Nineteen years ago today, I married my husband. Had we never met, I doubt there would be any Jay Bell books. Or if so, they wouldn’t be the same. Tim wouldn’t be a handsome artist, Jace wouldn’t be an amazingly kind cat dad, and getting a little closer to home, Ben wouldn’t love with as much intensity. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I focus on relationships in my writing. A dream I once thought impossible came true over twenty years ago, and I want others to know that they can have that too. Or at the very least, experience how it feels. So I thought it was appropriate to let this special day be the official release date of my new series, Pride High, which takes me right back to those early years filled with longing and wishing.

You can read the summary on the product page. I won’t discuss the plot here, but I will tell you my intentions for the series. Much like the Something Like… books, Pride High allows us to follow characters through the different stages of their lives. Except instead of dedicating each book to a single point-of-view, now we have an entire cast. Imagine if Something Like Summer had let us slip into Tim and Allison’s perspective as well as Ben’s. And what if the high school years weren’t squeezed into one third of the book, but allowed to play out day by day, week by week? You’ve heard of long-form podcasts. This is long-form LGBT drama. And it’s going to be amazing.

I hope you’re willing to join me on this new adventure. As an added incentive, the first book also includes a brand-new short story, Something Like Daybreak. That should help ease the transition from one series to another. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m eager to continue writing Book 2 in between loving on my man.

Much love to you as well! -Jay Bell