Screenwriter Arianna Burt’s Debut Novel a Hit
Arianna Burt is having a moment, and she is savoring every bit of it. With the release of her debut fantasy novel Despite the Gods, the author and screenwriter has stepped fully into the spotlight, delighting readers with her vivid storytelling while simultaneously preparing to bring a legendary tale to the big screen.
Arianna is an up and coming screenwriter who’s first script, co-written with Omar Parker, The Prince, the Sister & the Serpent, was greenlit for a budget of two million dollars. The film is an in-house co-production of Egerton Crescent Productions and Prose & Page Turners. She has worked in various roles at the company for about a decade, most recently as head of creative development. The role oversees all creative pitching, script, and artistic production decisions.
Her novel Despite the Gods introduces readers to Rhekran, a warrior nicknamed the God Killer, who becomes bound to an untested Echohand and drawn into the mysterious Loom, a place where destiny and free will collide. Rhekran’s fight to preserve her name, her oath, and her soul gives the book its pulse. Burt explains that the character was born out of her desire to see a strong female lead who was unapologetically powerful. “I didn’t want her to be powerful despite being a woman. I wanted her to be powerful and happen to be a woman. That difference matters.”
Her fans may be surprised to learn that Despite the Gods began almost accidentally. During the quiet of lockdown, Burt picked up her pen as a form of escape, sketching ideas that slowly built into a world she could not put down. “It started with just one line of dialogue,” she recalls. “And then suddenly I was creating characters and worlds one line at a time.”
While Despite the Gods is quickly earning attention in fantasy circles, Arianna is no stranger to success. At Egerton Crescent Productions, she starred in Side Quest, a viral social media travel show with millions of views, and developed her own social media brand with over four hundred thousand followers on Instagram. She’s also produced feature films like Bermuda Island, starring Tom Sizemore.
While at Egerton Crescent Productions she also helped shepherd various prestigious projects behind the scenes. Omar Parker, co-founder of the company has said “We couldn’t do it without her. She has brought a lot of structure, organization, and literary perspective to a company two college kids made in a garage.” The company has produced dozens of feature films and short films including official selections of Cannes, Sundance, and Tribeca Film Festival. The company’s projects have also been on platforms like Amazon and Starz, often hitting the top 10 or trending upon its release.
Arianna has also worked with a large amount of industry heavy hitters during her time at the production company, including Michael Madsen, Eric Roberts, Fred Melamed, Barry Bostwick, Jane Kaczmarek, George Lazenby, Michael Pare, Forrest Goodluck, Daniel Baldwin, Kevin Sorbo, Tom Sizemore, Martin Klebba, Larry Hankin, Danielle Harris, & Brinke Stevens.
But don’t let her filmmaking career fool you. Writing is still her number one passion. Despite all her hard work she remains most excited about her recent developments as a writer. Indeed it’s been a big year for Arianna who’s gotten her first feature greenlit and is releasing her first novel. “My dream is to be a writer and producer,” says Arianna, “Someone who can create characters and world’s and then help oversee how they are brought to life.”
The novel has already seen early success. Running at just under five hundred pages, it debuted at #3 on the Amazon charts in its fantasy category. A massive win for any first time author.
Beyond her accomplishments, what endears Burt to audiences is her openness. She speaks with warmth about her journey and insists that she is still learning. “Every story teaches me something I didn’t know before,” she says. “That’s the beauty of it. The moment you think you’ve mastered storytelling is the moment you stop growing.”
As Burt’s name becomes increasingly familiar in bookstores, in film circles, and in literary conversations online one thing is clear: she is crafting a career built not just on talent but on authenticity. She writes with conviction, she creates with passion, and she shares her work with a generosity that invites readers and viewers alike to step inside her worlds.
For now, Burt is embracing the whirlwind. Despite the Gods is finding its readers, The Prince, the Sister and the Serpent is moving forward, and new stories are waiting in the wings. For an author who never intended her lockdown musings to see the light of day, it has been a remarkable transformation. And if Arianna Burt has her way, this is only the beginning.