Riverdale meets The Haunting of Hill House in the terrifying new thriller from the author of Harrow Lake. We chat with author Kat Ellis about her new release Burden Falls, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Kat! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I grew up on the North Wales coast, where I still live with my husband and a clowder of cats. There are tons of ancient ruins, castles and cemeteries around here, and I love exploring them with my camera. I’ve also become a keen pandemic gardener; the thing I’m most proud to have grown is a carrot that looked like a human hand.
I’ve been a fan of horror movies since I was far too young to be watching them, which is probably why I write such creepy books now. My new release, Burden Falls, is a young adult horror-thriller, and my fifth published novel.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I enjoyed writing short stories and poems from a young age, the general tone of which my mother described as ‘morbid’. But it wasn’t until I was 25 that I decided to try writing an entire novel — that was around the time when YA literature was really starting to boom, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Finally, the urge to write one myself became an irresistible itch.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I remember reading was The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo — it left me feeling like I’d encountered something truly magical. Unwind by Neal Shusterman was so gripping and unusual, it definitely gave me a nudge toward writing my first novel. One I read recently and can’t stop thinking about is The Upper World by Femi Fadugba — a brilliant, mind-bending thriller.
Your latest novel, Burden Falls, is out August 24th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Chilling, ghostly, murdery, probably cursed.
What can readers expect?
Readers will enter the world of Ava Thorn, a girl dealing with a huge loss as she navigates her senior year in high school while dead bodies pile up around her — possibly murdered by a ghost — and the police have Ava right at the top of their suspects list.
Where did the inspiration for Burden Falls come from?
The initial idea came from a local landmark called Dyserth Waterfall. As I was walking past it one day, I started wondering what kinds of legends and folklore could be attached to something as old and awe-filling as this bellowing torrent of water. What if it was cursed? Or haunted?
Burden Falls is also the product of decades of watching and reading horror; it all had to come out somehow.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Most of Burden Falls was written during the first throes of the pandemic, on a tight deadline, and quite a lot of it during a heatwave; all in all, it was a very sweaty time in my life. I only managed to finish the book thanks to an unhealthy amount of coffee and my supportive and patient editors.
Were there any favorite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The scenes I enjoyed writing the most were the ones with Ava and Dominic — the brother of Ava’s school nemesis. Dominic goes from being her enemy to an unlikely ally as things spiral out of control in Ava’s life, and I really loved the sparky dynamic between them.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on a new YA horror-thriller. It features a death scene I’ve wanted to write for years and feels like the perfect next step after Burden Falls. That’s all I can say about it for now!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I think readers who enjoy Burden Falls and my last novel, Harrow Lake, will also like these three fantastic books:
- The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass follows a teen medium who finds himself haunted by a troubled boy who in life committed a school shooting.
- The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky looks at what can go fatally wrong when horror-movie-obsessed teens form a secret society where the members play terrifying pranks.
- Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield (out in the US this fall) is a dark and twisty thriller following ten classmates who get trapped on an abandoned pier and are picked off by a killer.
