What is the title of your latest release?
THE HOUSE BUILT ON ALLIGATOR BONES
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A woman fights to claim her inheritance – an alligator farming empire – and uncovers a cursed legacy in this Southern Gothic novel for fans of Starling House and Sharp Objects.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I grew up in Central Florida, which is what most people picture when they think of the state: think pastel houses and strip malls and Disney.
When I was in college, my brother got married on Amelia Island, and Fernandina Beach (the island’s historic downtown) was like no Floridian city I’d ever visited. There are Victorian Era houses and brick streets and alligators right next to the ocean!
Amelia Island was in the back of my mind for a decade, and when I started writing my novel, it immediately came to mind.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Probably not. At the beginning of the novel, she’s a little grim and desperate for friendship. Outsiders can sense that she’s repressing a lot, which makes them uneasy. In real life, I wouldn’t have access to her interiority, which explains why she is the way she is.
By the end, although she’s less repressed, she’s a little scary!
What are three words that describe your hero?
Lonely, self-critical, determined
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I grew up in Florida, so I already knew a few alligator facts. (Do NOT run in zigzags if one chases you; they will just close the distance faster.) Now, I’m dripping with gator facts, many of which I snuck into the book. For example, they go feral for marshmallows – though you should absolutely not feed them to wild gators. They’ll become comfortable with humans and end up chomping on someone’s foot.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write a 60,000-70,000 Draft Zero, which I throw away immediately after writing.
Next, I create a general outline with the ideas I liked from the Draft Zero, plus any improvements. (My theory is that the good parts will stick.) With that outline, I write my official Draft One from beginning to end.
I reread Draft One, create a more detailed outline, and start Draft Two. I don’t copy/paste anything from Draft One.
Finally, I reread, take notes on, and edit Draft Two. I revise that one until I’m done.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’ve been known to buy $12 pastries from a local bakery. (That is way too much for a pastry! I agree with you!) Their morning buns are so good, though.
Describe your writing space/office!
My walls are a dark blue-gray color (Inchrya Blue by Farrow and Ball, for my interior design girlies). Everything else in the room is bright and colorful!
I’ve got a mustard yellow armchair, colorful framed art, and fuchsia Bisley drawers for my art supplies. My desk is plain dark wood, but it’s covered with a pink mail organizer, pink mousepad, green desktop computer, and chartreuse Anglepoise lamp. Behind my desk is a bright red magnetic board where I organize my outlines, and a huge orange pinboard where I place tidbits of inspiration, like postcards, stickers, etc.
Who is an author you admire?
Writing is a difficult and vulnerable craft, so I admire pretty much every author. (Unless they write with AI. Writing with AI assistance isn’t writing.) If I’m pressed to name just one author, I’d say Silvia Moreno-Garcia; I’m impressed by her mastery of several genres.
Is there a book that changed your life?
There are so many! Off the top of my head, I’d say THE THIRTEEN TALE by Diane Setterfield. I read it when I was young, and it’s one of a few books that started my obsession with Gothic and darker novels.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I missed the first call! I have my phone set to ignore unknown numbers, and I didn’t have either of my agents’ numbers saved. (We usually chat via Zoom or email.) Then one of my agents emailed me, asking me to call. Once I did, she told me the situation. I don’t remember much more; I think I started disassociating. It didn’t feel real!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I lean toward darker genres; I’m usually in the middle of a mystery/suspense novel or horror.
What’s your favorite movie?
Of all time? Can’t decide. Of the past decade? Midsommar, maybe. Of this past month? Resident Evil.
What is your favorite season?
That one’s easy – fall.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like to do something outside, like take a long hike or go to the zoo.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
TV show: Widow’s Bay.
Movie: Obsession.
Book: AN IMMACULATE DECEPTION by Isabela Livino.
Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Video Game: Resident Evil 4 Remake (especially for spooky season!).
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Ethiopian.
What do you do when you have free time?
I’m always reading, whether it’s via audiobook or physical book. But I have a thousand other hobbies, too: gardening (I grow a mean dahlia), completing jigsaw puzzles, journaling, embroidering, drawing, playing video games.
What can readers expect from you next?
Something dark, suspenseful, and a little quirky.
THE HOUSE BUILT ON ALLIGATOR BONES by Sophia Huneycutt
A Novel
The Greers built their fortune on alligator bones.
Dartrine Beaumont believes her mother’s sudden death has left her alone in the world—until she learns of long-lost wealthy relatives living in Florida. Confused but delighted by the possibility of extended family, Dart travels to her grandmother’s stately Gilded Age mansion on Amelia Island for answers, just in time to stake a claim on an unusual inheritance: an alligator farming empire.
Her arrival at Greer House isn’t everything she hoped. Without warning, Dart finds herself in fierce competition with her grandmother’s arrogant heir-apparent, and tensions rise as threatening acts of vandalism escalate on one of the farms. More unsettling is her hostile grandmother’s fanatical belief that the danger stems from a curse; according to legend, a larger-than-life alligator hunted down by a bloodthirsty ancestor still haunts the family. Yet Dart can’t deny that the farm’s placid alligators hiss only at Greers, or that a shadowy figure creeps through the mansion’s halls, plaguing her with suspicions that the mythical alligator and monstrous, long-dead matriarch may have unfinished business.
As Dart uncovers the truth about her violent birthright, she faces a terrible choice: accept her place in her family’s grim legacy or forge a new path by slaying a different beast entirely.
Horror | Thriller Paranormal – Supernatural [ Penguin, On Sale: October 6, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217179497 / eISBN: 9798217179510 ]
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About Sophia Huneycutt
Sophia Huneycutt is the author of The House Built on Alligator Bones (Dutton / Penguin Random House, forthcoming Oct. 6, 2026). Her short fiction has won the Porch Prize, judged by Kevin Wilson, and has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, STORY, The Greensboro Review, and elsewhere. A Tin House alum and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow, she also holds a BA in English Literature from Davidson College and an MFA in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University.
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