About Ancient Roads

Hi, I'm Chris Struble (rhymes with ruble). I am a retired software test manager with a lifelong passion for writing in service of imagining a better world. I am based in Renton, Washington. I write speculative fiction and music from the worlds I create.

Since 2025 I have been publishing my first novel, Shield of the Goddess, a fantasy set in an ancient world, as a web serial here. The first chapter is public for anyone to read. I also publish songs from the novel and other songs as playable sheet music. The song from the first chapter is public for anyone to listen to.

If you subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, you’ll get access to a year of my latest content, and new content delivered straight to your inbox every month, no app needed. You'll be able to keep on getting my latest book chapters and songs for free.

I have been reading fantasy and science fiction since high school, and made my first attempts at writing fiction and writing music back then. I once saw these as separate creative interests, then I noticed that when I read fantasy and science fiction stories with songs in them, I often imagined tunes for the songs, and realized I could do the same for my own fiction.

Shield of the Goddess started with the music. The prayers and spells in the novel are original songs I wrote, inspired by my studies of ancient music.

Curious? Subscribe today, and you'll get my monthly newsletter Wanderer's Tales with musings on fiction writing, songwriting, and the crossroads where ancient life and modern life meet. You'll also be able to read my latest book chapters and hear the latest songs from the book when they are available.

Check out my Books, Music, and Reviews pages to see organized lists of everything I have published here to date.

Also check out my Recommendations for selected authors, bookstores, coaches, musicians, news outlets, and service providers I recommend.

A few things to know: I don’t write with AI, never have, never will. I don’t host ads on my website either. And I won’t sell your information, ever.

See you on the road.

Chris Struble

Lyre icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

Index image credit:

https://www.pexels.com/photo/road-with-columns-in-ancient-city-5477618/