David Bell Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from David Bell

David Bell is the author of seven novels from Berkley/Penguin, including BRING HER HOME, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages, and in 2013, he won the prestigious Prix Polar International de Cognac for best crime novel by an international author. He is an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University where he directs the MFA program in creative writing. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he spends his free time rooting for the Reds and Bengals, watching movies, and walking in the cemetery near his house. He lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with his wife, writer Molly McCaffrey.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in writing?
I would tell them to write the kind of book they would want to read, to write their own story instead of what they think someone else wants them to write. That’s the best way to move toward originality.

What were your inspirations for the character development?
That kind of inspiration come from many places. My own feelings and experiences. Things I observe in other people. Things I read about. People are complicated so it’s possible to create characters who can do just about anything.

Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that writing was not just a hobby.
When I got out of college and decided to be a writer, I realized it would require a lot of hard work and dedication. I knew I had to treat it as a job as much as anything else, so I guess that’s when it moved beyond a hobby. But, really, it always felt essential to me.

What was your unforgettable moment while writing BRING HER HOME?
As I reached the end of the book, some surprises came to mind that I hadn’t anticipated. I love when that happens.

Are there authors that you’re excited to engage/work with?
There are many, many authors I respect and admire. I’m fortunate that attending conferences and other events has allowed me to get to know some of them pretty well. And the internet and social media allow for those kinds of interactions as well.

What part of Bill did you enjoy writing the most?
I like that Bill is a deeply flawed and yet still admirable character. He will do anything to protect his daughter.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Summer?
Again, as I reached the end of the book I realized that Summer had a big secret of her own, something she’d been carrying around with her for a long time. It was exciting to reveal that to the reader.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
My next novel, SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER, will be out in July 2018. It’s the story of a guy who has his past literally show up on his doorstep. What could be scarier?

Which character have you enjoyed getting to know while writing BRING HER HOME?
I really enjoyed writing about Bill’s sister, Paige. She played a big role in the story. She told uncomfortable truths that Bill didn’t want to hear. She discovered things that needed to be discovered. And she was Bill’s rock.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
Maybe Summer needs to meet Caitlin from CEMETERY GIRL. They’d have a lot to talk about.

Tell me about your first kiss.
I seem to recall an awkward neighborhood game of Spin the Bottle when I was about ten.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
Well I was one during the 80s. That was fun with lots of good music. Maybe the 90s because then I’d be ten years younger…

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
That’s a tough call. I wouldn’t mind going back to when my dad would have been alive. I wouldn’t mind going back to many things and getting them right…but that’s human nature, isn’t it?

What book would you recommend for others to read?
KILLER CHOICE by Tom Hunt, coming in January 2018

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
What day is it?

Where can readers find you?
davidbellnovels.com. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: davidbellnovels

TEN WAYS YOU GET INSPIRED TO WRITE

Have a deadline
Drink caffeine
Need money
Observe something crazy
Have a weird dream
Wake up early
Take a long walk
Remember you’re going to die
Read someone else’s great writing
Read a weird story in the newspaper

In the breathtaking new thriller from David Bell, bestselling author of Since She Went Away and Somebody I Used to Know, the fate of two missing teenage girls becomes a father's worst nightmare....

Just a year and a half after the tragic death of his wife, Bill Price's fifteen-year-old daughter, Summer, and her best friend, Haley, disappear. Days later, the girls are found in a city park. Haley is dead at the scene, while Summer is left beaten beyond recognition and clinging to life.

As Bill holds vigil over Summer's bandaged body, the only sound the unconscious girl can make is one cryptic and chilling word: No. And the more time Bill spends with Summer, the more he wonders what happened to her. Or if the injured girl in the hospital bed is really his daughter at all.

When troubling new questions about Summer's life surface, Bill is not prepared for the aftershocks. He'll soon discover that both the living and the dead have secrets. And that searching for the truth will tear open old wounds that pierce straight to the heart of his family...

Praise for BRING HER HOME

"Bell imagines a suburban world where no one really knows what’s happening behind all those drawn blinds. In Bell’s take, though, even the people inside don’t really know what’s happening. That’s where his brilliance, and the brilliance of Bring Her Home, rests.” —Providence Journal

“Taut, intelligent, and intense suspense that is deeply human.” —Mark Greaney, New York Times bestselling author of Gunmetal Gray

“Exciting and well-layered....David Bell is a master storyteller with a sure hand at crafting characters you feel for and stories you relish.” —Allen Eskens, USA Today bestselling author of The Life We Bury

“A tense and twisty suspense novel about the dark secrets that lie buried within a community and a father who can save his daughter only by uncovering them. Will leave parents wondering just how well they truly know their children.” —Hester Young, author of The Gates of Evangeline and The Shimmering Road

“A gripping, immersive tour-de-force full of twists and turns. Bring Her Home kept me flipping the pages late into the night. Don’t expect to sleep until you’ve finished reading this book. I could not put it down!” —A. J. Banner, bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife

“In David Bell’s riveting Bring Her Home, the unthinkable is only the beginning. From there, the story races through stunning twists all the way to its revelation, without letting its heart fall away in the action. Intense, emotional, and deeply satisfying. This one will keep you up late into the night. Don't miss it!” —Jamie Mason, author of Three Graves Full and Monday’s Lie

“Spellbinding and pulse-raising, Bring Her Home hooked me from the first sentence and surprised me until the final pages. Sharply written and richly observed, this book is about the secrets we keep, the mysteries that keep us, and the lengths a father will go to for the daughter he loves. David Bell is a masterful storyteller who has perfected the art of suspense in Bring Her Home.” —Sarah Domet, author of The Guineveres

You can purchase Bring Her Home at the following Retailers: