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

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?

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?

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 sent away to live with his Aunt in the capital city of Haven.

Often times while reading I pretend characters are gay until the plot forces me to think otherwise, and I did the same with Vanyel. Imagine my delight when he actually turned out to be gay. Vanyel doesn’t discover this until his exodus to Haven, an act intended as punishment, but one that becomes a blessing when Vanyel meets the love of his life, Tylendel. A decent chunk of the novel is taken up by this relationship, but happy endings don’t belong at the beginning of a story, so a parade of surprising conflicts soon interrupt their happy honeymoon. Where Lackey takes their relationship over the trilogy of books, is something better left experienced than described.

Lackey’s portrayal of a gay relationship is a bit hit and miss, occasionally coming across as too flowery and feminine. I suspect that’s partially due to the aristocratic backgrounds given to the characters along with the author obviously not being a gay man. Considering how few homosexual characters were present in popular media back in 1989, I think Lackey did a commendable job regardless.

One thing I certainly appreciate is that the story and characters aren’t preoccupied by coming out. Acceptance of their sexuality comes nice and quick, both internally and from the society surrounding them. Too often coming out dominates the entirety of a plot, but with this out of the way, Vanyel and Tylendel are able to get on with their relationship without having to tackle this age old issue.

On rereading “Magic’s Pawn,” I was surprised to discover echoes of Harry Potter in this tale, since Vanyel is a sympathetic character, misunderstood, unappreciated, and abused by his family until the day he is sent off to a more colorful and magical world. It’s a very effective way of getting the reader on the protagonist’s side. Who knows, maybe Rowling drew inspiration from this earlier tale when writing her own books.

It had been a long time since I read this trilogy, and naturally I thought of it when writing my own gay fantasy novel, but this made me avoid it like the plague. Lackey did it right, and long before anyone else had done it, and I didn’t want to step on her toes. Her success and bravery in incorporating gay characters long before the world had warmed to the idea was a constant inspiration to go ahead with my own vision, and for that I am eternally grateful to her. To me, the Last Herald Mage trilogy will always be the first and most classic gay fantasy series, and I can only hope there are many more to come.

Fantasy’s Finest: Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept Series

There aren’t many series that I can read and reread without ever tiring of, but Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept series is one of them. Seven glorius books tell the story of Proton, a technologically advanced planet, and its twin Phaze, a world of traditional fantasy. Both Proton and Phaze occupy the same space, being separated only by a dimensional veil that few have learned to cross. In effect, we have a world that is both science fiction and fantasy, a literary playground with high potential, but this isn’t what enamored me with the series.

The society of Proton functions as a sort of Feudalistic lottery. Those arriving on the planet are serfs and must be employed by Citizens; a select group of wealthy and powerful individuals. After playing servant for twenty years, they must leave the planet, but the wages earned are enough to set them up for life. If a serf plays and win The Game, which encompasses all sports, board games, or any otherconceivable challenge, they can win the right to stay on Proton and become a Citizen themselves.

The dimension of Phaze is mostly unknown to the people of Proton, because each has a doppelganger on the other side. Only those that do not can travel between the two dimensions. Phaze is everything there is to love about fantasy. Werewolves run along side unicorns, vampires and trolls lurk in the shadows, and the very best of all is the Adepts. Counterparts to the Citizens of Proton, the Adepts are equally influential, but their power comes from magic rather than wealth.

This is what I love most about the series. Each Adept is known by a different color, and each has a different way of executing their magic. For instance, the Yellow Adept deals in potions. The icy White Adept uses runes to work her magic, and the Blue Adept must play music to summon his power. I adored this concept, and loved discovering the strange and wonderful personalities that Anthony gave to each of these strange characters. The plots of these books are wonderful, full of adventure and intrigue, but the strange world of the Adepts is what has always held my rapt attention.

So enamored was I by this concept, that I borrowed heavily from it for my own book, The Cat in the Cradle. My story is strictly fantasy, but it’s no coincidence that the ten powerful Oligarchs that rule the Five Lands are each designated by a different color and magical ability. I’m very proud to be inspired by Piers Anthony, and was thrilled when he agreed to read my book. I feel a bit embarrassed now, since The Cat in the Cradle wasn’t professionally edited at the time, but the feedback and comments he gave me were very encouraging and kind. Most of all, it just felt good to hand him something that proved what a massive influince his books have had on me.

I’ve barely touched on the characters that fill the Apprentice Adept series, but they are as varied as a multi-genre novel should be. Robots, harpies, androids, shape shifting amoebas, ice demons, bug eyed aliens, and humans all have their role to play, and as hard is it might be to imagine all these elements working together, Anthony pulls it off with style. Piers is best known for his Xanth series, but anyone that hasn’t discovered the Apprentice Adept books is missing out on a truly enjoyable world. To me, this series will always be the very best of Piers Anthony’s creations, and the one closest to my heart.

Books in the series:
1. Split Infinity (1980) ISBN 978-0345354914
2. Blue Adept (1981) ISBN 978-0345352453
3. Juxtaposition (1982) ISBN 978-0345349347
4. Out of Phaze (1987) ISBN 978-0441644650
5. Robot Adept (1988) ISBN 978-0441731183
6. Unicorn Point (1989) ISBN 978-0441845637
7. Phaze Doubt (1990) ISBN 978-0441662630

Fantasy’s Finest: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

The inclusion of “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” as being among fantasy’s finest might raise some eyebrows, but behind the cheesy 80’s cartoon lies a truly inspired concept. When first considering the world of He-Man, we immediately think of a standard fantasy world involving sword and sorcery, forgetting sometimes that MOTU was just as much sci-fi as it was fantasy. Vehicles flew alongside dragons, blasts from laser pistols were deflected by magic swords, and the evil wizard Skeletor used often employed hovering robots as his muscle. Surprisingly this mishmash of magic and science worked very well. The series always weighed heavily in favor of fantasy, but embracing technology into the mythos made room any story the writers could dream up.

Central to the story is lazy Prince Adam who, with the aid of his magic sword, can become the heroic He-Man. It’s Clark Kent/Superman meets Conan really, although the idea is improved upon by Adam bring vulnerable when not powered up as his alter ego. This much needed weakness adds tension and allows for a sense of danger. He-Man’s closest friend and sidekick is Cringer, a giant talking cat. This is a concept very close to my heart. The two main characters of my book, The Cat in the Cradle, just happen to be a boy and his talking cat. The similarities end there, but I’ve always been aware that I was drawing inspiration from my favorite childhood show.

Masters of the Universe was fairly progressive with its portrayal of strong, female characters. Teela was captain of the royal guard and could hold her own in battle. On the villain’s side, second in command went to witchy Evil-Lyn, one of the only competent members. Likewise, the Sorceress was used in place of the wise old wizard archetype, and was keeper of the most powerful magical secrets. Minorities weren’t as well represented in the cartoon, probably because not many characters were actually human. A scaly merman, a flying bird guy, a humanoid skunk, a robot with a heart, a blue guy with mechanical arms, even a man made of moss. Almost every character was a different type of species or creature, mostly due to the toy line that powered the cartoon. Commercialism aside, the variety of action figures made for a diverse and interesting cast.

The 80s version of the cartoon leaves a lot to be desired. Its frequent reuse of stock animation, public service announcements, and plots aimed low at child audiences of days gone by makes it hard to digest today. Luckily there was a new version of the show in 2004 that fully realized the story’s potential. The somewhat jumbled nature of the 80s concept was reined in and given order, the plots were intelligent with long reaching story arcs, and the action sequences had you on the edge of your seat. Sadly the toy line, the lifeblood of any cartoon, was mismanaged and ended the show prematurely. The two seasons that did air stand as a proud testament to just how excellent and exciting the world of Masters of the Universe can be.