Rob Rimes, "Barbarians of the Storm" Author AMA, Part II

I take your questions and give them answers!

I’ve been compiling questions since the start of the new year. I was shooting for 50 before starting the AMA. I’ve now exceeded that, so I am going to break the AMA session up into three parts with 25 questions each.

For now, here’s the second set of twenty-five questions:

26. How many books have you written?

8, thus far. 4 are about politics and economics; 4 are fiction in the Barbarians of the Storm universe.

27. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about writing?

To find a routine, be disciplined, and to execute it without fail. If you fail, push through and make something happen. Any progress is still progress. Bad writing can be fixed in editing, just get moving forward and push through. Always do something; always produce.

28. How do you keep yourself from making the writing process too complicated?

By doing what I outlined in the previous question. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be hard, complicated days. You just have to show up and find a way to be productive.

29. Do you have a kind of "thinking" process?

Similar answer to the two previous answers. If I stick to the routine, things fall into place as they should on most days. Expanding on that, a lot of people are creative, but you have to work hard. I know people these days hate hearing that, but if you aren’t putting in the work and believing in yourself and your work, no one else will except for your aunt, who will mostly just annoy her canasta friends about her talented nephew/niece.

30. Why the smaller sized books?

Because pulp stories typically came in thin pocket-sized paperbacks. It’s my favorite size and style of book. Emphasis on “pocket-sized”. Also, doing the standard 6x9 paperback, which seems to be the norm now, never looks formatted right to me and the spines look too narrow for that size. So, I guess it’s also an aesthetic preference for myself. In the future, my big collected editions will most likely be in the bigger format, but they will have THICC spines.

31. Do you plan to write any other genres, for example, sci-fi or horror?

I consider Barbarians of the Storm to be both of those things. However, I have plans for a space pirate series, which also happens in the BotS universe. I also want to do another horror anthology like Eyes in All Shadows & Other Stories. Expanding off of that, I also want to do a horror anthology that takes place in our world that has ties to the monsters, demons, etc. of the BotS universe.

32. Was there a specific woke movie that propelled you to write BotS or was it accumulative?

Accumulative. I’ve always been creative and thinking of stories, though. Seeing the state of modern mainstream culture, however, really pushed me much harder into finally doing this. Also, I think the state of the comic book industry is more responsible for it than films and TV. Dan the Destructor was initially meant to be a comic book miniseries or graphic novel.

33. If you could re-write the screenplay for any of the woke movies, which would you choose?

I already had a really, really solid concept for a Star Wars sequel trilogy, that would have also fixed some of the wonkier things in the prequels. But Kathleen Kennedy would’ve hated it.

34. 10 years from now, what would you like to be working on?

Barbarians of the Storm books and possibly bigger projects in other mediums associated with it. Beyond that, I’d like to be working on my tan in Latin America while eating giant ribeyes with my future wife and laughing at paper-handed crypto traders crying into social media.

35. Which BotS character deserves more attention?

A few, actually. Merith, for sure, because of what her story is between The Life in Death’s Exhale and her later life with Frank, as shown in the “saga” books. She goes through some incredibly dark shit. Also, Bruxor, Valkyana, Cynthania, Mani, Agos, Morax, The Seawolf. I have ideas for all of them and know their general story. Over time, they will be told.

36. Are there any characters that got positive fan responses that surprised you?

Yes, Guierre. He’s a minor character in one short story from Eyes in All Shadows, but multiple people have asked me about my plans for him. There weren’t any, but now I’m thinking about how he could appear again. Also, Killer’s one koala raid on a subterranean goblin city got a really great response from the male readers. I was wary about that subplot and thought it was a big risk, but I felt that I needed to show to what extreme he is willing to go. It’s actually setting up something. I also did a chapter in Swords Against Bastards that is a sort of sequel to Killer’s previous goblin encounter.

37. How do you feel about letting other people write for your characters in fan-fic?

Same as I feel about fan art, it would make me really f’n happy. If I create something that inspires other people to create, that’s pretty damn cool. I already like discussing my stories and characters with fans and hearing their ideas and theories. And frankly, I don’t give a shit if people ship Fenrik and Dan. I still choose what the canon is in my own created universe. However, if there was a lot of really good fan fiction out there that I thought worked with the broader franchise and didn’t conflict with it or future plans, I’d consider publishing some of it in an anthology and pay those people for their work.

38. Who has helped you the most since you started the "Barbarians of the Storm" series?

Well, RazörFist’s initial Iron Age video helped a lot of us. Also, the times he’s retweeted my stuff has been really damn helpful, as far as getting more eyes on my book series. Also, the first legitimate review of Dan the Destructor by Katharine Frances on her Substack Ink & Quill really generated a lot of interest. Her Substack is gone now, but I hope it’s just temporary and she comes back when she’s ready to. Other reviewers like Riverotter85 and TJ Marquis helped boost my signal greatly. Additionally, being on ADrinkWithCrazy’s livestreams alongside Richard from Iron Age Media and Daniel P. Riley has always been pretty fun and gotten me in front of more people.

Apart from that, and honestly, even more importantly, the greatest help comes from those who have given the books a shot and encouraged me to keep going. Frankly, the number of people who have enjoyed my work, thus far, is pretty surprising. I’ve only been doing this for a year now and I didn’t expect to be where I’m at in such a short amount of time.

39. What were your biggest surprises over the last year?

Shad M. Brooks of Shadiversity and Knights Watch knowing who I am and giving me props on a few livestreams. I’ve been a fan of his channels for a long time, and often times use his content to research things when I’m writing.

Other than that, just the reception my books have gotten and how quick all of this has grown. I’ve met a lot of cool people this past year, as well as other passionate creators that are trying to build a real alternative to mainstream entertainment.

40. Why are you beefing with YouTubers?

I’m not beefing with anyone. Sure, I’ve been critical for a lot of YouTubers being focused on garbage IPs almost exclusively, as opposed to helping signal boost good alternatives (unless it’s something within their circle). At the same time, I’m not going to tell someone to not put food on their table. I’m critical because I think there should be more balance. I understand their argument about being there for new people who finally wake up to the mainstream’s absolute retardation, but I think we all benefit from building things and not just tearing stuff down. I also see the writing on the wall where a lot of long-time fans of these channels quit giving a shit about these mainstream IPs and truly become starved for alternatives. That’s where I’m at, and like me, many have tuned out from those channels for the most part. I think their current formula has a shelf life and eventually, most people will reach their end with it. For the most part, I have. I never need to see another Rings of Power or She-Hulk video.

41. Got any nuclear nerd hot takes?

Many, but I’ll just give ten.

1. Halo has always been lame.

2. Rocky V doesn’t suck.

3. Batman Forever is far worse than Batman & Robin.

4. Kevin Smith was never good.

5. Quentin Tarantino is to filmmaking what an early ‘10s mashup DJ was to the club scene.

6. Stephen King never wrote anything I cared for, and many of the movie adaptations of his work are far superior.

7. The Godfather, Part III is a fine film.

8. The Exorcist III is superior to The Exorcist, and is the best film in the series.

9. I prefer anime with dubbing.

10. Mediocre artists are severely overreacting to AI art, as they do most things that make them feel threatened.

42. Why don't you review books anymore? And will you ever return to the original Talking Pulp website/concept?

I don’t review books these days because I have very little time to read between writing my own book series and a full-time job that takes up a lot of my time and brain power.

As far as the Talking Pulp blog I ran for 5+ years, I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point, but probably not as heavily as I worked on it previously. I accomplished my objectives with it. Although, I do plan to use a lot of that content for some nonfiction books I want to start putting out.

43. What have you learned in the last year?

To not quit. Truly. Every time that I felt like throwing in the towel, I pushed through. Each time, I came to learn that I wasn’t far from a real breakthrough. It made me realize that all the other times I quit something, I probably robbed myself of success.

44. What other indie creators' work catches your attention?

Well, I really liked the stuff I’ve read from Matthew Pungitore. J.R. Cason’s Valengetrix books are fun and badass. I also liked the story that Katharine Frances gave me to read. She is the one who I mentioned earlier that gave me my first legit review. I hope I can get my hands on her follow-up story. I also buy everything that DMR Books and the Bizarchives puts out. Additionally, I like Cirsova’s stuff and I have also bought every edition of Savage Realms. I know I am probably missing several, but the best way to find good shit is to follow me on Twitter and see the people I help promote on Wednesdays.

45. Are the Wednesday promo days for your own benefit?

Yes, obviously.

However, as I have stated countless times and in the Substack article Why I Promote Others So Hard, I also do it because I’m trying to help build something that is much bigger than myself and any individual in my expanding circle of likeminded creators. A rising tide lifts all boats. Additionally, I know that my books won’t be for everyone, but if I can point a person towards something that speaks to them, that makes me happy. Ultimately, this is how we fill the giant, growing void that has been created by the mainstream’s inability to make anything worth a shit.

46. Why did the amount of creatives in the promo tweets shrink?

Because of a few reasons.

To start, some people didn’t want to be included or some left Twitter. Also, some people didn’t utilize it or even interact with it.

I want it to be a group of proactive creatives who are hungry and willing to work towards expanding all of our reach. Beyond that, some people were eager to be a part of it but never reciprocated for others. I’m not saying that there’s a cost involved, but I’m not going to keep pushing people that take the benefits and never give anything back. It is what it is, and that’s how I run my weekly promo pushes.

The list of names will probably shrink and expand and just keep going through cycles, as new people enter the space and others exit.

47. Why don't you follow back?

I do. However, I don’t usually immediately follow people back. Most of the follows I get lately seem to be people that unfollow me if I don’t follow back that same day. I’m not on Twitter for a follower count, I’m there to connect with people. If you follow me, interact. Eventually, I’ll recognize you for being active, and usually that comes with a follow from me.

If you’re a shithead, I’ll probably block you and move on. I’m not wasting time engaging with shitheads anymore.

48. Who is your favorite character in your stories?

Erzulyn, for now. This could always change. Fenrik is my number two. I feel like that should be pretty obvious if you’ve read as far as the second book, Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them. I do like all of my core characters quite a bit though. Frank is way up on my list and I have plans for a prequel book (or trilogy) about his time before Dan the Destructor.

49. Which character is the most powerful in your books?

Lucifer, although he hasn’t appeared yet. So, I’d say Asmodeus, right now. As far as characters on Terra, the main setting, it should be pretty damn obvious by the end of Swords Against Bastards, but even then, there’s a bit of a twist that could change that too. I guess it just depends on where you’re at in the timeline.

50. If you ever produced a BotS porno, what would you call it?

The series would be called Barbarians of the Schlong with films featuring such titles as Dan the Dickstructor, Atomic Balls and Where to Suck Them, Swords Against Clitori, and Browneyes in All Shadows.

…and that’s it for now! I have a lot of other questions and plan to answer them in a third post on Monday. If any of this has sparked further questions for me, hit me up in the chat here or DM me on Twitter.