, so you don’t have to have read the previous book to jump right in.

The setting is unique, so I’m going to provide some background information to get you familiar with Ash and her world. Writing-wise, it’s a mix of murder mystery, science fiction, satire, fairy tale, and character study. I’m exploring big ideas, but always keep things grounded in the tactile urgency of a criminal investigation.

The series takes place in 2045, and is set in the City of Jacksonville, Florida. The back story is that twenty years ago, in 2025, a convergence of technological breakthroughs and political changes began a process of rapidly transforming the world—basically, giving everybody what they say they want, and then exploring just how malleable human nature actually is.

Automation plus drug decriminalization have merged to jump-start a green industrial revolution where hemp-fueled, self-maintaining machines work to build out, clean up, and beautify the world. At the same time, the development of artificial wombs and the pinnacle of women’s empowerment created a female ruling class that oversees this project.

People often say that “the future is female,” so I made that a feature of this world to see how it might actually play out. Would matriarchal rule be nothing but wonderful accomplishments, or are the temptations of power an equal-opportunity corrupting force? Here, after two ambitious decades, the first cracks are starting to show… just as a younger and more spoiled generation inherits the reins from the original visionaries.

Our eyes and ears into this perilous moment in time belong to the beautiful Detective Ashley Westgard, who is both a beneficiary and victim of her decadent age. While pursuing the murderers who defy and belie this would-be Utopia, she as a female cop often finds herself spared from the consequences of her own reckless off-hours behavior.

Series debut Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect was a wild neon-, sex-, and drug-fueled romp. It also weaves some of the back story into the murder plot so as to efficiently convey the overall scope of this 2045 reality. It’s a crazy book full of laughs, high drama, and some steamy moments.

I think that this series has real potential to grow into something culturally relevant, and maybe one day be something people would want to see on TV. It’s a fully realized future world that projects out many of the biggest issues facing us today.

Now, for this second book I made the conscious decision to express a distinctly different sensibility, while also exploring new themes. You may find that The Incomplete Artist reads more like Agatha Christie than Philip K. Dick. I zoomed the lens in on one quirky sub-culture of this world where automation is encroaching on so many aspects of people’s lives and professions.

The plot centers around a self-described anachronistic art colony called Movement 24. They reject being rendered obsolete by “titanium Picassos,” which can replicate any painting style of the great masters. They defend the value of human creativity, and assert our unique process of discretion, doubt, and calling on distant memories while tapping into the universe’s primordial energy as we create. In some ways, this book is very much a treatise on the philosophy of art as well as a mystery.

Ash herself is attending a live auction of M-24’s works while out on a first date with Thomas Templeton, a preppy and debonair art collector whom she met at a police charity gala one week prior. All seems to be going well on this opposites-attract night… until a dead body is discovered inside the gallery!

Now Ash must set down her wine glass, put her Cinderella dreams on hold, and instead flash her badge while taking control of the crime scene. In the process of tracking down a killer, she must also face some of her own worst faults. She is both complex and enigmatic, and I look forward to developing her character in future books.

Right now The Incomplete Artist is available on Amazon as an ebook and paperback, and Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the ebook for free. I’ll be adding the paperback to other stores in the coming weeks as well, including Barnes & Noble and Kobo. The first book is already available wide everywhere, including as an audiobook brought to life by the talented and versatile narrator Cheryl May.

You can find all the retail links and learn more on my author website, PhilipWyeth.com (and that’s with one L). The series itself also has a dedicated website called OasisDefect.com. I welcome your feedback once you’ve read the books—and I’ve got half a dozen other storylines in the works, so stay tuned for more immersive, imaginative, and intense Ashley Westgard adventures!

You can find the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords.

Video was originally uploaded on March 21, 2021.

New Novel Release: “Reparations Maze” by Philip Wyeth

This is author Philip Wyeth here to announce the publication of Reparations Maze—the fourth and final book in my future history series. It’s been quite a journey for me as well as the whole country since I first wrote Reparations USA back in the summer of 2017, so I’d like to discuss these books within the broader political context.

First, here’s the setup for this speculative fiction world: The year is 2028. There’s a new bureaucracy called the Historical Reparations Administration which uses a document-crunching supercomputer to collect and pay restitution for colonialism and slavery. Near-total surveillance seems to have accompanied the program, and we see the effects of this “scrutiny state” through the diverse cast’s eyes: white, black, Asian, Hispanic; rich, poor, young, old, male and female.

Now, in light of the controversy surrounding the book American Dirt, let me make some distinctions between the four Reparations novels and what Jeanine Cummins wrote. First and foremost, I did this on my own—my own ideas and on my own time without any publishing industry money, network access, or its agenda promoting me.

I recently read the beginning of American Dirt and the bottom line is this—beyond the charges of cultural appropriation or lazy stereotypes, it’s just a transparent propaganda piece meant to manipulate people’s emotions into having politically correct opinions on immigration. It’s as obvious in its construction, as it is blatant in having been written to serve an agenda separate from so-called literature.

So… how do Reparations USA, Mind, Core, and Maze differ from this other book? This is important, because I’m the trifecta of badness—a straight white male, with no Puerto Rican grandma to pull out of a hat. There are literally hundreds of ideas in my series. Over a dozen characters whose arcs are expressed genuinely and in authentic voices. There’s heart, humor, outrageous spectacles, and real people struggling through the fog of confusion to make empowered decisions.

And I don’t play it cheap or obvious. I think a lot of entertainment that’s so-called progressive sells itself short—or reveals its hollowness—by taking the obvious path with overblown revenge fantasies. As if they’re only looking backwards or for enemies to punish, and not trying to create a more desirable future after settling the historical ledger.

Here’s where I really go for broke with one of the weirdest elements in the series: a new religion called the Church of Modestianity. They parlay their fear of a surveillance state that’s recording their every move into wearing conservative clothing, behaving politely, and most importantly—seeking fulfillment through intimate engagement with daily life, rather than chasing after social media likes.

The books alternate between macro-political events and everyday vignettes. If the 2028 presidential election campaign is my vehicle to extrapolate today’s major issues, then the journeys of my black teenage rapper Clyde, and Latino college student Luis, are ground-level explorations of poverty and life in a multi-cultural America. I also give a thorough examination of the white progressive mind with the character Kate Donohugh. What motivates them, as well as what planted the seed to put them on the path of playing savior.

And here we tap into my own journey, both as an author and a person, during the course of writing the series. We’ve all gone through so much the past four years, and I spaced these books out by at least three-quarters of a year each time. So the debut, Reparations USA, could be characterized as an exuberant reactionary affair—but even here, the careful creation of Clyde Jenkins and dipping my toe into the forward-thinking philosophies of Modestianity—there’s much more to this novel than just some predictable white screed.

Reparations Mind came out in April of 2018. It is by far the longest book of the four, a heavy slog that grapples with big ideas through extended conversations. The characters are as much asking “am I really myself?” as “what can I do to break free?” The book ends nervously on election eve, with a series of vignettes showing how each member of the cast is spending that night—and I swear, that exercise in writing concise mini-scenes changed the course of the series, as well as boosted my confidence as a writer.

The follow-up, Reparations Core, is a lean, mean political thriller. Published in March of 2019, it features many shorter chapters that balance action and dialogue. In some ways, it may be the best book in the series. I was in the zone creatively, and the world-building and character maturation had reached the sweet spot.

I was very tempted to wrap up this Reparations series at three, but felt that with the 2020 election season looming, I would want the option to tap into the cultural zeitgeist one last time. So I typed the fateful words “to be continued” last March, and therefore obligated myself to another five hundred hours of unpaid work.

For the entire remainder of 2019, a voice of dread in the back of my mind reminded me what I was required to do: no more world-building, because now you’re ending it. I had to obey all the rules I’d set up, land every character’s arc in a satisfactory and rewarding manner, and of course tell an entertaining story.

Well, Reparations Maze came out in January of this year, and I’m glad I wrote it. In some ways it’s a dreamy affair, bouncing between a dozen character arcs in very short chapters, as it slowly builds up thematically to an incredible final act.

Now, after it’s all over… To think that I was able to transcend my spite and assumptions, to not only humanize the diverse cast, but let them all speak authentically. For them to act and make choices with dignity, but not because I was pandering or romanticizing these characters, as so often happens. It means that, if I was able to get past myself, then maybe someone who picks up the books skeptically can also get over themselves and be open to the ideas within.

Because I checked—no one else has written a fictional dramatization about Reparations in the 2017 to 2020 window. In fact, the only book out there that’s remotely close is something I just discovered, an incredibly ambitious project by K. Anderson Yancy called Reparations I: The Attorneys. The background information says it took over twenty years to research and produce, and I will most definitely check out the audiobook, which has over fifty performers and covers the oppression of many different ethnic groups throughout history.

We do not live in a one-issue vacuum, and whether it was reckless or ridiculous, I seem to have taken it upon myself to try and address the biggest topics of our time: race, identity, immigration, the burdens of history, technology and surveillance, government power, and even some spiritual and philosophical elements. And woven within it all is my own personal brand of quirky humor and earnest exploration of ideas.

Since we live in an age when self-publishing often sets readers up for disappointment, I make you the following promises. One, my prose is solid. Two, my stories are efficient and dense—because no one has time to read a 90,000-word book by an unknown author. Three, you get great characters and tons of ideas—some big, and some just playful little zingers to keep you on your toes. The only thing I can’t guarantee is that you’ll always agree with me—but at the same time, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected turns and breakthroughs.

This is Philip Wyeth, author of Reparations USA, Reparations Mind, Reparations Core, and Reparations Maze signing off for now. I hope this talk has piqued your interest and you can support my writing by making a purchase. If not, well… The good news is that there’s no book tour to boycott and get canceled. Because I’m not Oprah-approved. And Salma Hayek didn’t get paid to praise me in a blurb.

Reparations USA is free as an ebook on most sites, if you’d like a no-risk taste. Ebooks and paperbacks are available from most of the major online retailers as well. Thanks for listening.

You can find these books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords. Signed paperbacks are also available for purchase on my website, philipwyeth.com.

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/lckGAOPP1_k
Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/f931a250-6ee2-4e9e-bbb0-2d6f2262f287

Video was originally uploaded on February 5, 2020.

Science Fiction Book Preview: “Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect” by Philip Wyeth

This is Philip Wyeth, here to announce the release of my fifth novel, Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect. It’s the first book in a new sci-fi series, and features a larger-than-life female protagonist who’s ready to blast down your door. But first, I’d like to briefly discuss the dynamics of the world she inhabits.

The year is 2045. Two decades prior, a convergence of technological breakthroughs and societal changes offered humanity the potential to make the next great leap forward—if only it could find the right people to lead the transition.

A decision was made for women to assume this mantle. Why? For one, the trend of female empowerment was cresting in the mid-2020s. And as is explained in a chapter four speech, “we remembered what happened the last time… Men brought us the horrors of the World Wars! We simply couldn’t afford to leave the fate of a yearning planet in the hands of destructive masculine urges.

So here are twenty later. Self-building and self-maintaining machines are engaged in a worldwide construction project using industrial hemp as its main source of raw material. And the artificial womb has freed women from the burden of having to carry a child for nine months. So it’s paradise found, right?

Not so fast! Enter Detective Ashley Westgard of the Jacksonville Police Corps. A five-foot-nine hybrid of Swedish supermodel and Crossfit gym rat. She rides an armor-plated ATV, and uses her fists as much as her brain to solve crimes. She is beautiful, vain, headstrong, and erratic—a symbol of her time who is starting to sense that, beneath all the glimmer and shine, a new malaise has taken root in society.

From brazen acts of criminality and rampant party pill abuse, to her own insatiable desires… All is not well on the road to Utopia. And now that someone is methodically killing prominent female leaders in her city, Ash must conquer her own apathy and doubts to forge her raging inner fire into a fearsome weapon of justice.

This book is a wild ride full of high-concept ideas, sensual purple passages, police procedural elements, belly laughs—and even poignant moments, when the human spirit bursts out of the hi-tech cage. It will dazzle fans of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, The Tomorrow File by Lawrence Sanders, and anyone who likes women who kick ass!

Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect is available as part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, so the ebook is free to read for KU subscribers. Everyone else can also purchase an ebook or paperback on Amazon. Links are in the description section, or you can visit OasisDefect.com and click through to the product page from there.

If you like the book, please do post a review afterward. I have other great ideas for this series and the character of Ash, who I came to love—and fear!—while creating this future world. Your support makes it possible for me to continue writing, and fulfill my goal of distilling many of the macro issues facing us all through engaging, entertaining, and enlightening stories.
Thanks for listening. My main website is philipwyeth.com, and that’s with one L.

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipWyethWriter/videos/658598214589288

Video was originally uploaded on May 22, 2019.

New Novel Release: “Reparations Core” by Philip Wyeth

This is Philip Wyeth here to announce the publication of my new novel, “Reparations Core.” This is my fourth book, and the third installment in the “Reparations” series.

So today, I thought I would discuss the scope of these books, since they tap into a pretty heavy concept. Discussion about Reparations for slavery seems to be more and more in the news lately, to the point that it might actually be one of the Democrat Party’s major issues in 2020.

My series takes place in the year 2028, with the premise being that in 2024 a Chinese-American woman is elected president on a Reparations ticket. In order to determine who owes or gets paid what, a centralized supercomputer is set up to scan and aggregate all of humanity’s collected documents.

Here is one of the main thrusts established in the first book of this series, “Reparations USA.” That a surveillance state will spring out of the Left’s restitution-for-colonialism crusade. And how can anyone control where that kind of scrutiny will stop?

So that first book is very much a frantic world-building exercise, but at the same time is more than just some reactionary white apology. How so? First, some of the real-world complexities and nuances are explored through the arc of two of my minority characters.

And then—as good sci-fi often strives for—I offer a broader, more forward-thinking vision through a new religion called Modestianity. This group is not quite Luddite or Amish, but they do see the pitfalls of embracing all forms of new technology, without at least assessing the pros and cons along the way.

In the second book, “Reparations Mind,” I really dig into the searching, philosophical side of this religion, as a means to ask deep questions that apply to us all today. For example, how do we retain our human dignity when the camera’s amoral eye watches us with far less compassion than any God might?

This book also dives deeper into what exactly causes us to believe what we do. For how many years has the education system been more about indoctrinating an army of sleeper-cell change agents, than simply helping children develop independent, critical thinking skills?

The broader series plot centers around the 2028 election. Everything seemed to have been going well for the president, but in early October a hacker group takes over the Reparations supercomputer, and all of a sudden a sense of doubt sweeps across the country.

People start to ask, is this Reparations program really working? Have we opened a Pandora’s Box of retribution that will paralyze society, and risk stopping all progress as mankind obsessively looks over its shoulder? Book two ends on this cliffhanger of uncertainty, for the cast as well as the country.

And without revealing the election results, I’ll say that the new release, “Reparations Core,” picks right back up again in the lame-duck months of November and December. And if book two was a heavy, deep dive of self-discovery for the characters, then this one reads more like a slow burn, political thriller.

I kept the chapters shorter and moving along quickly, building readers up to major events both in the middle and at the end. We see the cast come face to face with previously unknown—and sometimes unpleasant—aspects of themselves when forced to make difficult choices under pressure.

And I think that’s why this trilogy might appeal to people who at first bristle at the thought of reading books about Reparations for slavery. Because the series is character driven, and they’re all treated fairly as we dig deep into questions of identity when living under the shadow of major ideological movements. These novels are very much a mirror of life today, as well as satirically imagining what might happen over the next decade.

Is accounting for the sins of the past worth the risk of unleashing a tornado of vengeance that might never stop? Is there a specific amount of concession or capitulation that would satisfy old grievances? And if not, are you prepared for the consequences of the revolt if white guilt gave way to… white survivalism or white existentialism?

Because at the end of the day, these books are an act of faith on my part. I’m a white guy whose ancestors fought in the American Revolution, and on both sides of the Civil War. But I moved from my home state of Virginia out to Los Angeles—I’m a creator and a business starter. The thousand or more hours I spent writing these books during the past two years could have been spent just making money, instead of racking my brain about how to dramatize the major issues facing us all. I could have written young adult fiction, urban fantasy, or the latest and most preposterous write-to-market trend, reverse harem.

But I sensed a spiritual sickness and a political rift that could very well usher in Balkanization here in America—if not a second civil war. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now—despite the twitching urges of our dormant bloodlust, we do not actually want something like that to happen.

I don’t know if the momentum toward conflict can be stopped, and here’s another question: would it really be called a “civil war” when nearly a quarter of the population is either foreign-born or a first-generation immigrant?

But maybe that’s a can of worms for another day, or another book. For now, I offer up “Reparations USA,” “Reparations Mind,” and “Reparations Core.” A series that’s full of heart, humor, insights, unexpected twists, and enough futuristic flavors to satisfy fans of science fiction and political thrillers alike.

You can find these books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords. Signed paperbacks are also available for purchase on my website, philipwyeth.com.

And just a heads-up: I’ve got a brand new sci-fi series in the works that I’m very excited about. I hope to release the first installment of that in a few months. Subscribe to this channel, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram for updates. Thanks very much for listening.

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/lckGAOPP1_k
DTube (via Steemit): https://d.tube/#!/v/philipwyeth/wfsr1y2m
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/958582660014333952

Video was originally uploaded on March 29, 2019.

Bridging the Gap Between Accomplishment and Recognition

This is Philip Wyeth, author of Reparations USA, Reparations Mind, and Chasing the Best Days.

Right now I and my circle of close friends are all turning forty, one by one. A thought occurred to me recently as I reflected back on the eighteen years since I packed up my car and drove across the country, just weeks after graduating college.

All of us who came to Los Angeles to make our mark, we were armed with dreams and ambition. That was our fuel. It was all that we had to offer.

But now, as we enter near middle-age, those of us that are still fighting the good fight out here, we need to reassess and find something new to sustain us. Why?

Because now we are all accomplished, but maybe still haven’t found the recognition that we hoped or expected would come with this “proof of competency,” as it’s sometimes called.

For myself, I’ve started several businesses, one of which we had to shut down, but another I actually sold last year. I’ve written three novels, but none of them have gone anywhere so far.

The same up-and-down story goes for my friends, who have worked in the entertainment industry as producers, editors, camera crew, and sound designers on shows and movies that you’ve all seen. They’ve made some money, get steady or semi-regular gigs, and are building up a nice body of work over the course of their careers.

But I was talking about this main idea of sustenance recently with an old acquaintance who I reconnected with by chance, and he has actually won several Emmys, so his reaction told me I was on the right track. Because even he, with bona fide awards to his name, he still has that original strain of insatiable hunger which first drove him to leave home and chase the California Dream.

So no matter what age of a man you are… twenty, forty, sixty… digging into this question can help us all. How do you bridge the gap between accomplishment and recognition?

First, understand that public acclaim may never come. Especially if you’re not “writing to market,” as many self-published authors do in order to capitalize on trends. But then you have to ask yourself, why am I doing any of these things at all? Out of your own passion, to gain skills and experience, or to get praise?

Another profound anecdote comes from a longtime friend who recently did what I had once done—namely, leave Los Angeles to try to do normal things—only to have those plans blow up in your face.

He was working a job where he engaged with the public on a daily basis, and befriended a customer who personality-wise was essentially his doppelganger. This man had a high-powered job, a mansion, money, and a fiance who kept him on the straight and narrow. But he too, like my friend, had a passion for music—and one day it came up in conversation that if he had the time, all the man wanted to do was be in the studio recording songs.

This was the moment that washed away all of the shocking disappointment that my friend had been through. He later moved back to LA having cut his losses in every sense of the word, and resumed his music career with renewed energy and purpose.

I don’t know how relatable this next flavor is for people, but there’s something about giving up your life in California—your friends, the weather, the electric energy of free-flowing ambition that’s all around you—but to then go somewhere else, and have that compromise you made with the gods just completely fall apart… You feel like a fool, and you bang your head against the wall asking why you can’t seem to get ahead.

But sometimes you need those terrible defeats to give you the backbone to see future projects to the finish line—to earn those high-stakes accomplishments when other people might falter and quit.

So maybe attitude is part of the new fuel to help bridge these gaps in life. Gratitude, patience, and maybe being more selective with what projects you choose to work on. Because we’re not eighteen anymore, and the old hard drive inside our skull has been spinning for a long time…

Also recognize that life isn’t perfect or easy for anyone. You take a step forward, get knocked down, try again, and at the end of it all hopefully someone will come along and appreciate the work you left in your wake. Then you feel the relief of knowing that you don’t need to “change the world,” as everyone has been indoctrinated to believe for the past two generations.

How many old movies or albums waited decades for you to stumble across them? Maybe you too are fated not to have a bestselling novel, but many years from now it will find its audience.

Therefore, we all need to find something else to sustain us, so that in case we do get rewarded after the fact, we don’t respond with tragic bitterness like Jean Rhys, author of Wide Sargasso Sea, who lamented, “It has come too late.”

Finding that sort of grace is easier said than done, of course. The delirium I fall into when finishing a book is a total obsession, where every waking hour is spent thinking, and editing, and drinking too many beers… Because something happens in the final week or so, when it’s all there but still so many small details need tending to. Then I think—I know—that this is gonna be the one that pushes me out of obscurity into fame, riches, you name it.

This manic sprint in itself is actually a kind of bridge or fuel. But then, as any creative person will tell you, next comes that pin drop of silence after you complete the project. No matter how many times it happens, that choking feeling never gets old. So now you’re exhausted, just throwing money out there trying to will the thing into success.

But even that process is okay, and maybe necessary. More little defeats, still you’re always learning—because behind the body of work we’re all building, there’s the auxiliary stuff like graphic design or marketing that we have to learn in this indie era.

Perspective is another key tool to help get you through. A few years ago I read Barbara Tuchman’s history of the Fourteenth Century called A Distant Mirror, and talk about having your expectations smashed! Guys would wrangle together a small army, cross the English Channel with dreams of plunder, only to lose battles or get throttled by awful weather—and then, when they finally got home, found out that all their children died of bubonic plague!

All of a sudden not getting that one job doesn’t sting so much. You’ve still got a lot, a lot going for you, and you’re still in the fight.

So, I know that today’s political climate means we’re all slowly being driven insane, but to push back against that demoralizing trend, let’s commit as individuals to move our own agendas forward in 2019. Creativity, fitness, profit, companionship, whatever it is. Don’t let doubt, the news, past failure, manipulators, or outside distractions derail you.

Just work toward racking up a long list of accomplishments as monthly mile markers to look back upon. Because if all you want is praise right out the gate with no effort involved, just take a selfie and post that on social media somewhere.

Thanks for listening. Now get to it.

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
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Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/6000985083001
DTube (via Steemit): https://d.tube/#!/v/philipwyeth/04n7zv7e

Video was originally uploaded on February 11, 2019.

Book Excerpt: Reflections on Baseball’s Deep Meaning

https://youtu.be//t7L1hMU-X1c

This is Philip Wyeth. I had the opportunity to attend two World Series games this past month, one in Boston and one in Los Angeles. So I thought what I would do here was share some of the footage I took at both games, as well as read an excerpt from my new novel, “Chasing the Best Days.”

In this chapter my main character Greg has invited his older son Peter to attend an Angels baseball game, and then later he thinks to himself about what the game of baseball meant to him. …

Greg remembered how on summer weekends when he had custody of the boys, Peter would take the rubber-banded stack of baseball cards he’d brought over and arrange them on the floor in front of the TV. All the Angels players plus the other superstars from around the league he liked.

The boy would flip a card over and recite an Angel batter’s stats, then try to predict which base he would most likely end up on if he got a hit. Even back then, the kid was thinking on a higher level. No wonder he’s working in tech.

Greg had collected baseball cards in his day too. Mid-to-late seventies. Lots of great ball players with real personality back then. Mike Schmidt. George Brett. Nolan Ryan. And the guys with classic nicknames too. Goose. Yaz. Catfish.

It was a nice little collection. Stored in a couple of shoe boxes he kept under the bed. Nothing fancy like the binders or hard plastic cases that had come into favor in later years. Baseball cards weren’t an investment back then—you engaged with them. Lived and breathed with them. So what if you creased a corner holding onto Dale Murphy’s card while hoping he got a home run?

And that’s why Greg liked how Peter made use of his own cards. Wore them out, got them dirty, left them on the floor in a big square pattern—before being trampled by Nick in one of his wild moments—as if there was something about life that Peter would absorb from the corny smiles and action shots on the glossy front side.

But it wasn’t just the baseball cards themselves, Greg was now coming to see. It was all aspects of the game that made it so captivating. The deliberate pacing. The nuanced rules and your own understanding of them. You could get real insight into another man based on how he saw the game, as if it were a reflection of his own intelligence and worldview.

Baseball was a game that taught boys about the boundaries of life—how going sideways earned you nothing, but soaring forward over the wall was what brought you the glory. There was teamwork, strategy, and those moments when it was you alone versus the pitcher—each of you grappling with your thoughts during the showdown.

And then one day sometime during adolescence, your focus shifted away from this game that was challenging but always made so much sense, and instead you began chasing girls. An endless riddle that defied logic because the rules changed at random. Where wins seemed like flukes you had stumbled into rather than achieved, and which never carried over to the next play.

Even if you kept watching baseball during all these years caught up in the business of life—school, hobbies, family, work—you never watched the game with the same simple intimacy as when you were an innocent boy. But maybe it waited for you to come around again, leaving a door open to reconnect when you were older, calmer, done with distractions, and had… if not satisfied your desires, at least gone beyond them, because you were finally able to set greed and lust aside.

Then your mind could really take in this chess match out on the diamond. Even now in middle age, Greg saw how it could be an important bookend on a man’s life. Returning to a place well worn by your own feet decades ago, when they were much smaller and without the callouses of so many miles. Embracing the calm flow of America’s pastime after a life spent in the trenches.

You had participated. You dove in and battled the sharks. You made the charge over the top! It was of no importance that you didn’t get rich or famous—or even maintain an intact home, apparently. What mattered was that you played and left it all out on the field, including your intestines as it sometimes felt like after the worst defeats.

Maybe baseball and golf, sports so dependent on rules and played as a process rather than on the clock, maybe these were the great soothing elixirs for an aging man’s mind. An effervescent dreamland, a bulwark against chaos, a wide open space in nature where generations of men could gather in safety.

To teach fundamental skills. Tell stories of when I played the game. To marvel at the youngsters bounding around the field—their joys so pure and simple, their tears heartfelt but not weighed down by any of the real grief that would come later.

Greg thanked God that he had been there for Peter and Nick’s practices and games. As cruel as the whole arc of those years had been, at least he wasn’t denied being allowed to teach the boys how to throw a proper curveball. He had been there when each of them got their first hole-in-one too. …

It didn’t matter when your plans turned to nothing. Or that you had lived in denial chasing the dream for far too long. Because what you got instead—that wisdom beyond words—didn’t come with championships, it couldn’t be purchased, and no man could pretend his way into possessing it.

You had to be wounded again and again to receive it. Get back up and charge onward—over here, and now there—and die once more. The only way out was indeed through—as your blood and tears seeped down into the soil of life, your bright eyes filling with despair in the shell-shock of a thousand different defeats.

Which was maybe why old men saw ball fields as holy ground. The place where memories of their own distant wins and losses merged with those of the generations that came after. To know that thousands of boys also tried to steal the very same second base that you had—this was profoundly satisfying. …

Thanks for listening. You can hear all of my monologues at philipwyeth.com, and you can purchase the new book “Chasing the Best Days” exclusive to Amazon. And if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read the e-book for free.

UPDATE: As of January 2019, the e-book is also available from the following stores:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-the-best-days-philip-wyeth/1130240902
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/chasing-the-best-days

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/tkZqpsspiyKM
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/906396708834787328
Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/5858077124001
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipWyethWriter/videos/305351410053781/
DTube (via Steemit): https://d.tube/#!/v/philipwyeth/hgss7g9u

Video was originally uploaded on November 5, 2018.

Monologue Announcing My New Novel “Chasing the Best Days”

This is Philip Wyeth. No monologue today because I’m here to announce the publication of my new third novel, “Chasing the Best Days.”

This one is much different from my other two books, which are dystopian, political, high-concept. This one is much more down-to-earth and relatable. It follows a divorced middle-aged man who has just enough money at the end of each month to afford a budget country club here in Los Angeles.

And you follow him on the course, dealing with his sons, frustration at work, trying to scheme a new career change in the middle of his life, dealing with the ex-wife, and his much younger girlfriend.

So a few things I wanted to tap into with this book were: One, my love of golf. Two, talking about the plight of the divorced American man, which i think is an underserved audience. As well as tapping into, in a comical way, some of the changes that are happening in our society so fast right now. And it’s almost like a lot of people are trying to hide away, almost in the style of “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe.

That’s under the surface. The book itself is fast moving, lots of great dialogue, lots of fun characters. And I definitely think there’s room for this series to grow.

So right now the book “Chasing the Best Days” is exclusive to Amazon, so if you’re a Kindle unlimited subscriber you can read the e-book for free. Everybody else can buy the e-book or paperback on Amazon.

And if you like it, please post a review so that’ll encourage me to write more books in the series, grow the character out. I would love for this thing to actually turn into a TV show. I think it’d be a lot of fun to have a show on the golf course, for fans of “Caddyshack,” “Tin Cup,” “Happy Gilmore,” or just watching the PGA Tour.

So I’m very excited about this, it was a year ago I started the project, and I’ve been chipping away—no pun intended—in the last four months I really buckled down to crank this thing out.

So again, visit my website PhillipWyeth.com, there are links to the book in the description section here as well. And I’m gonna take a small vacation next week, and then I’m back at the grindstone for more writing. Thanks!

“Chasing the Best Days” is available on Amazon as an e-book and paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JF5ZN98/

The e-book is also available from:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-the-best-days-philip-wyeth/1130240902
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/chasing-the-best-days

This video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/3QxmBuHEQDYr
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/900463455186485248
Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/5851354693001
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipWyethWriter/videos/182892975963384/
DTube (via Steemit): https://d.tube/#!/v/philipwyeth/rio68l7x

Video was originally uploaded on October 20, 2018.

Movie Review: I am Not an Easy Man – Subtle French Success

This is Philip Wyeth. I just watched a French movie on Netflix called I am Not an Easy Man. The plot involves a male chauvinist with many sexual conquests who, after getting knocked out, wakes up in an alternate Paris where women have all the dominant roles. Men in turn are the prey, and receive less respect while they deal with aggressive bosses, or bake cupcakes while their wives and daughters watch sports on TV.

Overall I think it’s very well done, and fair. It follows the rom-com trajectory, which helps move things forward, so it’s not just plain role reversal for its own sake. The cast inhabits their roles effectively as well—neither overplaying it or struggling to sell the inversion.

The movie also doesn’t throw too many punches, so it’s not lopsided for or against either sex. There are even some moments which made me aware of and sympathize with the maintenance and wardrobe hassles women endure, in order to get all those free drinks and compliments that men might resent.

“I am Not an Easy Man” is playful about stereotypes and traditional gender roles as well, being nonjudgmental and more matter-of-fact about the dances men and women do in real life.
There were some very clever flavors, like which hands win in a poker game, as well as the parallel version of what’s considered sexy body grooming.

I can’t overemphasize that even a light, silly movie like this would be botched in America—which leads me to the creeping suspicion that so much of what we’re told about how great life here is, might be—if not a lie—instead a sales pitch to keep us asleep, complacent, and not realize that we’re being shortchanged in life.

European movies in general give me the sense that we’re repressed, fragmented, not fully developed in our worldview. This film, being French, has a zesty flourish that an American production would not.

Whereas Hollywood is about the spectacle, or the political agenda—here we have many more subtleties, which in turn shows more respect for people. We as the audience are human beings meant to reflect on what we’ve watched—not simply be indoctrinated.

The rom-com foil of disaster striking right when you think they’re about to get together was really fun—seeing the woman get her apartment trashed by an upset lover was refreshing after seeing hundreds of Billy Madison types screwing up over the years.

They also resolved the question of how to restore the real world with a very clever twist. Final verdict, I’d give it 3.5 to 4 out of 5. The movie was thoughtful, but not too heavy-handed or weighed down by moralizing. A nice balance of fluff and observation as two people with many conquests go toe to toe—all with the artistic ambiguity you’d expect from the French.

Now, without spoiling the ending for you, I’ll just say that the scenery itself is in stark contrast to before, where everything was clean and brightly lit, like all bubbly rom-coms. The location here at the end is more like what a city street really looks like: a bit bleak, confusing, and agitated.

I feel like we’re being asked: what will we choose to do to find peace, balance, and understanding, in this militant battle of the sexes? Is there any warmth to be found in the spaces between all the talking points we hurl back and forth at each other?

Video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/e_k8GPegJvY
Steemit: https://steemit.com/movies/@philipwyeth/owoqq12b
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/843939351890542592
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipWyethWriter/videos/212250859377934

Video was originally uploaded on May 17, 2018.

Irrevocable Deeds: Your Antidote to an Unreliable World

What efforts are worth making within a system where it’s nearly impossible to get ahead? Who is worth your time in a society full of unreliable people? Bottom line: what should we be doing right now?

Let’s say you have money. The inflation we’ve seen over the past ten to fifteen years means we can’t out-earn our diminishing purchasing power.

There are mismanaged pension plans and entitlement programs with trillion-dollar commitments, but no funds to sustain them—so the burden of bailing them out will fall on anyone still able to eke out a living in these unstable times.

As for stocks, there’s no telling when the next collapse will undercut investors once again. If even the government- and industry-approved places to siphon off and store your acorns aren’t safe—how are you supposed to invest your time?

Here’s my take. In March of last year, a business alliance I had spent months preparing fell through after my new partner had a midlife crisis and disappeared for over a month. After he came back, I made every effort to accommodate his revised proposal for how the business should operate—only to get jerked around over things like minor phrases in the paperwork, until I realized that he would never sign.

So there I was, having gone from thinking I’d found a mentor whose alliance would vault me toward not just financial stability, but real wealth—only to learn that I had wasted my time with someone who was tempting self-destruction.

I was exhausted, and with my thirty-eighth birthday approaching, also embarrassed and nearly swooning about what to do. You know, you want to make your family proud, you want to achieve great things, and god damn, you want to be free from chasing down rent money.

So after all this, in June, I started working on a new writing concept. At first it was going to be an editorial to post on my blog, but on a whim I started merging it with a dystopian fiction idea I’d written on a hotel notepad sometime in the past—this was the spark, and the next thing I knew, I was off on a frantic six-week creative binge that resulted in my first novel, Reparations USA.

After that, I had to refocus on my existing small business during the busy fall season. But the whole time, I kept chipping away at the sequel. All through the holidays and on football Sundays with friends, I got up early and wrote a thousand words with my morning coffee.

And three weeks ago, I published book two, Reparations Mind. This whole experience has changed the direction of my life—I’ve felt an overall hardening of my being—and the most important lesson, which takes us back to the questions at the beginning of this video, is a concept that I call irrevocable deeds.

Inflation devalues the dollar? Fine. Market crash decimates your stock portfolio? It happens. Girlfriend of two years gets bored and cheats? That’s life. BUT! Is there anything we can do that stands up better against outside forces?

Well, I just wrote two novels. No one can ever take that away from me, no matter how many copies they do or don’t sell. And when you complete important personal projects, they tend to act as a world warp for your mind and your life. Doors will open when you achieve this balance of commitment and courage.

So I say to people looking at a landscape of political turmoil and bleak prospects, or who are feeling fear and doubt—ask yourself, “What can I do as a unique expression of myself that puts a stake in the ground? A personally stamped act that will be a source of pride, regardless of the market’s trends or flaky people?”

There’s an interesting catch though. Many of my own creative projects, which at the time I believed to be the next great thing, were often met with such silence that you could hear a pin drop. A good friend and fellow creative type once told me that the most important thing is to keep growing your body of work. Having expectations is what leads to feeling hollow and disappointed when the accolades don’t follow.

Patience, life balance, and allowing yourself time to have fun are also critical so that you don’t burn out. This down time is when new ideas tend to incubate as well.
A final thought: any survey of the news, social media, or even your credit card balance can make you feel like we’re all stuck in a futile game. It’s just really difficult to be heard or find meaningful work right now.

But catching a bad break last year forced me onto a different path that, in hindsight, I’m glad to be on. I’m writing books and am on fire creatively—and this never would have happened if my business deal went through as planned.

So no matter what rut you might be in, ask yourself, “What potential inside me is lying dormant right now? What unique and fulfilling process can I begin that will serve as my anchor of personal power in the storm of confusion?”

The irrevocable deed. To change your life, define it, and make your own earnest mark in the world.

– – –

Books can be purchased on Amazon here.

Video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/TbrPeo3W4B47/
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/836058315043581952
Steemit: https://steemit.com/philosophy/@philipwyeth/8tl6tbtl

Video was originally uploaded on April 25, 2018.

Introduction to Modestianity: A New Religion for Uncertain Times

Greetings. My name is Lyle Setzer. I am an elder within the Church of Modestianity, and today I will be your guide as we explore one of the fastest growing religions in the United States.

You may be asking yourself, what is Modestianity? How did it start? What does it stand for? Let me answer those questions for you, and so much more.

Our religion sprang forth from the mind of our leader, the Prescient One, late in the year 2025. Afflicted by a stark vision of how the growing surveillance state would slowly but surely encroach upon every aspect of human life, the Prescient One created Modestianity as a safe zone, a shield—and also as a symbol of resistance pushing back against the inexorable tide.

At first, our leader was simply an unknown man trying to be heard within the din of a million other voices. But his message resonated immediately with the alienated people he spoke to on the streets. And so his code of dignified comportment in the face of the looming techno-punitive future began to spread nationwide.

People who found themselves slaves to their gadgets and exhausted by the endless treadmill of news and social media, were ready for a refreshing new way forward. The Prescient One’s initial ideas gave them that ray of hope, but such a powerful new philosophy could not be fully developed alone.

Thus in 2026, the Church of Modestianity officially put down roots when it moved into the abandoned Mall of America. Our members diligently and lovingly refurbished this massive complex, which had sadly fallen victim to neglect and vandalism, and christened it the Mall of Absolution.

And it is here, over the past two-and-a-half years, that our religion has blossomed just as surely as our members have flourished. How can we account for such sudden growth and popularity? The answer is simple.

Unlike many religious sects which spring up, our community does not revolve around one figure. While the Prescient One is our spiritual guide, it has always been his belief that the reactionary ideas which constitute Modestianity’s roots, are not enough to sustain us as we face a changing future.

From day one, Modestianity has encouraged all of its members, no matter their rank, to offer up questions and challenges so that we might forge a comprehensive body of knowledge, one that is stout but can also adapt to uncertain times.

Through rigorous and spirited philosophical discussions, what we call mapmaking sessions, Modestians participate directly in the work of sculpting our religion into the force that offers both comfort and fulfillment.

But of course, Modestianity involves so much more than mere words. Farming on the rooftop gardens reinvigorates hands that, so used to swiping across plastic screens, now reconnect with nature. Our performing arts lift the soul, as bodies once slumped in chairs now soar, liberated from both drudgery and shame.

As you can see, what started out as shelter from the storm, has helped many thousands of Americans and international pilgrims unleash their great human potential. Creativity, strength, and pride all stand firmly on our core principles of humility, modesty, and forthrightness.

A contradiction, perhaps? No! Just one of the many mysteries about our world, where choosing to take life seriously often leads to the most joyful experiences and moments of abandon.

Thank you for watching this introductory presentation on the Church of Modestianity. We hope you’ll come visit us at the Mall of Absolution here in Minnesota, so that you may experience all that our religion has to offer.

This is Elder Setzer wishing you a modest day, and on behalf of the Prescient One, I say Mod bless you.

To learn more about your future world, download a free copy of Reparations USA, book one of Philip Wyeth’s dystopian series set in 2028. See links below:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/741651
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/reparations-usa/id1270546107
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reparations-usa-philip-wyeth/1126963763

Video can also be watched on the following platforms:
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/QhIRRtNJrpQC/
Minds: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/834935349836623872
Steemit: https://steemit.com/religion/@philipwyeth/yxhgzqu4
Gab: https://gab.ai/tv/watch/12639

Video was originally uploaded on April 22, 2018.