Ian Barr's Blog

Looking for something to read that satisfies both a need for speed, an appetite for destruction, and a secret desire for tender moments? Look no further!

I am proud to present *CARNAGE! LOVE & LUST IN THE WASTELAND*

This free online novella centers around two star-crossed competitors from two very different walks of life who find one another amidst the lethal spectacle of Carnage; televised games of vehicular manslaughter. Meet Mei Sung, the darling daughter of the Dynasty Munition Syndicate, a hard woman brought up to be ruthless and cunning, training since childhood for a shot at the Carnage title. She'll find herself vexed by Hawk, a lethal lowlife from a local gang of Scavengers, who enters Carnage for a chance to cut and run from a bounty on his head.

There's thrills, chills, and spills aplenty as the games begin... Not only on the field, but in their hearts.

Carnage! Love & Lust in the Wasteland... available now on my Substack.

https://talesfromthedump.substack.com...

It's a bit late as I announced this three months ago on my Substack, but in 2025 I have set my resolution to read ONLY indie books, attempting to get through as many of them as I can and posting reviews of them not only the retailer sites, Instagram, and Goodreads, but also dedicating a longform post on my Substack, The Word Dump, to each and every book I read.

And so far, I've read SIX this year already.

What can you do to get involved? Recommend me something to read. Your book, a friend’s book, some random’s book. As long as it’s indie, throw it at me in the comment section. I am generally a Sci-Fi / Fantasy reader but I’m looking to branch out and take a bite out of as many other genres as I can this year. Besides, if I just did one genre the whole ding-dang-ling-long year this whole thing would be boring.

I may not read all the recs, but anything that tickles the smallest part of my fancy I will add it to my list.

And that’s it! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Rejecting corporate fiction,
Ian

Hey all,
I am planning on announcing a giveaway on both Instagram (@ibarrwrites) & on Twitter (@RoyalsNRogues), so keep an eye on both in the coming year.

Aside from that, I am toiling away at the sequel to Synthetic Magic already and hoping to reveal the name of the novel once the alpha manuscript is completed.
My other project, working under the series name of "Soulforged" is also plugging along nicely. What started as a goof turned into a thoroughly enjoyable work. It's a higher magic setting than the Bloodless Affairs and I'll be sending more info about that as editing continues.
For now, keep on reading, recommend fantastic books to friends and family, and stay cool.
~Ian

I missed the actual day to announce that Synthetic Magic is now live and available for purchase of Amazon in paperback or e-book format. I'm a scrub, I know.

Anyways, enjoy that while I toil over the next book in the series. It's a mess, but I'll figure it out.

Much love,
Ian

Hey all,
December 1st marks the upcoming release of my debut novel: Synthetic Magic! It will be available as an e-book or a paperback, pre-order for Kindle editions on now!
~Ian