Dissecting Karen Bayly
Welcome back to the Black Hare Press Dissecting Author interviews, where we dissect an author each month to find out who they are, what they write, and what keeps their creative juices flowing.
Today, we slice open dark speculative fiction author Karen Bayly and spill her writing secrets and author aspirations.
Who is Karen Bayly?
Karen Bayly is a writer, software tester, and author of three novels: the alternate history adventures Fortitude and Courage, and the Middle-Grade fantasy, The Witch Who Wasn’t. She has also published two novellas: Tesato’s Code,” a dystopian cyber-thriller, and “Murder in Whitby” a steampunk mystery included in the Steampunk Sleuths anthology.
Her passion for writing began as a child when she wrote soap operas for her dolls to perform. These days, her PhD in biology, her research background, and her concern for the future inform her writing—an eclectic mix of speculative fiction, horror, noir, and mystery. She also writes the occasional story for younger folk.
She also dabbles in literary fiction and screenplays. She received an Honourable Mention for "The Waiting" in the Mainstream/Literary Short Story Category, 73rd Writer’s Digest Competition. In 2016, she reached the quarterfinals of Screencraft’s Cinematic Short Story Competition with "Daphne’s Dance". In the same year, her short science fiction screenplay, "The Reconciled", reached the quarterfinals of Screencraft’s Short Screenplay Competition. Tesato’s Code performed well in Screencraft’s 2023 Cinematic Short Story Competition. Though unplaced, it reached #20 on Coverfly’s Red List for Thriller Short Story (Prose).
Her work has appeared in anthologies from Black Beacon Press, Black Hare Press, Specul8, Dragon Soul Press, and Crystal Lake Publishing, and journals such as Toasted Cheese, Overland, Spillwords, and Every Day Fiction.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia, with two cats, two guitars, and two ukuleles.
Karen’s Books:
Blackeby House: books2read.com/Bayly-Blackeby
The Witch Who Wasn't: books2read.com/u/mgxnpD
Fortitude: mybook.to/fortitude-courage
Courage: mybook.to/fortitude-courage
Tesato's Code: books2read.com/Tesato-Bayly
Connect with Karen:
Website: karenbayly.com
LinkTr.ee: linktr.ee/karenbayly
Do you write for entertainment, or is there a deeper message in your stories?
Both! For those who just want entertainment, I provide rollicking adventures or dark thrillers. But there is always a message for those who wish to look deeper.
Do recurring themes appear in your stories?
Yes. I despise corporatism and mobocracy, and I often set my stories in worlds where these exist. Since the 1970s, I have been an advocate for the environment and for social justice. I’ve seen the world go two steps forward and one step (or more) back repeatedly on so many issues. So, I sometimes explore the fragility of the freedoms we think are our right. I enjoy writing about alternative histories and parallel universes, as these are great avenues for exploring these issues and potential solutions—both good and bad!
What’s brewing? What are your next big writing goals?
I’m currently writing a mystery novel involving an older private investigator who finds herself in a parallel universe. I’m also editing a sci-fi parallel universe novella. Neither are dark nor contain horror elements. I think I may have to self-publish both, as I haven’t identified any publisher who might be interested.
What’s your most favourite under-appreciated novel?
Definitely Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, even though it became a movie. So maybe Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun? Both books broke my heart, but have under four stars on Goodreads. People just don’t warm to his brand of subtle yet devastating dystopia.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don’t expect to earn any money from fiction. Forget about making a living from your books. Don’t compare yourself to your peers. All of these steal your joy and creativity. Knowing and accepting this would have stopped me burning out and almost quitting writing completely. And I may not have sacrificed my future security on some vague hope that writing would support me in my old age. Write for the love of writing because ultimately, that is all you have.
Have you ever Googled yourself? What did you find out that you didn’t already know?
I discovered a truly horrendous review of my novel Fortitude by someone who claimed he did not like steampunk or sci-fi, but reviewed it in great length, anyway. The reviewer has since added a much shorter but equally demeaning one-star review on Goodreads.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I played oboe in Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 with the Armidale Symphony Orchestra.
In relation to your latest book:
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?
Blackeby House by Karen Bayly
Release: 20th September, 2025
Link: books2read.com/Bayly-Blackeby
What challenges did you encounter to finish it?
Oh, dear god. This was a short story that grew and diminished and grew again as it was repeatedly rejected. The last rejection was when it was 17K words, and the editors made some useful suggestions for improvement. Around the same time, I received an offer to join a novella writing course with assessment by editors, so I grabbed the opportunity. The final manuscript came out of that and feedback from beta readers.
Why did you choose rural Australia as the setting of this book?
The nature of the land. Rural noir is huge in Australian crime writing now for a good reason. Rural Australia can be remote, wild, and mysterious. Early settlers often built mansions better suited to more refined landscapes. Their illusions of grandeur crumbled to dust. I felt that what was great for rural noir was just as good for gothic horror.
Which of your main characters do you relate to the most? Why?
Todd McIntyre. I feel sorry for him. He is basically a good man, and what happens to him results from his unfortunate ancestry. With any other background, he would be a hero. Ancestral karma is a bitch.
Is there a particular message that you hope readers will take from the book?
We can’t escape our past, but we can create a better future for ourselves and others.
What’s your favourite scene?
Anything with Jonno. He’s a true Aussie larrikin and doesn’t deserve what happens to him. A beta reader kept commenting #justiceforjonn
