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From the Hollow
Where the work begins before it becomes finished.
This blog is an ongoing record of the ideas, rituals, and obsessions that shape my art and writing — from ancient festivals and folklore to private process notes and unfinished thoughts.
Public posts mark the surface.
Members-only entries descend deeper into The Hollow where the raw, unpolished work lives.
Read as much or as little as you like. Not everything here is meant to be seen all at once.
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Book Review: A Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine
It might come as a surprise, but A Nightmare on Nightmare Street was my first time reading anything by R. L. Stine. His Fear Street series wasn’t released until the year I graduated high school. But his popularity with middle grade began in my days as a bookseller so I am certainly familiar with his name and body of work. And now I completely understand why he’s such a staple in middle grade horror. This story leans fully into classic spooky vibes: a new house filled with un
11 hours ago2 min read


Book Review: A Place to Die For by A. M. Strong & Sonya Sargent
A Place to Die For is a psychological suspense novel that blends eerie apartment-building horror with a slow-burning mystery. The story follows Jordan and her fiancé Sam, who move into the historic Glendale co-op in Boston after a devastating personal loss. At first the building feels like a stroke of luck—beautiful, prestigious, and full of old-world charm. But the longer Jordan spends alone in the apartment, the more unsettling things become. The building itself is easily
5 days ago2 min read


Book Review: They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours
Channelle Desamours’ They Call Her Regret is a darkly enchanting YA horror novel that blends spine-tingling suspense with the emotional weight of past trauma. The story follows Simone Washington, a high school senior whose love of Halloween parties and horror is both a passion and a coping mechanism for the secrets she hides. When her invitation-only eighteenth birthday bash at Doll’s Head Lake goes horribly wrong with the death of her best friend Kira, Simone is forced to c
Mar 21 min read


Book Review: The Ravine by Maia Chance
I went into The Ravine expecting something sharper—something that leaned harder into the horror it so clearly flirts with. Instead, what I found was a slow-burning psychological suspense novel that hovers right at the edge of darkness without ever quite plunging in. The premise is unsettling: a misty, wooded island; a husband returning to his childhood home; a luminous tradwife influencer neighbor who feels just slightly too polished to be real; and a ravine that may, or may
Mar 12 min read


Book Review: Pendergast by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
It’s hard to believe that I was first introduced to the enigmatic Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast back in 1995 with the release of Relic. That novel was phenomenal—intelligent, atmospheric, and chilling in all the right ways. I devoured it and subsequently read everything by them while eagerly awaiting the next release. Life, as it tends to do, intervened, and I eventually fell behind. So when I discovered they had written an origin story for one of my all-time favorite liter
Feb 282 min read


Book Review: Eradicate by Jarrett Mazza
Eradicate is a fast-paced action thriller centered on Kyle Quinn, a former elite operative turned black-ops mercenary known as a “Custodian.” Tasked with dismantling a child abduction cult hidden within Louisiana’s Cajun underworld, Quinn quickly discovers the mission is far from routine. The deeper he goes, the more personal it becomes—entangling him with a shadowy family, a skilled assassin, and ultimately, the father he fears most. The novel delivers exactly what action-t
Jan 211 min read


Book Review: Eminence Front by Rebecca Rowland
Eminence Front is a chilling winter horror novella that leans heavily into atmosphere, dread, and the slow suffocation of inevitability. Set on a quiet suburban street in New England, the story unfolds as a winter storm descends—bringing with it something far older and far more dangerous than snowdrifts and power outages. This was my first experience reading Rebecca Rowland, and her writing immediately stood out. The opening of the novella does an excellent job establishing
Jan 212 min read


Book Review: Dead Fake (Bleak Haven #1) by Vincent Ralph
Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph introduces readers to Bleak Haven—a town with secrets, shadows, and a disturbing relationship with technology. When a mysterious website allows students at Bleak Haven High to view AI-generated “deepfake” videos of their own deaths, it initially feels like just another morbid online trend. That illusion shatters when those fabricated deaths begin to play out in real life. The story follows Ava Wilson, who refuses to participate in the craze. As the
Jan 202 min read


Book Review: Secrets You Can’t Keep by Debra Webb
Secrets You Can’t Keep is my second time reading Debra Webb and the third book in the Vera Boyett series , and once again she proves she knows exactly how to pull readers into a tightly woven mystery without leaving anyone behind. One of the things I appreciate most about Webb’s writing is her commitment to accessibility. You don’t need to have read the earlier books in the series to follow this one. The story stands firmly on its own, yet the subtle breadcrumbs about Vera’s
Dec 13, 20252 min read


Book Review: Empty Boxes by Robin Acton
Empty Boxes by Robin Acton delivers a tightly paced mystery rooted in the grit and shadows of Pittsburgh’s underbelly. When crime reporter Rita Locke begins investigating the murder of a funeral director, she doesn’t expect to find empty coffins—or uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that stretches far beyond western Pennsylvania. What starts as a local crime quickly expands into an international web of danger, deception, and medical intrigue that leads her all the way to a Ca
Nov 18, 20251 min read


Book Review: Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs
Kathy Reichs returns with another sharp, unsettling thriller in Evil Bones , bringing forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan into one of her darkest investigations yet. What begins with a series of bizarrely mutilated small animals around Charlotte quickly spirals into something far more sinister. When the cruelty escalates to a family pet—and then to a human victim—Tempe realizes she’s dealing with a perpetrator whose fascination with violence is evolving in deeply distu
Nov 18, 20251 min read


Book Review: Nash Falls by David Baldacci
Nash Falls introduces readers to Nash — a man who seemingly has it all. Intelligent, disciplined, and successful, he’s climbed to the top of Sybaritic Investments through sheer determination. With a wife, daughter, and a stable, comfortable life, Nash appears to be living the dream. But that illusion shatters after his estranged father’s funeral, when the FBI shows up in the middle of the night with an impossible request: infiltrate his own company to expose a massive money-
Nov 11, 20252 min read


Book Review: The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor
The Haunting of Emily Grace marks Elena Taylor’s foray into eerie suspense with a story that blends grief, isolation, and a touch of the supernatural. Emily Grace, the protagonist, is grappling with immense loss—her home, career, and social connections gone—when she takes a job at a remote mansion on a secluded island. The mansion’s owner is eccentric, the locals whisper about a curse, and the environment is as unforgiving as it is mysterious. Taylor crafts a story with a so
Nov 4, 20251 min read


Book Review: The Resurrectionist by Kathleen S. Allen
Kathleen S. Allen’s The Resurrectionist is a gothic blend of science, obsession, and horror that draws readers into the shadowy...
Oct 7, 20252 min read


Book Review – Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
Anyone who knows me has heard me rave—probably more than once—about Don't Let the Forest In . It was hands-down the best book I read in...
Oct 1, 20252 min read


Book Review: The Grave Artist by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado
The Grave Artist , the second installment in the Carmen Sanchez and Jake Heron series, delivers a suspenseful and chilling continuation...
Sep 13, 20251 min read


Fatal Intrusion Book Review – Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado Thriller
Fatal Intrusion opens with a chilling premise: a string of murders sweeping across Southern California, connected in ways that baffle...
Sep 13, 20251 min read


Book Review: Ring by Koji Suzuki
Having finally picked up Ring , the first novel in Koji Suzuki’s iconic trilogy, I found myself pleasantly surprised. First published in...
Aug 23, 20251 min read


Book Review: An Evil Premise by T. Marie Vandelly
From the author of Theme Music , An Evil Premise offers an intriguing blend of possession, madness, and meta-fiction. The premise hooked...
Aug 12, 20251 min read


Book Review: Jenny Cooper Has A Secret by Joy Fielding
Joy Fielding, known for her skillful blend of suspense and emotional depth, returns with Jenny Cooper Has A Secret —a slow-burning...
Aug 5, 20251 min read
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