Stories that begin where certainty fails.
Dark fantasy exploring identity, power, and the moment becoming becomes a choice.
For readers drawn to slow-burn stories that go dark…
…and don’t look away.
I write stories that insist.
I write dark fantasy about power, identity, and the cost of becoming…
…especially when survival demands more than obedience.
My stories live in morally complex worlds where monsters are rarely separate from the self, and choosing who to be matters more than winning.
If you’re drawn to fiction that lingers, that changes the questions rather than answering them, you’re in the right place.
The Rishi’s Wish Series
The Rishi’s Wish series began with a question I couldn’t let go of:
What happens when the thing hunting you is also the key to who you are? And what if you have no idea what to do about it?
Set in a hidden world of immortals, reimagined myth, and uneasy alliances, the series follows characters forced to confront what they are, and what they’re willing to become to survive.
The Magic Fade Series
Magic Fade explores what happens after power has already been taken and the world keeps rewarding it anyway.
Set in a realm where magic is fading but not gone, the series follows rulers, rebels, and quiet catalysts forced to decide whether stability is worth the cost of truth.
This is fantasy about inheritance, erasure, and the dangerous comfort of letting systems stand unchallenged.
While Rishi’s Wish asks what it costs to become yourself,
Magic Fade asks what it costs not to.
Together, these stories trace the moment where silence stops being neutral.
Magic Fade is for those who:
- Are interested in power as a system, not just a weapon
- Like political tension without easy villains
- Care about what survives when magic, or truth, is erased
- Believe rebellion often begins quietly
On rishi’s wish:
“…this one had an original thought or two that made me pause and reflect… it takes something to make the gray matter light up. This one achieved that.”
on Rishi’s wish:
“I couldn’t forget about this story… This will stay with me for a long time.”
On Magic fade:
“Martens’ ability to craft thought-provoking moments is evident throughout.”
on magic fade:
“In a voice all her own…”
Stay with the work:
I occasionally write about what I’m working on, what questions are driving the stories, and when something new begins. Every Tuesday, I send out a book quote I’ve saved from some of my favorite reads.
No noise. No pressure. Just the signal.
I don’t write to meet demand.
I write to begin something true and let the right readers find it.
Author C.M. Martens 