The Holdout

Hey PH. Don’t you wish your brain would let you read books as easily as you scroll through social media feeds? The Holdout is an experiment designed to do just that. It’s an intriguing science fiction mystery novel that I’ve spent years writing. Instead of releasing it as an ebook, I decided build an app that lets you read it as a scrollable feed that mimics the look and feel of a social media app. Is that weird? Absolutely. But hopefully, it’s also kinda cool and fun. I've never put more time into something and I think if you try it out, you might just find yourself scrolling something that doesn't stress you out as much as X or Threads. (Note: my teenage cousin says I just made a "Chatfic" and that I'm just too old to know it, so maybe I've done absolutely nothing new or interesting here...) THE STORY: James is a shy, socially-awkward kid from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. He has near-perfect recall of everything he’s ever seen or heard, which is both a blessing and a curse. His extraordinary memory makes him unusually intelligent, but it also leaves him constantly overwhelmed by the looping memories replaying in his mind. When James uncovers a secret at the heart of his town's very existence, it launches him into a world that he didn't know existed. In this new world, the wealthy pick the physical and mental traits of their children off a menu using a CRISPR-like genetic editing technology and violent AntiGen activists seek to halt scientific advancement. Can he uncover what AntiGen is up to and stop a mysterious threat to his friends and school? THE APP: The app includes features similar to a social media feed. As you read, each character’s dialogue is broken into posts with their avatar images, just like in a real social feed. You can bookmark, share, or leave private notes on any post in the book. I find this format to be an interesting and engaging way to experience my novel, and I hope you agree!

I love the concept. Do you think it could lead to the same mindless scrolling habits as social media?

Does The Holdout offer different reading modes such as a focus mode for deeper immersion and a feed mode for more casual reading?