Who Am I?
Let’s break the ice!
I’m Richard Ritenbaugh, a longtime writer and editor for my employer, Church of the Great God, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, where I now pastor. I have written fiction, mostly epic fantasy, since catching the bug after reading The Hobbit as a sixth-grade reading assignment at Northside Middle School in West Columbia, South Carolina. So, I’ve been scribbling and typing stories since 1978.
I am a family man, married to my wife, Beth, for 35 years. We raised four children in Charlotte, North Carolina: Courtney, John, Jarod, and Aric, all of whom have been cast to a cruel world to fend for themselves. But I jest. They all live nearby, and we help each other as best we can. We also have four granddaughters: Lily, Eden, Olivia (Courtney and her husband, Kyle); and Elara (Johnny and his wife Brittany).
Serial Production is my attempt to recreate the feel of the historical medium of episodic fiction on Substack. For instance, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries serially for Strand Magazine. Charles Dickens’ major novels first appeared as weekly or monthly installments in journals like Master Humphrey's Clock and Household Words, which were later reprinted as books. Likewise, the stories presented here are consecutive episodes or chapter parts that together will form a novella or novel.
I aim to produce an episode (~2,000 words) each week. I write clean epic fantasy/adventure stories, sometimes with a twist, just to make things interesting.
I hope you enjoy what you read here.
If you have enjoyed what you read on this Substack, please consider buying me a cup of coffee!
Why Subscribe?
Substack subscriptions come in four flavors: free, monthly, yearly, and founding member. Right now, however, these categories do not fit Serial Production as well as I would like. Ultimately, I would like to do this:
A free subscription will allow you to read the episodes of the current work gratis. Once the novella is finished, I intend to put all but the first five episodes behind the paywall.
A monthly subscription will give you full access to all past and present serialized episodes and the website archive. You’ll never miss an exciting new addition to the ongoing story, and all the paywalled episodes will be just a click away. This option is the best for unlimited access to the whole story over a limited time.
If you plan to stick around, choose the yearly subscription to receive a discount on the monthly price. This option will look even better once more stories are posted.
If you have money to throw around to encourage writers like me, by all means, choose the founding member option. But at this point, doing so will get you no more than the monthly option, plus my sincere gratitude for your generosity.
That said, though, I am currently presenting all my writing endeavors for free to everyone. Perhaps I will implement the above plan when I have more to offer, but not today.
Email Is a Wonderful Thing
You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new episode of the story goes directly to your inbox. Even so, come back to visit the website, where it is easier to read multiple episodes.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people who share your interests.
To learn more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
