iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Our Cut of Salt has been named one of the New York Public Library’s best new horrors for adults!! 😭🖤

091

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

GOOD MORNING I AM A USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR!!! 😭😭

A screenshot of Our Cut of Salt on the USA Today bestsellers list with the title “A NATIONAL BESTSELLER”

6438

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

One final B&N sale before Our Cut of Salt comes out in less than two weeks! 🩵 Preorder here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-cut-of...

Barnes & Noble
Pre-Order Sale
Use code PREORDER25
- 25% off pre-orders for B&N members
- 35% off for Premium Members
Sept. 9-11

132

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I am humbled and honored to share the last of the Our Cut of Salt blurbs, from @paultremblay.bsky.social and Hala Alyan. To have people you look up to read your work and then say such kind things is such a surreal experience - I’m grateful to everyone who read my haunted house story 🖤

"Lyrical and haunting, Our Cut of Salt explores the horrors of occupation via the lens of three generations of women as well as a one-of-a-kind haunted house. A disturbing, mesmerizing read."
- Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie and Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep

"Redefines the haunted house in the context of haunted history. Part gothic horror, part family portrait, this is a haunting, gut-wrenching testament to the resilience of memory and the ghosts that survive through and alongside us."
- Hala Alyan, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and Author of Salt Houses

1124

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I am so excited to announce the tour for Our Cut of Salt! I somehow still cannot believe that all of this is happening, let alone how many people want to read this book. All the thanks to the incredible team at Nightfire 🖤 Details here: linktr.ee/deenahelm

JOIN DEENA HELM ON TOUR
9.21 - Toronto, CA, Another Story Bookshop, w/ Jananie K. Velu
9.22 - Boston, MA, Brookline Booksmith, w/ Gretchen Felker-Martin
9.23 - Chicago, IL, Three Avenues Bookshop, w/ Sahar Mustafah
9.24 - Atlanta, GA, Charis Books & More, w/ Trang Thanh Tran
9.26 - Winston-Salem, NC, Bookmarks Book Festival
9.27 - Washington, DC, Bol Coop Bookstore
9.28 - Los Angeles, CA, Skylight Books, w/ Dahlia De La Vega
9.29 - Baltimore, MD, Red Emma's, w/ Eman Quotah
10.10 - New York, NY, New York Comic Con

1106

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Genuinely honored to have three more blurbs from such authors I look up to so highly!! Thank you SO much to @kmenright.bsky.social , Daisy Pearce, and EL Chen for such lovely words - everyone go check out their books as well! 💘

"A visceral exploration of generational trauma and the harsh costs of facing the past...Our Cut of Salt examines the horrors of genocide and colonization in an unflinching, timely tale."
- K.M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies

"The strands of generations are so beautifully woven together and the writing is deft, lyrical and completely gets under your skin."
- Daisy Pearce, Author of Something in the Walls

"Our Cut of Salt throbs with the longing for family lore that many of us second- and third-generation kids bear. In this moving exploration of mother-daughter relationships, and generational trauma and grief, Helm provides a timely reminder that the real horrors can be found in history."

- E.L. Chen, Author of Slasher Summer and One of Us is Already Dead

186

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Goodreads giveaway!! Enter for a chance to win an ARC through 8/9 (US only) 🇵🇸 Enter here: www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

100

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Absolutely nuts to search my name in the San Diego Comic Con schedule and see all these events pop up 😭 anyway if you’re there come see me!!

Schedule that shows three autograph sessions, as well as two panels on Saturday (Threads of Tension, Vibe Check: Terrifying) and one on Sunday (The Anatomy of Fear)

010

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Um HELLO I have three WILDLY amazing blurbs from three even more incredible authors! This is what @pdjeliclark.bsky.social, @scumbelievable.bsky.social, and @indrapramitdas.bsky.social have to say about my book - a horror about a Palestinian haunted house 😭🩷 Preorders here :) linktr.ee/deenahelm

"A haunting story of loss, displacement, and the strength of perseverance across generations. Helm has written a powerful tale of past wrongs, unanswered justice, and the ghosts of vengeance and healing they might unleash."
— P. Djèlí Clark
Author of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

“Deeply human....The essential haunted house story of our moment in history.

A gorgeous and painful debut.”

— Gretchen Felker-Martin
USA Today bestselling author of Black Flame

“Dives into the abyssal ocean of pain...and swims back to shore deliberately weighed with its salt, so that the reader may taste hope, terror, catharsis on its skin.

A ghost story haunted by a reality where justice and freedom feel as fantastical as the lingering spirits of the dead, speaking powerfully with and for those denied the same.”
— Indrapramit Das
Author of The Devourers

25333

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

if you like these things......I may have a book for you....... (it's Our Cut of Salt, my debut horror novel about a haunted house in Palestine)

A graphic that says "This Media" and lists graphics for The Only Good Indians, Japanese Gothic, The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Model Home, Palestine 36 (2025), The Reformatory

A graphic with text that says "haunted houses that kll their colonizers" and a picture of an old door in a stone house

A graphic with text that says "a free Palestine" and a picture of two Palestinian flags over a vista in Palestine

063

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Three new blurbs from three INCREDIBLE authors!! It is so wildly vulnerable to put your book into the hands of authors you admire, let alone to have them come back with such amazing things to say 😭🩷

"A gutting, visceral exploration of the violence of colonialism, and how it transcends generations. Helm's debut cuts into your skin...leaves you forever changed. An unforgettable debut. You'll never be the same after reading this book."
- Soraya Bouazzaoui
Sunday Times bestselling author of Aicha

"Deena Helm is a generational talent and voice, immediately in conversation with Shirley Jackson and Stephen Graham Jones...It's a testament to Helm's mastery of the craft that this book is horrifying even in its quiet moments...Painfully timely and poignant."
- Megan Bontrager, author of The Sea Hides Its Dead

"A raw and affecting dive into family secrets and the buried past. Honest, heartfelt, and gripping!"
- Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow

061

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

When you are Palestinian, or any marginalized identity, there is no easy ability to figure out if you want to “enter” occupation or discrimination. There is no door to step into. There is just reality. open.substack.com/pub/deenahel...

A dark background with text that says:
Horror, Palestine, and the terror of reality

Smaller URL at the bottom: deenahelm.substack.com

021

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

hello!! there is a goodreads giveaway for 50 copies of my debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, running until 5/31 (US only). you can enter here 🖤 www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

044

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

AHH!! @BookRiot named Our Cut of Salt one of the scariest horror books of 2026!!! bookriot.com/scariest-hor...

A photo of Our Cut of Salt with text:
Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm (9/22/2026)
There is something that causes inhabitants to disappear fro Nuhad's childhood home in Haifa, Palestine. After her death, her granddaughter is determined to visit the house and brings her mother with her. The house has gone from protector to something much darker, and three generations must converge to set thing right.

145

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Had such an unbelievable time at the Bramble x Nightfire event. Genuinely unreal to speak in front of people about my book and the memories I have of Palestine throughout my life, an actual dream to sign ARCs and the author wall and talk to so many awesome people 😭♥️

A picture of me with a bookshelf behind me, on which Our Cut of Salt is displayed

A picture of me eating a Nightfire cookie

A picture of me smiling in front of a presentation featuring my author photo and a picture of my book

A picture of me holding one of the signs from the event, sharing the name of the event (What’s Your Pairing?) and the author photos and pictures of books of four authors

061

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Praise is here!! If you're interested in a book about a haunted house in Palestine that fights its occupiers, and the three generations of Palestinian women who have to put the haunting to rest, you can preorder my debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, here :) linktr.ee/deenahelm

"Lyrical and terrifying, Helm's portrait of generational trauma will leave you aching in its wake. Our Cut of Salt is not just a powerful exploration of injustice and survival, but also a testament to the power of love." - Monika Kim, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Eyes are the Best Part

"Our Cut of Salt is the must-read of the year. Longing and rage are woven beautifully in this multi-generational family story, taking readers to the steps of a house in Haifa that they will not forget." - Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is A Haunting

"Devastating...Our Cut of Salt rages and aches and demands your complete attention, recontextualizing the very notion of what a haunted house is...Alongside such modern marvels of horror as Alison Rumfitt's Tell Me I'm Worthless and Tananarive Due's The Good House." - Clay McLeod Chapman, Author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

02514

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

ARCs are here and even more beautiful than I thought they’d be 😭 I cannot believe my story about a Palestinian haunted house is HERE and REAL! (And if you’re down to read about a haunted house that fights its occupiers, preorders are here: linktr.ee/deenahelm)

An image of an advanced copy of Our Cut of Salt sitting on a table

073

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Baby’s first Barnes and Noble preorder sale 🥳 you can grab Our Cut of Salt off for 25% with code PREORDER25: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-cut-of...

055

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

my furious and murderous palestinian haunted house book is now up to request on netgalley & edelweiss!!

A graphic with the cover of the book OUR CUT OF SALT by Deena Helm and text above that says "NOW AVAILABLE TO REQUEST ON NETGALLEY AND EDELWEISS"

0104

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

✨ UK COVER REVEAL ✨ If you're interested in a story about a Palestinian haunted house, the three generations of women who are ancestrally tied to it, and discovering the price of the past, this comes out September 22, 2026! Preorder here: linktr.ee/deenahelm

The UK cover for Our Cut of Salt, which depicts the title on the top half on a beige background. The bottom half shows the bottom half of a woman's face, overlaid with windows and doors, and shaded in red as the top part of her face crumbles. On the side is Palestinian embroidery in the colors of black, green, and red.

22010

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

✨ COVER REVEAL ✨ I am THRILLED to share the cover for my debut novel, a horror about what happens to a Palestinian home after decades of occupation, and the lives of three Palestinian women who are connected to it. Coming September 22, 2026 - preorder here: linktr.ee/deenahelm

A cover for the debut novel OUR CUT OF SALT by Deena Helm, showing a dark green wallpaper and a hand ripping it away, revealing a flowery yellow pattern underneath. Tagline in the corner says, "The house is waiting for them."

27430

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

What makes a house haunted in Palestine? Is it the ghosts that linger - or is it something far more sinister? Our Cut of Salt is about a haunted house in Palestine and the 3 generations of women who must discover the answer to this question for themselves. Preorder now: linktr.ee/deenahelm

Art by lunacwriting depicting three women of three different generations in front of a haunted house and a stormy sea, with a snippet of text from the book that says:

None have remembered the horrors nor absorbed the blood from those murdered quite so well as the house in Haifa.

2119

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

The New Arab (@thenewarab.bsky.social) included Our Cut of Salt for their 2026 most anticipated releases 🇵🇸 if you want to preorder your copy (which helps tell publishers that you want more Palestinian stories!!), you can do so here: linktr.ee/deenahelm

Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm

Our Cut of Salt is a sinister, unflinching take on the haunted-house novel by Palestinian author Deena Helm.

At the centre of the book is Nuhad's supposedly haunted childhood home in Haifa. When Nuhad, who has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history.

But something sinister happens, and three generations of women converge on the family home; they must reckon with the price of the past.

121

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

She's Publisher's Marketplace official! ♥️🇵🇸 If you're interested in book about a haunted house that fights back against its occupiers - and the three generations of Palestinian women who are bound to it - then look out September 2026 from Tor Nightfire and Orbit UK!

A screenshot from Publisher’s Marketplace that states:

Deena Helm's OUR CUT OF SALT, an upmarket horror in which three generations of Palestinian women converge in their ancestral haunted home and must learn what the price of the past truly is, exploring generational trauma, grief, and the horrors of the Israeli occupation, to Kristin Temple at Nightfire, in a significant deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in September 2026, by Alex Brown at Mad Woman Literary Agency (NA).
Rights also to Nadia Saward at Orbit UK, by Anna Carmichael at Abner Stein, on behalf of Taryn Fagerness Agency and Mad Woman Literary.
Translation: Taryn Fagerness

44322

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

14,000 babies 14,000 babies 14,000 babies

Article with text:
Middle East crisis live
UN warns 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in next 48 hours without aid - Israel - Gaza war live

013

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

New short story out with @sotospeakjournal.bsky.social! Grab a copy if you want a Palestinian time loop story: sotospeak.submittable.com/submit/25741...

122

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

My first official piece of published flash fiction is out in Fikra Magazine ❣️ I cannot describe how honored I am to have my first piece out with a Palestinian literary magazine & have it be in both Arabic and English (translated by Yasmin Haj) 🇵🇸

The English version of the piece, titled MY ANGER. DM or comment for a full alt text version

The Arabic version of the piece, titled MY ANGER. DM or comment for a full alt text version

072

Deena 🇵🇸 دينا @deenahelm.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

✨ I AM AGENTED! ✨ I am so incredibly thrilled to announce that I am now represented by @alexbrownwrites.bsky.social at Mad Woman Literary Agency! Her enthusiasm and passion for my historical fiction (and beyond 👀) blew me away and I'm so excited to be working with her!

A graphic of Deena with text that says, "AGENTED / AGENTED / AGENTED / Now represented by Alex Brown of Mad Woman Literary Agency"

19280