by Philip Eliot | Feb 14, 2026 | General Nonfiction |
The “fascinating” true story behind the HBO Max and Hulu series about Texas housewife Candy Montgomery and the bizarre murder that shocked a community ( Los Angeles Times Book Review ). Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore had a lot in common: They sang together in the Methodist church choir, their daughters were best friends, and their husbands had good jobs working for technology companies in the north Dallas suburbs known as Silicon Prairie. But beneath the placid surface of their seemingly perfect lives, both women simmered with unspoken frustrations and unanswered desires. On a hot summer day in 1980, the secret passions and jealousies that linked Candy and Betty exploded into murderous rage. What happened next is usually the stuff of fiction. But the bizarre and terrible act of violence that occurred in Betty’s utility room that morning was all too real. Based on exclusive interviews with the Gore and Montgomery families, Edgar Award finalist Evidence of Love is the “superbly written” account of a gruesome tragedy and the trial that made national headlines when the defendant entered the most unexpected of pleas: not guilty by reason of self-defense ( Fort Worth Star-Telegram ). Adapted into the Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning television movie A Killing in a Small Town —as well as the new limited series Candy on Hulu and Love and Death on HBO Max—this chilling tale of sin and savagery will “fascinate true crime aficionados” ( Kirkus Reviews ).
by Philip Eliot | Feb 14, 2026 | Erotic Romance |
Rainbow Awards Finalist https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/official-review-art-peeling-orange-ellen-scherer Ebook version includes Alternative Ending. When Carly Rosen is jilted on the eve of her wedding, she embarks on a startling journey of self-discovery. This gender-bending risqué retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in sizzling West Hollywood, echoes the ancient story of the lovers in the Underworld. What do you do when the love of your life has eloped with another woman on the eve of your wedding? The other woman is a famous beauty named Anna Garibaldi, and their love story is splashed all over the tabloids, making you die inside. To add insult to injury, the one who has abandoned you dies unexpectedly, having left you a cryptic text message suggesting that you were always the one and only. Where do you go from here for solace, for justice? If you are Carly Rosen, a portrait artist with huge imagination, you use your art to charm your way into the life and inner circle of the alluring Anna Garibaldi, whose seductive and secretive underworld is nothing you could have expected. You say goodbye to life as you know it and take a breathless ride down to the depths of the Land of the Dead, to where passions and dangers await you and nothing is as it seems. Don’t forget a coin for the ferryman. Bon Voyage!
by Philip Eliot | Feb 14, 2026 | Horror & Paranormal |
Lights. Camera. Carnage. “Everything I want in a horror novel… a fun and scary read with a ton of heart and humor and an incredibly well-realized overall concept.” — Duncan Ralston, Author of Woom and Ghostland A chilling and original fever dream of a psychological thriller that tests the boundaries of reality and skewers modern culture, from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Island Mother . Arthur Wilson, one of history’s most prolific serial killers, built and operated the Propitius Hotel from 1905 until 1928, when countless hidden torture rooms and dozens of bodies were discovered on the grounds. He was never found and brought to justice. Enter Tawny Howlett—a squeaky clean lifestyle influencer who is knee-deep in a social media disaster, and now thousands of her followers want nothing more than to see media empire crumble. To rehab her image, she’s agreed to take part in ” Slashtag : The Ultimate Horror Experience “, along with seven other celebrities, for a three-day live-streamed reality TV show at the ill-fated Propitius. It turns out that each of the contestants has a secret and the hotel seems to prey on their deepest darkest thoughts, bringing their biggest fears to life in horror-filled manias. The participants descend into madness, trying to solve the puzzles hidden within the hotel in order to survive, as millions of people unwittingly tune in to watch the gruesome deaths of some of America’s top talent, under the guise of supposedly scripted and choreographed scenes. But to what end? Who will survive the bloodthirst of the Propitius and the sinister forces lurking in its hidden tunnels and backrooms? You’ll have to tune in to find out. Going LIVE now… ” A ton of fun . Fast paced, well thought out, and mixed with some brutal splatter and great humor. It draws really well from a lot of my favorite horror stories in genres such as slasher, found footage, and even meta pieces like Cabin in the Woods.”—Andrew Najberg, author of Gollitok ” Excellent …a fun read that will keep you guessing. It’s also a satirical warning about reality TV and just how unreal and scripted it can be. This is a fantastic novel with multiple layers but overall it is heaps of fun!”—MJ Mars, author of The Suffering ” Incredibly unique, gripping and well done.” —KC Grifant, author of Melinda West, Monster Gunslinger ” A fun romp with some shockingly poignant satire that cuts like a razor . Cohn has a unique voice that is very exciting to have on the scene.”—Blaine Daigle, author of The Broken Places
by Philip Eliot | Feb 14, 2026 | Fantasy |
WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER AWARD FOR FANTASY ????? “Loved, loved this book. Tones of the Dark Tower with such interesting characters.” ????? “This is a must read!” ????? “I CAN’T WAIT for Book 2!” THE WORLD IS WINDING DOWN. Centuries after humanity’s last stand against the Dark Filament, their servants–the bloodthirsty creatures known as Incarnates–hunt down anyone under the age of eighteen. Civilization is broken, and the remaining population is elderly, isolated and hopeless. Sixteen-year-old Korden Bright has lived his entire life behind the Barrier, a mystical shield which hides him from the Incarnates. There, a group of ancient men from the time before apprentice him in the magical discipline of artcraft, based upon one’s creativity and force of will. When the Barrier is breached, Korden will leave to journey across a post-apocalyptic America, from the shores of a place once called California, all the way to the Shroud in the far east, which marks the battlelines of the armies of the Filament. But first he’ll have to survive the wild forest just beyond his village, where he might find something far worse than Incarnates… “A wonderful mix of dystopia with a dose of high fantasy.” — Book Geeks Uncompromised ” Through the Dark Forest had a way of captivating me. Whether it was the fascinating take of a post-rapture world, or the strange encounters along the way, I could hardly pull myself from the pages.” — The Nightmare Feed
by Philip Eliot | Feb 14, 2026 | Fantasy |
When a shadowy creature appears on the long night of the solstice festival, Brohr is blamed for the grisly murder it commits. He flees the noose, one step ahead of his people’s otherworldly oppressors, into the hinterlands, where dark magic, family secrets, and a band of broken rebels await. Overhead, a grim omen spells the end of the world. With the help of a precocious thief, and a binder of spirits who is whispered to be a collaborator, Brohr must rally his downtrodden people to rise up, lest they perish in the looming apocalypse. But the leader of the provincial garrison is a fallen aristocrat with designs of his own, and in the shadows, the creature that sparked it all wages a secret war against the heavens. From barbaric hinterlands, to cosmopolitan cities in the sky, to vistas more distant than any star, three villagers from an obscure backwater are bound by fate to war against the gods themselves.
