Julian Barr

Category: Uncategorized

  • Slayhemn: An Epic Fantasy Comic Book

    Hi all,

    Just wanted to say a quick word about a comic book I co-wrote with the incredible Andrew Law!

    Readers of the Ashes of Olympus trilogy will know Andrew as the illustrator for The Ivory Gate. He’s an extraordinary comic book artist, a fellow Aussie and a thoroughly decent bloke. His visual interpretations of my characters are my favourite, and we always hit it off since we met at Supanova in 2018.

    When Andrew invited me to write for a new epic fantasy series he was working on, I positively leapt at the chance. His art is so lush, with vivid colour and incredible vision. It is such an honour to work in Andrew’s world!

    What’s it all about?
    Slayhemn is a high fantasy like they used to make, with fire-breathing dragons, barbarians and sorcerers. Our hero, Ravensthorne, is an outcast. His people rejected him because he was the only one of his kind born without magic. Ever since then, he’s gotten by on his talent for thieving. Rave keeps to the shadows, stealing magical artefacts and potions to make up for his lack of innate skill. Now, he’s after the biggest score of his life: a crystal shard that will grant him the power to get revenge on those who cast him out. Guiding him on his sinister path is a strange whispering voice only he can hear. Is this quest worth his soul? When dragons born of dark magic wreak havoc across the land of Slayhemn, Rave must seek something greater than revenge or redemption. He has to unite with champions across the realms to save the world.

    What’s the tone?
    It’s an action-packed epic of enormous scope, with heroes and monsters. Perfect for anyone who wants to sit and read a great fantasy novel and wishes to see it visually come to life! Slayhemn is for fans of old-school, family-friendly fantasy. Inspired by Elfquest, Ravine, Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonheart and many more…

    Here’s a trailer!

    Where are we up to?

    Currently we are crowd-funding the project! The campaign wraps up in ten days. Things are going pretty well so far, close to 70% funded. But Andrew and I will need all the support we can get to get it across the finish line. We are offering a huge range of rewards for backers, from original art to free e-books of my Viking epic, Tooth and Blade!

    The script and interiors for Issue 1 are complete, and we are planning to get it out to backers in October. I’m also working on a special version of the script adapted for screen reader users, which provides a description for each image. We believe fantasy is for everyone and are firmly committed to making it accessible for all.

    What inspired me to write Slayhemn?

    There is a strong element of nostalgia to the project. It’s very much old-school fantasy in the grand tradition of Tolkien. More than that, though. I wanted to work on something I could share with my kids. When I was a lad, epic fantasy was my safe refuge. That’s something I want to pass on to the next generation. Andrew and I agreed very early on there wouldn’t be any adult content or gore in the comic. We wanted to move away from cynicism and just write from the heart. Though I wouldn’t say this is a children’s comic, it’s a story of good triumphing over evil, a story of a thief’s journey toward salvation, and an adventure to take readers away from their troubles. Families can enjoy it together.

    Plus, you know, it’s always a joy to collaborate with someone of Andrew’s talent! This is a true collaboration. Andrew came up with the world, the story and the characters. He brought the characters to life through his artwork, and I gave them a voice through my script. I think we complement each other quite well.

    Where can I pledge?

    If you’d like to pre-order a copy, or just support two fantasy creatives, join the adventure on our Kickstarter page. Andrew and I would love to share our story with you!

    Join the Adventure

  • The trilogy is complete – THE SEVEN HILLS is out now!

    It’s been a long journey to get here, and a long time between posts, but I’m thrilled THE SEVEN HILLS is available now. Here’s the cover and blurb!

    Twilight has fallen.

    A new god rises.

    Olympus shall burn.

    Aeneas has returned from the underworld as a twisted monster. Determined to seize the throne of heaven, he embarks upon a campaign to bring the might of Olympus crashing down. The fate of the world will be decided on the battlefields of Italia.

    And yet Aeneas has not prepared for the rebellion of his son Julos, nor the courage of Lavinia, fiery princess of the Italians. Together they will stand against him and forge an empire that will change the fortunes of the Earth.

    In the last battle, there can be no surrender and no retreat.

    The Ashes of Olympus trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion in a tale of love, agony and redemption.

    Available here.

    A few personal thoughts

    Writing The End on this series was the hardest thing I’ve done as a writer. It’s tough to let go of characters who are as real to me as anybody else. But I knew their journey from the very start. The tragedy, the triumph. It all comes full circle in the third book!

    I’ve read too many trilogies where the experience was soured by a lackluster conclusion. I strove to fulfil the promises made for each character’s journey in Ashes of Olympus, and deliver an ending that was epic in the truest sense of the word.

    I loathe the stereotype of the suffering artist, but honestly I was quite ill and in pain for much of The Seven Hills. Between this and the pandemic, my publisher Odyssey Books and I agreed it was best to delay the release by 12 months. But it’s done. It belongs to the readers now.

    I’m grateful to all who made the trilogy a success. Everyone who has tweeted in support, reviewed the book and cheered me on, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    I especially want to thank Mark Stay and the entire community around The Bestseller Experiment podcast for championing the series from its inception. And, um, thanks Mark for pointing out I use the word ‘ichor’ too much, and that ‘whelmed’ sounds kinda dumb.

    Anyway, that’s about it for now. I hope I’ve done Virgil’s Aeneid justice through my adaptation. More, I hope readers enjoy the myth and the magic in an age of bronze swords and ox-hide shields. And if you have enjoyed the trilogy, please share your review!

  • I’m back! Though I was never really gone.

    Salvete, everyone!

    How are you doing? Hope you’re all okay in these strange times.

    I thought it was time to update my poor neglected blog, which has suffered since May 2019. The last post is a rather dispiriting note about my health, which was very poor at the time. Well, good news, things are much better now!

    It ended up taking about six months for me to fully recover from the respiratory infection which knocked me around last year, as there were complications and my immune system took a long time to bounce back. Then early this year I was hit by cluster headaches which made it pretty much impossible to write for a few months. Honestly, I have broken bones and had boiling water poured over my hand, but this pain was worse– like having a wrecking ball through my brain. However, the pain is much more manageable now and I’m back in full swing!

    My second Ashes of Olympus novel, The Ivory Gate, was released late last year. I also released the paperback of the Tooth and Blade omnibus, which both got great reviews. Also, I worked with amazing audiobook narrator Jean Mahoney to produce the audiobook, which is now available on all major platforms. Jean’s voice is absolutely perfect as the protagonist Dóta . Sales have been strong and steady, particularly through public libraries.

    What’s next? Well, I’m hard at work on the third Ashes of Olympus, which will launch next year. It’s going well. My publisher will be taking the series to the online Frankfurt, London and Vienna Book Fairs to sell the translation rights. After that, in 2022 I have a contract for a brand new Middle Grade series, which is quite exciting. I’ve also started planning a new series which I intend to publish independently.

    And– this is really cool– I’ve started writing for television. I can’t say too much right now, but I hope to have some news for you in the future.

    Look out for some updates to my blog and my newsletter coming soon!

    Basically, things are looking well and truly up. I know things are terribly uncertain all over the world right now… But I can’t help but feel hope that things will get better.

    Until next time,

    Julian

  • A quick note on my health

    Hi everybody,

    I’m really grateful to everybody who has joined me for the adventure with Tooth and Blade. Part One is selling well, and I am on track to release Part Two by the end of May. I appreciate all the support the project has received over the last few weeks, especially from reviewers. It has been such a thrill that the serial is finding its readers.

    However, I’m afraid that my health over the last few months hasn’t been very good. Things have reached a head this week, to the point where I was facing the return of the chronic illness which plagued me as a teen. Don’t worry, I will recover soon, but I’ve had little choice but to take some proper time off from both my day job and my creative work.

    Unfortunately, in the interests of preserving my health, it will be necessary to delay the release of the final installment of Tooth and Blade by a few weeks. It will be released in July. I don’t feel particularly good about this and appreciate that nobody likes to be left hanging. However, the alternative is a heck of a lot worse. I didn’t factor sickness into my plans.

    Thanks for understanding. It means a lot to me.

    Julian

  • 2019: The Adventure Unfolds

    Salvete, readers!

    A belated happy new year!

    It has been a little while since my last update, hasn’t it? I’ve been hard at work to reach a deadline. I had to provide a complete draft of The Ivory Gate, the sequel to The Way Home, by the end of January. Good news, I made it! It’s still a bit rough at this point, but helps assure my publisher that the book can be scheduled for 2019. So I’m glad to say I’ve already met my first goal for 2019!

    But guess what? That’s not all I’m publishing this year.

    Starting from April, I am going to publish my first serial, Tooth and Blade. It’s three short, punchy novellas which together form an epic. I’m really excited about this story. It is historical fantasy based on Norse mythology. Here’s the elevator pitch:

    A young woman raised by trolls must find her place in human society. Caught between worlds, Dóta must bridge the gap between man and beast.

    The first short instalment, Foundling, will be available for pre-order soon on Kindle.

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    After that it’ll be time to get ready for the release of The Ivory Gate in August!  I had been working toward a publication date of October 2019, but due to some shifts in the schedule the book has been moved up. There is much to be done—edits, illustrations, cover design, the whole shebang.

    Squeezed between these projects I will contribute to an interactive fiction project, Magic in the Mail, edited by the fantastic Felicity Banks. Remember me telling you last year about Murder in the Mail? This is a similar concept in that it’s a mystery told through letters and art which you receive in the post, only it’s a fantasy and aimed at kids. I get to write in character as a dragon. How cool is that? I’m also thrilled that Murder in the Mail will be published as an illustrated book—it’ll be slightly surreal to see my handwriting in a published book!

    That’s the first half of the year pretty much taken care of. After that, I’m going to shift my focus to some academic research, the translation of the early sources related to St Nicholas. This will hopefully be submitted to an academic publisher by the end of the year. 

    Throughout 2019 I will continue searching for the right agent for my Middle Grade fantasy. It would be wonderful to see it in print.

    I’ve also been invited to be a panelist at a couple of cons, which I’ll update you on soon.

    That’s… a lot. However, The Ivory Gate is largely done, and I’ve got the first Tooth and Blade finalised, and I’ve made a very good start on St Nicholas. So it’s achievable, so long as I can keep my focus.

    It’s good to have a lot of irons in the fire! That’s what having a creative career is all about. There’s no such thing as a ‘big break.’ It’s about doing a lot of little things until they lead to big things.

    Until next time,

    Valete

    PS. I’m offering a free short story exclusively to followers of my newsletter. Sign up here for your copy! Fear not, I won’t give away your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  • 2018: A word of gratitude

    Salvete, readers!

    I just thought I would write a quick note to say thank-you to everybody who has supported me through 2018—thanks to you, this has honestly been one of the best years of my life. This was the year in which I published my debut novel, The Way Home. It managed to reach #1 on several charts.

    As a special thank-you, the e-book of The Way Home is available for a mere 99 cents at online retailers worldwide until 24 December 2018.

    The novel would not have succeeded without you—when the book was released, I had no idea whether it would find any readers, but people really took the story into their hearts. I am in no danger of becoming the next J.K. Rowling, but at least once a week I get a message from somebody letting me know how much they enjoyed the book. That means the world to me. The Australian publishing industry is small but thriving, and I’m glad to be a small but thriving part of it.

    Words cannot express how much I appreciate everybody who has taken the time to review The Way Home. Authors basically live or die on their reviews, and writing an honest review is the best thing you can do to support an author.

    I’m particularly grateful to the hosts of my favourite writing podcast The Bestseller Experiment, who were instrumental in helping the novel succeed. Over the past six months or so hardly a week went by in which I didn’t hear my name mentioned on the show. At the invitation of friend and fellow author Mark Stay I ended up recording several episodes about craft for the show, and just recently I was a featured guest on the show. I chatted with Mark about The Way Home, epic story-telling, ancient myths, YA literature, Animorphs, small presses, the Australian publishing industry, koalas with boundary issues, and the horror that is Thomas the Tank Engine… You can check it out here.

    I’m really, really looking forward to 2019, which will see the release of my series of Tooth and Blade novellas and hopefully the second Ashes of Olympus book.

    Until next time,

    Valete

  • My evening with Independence Day: Resurgence

    4:16 pm

    I have the house to myself tonight. My wife is going to her work Christmas party. Okay, more specifically, I have some time to myself after I have fed my boys, supervised their nightly ablutions and put them to bed. Then I can watch a movie I’ve been meaning to see: Independence Day: Resurgence!

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    Honestly, I meant to see it at theatres when it came out a couple of years back, as I have a lot of fond memories of the first movie. But, eh, I never quite got around to it. Babysitters not being forthcoming, my wife and I knew we’d only get one shot at seeing a movie together at the cinema that year. Resurgence was the fifth choice in 2016 after Finding Dory, Rogue One, The Jungle Book and Warcraft. I had seen the trailer for Resurgence on YouTube and didn’t really care that much, but maybe it might recapture some of the feels from the first movie. And I was kind of curious what had happened after the alien invasion. Kind of.

    Yet somehow, Finding Dory won out as the date movie of choice that year, and I eventually snuck out to see Rogue One on my own. I managed to pick up a second-hand blu-ray of Warcraft really cheap last year and watched it when I was home sick from work, and it was the definition of okay. I did enjoy The Jungle Book, but don’t recall when I saw it. Anyway. I wasn’t exactly going to burst into flames if I didn’t see Resurgence, as the story was pretty much done in the first film. But on a whim this afternoon I picked up Resurgence along with the first film at supermarket for 10 bucks. This seems like a fair price and not a terrible way to spend an evening.

    Should be okay. I have vague memories that this is an alternate history where the alien tech has been retrofitted to 90s tech and spun off from there. That actually could be cool. And, hey, they managed to bring back the original director.

    How bad could it be?

    8:56pm

    Okay, the boys are asleep and I’ve finally managed to put my phone down. Time to movie!

    9:05pm

    Sort of weird that the world is now united. Something tells me that’s not how it would go down if there was some kind of global disaster or alien invasion. Also, there are third world countries that now have access to vastly superior alien tech. How would that affect the balance of power? What would capitalist societies do with the technology? Actually the world looks pretty much as it does today, only with more flying stuff and ray guns. Didn’t the aliens have biomechanical armour? Didn’t they control their technology telepathically? Didn’t their ships have shields? Why haven’t humans exploited that technology? No sense of wonder. So many missed opportunities.

    9:06pm

    The moon has earth-like gravity. Huh.

    Oh, stop it Julian. You’re over-thinking it. The first was a big, dumb action blockbuster and so is this. You’re not normally this nit-picky these days. Just sit back and enjoy it! The effects are pretty at least.

    9:16pm

    Wait. Will Smith isn’t in this one, is he? That’s, um, oh. Okay. There’re a few characters from the original, but mostly new characters. Hang on. They’re meant to be the kids from the first movie. My bad. They are still pretty much new characters though. And no Will Smith. Apparently, his character died on a test flight. Hmm.

    9:18pm

    The new characters… Who ARE these people? I don’t just mean in terms of their bios—who are they as characters? I don’t really have any sense of what they are like? There’s the hotshot pilot, his wise-cracking sidekick, the first daughter (is that the term? Probably not), the son of the hotshot pilot from the first film… But they’re all kind of cardboard cut outs I’ve met a million times before. It isn’t necessarily a problem that it’s formulaic—but formulaic and lacking personality is criminal. The first film is formulaic and cliché, but the actors brought a lot of energy and charm to the parts. The characters shared a chemistry. You knew who they were in the very first scenes—the characters don’t need to do super heroic deeds to be memorable. It can be something as simple as a shared joke or a way of walking. Everyone here looks tired. Like they don’t really want to be in the movie. Everybody is world-weary, even the young players. That isn’t a good sign.

    9:34pm

    Oh good, the aliens are here! Time for the movie to start.

    9:36 pm

    My wife is home! Gosh, that wrapped up early. I happily hit pause and we chat about the Christmas party.

    9:45pm

    Back to movie. The aliens’ new gravity weapon is actually pretty cool. Weaponised gravity is a genuinely terrifying concept. But couldn’t they just wipe out the entire planet in one shot? Actually one of the characters makes the point that this gigantic ship could just smash through the planet. But, erm, it doesn’t for inexplicable reasons.

    10:12pm

    I’m sleepy. That’s kind of interesting—the other night I watched Die Hard and despite being physically exhausted the film was so engaging that I didn’t feel like sleeping at all.

    Resurgence is not great. I didn’t really think it would be– I went in with low expectations. It’s not terrible either. It’s just not a whole lot of fun.

    There are aliens smashing stuff and humans scrambling to survive and I just am not feeling it because there’s no one character to care about. There’s Jeff Goldblum, I guess. We are halfway through the movie and nobody has really done anything.

    I could stay up, I suppose. Is this movie worth being tired tomorrow? Is it worth sacrificing a bit of sleep to see how this turns out?

    10:15pm

    I put the remote down and stagger to bed. I’ll finish watching it tomorrow.

    Probably.

    It’s okay, I think as I pull back the covers. I got the first movie on DVD at least. And it comes with the second film as a bonus feature I’ll probably never watch again.

    PS. I’m offering a free short story exclusively to followers of my newsletter. Sign up here for your copy! Fear not, I won’t give away your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  • The Way Home: Chapter 1

    Salvete, readers!

    I thought I would share the first chapter from my debut novel, The Way Home, Book I of the Ashes of Olympus trilogy. I hope you enjoy it!

    Chapter 1

    ‘Aeneas, for the love of the gods, open up!’ cried Sergestos, pounding on the front door.

    Aeneas ran to the door and wrenched it open. ‘Stop yelling, would you? My father will flay me if you wake him.’ He stopped short as he realised Sergestos’s round face was covered in soot and he reeked of smoke. The scholar wore a studded baldric over his tunic. ‘What’s happened?’

    ‘It’s the Greeks, they’re here.’

    Aeneas swore. ‘Let me get my gear. I’ll be at the main gate in—’

    Sergestos shook his head. ‘Aeneas, they’re here. Inside the walls.’

    Aeneas staggered. The sea god had built the walls himself. They stood over forty cubits tall. No mortal power could break them.

    ‘What? How can that be? They sailed home yesterday.’

    Sergestos shrugged. ‘Something to do with that horse. Point is, half the city’s in flames.’

    Aeneas rushed upstairs to see for himself, and Sergestos followed.

    Fire.

    All his life Aeneas had loved to look down upon the city, to gaze at the twinkling lanterns in the streets. Now thatched rooftops were alight, the flames glaring like eyes in the night. The fire was spreading from the outer city, where the peasants lived. The screaming echoed heavenward. He blinked sweat out of his eyes, straining to peer past the flames. Far off, the city gate gaped like an open wound. Column after column of Greek warriors passed through, hungry to pillage the defenceless Troy. They were making a beeline toward the palace, marching up the main road. The bronze of their helmets and armour glistened in the burning.

    What in Hades was going on? Somebody should have rung the warning bell. This wasn’t a battle. It was defeat, the end of everything. The thought twisted in his belly like a knife.

    ‘Daddy?’ Little Julos waddled out of his bedchamber at the foot of the stair, rubbing his eyes. His curls were tousled with sleep.

    ‘Hey, little man,’ said Aeneas. ‘Where’s Mummy?’

    ‘I’m here,’ said Kreusa. ‘Has something happened?’ She emerged from the bedchamber opposite Julos’s, tying her hair back with one hand. Looking up, she saw the embers spiralling into the sky. ‘The city,’ she breathed.

    Sergestos swallowed. ‘Gods help us, our training never prepared us for this. Troy has fallen.’

    Aeneas shook his head and jutted his jaw. ‘Not yet. Not if we save the king.’

    Sergestos glanced from Kreusa to Aeneas. ‘Right. See you shortly, then.’ He clapped Aeneas on the shoulder and bolted down the stairs past Julos and out the door.

    Tightening her lips, Kreusa beckoned Aeneas downstairs and into their bedchamber. ‘Julos, wait in your bedchamber, please. I won’t be long.’

    ‘But I’m—’

    ‘It’ll be fine, son,’ said Aeneas.

    Kreusa passed Aeneas his sword belt, her hands steady.

    He buckled it to his side, put on his leather jerkin. Aeneas glanced up at his polished helmet and breastplate mounted on the wall. Father had given them to him for his eighteenth birthday last year. No self-respecting warrior would go into a fight without full armour, but there was no time.

    Father gave a snore from down the hall.

    ‘I’ll get him up,’ Kreusa said, reading Aeneas’s mind. Julos padded into their bedchamber, slurping on his fingers, and she scooped him into her arms. ‘Go on. We’ll be fine.’ Kreusa looked him in the eye, resolute.

    Aeneas had always loved Kreusa for her ability to take charge, right from their betrothal day. He reached for her and Julos.

    Kreusa kissed him once, hard, on the mouth. Then she pushed him away gently. ‘There’ll be time later. You need to go,’ she whispered. ‘Please, love. Just go. And if you run into enemy gods, stay out of their way.’ Kreusa turned, but it didn’t hide the tear streaking down her cheek. She swept out of the chamber, holding their son tight. Julos peeked over her shoulder at Aeneas, eyes wide and green as his father’s.

    Aeneas stared after them for a moment, then shook himself. Kreusa was right, he’d wasted enough time already. He snatched up his gear on his way out, found the weight of his spear a familiar comfort. The leathery smell of his ox-hide shield reassured him it was ready to protect.

    Taking a deep breath, he passed over his doorstep.

    ***

    Until next time,

    Valete

     

     

  • Free short story!

    Salvete, readers!

    Publication day for The Way Home, Book I of the Ashes of Olympus trilogy is just a few short weeks away. In the meantime, I’ve written a short prequel, which I’m giving away to newsletter subscribers for free!

    Betrothal introduces the characters of Aeneas and Kreusa, whom we here meet as children. The story takes place ten years before the events of Ashes of Olympus. On the eve of the Trojan War, a young girl must find her voice to stand before the gods… As an added bonus, you’ll also get a first look at the first three chapters of The Way Home.

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    I’m offering the e-book exclusively to followers of my newsletter. Sign up here for your free copy to read on a Kindle or any other e-reader! Fear not, I won’t give away your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

    This was an absolute blast to write and I’d love to hear your feedback!

    Until next time,

    Valete

  • Cover Reveal! Ashes of Olympus: The Way Home

    Salvete, readers!

    As promised, I’m absolutely thrilled to unveil the cover and blurb for my upcoming novel, Ashes of Olympus: The Way Home, coming July 2018 from Odyssey Books. It’s a YA historical fantasy based upon Greek mythology, in which a band of refugees must face the wrath of the gods to find a way home.

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    I’m absolutely in love with the cover, and I am so grateful to my editor and the graphic designer for coming up with such a wonderful image. But what’s it all about? Read on for the blurb…

    The gods betray you.
    The winds are hunting.
    Nowhere is safe.
    The journey begins…

    The war of the gods has left Aeneas’s country in flames. Though he is little more than a youth, Aeneas must gather the survivors and lead them to a new homeland across the roaring waves. Confronted by twisted prophecies, Aeneas faces the wrath of the immortals to find his own path.

    First in a trilogy based on Virgil’s epic poetry, ASHES OF OLYMPUS: THE WAY HOME is a tale of love and vengeance in an age of bronze swords and ox-hide shields.

    The novel will be released both as an ebook and in print, July 2018.

    Until next time,

    Valete

     

    P.S. Sign up to my free monthly newsletter for news and previews, as well as an exclusive prologue chapter to the Ashes of Olympus series! Over the next couple of months I’ll be giving readers an exclusive sneak preview of the amazing interior artwork in the book.