Books- Name and Description:

1. Carolina Daemonic: Confederate Shadow

It’s 2020. The South won the Civil War and achieved manifest destiny in the United States. Great Britain, known as Victoria,
and China, have maintained their empires. American slavery was abolished in the late 20th century instead of the late 19th century. Steam powered machinery and electricity make up the bulk of modern technology.

In the shadows of the Confederacy, there is magic. Esoteric sciences arcane and archaic survive from forgotten times, and strange demonic creatures wander through the slums of Charleston…

Enter Carolina Daemonic. In an alternative timeline, see a dark world not too far removed from our own- religio-political cults, racism, sexism, homophobia, corporate takeovers and corruption are abound. Witness the strange and mysterious beyond the familiarity of our ordinary world as well- godly avatars, lustful demons, necromancers, and the undead.

2. Psychological Revenge: A Super Inc. Novel

Sector E3’s capital city is threatened by two rival supercriminals who will stop at nothing until they kill each other. One is the principle mind, a misanthropic telekinetic and electrokinetic with a lust for vengeance against humanity. The other is a brain surgeon, an extraterrestrial doctor who uses his parasitic powers and technology to feed on the brains of humanity.

They aren’t the only supercriminals stirring up trouble in the world’s largest Mega City. The crime syndicate Saints of Death, the crafty robotist Master Gepetto, and the animation obsessed paranoid schizophrenic Mont E. Cartoon also threaten Sector E3’s capital. Super Incorporated must stop them all.

Enter a dystopian future where a one-world government has become five world states, vigilantism is outlawed, and crusaders must be registered through the government in order to fight supercriminals, lawbreakers too difficult for law enforcement and the military to handle.

 

Interview:

What gave you the idea for Carolina Daemonic: Confederate Shadows and Psychological Revenge?

I came up with Carolina Daemonic on a trip to England in 2012. I went to Lancaster and some northwest areas, and also got down to the south to see Brighton. Being in England and seeing some of the cobblestone streets and old buildings in England reminded me of Charleston, a city in my home of South Carolina. I got curious about steampunk while I was there, and bought a China Mieville novel called Perdido Street Station. I was inspired to write a steampunk story set in South Carolina, dealing with the Civil War and the Confederacy, while touching on social issues I’m passionate about. What resulted was an occult horror fantasy novel with steampunk elements, set on an alternative timeline.

For Psychological Revenge, I grew up loving comic books, and American comics were mostly about costumed heroes when I was a kid: X-Men, Spiderman, Batman, etc. So I wanted to write some stories with costumed heroes and villains. Alan Moore’s Watchman was the biggest inspiration because the graphic novel depicted its characters and world in such a gritty, unapologetic way, so I wanted to tackle my series with a dark feel as well. It’s set in a dystopian future, which was Watchman influenced again, but also inspired by Orwell’s 1984, Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange… I’ve always liked futuristic dystopian stuff. I also like camp with the comics, so inspiration from 1960’s Batman and silver age comics add a humorous, goofy aspect to the work along with the dark stuff.

What got you into writing horror?

I grew up in a household where the bookshelves were lined with Stephen King, John Saul, Dean Koontz, and a number of other horror authors. Anthologies, novels, you name it. By the time I got to high school, I started reading Clive Barker and realized I loved a mix of dark fantasy and occultism with my horror, so that’s the main type of horror I like to write.

How long have you been writing?

Ever since I was a kid. I always liked to tell stories, especially ghost stories and scary stories. This evolved into writing. I used to love creative writing exercises in school.

Tell us about your past books and stories?

I’ve written a lot of stories in anthologies and magazines. For J. Ellington Ashton Press, I have stories in Inanna Rising, Drowning in Gore, Trashed 2, Lost Gods & Forgotten Cities… For FictionMagazines.com, I’ve been in their ongoing magazine publications, from Under the Bed (Horror), to Nebula Rift (Science Fiction) and New Realm (Fantasy). I also have comic book stories published with Chuck Amadori, who co-writes and co-created Empress with me.

What is the writing process like for you? What is your writing day like?

I’m just driven to write. Although I love knocking out 2k a word, I’m not strict on how much I knock out in a day. There have been some free weekends where I’ve knocked out 10k or more when I’ve been really into something I’m writing. There are also days where I may write a few hundred words. It’s passion that gets me to the keyboard. I write, look stuff over, revise it, and work out a story until everything connects and flows.

What is your favorite book (other than your own book, of course) and why?

Otherland by Tad Williams. It’s a 4-volume novel story that really fits in one long, epic novel. From characterization to plot and imagination, I think it’s the perfect work. Best story I’ve ever read. Dr. Strange and Mr. Norrell by Suzanna Clarke is great as well.

What are you doing next?

I’ve finished two other books for the Carolina Daemonic series: the prequel which is entitled Book 0: The Daemonic Civil War, and the sequel to Confederate Shadows, which is Book II: Rebel Hell. Next, my main priority is to finish the final book, Book III: Heritage of Hate.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Write what you like. Find the markets that support what you like writing and submit there. They’re out there, and the internet makes them very easy to find. Stick to your craft, and don’t force yourself to write stories that aren’t what you’re into. One of the worst things a writer ever told me was that, although my stuff was good, I needed to write “mainstream” stuff by looking at the market and just mimicking what’s popular. Anyone with that philosophy when it comes to writing, please enjoy kissing butt to the top and stay far away from me.

bio:

Brian Barr is an American author. Brian has been published in various short story anthologies and magazines, including New Realm, Nebula Rift, Under the Bed, Queer Sci Fi’s Discovery, NonBinary Review, Dark Chapter Press’s Kill for a Copy, and Mantid Magazine. Brian collaborates with another writer, Chuck Amadori, on the supernatural dark fantasy noir comic book series Empress, along with Sullivan Suad and Geraldo Filho. His first novel, Carolina Daemonic, Book 1: Confederate Shadows, was published by J. Ellington Ashton Press in 2015. His second novel is Psychological Revenge: The First Super Inc. Novel.

Links:

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Barr/e/B010Y0MEJU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465147335&sr=8-1
Website: www.brianbarrbooks.com