By Leslie Lindsay
Master of small-town, multi-layered thrillers, bestselling author of seven novels—SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, and CEMETERY GIRL, David Bell is back with another tale sure to keep you guessing…and the back door locked.
Just a year and a half after the tragic death of his wife, Bill Price’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Summer and her bestfriend, Hayley disappear. When the girls are found—days later—they are beaten beyond recognition. One girl is dead. The other is clinging to life in a hospital bed.
Questions swirl: why? And who? Most of all—is that really even Bill’s daughter lying in that hospital?
BRING HER HOME is about a father and husband’s grief, his quest for answers, and discovering that everyone—even the dead, have secrets.
I’ve long been a fan of David’s work and so I’m thrilled to welcome him to the blog. Pull up a seat, and a join us!
Leslie Lindsay: David, thanks for popping over! I’m always intrigued about what propels a writer into a certain story. There has to have been something haunting you, or perhaps something you wanted to explore. What was it for you in BRING HER HOME?
David Bell: I found myself thinking a lot about the way the unexpected and the unanticipated drop into our lives. People can get sick suddenly and without warning. People can lose jobs in surprising ways. All of that went into my exploration of Bill Price, a character who has a couple of huge, unexpected problems land in his life in this book. The question is always: How do we respond to these things? How do we bounce back and keep going forward?
“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
L.L: So much of your work has to do with missing girls, disturbed girls, the past. I read somewhere recently that as readers (and writers), we’re quite taken with missing girls because, as a whole, in literature (and perhaps in other professions), women are still marginalized. Can you speak to that, please? And what accounts for your fascination in the subject?
David Bell: It’s a simple fact that women are more vulnerable than men in our culture. Men are much more likely to harm their female partners than the other way around. Women have to be cautious just walking down the street, even in broad daylight. I hope like hell we’re improving in this area and talking about it more, 
but you never know. As far as my own fascination…I think missing persons cases are the scariest of all. The open-ended-ness of a missing persons case allows those left behind to project anything they want onto the missing person. Are they suffering? Are they afraid? Did they simply run away and not want to come back? The endless possibilities are terrifying.
L.L.: This is your seventh novel, so it’s a safe assumption that you’re pretty seasoned at writing domestic suspense. Were there any key differences in your process for BRING HER HOME? How might writing the first book and the seventh book differ?
David Bell: Ah, if only I knew what I was doing! The truth is every book brings its own set of problems and challenges. Staring at the blank screen is always scary, no matter how many books are in the rear view mirror. BRING HER HOME has a complicated plot with a lot of moving parts, so it required a lot of revision. Maybe more than any other book I’ve written. And I think that’s a good thing. Revision can be painful, but the end result is almost always better.
L.L.: There were times in BRING HER HOME that I got a bit of a faith-based message. Paige, Bill’s sister, is often praying, attending the hospital chapel, encouraging Bill to do the same. This seems to be a slight turn for you, given some of your other books. Can you talk about Paige’s character a bit?
David Bell: I like Paige a lot and the sibling dynamic between Bill and Paige. Their relationship is a lot like the relationships I have with my siblings. I’m not very good at calling all the time and checking in, but when the chips are down, we’re there for each other. Plus, Bill needs someone to soften his rough edges, to calm 
him when he needs to be calmed and to push him when he needs to be pushed. I’m not a religious person and I’m not pushing any agenda. I just wanted to show that different characters respond to awful events in different ways. Bill had turned away from the church, but Paige still saw it as a useful thing in her life. I have an aunt who always says she’s praying for me, even though she knows it’s not part of my belief system. And I always accept the prayers. Hey, what if she’s right and I’m wrong?
L.L.: You still have a ‘day job,’ as a college professor—which I admire—how do you maintain a work-life balance and do you feel your job teaching English and directing the MFA program influences (encourages?) your writing?
David Bell: I’m lucky because my day job relates directly to writing. I spend the whole day reading and discussing stories, so even though it’s not my work, I’m still immersed in the world of writing. And I learn as I read published work and student work for class, so I’m always seeing my own writing in a new light thanks to the day job. I’m also lucky because I have summers off from teaching and a long holiday break, so I can get a lot of writing done during those times.
L.L.: Can you tell us about your road to publication? What were some of the things you did ‘right’ and what do you wish you may have done ‘better?’
David Bell: The thing I did right was I persisted. I never stopped writing. I always went on to the next thing…the next story, the next book. I was determined and that counts for a lot. Maybe the most. I never gave up. In terms of doing things better…hmmm…I could have been a little more focused. I could have networked more and learned more about the business of writing and how it all works. I’ve been learning it all as I’m doing it, and I could have been a little smarter.
L.L.: What was the last thing you Googled? For me, it was weather in Portland…which given its rainy reputation, is predicted to be sunny and warm. Win!
David Bell: Unfortunately I Googled the Major League Baseball standings for my daily update and once again saw my beloved Reds in last place, an all too familiar sight these days. Maybe I should stop looking….
L.L.: David, it’s been great chatting. What should I have asked, but may have forgotten? Your fall teaching schedule? What you’re reading? What you had for breakfast? If you’re writing another book? Who would come to your dinner party, what’s obsessing you—really—whatever you want to share.
David Bell: I had Cheerios for breakfast and a giant cookie for lunch. I’m currently reading CONCLAVE by Robert Harris. Thanks for having me!!
For more information, to connect with David Bell via social media, or to purchase a copy of BRING HER HOME, please visit:
- Website
- Twitter: @DavidBellNovels
- GoodReads
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- IndieBound
- iBooks Store
- BAM!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Bell is a bestselling and award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages. He’s currently an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he directs the MFA program. He received an MA in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a PhD in American literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. His previous novels are Since She Went Away, Somebody I Used to Know, The Forgotten Girl, Never Come Back, The Hiding Place, and Cemetery Girl.
You can connect with me, Leslie Lindsay, via these social media platforms:
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[Cover and author images courtesy of Berkley and used with permission. Author photo credit: Glen Rose Photography. Image of missing children from fbi.gov, ‘faith in the face of fear’ retrieved from jennyorganically.com, Reds logo from sportslogos.com, all on 8.4.17
Leslie A. Lindsay| Writer & Creative 
Great interview! I enjoyed it!!
Great to hear, Linda! Thanks for reading.