A bullied teenager learns that he can switch bodies with other people, a gift that will lead him out of his small town and into a whole heap of trouble. Along the way he’ll experience love, meet a mischievous best friend, and discover that there’s more to his power—and the big crazy world—than he ever dreamed possible.
That’s the setup of my latest full-length novel Switch!, which isn’t my usual fare. This isn’t a book about a young man coming to terms with his sexuality or falling in love with another guy. A few years back, I felt like stretching my legs creatively and wandered into another genre. That’s when I wrote Switch!. Yes, there are gay characters and it can feel a little homoerotic at times, because I’m still me. Bullies are thwarted, big emotions happen, and there’s a lot of fun along the way. So it’s very much a Jay Bell book, just with a slightly different focus. I wanted to take a silly old trope and give it serious consideration. What would you do if you had the power to switch bodies? More than once. If you’re anything like the main character of this story, you’d make a mess of it. But what an adventure it would be!