Hi, I’m Callie 🪄

Selfie Queen? Not so much…

But books and stories and all things fantasy? Now, we’re talking!

An Unlikely Origin Story

Like most authors, I have an origin story. Most of us remember the first book that changed the way we saw the world—or changed the way we saw ourselves. Like so many people, I grew up with a pretty traumatic/dramatic background. And like so many others, I found peace, hope, and comfort in books.

But life doesn’t promise easy adulthoods just because life started out with challenges. I had one path that was pretty unremarkable—my education. Thanks to the generosity of student loans, grants, and scholarships, I was able to get some degrees, some good jobs, and eventually I landed the job of my dreams: someone paid me to write!

I wrote my first book when I was twelve years old, but didn’t publish my own stories until much, much, much (MUCH) later. Once I saw my words in print, saw real strangers reading and reviewing my stories, it was the most beautiful, breathtaking experience. Except writing, supporting yourself, and managing life with chronic illness is NOT easy. I ended up doing what a lot of us do in the beginning. I worked a lot of jobs, including as a paid ghostwriter.

After some years juggling more jobs than an unemployed Hollywood actor, I was writing almost an entire book a month for one ghostwriting client. The stories were wild, sexy, and fun, and consistently producing a LOT of content. That gave me the confidence to work on my own stories in my off time.

And then, Bug…

In 2021, I published something BIG. It’s a book that I had queried years ago, a book that agents told me was “haunting,” “memorable,” “had amazing worldbuilding,” and “gave me nightmares,” but there was one problem: they couldn’t sell zombies.

I’d never wanted to write horror, but there was that one project that I couldn’t let go of. A zombie apocalypse story set in my hometown of Los Angeles that followed a shy, trauma-shaped young girl named Bea, or, as her roommate affectionately called her, “Bug.”

Bug by Callie Chase. Art by Matt Hubel

I self-published Bug and it was…successful?!?! I didn’t understand it. I had no following. I’d revised the original book into a long serial (250,000 words over 100 episodes) and expanded the cast to more than 13 characters. It was ambitious and showed the dark side of LA, as well as the people who live here. But something about Bug resonated with people. There was no romance in it, and it seemed hard to believe after all the years writing romance that I could make a career in horror…or anyplace where there was no happy ending in sight, no toe-curling kisses, or sweet, playful banter.

As much as I still love Bug (If you ever read it, please, let me know. It’s still available and new readers still find it. It’s so, so dear to my heart and there is so much of ME and many people I love in that book!) I knew I had to pivot.

My favorite Matt

While I was expanding Bug, I went on the hunt for a cover artist. I found one, only one, who I thought could perfectly bring my dystopian vision of LA to life. (While I didn’t ask for this, I really think Bea and the dog Daisy from the cover look identical to me and my German Shepherd, Molly!)

Matt Hubel is an artist with a background in video games and digital effects. When I contacted him, not only did I learn he was willing to work on my project, he is literally like the most wonderful guy. Check out Matt’s IG and art portfolio if you don’t believe me. The guy is 🔥!!!

After I finished Bug, I took a minute to decide which of my projects I could build a brand around. Indie authors can’t usually write all kinds of genres at once. Readers who want my zombies aren’t usually the same ones who want erotic romance, romantic suspense, or fantasy. So I knew I had to pick a lane. And I made a very, very tough choice.

Wizards, Vampires, and Magic

Growing up, I was one of those nerds (I use that term with love and respect!) who played games like Magic the Gathering. The most formative book I read growing up was A Wrinkle In Time. I’m obsessed with mermaids, magic, and the possibilities of all the things we cannot fully understand.

When I do chores, I listen to fantasy video game playlists. When I have free time, my best friend and I play Baldur’s Gate 3 or watch Critical Role on YouTube. It seemed pretty obvious if I had to pick a lane, the lane I’d choose would be littered with magical moss, terrifying monsters, and wild adventures.

So I committed to writing fantasy romance, and have never looked back.

The Thieves of Tutovl

The first fantasy romance I wrote was one I started YEARS ago. It was a lesbian romance between a princess and a commoner, inspired by the Grimm Fairy Tale The Twelve Huntsmen. But that story wasn’t a book, and it certainly wasn’t a marketable series. I changed the book from a sapphic romance to a male-female romance (Not to worry, there’s sapphic romance ahead! My first-ever published book was a lesbian romance published by a small press.) and changed the commoner to a vampire warrior, a bodyguard by birth bound to the royal family. I sent that book to one agent I knew and started in on the next.

While I waited for feedback from the agent, I got to work on the next series, one I knew I would self-publish. That series would follow a family of vampires in the Realm of Tutovl, a place where vampires and other creatures are forbidden and hidden.

I wrote Bloodguild as a prequel to the series, and since I planned to make the book a permanent freebie, I tried hiring a designer to make a fantasy-style cover. I love how it turned out, but as it turns out, picking covers and establishing a brand for authors is one of the harder parts of the job. I like people on the covers, but I didn’t like the limitations that came with choosing clothes and backgrounds in an authentic fantasy setting. (And I do not use AI/AI-art for my book covers or to write my books!)

Bloodguild follows the story of Rainieri Oderisi and the love of his life, Gia Lestalinn, a scrivener who is working to pay off a crushing debt left behind after her parents were killed. (Rain’s older brother was enslaved by a vampire raider, so Rain needed money to free him—fast. A little grave robbing seemed like an easy solution…) I released Bloodguild for free to my newsletter subscribers, hoping to see if the story resonated and if I’d made the right choice writing fantasy. Turns out, I think I did okay!

Dishonor Among Thieves

After Rain frees his brother Neoruzzi, Neo is traumatized by what he’s been through. And he’s hells-bent on revenge. Dishonor Among Thieves was my debut fantasy romance novel, and wow, was that a learning experience. I leaned away from writing really high smut (not because I don’t like it…I just wasn’t sure whether readers of fantasy romance wanted high spice or low heat! This was just as BookTok was growing in visibility… So I know better now!)

The one thing I love most about Dishonor (other than, of course, the love story!) is… You guessed it. I hired Matt Hubel to design my cover.

I cannot tell you how long I have stared at this cover! Look at the tortured look on Neo’s face! The way he’s holding Brexia’s chin! And Brexia’s throwing knives! (And I can say this because we’re among friends, but look at Brex’s behind!!! ❤️‍🔥)

It was only the first book of my fantasy romance career, but it already felt like I’d made the right choice.

Not long after Dishonor came the story of Syndrian and Pali. Syndrian is the cutler who made Brexia’s throwing knives in Dishonor. He’s a union cutler in his father’s shop, but if was going to fit into the Theives of Tutovl series, he’d need to have a little larceny in him someplace. Turns out, he does…

The Lover’s Leap

Matt Hubel, you’re a genius!

After my second book in the Thieves of Tutovl came out, I had feedback from the agent who’d read Book One of the Huntsisters. She liked it. LIKED it! But she had recommendations for edits. I knew it’d needed some editing and some tweaks, but after ALL those months waiting for feedback, I knew I didn’t want to wait to make a bunch of edits, send them back to the agent, wait many, many more months and then wait to see if she liked it still.

So I started my next project while I started revising Huntsisters One. And that project would take me in a whole new direction…

Wraith

Meet Rurik Baynne, “Rue.” He’s the oldest brother and lead character in my series, Wraith.

So, Wraith… This is a tricky one. I started writing Wraith on the same platform I published Bug on. Remember Bug? My funky little LA zombie story? Because Bug had so many points of view and I was able to manage them so well, I decided the next story I wanted to tell would be a really good fit for that platform too.

Wraith follows three brothers, Rue, Weylin, and Ender. They share one father who is the head of a criminal enterprise in the same shire where The Lover’s Leap takes place. The boys have three different mothers and LOTS, I mean LOTS, of secrets. In the very first episode of Wraith, someone is watching Lord Baer Baynne get down and dirty with Rue’s wife. With his SON’s WIFE!

Whoever is watching doesn’t like what they see, and by the end of Episode One, Lord Baynne is dead. But sadly, so are Rue’s wife and two sons. That kicks off a mystery and three dark, dark romances. Weylin and Ender are two of my favorite heroes and they have long stories and romances in the series as well. But the character who really makes Wraith special is the Baynne family healer, Rue’s first love, a vampire in hiding named Kiya. (Who also happens to have history with Brexia from Dishonor!)

(By now can you tell I’m a fan of Matt Hubel’s art!)

I was publishing episodes of Wraith in 2023 when my best friend of 20 years was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. A shock, to say the least. We’re too young for this kind of crap, friends. While I had to keep working the projects that were paying my rent, I had to pick and choose how much time I could put into my own writing. (These pretty covers aren’t cheap! Worth it, but not cheap. And hiring editors, and proofreaders, and etc…)

So I put my pencil down for a couple months and traveled between LA and my childhood home in Chicago to help my best friend through surgeries, treatment, and a lot of tough times.

But I didn’t stop writing…

The good news is that stories can be picked up. Books can be revised. And as I head into 2024, I’ve got the first book in the Huntsisters series scheduled to release by March. (Haha, you’ll have to watch these pages for the art and cover reveal. It is AMAZING!!!) I’m going to pick Wraith back up, too, because those Baynne brothers have an incredible journey and I’m excited to share it.

Now what?

That brings you to this space, this Substack. I love connecting with my readers, and I love to share stories, pictures, art, and more. I am truly, truly so grateful you’re here. I’ve worked so hard to tell great stories. To be a better write than I was two years ago, five years ago, and I keep working to be a better writer tomorrow than I am today.

I have a whole series planned for the Huntsisters. Books full of diverse representation, deep healing from profound trauma, and characters who kick butt and take monsters down—no matter where the monsters live. There will be steamy times…and I learned after Thieves of Tutovl and thanks to the outspoken readers on BookTok and Bookstagram that y’all love your spice. All of my books coming out in 2024 will be high on that chili pepper scale without compromising the story. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I’ll keep working at all the projects I have underway, and I hope you’ll keep coming back. Read my new work. Share my old. Review a book if you’re so inclined. And if you want to reach out, PLEASE do. I didn’t become a writer to keep everything in a journal all for myself!

I share my stories so that when I get messages and reviews like this, I know I’m living not only my dream but my purpose.

Thank you

If you’re new to this space, thank you for being here. If you stop by often, welcome back. Please know that there is a real person behind these words, behind every page of the books I write. I live in Los Angeles, California, where my younger sister has a family. They own a small family business that’s in its second generation. I have a beautiful German Shepherd dog I rescued, two dragons on the desk behind me, and shelf after shelf of books that represent the hopes and dreams of a lifetime of storytelling.

Thank you for being part of my work. Thank you for reading my books. Thank you for believing in my Happy Ever After. Through the books I write and the community we are, I believe in yours, too.

Callie in Cali

My original “vision board” for the Bug characters

My German Shepherd rescue

Callie Chase

Callie Chase lives in Los Angeles and has way too many books on her desk and in her brain at any one time. A second-generation romance author, she passionately believes in happy endings, magic, and outsmarting monsters of all kinds. A research fanatic, Callie spends a lot of time exploring every detail of her stories—from the materials a late Middle Ages scrivener would have at her desk to the types of fruit and plants that might grow in various seasons in her fictional worlds. Lover of mythology, mermaids, zombies, and dogs, she credits strong coffee and all things chocolate for helping her bring her ideas to life.

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