The House That Held Her

Ellis Hart

Margot Bennett thought she was leaving the past behind when she moved to the quiet town of Mount Dora, Florida. A fresh start, a charming old house, and the promise of peace—until she unearths something sinister buried beneath the floorboards of Hawthorn Manor.

As Margot digs deeper into the manor's history, she finds herself tangled in the chilling legacy of George and Cecilia Hawthorn, a once-beloved couple whose presence still lingers in ways no one dares to explain. Nightmares bleed into reality. Puzzles stretch throughout the sleepy city. And the deeper she searches, the more she realizes the truth—no one is safe here.

Someone is watching—always. As the house's walls close in, Margot must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to answer one question:

"What is the cost of keeping the dead quiet?"

Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers with a haunting twist, The House That Held Her is a gripping tale of obsession, guilt, and the weight of secrets buried just beneath the surface.

Author Interview: Ellis Hart

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.

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!

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!

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!