The Origins of David Bennett

In the three years since I first began to flesh out the concept of The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett, the story has gone through quite the evolution. Originally envisioned as a character piece that centered around a man who was so obsessed with death that he became a serial killer just to get a glimpse of what happens to people in their dying moments. This gradually transformed into a less heavy concept. I feel like that story still has a place to be told, perhaps even as part of this character's arc through future novels, but it was pretty heavy subject matter for a debut novel.

I also had this concept rolling around my mind of creating a novel that was a fictionalized account of what a paranormal investigator may experience while working a particularly dark case. Over time I began to realize that I could push both of these concepts together and form a coherent story that would eventually open up an opportunity for incredible world building.

So we have The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett.

The locations are (mostly) real in the novel. Almost the entire story takes place in northern Michigan, a territory where I lived for more than a decade. The street names have been changed to protect the house upon which this story is loosely inspired. I think anyone who is a local to the area really won't have much trouble figuring out exactly what house I am talking about.

The real house that inspired this tale was one that I owned for six years before turning it, briefly, into a rental before eventually letting it go to foreclosure. I couldn't sell it. Anyone who set foot in that house instantly hated it. It was probably what actually attracted me to it in the first place. It was a dark place, full of anger. There was a history of bad people living there who did bad things within the house. As I learned more of the history of the house I became determined to get my family out of there. Some of the paranormal incidents my family experienced there are chronicled and embellished within the novel. In future blog posts I plan to elaborate on some of the real life episodes from the house.

David escaped from the clutches of the house once, but finds himself ensnared by it once more upon a series of freak accidents. He tries to leave repeatedly but something won't let him.

I hope you continue to join me in our explorations of the forthcoming novel, and themes within it.

Enjoy the ride!