Blog - Celia Lake

Grown Wise: A silhouetted man and woman in 1940s clothes, walking together as he reaches for a branch full of apples. The background is a muted green and brown, scattered with a swoosh of golden light. Shown on a wooden table with a mug of tea.

Land magic questions & answers

May 6, 2025 / Albion

Answering some questions about the land magic, Heirs stepping down, and unusual circumstances.

Upon A Summer's Day displayed on a tablet in a sunset scene looking out across water to fields beyond, all of it glowing golden and sparkling with magic. The cover of Upon A Summer's Day shows a man in a suit silhouetted over a map of northern Wales in a muted green. He is gesturing, holding his cane in one hand, a cap on his head. Behind him is an astrological chart, with Jupiter and Saturn highlighted in the sign of Taurus.

Demesne Estates

April 29, 2025 / Albion

The demesne estates are the heart of Albion’s land magic. Take a tour of what this means and a few of the key estates.

Ancient Trust, Facets of the Bench, Grown Wise, Illusion of a Boar, Mari Lwyd 1927, Upon A Summer's Day

Grown Wise displayed on phone on a table with apples, squashes, fallen leaves, and other autumnal items.

The Fortier family (a brief history)

April 22, 2025 / Albion

Learn about the history of the Fortier family, especially since the late 1800s, down to Ursula Fortier.

Eclipse, Elemental Truth, Enchanted Net, Grown Wise, Mysterious Fields, Silent Circuit, With All Due Speed

Enchanted Net: A silhouetted man and woman in Victorian dress stand with their backs to the viewer. She is holding a glass of wine as they look toward each other. The background is a purple damask, crossed by pipes and gears and a streak of lightning, with a book inset in the top left corner. The tablet is set on a wood table, with a coffee mug and fallen leaves.

Idea to book: Mysterious Fields trilogy

April 15, 2025 / Ideas to books

The ideas behind the Mysterious Fields trilogy: the Fortier and Landry families, why this story needed three books, and the implications for the family in the 1940s.

Elemental Truth, Enchanted Net, Grown Wise, Mysterious Fields, Silent Circuit

Cover of Eclipse displayed on a tablet, resting on a pine bough, surrounded by wood five-pointed stars.

Albion: The original inspiration

April 8, 2025 / Albion, Ideas to books

All about the original inspiration for Albion and my writing – a chance comment about the Wars of the Roses and exploring different kinds of stories.

Carillon Family, Eclipse, Goblin Fruit

Albion’s Council

April 1, 2025 / Albion

A look at Albion’s Council, the 21 people who are responsible for maintaining the Pact and tending the land magic for the country.

Best Foot Forward, Grown Wise, Mysterious Fields, The Hare And The Oak, Three Graces, Upon A Summer's Day

Cover of Facets of the Bench: two people in 1920s clothing silhouetted, the man in a wheelchair with forearm crutches visible. She's handing him a necklace, with a jet pendant inset in the top right corner.

Idea to Book: Facets of the Bench

March 18, 2025 / Ideas to books

The ideas behind Facets of the Bench: Whitby jet, building a good life as an ambulatory wheelchair user, and Griffin’s love of Trellech.

Facets of the Bench

Copy of Best Foot Forward lying on a bed of sand, covered by an enamelled Horus medallion. The cover has a deep red background with map markings in a dull purple. Two men in silhouette stand, looking up at a point in the top left. An astrology chart with different symbols picked out takes up the left side of the image, with glowing stars curving up to the title.

The problem of names

March 11, 2025 / Albion

The names characters use tell a lot about their relationship with the people they’re talking to (and about). Here’s a quick guide to the nuances.

Apt To Be Suspicious, Best Foot Forward, Old As The Hills

A copy of Bound for Perdition standing upright next to a stack of leather bound books and a pocketwatch. The cover of Bound for Perdition has a man and woman silhouetted in dark brown on a green and brown background, with the woman holding a book while the man gestures. An open blank book and pen are inset in the top right corner.

Buying books: the landscape from an indie author perspective

March 4, 2025 / Reading, Writing and publishing

An overview of the landscape of buying books (and the options out there), from my POV as a reader and indie author.

Levels of magical power

February 25, 2025 / Albion

What are the levels of magical power in Albion, and how does that play out for specific people? Here, I answer a question from a reader about that.

Grown Wise, Mysterious Fields, Pastiche, The Changing Door

Copy of Goblin Fruit lying on a white wood desk, surrounded by golden yellow leaves and pinecorns that highlight the yellow in the cover.

Making the Pact

February 11, 2025 / Albion

The process of making the Pact, when that happens, and what’s involved. Includes a look at a few less common situations

The Pact

February 11, 2025 / Albion

The Pact is one of the key underlying parts of Albion and her magic. Let’s dive into some of the history and how it works!

The Fossil Door

eReader with cover of Carry On showing on it, on a bed of pale pink rose petals.

Healers and apprenticeship

February 4, 2025 / Albion

Exploring what healer apprenticeships and training are like in Albion, along with some notes on related medical training.

Carry On, Casting Nasturtiums, Four Walls and a Heart, Mistress Of Birds, Sailor's Jewel

Cover of Outcrossing displayed on a weathered wood board, with a horseshoe and lucky clover.

Apprenticing in Albion

January 28, 2025 / Albion

An overview of apprenticing (and training of various sorts) in Albion. Includes a guide to the demographics, different educational paths, and apprenticeship itself.

Bound for Perdition, On The Bias, Outcrossing, Seven Sisters, Size of the Bog, The Fossil Door, Three Tales of Gabe and Rathna, Treats And Extras, Weaving Hope