An autumn of anthologies

As promised, here’s a look into what I’ve been up to…and it’s all about a multi-author series and anthologies!

First is the vampire romance series I co-organized with fellow fantasy author Ophelia Wells Langley, Bound by Blood. (You can visit the series website here to learn more specifics, but the first novella publishes September 1st.) The entire series of novellas is for spicy fantasy romance fans, and has a variety of books (contemporary, period pieces, second-chance romances and LOTS of LGBTQ+ rep), all linked by the common theme of spicy (open door) vampire romance.

Naturally, more than a couple of the stories involve some kind of forbidden romance!

My novella, The Tainted and the Tamed, is set in a brand new world. The country involved is called Kaiden and is heavily drawn from Japanese culture and history, almost like an alternate history of Japan if vampires were power players. I have a minor in Japan Studies, have been studying Japanese for many years (too many to still be this bad!) and was able to base story settings on places I visited while living in Japan when I was younger and more mobile. It was a really interesting (and nostalgic) setting to write.

The Tainted and the Tamed launches September 8th. You can preorder here for 99c if you so choose!

I created a concept of representative rule by secretive vampire chairmen, which opens the door to a whole series…which will be called Vampires of Kaiden. This will happen depending on reader interest…which is not to say that I might just go, “You know what? I feel like writing more vampires!” and write the darn thing anyway.

The second story I was working on this summer is a short story called “Bright Arrow.” This story is related to Horace and takes place within a couple years of those events (Sydney makes a cameo!). I’ll be submitting that to the Indie Fantasy Addicts anthology, which was newly opened to the general pool of writers this year. If it’s not chosen, I’ll probably add some additional scenes and publish it…but I hope I’m chosen! Wish me luck!

Anthology number three is called Shift of the Seasons, organized by MJ Marstens. (You can preorder it here!) Proceeds go to a breast cancer foundation, which is a cause near and dear to my heart. The story I’m writing for it is a “must choose/I won’t share you” MFM romance…that’s two males interested in the same female character, and vice versa. The story is linked to my Season of the Fae series and takes place in the Connor Court well before it was cursed and lost to history, and has a puca female lead.

That’s all the news I have for now! Thanks so much for reading!

Cheers!

CKB

Revel at the Court of Claws, by C.K. Beggan (A Season of the Fae Prequel Novella)

Revel at the Court of Claws is here!

Hi all!

I’m setting an intention to start blogging again more regularly, even if it’s just once a month. But of course I had to do an announcement for today because…

Revel at the Court of Claws is now available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited! Paperbacks are coming later this week, but for right now you can grab the ebook here!

This spicy fae fairy tale retelling (of Sleeping Beauty and Sun, Moon and Talia) is a prequel linked to Lord of the Hollow Court. It started its life as a novelette I gave away as a newsletter subscriber perk.

Now it’s a novella…and VERY steamy.

Besides having new scenes and revisions, Revel has a new cover and synopsis, too! (A big thanks to author Alora Black for the rewrite!)

Revel at the Court of Claws, by C.K. Beggan (A Season of the Fae Prequel Novella)

The synopsis:

The Hollow Kingdom meets The Cruel Prince with a dash of The Host in this spicy, witchy Sleeping Beauty and Sun, Moon and Talia retelling.

Her charmed life just became a cursed one—and then the fae arrived.

Susannah Wright gets what she wants, and what she wants more than anything is to become a powerful witch. So when her initiation into the coven is derailed, she will do anything in her power to reclaim fate’s favor and rid herself of this unwelcome curse. 

Despite meticulous planning, her spell goes awry when she pricks her finger on a piece of flax and the High Fae scent Susannah’s blood on the wind.

Whisked into the Court of Claws by the wicked, cunning, and unbearably beautiful Fae, will she survive their bloodthirsty revel? Or will the intense attraction between her and a High Fae Prince Charming be her undoing?
Fast-paced and sizzling hot, Revel at the Court of Claws is a prequel novella to Lord of the Hollow Court. It is intended for a mature audience.

Start reading now

I hope you’ll support the new version of Revel, or tell a friend who loves ACOTAR and spicy fantasy romances!

Cheers,

CKB

PS: If you’re wondering what’s next on my schedule…I’m putting the finishing touches on an anthology submission, then writing another story for a charity anthology called Shift of the Seasons. More on that later!

New on Vella: The Lamp Post Society

Welcome to The Lamp Post Society, where you’ll trade your true name for a roof over your head and solid wages. Oh, and you’ll also fight monsters.

The Lamp Post Society Kindle Vella Cover (showing a woman in a red and black Victorian dress with a background of stars and a murky cobbled street)
Click the cover to start reading!

My new quirky Victorian gaslamp fantasy, The Lamp Post Society, is now available on Kindle Vella! The Lamp Post Society is perfect for fans of W.R. Gingell and Suzannah Rowntree. This story publishes Wednesdays.

(Reminder: Kindle Vella is a serial storytelling platform on Amazon.com–meaning, sadly, it is still only available for US Amazon users.)

The Synopsis:

While London enjoys the progress of the Victorian Era, an endless series of disappearances plague the foggy streets of Elloc. The Lamp Post Society is on the case. Unfortunately, so is its newest and most oblivious recruit, Newfie Blake—and nothing can prepare him for the things that go bump in the night.

The Lamp Post Society is quirky, exciting gaslamp fantasy for fans of W.R. Gingell’s The City Between series and Suzannah Rowntree’s Miss Dark’s Apparitions series.

Cheers!

CKB

ARC readers wanted for Snow-Swept!

If you like sweet paranormal romance or no spice fantasy romance and can review on Amazon, stop and read this now!

My gargoyle romance novelette, Snow-Swept, is looking for ARC readers. You can get your copy on Booksprout. There are already less than 25 copies left with no plans to add more, so grab yours as quick as you can!

(Can’t review on Amazon? Preorder Snow-Swept for 99c or catch it in KU on February 14, 2023.)

Snow-Swept: A Gargoyle Romance Novelette, by C.K. Beggan (pale wings, snowflakes and intricate lacy designs over a background the color of night)

Cheers!

CKB

Snow-Swept is up for preorder!

I have a Valentine’s Day surprise for you all. Snow-Swept, a sweet, no-spice fantasy romance between a gargoyle and human, is arriving on Amazon (and KU!) February 14, 2023.

The novelette is available for preorder from Amazon for 99c.

Check out the pretty cover!

Snow-Swept: A Gargoyle Romance Novelette, by C.K. Beggan (pale wings, snowflakes and intricate lacy designs over a background the color of night)

To learn more, please visit the book page for Snow-Swept.

And since word of mouth marketing is so powerful for an indie author like me, don’t forget to tell a friend or share on social media!

I came up with the idea for this story in a weekend and I’m so excited to share it with you all. This may just be a novelette, but it’s jam-packed with heart and emotion. I really hope you’ll love it!

Cheers!

CKB

Find your next Kindle Vella read!

The first Potions & Passions Kindle Vella promo is LIVE, my friends, and you can find it here. How excited am I?

This promo runs January 8 – February 7, 2023, and has scifi, fantasy, romantic fantasy and fantasy romance (aka romantasy!) titles. With 18 stories and 13 authors to choose from, the BookFunnel page will help you find your next Kindle Vella read!

You’ll also find my stories Stone Circles: A New Fairy Tale (based on Irish myth) and A Court of Swords and Sugar Plums (which I describe as The Nutcracker meets The Cruel Prince).

This is my first time creating a BookFunnel promo, and I look forward to helping everyone find some new Vella readers. As Vella authors, we’re usually scouring Facebook posts for readers with tokens to burn and interest in what we’re writing, so I think this makes a lot more sense for writers and readers both!

Wondering what the heck Kindle Vella is?

Potions & Passions Kindle Vella BookFunnel Promo January 8-February 7, 2023
Potions & Passions (Kindle Vella) inaugural promo

Kindle Vella is an Amazon platform for serial storytelling.

If you’ve never checked out Vella before, there’s a good chance you have some free tokens just waiting for you to claim them. Besides that, the first three episodes of every Vella story are always free to try. Pretty cool, right?

Every episode costs a certain number of tokens, depending on the length. As readers, you can like, follow (and even favorite, if you have paid tokens) the stories you love, so Vella incorporates a bit of social media into its platform in that way. You can still review stories, too!

Vella authors often break their stories up into “seasons,” which they may break up into separate stories (or not). Anastasis Blythe, whom I’ve interviewed and reviewed ARCs from, is a prolific romantic fantasy author on Kindle Vella, but there are LOADS of authors and genres to choose from. 

The only downside is that this is still a relatively new platform, so it’s only available to US Amazon users. (I know, I have quite a bit of readership outside the US, but authors always have the option of publishing their stories 30 days after removing them from Vella, which IS my plan).

That’s all for now!

Cheers,

CKB

Oathbound review

A review of Oathbound, by Victoria McCombs (an image of the book, a vivid red rose with a sword through it, on a background of choppy ocean waves)

(The Royal Rose Chronicles #1)

YA fantasy, pirate fantasy adventure, romantic fantasy

Favorite quote: “‘Do you see how he looks at her as if he’s found a priceless pearl inside an oyster?’ Heat flooded my cheeks. I had noticed that.”

Note: I received a copy and this is an honest, voluntary review.

This book just got better and better as it went along!

Early on, Oathbound feels like historical fiction more than fantasy. Though it was on the slower side, I felt like I was on the Royal Rose. But the magic was still missing for me. Then came the magical creatures (and one creepy ghost ship) on the high seas. This book became a page turner for me from that point on.

The romance subplot is woven throughout the story and in the “friendship” between narrators Emme and Arn. It’s so lovely and subtle, a true slow-burn that goes beyond two friends having that conversation. With Emme’s distrust of pirates, Royal Rose captain Arn has a lot to prove.

I loved all the side quests and intrusions by magic and ghosts. Emme is also dealing with a congenital degenerative disease, so we see her struggling with mobility. Note that this book ends on multiple wicked cliffhangers. I can’t wait to read book two!

My rating:
4.5/5
A mockup of Oathbound, with a vivid red rose with a sword through it, on a background of a fuzzy white blanket, a candy cane, a pillar candle, a sparkly fake poinsettia, a snowman, a Himalayan salt votive, some stones and mini Christmas lights