We chat with co-authors Katie Ellis-Brown and Becky Hunter behind the pen name Ellis Hunter about Blood Bound, which is a debut high-stakes fantasy romance trilogy set against a once-in-a-generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders as they battle to control the source of all magic in their kingdoms, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, and Quicksilver.
Hi, Katie and Becky! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
Katie: I’m an unabashed fantasy fangirl and have been a nerd for magical worlds ever since my dad introduced me to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. I worked in publishing for many years, most recently as a publisher at Vintage, part of Penguin Random House, though my titles were mainly crime and book club. I do miss being an editor at times, however, writing fantasy and romance stories is my passion. When I’m not writing, reading, daydreaming, playing with my toddler, bombarding Becky with WhatsApps about our characters, or meeting the demands of my two black cats, I would prefer to be skiing, walking in the mountains, breathing in the night air, listening to ASMR to relax, or doing a quiz of some sort (the Financial Times quiz on a Saturday is a favourite).
Becky: I’m a writer, reader and animal lover! I’ve loved reading from before I can remember, and creative writing was always my favourite subject in school when I was little. I wrote my first full length novel when I was 21, before I realised just how much there was to learn – and have probably written a book a year since then, most of which aren’t published! I also write under my own name (Becky Hunter) and the name Emily Stone – but this is my first foray into fantasy and my first time working with a co-author. Fantasy is my first reading love, so I’ve loved being able to be a fan-girl as well as a writer (because we get to read each others chapters!). Outside of writing I mainly spend time with my horses (including two little rescue ponies) and my little rescue dog.
Your co-authored novel, Blood Bound, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Katie: Best friends against the world
Becky: Dragons, witches, swoon, stab, chaos.
What can readers expect?
Becky: This is our love letter to the genre and I hope that shows in the book! We have both read fantasy since we were little, and we wanted to write a book that we love as readers. We’ve tried to pay homage to familiar tropes that we know and love, while offering (we hope!) a fresh take on some of them. We are both big romance fans, so it’s definitely got that in spades, but at it’s heart it’s about female friendship. It’s also got some big twists, bigger dragons, and a small talking animal or two…
Katie: As well as being (we hope) a lot of fun, we also explore themes and issues close to our hearts, like climate change, energy poverty and economic disparity, the inherent flaws of monarchy, and how it’s always the poorer and more vulnerable who suffer most in times of war or climate disaster. We also poured a lot of personal elements into our two protagonists; one of our FMCs, Astrid, the heir to the witches, is neurodivergent and struggles with a mood disorder and anxiety, while the other FMC, Skylar, a blade juggler in a travelling troupe, has suffered great loss and is incredibly lonely, loyal only to the (very) few people she trusts. We hope they both resonate with readers in some way.
Where did the inspiration for Blood Bound come from?
Becky: When we first started planning this book together, we spent a lot of time brainstorming – I’m not sure there was a lightbulb moment, other than a message I sent Katie saying we should write a dragon book together… But really, we started writing it because it’s the genre we love to read, and it was very much for fun in the beginning. We knew we would have two FMCs, and that there would be a duel for the source of all magic… But, despite the initial message, Katie had to talk me into the dragons in the end! It’s been a lot of throwing ideas back and forth, and even while writing it we’d have new ideas that would change something in the plot.
Katie: I think the main inspiration for Blood Bound was friendship, and the intensity of female friendship especially. Becky and I became close at a time in our lives when we both felt a little lonely and isolated, and in the end we wanted to write a fantasy romance where the main ‘love story’ was the platonic love between two women, and the power that women can wield when we work together. I think for a lot of us our longest lasting relationships are those we have with our friends rather than the relationship with a partner or even family!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Katie: Astrid is my favourite character, and likely always will be, because she has changed my life in so many ways: I was able to quit my job and become a full time writer because of her, but she also helped me to explore my own neurodivergency and bipolar disorder. I’ve learned a lot about myself both through the process of writing her character and through this new career! While she hasn’t been the easiest to write, she’s been the most rewarding.
If we’re speaking pure, unadulterated fun, then writing Zryan makes me giddy. We have two bonus chapters from his pov and one of them might be my favourite chapter I’ve ever written, although it is up there with the winter wonderland scene at the Masked Ball (yes, of course there is a masked ball in this fantasy novel where assassins are trying to kill them, it makes perfect sense…). The characters who make me laugh the most are Skylar (because she DGAF) and Bastet (a world-weary, ancient-souled familiar in the body of a tiny black cat).
Becky: Oh there are so many! I write Skylar in the book, and she’s probably my all-time favourite character – and I’ve written quite a few now! She says and does what she likes – it doesn’t make her very likeable at times, but it does make her very fun to write. In terms of moments, I loved writing Chapter 10, which is just after one of the big twists… I also love reading Katie’s chapters. She came up with Bastet, and readers are just falling head over heels for him, which is so fun to see. She also took the lead on the romance, and some of the lines are swoonworthy, so these were some of my favourite scenes in the book.
Can you tell us about your co-authoring process?
Becky: We take a character each – so Katie writes Astrid and I write Skylar. We spend a lot of time planning the book together and talking through each chapter, so it’s a really collobarative process – it has to be! Then we’ll upload a chapter and the other person will read and feedback, before writing the next chapter… Any problems we have along the way we talk through!
Katie: co-authoring requires lots of communication, consistent communication at that, and a huge amount of trust in each other. We’re lucky in that we’re compatible both as writing partners and business partners, and honesty is core to our relationship. We’re also super aligned on our ideas and we nurture each other’s creativity, stoking the weird and the wonderful and pushing each other to be the best we can be!
Any teasers for what’s to come in the sequel?
Becky: More dragons, more romance, even higher stakes…
Katie: It’s bigger, bolder, more ambitious, and has a secret third POV character…
What’s next for you both?
Katie: The second book is my priority; it is ambitious and I want it to live up to its potential! So the aim will be to get it finished this summer, then we’ll be moving straight onto book three. I do have other projects I’d love to work on, but with book one promo, book two and three writing and drafting, then being a mother to a toddler, it won’t be for some time until I can pursue those.
Becky: We’re deep in writing book 2 at the moment – and then we’ve got to make it as good as it can be! Then it’ll be on to book 3… I do also have a new Emily Stone novel coming this year, so it’s a busy year all round!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Katie: So many conclusions to duologies, actually! Daybreak, by Autumn Woods; The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig – I miss my beloved Bartholomew; and All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan. I am currently reading The Will of the Many and I’m enjoying being immersed in the rich world-building of that story. As to what I’ve read and loved this year, then Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni, Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui, Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity, and Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer.
Becky: So many, and I always wish I had more time for reading – I find it really difficult to focus on reading when I’ve got a deadline! I’m looking forward to The Ballard of Falling Dragons by Sarah A Parker.
