You don't need another feed. Or another never-ending group chat filled with infinite scrolling words. Certainly not on top of the 60-100 text messages you already get each day. Or the constant emails that hint someone is pretending to be sick.
Then there are your personal messages. Except they don't seem to be so personal anymore.
OK, they all use your first name, but let’s be honest for a minute.
None of these people know who you are.
Everyone, from the agency doing your credit rating to your electricity and gas supplier.
(Let’s face it, sometimes, you have to work out if someone is pretending to be your electricity and gas supplier.)
Everyone is asking you to check something or do something. To give them feedback or just acknowledge that they're there.
Then, there's all the messages from those damn authors publishing on Substack.
I mean, who is creating space for you to chill out and relax?
To put your feet up and enjoy the suspension of disbelief with a story, perhaps? Something a bit dark and funny. Like one of those blackened mirrors that show a broken window into the human soul.
Maybe that's why you subscribe to Beyond Colussus? Because you enjoy a bit of wanton reflection and escape?
If this describes you, then you'll probably be pleased to know that I'm setting up another feed for your Substack.
Yep, that's right. Another way to broaden your horizons beyond the relentless trials and trivialities of life.
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Beyond Colossus is, as I've described above, a bit like Black Mirror on Substack with strange and SF thrown in.
The BC Members Chat is simply more of that. Not stories as such, but messages and discussions about the stories. Either some background stuff or the stories behind the stories. Or the stories that inspired the story in the first place.
These could be links to true-life cases of paranormal or Reddit creepypasta. Conspiracy theories or conspiracy facts. To be honest, I love to sift through stories and look for patterns - and at a ten-thousand-foot high level, you could say that's pretty much all I do.
Anyway, I thought those could make for some interesting reading or discussion. And it's always cool to chat with readers. You never know; the offshoots we discuss could make it into a new short that features Beyond Colussus (!).
You could say it’s the background notes for all the stories in the publication. That's the idea, anyway. Hubris aside, we'll see how it goes. In any case, this is just one of those big heads-up emails to let you know that it's there.
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There'll also be more stories for paid subscribers. Not just Hard Lines. That looks set to finish around April/May, but there will be other stuff during this time and after.
Some of these extra stories will be paywalled. Not Hard Lines, but definitely some shorts. Either way, I plan to publish a lot more fiction in the year ahead, so upgrade now and avoid missing out!
In the meantime, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone subscribing. My big mission was to find an audience, and that definitely happened. So, here’s a big fist-bump to everyone whose read, liked, shared, left a comment, or become a free or paid subscriber. We have so many demands on our attention; sharing my stories with you in that sense feels like a real blessing.
May God give me the strength to carry on.
In the meantime, have a great Christmas, and please keep reading Beyond Colussus into the new year. I'm not taking a break, so you can enjoy Hard Lines while you're digesting the leftover turkey. Or rice, or whatever you choose to eat this festive season.
Take good care.