Press Release
Award-Winning Voice Cast Leads Immersive Duet Audiobook for Gothic Vampire Romance Sequel
Photos courtesy of Christopher Tester and Krys Janae
Forthcoming sequel to Briar Somerset’s novella Beecham’s Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted expands ongoing five-book series into multicast audio
August 26, 2026
Dark fantasy and Gothic paranormal romance author Briar Somerset is thrilled to announce the audiobook for Château Valmont and an Inheritance of Thirst, the forthcoming second instalment and first full-length novel in the My Darling Malady series.
Published through Somerset’s Vellichor & Vein Press, with co-production and engineering by Daniele Lanzarotta of Elysian Nightfall Studios, the follow-up to Beecham’s Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted (My Darling Malady #1) carries its bloodthirsty gentleman sleuth and prodigy seamstress pairing into a sprawling, five-book adventure romance series accompanied by duet multicast audiobooks.
The upcoming audio for Château Valmont and an Inheritance of Thirst features returning performers Christopher Tester (Warhammer 40,000) and Krys Janae (Morning Glory Milking Farm as Eva Caine) as Jacques Valmont and Annabelle Castro-Tan, alongside Justin Cabanting, Peter Wicks, and Rae Witte.
“Audiobooks first came into my life with helping foster a love of reading in a family member with print disabilities. I became quickly interested in the medium, finding it very helpful in returning to reading myself. Over the last few years, it’s been increasingly difficult for me to separate the listening experiences I’ve come to enjoy from my own storytelling,” said Somerset. “I eventually understood that bringing my books to audio would be a standard I strived for with every book release. Last fall, I had the honour of working on Beecham’s Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted, and that experience inspired me to bring my stories to audio under my own imprint. These are still novels and novellas I’m writing formally, but nowadays I’m paying more attention to emotional beats, cadence, and dialogue in a way I hadn’t before. Being able to collaborate on experiences for audio enjoyers and vital accessibility tools for more readers—to be an active participant in that process is such a rewarding feeling.”
Immediately following the events of Beecham’s Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted, Château Valmont and an Inheritance of Thirst trails the newly-transformed vampire Jacques Valmont across the English Channel, as he brings Annie Castro-Tan and her grandmother away from the mad physician that turned him. But as secrets stir to life at the theatre across the street from his urban manor, and the city of love presses its nose against windows better remained fogged, an unexpected invitation draws them toward his grandparents’ Normandy estate—toward the horrors of Jacques’s noble bloodline.
This Gothic Paranormal Dark Romance is ideal for fans of S.T. Gibson, Penny Dreadful, and Crimson Peak, with a Hercule Poirot and Jonathan Harker-coded hero and a heavy-handed helping of Austen-esque yearning—its audiobook styling for audiences of Critical Role’s Candela Obscura and The Rusty Quill’s The Magnus Archives.
Listeners will be able to listen to the Chateau Valmont and An Inheritance of Thirst audiobook this winter.
Meet the Cast
Christopher Tester as Jacques Valmont and various roles
Christopher Tester is an award-winning London-based actor and voice artist who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. A 30-time award nominee and winner of Best Male Voiceover Performance at the 2024 VOX Awards, Tester’s credits include Warhammer 40,000, Fallout: London, B7 Media’s BAFTA-nominated audio drama Unsinkable, and multiple productions for GraphicAudio and Podium Audio.
Krys Janae as Annabelle Castro-Tan and various roles
Krys Janae is a Filipino-American audiobook narrator, voice actor, musician, and author with more than three decades of performance experience and over 150 audiobook titles to her name. Her ensemble work in Cameo Renae’s Misteria received a 2023 SOVAS Voice Arts Award nomination, while Richard Powers’ Playground was nominated for Audiobook of the Year at the 2025 Audie Awards. Her video game credits include HeistGeist, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, and Sacred Fire.
Peter Wicks as Andrew Moreau, Claude Caron, Paul Hargreaves, and various roles
Peter Wicks is a two-time SOVAS Voice Arts Award-winning actor and the UK One Voice Awards Male Voiceover Artist of the Year, with nearly two decades of experience across stage, screen, audiobooks, and video games, including Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, Path of Exile II, and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad. His extensive voice work includes both independent and AAA video games, with additional credits including World of Tanks (Wargaming), Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon (Awaken Realms/ Questline), and Marvel Move (Six to Start/ Marvel). He also voices the playable hero Vizargo in PlaySide and Team17’s dark fantasy survival RTS Age of Darkness: Final Stand (PlaySide/ Team 17), bringing a career-wide versatility in performance and interactive storytelling.
Justin Cabanting as Domingo Castro, Fong Wei, Mateo Mercado, and various roles
Justin Cabanting is a nonbinary Asian/Pacific Islander-American actor, stunt performer, voice over professional, and sound engineer with more than a decade of experience across audiobooks, audio drama, animation, video games, commercials, and film and television. His credits include work on SAG-AFTRA productions associated with Epic Games, SEGA, Sony Pictures Entertainment, HBO, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Lucasfilm, and 3D animation and live action student films at Ringling College of Art & Design and filmography at American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory, Columbia College Hollywood, University of Southern California (USC), and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication from California State University, Northridge (CSUN).
Rae Witte as Charlie Caron, Élise Gagnon, and various roles
Rae Witte is a nonbinary Michigan-based voice actor and audiobook narrator with more than 15 years of experience across stage, audio drama, commercial voiceover, animation, and audiobook narration. A graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre, Witte transitioned from stage performance into indie audio drama before expanding their work across a variety of formats, with a passion for telling stories from queer perspectives. Drawn especially to epic fantasy, science fiction, and middle grade storytelling, their audiobook credits include Heather Shahan’s Dragonslayer, works by Liv Savell’s and Sterling D’Este’s Emissary to the Frost Wolf, and A.D.B.’s Lorelyi.
On the My Darling Malady series
Beecham’s Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted and its immersive audiobook released in September and December 2025, respectively, with a French language edition translated by Sarah Soulard releasing worldwide on Kindle Unlimited and print in October 2026.
Château Valmont and An Inheritance of Thirst releases on Kindle Unlimited and print on 15 September 2026, with its immersive duet audiobook releasing exclusively on Audible this winter.
The My Darling Malady series has been expanded into five main instalments, with books 2 through 5 written as full-length novels. The prequel novelette The Unsavory Whims of Unlikely Gentlemen (My Darling Malady #2.5) releasing 29 December 2026 with an audiobook to follow early next year.
Production
Author: Briar Somerset
Publisher: Vellichor & Vein Press
Co-Production: Elysian Nightfall Studios
Producer/ Engineer: Daniele Lanzarotta
Director/ Sound Effects: Briar Somerset
About the Author
Briar Somerset, also published as Brianna Sugalski, writes exhilarating romance for the erudite and uncanny. She’s known for her Gothic My Darling Malady series tracing a bloodthirsty private investigator and the seamstress he’s roped into his pursuits through the spectral margins of Victorian society—and her debut, the SOVAS Award-nominated Dark Renaissance fantasy romance series, A Lay of Ruinous Reign.
Born and raised in Hawai’i and a member of the Medieval Academy of America, Horror Writers Association, and Medievalists of Color, Somerset holds an ardent admiration for history and storytelling, curating tales that examine identity and dread through a Southeast Asian diasporic lens. While not writing, she can be found at the oceanographic institute, a local art museum, or with her nose in a book on floriography or vampires, non-ironically plotting ways to incorporate both into her next story.
About Vellichor & Vein Press
Vellichor & Vein Press is an independent micro press specializing in Gothic, Romantic, and Speculative titles in print and audio. Gothic romance author of the My Darling Malady and Lay of Ruinous Reign series Briar Somerset serves as publisher, sound effects director, and collaborative marketing partner for her own works and select literary projects, championing strange and swoon-worthy stories through an immersive, playful approach to sound.
About Elysian Nightfall Studios
Elysian Nightfall Studios is a production studio specializing in audio post-production and brand development. Founded by multi-genre author and audiobook producer Daniele Lanzarotta, Elysian Nightfall Studios is known for its award-winning professional audio production, engineering, and sound design.
For release updates, review requests, and additional information, please email briar@vellichorandveinpress.com.
Image Courtesy of Briar Somerset