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Born in the southwestern United States and raised in Arizona. The author has lived and traveled throughout much of the US.
Though an honor student throughout much of his schooling, he dropped out of high school. Over many years, he spent time in the military, fought wild-land fires for the US Forest service, drove trucks, worked in construction and other jobs. Much later in life, the author obtained a college education.
As a youth, the author was an avid reader. He earned good grades in English, both early on and in college, but the author had no love for writing early on. On the most recent of several short-term moves back to Arizona, something changed. The author moved into a small trailer along the banks of the Verde River. There, unplugged from the internet, the author began to write down the thoughts and ideas going through his mind. Six weeks later, the rough draft of The Accidental Ambassador had come together. Six months after that. The book was self-published. A paperback made available; again self-published. Not yet in stores; applying to retailers at this time.
Though he and his family recognized early on that there was something odd about his personality and behavior, Tourette's symptoms, the author was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome later in life. This knowledge has helped the author to understand himself better, and further education and training has allowed him to better understand others as well.
The author currently resides and works near Seattle, Washington, USA.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
The Accidental Ambassador: Or Plan B by D A Barr is a mesmerizing mixture of fantasy with science fiction. From dragons to advanced technology, The Accidental Ambassador made for an interesting novel to read. Our story began with Douglas, a young guy whose only worries were doing well at school and waiting for Joy to come home after she lost her parents in a mysterious plane crash. However, before he knew it, everything was turned upside down when a strange creature started speaking to him in a weird telepathic manner that left Douglas baffled. It wanted something from Douglas, something so unheard of that Douglas might not be able to give. The creature shared the most baffling ideas, but they were hard to believe. What made Douglas so special? Why him? Could he trust the strange beast?
I loved how the pace gradually picked up as The Accidental Ambassador progressed. What amazed me was how the story merged science fiction with fantasy, two genres that seldom work with each other but somehow the author made it work. The narrative was fluid, it moved at a pace that worked for the story and made the plot even more entertaining. I loved how D A Barr had a creative approach and didn’t waver from it. The plot was character-driven, which made it complex yet very easy to follow. The worldbuilding was fantastic. The Greater Community and the concept behind it were very original. I was not expecting the Prelude to be that interesting. It laid the foundation for the story ahead and made sure I was interested enough to read on to figure out who is Douglas, and why the notion of him being “the builder” was so fascinating. I found Douglas to be entertaining yet real. He was one of those characters that captured the essence of the story and made it his own. From beginning to end, he was the character that held the story together for me. However, Joy was a close second. Both of them brought something fresh and invigorating to the events. There was nothing that I would change. The development was great, the story was amazing and the characters left their impact. This was wonderful to read.
