Chapel on the Hill #0: Introduction
Ever since I was a kid, and I was introduced to the world of Redwall, I have been trying to build a world of my own. I drew countless maps and illustrations, wrote characters, constructed legends. I stopped and started a lot, but each new world built on top of the others that came before until finally, now, I have something substantial.
The Chapel on the Hill and the village of St. Jeremy are part of a world I’ve been carrying with me for a long time. It’s a passion project that pays homage to many of the other worlds that have influenced me throughout my life. From the twisted mundanity and casual madness of Poe to the simultaneously buoyant and rich folklore of Patrick Rothfuss and Brian Jacques; from the mystery of Stephen King to the monolithic mythology of Diablo.
I’m drawing from a lot, certainly — and there may be a few more nods sprinkled in here and there — but my goal is to find a voice and craft my own world, distilling the things that I found enthralling about the other worlds I have visited into a world that’s uniquely mine. I will be publishing the stories serially, with the hope of one day having enough material to put into a book. Updates won’t be regular, but I will finish and publish stories when I can.
Welcome to the world of St. Jeremy, a village with lots of secrets and a dark heart. I hope you join me.
Robert W Loughlin is the manager of The Spring House. For more, visit his website or follow him on Instagram.
