Celia Lake

7 Aug

Brave Truth is here! Brave Truth is set in 1950. It's a M/M romance about figuring out how to build the life you want to have, recovering from moral injury, and whether it's possible to change a relationship with a parent. It's full of competence and friendship. celialake.com/book/brave-t...

On my walk this morning I met a new friend from an appropriate distance. (I was at Habitat, in Belmont, one of the Mass Audubon nature preserves.)

Discussing a playlist I'm proofing right now for future driving listening, I mentioned another: "Rowena and the waves" (Rowena / Selkie is my car's name.) Me, describing: More liminal? (Lots of selkie songs, also a certain number of 'the sea would be just fine drowning you, actually'.)

Curious about where I'm headed with all the bits and pieces of the 1480s and Richard III that I've been mentioning? Public Patreon post today about the Cousins and Roses series, my plans, and some of the many things I'm thinking about. www.patreon.com/celialake/po...

patreon.comResearching toward the Pact | Collection from Celia Lake | 19 posts | PatreonPosts about my reading and research as I contemplate a series set in the 1480s around the time of the Pact in 1484. Explore Researching toward the Pact, a…

Also a shoutout to @richardiiisociety.bsky.social and @r3-society-usa.bsky.social who are making my research life a lot easier! You can find my research reading so far over at www.patreon.com/collection/4..., with more to come. (Next reading post coming in November.)

Or, simple version, you can summarise all of my writing so far (and to come) as “What if the Wars of the Roses make much more sense if you put the magic back in?” Among other things.

Today on the authorial task list: "Cross-reference WWI fronts and werewolf lore locations."

Some quality time with Google My Maps, Claude Leconteaux's "Mysteries of the Werewolf", and a map of the western front, I now have reached the following: "I feel there are sufficient werewolves in the neighbourhood for my purposes."

(My goal with this is not absolute proof, but 'where does the lore cluster usefully so I can make use of a particular bit for my plot'.) The fact that my mapping includes a fairy wood and a marsh is a bonus.

Life of the author tonight: figuring out which of the member's clubs they're in. Again. (I swear Galahad keeps wanting a different option every time I need one.) Also me: Self, you do not care about clubs founded in years starting with 19. It is currently 1878 in your brain.

In this case, we have the historically existing London clubs. But we've also got the magical community clubs (which both admit women and have varied spaces for more private conversations in sensible ways.) I think we're on the 5th chapter set in a club (out of currently 28 chapters)

My evening is alternating between the following: "History, look, the number of secret marriages and deaths on specific dates are implausible, history. How am I supposed to sell this to readers?" and "Cat, that is also a place I do not need your claws."

It's a great weekend (October 3rd and 4th, 2026) It's time for Cozy the Day Away and HearthCon! Fantastic cozy fantasy books on sale! A free online convention full of conversations about cozy fantasy (come see me Sunday!) Here's the details...

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Want some reading? I've put The Magic of Four in this sale. It's full of my love for British school stories, set at a magical school in 1946-1947 as they figure out what they want to do with their lives, which secret society they might join, and navigate all the challenges of the year.

cozyfantasysale.promisepress.orgHome - Cozy Fantasy SaleThis is the home page for the Cozy the Day Away Sale series, where the first-ever cozy fantasy group sale happens! Sales in 2026 will…

... oh, and stumble on a magical problem that they can only solve together, using all their skills. This one's not a romance (they're all fourteen...) but it's got diverse characters (including a celebration of Holi), and at least one of them's neurodiverse. At cozyfantasysale.promisepress.org

Cozy The Day Away has more than 120 books on sale, with a wide range of diverse authors and books. cozyfantasysale.promisepress.org (More about my book in the sale later in the thread.)

lazydragonbooks.comLAZY DRAGON BOOKS Inc - HearthCon 2026HearthCon 2026 Schedule Watch live on YOUTUBE OCT 3-4th For email updates on any changes, please subscribe to our newsletter.

And HearthCon is free on YouTube. Find the schedule here: www.lazydragonbooks.com/hearthcon-2026 . Sign up for the newsletter if you want any updates. This is always a great time. (I'm on a panel about series fatigue on Sunday).

I'm looking forward to this so much - the first two are just delightful bits of magical lore, romance, people figuring out how to do things together.

Stephanie Burgis@stephanieburgis.bsky.social

Only 16 more days until the 3rd & final Lady and Lord Riven novella, A Waltz of Sinister Import, is widely published in ebook and paperback! Preorder the ebook now: books2read.com/waltzSinister Or join my Patreon as a Dragon Ruler to get it 1 week early: patreon.com/stephanieburgis #romancelandia

patreon.comLightning and Silence | Celia LakeA series of extras for the Mysteries Fields trilogy (released on September 22nd, 2026) You can get it (free, of course!) from BookFunnel, or

22 Sept

It's my birthday today! I took the day off and went apple picking. (Also getting a long-awaited extra out to my readers, and now I get to enjoy people reading and commenting, which is honestly the best.) www.patreon.com/celialake/po... Now eating roast chicken, my traditional birthday meal.

13 Sept

I always talk about the drinking chocolate in Claiming the Tower, but the tea's important too! In 1854 in the UK, a lot of the tea blends were a mix of green and black (in various combinations and origins), and it's a delightful and tasty rabbit hole!

varnam.bsky.social@varnam.bsky.social

FREE Claiming the Tower (my favourite romantasy), SALE on green/black tea blends which I learned about through Claiming the Tower. Will spend some of weekend drinking green/black blends while re-reading book, starting w last serving of Ode to Joy w apricot flavour. murchies.com/fine-tea/?q=...

12 Sept

Happy Queer Your eReader Day! Check out lots of free queer reads in all sorts of genres! divinationhollow.com/queer-your-e... This includes my Claiming the Tower, set in 1854 and full of magic, insistently improving the world, drinking chocolate, and falling in love.

9 Sept

Just finished reading @finnlongman.com 's The Wolf and His King, which is absolutely stunning - I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time. (Bisclavret, identity, relationships with power and disability, fascinating use of POV, evocative setting, and a fascinating sense of minor chars.)

9 Sept

It's been on my TBR list since it came out (it is a very long TBR list). I finally managed to shove it higher because it's relevant background reading for the book I'm drafting starting in November.

4 Sept

My favourite editing comment thing from @kiyanicoll.bsky.social on the thing in editing: "Boy does that have resonance in middle Egyptian." (This is for the treat coming out for my birthday later in the month. Look, I share a birthday with Bilbo and Frodo, I like giving a gift on it.)

2 Sept

It is the time of year of the email hydra. Every time I answer one thing, another three emails appear in my inbox.

31 Aug

Word problems for authors, tonight's edition: If it is currently 1878, and a ghost was mentioned as being two centuries old (non-specifically) in 1920, how long has this particular ghost been known to be around. (And is there a particularly good reason for a theatre ghost around 1720?)

31 Aug

I am however blessing my authorial wiki for having the key info that I'd mentioned the ghost was two centuries old, and not just dating from after a point related to the plot of the book it has already appeared in. (It's a very benign ghost who leaves pretty-coloured silk flowers when happy.)

29 Aug

I have been avidly following Kate's historical dress posts for a while now (and snagging info for references for writing...) But this one is particularly stunning, both in the design work and the colour. So springtime! The jewelled trim!

Kate Strasdin@katestrasdin.bsky.social

An absolute #1920s favourite by Madeleine Vionnet, creating a cascade of different shades of green in every increasingly loops of colour. The vermicelli style embroidery and jeweled trim is the icing on the tippity top #PalaisGalliera #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

29 Aug

So many great books on sale (I'm not in here, but friends are, and their books are fantastic!)

Read Indie Fantasy.com@blog.readindiefantasy.com

Today is the start of the Narratess Indie Book Sale! This weekend only, over 280 indie ebooks are on sale across a collection of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres at 1.99, 2.99, and FREE! indiebook.sale To celebrate, check out books from our Discord server: www.readindiefantasy.com/the-narrates...

27 Aug

I miss the Minnesota State Fair so much. (This is a great tour of the fun, including the butter sculpture to be!)

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@skullsandsheets.bsky.social

27 Aug

Me, clicking the link, immediately seeing the set of fidget toys with the orca and hitting 'buy it now'. (I've had an orca thing for a while.)

Ghostly Bree@mostlybree.kitrocha.com

HELLO! Our "let Bree & Donna write a book AND pay the lawyers to maybe get their money back from The Fiasco" auction/pop-up shop is live! It will run through 9/2 at 8PM CDT! www.32auctions.com/KitRocha2026

Celia Lake reposted

☠️ Skulls and Sheets 👻

26 Aug

Had an urge to do an Edward Gorey style mari (I did one years ago) so did a doodle.

Celia Lake reposted

Richard III Society

@richardiiisociety.bsky.social

25 Aug

25 August 1485 – probable date of Richard III’s burial in the church of the Greyfriars 25 August 2012 exactly 537 years later, on the very first day of the Greyfriars dig initiated by Philippa Langley, a leg bone was uncovered in what proved to be Richard's III's grave.

23 Aug

Today in authorial amusement: "Okay, if I set this thing partly in Margate, I can get X and Y on a date that involves a seaside funfair roller coaster?" (This is for the solstice extra that I'm outlining.)

23 Aug

My one living grandparent when I was growing up lived in Westcliff-on-Sea. I have a deep and abiding fondness for seaside funfairs. Margate's Dreamland opened in 1920, so it's right there when I'm writing in 1950.

etsy.comView inspired by Celia Lake by LionessElise on EtsyShop Elise Matthesen by LionessElise located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

22 Aug

It is @lionesselise.bsky.social 's birthday sale! You know how she gets. Of particular note: all the "Inspired by Celia Lake" pendants just got marked down 50%. www.etsy.com/shop/Lioness...

22 Aug

These are all gorgeous stones that Elise and I picked out together. The current ones are amethyst for Fox House, two different sizes, and moonstone for Owl House. (We do have some future plans, but current goodness is also excellent, right?)

22 Aug

Today in my ridiculous devotion to historical detail, peering closely at the 1878 guide to the British Museum so I can figure out exactly what these five people are looking at, what they're actually ending up interested by, and where they are in the building when they're doing it.

etsy.comLionessElise - EtsyShop Elise Matthesen by LionessElise located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It's time for Elise's annual birthday sale! (Actual birthday on Saturday, as noted, the sales get especially good then.)

LionessElise@lionesselise.bsky.social

There is a birthday sale. Because you know how I get. www.etsy.com/shop/Lioness...

So, I write (cosy) historical fantasy romance, about people making the world better together. Currently set between the 1850s and the 1940s, but I'm working on planning for a series in the 1480s (with a 1461? prequel. Probably 1461.) www.celialake.com/for-new-read... has an overview.

Ghostly Bree@mostlybree.kitrocha.com

post more about your books or I'll kick you in the ankles

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I write so people can dive in wherever amuses them. (Amusement is great! Read what draws you!) But I turn out to love writing across a broad timeline in an interconnected community, figuring out more details of why people and events and things are the way they are.

Sometimes that surprises me! Watching how characters grow and change in sometimes entirely unexpected ways, because of events that they're paying attention to is always a joy. It gives me optimism about the world. Plus romances about being a decent person and caring and thinking and listening.

Ghostly Bree@mostlybree.kitrocha.com

post more about your books or I'll kick you in the ankles

Basically, start anywhere you like! (Except maybe books 2 or 3 of the Mysterious Fields trilogy.) I write a lot about people figuring out how to be in the world (and have good lives) even when their bodies or other things want to make that rough. About getting through hard times (together). Hope.

A number of my readers have been re-reading Eclipse this past week, partly because of the solar eclipse (the book features the partial solar eclipse over Wales in 1924...) And partly because of the ties to Brave Truth, that just came out.

Today in author life: innocently doing the dishes and getting three notable points for the book I'm writing starting in February. (That's the Tam Lin riff in 1461, and to be fair to my brain I was listening to Anaïs Mitchell's "Tam Lin".)

Problems I am fairly sure other authors don't have (often). Me, doing research reading: Ok, that's an absolutely fine and historically well-timed method of curing a werewolf. (Wait for procession on horseback, count people, hit the fourth one over the head with an iron club.) [1] However...

Given that the next book coming out after it is the Tam Lin riff, I probably shouldn't do that two books in a row, no matter how well documented it is in the folklore. (These two books are taking place in c. 1921 and 1461 respectively, mind.)

[1] No, it's not explained why the werewolves are riding in a horseback procession or what the horses think about this. (Story from Mysteries of the Werewolf: Shapeshifting, Magic, and Protection by Claude Lecouteux, p. 27)

Celia Lake reposted

Kiya Nicoll

@kiyanicoll.bsky.social