Hi all - wrapping up the reading challenge for this year we have our final seasonal event for the cozy video game character and that's the solstice. For this part of the challenge, you can complete it a few different ways. The theme of this is the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year. Because of that, look up how many hours of night you will have on the solstice and read for that much time before the end of the year. You can choose to do this spread out or, if you want to match the spirit of it, try to do it all in the same day or the same weekend. If you want to really get serious about it, try to do it December 21st, as that is the actual solstice in the northern hemisphere. Cozy up for the longest night!

Welcome back to another Author Interview!

Today I'm talking with author Ellis Hart. Hart released his debut novel this year, The House That Held Her. It's a blend of Mystery/Thriller with a dab of horror in there. I absolutely loved this one. The puzzles the main character, Margot, had to solve were so much fun. Hart also released an anthology featuring new voices in horror. Both have been linked below.

1. This question is always my freebie—use this first question as an introduction. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your books.

Hi there! I’m Ellis and I released my first novel on May 11, 2025 called The House That Held Her. I always loved crafting stories as a kid and to finally have a full, comprehensive work out in the world has brought me so much pride and joy!

2. I absolutely loved The House That Held Her. You had me hooked from the first chapter. What was your inspiration behind the story?

I am a 90’s kid, through and through, so I grew up on some iconic stories. One of my favorites was The Goonies because it had so many awesome elements- it was silly, it was scary, it was legitimately cool, it was mysterious. And so I wanted to write a story that merged the Goonies with some darker, spookier elements. And thus the treasure hunt within Hawthorne Manor was born!

3. I know the small town of Mount Dora plays a huge part in the book. And I know it was based on the actual town of Mount Dora in Florida. Care to tell us a little about the town and how it became such an inspiration to you?

This is a funny story because I wrote the entire book without ever setting foot in Mount Dora. My family had just moved to FL and I literally googled places that met all my requirements: spooky vibes, on the water, historic, old buildings, etc. and found Mount Dora! I used Google street view to walk the streets and learn about the places there that I included in the book. Right before publishing my wife convinced me to go see the town before the book came out and boy am I glad that she did. I had interpreted so much incorrectly about the town. Once I visited, met the people, walked the streets, it all clicked into place and I rushed back home and did so many rewrites (including changing the ending!)

4. What was your favorite part to write for The House That Held Her? The hardest?

Oh gosh. The hardest was definitely the puzzles. I love escape rooms and knew I wanted that vibe for Margot in the book. But making the puzzles clever but logical and helpful to the plot was challenging. Favorite was honestly the tunnel scene with Shannon at the end. No spoilers, but it originally didn’t exist, and I added it late after visiting Mt. Dora. The anxiety and fear I felt just writing it made me feel like I was really onto something special.

5. I know you also published an anthology (As Told Under The Moon) featuring some new voices in horror. Care to tell us a little bit about that anthology?

I love, love, love short stories and I write a ton of them. There are a lot of ideas that make great stories but not all stories make great novels. And so I decided to put out a short stories collection for Halloween. I planned to just have it be me but then I started reading some other indie authors and it just clicked to have some of those authors join me and do something that was exclusive to indies since no one has given us much of a break yet. I’m really proud with how it turned out.

6. You’ve been on the hunt for some emerging voices in horror. Can you name a few authors you’ve discovered that have stuck with you?

Oh totally! I legitimately loved all the submissions for the anthology but authors I’ve actually bought books of and immediately read are Amy Tackett, Julia Jackson, Shawn Brooks, and A.D. Jones, just to name a few!

7. 2025 has been a big year for horror. What have been some of your favorite reads this year?

Gah, so hard. Okay, to be fair, these aren’t necessarily all 2025, but they were books I read this year that were unbelievably good! Brother by Ania Ahlborn, The Darkest Deep by Chris Butera, When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy, and The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North.

8. Any horror books you’re looking forward to in 2026?

I probably need to do a better job of knowing what’s coming out but that’s what I rely on you for!

Definitely interested to read Marcus Kliewer for the simple fact that it already has a movie deal which is just so wild to me considering I can’t even get an agent to respond to a query!
Haha! Thanks Ellis! Here's a preview of just some of the books I'm looking forward to. Trust me, there's so many more I've added. 2026 Books

9. Are you working on any new projects? If so, anything you can tell us about it?

Yes!! The first draft of my second novel is done! It’s with my beta readers and developmental editor right now. I am so, so, so excited about it. It’s called Make Me Forget Again and it’s a pure psychological thriller. No ghost or spooky doors closing this time, just raw human emotion. The tag line right now is “Is There Ever Peace after Vengeance”?

10. Anything else big coming for you in 2026?

Yes! I’m doing a few awesome events including The Spooky Retreat in Arizona in February. I’ll be doing more signing events and tons of giveaways and engagement opportunities as well! My biggest hope is to land an agent in 2026!

Use the below space to add in anything else you would like to say!

Just a huge thank you to you as well as the rest of the bookstagram community. I joined in April 2025 and have already made so many wonderful book lovers. It’s legitimately the only fun, productive, and functional part of the internet left in my opinion. So thank you!!!

Thank you so much again, Ellis, for agreeing to this! It was a delight talking to you!

Oh my GOSH, you guys! I was so busy making THE BIGGEST BOOK COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS (Here and Here) that I forgot to remind everyone about this weekend’s Soup Readathon!

FAQ: q: WTF is soup readathon

a: we make soup, we read all weekend, we chat and stay cozy! Connect to the community Discord to participate (lazy ppl can join, too! I made a shopping error last time and door dashed curry lol)

Hello my lovely Bindery members! It's a very exciting day today because you should've received an email from CJ from Bindery today about your EXCLUSIVE early copies of BURN THE SEA by Mona Tewari, i.e. the next Boundless Press book which is out April 21st!!

Here's the email again in case you missed it!

"Hi there,

As part of your member benefits with Boundless Press you are eligible to receive an early digital copy of Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari. The book is now available for download on Bindery, months ahead of its public release.

To access your ebook, visit https://binderybooks.com/account/, sign in, and download your copy. If you encounter any issues accessing your copy, please contact us at hello@binderybooks.com.

If you are an eligible US/Canada based Star or Galaxy member who has been active in your membership as of 10/31, your physical copy has shipped as well.

Early reviews play a crucial role in a book's journey, so we would greatly appreciate your feedback on Goodreads, Storygraph, or Amazon. Posting on your social channels has a huge impact. Let’s lift up Burn the Sea together! "

Now PLEASE IGNORE THE DATE OF THE ARC Q&A — that was a placeholder date and I'd actually like to get y'all to vote on WHEN you'd like to read the book together and discuss on discord, and later have a Q&A with Mona.

My hope is to set up some channels in the discord so we can all chat about our reactions to the book as we read, and then also set up a zoom call for a conversation with Mona after we're all done reading.

SO SO excited for all of you to experience this story and I hope that you can leave a glowing review on retailers when you're done reading as it'll really help Mona, the imprint, and me out <3

The minute that the contract for WFB was signed, I immediately went into a panic. Will we be able to live up to her previous covers? (She's had an amazing run, with some gorgeous, gorgeous covers!) I am elated to say that the answer is YES!

Today is like Christmas Eve and we get to unwrap one (maybe two if you’re nice, stay tuned) gifts today!I am SO excited to be able to share an exclusive look at the cover of the first book from Boozhoo Books, What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, today!

I am DYING to know your thoughts! I hope you love it as much as I do.

(This cover won't be going public until Monday, so please don't share until then!)

The darkness isn’t empty. It’s hungry.
 
At the edge of the City of the Void, a massive chasm extends miles into the earth, its treacherous terrain overrun with vicious monsters and carnivorous plants. For orphaned best friends Petra and Jade, guiding treasure-seeking tourists down into the Void is the only way to earn enough to pull themselves up out of the slums for good.
 
Petra prefers to play it safe and take jobs only in the Void’s upper levels, where the dangers are better understood, while Jade wants to risk a descent to the deepest and most mysterious Sixth Layer. Because the deeper they go, the better the payout, and the sooner their dreams can become reality. Their friendship is Petra’s whole world, and Jade’s approval means everything—so Petra agrees to do it Jade’s way.
 
When their job goes wrong and Jade is lost in the Void, Petra must plunge deeper than she’s ever dared to save her friend. But she doesn’t know the truth of the Void . . . or what really waits for her in its depths.