The Short Version
I'm Carly Bryant, a Kentucky author writing romance with big feelings, found family at the center, and characters who learn, slowly and sometimes painfully, that they deserve to be loved well. Many of my stories center LGBTQIA2S+ characters and relationships, but I follow the story wherever it needs to go. I write the stories I wish existed.
How It Started
The Chaos Coven was born out of a very simple question: what if the chosen family you'd always wanted was also the catalyst for the love story you didn't know you needed? The series started as a single book and kept insisting it wasn't finished.
Loving Lauren, the first full novel, went on to win an award for romance. It's the book closest to my heart, a story about two women learning to stop running, from each other and from themselves.
The Writing Life
When I'm not deep in a draft, you'll find me in reader groups, reading everything I can get my hands on, or convincing myself one more cup of tea is a sensible life choice.
I also write darker fiction under the name Carly Black: psychological thrillers with an atmosphere you can feel in your bones. Two very different headspaces. Same love of a story that doesn't let go.
A Note on My Work
Many of my books center LGBTQIA2S+ love stories, while others do not. Different pairings, different heat levels, different worlds — the through-line is emotional honesty, characters worth rooting for, and love stories written with intention. Representation matters deeply to me, without making every book fit the same mold.