iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

A nice aftermovie (in Dutch) of the fantasy festival I spoke at on Ascension Day.

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I wrote a new collection of essays about love in the Lord of the Rings and I'm giving it away for free: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...

The quiet love Tolkien believed in

A Valentine’s reflection on love in The Lord of the Rings

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I’ve got a brand new TikTok channel entirely dedicated to books, reading and writing! Check out my first video about Brandon Sanderson and Darth Maul: www.tiktok.com/@fatherroder... #booksky #books #bookreview #fantasybooks #amreading #indieauthor

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

In honor of Punxsutawney Phil, I wrote a short story about a groundhog who relives the same day over and over again until someone finally breaks the loop. 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/nothings-s... It was inspired by the magnificent song by Oliver Richman (youtu.be/7MHKV3tEL4U?...)

Nothing's Supposed To Live Forever

The Last Groundhog Day

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

This week, I’ve been working on a fun little non-fiction project that brings together #Tolkien and Saint #valentinesday. If you’re curious for a first look, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter. I’ll be sharing more about it in this week’s episode! 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/subscribe

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

🇳🇱 De afgelopen dagen vertelde ik in de 'Heilige van de Dag' podcast de fascinerende verhalen van: 😇 Felix van Nola, patroon van de spinnen 😇 Arnold Janssen, de bescheiden wiskundeleraar met grenzeloze dromen 😇 Antonius Abt, die in de woestijn vocht met demonen Luister via de QR code!

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Cato Frederiks’ life‑changing neck surgery is tomorrow. Many of you helped in December—thank you. Her recovery will be long, and she’s close to €40K of the €55K needed. If you can, please help her reach her goal. GoFundMe in the link: www.gofundme.com/f/een-nekfus...

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

🇬🇧Today in my Dutch podcast: Saint Hilary of Poitiers. 🇳🇱 Vandaag in de podcast 'Heilige van de dag': Hilarius van Poitiers (†367). Van welgestelde Romein tot bisschop in ballingschap. Hij stichtte het eerste klooster van Frankrijk en was de leermeester van Sint Maarten. 👉 npo.nl/luister/podc...

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

🇬🇧 Today on my Dutch podcast: Saint Marguerite Bourgeois, Canada's first female saint. 🇳🇱 Margaretha van Bourgeoys is de eerste vrouwelijke heilige van Canada. Ik vertel haar verhaal in de podcast 'Heilige van de Dag': npo.nl/luister/podc...

npo.nl

Marguerite Bourgeoys | Heilige van de Dag

Margaretha van Bourgeoys is de eerste vrouwelijke heilige van Canada. Een meisje uit een groot, arm gezin uit Frankrijk.

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

🇳🇱 De heilige Veerle is niet voor niets de patroonheilige van slachtoffers van mishandeling. Ik vertel haar verhaal in de podcast 'Heilige van de dag'. 🇬🇧 Saint Pharaildis is the patron saint of victims of abuse for a reason. I tell her story in my podcast 'Heilige van de dag'. 👉 link in bio

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

🇳🇱 Goedele wordt rond 650 bij Gent geboren. Een hardwerkend meisje, maar de duivel blaast steeds haar lantaarn uit. 🇬🇧 Hear Saint Gudula’s story in de podcast Heilige van de dag!

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

🎧 Podcast 'Heilige van de Dag' (link in bio): 🇳🇱 Vandaag: Sint Gerlach leefde in een holle boom en liep dagelijks naar Maastricht om te bidden. Op een dag ontmoette hij de duivel… 🇬🇧 Today: Saint Gerlach lived in a hollow tree and walked daily to Maastricht to pray. One day he met the devil…

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The penultimate chapter of Advent of Dragons is live. It’s about loss, trust, and loving something enough to let it go, without knowing what comes back. I wrote this chapter late into the night because it had to get this moment right... fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 24: Advent of Dragons

Brought to you by Paul Copenhagen

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

A new chapter of Advent of Dragons is live. This one drifts into dreams, ink, and quiet insight—where understanding doesn’t arrive all at once, but takes shape in the dark. Only five chapters to go. fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Today’s chapter of 'Advent of Dragons' steps into the quiet after the celebration. The market lights have faded, the monastery settles, and the story pauses to let the weight of what just happened land. 👉 You can read the new chapter here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 19: The Long Quiet

Brought to you by Flavio Mattiello

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Today's Christmas Eve chapter of 'Advent of Dragons' is full of lanterns, pumpkin pies, sleigh rides, and a village gathering for carols and stories as evening falls. I wish you all a very merry Christmas! 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-... Fr. Roderick Vonhögen

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 18: Carols and Lights

A Christmas Eve episode brought to you by Robbert Stam

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

👉 New Advent of Dragons chapter is live! The Winter Market is coming to Elderglen—and the team has big plans. Lanterns, pies, sleighs… and maybe a few magical surprises. Read it here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-... #CozyFantasy #AdventOfDragons #WinterMagic

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 17: Winter Market Preparations

Brought to you by Michiel Ruijs

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Today's chapter took me a little deeper than I expected. A small detail about Matthew’s dad and dementia came back—and brought my own memories with it. Cozy fantasy can hold more than warmth. Sometimes it lets grief and gentleness sit side by side. fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 16: What We Choose to Keep

Brought to you by Shawn Reuter

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Today's chapter of my cozy fantasy book 'Advent of Dragons' takes us down into the monastery’s basement. Katie and her friends begin training one of the more stubborn magical creatures—and uncover something unexpected beneath the monastery. 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 15: Digging Deeper

Brought to you by Jodi Flood

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Advent is almost over. I'm racing to finish my fantasy novel Advent of Dragons by Dec 31—writing a chapter a day! At the same time, I’m prepping a daily podcast about saints for 2026. Chaos? Yes. But holy chaos. Read the update: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-final-... #Advent #WritingLife

Counting down to Christmas, a novel’s end, and a new beginning

The Final Countdown

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

✨ Chapter 14 of Advent of Dragons is live! Katie’s recovering in the old monastery—but her bond with Spark may be burning too bright. Then a stranger arrives. He says he can help. But at what cost? 👉 Read it here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-... #CozyFantasy #AmWriting #AdventOfDragons

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 14: The Whistle and the Bond

Brought to you by Maria van Rossum

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

I love how Critical Role shows the magic of friends building worlds together with dice, humor & heart. It inspired today’s chapter of my Advent of Dragons cozy fantasy novel: Katie and her friends stage a play to invite others into their world. 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 13: Critical Roles

Brought to you by Richard en Marianne Versteeg

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Today’s chapter of my cozy fantasy novel ‘Advent of Dragons’ marks a shift—both in the story and behind the scenes. I’ve been discovering the tale as I go, but now it’s time to start shaping the threads toward the ending. fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 12: Setting the Stage

Brought to you by Ferdinand Velasco

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Chapter 9 of my cozy fantasy novel Advent of Dragons is live: The Sanctuary. Katie and her friends find a host of magical creatures hiding in an abandoned monastery. That's when the real adventure begins! Read it now: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 9: The Sanctuary

Brought to you by Jan van ‘t Ent

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Chapter 8 of my cozy fantasy novel Advent of Dragons is live: The Search for Spark! Katie and friends track missing creatures through snowy woods and broken paths—toward glowing birds, an overturned wagon, and a forgotten monastery. Read now 👉 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 8: The Search for Spark

Brought to you by Michel Collignon

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

My serialized Cozy Fantasy Book 'Advent of Dragons' continues with Chapter 5—where laughter, warmth, and wonder meet just a touch of chaos. Read it for free: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 5: Game Night at the Lantern Shop

Brought to you by Philip Crewe

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Chapter 4 of my cozy fantasy book is here: The Lantern Boy and the Tunnel Beast A missing rock monster. A mysterious tunnel. And a lantern-maker who sees more than he lets on. A wintery chapter with glowing creatures and glimmers of something more: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/advent-of-...

Advent of Dragons - Chapter 4: Of Lanterns and Tunnels

Brought to you by Lyn Francisco

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Looks like there’s another serious Cloudflare issue, lots of sites like Substack are down (including, ironically, Downdetector).

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

I DID IT! In just 30 days, I finished my Irish medieval fantasy novel. 32 chapters, 105,025 words, plus an additional 11,631 words of scholarly appendices. That’s a grand total of 116,656 words! Follow my Substack for more updates! Link: fatherroderick.substack.com

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

It’s Saint Martin’s Day! In parts of the Netherlands, kids sing door to door for candy 🍬🎶 I made a short LEGO explainer video to share the tradition — check it out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycBl...

youtube.com

The Life of Saint Martin of Tours in 60 seconds - with LEGO!

YouTube video by Father Roderick - LEGO Brickpriest

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

The final #Inktober story is here! Prompt: Award 🏆 Meet Miss Whistleblossom, a pixie with a dandelion hat and more wit than wingspan. She enters a harvest contest—against giants, squirrels, and too much pie. Read the tale 🍁 fatherroderick.substack.com/p/miss-whist...

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Inktober Day 30 – “Vacant.” A couple seeks shelter in a remote Highland manor where one room is always vacant… and breakfast is always served. But some guests check in and never leave. 🎃 One of the spookiest stories I’ve written so far: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/one-vacant...

Inktober Day 30 – “Vacant.” A couple seeks shelter in a remote Highland manor where one room is always vacant… and breakfast is always served. But some guests check in and never leave...

One Vacant Room

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Still deep in my writing-and-drawing sprint to finish the #Inktober challenge. I loved creating this one, about a chronically ill young woman who writes to her favorite fantasy author, hoping to learn the language of his imagined world… fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-lesson

For Inktober Day 29, "Lesson": A sick young woman writes to her favorite fantasy author, hoping to learn his invented language—and finds herself drawn into a lesson no book could ever teach.

The Lesson

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

#Inktober Day 28: “Skeletal.” A tyrant builds a city of bones to rule even in death—until a child leads him to the shore, where the tide teaches him what must be buried… and what can be rebuilt. 🎃 A short story for Halloween: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-king-o...

The King of Skeletal City

Inktober Day 28: “Skeletal.” A tyrant builds a city of bones to rule even in death—until a child leads him to the shore, where the tide teaches him what must be buried… and what can be rebuilt.

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

#Inktober Day 27 – “Onion” 🧅 An actor’s tears made him a legend... until they stopped. To get them back, he had to peel back the layers of his own life. fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-onion

His tears made the play a legend—until the tears stopped flowing, and he was forced to peel back the layers of his own life to find what he’d lost. (Inktober Day 27, "Onion")

The Onion

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

#Inktober Day 25, "Inferno", inspired a drawing and a short story: Catabasis After a sudden death, a mischievous cat finds himself descending through the nine circles of Hell, where he has to relive his nine lives: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/catabasis-...

Catabasis: Firetail's Inferno

After a sudden death, a mischievous cat finds himself descending through the nine circles of Hell, where he has to relive his nine lives. But even in the coldest place, grace can still purr.

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

“Why fantasy?” they ask. “Why wizards and dragons when you could write about saints?” Because sometimes truth hides in unlikely places. In a Hobbit’s courage, an Elf’s sorrow, or even a fallen wizard’s pride. Fantasy can preach the Gospel without ever quoting it.

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Day 22 of #Inktober began with a missing button. I didn’t know where it was going—just followed the thread. It led somewhere I didn’t expect: a quiet love story stitched with memory and loss. Read it here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-missin...

Day 22 of Inktober began with a missing button. I didn’t know where it was going—just followed the thread. It led somewhere I didn’t expect: a quiet love story stitched with memory and loss.

The Missing Button

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Day 21 of #Inktober2025: “Blast.” I set myself a challenge — write a story set in a galaxy far, far away… without using any names, trademarks, or crossing into fan fiction. Did it work? You tell me: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-blast-...

The Blast at the Edge of the Galaxy

On a forgotten outpost at the edge of the galaxy, one trooper stands between order and chaos. But when fantasy and reality collide, a single blast changes everything.

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

#Inktober Day 20, “Rivals.” Two gifted students. Three trials. One throne. In the dungeon’s heart, they face the cost of power—and the true purpose behind their school’s deadly game. 👉 Read the short story this prompt inspired: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/rivals-of-...

Inktober Day 20, “Rivals.” Two gifted students. Three trials. One throne. In the dungeon’s heart, they face the cost of power—and the true purpose behind their school’s deadly game.

Rivals of Wand and Will

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

#Inktober, Day 24 – "Rowdy". He was bred for hellfire. Raised on biscuits. His name was Rowdy—and he was. But sometimes, the loudest bark hides the bravest heart. 👉 Read the story of Rowdy the Hellhound here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/rowdy-the-...

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

#Inktober Day 23’s prompt “Firefly” lit up memories of the beloved sci-fi series. I wrote a short story as an homage to its spirit, cast, and crew. A loving tribute for all the Browncoats still flying. 👉 Read the story here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-firefl...

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Here is my drawing for Day 19 of #Inktober: “Arctic”. A man chases a myth through ice and grief, searching for what was lost. But in the shimmer of the polar lights, he finds a truth deeper than reason... 👉 Read my short story: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-guardi...

The Guardian of the Arctic Veil

Day 19 of Inktober: Arctic. A man chases a myth through ice and grief, searching for what was lost. But in the shimmer of the polar lights, he finds a truth deeper than reason...

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Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

#Inktober Day 18: “Deal”: Three children walk into a tavern. They are hungry. The innkeeper feeds them. In return, they offer him a deal he can't refuse... Read the story here: fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-better...

Inktober Day 18: “Deal”: Three children walked into a tavern. They were hungry. The innkeeper fed them. In return, they offer him a deal he can't refuse...

The Better Deal

Father Roderick @fatherroderick.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

I'm so excited to launch 'Dragon Patrol', my first serialized fantasy novel today at the LegendHaven Con! You can still get weekend tickets, they're only $10 (legendhaven.com)