HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Whitaker Lyon Press announces the upcoming release of Shenandoah Fantastic: Mystic Whispers from the Valley’s Vales, a collection of 24 fiction stories (fantasy, science fiction, and horror) set across Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Co-edited by James Blakey and Catherine Simpson, the anthology launches February 3, 2026, with print editions and digital copies available at local bookshops and online retailers.

According to a release, the stories reimagine familiar Valley landmarks with supernatural and imaginative twists, inviting readers—long-time residents and visitors alike—to see the region in a new light.

Highlights include:

  • Encounters with trolls living beneath Luray Caverns
  • Time travelers at the American Shakespeare Center
  • A ghostly train ride to Mount Jackson
  • Real live dinosaurs roaming Dinosaur Land

This anthology celebrates Shenandoah Valley storytelling traditions, drawing on local folklore and landscapes to explore where the ordinary meets the otherworldly.

A book launch event will take place at Parentheses Books (76 W. Gay St., Harrisonburg) on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 4:00 pm.