A Book Launch and a Community of Authors

Shenandoah Fantastic: Mystic Whispers from the Valley’s Vales is far from the first short story collection that I’ve contributed to*.

And yet, I knew from the start that this collection had the potential to stand out as the most rewarding of the 50+ anthologies/e-zines I have been published in to date.

Why? For several reasons, greatest of all being that this was a local publisher.

The Background

I grew up on the western edge of what is known as Northern Virginia (defined by its proximity to Washington, D.C.), practically in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And that mountain range forms the eastern bound of the Shenandoah Valley. So while I cannot claim it as my origin, the Valley always held a special place for me, as adequately summed up by the author bio I wrote custom for this collection:

Stephen A. Roddewig is an author residing in Arlington, Virginia. Though not originally from the Shenandoah Valley, he grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, hiked countless miles on the Appalachian Trail, and would always stock up on bulk bags at Route 11 Potato Chips before visiting his grandparents. Naturally, he later attended James Madison University for his undergraduate degree (joining several other family alums) and has nearly completed his quest to tour every cavern in the valley, including his favorite, Shenandoah Caverns.

So, naturally, when I came across a call for submissions requesting speculative fiction (SciFi, horror, fantasy) stories set in the Shenandoah Valley, I knew I would be in this collection or die trying.

I even had the locale, Route 11 Potato Chips, reinforced by the submissions call listing this local business as an example.

I had the setting, the will, but no idea. Virtually the opposite of every other time I’ve drafted anything.

So I did some introspection. I’ve always wanted to write a parody of the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k. So now I had a protagonist: a space marine.

I’ve also wanted to expand my comedic SciFi offerings after listening to Brute Force by Scott Meyer and laughing relentlessly. So now I had a genre.

But what is the space marine trying to achieve? And what the hell does it have to do with a potato chip factory?

The Official Synopsis:

Brought a bag of Route 11 Potato Chips as a cultural artifact, the Emperor of the Interstellar Imperium demands more, and space marine Arcturus must obey. There is only one problem: the Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland and existing Route 11 stocks are nearly exhausted as a result. Leaving Arcturus no choice but to restore the original factory and decipher the secret family recipe—or become the next Martyr for the Emperor.

TLDR: Space marine needs potato chips. Now.

A beautiful blend of Fallout (scavenging, exploring, restoring—all while walking the post-apocalyptic wastes in a suit of power armor), Warhammer (my Interstellar Imperium and all their ridiculous creeds), and a quest so asinine that it seems a cruel joke that a man’s life hangs in the balance. Pair our space marine Arcturus with wise cracking member of the surviving indigenous population Stephanie, and comedy abounds.

So I wrote it. Edited it.

Asked someone else to read it and edit it.

Refined it more.

Submitted it.

And they took it!

The Book Launch

As I mentioned, Whitaker Lyon Press is a local publisher, and between this anthology set in the Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville Fantastic, and the to-be-released Virginia Fantastic, they are leaning into this unique state of ours.

Which brings with it certain advantages that publisher James Blakey is taking full advantage of, from promoting the books with these areas’ cable and radio stations to selling the books in local independent bookstores.

One of which, Parentheses Books, was kind enough to host the second launch party for Shenandoah Fantastic.

And with that store being in Harrisonburg, the city where I attended university and just a short two-hour drive from my current residence, I naturally leaped at the opportunity.

Plus it just so happens that Route 11 Potato Chips is right on the way.

And while I was in Mount Jackson to buy some props for the book launch, why not kill an hour at the cavern I had called out so prominently in my bio.

Then the book launch came. And it was a great time to meet my fellow authors, hear more from James and editor Catherine Simpson about the process behind the book, and share a little about my own story “The Long-Sought I. batatas.”

Ipomoea batatas being the scientific name for the sweet potato, because space marine Arcturus specifically needs to reproduce the Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips. Sourced from a plant that has proven incredibly resistant to growing anywhere but Earth. In fact, attempts to take the common potato (Solanum tuberosum) and sweeten it resulted in many Martys for the Emperor when the plants accidentally gained sentience and wiped out the Interstellar Imperium research station. Thus the prop I brought with me:

The original Charlottesville Fantastic collection was born out of a writer’s group, and that was on full display as many of the same authors had contributed to Shenandoah Fantastic, so it was a lot of fun to see them interacting and even ribbing each other.

And while I may not hail from the Charlottesville writer’s group, I did get a clear sense of the community I was now a part of, from getting to put faces to the names of my fellow contributors to hearing about the inspiration and background of their own stories. An unexpected benefit of working with a local publisher.

One that made me all the more eager to promote this anthology in ways I wouldn’t otherwise.

Starting with reading the entire collection to better appreciate it.

And review it.

A Contributor’s Reflection

Each time I read a short story collection, I always struggle a bit. Such is the nature of 24 different authors with 24 unique styles and subject matters that you will like some stories more than others. So how do I encourage others to purchase knowing full well it’s a mixed bag?

And yet, it was some of the less adventurous, “quieter” stories that I enjoyed the most. Something that I would never have expected and likely would never have found out if I had been presented a synopsis in advance.

“No, that’s not my usual genre,” I would say. But what was I going to do, read all but one?

So perhaps that’s the true beauty of anthologies: they challenge you. Expand your horizons. Give you newfound appreciation for storytelling in all its forms.

Not to mention, the truest beauty of this collection is the care put into it by the publisher and editors. A commitment to quality you don’t often see with short story anthologies but you really should: from developmental edits to proofreading and final reviews by the author.

Hell, every story gets its own custom art (see below). And there’s just such a fun feeling as you read further and recognize more of the easter eggs on the cover. Because, I can verify, they all correspond to a story within. A lot of time and effort was put into building a quality product collection, and it shows everywhere you look.

Another benefit that is unique to Whitaker Lyon Press—as far as I have experienced, anyway.

So what of the stories within (besides mine, of course)? You can see my review pulled from the Goodreads page below:

The Goodreads Review

A great mix of fun, fear, and thrill

Full disclosure: I am one of the contributing authors. But I'm writing this review based on all the other stories contained within.

What stands out to me most about the collection, especially with my inside knowledge of the process of creating it, is the care shown by the editors and publisher. Having now read every story inside, I can affirm that every single element on the cover is a reference to a specific story within. Every story even gets its own interior art. There's even a map of the Shenandoah Valley denoting where each story takes place. Someone clearly put a lot of time and effort into capturing these details. Which comes as no surprise, since each story also went through multiple rounds of editing. Because the editors care about presenting quality tales and giving the reader the best possible experience.

And what of those stories? I was surprised as someone steeped in the speculative fiction universe how the quieter, less ambitious stories were the ones that really stuck with me. "The Train to Mount Jackson" is a delightful story of a woman being reunited with her long-dead love via a ghost train that hasn't run since 1951, based on the actual history of the actual rail line that ran through Woodstock. "The Hunt for Monty Glassman" starts off eerie but turns heartwarming as a search for a missing cat turns into an adventure through a mystical bazaar. "The Kite Mechanic" is deliciously ethereal and rooted in thoughts as old as the mountains.

But make no mistake, there's some fun and/or chilling stories that tackle the scope of speculative fiction in loud style. Shout out to "Free Birds of Singers Glen" for giving us one of the zanier plots (sage grouse free their domesticated brethren, chickens) from one of the most ambitious POVs: a bird. I loved every word of it. Followed by a nearly equally ambitious POV, that of trolls living in Luray Caverns in "The Long Walk," which also presents an immersive alternate history of the Valley from the perspective of the mythic beings that ruled it before man drove them into the caves and backwood hollows.

"Trail Angel," "Talk to the Hand," and "Birdwatching" give a nice dark fiction/horror flavor to the anthology. And on that note, "The Iron Gate" by James Cole caps off the anthology with some excellent horror. Cole has a real gift for words, and the prose combines with the premise to create a palpable sense of dread. Masterful work.

If you love the Shenandaoh Valley and speculative fiction, this is the collection for you!

Sidebar: Please follow me on Goodreads 🙏

A Final Note

I attended the book launch. I wrote a review. I even left a paperback copy in my local Little Free Library with a personal plea on the front inside cover to consider reviewing it.

I even eschewed my usual philosophy of promoting my novels over a short story collection of which I am a small part of and for which I earn no royalties. Exhibit A: this article.

So color me beyond pleased when James reached out to ask if I wanted to submit materials to promote one of those novels at the end of Virginia Fantastic.

Oh, yes, I will be working with Whitaker Lyon Press again. I had already decided that well before the book launch and all that has come after.

A beautiful synergistic relationship: I promote the collections, the collections promote me (my stories and A Bloody Business). Everyone wins, including my fellow contributors and author community.

So what of my story in Virginia Fantastic? Let’s just say, if you like Murderbot, you’ll enjoy “Tour Unit 73Y.”

See you back here for that reflection!

Until then, consider picking up a copy of Shenandoah Fantastic. After all, it would not be fulfilling my end of that synergistic loop laid out above if I didn’t include this final plug:

By doing so, you’re supporting a small local publisher and the community of authors James has brought together. Including me!

If for no other reason, do it to support independent publishers and keep this crucial pipeline alive for aspiring writers and authors.

And if you made it this far, thank you for supporting independent authors like me.

Footnote

*But lest you read that statement as arrogance, my current rejection count is 400+. Some of the more amusing, aggravating, and heartbreaking of those “thanks, but no thanks” emails are chronicled in this evergreen article: