Michael John Barnes | Author

Michael John Barnes

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25.01.2022 My friend Peta and her friends have just released their latest book. Check it out! :)

25.01.2022 The other day I ordered another proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA. Hopefully it will arrive no later than next week I made three changes to the cover: a black outline around the font to sharpen it up, dragged the cover down another 5mm to push past the trim line and finally a glossy finish to help give the picture a little more life. @michaeljohnbarnes

25.01.2022 Following on from my previous post, at the height of the Athens protest in 2011 I found myself stranded at night in Syntagma Square. With riot police advancing towards me, a decision had to be made: take a chance on them or the protestors. I vividly remember a cop with a smirk on his face saying 'good luck' as I pushed past and ran down a darkened street ablaze with bonfires and looters. This experience at the square helped form a scene in my book Tomorrow Ends Today. I didn't know it at the time as I was running through the backstreets of Athens, but I would soon meet a girl named Stella and hear all about a mysterious place called Bulgaria.

24.01.2022 My Indie Short Film 'Cherry Bomb' is progressing well. Yesterday morning I had coffee with my Cinematographer. I explained my concept and what I hoped to achieve and together we discussed several ways of filming it. I envisage it to be black and white and very moody. No surprises there. :) It was good to see that Simon and I were on the same page. Again, no surprise as we have known each other a while and have a lot in common. Some of his suggestions to film certain scenes we...re exciting. If they come off, they might as well start engraving our names on the Oscar statue. :) We hope to commence filming in mid-October. This factors in our busy work schedules and the ever-present threat of another Covid lock down. Although my part of the country has gotten control of Covid, it will only take one person to fuck it up for everyone. So my plan is to get the filming done sooner than later. Plus mid-October gives me time to get the screenplay and any other organizing squared away. Today I did some advanced updates on the plot. Mapping it out on the whiteboard allowed me to have an overview of the story. I'll transfer this information to the computer and begin fleshing out the scenes with much more detail. @michaeljohnbarnes

24.01.2022 This guy's work and the way he conducts himself is amazing and inspiring! The Art of Christopher Lovell www.christopherlovell.com

24.01.2022 Maintaining the rage while Im away. Get some good Aussie homegrown Amity Affliction into your life ... and Kick it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miCDAI3gUW4&feature=share

24.01.2022 Setting the mood for tomorrow night's launch of FORTRESS BULGARIA :) https://youtu.be/294Nba3bu1M

24.01.2022 While waiting for my editor to get back to me with some final tweaks of the manuscript, I've gone through my notes of 'things to do' that I compiled after reading through the manuscript last week. The list consisted mostly of minor grammatical errors and plot inconsistencies that I could easily fix. I have also been inserting pics into the manuscript. I'm a very visual person so I like to do this with all my books. Whenever possible I use photos that I have taken. I feel this makes the books more intimate and credible.

23.01.2022 In 2017, back again on my side of the country, Anita and I teamed up for the third and final installment of my Trinity Trilogy: Tomorrow Ends Today. This time we tried different locations and different looks in an attempt to create something a little ... you guessed it ... different. And in the process I nearly lost a finger to the katana's sharp blade! As usual, we captured a range of awesome pics. But nothing grabbed at me. In the end, we revisited a pose toyed with on the ...last book. Making use of the fading late afternoon sun, I got it. Anita's angelic look of resignation was a perfect fit for the story and for the cover. Chris' smoky black background was a master stroke! @chrishainesart

23.01.2022 I've written four books. Three of them have strong connections to Bulgaria. This video helps to explain why :)

23.01.2022 I have some good news and some bad news. The good news ... the cover to FORTRESS BULGARIA is ready! :) It looks sooooo good! I'll post a pic soon. The bad news ... I uploaded the cover and manuscript to Amazon and ordered a Proof copy. But Due to Covid, Amazon are not currently shipping Proof copies internationally. They are prioritizing their workload. I am exploring another option of getting a copy. ;)... In the meantime, we'll keep talking amongst ourselves. Here's some Book-Nerd porn: the bar code and ISBN for FORTRESS BULGARIA. :) UPDATE: Well that escalated quickly! I activated OPERATION COVID-CONTRA and my guy on the ground in the US is expecting to have a Proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA early next week. ;) Utilising his special set of skills he will then get it to me.

21.01.2022 Its hot, its midnight and Im still sitting behind my glass canvas making intricate changes to Fortress Bulgaria. Im determined to finish it as soon as possible.

21.01.2022 The Proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA is in the air and on its way! Hopefully it will arrive as early as next week. :) With the cover completed, I thought it would be nice to look back at the covers that made up the Trinity Trilogy. I'm a very visual person and love creating things. For my first book - Shot Through The Heart - my friend Anita and I set about taking random pics in my backyard.... After hundreds of photos, we had many awesome images, but both agreed none were the elusive cover shot. As the sun faded and Anita's arm tired from continually holding up the katana, I yelled to lift it higher and to stick her chest further out for one final shot. She scowled and cursed at me. That 'final shot' ended up being on the cover. :) @chrishainesart

20.01.2022 The other night I hosted the official launch of my latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA Because of COVID I had to delay this event by six months and thought it would never happen ... but it finally did! The book launch is my opportunity to thank all those that have helped me along the journey and to also share the joyous occasion with family and close friends. I also had an online presence for friends overseas and on the other side of Australia. Unfortunately this was hit and miss... due to technical difficulties But we soldiered on and had a good time. I camouflaged the front of my house and my friend big Adrian stood guard and only let people in if they new the secret password ... 'Za Bulgaria!' Once inside, guests posed for photographs at the photo wall before socializing and sampling the tasty food prepared my wife and mum Later in the night I was introduced to my guests by my friend and one of Australia's greatest warriors. This was truly an honour for me. I then took the opportunity to thank my family and all the people who supported me and my writing. After the speech I had more time to answer many questions and sign books for those keen to read FORTRESS BULGARIA. It was a fun and relaxed evening and everyone had a good time. As more photos come in I'll post them here. I have extra copies of FORTRESS BULGARIA available should anyone in Australia like one. For those who pre-odered their copy I promise I will get them to you ASAP!!!! All my books are for sale on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Michael-John-Barnes/e/B001KD7A2W

20.01.2022 For the past few weeks Ive been away on a training exercise with a small group of capable men. Weve been driving around one of the hottest and harshest environments on the planet. But this has isolated us from our friends and families and all the latest virus hysteria. If all goes well we come home soon. Its actually going to feel weird returning. Were not sure what to expect having been living in a bubble far from anyone or anything else. The first thing Im going to do... is visit my daughter and share a coffee with her down the park in the fresh air and sunshine. Then its on! And then for the next few weeks before I go away again, I will be smashing out the remainder of Fortress Bulgaria. I really want to get the cover finished. As soon as I have something tangible to show (I have already made a very detailed concept which Im tempted to post ... but wont) I will post the real thing. Im staying mentally hard and keeping the edge of my blade sharp with the help of some of my fave songs. Heres another one that might assist you to feel alive and want to smash shit up! Stick to your guns! Coz I am. https://youtu.be/OQqZVRn1mWM

19.01.2022 Here's a few screen grabs from the scene filmed a few weeks ago for OPEN WOUND, my re-imagining Indie-film based on my first book, SHOT THROUGH THE HEART. I want to show so much more, but I am holding myself back; can't give too much away :) As you can see it looks amazing. The character portrayed in this scene is Halo, a former love interest of my protagonist Trinity. www.michaeljohnbarnes.com.au

19.01.2022 Fuck the US election and all the crap going on around the world ... here's more pics from the book launch to FORTRESS BULGARIA to enjoy :) And yes ... somebody did give me some flowers ... my little friend Yukari from Tokyo :) And yes ... I might have walked around holding them for quite awhile ;)

18.01.2022 After spending time in the range to film my presentation for the Romance Writers Assoc of Australia's 2020 Online Conference, I took the opportunity to film an interview with Michelle about her shooting experience. Sitting in the winter sun up at beautiful King's Park, the ensuing debrief revealed a bonanza of information. Even for me it was interesting to hear Michelle's fresh and honest perspective. Participant's of the conference are going to need a fucking big notepad! ...:) https://rwaustraliavcon.com.au/ @rwaaus @michaeljohnbarnes

18.01.2022 FORTRESS BULGARIA: Planet Earth's Last Stand is finished! :) Today, after some late nights and long days staring at my screen, I completed all the final adjustments and another complete read-through. That's it. I'm done! :) But before you all rush out to buy it, I still have to do the formatting and sign off on the cover. I mentioned previously that once I do the formatting it's impossible to make any large changes. A few words here and there is possible and to be honest, I c...an't help myself and will probably do that. :) FORTRESS BULGARIA is easily my biggest book. 431 pages with 86,829 words! In comparison, my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART was 336 pages/65,738 words. The second book ONE BULLET AT A TIME was 393 pages/75,505 words and the third book TOMORROW ENDS TODAY 338 pages/65032 words. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. :) I've also been working on the rear cover blurb. When I'm happy with it, I'll post it and then you will get a good idea of what the story is about. Writing the blurb is very difficult as you are limited to what you can say without giving too much of the plot away. The blurb will also give up a few secrets I've been hiding. Readers of my TRINITY TRILOGY will find them interesting. :)

17.01.2022 It's good to be back home! :) I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I did. I'd heard so much had changed since I left a few weeks earlier. Visiting my daughter's coffee and food van on Saturday morning, I was pleasantly surprised. People went about their business, responsibly keeping their distance whether it was jogging around the park, sitting under a lone tree to read the newspaper or when lining up for a coffee.... Having caught up with all the latest gossip, I'm now keen to get on with finishing off Fortress Bulgaria. :) I posted an unedited version of the extract below a while ago, but I think it's kind of relevant now more than ever. Keep moving forward, sideways sometimes if need be, but never backwards. More importantly, don't lose focus of your life or lose touch with yourself. Feel comforted Blood Patrol is out there! :) No! Walsh says, stepping forwards, anger filling his eyes. He points a bloodied finger at the sky. No! Get to the top of that fucking hill. You have to do it. It cannot end like this. Mankind humankind whatever the fuck you want to call it must prevail. Each step, each breath, each moment youre involved in, changes the outcome changes the future. Something will happen. You need to be there to see it, to be a part of it. Youre smarter than me, the soldier says. You climb that fucking hill. You change the future. For fucks sake you can re-engineer peoples genes! Find a cure for these fucken zombies, Walsh. You save the goddamn world! You still dont get it do you, soldier? Youve questioned yourself the entire time. Its not about whos smarter or who is better suited at making decisions its about you! The soldiers breathing becomes noticeably louder. You werent selected for RAFAEL because you killed bad guys in a previous life and just happened to be a good little soldier. You were chosen because you represent all that is good in a human being, despite having lived a harsh life. Youre a survivor. You are hope. You are what drives men to sacrifice their lives so that you may carry on to save this world. I will gladly die right here for you if only for the simple reason that I believe in you.

16.01.2022 A day in my life is a long time. Even a couple of hours to be honest. When I'm not working, I'm training. When I'm not training, I'm writing. No sooner did I begin to format what was supposed to be THE FINAL draft to FORTRESS BULGARIA, I made a change to it tonight. A significant one. I knew this would happen. :) I previously posted about how my mind once solved elaborate plot scenarios when riding my motorbike, speeding through traffic. It seems the busier my mind is, the be...tter it works. It might also explain the dumb look on my face sometimes. :) Today I decided to alter the outcome of a major scene at the end of the book. The impact this will have on the story is huge. And I didn't make this important decision after lengthy thought and consideration whilst sitting in a trendy cafe or relaxing on Italy's Amalfi coast. No. I was exercising in my garage on my stationary bike listening to mind splintering black/death-metal when a new song inspired me. It hit me like a brick! One section of the 12-minute song, yes, 12 minutes, was perfect I thought for the final battle scene IF it were in a movie. This thought made me think of altering the scene. I must have screamed with delight too loudly. My wife came outside to check on me. She took this picture of my brilliant mind in action. :)

16.01.2022 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

16.01.2022 Ronin #bulgarianbooks #bulgariaofficial #plovdiv #plovdivcitycard #sofia #travelbulgaria #indiefilm #independentartist #indiefilms #indiefilmmaker #indiemovie #indiefilmmaking #film #filmisnotdead

15.01.2022 So, after a lot of pressure to post on Instagram Ive finally conceded. Come and say hi @michaeljohnbarnes To celebrate, Im posting the rear cover blurb to my latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA. Readers of my Trinity Trilogy will recognise two names: Halo and Gemini. ... Halo went into self-exile sometime between Book 2-One Bullet At A Time & Book 3-Tomorrow Ends Today. Gemini made her debut in Book 3 - Tomorrow Ends Today. So ... is FORTRESS BULGARIA a continuation of the Trinity Trilogy? No. Not really. FORTRESS BULGARIA is set in the near future. This however, allowed me the opportunity to continue using characters from the Trilogy. Ill explain my thought process behind that decision in another post. Theres also mention of frightening, zombie-like Talasum. Again, these Talasum first appeared in Book 3. 'WTF?! I hear you say.

14.01.2022 I have some good news and some more good news! :) Part one of OPERATION COVID-CONTRA was successful. My 'man on the ground' in the US has a Proof copy of my new book FORTRESS BULGARIA in his capable hands. :) That's right. The second part of the Op is the tricky bit. Hopefully it'll be in my hands sooner than later.... In the meantime, I received a parcel I had been eagerly awaiting. Signed and numbered Alien and Terminator prints of amazing artist Christopher Lovell's paintings. Chris is awesome in everything he does. From his artwork to the way he conducts himself and his business. It's inspiring. Not only did he take the time to write a small personal note, he unexpectedly threw in several extra prints for nothing!!! Be sure to check out his work and his videos. @lovellart #christopherlovellart

14.01.2022 Wow! It's all happening. Yesterday I received my updated proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA. The new version has a black outline around the red font and a glossy finish. At first I was torn which cover I liked best, but after showing a few friends and family it became obvious to me that the glossy version is better. The title almost lifts off the page as though it were embossed and the gloss gives the cover a little more life even though it was designed to be moody and gloomy. ...I can now move forward and commence procedures to unleash the book on the world. :) Initially this will be in paperback only. As soon as I can I will work on the eBook version. With my previous books, Amazon's subsidiary company would do it for me. But under their new auspice they don't. When the paperback version is ready to go live I will announce it here. I will be making a limited bulk purchase so I have some copies on hand for my upcoming book launch, and like I did with my last book I will take pre-orders now for friends and family. This is the cheapest and easiest option to get hold of the book. So if you are within my reach (Western Australia) and would like a signed copy send an email to [email protected] If you are on the other side of Australia, for the added cost of postage I'm happy to sign and send. The cut-off date for pre-ordering through me will be next Friday 25th September. I need to action the order asap to ensure the books arrive in time for my launch. So tell your friends! Xmas is coming as well. Just saying. :) I still have a small stock of my trilogy if anyone needs copies prior to reading FORTRESS BULGARIA. Not mandatory but highly recommended as characters and events from the trilogy are relevant to FORTRESS BULGARIA. Exciting times!

14.01.2022 Locked safely inside my hotel in Athens during the riots, I met an amazing girl named Stella. At my insistence she went on to patriotically describe her homeland Bulgaria to me. I was instantly captured by her tales of this 'intriguing' place that I knew very little of. Needing a location for my second book One Bullet At A Time, I dived into exhaustive research upon returning to Australia. I was enraptured by Bulgaria's history: tales of Orpheus ... Thracian warriors. Inspired by pics of decaying Soviet monuments, magnificent architecture and mystical landscapes, I eagerly arrived in Sofia in 2013 to experience the magic for myself. It was love at first sight! :)

13.01.2022 In 2015, three years after creating the cover pic for Shot Through The Heart, I wanted to get the band back together for my new book One Bullet At A Time. However, this time I would have to travel to the other side of Australia to Anita's backyard: a small unit in a high-rise apartment block! After clearing space (not much wider than Anita) from the wall near the balcony window, we spent the next few days taking hundreds of pics and again ended up with an amazing and varied c...ollection of awesome photos. But, unlike my first book, the cover shot we used was taken early on the first day. There were several contenders, but in my mind there was no other choice. @chrishainesart

13.01.2022 One of the good things about being a self-publisher is, I'm the boss. I can create whatever I want and I can make changes to my creation whenever I want to. And I do. All the time. Last night I made a few alterations to the rear cover blurb of FORTRESS BULGARIA. I now feel it's clearer to understand and evenly flows. So, if FORTRESS BULGARIA is not a continuation of my Trinity Trilogy, then why did I use characters from it? The simple answer is ... because I like them. It's h...ard for me not to. I created them. And I created them from real people. People I know and met. Most of the characters are a mix of traits from several people and my imagination all rolled into one. This combination helps make them believable and relatable. When forming the concept to FORTRESS BULGARIA, without planning it, I quickly realized I already had all the ingredients I needed: the protagonists - Halo and Gemini, the antagonists - the talasum, and the location - Bulgaria. The story is set in the near future so it's feasible for all of these elements to be active and realistically participate in an impending apocalypse. Well, that's what I tell myself. And Gemini. The moment I created her for Book Three: TOMORROW ENDS TODAY, I fell in love with her. The opportunity to work with the crazy beautiful assassin again ... irresistible!

13.01.2022 A friend of mine in the USA has just released his latest book! Check it out. :

12.01.2022 And just like that, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I completed formatting FORTRESS BULGARIA! :) There's nothing left to do. I altered the ending, added in all the page numbers ... book and author titles. All I need now is the cover and I can upload it to Amazon. Once that's done, I order a proof copy to ensure everything looks perfect to the naked eye as opposed to the computer screen.... And then, well ... BOOM chit-chit BOOM! :)

12.01.2022 Whilst waiting for changes to the cover of FORTRESS BULGARIA Ive spent time working on the screenplay for my upcoming short film CHERRY BOMB. So far I have two drafts. One is approximately 12 minutes long and the other with an extra plot twist comes in at around 15 minutes. Along with my beautiful wife, Blue, we spent some spare time looking at potential locations for background scenes. ... @micheljohnbarnes

12.01.2022 #michaeljohnbarnes #rwaaus

12.01.2022 In two days time I will film my first scene from my Indie-film OPEN WOUND. I'm more nervous than excited. I've never made a movie before. And the scene I'm doing is probably the most complex in the entire movie. The scene involves two characters but I will be filming it with only one of them and then creatively filming and adding the other character at a later date. The scene will feature, Halo, a mercenary/assassin from my books SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, ONE BULLET AT A TIME a...nd my latest, FORTRESS BULGARIA. These are some of the weapons he will be carrying!

11.01.2022 Even though ANZAC DAY has been cancelled this Sunday due to a snap 3 day COVID lock down, Scout still proudly wore her battle dress today

10.01.2022 I had to disappear for a few weeks but it's good to be back home! While away I had time to read through the proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA. A few of my colleagues had the opportunity as well. Between us we found a few mistakes and areas that needed tidying up. I'm also going to redo the cover. I want to make a few changes and try something different. I'll have to do it myself, so we'll see how I go. Once I've done this I will upload everything to Amazon and order another pro...of copy. In other news, instead of writing a new book once I've finished with Fortress Bulgaria, I'm going to make a short film. That's right! :) It's based on my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART and will focus on the character Trinity. I've already started the planning phase and have the actress to play Trinity locked in as well as the supporting cast and the cinematographer. I will be directing and have drafted a screenplay. It's tentatively titled Cherry Bomb. I'm super excited at this project and can't wait to sink my teeth into it. Stay tuned for updates! :)

09.01.2022 Boosting my immunity in between working on my book with sunshine and goodness.

09.01.2022 Yesterday was the first day of shooting for my short Indie-film, OPEN WOUND. What a week it's been! Monday I was grinding away at work, Tuesday I was on the set of my movie ... Wednesday I was back to work. The roller coaster that is my life :) The filming went well, really well. I was stoked with the finished scene. The standard has been set for the rest of the movie. The bar is high. No pressure. Speaking of pressure, I was stressed the entire week leading up to yesterday. ...Some great words of advice from my family and friends helped me keep it together: Have fun ... and ... Don't rush the movie, take as long as you need. :) Conscious of not wasting people's time, I hoped to be finished by 12 noon. The day started at 0745 with an impromptu team meeting at the back of our cars in the under croft parking lot. 0800 we met upstairs for coffee and a 1st day Production Crew selfie to celebrate. 0830 back down to the cars to carry all the equipment (mostly lights and extension cords) to the set. Thanks Gav! :) 0900 the actors arrived. You know you're making an Indie-film when you recruit your son and dad as extras ;) 1000 we start off with a few rehearsals and background context as to who is who in the zoo. Before long, we're in it ... filming a scene for a short movie. Mark my cameraman, did a great job. When we thought we had our footage we would breakaway and check it on the laptop to make sure it looked good and that their were no hidden bogies in the background. It felt like we were there all day, and I was shocked to see it was only 1230 when we finished with an AMAZING scene captured on film Needless to say I was drained and went home and crashed! My crew and cast were awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better team and outcome

08.01.2022 In 2020 after I finished writing my latest book - FORTRESS BULGARIA: Planet Earth’s Last Stand, I was at a crossroads as to what to do next creatively. I can’t just sit around and not do anything, despite my already busy, crazy life. But I wasn’t sure what next to write about. Unlike before, nothing was obvious or tugging at my heart. After a productive discussion with my son Jesse, I began writing a prequel of sorts to FORTRESS BULGARIA titled GHOST ISLAND. Three thousan...d words in, I had to go away and came home with the wild concept of making my Indie-film OPEN WOUND based on my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART. Mid-2020 I shelved GHOST ISLAND to focus on the short film. However, the urge to write has constantly surfaced. This long Easter weekend allowed me the opportunity to move forward with writing and therefore I managed to pump out another four thousand words My main goal this year will always be the film, but I’m glad to be reunited with writing and will chip away at it when I can #bulgarianbooks #bulgariaofficial #plovdiv #plovdivcitycard #sofia #travelbulgaria #indiefilm #independentartist #indiefilms #indiefilmmaker #indiemovie #indiefilmmaking #film #filmisnotdead

08.01.2022 Here it is! The cover to my latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA. I love it! Chis@chrishainesart did another cool job. He's helped out on all the Trinity Trilogy covers as well. He nailed the tone of this apocalyptic book perfectly: gloomy with a ray of hope. My friend, the hauntingly beautiful Buba looks amazing. It was always important to me that a Bulgarian beauty would grace the cover. From day one I knew I wanted it to be her. After all, her character - the Bulgarian assassin ...named Gemini who made her debut in Book Three of the TrinityTrilogy - Tomorrow Ends Today - was modeled on Buba's looks. I love how her eyes look right through you. The Belogradchik Fortress in the background adds just the right amount of mystery. The Soviet propaganda-style font is exactly what I wanted. I can't be any happier. :) #belogradchikfortress #belogradchikrocks #belogradchik #bookstagrambg #bulgarianbooks

08.01.2022 It's obvious I have a love affair with Bulgaria. :) The beautiful capital, Sofia, featured heavily in Book Two of the Trinity Trilogy: One Bullet At A Time. Gemini, the Bulgarian assassin, left behind the cultural gem that is Plovdiv, to hunt ghastly talasum in Book Three: Tomorrow Ends Today.... My latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA says it all. :) My fascination with Bulgaria can be traced back to Greece. In 2011, Athens was burning. The anti-austerity movement had shut down the city and set about destroying it and sadly themselves in the process. It was here amidst the looting, fires, riot police and tear gas, I would briefly meet an amazing person who inadvertently gave me much needed direction for my second book. Back then, I never believed in fate or destiny. Now? Now I believe in it more and more with every passing day.

07.01.2022 Last week my hour long video presentation on teaching someone to shoot a handgun for the very first time was featured online exclusively for the Romance Writers of Australias annual conference. By all accounts it was well received and the viewers appreciated the wealth of information it contained. Progress on the updates to the cover of my latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA are underway and hopefully Ill have the finished product before too long. ... In the meantime I have been working on my new project an Indie film based on my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART. The screenplay is almost complete and I have also begun doing a storyboard to help visualise the story so everyone involved is on the same page. Last night I spent a few hours doing some preliminary filming to work out what problems will be encountered when working in darkness and low light. This was time well spent and I learned a lot. It also changed my perspective on certain locations I wanted to use. One thing became obvious I need to use the city skyline as a backdrop. #michaeljohnbarnes #rwaaus

07.01.2022 OMFG! FORTRESS BULGARIA:Planet Earth's Last Stand is freaking amazing! I just finished reading the edited version of it from beginning to end. It's good ... real good. :) If you stick with it, the story will take you on a journey and a ride like nothing else you've undertaken. You will see things most people haven't seen, and never will, and you most definitely will feel emotions you never thought you had no matter how soft or staunch you are. What genre is it I hear you ask?... All of them. :) Once it's released and you walk into a bookstore to find it, I would probably suggest starting in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. But don't be surprised to find it in the Romance section, or Thriller, or Action, or Top 10, or even the Most Amazing Books Ever Written section. I sent my editor a list of things that need clarifying and once Jo looks at them I'll make the final adjustments and that's it, I'm locking it up and commencing the formatting process. Once that starts there's no scope to make any large size changes. I'm working on getting the cover finished. In the meantime, here's a peek at the concept I created a while ago. The background may change, however, the pic of Buba's face will stay. She looks amazing and I am forever in her debt. She captures the look and the spirit of the main character perfectly. I'll leave the pic up for a few days and then remove it, so tell all your friends to come and check it out. Exciting times in these crazy times we find ourselves in. :)

07.01.2022 Yes!!!! I've finally finished going through all of the edits to the final chapters of FORTRESS BULGARIA!!! My editor, Jo, did an amazing job. She really forced me to dig deep and expand on the story, especially in the all important build-up to the ending. This has undoubtedly enhanced the story. It's now a 400+ page monster! What's next? Now I get to read the story from beginning to end. I can't wait. It's been a long time since I have, and no doubt it has changed, significa...ntly in some areas. I'm excited to do this and to ensure it hasn't lost my voice throughout the editing process. Once this is done, I will present Jo with any final editing issues. Following that I will then undertake the tedious but necessary formatting process. :)

06.01.2022 Outside is a scorching 41 degrees C (106 F), so indoors under the air-con I've been customizing some of the weapons (it's what soldiers do) to be used in my Indie-film OPEN WOUND, formerly known as Cherry Bomb. I added a CAT (combat application tourniquet) to the thigh holster housing the Glock 10MM, along with two extra magazines of Winchester Silvertip jacketed hollow points. After much thought, trial and error, I attached a custom-made rifle sling to the katana's scabbard.... Its simple yet clever design will allow me to secure the weapon in a vertical position (which is what I desire) and to keep it in place no matter how vigorous the filming gets. I like my weapons to look used and to be functional and they should be. If they are too clean and in original condition and design, then they're not being used to their full potential. I've hung a Tomodachi Doll from the katana's hand guard to help personalize the weapon. In my book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, my character Trinity gives the small doll to her childhood friend and fellow-assassin-cum-mercenary, Halo, to constantly remind him of her.

06.01.2022 With Xmas Day come and gone there's no rest for the wicked; a relaxing Boxing Day in front of the computer fine tuning the screenplay for my Indie-film CHERRY BOMB. And although I've written the basic plot, I alter or add to it every time I meet up with my crew or go on location. That, and because of all the amazing people coming up to me and kindly offering up their time and services to help me out. It's a cool feeling to see so many people wanting to be a part of my new adventure.

05.01.2022 With the help of my friend Gavin we story-boarded my upcoming video presentation. Theres so much awesome information to cram into one hour so the editing process needs to be sharp and brutal to fit everything in. www.rwaustraliavcon.com.au @rwaaus @michaeljohnbarnes

04.01.2022 The other night we had an opportunity to do more preliminary filming for another scene to my short Indie-Film OPEN WOUND. What made this night special was the addition of Michelle to the set. Michelle has the monumental task of bringing my character Trinity to the big screen. When I decided to make a short film based on my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART Michelle was the only person that came to mind. If she'd said, no, then the project would not have gone ahead and I proba...bly would have finished writing my book GHOST ISLAND by now :) Previously, Gavin and I have assumed the role of Trinity and other characters to allow Mark to continue doing his awesome job of filming, testing of light and angles etc. Having Michelle on set has opened up a whole new range of perspectives and possibilities :) #bulgarianbooks #bulgariaofficial #plovdiv #plovdivcitycard #sofia #travelbulgaria #indiefilm #independentartist #indiefilms #indiefilmmaker #indiemovie #indiefilmmaking #film #filmisnotdead

02.01.2022 Finally received my Proof copy of Fortress Bulgaria!!! Its awesome! OPERATION COVID-CONTRA was a success. It took an ex-Navy Seal to help complete the mission for me. But thats how I roll. The book is huge. All 400+ pages. The cover looks amazing but there are some changes I will make. The title needs to be bigger along with some minor tweaking. I chose a matte finish for the first time and Im not sold on it. Over the next few weeks I will re-read the story and then m...ake all the changes before uploading to Amazon to order a new Proof. Its a slow process but well worth the effort to produce a quality book. @michaeljohnbarnes

02.01.2022 As a small thank you to my friend Buba, for being on the cover of my latest novel FORTRESS BULGARIA, I sent her several copies of the book. She finally received them just in time for Xmas :) I can't thank her enough for her help and friendship. And how cool is it she has the same magical looking screensaver as I have ;)

01.01.2022 The most popular book in the world ... well in my world anyway ... SHOT THROUGH THE HEART :) With the recent release of my latest book FORTRESS BULGARIA, interest in the books from my trilogy have increased. Every day I come home, there's another box waiting for me to process. Copies of my first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART are extremely sought after at the moment. Those new to my stories are keen to start from the beginning and work their way up to FORTRESS BULGARIA.... Interest in the making of my short, Indie-film, a re-imagining of SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, has also contributed to the increase in its popularity. If anyone is missing a copy from the trilogy, or of FORTRESS BULGARIA, now's the time to grab one off me. After this current order I'm not sure when I will make another. Having said that, all the books are available on Amazon in paperback or eBook. Happy New Year!

01.01.2022 Escaping the New Year's Day heat, today I spent time indoors modifying a few of the weapons that will be used in my Indie-film. I got my craft-on and with some Super Glue decided to further customize the Glock Model 20 - 10 mill with some Tiger Eye that I bought in Hong Kong a couple of years ago. I knew one day they would come in handy for something :) I also removed the tsuba (hand guard) from the tanto so it can be more easily carried and concealed by my protagonist Trini...ty. As in the books she will also carry her signature full length katana. After continually working on the screenplay, I've decided to change the working title from CHERRY BOMB to OPEN WOUND. I feel this better describes my character's life and mindset. It's brutal, confronting and straight to the point.

01.01.2022 Taking advantage of a 3 day Covid lockdown to catch up on planning the schedule for filming another scene for my Indie-film OPEN WOUND. #bulgarianbooks #bulgariaofficial #plovdiv #plovdivcitycard #sofia #travelbulgaria #indiefilm #independentartist #indiefilms #indiefilmmaker #indiemovie #indiefilmmaking #film #filmisnotdead

01.01.2022 Whilst waiting for my proof copy of FORTRESS BULGARIA to arrive, I've used my downtime to film a video presentation for the Romance Writers of Australia 2020 Conference. I was invited to be a guest speaker at their annual conference held this year in Perth, but due to Covid-19 it has been moved to an online platform. This allowed me to change-up my presentation to a more hands on approach. I invited my friend Michelle (who had never shot a gun before) to be my student.... She gleefully accepted my invitation, and along with my friend Gavin, we went to the range and filmed her amazing experience learning to shoot which can only be seen at the RWA video conference. The online conference has a range of cool presenters and publishing gurus. Check out their website and the list of presenters participating. https://rwaustraliavcon.com.au/ @rwaaus