We chat with author David Bell about his latest novel The Finalists, along with 2022 book recommendations, writing, and more!
Hi, David! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a suspense writer and a college professor who lives in a college town in southern Kentucky just one hour north of Nashville. I spend my days writing and teaching and rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Reds.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I’ve always loved to read, so I read all the time growing up. I didn’t think of myself as a writer back then, but looking back, I can see that all that reading was really just preparing me for trying to write someday.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I can remember reading the book MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL way back when I was little. I thought it was fascinating. In some ways, every book made me want to be an author, but reading Elmore Leonard set me on the path toward writing thrillers. I can’t stop thinking about the great historical novel THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH by Rosemary Sutcliff. A beautiful and moving book.
Your new novel, The Finalists, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Timely, claustrophobic, suspenseful, surprising, explosive.
What can readers expect?
A locked room mystery. A wealthy donor at a small private college awards a lucrative scholarship every year. Six students are selected to be locked in a creepy old house and compete for the prize. Once the doors are locked, people start dying. And the rest can’t get out.
Where did the inspiration for The Finalists come from?
I’ve taught at the college level for years, and I’ve seen up close how difficult it is for students to pay for school—and for the schools themselves to keep the lights on sometimes. I had my own protracted experience with student loan debt as an undergraduate. I turned all of that into a locked-room mystery set on a college campus.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The locked room—or should I say locked house—was the biggest challenge. Most of us are used to moving pretty freely through our lives, and thanks to our ever-present phones, we’re always connected to people in some way. The challenge was creating a situation in which eight people could be locked in a house with no way to get out and no way to communicate. Imagine college students surrendering their phones?!
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed writing all of the characters because they all had a backstory and, at some point, all of them became suspects in the murders. It was a lot of fun to create both empathy and suspicion around everyone.
What helps to motivate you when it comes to writing?
All writers have to be able to block out the world—and that sometimes includes the publishing world—in order to sit down and get their work done. And if the daily act of writing and creating the story isn’t fun then there’s a problem. I try my best to enjoy every day of creating the story
What’s next for you?
My first young adult suspense novel, SHE’S GONE, will be released in November of 2022. And next summer another adult suspense novel for Berkley about a former police officer who goes looking for her missing sister. I really enjoyed writing that one!
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
There are too many good books to read, but I’d suggest THE FERVOR by Alma Katsu, MY SUMMER DARLINGS by May Cobb, and NEVER COMING HOME by Hannah Mary McKinnon.
Thanks for sharing! His book looks really good!