The Darkest Deep: A Novel

Author: Chris Butera

Overview

A fast-paced psychological thriller deep beneath the ocean’s surface. A scavenger trapped in a defunct undersea train tunnel struggles to escape as his air supply—and his sanity—dwindles in this debut psychological thriller.

The Transatlantic Train Tunnel, connecting New York and London, was meant to be the next Wonder of the World. But after the disastrous maiden voyage seven years ago, it’s generated nothing but protests, lawsuits, and bankruptcy. The only traffic the tunnel sees these days is scrappers harvesting its useless remains before it’s fully dismantled.

Not everyone is willing to take a tedious job one hundred and fifty feet below sea level, but Ben Breckenridge doesn’t have a choice. He needs the money, and the work will help quiet his anxieties. That is, until one of the bulkhead doors mysteriously locks, trapping him inside.

With limited air supply, Ben must race deeper into the tunnel to find a way out. Yet the farther he goes, the more his mind disintegrates. To survive, he’ll have to reckon with the monsters in his head. Only then will he be able to face the actual monster that’s now hunting him down . . .

Author Interview: Ellis Hart

Questions and Answers

1. 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. 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. Can you tell us a little about the town of Mount Dora?

This is a funny story because I wrote the entire book without ever setting foot in Mount Dora. 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.

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

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. The favorite was honestly the tunnel scene with Shannon at the end.

5. Can you tell us a little bit about your anthology titled As Told Under The Moon?

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.

6. Can you name a few authors you’ve discovered that have stuck with you?

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

7. What have been some of your favorite reads this year?

Gah, so hard. 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. Are you working on any new projects?

Yes!! The first draft of my second novel is done! It’s called Make Me Forget Again and it’s a pure psychological thriller.

9. 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!

10. Anything else you'd 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.