Kristen Bird’s debut novel The Night She Went Missing is an intriguing and twisty domestic suspense about loyalty and deceit in a tight-knit Texas community where parents are known to behave badly and people are not always who they appear to be.
We chat with Kristen about her debut, along with writing, inspiration and more!
Hi, Kristen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
My husband Tim and I have three daughters, an 11-year-old and 8-year-old twins. We also have two lab rescue mixes, Holly and Bella. We live outside of Houston where I teach high school English and write as often as possible. I drink a lot of coffee.
How has the first month of 2022 been for you?
Adventurous. I taught a three-week course with a good friend in which we took ninth and tenth graders all over the Houston area to explore some favorite locales and out-of-the-way spots. After school, I’ve been hanging out with my family and writing as much as possible. I’m not a resolution-setter, but I have been trying to keep up with my long-term goal of running at least three times a week as well.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
When I was in elementary school, a local printing press in Albertville, Alabama held a competition to see which team of fourth-graders could write and illustrate the best picture book. I helped write a Stuart Little kind of story, and we won. After that, I knew I wanted to write in some capacity, and although my undergrad is in journalism, I made my way back to fiction—both through teaching English and writing novels.
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!
First Book: I Am a Bunny by Ole Rison and Richard Scarry
Book That Made Me Want to Become An Author: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Book I Can’t Stop Thinking About: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Your debut novel, The Night She Went Missing, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Desperate mothers get things done.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a mysterious setting on Galveston island, strong women determined to protect their families at all cost, and family drama that keeps them turning the page.
Where did the inspiration for The Night She Went Missing come from?
I was reading a New Yorker piece by Rachel Aviv, “How a Young Woman Lost Her Identiy” with my journalism students a few years ago. Aviv’s article is the story of Hannah Upp, a young woman suffering from dissociative amnesia who was found floating near the Statue of Liberty after going missing. Since then, she’s disappeared two other times and hasn’t been seen since September, 2017. The story was tragic and riveting and left me thinking about all of the what-ifs.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me was finding time to edit and revise with kids and a full-time job, so I had to get creative. I would print out pages and take them with me wherever I went—to wait in line at the kids’ school, to piano practice and TaeKwonDo, to dentist appointments. I stole fifteen to thirty minutes of time here and there in order to finish this book.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Emily’s voice (the missing girl) because her thinking and way of seeing the world felt familiar. She’s a younger version of myself, grappling with the complexities of what it means to hold faith and reason in tension all while dealing with transition, love, and loss.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best Writing Advice: Take a break from your work. The longer I can wait between finishing the first draft and returning to edit, the more fluid the story becomes during revision.
Worst Writing Advice: That inspiration will come. Sometimes I’m not inspired, and I have to write or revise anyway. My muse likes to play hide and seek. Being a journalism major in my undergrad taught me to write fast and to write even when I didn’t feel like it.
What’s next for you?
I’m editing another contemporary suspense novel, I Love It When You Lie, out March 28, 2023. This book is set in the Appalachian foothills, and it’s about three sisters who are grieving a number of losses and decide to take matters into their own hands.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
I have Nikki May’s Wahala (Jan 11, 2022) in my reading stack, and I’m excited to dive into this fantastic debut!
