Since the fifth grade, I have written fiction, mostly fantasy-adventure stories, as a creative outlet. I was heavily influenced by the epic fantasy works and worldbuilding of J.R.R. Tolkien, and later by Jack London, C.S. Forester, Rafael Sabbatini, Louis L’Amour, Terry Brooks, Jeff Wheeler, and other authors. Most of what I write now is published serially on my Substack page, Serial Production (https://rritenbaugh.substack.com). Please subscribe, like, and comment!
I will link to the episode indices or the first episodes of the stories available there. I may link drafts of other stories that I have not yet published on Substack at the bottom. The list below is in my preferred reading order.
Updated 06/30/2026
“On Fantasy” – Probably a good place to start, as it is my rationale for writing fantasy as a church pastor.
The Jester – (complete novella; forty-three episodes)
A royal heirloom, Margonne’s Dagger, is stolen from the palace, and the king hires Mardans Santinetta to find it and the thief. Taking the guise of a court jester, Mardans, with the help of his friends, sets out to solve the mystery, which soon expands into a quest to prevent a coup and save lives.
Royal Visit – (complete novelette; twelve episodes)
Crown Prince Lorens invites his father’s new agent, Adonis Santinetta, to accompany him and his sister, Carena, on a state visit to neighboring Satele. While they know that Satele’s King Mirando Valleroi is facing stiff opposition from malcontents, they are unaware that they are walking into a pit of vipers who do not care if they take Margonne’s future king down with their own monarch.
Apex Predator – (ongoing)
Reports of a man-eating monster prowling the southwestern coast of Margonne have reached the king in Palisade, and he sends Adon Santinetta and his crew to investigate. For the first time, Artema Santinetta joins her father, mostly to keep him company on his first assignment since his wife’s sudden death. She soon finds herself in the middle of a life-and-death struggle against a terrifying beast everyone thought was mythical. To survive, she must rely on her own wits and the unknown skills of a total stranger.
The Beacon – (complete novel; sixty episodes)
The Kingdom of Margonne has never faced a crisis quite like this. What people see as massive “waves,” “bubbles,” or “distortions” are traveling across the land, inciting acts of foolishness, selfishness, and pure evil. The king calls on his problem-solver, Adonis Santinetta, to investigate the phenomenon and restore tranquility to Margonne. Meanwhile, signs of rebellion begin to trouble the kingdom, raising the specter of civil war.
Nexus of Prophecy – (complete short story; four episodes)
Just-initiated Wise Woman Qadira receives an unexpected summons to visit the legendary Great Prophetess. Little does she know, the Prophetess wants to tell her a stunning truth about her future—and its incredible ramifications for her, her nation, and even people and events centuries in the future.
Cant you provide how you got here like what you believe where you worshiped? Most web sights have a link “ABOUT”. Like if you were formally a Mormon then you would lean that way or say why not now, Baptist or Catholic etc. So what say you? Like to not have to read hours of text to figure you out. Thank you. Walt
Thanks for asking.
My “faith tradition” is commonly called Sabbatarian, meaning that we worship on the Sabbath (Saturday). Others have labeled those who believe as I do as Apostolic, Primitive, or First-century Christians. We call ourselves the church of God (but not the Pentecostal variety), as the Bible calls it in about a dozen places. We do not consider ourselves to have descended from any of the major denominational lines: Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. We are quintessential Bible-believing Christians.
I am a second-generation Christian of this kind. My father was a pastor, and since 2007, I am also. I graduated in 1988 with a degree in Theology from Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. I teach and preach biblical Christianity. If a doctrine was formulated after the apostles’ lifetimes, we do not accept it unless the Bible clearly supports it. So, our teaching strays from what is commonly considered to be orthodoxy, but we would rather be faithful to God and His Word than any human denomination or manmade statement of faith.