Jay Bell's Blog, page 6

Hey you! How’s it going? Yeah, I hear ya. Me? I’m juggling quite a few projects right now and it’s wonderful! Aside from writing for Patreon and working on the next Something Like… book, I also have a few surprises in the works that I’m really excited about. The only downside is that I have less time than ever, which is why I stopped selling autographed books and art cards last year. ‘Tis the season that people start searching for gift ideas, and I’ve already gotten a few requests in the past week, so I thought that I would open up the old store again. This time, to make it more manageable, I’m mailing all orders out on December 10th. I believe that should be enough time to get them to you by the holidays. If you’re not familiar with the art cards, you’ll find a video on our store page. All the information about prices is over there too, along with other options like T-shirts that you can order year round from our partners at RedBubble. I do plan on closing the store again on December 10th, but if this works out, maybe I’ll open it again at this same time next year. Much love to you all!

As anyone who reads my books will know, I strive to understand other perspectives. The most recent election has made that exceptionally challenging, but there is at least one issue that unifies most Americans in these very divided times: We all long for change. That’s what many people voted for when electing Obama. It’s also what fired up Bernie’s supporters. Some hoped that our first female president would change how women are perceived and treated. And yes, half the county felt that Trump was the most capable of bringing change. Whether we approve of any politician or feel that change should go backward or forward, left or right, is a debate that has been raging since the founding of this country and will continue to do so, but I take solace in the fact that most Americans are tired of a broken system. I’m proud of anyone who acted on their own convictions and went out and voted, even if I don’t agree with their choice of candidate, and I hope those who remained idle during this election will finally feel inspired to do something besides sit at home and grumble. Political shifts don’t only occur every four years. The process is ongoing. You can still participate by celebrating or protesting, by educating yourself and others, and by voting for and writing to elected officials. Either continue the fight or throw in the towel, but I personally believe that only one option exists to any American who truly believes in this country and a better future.

I’ve always wanted Ben and Tim’s story to reach as many people as possible. That’s why I took a risk on the audiobook versions and signed away the movie rights. I don’t want anyone to be excluded due to a language barrier either. So far we’ve done well in that regard. Something Like Summer is available in German, French, Italian, and there’s even a Chinese fan translation! What about Spanish though, the second most spoken language in the world? What if Tim’s grandmother, Nana, wanted to read her grandson’s story? A few years back, I contacted all the Spanish publishers I could find and had no luck. Then a young man fresh out of college wrote me to say how passionately he felt about the story, and seeing how he was officially a translator now with a big fancy degree… I jumped at the opportunity, and as for poor David Rodolfo Areyzaga Santana, he worked extremely hard to complete his translation of the novel. Thanks to his efforts, Something Like Summer can now be read in Spanish under the title of Como si fuera verano.

Pretty exciting! I could use your help though. I’m not a Spanish publisher. I don’t have insider knowledge about the Spanish-speaking market. Currently the book is published in the same way as all my others, although I’m sure there are stores it should be in that it isn’t. I’m open to any advice anyone has about where to get the book distributed and how. More crucial than that, if you have Spanish-speaking friends and family that might enjoy this book, please help spread the word. Spanish forums, websites, Facebook groups… Anything you can think of would be exceptionally helpful. Thank you in advance. This is my first time commissioning the translation of a book, and if the investment is earned back, then perhaps I can pursue having others translated, either into Spanish or other languages. For now, here are some handy dandy links on where Como si fuera verano can be purchased:

Gandhi

Google Play

Amazon

iTunes

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble Nook

The eighth book in the Something Like… series is finally here! That’s crazy considering that Summer was conceived as a standalone novel. I never dreamed of where that book would take me. Wanna know what’s extra crazy though? Something Like Rain officially brings the word count to well over one million words. ONE MILLION! All because some guy ran into another while out on his rollerblades one day. A guy who I recently got to interview. And while we’re talking about the series as a whole, hopefully you’ve seen the latest cover, which I think is some of Andreas’s best work to date. But why is it blue? We’ve already had a blue one, haven’t we?

Not exactly. Winter’s cover is closer to cyan. I know we were all taught that the color spectrum includes indigo, but it really doesn’t. Roy G. Biv is a lie. Or at the very least it’s inaccurate. You can thank Sir Isaac Newton for that. He added Indigo to the spectrum so there would be enough colors to correlate with music notes in the major scale. Had he chosen cyan instead and placed it between green and blue, it would have made more sense, considering that cyan is visible in the light spectrum and distinguishable to the naked eye. Modern scientists feel that his blue actually refers to cyan, and his indigo to blue. Now if only schools would let go of their death grip on a cutesy abbreviation and start teaching it right.

ANYWAY, nutty color obsession aside, I’m excited for you guys to read William’s story. He seemed like the sweetest guy imaginable in Spring, although he wasn’t looking so saintly in Lightning. I hope that Rain will finally allow us to judge him fairly. We’ll get to see what he was feeling during any given event, what his motivations were, and of course find out what happened when he wasn’t on the page at all. The nice thing about now knowing that I’m writing a series is getting to plan ahead. William’s story is crucial to my master plan and what the future holds. But for now, I hope you enjoy returning to Austin and getting to revisit some old friends.

You can get Something Like Rain from:

Trade Paperback


Amazon Kindle
iTunes
Barnes & Noble
Google Play

And as always there are free chapters over on the product page.

The first time “Ben” and I spoke together. It was intense!

No, I’m not kidding, although a little explanation is in order. I was in Portland last year to watch the filming of Something Like Summer. Anyone who has been on a movie set before knows how much sitting around and waiting is involved. During one of these breaks, Grant Davis who plays Ben was getting into character. I was trying to help, so we had a conversation with him as Ben and myself as boring ol’ me. The experience was surreal, beautiful, and a little upsetting, because Jace was the topic. We repeated this exercise a few times, but not just for the sake of the film. I think Grant gets a kick out of how much it freaks me out. I can ask him things that aren’t in the book and he’ll still get the answer right! How do I know? Because I first pose the question to myself and think about how I would have the character react. When it’s Grant’s turn, he pretty much reads my mind every single time.

I was in LA this past weekend while more scenes were shot, and Grant suggested we make a video together. Or more accurately, he wanted to make one of me interviewing Ben. I got to choose the questions, and he didn’t see them in advance. I avoided the subject of Jace this time because it’s tough on everyone emotionally. I wanted the interview to be fun, and I hope you think it is. I also hope this helps demonstrate what an excellent decision it was to cast Grant as Ben. He cares about the character to an astounding degree! Even once the camera was shut off, Grant wanted to keep going just for the sheer joy of it. He LOVES playing Ben, and I can’t help loving him because of it. I don’t need him to always be my Benjamin though, because Grant Davis himself is a great person and worthy of more praise than I can squeeze into this blog entry. I feel so lucky that this movie brought us together! So yeah, without further ado, please click that play button and enjoy the interview!

Ben and Tim are back! If you’ve been keeping up with the books, you know they’ve never gone away. Not completely. This time they feature in a new short story over on Patreon, but don’t worry—no account or money needed! Just head on over there and grab yourself a free read. Enjoy that cover art too. Man did Andreas knock it out of the park! Hey, I just made a basketball reference! I feel so manly. You might also be interested in an article I wrote over at Joyfully Jay about my experience at the Lambda Literary awards. Or perhaps you would prefer to preorder Something Like Rain? I’d sure like it if you did! We’re about a month away from the new book’s release. I’ve got much to do, so I’ll leave you now. I hope you enjoy the new story!

Chances are, that if you’ve reached this page, it’s because you’re wondering when the Something Like Summer movie will come out. Maybe you asked me directly, or did a search online. I’m the author of the book, and even I don’t know. My involvement with the movie hasn’t gone far beyond a little feedback on the script and helping with fundraising. I’m out of the loop, and I’m happy here. My job is to keep pumping out books like a mad man. Feel free to ask me about the written stories all you want. If it’s movie info you desire, I suggest you sign up for the movie producers’ newsletter, or my personal newsletter. As soon as a reliable movie release date exists, I will let you know immediately. Or you can follow the movie people on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram. I hope it doesn’t seem callous if I directed you to this post. People ask me every single day about the movie, and with no significant developments in recent months, I’ve run out of creative ways to repeat the answer, which again, is that I don’t know. But hey… books! I’ve got books! I publish new Something Like… fiction EVERY SINGLE WEEK on Patreon, so if you’re impatient and into instant gratification, I’ve got you covered. Or you can preorder Something Like Rain. Or I have a back catalog of traditional releases (some are free!), or audio books (one is free!), or a bunch of really lame YouTube videos (I couldn’t sell them if I wanted to!). I hope you find something among all of that to entertain you, and perhaps make the wait a little easier to bear. Much love to you all!

The 8th book in the Something Like… series is almost here! Something Like Rain is William Townson’s story—not just his relationship with Kelly or Jason, but his time in the Coast Guard, and what happens when he eventually returns to Austin. It’s the thickest book in the series so far, much to my surprise. If you’re looking for some summer reading, it’ll be out on July 27th. Worried you’ll forget? No problem! You can preorder using the links below. Many thanks if you choose to do so!

Paperback

Amazon Kindle

Apple iTunes

Barnes and Noble Nook

Google Play

Smashwords (ePub etc.)

Guess what? I’ll be reading in public soon, and I don’t just mean when I sound out funny words on a menu. I’ll be reading a selection from one of the Something Like… books. Such performances are rare for me, and this will be my first. I’m not sure how I’ll do, or if I’ll regret this decision, but won’t it be fun to find out! Why not join me? The reading takes place in Chicago one week from now. Details are below. If you think you’ll be attending, please let me know in advance. I do plan on being around after the reading to socialize. I’d love to have you there. You guys are my buds! I need your support on this one! Aw, who am I kidding. I need you guys for just about everything, so yeah, if you can join me next week, that would be awesome.

When: May 5th, from 6-8pm

Where: Conrad Sulzer Regional Library

4455 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60625

There’s also a Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1582250598733499/

See you soon?

Who are the best readers ever? You guys! In particular all the amazing people over on Patreon who raised $965 to help support The Night Ministry. Why? Let’s talk about that a second. Studies vary, but 20-40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. In one survey, nearly 70% of those youth cited rejection from their family as the reason they ended up on the street. Gay rights have made tremendous strides in recent years, but that doesn’t mean blanket acceptance. Homeless LGBT youth are also at a significantly higher risk to be victims of sexual abuse and physical violence. They are also twice as likely to commit suicide.

What does any of this have to do with me or my books? I’ve been writing a new story along with my Patreon supporters called Something Like Chance. Noah Westwood is the main character. He’s a young homeless guy trying to find a way out of his situation. Writing always involves a lot of research. That combined with moving to Chicago has made homelessness a part of my daily existence. Putting myself in Noah’s shoes while writing about him made me especially eager to help in some way, and I knew my Patreon supporters would be happy to contribute. The charity we’ve chosen to support is The Night Ministry, primarily because they help fund The Crib, one of the few resources (if not the only) in Chicago that specializes in helping LGBT homeless youth. You can read about them here in this Chicago Tribune article, or visit them at their web site. Our charity drive might be over, but you can still donate to them directly. Please consider doing so. Chances are that you have an extra few bucks in your pocket, and if you watch the video on the Chicago Tribune site, you’ll see that The Crib isn’t rolling in money from supporters. They need all the help they can get and every little bit helps.

Proof of the donation made can be found here. Andreas insisted on rounding it up to an even $1000. I’m sure most of you guys trust me, but sadly there are people who use good causes as a tool to rob people of their hard earned money. I’m a big believer in full transparency when it comes to charity work, another reason that I selected The Night Ministry, since they’ve proven themselves to be reputable. Many thanks to my Patreon supporters. You guys are wonderful!