Karen Bayly is the author of several novels, novellas and short stories. Her writing is an eclectic mix of speculative fiction, alternative history, noir and mystery. Her tales are often garnished with a touch of horror. She also writes the occasional dark fantasy story for younger folk.
Born in Australia, she works in IT and resides in Sydney with two cats, two ukuleles, two guitars and a DSLR camera.
Substack: The Write Karen
JUST RELEASED!
Crimeucopia – You Ain’t Read Nothin’ Yet! contains my story “Sins of the Past” featuring Samara Shappelle Sawhney – Sam Shappelle for short.
Sam thought she had escaped her past and the man who almost brought her life to an end. But this is nor and life is never that simple. When Ma Belle appears on her doorstep, Sam has no choice but to face up to her actions and make things right.
Available at Amazon and other booksellers.
You can read Sam Shappelle’s origin story for free here: Crown of Poppies
AVAILABLE NOW!
Some houses want your soul—Blackeby House wants your blood.
Gemma Harcourt never expected her country getaway to become a descent into madness. When she accepts a last-minute invitation to visit her estranged cousin Henry at his newly acquired rural property, she finds herself drawn into the chilling legacy of Blackeby House—a crumbling Queen Anne mansion steeped in whispers, shadows, and something far more ancient than family secrets.
The locals speak in guarded tones. Henry shifts between charm and cruelty. And the house… the house seems to remember things that even time should have buried.
Trapped in a nightmare where reality flickers like faulty lighting and ghosts wear the faces of the living, Gemma must confront not just the horrors of the house, but her own haunted past. As the darkness tightens its grip, escape becomes more than survival—it becomes redemption.
Set against the eerie beauty of rural Australia, Blackeby House is a gothic horror that weaves psychological dread with ghostly suspense. Atmospheric, visceral, and deeply human, this is a tale that asks: can history ever truly stay buried?
AVAILABLE NOW!
Steampunk Sleuths contains my story “Murder in Whitby” featuring Serendipity Windlass
Miss Windlass embarks on a errand to the lovely seaside of Whitby, never expecting to be embroiled in a murder mystery. When the alleged killer is someone who she is certain couldn’t have done it, she chooses to investigate the matter herself. However, doing so puts her own life in danger and she must unravel all the clues before the killer catches up with her.
For Middle-Grade readers…
When Tabitha Two Owls was a baby, the great wizard Odelfius pronounced her ‘The Witch Who Wasn’t’. Her best friend, Jemima Jerribode, believes that Odelfius didn’t intend any insult but merely forgot to finish his sentence. However, his proclamation left Tabitha doubting her identity. She has dedicated her life to proving her worth as a witch, with disastrous results.
Tabitha flunks her final school exam and fails to redeem herself at the Hall of Trials. The powerful Eldwitches ban her from practising magic, leaving her adrift in a sea of disillusion. But fate has a plan for the young witch. A series of events forces her to reclaim her magical heritage and lead a battle against an ancient evil threatening to destroy the land. In doing so, she understands what being The Witch Who Wasn’t truly means.
Alternate world adventures…
Fortitude
New Londinium, the capital of the United Republic of Britannia, is the birthplace of the “clean steam” era and a haven for free-thinkers, progressives, and intellectuals. Its government relies solely on the advice of the Council of Danaeus, a collective of the world’s pre-eminent scientists and inventors, to formulate the policies that make this city the most celebrated in the world. Yet something sinister is invading New Londinium – an immortality cult whose machinations to enslave all but a chosen few threaten to transform the city from a beacon of hope to a flagship of misery. So when the impoverished but undaunted Viola Winslow discovers her dead brother in a state of reanimation, she requests the assistance of renowned inventor, Doctor Parthena Ripley, and her feisty sister, Artemis Ripley Devereaux, to save him. However, it’s not until Doctor Corazon Paget, the grande dame of the Council, disappears in suspicious circumstances and a series of explosions rock New Londinium that Parthena, Artemis and Viola truly understand the deadly game in play.
Courage
After the tumultuous events that saw the defeat of the heinous blood-drinking society of immortals, Immortalis Serapsis, Artemis Devereaux flees the United Republic of Britannia in her dirigible, Taygete. Alone, she travels the world searching for clues to the whereabouts of her undead husband. Her journey brings her to Terra Australis, ostensibly to attend the Great Southern Scientific Fair, but her arrival in this land heralds a change of fortunes. Old enemies resurface with their sights set on her capture, and the long-awaited reunion with Nathaniel is brutal. With her life in danger, Artemis must rely on new, untested friends while she waits for her sister and compatriots to fly in from New Londinium. However, the strange yet beautiful Terra Australis holds dangers and challenges for the entire gang, with life-changing and sometimes devastating consequences
Featured Publications (links in Publications)
Karen Bayly 