The Puzzle Within by Gina Holder
Series: The Game Masters – Book 1
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date:  June 3, 2025
Genre:  Romantic Suspense

FBI agent Arizona Powers is haunted by nightmares—fragments of a childhood kidnapping no one believes ever happened. Still recovering from a nervous breakdown, she accepts a protection assignment for Bridgette Van Sloan, the strong-willed teenage daughter of a U.S. ambassador who’s been receiving threats signed: Enigma.

Nick Trueheart, a former escape artist known as “Nick of Time” turned diplomatic risk analyst, is grieving the loss of his beloved wife—and obsessed with finding her killer. When assigned to Bridgette’s security detail, his biggest concern isn’t the threats—it’s the unstable agent with a vendetta against kidnappers.

When Bridgette disappears from an escape room, Nick and Arizona become entangled in a high-stakes puzzlehunt and a race against time. They must confront their own failures and unravel the secrets hidden within themselves to rescue Bridgette … and survive a madman’s twisted game. Because one thing becomes clear: Enigma’s real target is much bigger — and far more personal.

PURCHASE LINKS:
Goodreads | Scrivenings Press | Amazon
Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

About the Author

Gina Holder is a hybrid author and stay-at-home mom. She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.

Connect with Gina by visiting storiesbygina.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.

Author Q&A

CB: Gina, I’m so honored to interview you for a second time! I’m also excited that this is your first traditionally published (Scrivenings Press) book. What a wonderful time for you! 

You’ve been indie publishing since 2017, but now The Puzzle Within is traditionally published. What surprised you most about working with a publisher? 

Holder: I’d say that what surprised me the most is still how difficult it is to accept the suggested edits. My husband has been my editor through my indie career. I thought it was tough to stomach his changes because of our close relationship; that it just felt more personal. I honestly thought working with a professional editor would be easier, but I still had to go through the “seven stages of grief” before I could make the needed changes. And yes, they made the book so much stronger, even though it was hard. 

CB: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as an indie author, and how did they compare to this new experience with Scrivenings Press? 

Holder: The biggest challenge I’ve faced as an indie author is just finding people to buy my books. But that’s something that every author struggles with, and I don’t think that’s changed just because I have a publisher now. 

CB: If you could go back and give your teenage writer-self one piece of encouragement, what would it be?  

Holder: Be patience, and trust God’s timing. 

CB: For writers weighing both paths, what advice would you give based on your own publishing journey?  

Holder: It’s all about what you value. If you want full control and desire to get your words out there quickly—then indie publishing is probably the right path for you. If you’re in it for the long game and the big rewards—give traditional publishing a try. But don’t be afraid to change course if it’s not working.  

CB:  Let’s chat a little about The Puzzle Within.  This book combines an FBI agent, a risk analyst, and an escape room—what inspired this unique mix of characters and setting? 

Holder: I enjoy doing escape rooms in real life, and I thought it would be fun to write a novel with the same kind of puzzles you would find there. Then I imagined a villain who brought the escape game into the real world after kidnapping someone under the protection of someone else. I also knew I wanted to tell the story of someone who had nightmares of being kidnapped as a child, but everyone said it never happened, and they could find no records of the event having taken place. These ideas lead from one thing to another until The Puzzle Within became what it is today. 

CB:  Arizona Powers is such a strong name for a character! How did she come to life for you, and what part of her story was the most meaningful to write?   

Holder: hank you! Arizona came to life little by little as I wrote the story. Since there was a lot she couldn’t “tell me” about her past, we “discovered” many aspects of her story together. I loved getting deeper into her heart, digging past that tough veneer she carried, and finding the truth behind why she acted and responded the way she did. When I first began writing her story, I thought Arizona didn’t want to provide protection for Bridgette Van Sloan just because Bridgette was a spoiled brat, but as I unraveled the truth … let’s just say its far more emotional and touching than it seemed at first. 

CB:  Nick Trueheart is grieving, Arizona is healing, and they’re chasing a missing teen. Was it tough balancing all that emotional depth with the suspense? 

Holder: Emotional scenes and suspenseful scenes are two of my favorite things to write. Since I enjoy them so much, they usually flow the easiest. The only difficult part is making sure they don’t interfere with each other, like tender moments while bullets are flying. 

CB: What are you most excited about as you prepare to release The Puzzle Within? 

Holder: My opinion is that The Puzzle Within is my best novel to date, and after four years of working on it, I’m just so excited to finally share Nick and Ari’s story with the world. I believe it’s a powerful one, and I hope readers enjoy it and are touched by the lessons these characters learn together, plus the puzzles had a fun, unique element to the story. 

CB: As always, Gina, it’s a pleasure to have you here. I wish you a successful book launch!