Welcome to another cozy, story-rich episode of The Quill & Candle, where fantasy, faith, and long walks collide in unexpected (and often hilarious) ways. In this episode, I recount a memorable visit to a fantasy festival held—of all places—in a decommissioned church… complete with protestors at the door and cosplayers on the catwalk.
✨ What’s inside:
My encounter with protestors yelling “Don’t lose your soul!” (spoiler: I went in anyway)
Reflections on why fantasy and faith aren't enemies—and what the Bible has in common with epic fantasy
How three long walks gave birth to three brand-new story ideas—including:
A children's trilogy about a cat, a dragon, and pirates
An interactive "choose-your-own-adventure" story blending Star Wars, Middle-Earth, and anime
A sci-fi short inspired by a tired museum worker and some unruly school kids
Behind the scenes of this week’s short stories, from magical cauldrons to underwater wishes
A book review of The Cat Who Saved a Library by Sosuke Natsukawa—and why its message matters more than ever
🎧 Listen now and let me know what you think in the comments.
📬 Prefer your stories in bite-sized form? You can subscribe to:
The Daily Scroll for a brand-new short fantasy story every morning: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/s/the-daily-scroll
The Quill & Candle for this weekly podcast, book recs, writing updates, and more: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/s/the-quill-and-candle
Thanks for being part of this journey.
—Father RoderickPriest. Storyteller. Daily writer of strange and magical things.
📚 Mentioned in this episode:
The Cat Who Saved a Library by Sosuke Natsukawa
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (anime)
How to Train Your Dragon (live-action adaptation)
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33:21
The Quill & Candle — Episode 1: A New Weekly Show!
Welcome to the very first episode of The Quill & Candle, a weekly show where I share what it’s like to write fantasy stories as a Catholic priest—and what I’m learning along the way.
In this launch episode, I reflect on one month of daily storytelling and how a simple habit—walking in the woods and dictating ideas into my phone—has become a wellspring of creativity.
You’ll hear:
How I accidentally became a Substack writer
Why I’m writing both epic fantasy and children’s stories set in Rome
The strange method that helps me finish a short story every single day
The real-life inspiration behind one of my scariest stories, The Leech
And a book review of The Cat Who Saved Books—yes, it features a talking tabby
Whether you're here for cozy fantasy, story magic, Roman elephants, or the creative chaos of writing life, I’m glad you’ve pulled up a chair.
🎧 Listen now and let me know what you think in the comments.
📬 Prefer your stories in bite-sized form? You can subscribe to:
The Daily Scroll for a brand-new short fantasy story every morning: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/s/the-daily-scroll
The Quill & Candle for this weekly podcast, book recs, writing updates, and more: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/s/the-quill-and-candle
Thanks for being part of this journey.
—Father Roderick Priest. Storyteller. Daily writer of strange and magical things.
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42:41
Story Secrets - The Pie Runner
Running has been a part of my life for years. I still remember the pure joy of crossing the finish line in my first half-marathon—and the wild mix of exhaustion and exhilaration when I completed a full one.
But time marches on. Recovery takes longer, keeping my pace requires more effort.
During a training run, an idea popped into my head. I recorded the elements of the story with an app on my watch. That is why I sound so out of breath!
You can compare this very early version of the story to the final result on my Substack page: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-pie-runner
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4:47
Story Secrets - The Ratfather
🧀 I planned to write a cute squirrel story set in the Vatican Gardens. It turned into The Godfather.
It was supposed to be a cozy little tale about nuts, teamwork, and helping your neighbor.
But then… the rat showed up.
He sauntered in, offered help, spoke in velvet tones, and called the squirrel “brother.” Before I knew it, I was knee-deep in a squirrel-mafia parable about extortion, complicity, and sacrifice.
And somehow, it ended on Christmas Eve under the lights of St. Peter’s Square.
Read the final version of the story here: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-ratfather
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34:50
Story Secrets - The Rock and the Pebble
Did you know that during archaeological excavations beneath Saint Peter’s Basilica, researchers discovered not only human remains believed to be those of Saint Peter… but also the perfectly preserved skeleton of a tiny field mouse?
That one detail set my imagination spinning.
In today’s episode, I share the rough first version of a new story inspired by that curious find—a tale of storms and satchels, of fear and friendship, of a little mouse who might have been closer to Peter than anyone ever imagined.
The story’s still raw, unfinished, full of half-formed images and spur-of-the-moment ideas. But I love sharing these early drafts, because this is where stories are born: not with outlines and edits, but with questions and wonder.
And if you want to read the polished version of The Rock and the Pebble—you’ll find it on Substack: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-rock-and-the-pebble
Netherlands