Deb Ellen
Born in Perth, Australia, but raised in Cambridge, UK, I grew up obsessed with fantasy - vampires, werewolves, adventure, mythology, all of it. But as I got older, I didn’t just want to read about badass heroines - I wanted to write them.
And, after reflecting on some questionable relationship choices (knowing they’re a mistake and doing it anyway - because why not add a little chaos to your life?), Evie, Kit and Ishmael stumbled onto the page. Thus, Wildfire was born - a book series filled with magic, angst and the kind of tension that makes you scream into a pillow.
I wanted to write about real relationships. The messy kind. The ones where infatuation and love aren’t the same thing, where passion isn’t always enough and where the person you can’t stop thinking about might just be the worst possible choice. And more than anything, I wanted to write a story about a woman who realises, eventually, that she doesn’t need anyone else to make her whole.
Evie’s journey - her fire, her rage - was, in many ways, my own. After losing my dad at a young age, I struggled with anxiety, grief and an anger I didn’t know what to do with. Her Wildfire is an illustration of how I used to feel as a teenager: like I would burn down the world if I could. Evie is thrust into a brutal world she doesn’t understand, where the only constants are a messed-up relationship with her brother and an even more messed-up relationship with Kit, her so-called protector. And across the series, she grows. She stumbles. She makes mistakes. But she learns. Because survival isn't just fighting the world but figuring out who you are beyond the flames.
These books almost didn’t happen. In one of my more reckless life choices, I joined a religious group (let’s call it a cult, because it was) that banned me from writing about magic and sex. When I escaped, I knew I had to get these books into the hands of strong women who want to take control of their own stories.
I also owe my love of spice to fanfiction - writing it, reading it, and, at one point, getting banned for it. Now, I write romantasy books filled with powerful heroines, morally grey love interests, magic, betrayal and a whole lot of tension. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you’re in the right place!
