Jay Bell's Blog, page 23

The State of Things

For those that don't/can't watch the video, my dad is succumbing to lung cancer. As of a couple of weeks ago he was still working and doing relatively fine. This turn of events was sudden, and with luck the end will be merciful in its speed. I'm flying home to be with my family now.

Conan is a Cock Tease

The fantasy genre has always been somewhat neutered romantically. Maybe it was just the authors I read growing up, but plots rarely culminated in the hero locking lips and dragging his girl of choice off into the sunset. The ease of small publishing has allowed all sorts of niche markets to thrive in modern times, but there is a lot to be said for puritan days gone by. Sexy is never sexier than when it's unintentional, and in the past there have been a number of characters that oozed sex...

eBooks are sexy!

The eeeelectronical version of The Cat in the Cradle is now up on Fictionwise as a multiformat release. This means you get every format an eBook lover could ever need for one low price. Personally, I'm a big believer in eBooks. The way young whippersnappers always fiddle with their phones convinces me that this will be the chosen format of the future, but many people I know refuse to make the change, usually citing the following reasons:

The smell and texture of paper. Sure, I like this too...

Piracy!

My novel has been pirated! No, I don't mean that a creaking, monster of a ship pulled up along side my apartment building and spewed out pirates that ravished me before taking all my print copies away. That would have been awesome. Rather my book has been uploaded somewhere on the internet for anyone to take. I have to admit, I was bummed when I first found out. I estimate that I made about $50 before this happened. Total. I didn't receive an advance for The Cat in the Cradle, and drumming u...

The Cat in the Cradle Sketchbook

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Cat in the Cradle concept cover art

The eBook version of The Cat in the Cradle doesn't come with the illustrations. Rather than spend another night crying in sympathy for those who are missing out, Andreas and I put together a free art book containing all of the missing illustrations. That's right, free! Not only does it include all the missing illustrations, but it comes with a slew of never b...

A Long Time Coming…

Many moons ago, in the sci-fi sounding year of 2001, I sent a poem off to XY Magazine. I suppose you could call it that. Really it was just a few angsty paragraphs of my feelings, but to my surprise, they wrote back and said they would like to publish it. I've always been a reader, and like most bookworms, occasional bursts of writing would take place in between the devouring of novels. To be honest, I didn't want to be a writer when I was young. I wanted to be a rock star, preferably punk...

John Barrowman's The Making of Me – Are We Born Gay?

I snagged a copy of John Barrowman's "The Making of Me" to watch this weekend. It's a one hour special where the openly gay celebrity goes on a quest to discover what exactly makes him homo-tastic. Is homosexuality something that people are born with? Captain Jack… er, I mean John Barrowman explores this question by talking to the field's leading experts. The documentary is highly entertaining and, no surprise to any of us, it turns out being gay isn't a choice, but there a multiple...

Final Cover Art Revealed!

Andreas finished up the cover art for The Cat in the Cradle this weekend, expanding it so it wraps around the spine to the back of the book. I think he did an exceptional job. Here's your chance to see it without all the title and synopsis text that be present in the printed version. Clicky-clicky for a bigger version!

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Cat in the Cradle raw cover art

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A Decade of Hot Monkey Love

I totally jumped the gun when making this video last year, because it's only now that Andreas and I are celebrating the big anniversary. Ten years ago today, I cornered Andreas in a bar and grinned my goofy grin at him until he agreed to go on a date with me. If I were a millionaire playboy, I'd fly us both back over to Kansas to re-enact that first date, which involved a lake, my first exposure to Germany candy, a horse, cheap Chinese food, and a forgettable movie. And a kiss, of course...

Big Gay Book Review – Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

I'll never forget the thrill I had when reading Mercedes Lackey's first book in the Last Herald Mage trilogy entitled "Magic's Pawn." A friend loaned me a copy, saying very little about it other than I might enjoy it. The story starts with Vanyel, son to an uncaring father and heir to his lands, struggling with his home life. We aren't talking whiney rich kid here. Vanyel's trouble are serious, both physical and emotional in nature, and it comes as a great relief to the reader when he is...