Back at this site today. It's been a while.

My story writing ventures have been lackluster at best these last several months. I have fallen back to another, similar creative outlet. I've been writing RPG adventure modules for the Savage Worlds gaming system and have been play testing some of those with a few friends, at a live table. I used to write my own and commissioned D&D adventure modules, on paper, back in the 80s and 90s. I'm pretty good with the story text, game logic, and map making, but have no talent for illustration. Should this continue to go well, perhaps I'll reach out to the visual arts community and build an adventure book out of this set of modules. Both the modules and books require quality illustrations to grab and hold the attention of table gamers.

I recently bought a used motorcycle and have been bringing it back up to good working order. I sold my last bike in order to repair a pickup truck I needed more at the time, and being without a two-wheeled ride has been tough on me.

I guess that's it for now.

I've been off doing other things, some worthwhile, some not. I Haven't spent much time online lately, been away from FA for roughly three months.

Regarding my writing work. . . nothing, nada. This is the worse case of writer's block I have suffered in years. It's frustrating, but what's a writer to do?

After joining a writer's support group, and gaining great input, feedback, and new writing skills, I decided to revisit an older work and publish a 2nd edition of "A Promise to the faceless", by D A Barr, ISBN 978-0-9986350-3-3.

It's now available in EPUB and PDF formats, through BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-p.....-the-faceless1 . It will become available through retailers like Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, etc., within the coming days to weeks.

Paperbacks will follow, as I gather the funds. I have around 100 copies of the first edition book sitting in boxes. Maybe they'll be collector items one day, after I become famous *chuckles*.

I've recently contracted with a voice actor who read the first edition book, contacted me, and offered to build an audio book from the new edition, for increased exposure and a percentage of those sales. I'm looking forward to hearing this story told. I'll finally be able to answer the question, "When does it come out in audio book form?"

Folks keep telling me the first edition was a good, engaging read. Enough of them, that I now believe it. I think this new edition surpasses it.

Have recently joined a couple of writer groups. On one of the smaller ones of only a few dozen members, I've begun taking part in critiques and writing prompt exercises in an attempt to get my creativity unstuck. Below is my response to one of those prompts, presented by another group member. This prompt has a steam punk feel to it; a genre I've not delved into before. I wrote my response in present tense just for practice. Wrote the dialogue in a stiff, formal style to give this world an other-worldy feel. The characters' species is unspecified.

The prompt: Elara, an airship designer, discovers a forgotten automaton infused with a soul. As clockwork creatures roam the cobblestone streets of Varalla, Elara locates the enigmatic inventor, Jasper.
Write the opening scenes however you please. Some dialog would be nice. [Edit: Some dialog upgrades, with help from Helixthefallen]

From the private Journals of Master Shipwright Elara:
I never considered myself a romantic. Numbers and capacities, calculating buoyancy and volumes of gas are what engage me. Turning my visions into beautiful airships, that is what has always driven me. Boring, I know, but at least the fruit of my passions keeps me off the ground much of the time. My home and office hang up here among the clouds, my happy place in this world. The surface below, and the troubles of those bound to it, seem so trivial from three-thousand meters above.

The thing is, I find myself in love. No, not physical lust. Under our circumstances, sexual intimacy is not practical. This is true love, knowing that this person seated beside me cares for me as deeply as I do for them. I can only be truly content in my existence with my companion by my side, forever. The trouble is, my love is dying; their heart is wearing out. Our only hope is to find Jasper, a brilliant curmudgeon who hates people, especially me.

Soon, my ship will begin its descent toward Varalla. We will seek out Jasper and beg for his help if necessary.

Dropping through the dense gray cloud cover over Varalla, the airship Kelestiu slows its eight electric rotors on its final approach, directly downwind of mooring mast #17. Extended above the ship's accordion-like accessway, the docking clamp gently slides into the cone-shaped receiver of the masthead, and secures The Kelestiu with a soft *clunk*.

A crew member finishes extending the accessway, securing it to mast 17's hatchway. While the crew uses the ship's crane to lower the transport for the supply run, Elara and her companion take the mast elevator to the tarmac

They are greeted by the Portmaster. "Elara, how many years has it been? Six?"

"Nearly seven." Elara smiles at the Portmaster, then motions to her companion. "Portmaster Ianan, meet Sechangi, my partner."

Sechangi lifts their cheek plates and metallic lips into a smile. "Pleased to meet you, Portmaster."

Ianan is confused by the introduction. "Beautiful craftsmanship, and it speaks as well? Amazing."

Her face coloring in anger, Elara starts to speak, but Sechangi holds up a hand. "I am glad you appreciate my beauty. Tell me, have you seen any like me before?"

Unsure who to face to answer, Ianan looks to the ground. "I have not. Apologies if I have offended."

Sechangi smiles. "No offense taken."

Elara regains her composure. "Does Jasper still live? Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, he still lives in the old warehouse district, I believe. I cannot believe he would wish to see you; people still talk about it." Worry crosses Ianan's face. "He said he would kill you if he saw you again."

"Nevertheless, he is the one I came here to see." Elara takes Sechangi's hand and marches toward the warehouse district.

Hand in hand, they walk along the cobblestone streets of Varalla. Automatons of various manufacturers walk here and there on their assigned errands. One stops at a public winding station. The ratcheting sound makes Sechangi wince. "To be tied to the infrastructure like that. How can they take it?"

Elara turns to watch Sechangi's face. "They do not know any better, my love. They cannot care of their plight. They have not been given a heart like yours."

"Who gave me mine, and can they fix it?"

Elara gently squeezes Sechangi's metallic hand. "I do not know who built you, or who gave you your heart. Let us hope we can find some answers when we reach Jasper."

Entering the old warehouse district, they find the building belonging to Jasper. Run down and surrounded by a high barbed wire fence, the place looks inviting as a prison. Elara pulls on a bell cord; a gong rings from somewhere inside.

"I see you there, Elara!" The gruff male voice emanates from from a window, up in one corner of the building. "Give me one good reason why not to put a bullet in you!"

"Here is why!" Elara, places her hand on her companion's shoulder. "Sechangi, here, has a heart!"

Without much fanfare, I announce that paperbacks of "A Promise to the Faceless", by D A Barr, are available directly from me: For those who live in the lower 48 states, go to https://paypal.me/dabarr. Leave $13.99, and your name and mailing address, and a copy will sent via media mail, with tracking, postage paid. For those of you outside this area, please contact me here or at dabarrauthor[at]gmail.com , $13.99 plus postage. At this moment in time, I am the sole seller and distributor of paper copies.

The E-book is widely available for $2.99.
In PDF and EPUB formats: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-p.....o-the-faceless

Kindle format: https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Faceless-D-Barr-ebook/dp/B0BT8CZPKD/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=D+A+Barr&qid=1675007632&rnid=2941120011&s=digital-text&sr=1-5

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-promise-to-the-faceless-d-a-barr/1142989771;jsessionid=42E84BA0C5F1EB445249694596238B17.prodny_store02-atgap09?ean=9780998635026

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-.....o-the-faceless

Thanks for reading.

Thought I would share this here, too:

As someone who took up writing later in life, and who has always made a living away from a desk, I have found the social world within the internet to be daunting and often unfriendly. On a day to day basis, this does not bother me at all. As an author, who wishes to continue improving the work, and maybe even sell more than a few books a month, this almost adversarial relationship that I have with this world does me no favors.

When I have opened up to a few folks, here on the net, it was a slow and cautious process. There's always some risk involved, when sharing ideas and one's work prior to publishing. Lucky for me, some of these efforts have resulted in me finding good people who are willing to give me feedback on my work, and who can offer another set of experiences and a different point of view. What they see in my work, especially when others also see it, helps me to learn to better connect with what I hope to be a broader audience someday.

I don't identify as a writer of furry fiction. I write science fiction and fantasy. I feel that if I did my job well enough, people will connect with, perhaps even identify with, my characters regardless of how those characters are skinned. Not everyone, of course.

Yes, without a doubt, I am a reluctant and irregular user of any form of internet-based socialization. More effort applied here may be the last thing that I want to do, but I do understand that it is important that I do so.

Y'all have a good one.

Woke up this morning feeling terrible, and it got worse from there. High fever and bubbly breathing; getting worse. Tested positive, almost immediately. Plan on waiting until morning before visiting the local clinic. Hopefully, the fever will peak soon, and I won't be visiting the emergency room earlier.

Wish me luck, good health, positive vibes. Thanks

For what it's worth, I'll be out of contact for a while. Took on a temp job, working on a construction outfit's vehicle and equipment fleet, and will likely neither have the time, nor the internet access, to check in here. Back to grubby, dirty work, out in the elements, so I can save up for book printing and promotional stuff. At least the pay is decent. Maybe I'll be able to buy myself another used motorcycle, to replace the one I sold a while back. I miss riding.

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-p.....o-the-faceless

That address will take you to my epub book at BookBaby Bookshop; good descriptions and such await you there. They give me the best return on sales. Over the next few days, my book will be popping up on these sites as well: iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Baker & Taylor, Copia, Gardners, eSentral, Scribd, Goodreads, Ciando, Vearsa.

Unrelated to my first published novel, this story is intended for mature readers (SFW). Dark content and mature themes: Occasional, brief moments of graphic violence; Occasional, brief moments of implied sexuality; Rampant classism; Slavery; Brief mention and moments of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.

Please feel free to leave your comments here, or in private if you prefer. Feedback helps me to improve my craft. Please leave reviews of the book at any and all of your favorite book sites, book clubs, etc..

I have contacted the management, concerning buying advertising here. Just waiting for that to come together

Always on a shoestring budget, my self publishing ventures have held a steep learning curve. Write some stuff, get feedback, read others' published works to remind me what's out there. Discover/establish/refine my own writing style. Learn not to trust my program's autofill and autocorrect functions, especially for science fiction and fantasy, and eventually disable them. To check every questionable word use against current, accepted definitions. Beta read for others; learn how to better spot grammatical errors and plot line issues within my own work. . .

I was going to do a simple announcement that my upcoming book was finally published, after going live. ("A Promise to the Faceless" by D A Barr, ISBN 978-0-9986350-2-6 . Will discuss further on a different journal entry.). Having already submitted my work to the distributor, and awaiting the return of the final proof, I decided to lay bare one of my own hard-earned lessons of this craft, my most recent one.

Ouch, pulled another editing rookie mistake! I forgot to add it's vs its to my punch list. At this stage of the process, I must leave it; pay later to resubmit the corrected copy. A few rogue it's found their way in. Another lesson learned. It's now on my list of steps during final editing; responsibility for its content rests squarely on my shoulders.

Remember, folks, It's≈(it is, it has). Its≈(belongs to it, part of it).

Edit, 2023-01-13: I just finished a little handyman gig, so I decided to pay the added cost now, and submit the revised manuscript before open publication. Now waiting on the next proof. This bumps the release date back another ten business days, at least. Was it worth the added time, effort, and cost, just to smooth out a few bumps in the reader's path? Only time will tell.

It's no secret that I have an affinity for reptiles. I'm a few months away from publishing my next novel. Though it is without a doubt more species-diverse than just reptiles, they still carry a strong presence there. There's still a little more connective tissue and just some more polishing to do, before throwing down some more cash and taking the self-publishing plunge once again. The problem is that writer's block has had me stymied. I needed to do something else, anything else to get my imagination going again.

A few months ago, while looking through some artworks here, I found the art under the search heading, kobolds. That got me thinking; these little guys get used and abused fairly regularly. Someone out there must love them. I enjoy the what-if possibilities of sci-fi and technologies beyond our current grasp, so I yanked them from the worlds of fantasy and gave them a purpose in a world of artificial life forms, bio-engineering, advanced technologies and dystopian, rampant classism. Sure, the kobolds still tend to get the short end of the stick but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right?

This is my first attempt at putting together a series of interwoven, short stories. The goal is to have ten or more stand-alone stories that, when combined, tell a broader tale as we look through the eyes of those who live and die in this world. Only time will tell if I can pull it off. In addition to those published here so far, I currently have seven more, incomplete stories that I'm working on; as one story helps feed the others.

Don't worry, the furry contingent has not been forgotten and will have their moments in the spotlight. Just know that, here, the cold-blooded, especially the little kobolds, will not stand idly by.

In advance, I appreciate you patience. Like most of us, I have a day job and my time is limited. My passion for storytelling is what keeps me coming back to the keyboard.

I have been approached by a few folks regarding NSFW versions of these works. My strong suit is borderline mature, SFW storytelling, but I am taking these requests under consideration.

Enjoy

The Accidental Ambassador is now in paperback form. I have recently received my first 500 copy printing from Total Printing Systems of Newton Illinois.

I am working to get the books to local, Seattle area, book stores as well as one or two major book retailers. In the meantime, you can contact me directly for a copy. The first 300 to be sold are signed and numbered. $9.99 plus shipping; payment through PayPal. Write to DABarrauthor[at]gmail.com and we can take it from there.

Thank you for your interest.

D

P.S. The book is available in e-book form through retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.