Jay Bell -+- Author of Fantasy Novel "The Cat in the Cradle"

Happy Couples are Boring

A good day in real life is a bad chapter in fiction. A pleasant meal, a satisfactory day at work, and a relaxing evening at home all make for boring reading. Imagine though if a friend called to say they were late to work due to food poisoning, were subsequently fired, and returned home only to find that they’d been robbed. You would listen to every detail with rapt attention and probably repeat the tale to others. All those occurrences that make life miserable translate into a great story. Of course there is some good in the world that is also gratifying on the page, such as sex, but usually an author is the harbinger of conflict for his creations.

Lately I’ve been busy editing my gay romance novel and it feels like meeting up with old friends. Of the four complete manuscripts I’ve written, the characters in this story are hands down my favorite. I miss then when I’m not working on the book, bad enough that I feel like picking up the phone and giving them a call. Of course this is a problem since they don’t exist.

I could bring those characters back to me by writing a sequel, but I wouldn’t be doing them any favors. I’m not as hard on my characters as some authors, but those that have found happy endings deserve to enjoy them. A book consisting of nothing but dates and hot sex might not sound bad, but it wouldn’t be realistic either, since established relationships are full of quiet moments and simple conversation. Strange how most stories are concerned with the blossoming of love, when making a relationship last decades long is the trick. So maybe there is a book in there somewhere, but for now I’ll let my characters enjoy their reward before I march back into their lives with a bag full of trouble.

Boys that go bump in the night.

This handsome fellow is Gaueko, spirit of the night. If he finds you wandering his domain, he’ll warn you to return indoors until the sun rises. Any that doesn’t heed this advice is subject to Gaueko’s fury. The people of Basque Country, Spain, where Gaueko’s legend originates, say that he takes the form of a black wolfhound that walks upright. Naturally this harkens back to tales of werewolves, my favorite monster. I would love to write a werewolf novel, and have a story fleshed out in my mind, but first there’s editing to do.

I guess some writers might edit alongside writing new material, but I’m too eager to get the books I’ve already finished out there. Any hour that I’m writing could be used toward that goal, and so that’s what I do. I can’t wait to get caught up though. Getting back into my old habits after being gone so long isn’t easy, but I’m sure I’ll slide into soon. Speaking of creative enterprises, the art above is the work of Brian Shepp, who has done an entire series of deities and spirits. He even painted my man Manannan, which is how I found his site. You can check out Brian’s stunning work here and buy something if you’re rich. I know I would. Anyway, I love stuff like this. I’ve always had a fascination with the old gods, if not a ongoing relationship, and they feature heavily in my third novel. That one seems a million miles away, but some of these gods also make an appearance in The Cat in the Cradle, albeit in different guises. I wonder if anyone will recognize who they are?

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, but let’s face it, these sensations are only registered for the first few seconds of reading before the story becomes the full focus. No one presses their nose to the book and inhales after every sentence. Well, one guy does, but nobody likes him.

Having something to hold/put on the shelf. It’s not like eBooks exist in thin air. There’s still the reading device to be held and often only one hand is needed, even for page turning, which makes cuddling up with a book so much easier. As for all that shelf space you’ll be saving, buy some nice house plants or some classy art.

I wouldn’t like it. Have you tried? How do you read websites, emails, or text messages without looking at a screen? Yes, reading for long periods of time is different, but most of us surf the web for hours at a time. Newer eBook devices are more comfortable to look at than computers and cell phones too, reducing eye strain.

That last reason is the biggest obstacle. Most people aren’t too keen on trying something new, even though they like to pretend otherwise. I’m not worried about it though. The new generation is raised with a bottle in one hand, a cell phone in the other. It’s only a matter of time before eBooks become the standard format, and here are some of the benefits:

Is that a library in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a flight or in a waiting room and realizing that you hate the book you brought along. EBook readers can store every book you own, which makes switching titles a cinch. Moving day isn’t such a strain on the back either.

Free books! Just as mp3 players made it easier to access free music, so do eBook readers. Most publishing houses give free samples away to entice buyers, but this can also save you from buying a book you wouldn’t have enjoyed. No more reading in the aisle at your local book store. There are tons of free complete books out there as well, a surprising amount of them legal.

Save the planet! There’s a million reasons why we decimate the Earth’s forests on a daily basis. Taking books out of the equation is a great way of slowing that destruction down.

Make your stuff more useful. Hopping on the eBook wagon doesn’t require buying a pricey Kindle. Chances are you already own a capable device in the form of a cell phone, PDA, Laptop, etc. This is a great way of giving eBooks a try with little or no investment.

A pretty penny. EBook pricing is becoming very competitive, and while some publishers still have their heads up their asses, most eBooks cost a fraction of the print version.

The cool factor. You know that relative that still listens to records and cassettes and complains about music only being available on CD? Do you really want to become like them? Yeah, that’s right, I’m employing peer pressure.

Those are just a handful of the benefits. I do hope people will give eBooks a chance. Computers were once considered inaccessible or difficult, but just look how beneficial there are to us today. EBook are simply a wonderful extension of this. If you haven’t already, why not give them a try? You’ll never lose another bookmark again.

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 up sales for an unknown author is harder than you might expect. Still, if there’s one unstoppable force in the world, it’s piracy. Knowing there was little I could do, I decided to go with the flow and posted the following message to the place it was being downloaded from:

“Wow! My book has been pirated already. Well, I hope you guys enjoy! If you do, please leave me a nice review on Amazon or consider buying the print version. Happy reading!”

I thought this was a pretty cool attitude to have. When I checked back the next day, I found my message had been deleted. Why? That’s the equivalent of a homeowner saying to a burglar, “Ah! I’m being robbed. Well, don’t mind me. Help yourself!” and then getting punched in the face for his benevolence.

The bright side to all of this, is that my book has been downloaded more than a hundred times. That’s a lot of readers! Any legitimate author writes for themselves first, penning the story they’ve always wanted to read. The next consideration is the audience, and knowing my characters have found so many potential fans is pretty thrilling. If I weren’t in a financial partnership with my publisher, I think I would offer the ebook for free and see if I could live off of print sales or donations to this site. I’d like to think I could make enough to keep writing, and if my book is going to be given away, it should be on my own terms. This might be something I pursue with my next novel. Until then, I can only hope that anybody that reads The Cat in the Cradle, no matter how they come by it, takes a little time out to help support the book, even if only by word of mouth. I mentioned donations… right?

The Cat in the Cradle Sketchbook

Update! The PDF eBook available from my publisher is now illustrated!

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 before seen concept art and commentary from yours truly.

While digging through his sketchbooks, Andreas came up with some real gems. My favorite can be seen here. Click it and it grows! This is a watercolor of Dylan, the main character of the story, and I’m absolutely enamored with it. This, along with more than fifty other wonderful images, is available from Smashwords in all eBook formats for zero dollars and zeroty-zero cents. All I ask in return is that you tell others about it, and maybe give my novel a mention as well. Enjoy!

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!

The empty white box is for the bar code, of course. Andreas came up with a lot of rough images before we settled on a final concept, and it’s amazing to see how the art evolved when looking through them in sequence. The earliest and roughest sketch, seen to the left, was later used as the basis for the art on the opening chapter. All together, there are about five unique images that came before the final art.

I’m very, very lucky to be married to an artist willing to take time out of his busy schedule to fulfill my silly whims. Andreas spent an ungoldy amount of time creating the twenty-five interior illustrations in addition to the cover, each with their own concepts and alterations. Believe you me, this is going to cost me a ridiculous amount of foot massages.

Despite being advised not to, we all judge a book by its cover, so it’s very important they look their best. What’s the best cover art you’ve ever seen? (Aside from mine naturally. Heh.) It could be anything from books, DVDs, album covers, anything. What’s your favorite?