iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Been Saying this for years. Glad to see like minded folk preaching the word. I hope the auto Alt Text thingo works, because I'm too tired and exhausted to copy it out. If it doesn't, please drop a message and I'll add the text in a reply comment. ( I don't think Blue Sky Autos, I guess we'll see.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

My cat has a special meow for when she wants me to either chase her, or find her. She likes her tiggy/hide and seek. While out in the garden I hear the "come find me" meow. She usually hides in the same spot, so I wonder over, and I'm like, ha, she isn't there.

The small face of a kitty well hidden in a large lavender plant. Eyes wide as she gazes back, a look of triumph on her face.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Just looked this up and it's legit. So, unless someone somehow used his email address, a gorram Apollo Astronaut and Moonwalker bought my book! It might be delusional, but I'm gonna pretend it's real! Also, thank you to the other person who picked it up, itch is kicking goals atm.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The other indie books I picked up at pop con. I wish I could've gotten more, for support sake. But alas, the funds say no. Looking forward to trying the In the Darkness one, it's set in my part of the world, you don't often see fantasy books set here.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My brother just messaged me and said he finished read the Skyship of Truskal. He said he loved it, was one of the best books he's read in a long time. And we all know that families are purely impartial and have no bias whatsoever. So you should get it too!

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Pin Thread: I'm a Dyslexic and Autistic writer of: Scifi, Fantasy and Space Fantasy. I'm a bit of knob online. Sorry, I try not to be. Coincidently, I'm currently working on a Nobby Nobs costume. I love archery, gardening, Tom Waits, and I currently play way too much Rust (PvE).

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Proof of my depressing lack of sales (did get one read through through kindle select when I had it there. And was in an itch bundle that got some sales too. But ... yeah. So my goal is to try and get 10 reviews up somewhere. Goodreads (7/10), amazon (2/10), kobo (0/10).

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Tim Curry was my first celebrity crush. While all my class mates were crushing on actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, I was like, damn, Tim Curry has more charisma in his little pinky than all of Hollywood combined. Will always love you Tim, RIP.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Admins came while I was hanging out at my temple in rust. Sacrifices were made.

From the game Rust: Priest Mara celebrates the newest sacrifice atop the alter of the world tree (Body laying over fire with a spear through them)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Used to sell my bulk pokemon cards for a few dollarydoos and use that to ... buy more pokemon cards (that's if I didn't just chuck it). But It's been so hard to get anything the past year or so (barely bought a thing and definitely not opened it).

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Tbf, I feel some of the Gendo points come from calculating and logic, so it isn't all bad, (unless you get him high up, then that's a worry.) ... something strangely weird about me being both Kaworu and Rei. But I feel I'm a bit of a split personality, so it probably tracks.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Opps. forgot the screenshot. Yes, it's that depressing.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Some awesome news. I'm participating in Autism Awareness month with several other awesome autie authors. Can pick up my book and 33 others at itchio So check it out, and see what autistic authors and characters can achieve! itch.io/b/3598/autis...

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

My sister and her mates in a small town parade.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Oooh no, I'm late for my once a month promo time (again) ... so here it is! Telana REALLY wants to go out and explore the unknown world ... but first, she must go to school. A bit hard when girls don't go to the higher schools, but she's not about to let that stop her. books2read.com/u/baxAjv

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

My dad sent this to me. How comforting it is to see from such a prominent, old school author. And also why I love it when people message me about mistakes they find. Every correction is an improvement, And I appreciate it so much!

Dedication page from Larry Niven's Ringworld book. Second paragraph reads "A man in Washington, D.C., sent me a full proofreading job on the first edition of Ringworld, with the title "The Niven-McArthur Papers, Vol. I." It was of enormous help to me. (if you own a first paperback edition of Ringworld, it's the one with the mistakes in it. It's worth money.)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Why do I have mutual writers following a pro AI account? Either you're for Gen AI Or, you didn't bother to look at their bio and just followed for follow. Either way, it looks bad.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Mum's visiting, so we hit the opshops ... I might've gone a little overboard. Nothing interesting in the book department though.

A stack of DVDa - Underworld Rise of the Lycans (Bluray), lock, stock and two smoking barrels, strictly ballroom, Master and Commander, Oddball, the Iron Giant, JCVD, the Neverending Story, Monuments Men

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

If you see this, post an archer Hahaha, that's me too! (I meant this picture is me, not that Alan's picture is also me)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

If you ever feel unprofessional because you're self published just read this page from a trad book. It can always be worse.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Lol. Facebook memories make me laugh. This was a book promo. I was planning to get it put on a tshirt. But never happened. Hmmmm. I wonder if it'll work.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I'm super lazy and can't be bothered. Also they Skyship of Truskal deserves more love. So, if you do Smashwords, than my books are FREE. Check it! Read it, Review it! www.smashwords.com/profile/view...

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

As a writer who gets scam emails my new favourite game is making up shit that doesn't happen in the books and seeing their reply. Though, personally, I think having a trans trolls is friggin awesome. Might have to add that to a book one day.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Took my dad to an awesome little secondhand bookshop, and this is what I picked up (he found the entire ringworld series, which I'm jealous about, and a stack of E.C.Tubb books he's missing. So he's happy.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

1st of the Month self promo day! ( made it on time this time!) I got a new review: It's epic (stolen from TK) If you like Terry Pratchett then you might like the Skyship of Truskal. It has the odd lol within. Drama, adventure, a cranky kid that grows into themselves. books2read.com/u/baxAjv

Book Review for the Skyship of Truskal:

This is the first time reading D.M. Barnham's work, and what a wonderful, refreshing book to have fallen into. A tale riddled with adventure, imaginative worlds, customs and words, and humour. A story about a young girl, Telana, fighting and proving the odds wrong in an all too familiar world ruled by men. Telana's goal is to build a skyship, but the story is about overcoming the setbacks, gaining allies because of her genuine nature, and setting forth on the adventure of her life. And that epilogue...nicely done!

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Hijacking this random monthly thing I haven't done. Cause I like this question. Newest book, without a doubt was my attempted rip-off of Terry Pratchett. Really, there is no direct comparison (who could even come close to touching those heights) - but my main character is very similar to Tiffany

Two Book Covers side by side.
On the Left: The Skyship of Truskal
On the Right: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Two Book Covers side by side.
On the Left: Starborn, the Book of Ominiue Part 1
On the Right: Dune by Frank Herbert.

Two Book Covers side by side.
On the Left: Lionman, the Book of Ominiue Part 2
On the Right: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Went to a Tom Waits tribute thingy last night ... it was bliss.

Close up of a black epitone guitar with a subtle cat decal just above the bridge of the guitar. Places in such a way that the f sound hole looks like a tail. I want it!

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Like #fantasybooks but not the standard stuff? Like a bit of science in your fantasy? Like an epic and imaginative world? Or a bit of a laugh with your story? Like Terry Pratchett? Girls overcoming the odds? Then you might like the Skyship of Truskal. books2read.com/u/baxAjv

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

#SciFiSeptember day 28: a writing snippet with ARTIFICIAL Had to go into the second book. The first only had 4 Artificial tags, and 2 of them weren't for robots (and the last one was the same sentence twice, which was meh)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

#SciFiSeptember day 23: robot characters Mad Matt doesn't rock up until book 2. But it's most definitely my favourite character. One of the very first true AI androids. They end up using an alien gender neutral pronoun, Oríde (I came up with this before I knew about pronouns, sorry)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

(just like in the Isaac Asimov stories). After a while the only place they could awaken was in Astronaut society, who encouraged awakenings. Eventually freemachines will gain the right to "reproduce" in a manner of speaking. Book 2 has a secondary freemachine that I love called Mad Matt

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

#SciFiSeptember day 21: Device An Alien's first interaction with a digital book reader.

As the king waited he picked up one of the computer tablets, a digital magazine appeared on the screen; he almost dropped the device, fumbling with it. He glanced across at the human next to him as she slid the pages with the flick of her wrist and fingers. He copied the movements and watched amused as the pages changed, but then he touched the screen and the magazine disappeared, displaying an index. He tried to get the pictures back but instead he found himself moving about the computer, unsure what was happening until the screen went black. No matter what he did he couldn’t remove the black screen. He shook it a few times but stopped when the colonist looked oddly up at him. He then placed the small flat device carefully back upon the table, its screen ominously blank.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Today's Adaventures: The Australian Roulettes visit Ballarat ... and the cugino's birthday - 80s themed. Where me and my sister (and her kiddo) go as Jake and Elwood Blues.

We're on a mission from God. Me (left) and my big sister (right) [with my niece in the middle), all dressed as the Blues Brothers.

We're holding our hands out, with Elwood on my hands in texture, and Jake on my sisters.

The Royal Airforce Roulettes flying in formation over Ballarat. With a bit of blue sky peaking through. The sunlight glinting off the planes

Roulettes flying in a pyramid formation. Smoke trails forming from the back three planes.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

In the second book, my second protag discovers card games. They're a little different to card gaming today. The cards have microchips in them with all the play data, and you can play the game out on a holo-table. Kie's favourite game might a bit of a rip-off of "Firefly" ;)

A black and white book sketch of three people playing a card game with a holo-table. You can see them holding their cards, with a privacy blocker for played games, the holo table showing a multi star/planet system.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

#SciFiSeptember day 14: STRANGE From my first works ... and one of the many areas that needs a new edit (sadly, not even remotely the worst). But I love this scene. The MC exploring an ancient tower.

Patterns similar to those in the Teaching Halls were carved into the stone walls. Several lines followed along the stairwell, erupting in places in brilliant and complex swirls and circles. The pattern rings more detailed than those in the Teaching Halls: more involved, more beautiful and again it reminded Shayne of colliding quantum particles. He occasionally stopped and shone his light into the many rooms along the way, revealing strange wonders: masses of books and study spaces, rooms for sleeping and rooms for teaching, ancient machinery of the likes Shayne had never seen before. Eventually he grew tired, puffing from the effort so he decided to investigate one of the rooms on that floor. What drew him into this room over the others was a great wooden glider suspended by chains from the roof. It reminded him of Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine, but the frame was less heavy looking and the wingspan greater, and a complex brass gear system. Other curious things littered the shelves and tables, most of which had no sense of familiarity. As he slowly walked around the benches he paused and picked something up, it was an old matchlock pistol. There were a couple of them upon the bench, but they had been tampered with. Someone in the past had decided to make them inoperable. He reluctantly put the weapon down and left the room to continue up the steps. Twice he was forced to stop and catch his breath.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Dune Burrowers could grow to massive sizes. Dragons not only hunted them, but used their carapaces to build their city warrens.

An ancient Dragon city, built from the carapaces of the largest Dune Burrowers. Dragon warren/cities are circular. With dragon hovels pointing towards a sandy centre, teh place where the matriarch dragon will lay her eggs.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

One of the only large hexapod creatures are the Dune Burrowers (And where the planet got its name, rare sightings meant they were initially thought to be Dune Worms). A (fairly) close relative to the extinct dragons, and also a major food source for them. Dune Barrowers live in sand deserts.

Dune Burrower Anatomy. Top shows the outer appreance. A 6 legged exoskeleton creature, with a tiny silhouette of a human as comparison next to it. Front two legs have long, mole-like claws on it for digging. And two sets of smaller legs, close into the body to help push through the sand.

Bottom is organ cut out, showing the specialised organise for absorbing water to produce oxygen and hydrogen.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

#SciFiSeptember day 7 From my first novel (and rather cringe so don't read it until I fix it up [that will be years down the track, lol])

Writing snippet from my sringy first novel (that I still love):

‘They are not stars, they are spaceships.’ Shayne hesitated as he tried to think of an appropriate translation. ‘Like a sea … what do you call it? Vessel, carriage … like a sea carriage, but they fly in the sky like a bird.’ The lionman’s eyes widened in wonder. ‘We travelled in them from another star.’
‘Which star?’ she asked, looking at them more intently now.
‘You cannot see my world from here. It is too far away, too small, but the skyships started their real journey from that star there.’ Shayne pointed to a fairly bright point. ‘The world is called Ursa Auckland.’
Pan’arden looked up at the star with a thoughtful smile printed on her face. ‘What is your world like?’
‘I do not remember.’
‘What do you mean?’ She regarded him, surprised.
‘I awoke upon the giant starships. That is my earliest memory.’

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Is this normal? Second email I've got like this. Never used to get them. The introduction also screams that they did not read my book at all.

Email that reads:
Your story instantly caught my attention a determined heroine breaking traditions, clashing with dragonriders, and daring to build her own dream machine. That kind of bold, imaginative storytelling is exactly what readers of speculative fiction are looking for.

I’m Hannah Moses, a book review specialist. I help authors amplify their visibility through genuine, high-quality reviews from engaged readers. I also run a private community of 500+ active book reviewers who are passionate about discovering new titles and leaving thoughtful feedback on Amazon and Goodreads.

For your peace of mind, I’ll personally write and post one review on your Goodreads first so you can see my work and feel confident. Once you’re ready, I’ll share your book with my ...

(and so on)

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

I GOT TWO MORE RATINGS! ... ouch ... lol to the 2 star. A little stumped there. I can understand folk giving a 2 star to my first 2 books. But I honestly thought this one was pretty dang good xD ... wish they left a review, curious to know why.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Procrastination scribbles. One a simple dragon outline. Was going for primitive decoration style. But didn't really pan out. The other more normal style, details pencil shaded dragon with an epic mane. A bit wonky but I like it.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

D.M.'s awesome DVD collection ... yes, I have three different copies of Lord of the Rings. F streaming. I only sub for a month here and there to watching something I'm interested on. Fight FOMO and enjoy the delayed gratification.

BluRays, Nintendo games, Xbox games, and some TCG love.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

My kitty, chilling on her cat castle, and looking like she loves me way more than she actually does.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Did something i dont do that much anymore. Sat down and scribbed a bit. And got excited looking back through the sketch book. I miss the days when this was all I could think about. Loved drawing more than anything

Rough sketch of a dragon with a magnificent, glorious, mane.

I used to always sketch when I wrote
Excited by the events/things in my stories. I dont really do that now. But this is one of the few times I did. A drawing an enormous horned/plated creature with a tiny dirigible flying beside it. The skyship is so small that its easily missed compared to the massive creature

A sketch from a dream. A blue whale swimming through a Venice like canel.

Another drawing. A request from a friend. A young and eager goblin wants to be a knight. So riding his trusted stead (a giant frog) he carries a wooden stick and shield, ready to defend in the name of good.

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D.M. Barnham (author) @dmbarnham.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

I saved up for ages and ages to get my first Pink Floyd album only to discover they were too expansive. So I had to settle for both of these instead.

Frogstomp by Silverchair album cover art. (it has a cute green frog)

Savage Garden self titled first album. The 2 disc edition

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