Welcome everyone, I’m The Li-Bury-An, and today we have a spotlight on Ashley Burns
Writer. Athlete. Musician. Ashley Burns spends most of her time either sitting outside writing, staring off into the woods, or in the gym kickboxing, getting all her violent urges out. She lives in Nashville, TN with her son and obnoxious cat, Jeri. She performed with the bands Trampskirts (Supernova Records,) Lurrency Vennom and Lipstick Dynamite. To read more of her published work check out the upcoming anthology “The One That Got Away” from Kandisha Press and Eerie River Publishing’s new anthology, both out February 2021. In her incredible story for The One That Got Away, we are introduced to Lucy, who has the ability to communicate with animals… but is she a danger to the world?
“The Gorilla swam across the moat and climbed up the railing with a grace you wouldn’t expect from such a large, swarthy creature. When its massive girth—God knows how many hundreds of pounds—was balanced on the railing, I was stuck in flight or fight. Lucy reached out and held hands with the animal, the Gorilla being extra careful not to crush Lucy’s diminutive one. I was transfixed, staring as this Alpha animal treated my daughter like a Princess, doting on her every laugh and gesture.”
From “Simba of the Suburbs” by Ashley Burns
Today, Ashley talks about how she came up with her story “Simba of the Suburbs” for THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY : Women of Horror Anthology Volume 3. Out now from Kandisha Press!
“My son is an endless well of inspiration, kids just have a unique perspective unblemished by the filters we adapt as adults. It got me thinking-what would a child think about the way animals are treated? The little girl in my story has the ability to communicate with animals and I pictured droves of critters, domestic and wild, flocking to this beacon and how adults would react. Would they be in awe? Terrified? Violent?
In this situation would you fear for your child? Want to exploit it? Or suppress it? I had so much fun going the darker route. Who wants rainbows and butterflies when you can have an apocalypse, am I right? It reminded me of Stephen Kings “Carrie ” only we kind of saw the writing on the wall in that story. Abused girl goes Terminator- but what if she wasn’t? I hope you enjoyed my little Lucy, and as long as you treat your pets right, I think you should be safe.”
ASHLEY BURNS : Mother, artist, and writer. My love for horror creates wonderful little worlds in my mind that I like to write and tinker with, pushing the boundaries of what terror means on any given Sunday. Some days it’s as simple as a sponge. You can read more of my stories on Wattpad @AshleyBurns524 or my other social media.
Instagram: @ashmuaythai
Reddit: u/BufferCat
Facebook: Ashley Burns
KANDISHA PRESS 
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