Last week was pretty damn great!
Eyes in All Shadows - a Barbarians of the Storm Anthology was released and it did exceptionally well while being very well-received by those who have already given me feedback.
Also, the Talking Pulp Press merch store is doing good for just launching a week prior.
I also had a nice influx of new subs to this newsletter, more than I’ve gotten following a new release. It’s still not many, but I had no traction whatsoever on Substack for at least the first six months.
Additionally, a lot of good things happened in my personal life like finding an awesome doctor (something that’s been an issue now for 4-5 years), I closed a massive deal at work, I succeeded at a major pitch, I get to keep my home without an increase in rent in a ridiculous Florida housing market, and my girlfriend’s new cat likes me more than her.
As far as the book goes, though, I wasn’t sure how an anthology would be received, especially since it leans much more into horror than the other books in the Barbarians of the Storm series. Also, I know that many are anticipating Book III. I wasn’t sure if doing an anthology after Book II was going to be the right move, but I needed to take a break from the main story and spend some time worldbuilding and character developing. I also wanted something less humorous, overall, and more serious, to show how dark and dangerous the world of Barbarians of the Storm can be.
What’s crazy, is that the anthology outsold the other two books rather quickly. While I plan on doing Book III next, I am going to work on other anthologies too. There’s also some other projects I want to get moving. I just wish there was a lot more time in the day.
For now, I’m grateful for the support of those giving these books a shot. I’m also thankful for the network of other writers and fans of pulp heroes that have made this adventure a lot more fun. Encouragement from your peers and a growing network of fans is damn f’n inspiring and it just makes me want to work hard and continue to get better for them.
And along the way, it’s nice being able to take this growing support and use it to help others trying to simply create and get their stories out there. In fact, helping other people grow and succeed is more satisfying than my own successes.