KJ Charles
KJ Charles | |
|---|---|
 Charles in 2021 | |
| Other names | K.J. Charles |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Website | kjcharleswriter |
KJ Charles is a British author of historical and fantasy romance. She has authored over 30 novels, mostly queer romances set in 19th and early 20th-century England,[1] beginning with The Magpie Lord (2013). Her work has received a number of accolades, including nominations for a RITA Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
Career
[edit]Charles worked in publishing for over twenty years, including a stint at Mills & Boon. She began her writing career as a self-publisher. Despite the challenges that come with self-publishing, she felt it would allow her more creative freedom and ability to publish on her own schedule. In addition, at the time, she knew major publishers were unlikely to pick up the kinds of queer romances she wanted write.[2]
Charles published her debut novel The Magpie Lord in 2013, the first in her A Charm of Magpies Victorian-set fantasy trilogy.[3] The Magpie Lord was nominated for the 2014 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Novel. The second and third novels in the trilogy were A Case of Possession and Flight of Magpies in 2014. Charles would expand on her A Charm of Magpies World with further works set in the same universe, including Jackdaw (2015) and Rag and Bone (2016).[4] Also in 2014, Charles published another novel Think of England, set in the early 20th-century.[5][6] Both A Case of Possession and Think of England won 2014 Rainbow Awards in the Fantasy Romance and Historical Romance categories. Think of England would later be followed up by a prequel Proper English in 2019,[7] plus the Will Darling Adventures series in 2020, which consisted of Slippery Creatures, The Sugared Game and Subtle Blood.[8]
In 2015, Charles published The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal,[9] described as a fantasy "pastiche/tribute" of Sherlock Holmes,[4] and began her London Sequence with the Society of Gentlemen trilogy, consisting of A Fashionable Indulgence, A Seditious Affair and A Gentleman's Position.[10] A Seditious Affair was a runner-up to Nalini Singh's Shards of Hope for Best Romance on the All About Romance Reader Poll. Charles' 2017 novel Spectred Isle takes place in the same universe as The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal in the aftermath of World War I and introduces the "Green Men",[4][11] while her 2017 Sins of the Cities trilogy is the next in the London Sequence.[12][6] Spectred Isle was a finalist for the 2018 RITA Award for Paranormal Romance. Also published in 2017 and 2018 were the Jonathan'verse series, including Wanted, A Gentleman, Band Sinister and the novella Unfit to Print,[6] and the standalones The Price of Meat and The Henchmen of Zenda. In her column for The Washington Post, Sarah MacLean named Wanted, A Gentleman one of the top 5 romance novels of the year.[13] Next in the London Sequence came Charles' The Lilywhite Boys trilogy of Any Old Diamonds and Gilded Cage in 2019 and Masters in This Hall in 2022, in addition to prequel The Rat Catcher.[14]
Charles initially self-published The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting in 2021[15] before it was picked up by Orion Publishing Group.[2] The novel became part of the loosely-connected Gentlemen of an Uncertain Fortune books, followed by A Thief in the Night and The Duke at Hazard.
Both The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman and A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel,[16] part of the Doomsday series, were published in 2023. Set in Romney Marsh, the character Gareth is based on parson-naturalist Gilbert White. The second novel takes place 13 years after the first.[17][18] The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance. It was also a Library Journal Best Romance Book of 2023.[19] A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel was a September 2023 LibraryReads pick[20] and shortlisted for a Libby Book Award.
Charles signed a single book deal with Storm Publishing in 2023 for Come to Dust[21][22] and a three-book deal with Tor Books in 2025, starting with How to Fake it in Society.[23]
Influences
[edit]Charles' influences include Georgette Heyer, Charles Dickens, TS Eliot, Beverly Jenkins, and Terry Pratchett.[17] She has mentioned reading the works of Rozina Visram, David Olusoga and Rictor Norton in her historical research.[24] While Charles' novels tend to centre the romance, they also overlap in genre with historical fiction, fantasy,[4][6] and mystery.[25]
Personal life
[edit]Charles lives in London with her husband. They have two children.[26]
Bibliography
[edit]A Charm of Magpies
[edit]- The Magpie Lord (2013)
- A Case of Possession (2014)
- Flight of Magpies (2014)
Shorts
[edit]- "The Smuggler and the Warlord" (2013) (0.5)
- "Interlude with Tattoos" (2013) (1.5)
- "A Case of Spirits" (2015) (2.5)
- "Feast of Stephen" (2014) (3.5)
- "Five for Heaven" (2019) (3.6)
The Charm of Magpies World
[edit]- Jackdaw (2015)
- "A Queer Trade" (2016) (novelette, Rag and Bone 0.5)
- Rag and Bone (2016)
England World
[edit]- Think of England (2014)
- Proper English (2019) (prequel)
The Will Darling Adventures
[edit]- Slippery Creatures (2020)
- The Sugared Game (2020)
- Subtle Blood (2021)
Shorts
[edit]- "Song for a Viking" (Think of England epilogue)
- "To Trust Man on his Oath" (Will Darling 2.5)
- "How Goes the World?" (England 2.5/Will Darling 3.5)
Simon Feximal / Green Men World
[edit]- The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (2015)
- Spectred Isle (2017)
- Last Couple in Hell
London Sequence
[edit]Society of Gentlemen
[edit]- A Fashionable Indulgence (2015)
- A Seditious Affair (2015)
- A Gentleman’s Position (2016)
Society shorts
[edit]- The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (2015) (0.5)
- "A Confidential Problem" (2016) (2.5)
- "A Private Miscellany" (2016) (3.5)
Sins of the Cities
[edit]- An Unseen Attraction (2017)
- An Unnatural Vice (2017)
- An Unsuitable Heir (2017)
The Lilywhite Boys
[edit]- Any Old Diamonds (2019)
- Gilded Cage (2019)
- Masters in this Hall (2022)
Lilywhite extras
[edit]- The Ratcatcher's Daughter (2019) (prequel)
- (Lily) White Wedding (2023)
Jonathan'verse
[edit]- Wanted, A Gentleman (2017)
- "Wanted, an Author"
- Band Sinister (2018)
- Unfit to Print (2018)
Gentlemen of an Uncertain Fortune
[edit]- The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting (2021)
- A Thief in the Night (2022)
- "A Rose by Any Name" (2023) (epilogue)
- The Duke at Hazard (2024)
The Doomsday Books
[edit]- The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (2023)
- "If He Had His Legs We'd be in so Much Trouble"
- A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (2023)
Standalones
[edit]- The Price of Meat (2017)
- The Henchmen of Zenda (2018)
- Death in the Spires (2024)
- Copper Script (2025)
- All of Us Murderers (2025)
- Come to Dust
- How to Fake it in Society
Contemporary novels
[edit]- Non-Stop Till Tokyo (2014)[27]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gaylactic Spectrum Awards | Best Novel | The Magpie Lord | Shortlisted | [28] |
| Rainbow Awards | Best Gay Fantasy Romance | A Case of Possession | Won | [29][30] | |
| Best Gay Historical Romance | Think of England | Won | |||
| 2015 | Gaylactic Spectrum Awards | Best Novel | A Case of Possession / Flight of Magpies | Shortlisted | [28] |
| Rainbow Awards | Best Gay Paranormal Romance | The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal | Won | [30] | |
| Best Gay Historical Romance | A Fashionable Indulgence | Shortlisted | |||
| 2016 | Best Gay Fantasy Romance | Rag and Bone | Shortlisted | ||
| All About Romance Reader Poll | Best Romance | A Seditious Affair | Runner-up | [31] | |
| 2018 | RITA Award | Paranormal Romance | Spectred Isle | Shortlisted | [32] |
| 2024 | Libby Book Awards | Best Romance Book of the Year | A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel | Shortlisted | [33] |
| Lambda Literary Awards | Gay Romance | The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen | Shortlisted | [34] |
References
[edit]- ^ Maclean, Sarah (28 June 2016). "Love is love: The best LGBT romance novels". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Tacye (12 January 2024). "KJ Charles On The Dialogues In The Gentle Art Of Fortune Hunting". United by Pop. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Bourke, Liz (5 July 2017). "Sleeps With Monsters: Entertaining Boys With Magical Problems". Reactor. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d Berlin, Marina (16 November 2018). "History, Queer Romance, and Fantasy Combine in the Work of KJ Charles". Reactor. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ Kearney, Emma; Haymond, Beth (18 March 2024). "Think of England". Reformed Rakes. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d Devaney, Beulah Maud (29 March 2019). "Reading Pathway: K.J. Charles". Book Riot. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Coqui, Anna (8 May 2019). "Review: Proper English, by KJ Charles". Love in Panels. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Rodale, Maya (19 June 2021). "For June, 3 Romances That Prove Love Is Love Is Love". NPR. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Jansen, BJ (28 November 2016). "The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal By K.J. Charles". All About Romance. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Grinnan, Dabney (8 November 2015). "Queer Regency romance: a chat with Ava March and KJ Charles". All About Romance. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Monika Markéta Šmídová (26 August 2024). ""Oh, my friend, those weren't angels": Trauma, Recovery and Folklore in The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal and Spectred Isle by KJ Charles". Journal of Popular Romance Studies. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ Owens, Caz (21 February 2017). "An Unseen Attraction By K.J. Charles". All About Romance. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ MacLean, Sarah (15 November 2017). "The 5 best romance novels of 2017". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 April 2025.(subscription required)
- ^ Jayne (1 November 2019). "REVIEW: The Rat-Catcher's Daughter (Lilywhite Boys) by KJ Charles". Dear Author. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Maureen Lee Lenker (1 March 2021). "Hot Stuff: February romance novels are tender and warmhearted". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Mills, Rebecca (19 September 2023). "Book Review: A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel". Culturess. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b Maxwell, Daryl (20 April 2023). "Interview With an Author: KJ Charles". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Owen, Greg (26 August 2023). "Gay romance novels are all the rage & author KJ Charles has written your next favorite". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Shining Stars - The Best Romance Books of the Year (So Far)". Library Journal. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "LibraryReads September 2023 Picks". BookList. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Bestselling romance writer and former editor KJ Charles signs with Storm Publishing". Storm Publishing. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Brown, Lauren (6 September 2023). "Former editor Charles signs with Storm Publishing". The Bookseller. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Brown, Lauren (10 April 2025). "Tor signs KJ Charles' queer historical romance in three-book deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Rodale, Maya (8 March 2023). "The XO Interview: KJ Charles". Hidden Herstories. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Mazza, Angelina (14 February 2025). "Enemies to Lovers: On the Romance Genre's Mainstream Come-Up". Literary Hub. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "What's on Your To-Be-Read Pile? With Author KJ Charles". Brookline Library. January 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Sirius (21 April 2014). "REVIEW: Non-Stop Till Tokyo by KJ Charles". Dear Author. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Gaylactic Spectrum Awards - 2014/2015 Information". Gaylactic Spectrum Awards. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "KJ Charles AND Z.A. Maxfield Novels Rainbow Awards Finalists". Knight Agency. 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Charles". Library Thing. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Grinnan, Dabney (27 March 2016). "And the winners of the AAR Annual Reader Poll 2016 are…". All About Romance. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Nicholas, Sarah (24 July 2018). "Romance Writers of America RITA Award Winners and Suzanne Brockmann's Boat-Rocking Lifetime Achievement Speech". Book Riot. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Announcing the Libby Book Awards winners!". OverDrive. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Announcing the Finalists for the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Them. 27 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.