A Day to Live and Writing The Bell by Susan Specht Oram

Last December, my ninety-seven-year-old mother called to say she had a day to live. I flew from a small airport north of Seattle to San Francisco to be with her. As the days wore on, she slept most of the time. But one afternoon, a visitor came in and woke her, kicking off four days of frenzied activity. My mother asked for a bell from a shelf. I gave it to her, and she rang the bell every twenty minutes, night and day, making requests and issuing demands. At four in the morning, Mom wanted me to go to the Mexican restaurant and bring her back a margarita. 

When she rang the bell at one, two, and three in the morning and in between, I stumbled to her hospital bed and did my best to please her. Despite my fatigue, in the back of my mind, a glimmer of a new book grew and took shape. She rose from her death bed in a remarkable recovery and, by the time I returned home, I was utterly exhausted. My hair was falling out, but I had the beginnings of a story to tell.

I titled the book The Bell and wrote about a daughter, a dying mother and a predatory neighbor. Then I layered in two other points of view with their own character arcs and life and death challenges. In a second storyline, Francesca fights to keep trespassers off her land. Strangers in dark robes stride into the woods and leave smoldering camp fires. She must stop them. 

Ash, Francesca’s roommate, takes a group of college buddies on a wilderness trek on a lower part of Mt. Rainier. One man won’t follow orders, jeopardizing everyone’s safety. When I was writing the book, news reports of several brown bear attacks north of our county came in over three weeks, influencing the tale. On Ash’s trip, snow starts melting, and bears come out of hibernation…

I had a blast writing The Bell, Book 5 in my new series, The Isolated Island Series (set on a fictional version of Whidbey Island, Washington). The Bell can be read as a standalone. Early reviews say: “The book was tense and gripping. Amazing book and the twist at the end left my jaw hanging open. This is a must read.” “Three amazing stories all come together for a thrilling, suspenseful book.”

I hope you’ll read The Bell. The book will be published on November 16, 2026 and the audiobook will be available in December. All the best in reading, Susan

You can find The Bell on Amazon and soon on Barnes & Noble online. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HPX9K7N5

Susan Specht Oram writes mysteries-thrillers and creative nonfiction. She lives with her husband and rescue dog in a windy part of the Pacific Northwest.

 

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Category: On Writing