Hey, guys. For the last interview of the month, I decided to change it up a bit. Today, I chatted with dark romance author Ella Burns about her newest book release. They Call Me Teddy is a dark, enemies to lover’s story featuring two youths who are taken in and raised by a psychopath artist with a penchant for creating art with human flesh. To be clear, this is an erotic horror love story, not a romance. You will find depravity, abuse, and death within these pages.
Ella Burns is the offspring of a fairy queen and an undead warlord and was brought up with an appetite for terror and beauty. A Canadian author, she would like nothing more than to abscond to the remote wilderness of British Columbia with her daughter and a Kindle full of dark reads. Since she was a child, she dreamed of being an author and now writes a variety of darkness across several genres. Despite her love of the macabre, she will always have a soft spot for fuzzy things and a cuppa tea.
EB: Welcome to the blog, Ella. Thanks so much for being here today! Can you tell us more about They Call Me Teddy and the inspiration for it?
Ella: Originally, They Call Me Teddy was a pure horror story concept I came up with years ago. I had this image of this younger boy in a cage being forced to watch a woman torture and kill people. He would be almost immune to it after so long, but still, it would be a torturous existence. That was about as far as the idea went, until a few months ago when a fellow author friend (HR Savage) sent me a frantic message with a link for a cover.
I should preface this by saying I have a problem and buy way too many covers, and she knows this. I knew it had to be good. When I opened that link to the cover that now houses They Call Me Teddy, I immediately knew how that story was going to go and thus, Teddy was born.
There are so many bits of inspiration in this one from varying places, but it was seeing that cover for the first time that really jump-started Teddy.
Here is the link for interested parties:
http://mybook.to/theycallmeteddy
EB: How many books have you written, and which was your favorite?
Ella: I write under two pen names currently, but as Ella Burns I have four released titles. Under alternative pens, I have four other novels published, and I also am co-owner of a small publishing press, and we have published seven anthologies so far. This doesn’t include various short pieces of work accepted into various places.
How many is that?
EB: Quite a few, I would say. That’s amazing! You also write a lot of short stories, I’ve heard. Do you think they are harder or easier to write than novels?
Ella: I wouldn’t say a lot of short stories, but I do write them. Most of my involvement with shorts is publishing them. I’ve got a good eye for shorts, but it isn’t an easy writing skill to master. It takes a lot of skill to write a great short story, so I would say in a lot of ways it’s harder. With shorts, every word you need to consider. The pacing, character development, etc., is all so much tougher with shorts, but when done well, is amazing.
EB: What would you be willing to give up if it made you a better writer?
Ella: I was trying to think of something clever or funny, but honestly, time. It’s the most valuable thing I have to give and one that I give regularly in order to facilitate just that.
EB: I think time is something all writers wish we had more of. What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?
Ella: Good question! Probably all of They Call Me Teddy would be hardest as far as emotional content. It has a lot of abuse between the characters, mental anguish and suffering. Especially considering I like my protagonist, it wasn’t easy to put him through what I did.
Another noteworthy one I’d say is the fight scene at the end of The Tomb: Exposed. It’s a key moment in the story and conclusion, and it took me some time to really nail down the way I wanted that to play out.
EB: What’s your next project and where can readers learn more about you?
Ella: I am currently working on a few different things, including a badass revenge con-woman story, a lazy Irish mob princess, and a woman who runs an international crime app. The common themes in a lot of my 2021 projects will be dark and violent, badass women, and a lot of questionable choices. I anticipate about six releases for 2021, including these three, all dark and delicious!
I’ve got a newsletter I send out once or twice a month with exclusive freebies, ARC opportunities, and updates. Otherwise, I am best found on Facebook.
Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/89aba24673a2/landing-page
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellaburnsauthor
Website: https://www.ellaburns.ca
EB: Dark and violent, badass women sound right up my alley! I can’t wait to read more of your work. Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you?
Ella: Regardless of what brand or name you find me under, the dark and macabre is always what you’ll get from me. I’m insanely approachable, so don’t be a stranger!
Stay dirty and happy reading, folks! 😉
EB: Thanks so much for joining us today. It was a real treat!
Well, there you have it, the last of my interview series. I hope you have enjoyed reading these interviews as much as I’ve enjoyed hosting them. This has been so much fun that I’ve decided to do it again. I’m thinking maybe twice a year or so, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my own writing. If any other authors would like to be featured in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out. That goes for my readers as well. I love hearing from you guys! If you have an idea for something you would like to see on the blog, feel free to send me a message on here or on Facebook. Thanks for your support!
I will be back tomorrow with one last blog post for the week, my end of the year post. I will also highlight some of my favorite interviews, as well as tell you a little more about some of my own upcoming projects. Thanks for reading! -E.B.
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