Jay Bell Books

Something Like Sequel

Want there to be a sequel to Something Like Summer? This is the announcement you guys have been waiting for! Almost. Goodread’s M/M Group is having their first ever Reader’s Choice Awards, and it’s up to the public to nominate and vote for their favorite authors and books. Something Like Summer was nominated in the “Best Story that Should/Must have a Sequel” category, which got me thinking. You guys have been demanding a second book for a long time, and I’ve been teetering on the edge all the while. This is the way to push me over. If Something Like Summer wins, I’ll write the sequel and make it just as unforgettable as the first book, if not more so. You can vote by clicking here.

While you’re there, my stories have also been nominated in a number of other categories. Thank you those whatever kind souls did that! Here’s a breakdown of all the categories my books are in, should you be so inclined:

Best Story that Should/Must have a Sequel:
Something Like Summer

Best Young Adult Characters (theme):
Something Like Summer
The Cat in the Cradle

Best Short Story 25 pages or 15K words or less (book):
Language Lessons

Best Free Story:
Flesh and Blood

Best Cover:
Something Like Summer

Best World Created:
Hell’s Pawn

Most Surprising/Unique Plot Device:
Hell’s Pawn

Best of luck to all those other talented authors and artists that made the list. The people have the power on this one, which I absolutely love. Let’s hope this is the first of many years for the M/M Group’s Member’s Choice Award!

Update: Some wonderful readers loyal to Ben and Tim have expressed concern about these characters having their happily-ever-after ruined. The “sequel” I have in mind would be a book retelling the story from Tim’s perspective, while also showing what he got up to in all those years apart from Ben. Without going into detail, I’m confident I can tell a new story that runs alongside the first book, one that gives us another chance to spend time with Ben and his friends.

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Ten Reasons You Should Read Hell’s Pawn

1. Because one of the characters from Something Like Summer makes an appearance. Considering this book takes place in the afterlife, you can probably guess who. It’s just a small cameo, taking up about six pages, but it’s heartfelt and writing that scene felt like visiting an old friend again.

2. One of the main characters is an irresistibly sexy and charming demon. Another a scruffy Irishmen without a moral to his name. And then there’s the main character, who is searching for love and purpose, something we can all relate to.

3. Sex in the afterlife! Have you ever wondered what it would be like, or if it’s even possible?

4. The book deals with the religious beliefs of different world cultures, and presents the information in a way that’s fun to read and easily digestible. Just think how smart and worldly you’ll sound at the next party you go to!

5. Because you’ve already read tons of boy-meets-boy books, and it’s good to branch out occasionally and try something new.

6. Hell’s Pawn is an award winner, landing a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Fantasy and an honorable mention as Best Gay Novel of 2011.

7. My prices are awesome. Most gay themed books cost twice as much as mine, if not more. That doesn’t mean I skimp on the editing or presentation. You’re still getting a professional product, just at a ridiculously cheap price. Plus, buying this book will help keep me alive and fed so I can write that book you guys have been clamoring for. You know the one!

8. All the good reviews at places like Amazon, or even Forbes.

9. It may be fantasy, but the settings and characters are contemporary, and there is plenty of gay romance and hot guys involved. In a sense, it’s only fantasy because it’s such a wild tale.

10.

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Hell and Summer win Rainbow Awards!

I love rainbows, and I love getting awards, so it’s no wonder that I love the Rainbow Awards! This year even more so than usual, because two of my books won! But first, some background information, since you may be wondering what the Rainbow Awards are all about. Some years back, Elisa Rolle decided to create a new literary award contest with the aim of being as inclusive as possible. Straight people writing gay fiction? No problem. Self published? That’s cool! Only have an eBook and not one in print? Come on by! The books entered are read by volunteer judges, which anyone can become, and the best cover art is voted for by the public. This gives the Rainbow Awards a strong sense of community, something very in the spirit of Elisa’s blog. Her site functions year round as a platform supporting gay fiction, authors of all creeds, and artists past and present.

Considering this, you can understand why I feel so proud to be recognized on that site. For once, Something Like Summer wasn’t the star performer. Hell’s Pawn won a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Fantasy and also won an Honorable Mention in the Best Gay Novel category. Of course the most popular kid in school didn’t go completely unnoticed. Something Like Summer scored an Honorable Mention in the Best 2011 LGBT Cover contest. My lovely husband has much to be proud of. His art was up against hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds!) of covers, with some really stunning work on display this year.

The biggest winner in the Rainbow Awards is the reader, since it’s not just the top sellers that are gaining recognition. A lot of overlooked books rise to the top through this contest, which means we can look over the list of winners and runners-up on Elisa’s site and discover great new books to read. But first, I’m off to buy some champagne!

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Novel November News

Back in September, I did a blog post collecting all the happenings that happened to happen that month. While the life of a best-smelling, jet-setting author may sound fascinating, in truth there’s not always enough to report every thirty days. So while these wrap-ups will continue, they will only appear in months that I have plentiful cool stuff to share. Like now!

My Gay Book Club is a wonderful site for gay fiction that has been hibernating the last year. Now it has woken up, just in time for winter, but maybe Something Like Summer is to blame since it’s the book of the month. Head on over there, check out some of the old reviews and discussions, and visit the brand new forums. And while you’re there, share your thoughts about Ben, Tim, and Jace. They’ll be listening.

There’s a wee little store you might have heard of called Amazon, and the good folks there (that just happen to keep food on my table) chose Something Like Summer as one of 2011’s Best Gay Books. And mine just happens to be the cheapest book up there. In price I mean, not in standards.

On to other unstoppable couples, my next gay romance novel has returned from the editor covered in more red than Carrie on prom night. This is good, because it means we’re one step closer to a new release. By the time you guys are tired of sucking on your frozen digits and begging for a little spring heat, I hope to have a new book to help warm you up inside. And no, I still haven’t revealed the title yet, because I’m weird.

Andreas has been a busy boy too, creating illustrations for the Cat in the Cradle sequel From Darkness to Darkness. The cover art is complete as well as half the illustrations. This time, instead of asking him to come up with an image for each chapter, I requested a handful that help bring key scenes to life. So far all the drawings for the sequel feature hot guys. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I’m starting to think Andreas might be gay.

As for next month… Oh my gosh! That’s all I have to say for right now.

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Books in Fourteen Words (or less!):

Religion gets in the way of you being able to believe, and that sucks: HELL’S PAWN

All these things I feel make me strong, not weak: THE CAT IN THE CRADLE

I love you, so stop being afraid: SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER

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What’s in a Name?

Last week, a handful of people happened to ask why I decided to name Something Like Summer what I did. To me, this coincidence was the cosmos saying “Lucy, you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do!” And explain I will.

I’ve often said I’d rather write an entire book than a single synopsis. The same applies to choosing a title for a book. It’s so incredibly hard to sum up an entire story with just a few words. Impossible, really, so the best you can do is create an evocative title that makes a potential reader want to learn more. The working title of Something Like Summer was The Many Loves of Benjamin Bentley. A little long, but I liked it. Originally I planned on showing many more of Ben’s failed relationships, but then Tim and Jace ended up hogging the book. I was tempted to use the title anyway, until The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Button came out. Thieving Hollywood bastards! Suddenly I needed a new title. Thus began a month of me pestering anyone that would listen: Friends over email and phone, the checkout lady at the grocery store, and even Andreas in the bedroom. Inevitably, each clever title we thought up was already taken.

Then inspiration struck. Twelve Years of Summer. Perfect! Or so I thought. As a professional hermit, I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on in the world. My editor saved me/broke my spirit when she informed me of a recent movie called (500) Days of Summer. This time Hollywood had beat me to the punch. Their title was just close enough to make me appear a copycat—or worse—that I had written a parody. Back to the drawing board. I ate psychedelic mushrooms, fasted except for chewing gum, and conversed solely with small pebbles. Then I came up with it. Something Like Summer. But what does it mean? I recently posed this question on Twitter, and these are some of the replies:

@WanderingReclus (MacKenzie Stewart) said: “I thought the title meant to symbolize the heat and intensity of Ben and Tim’s relationship.”

@ladykatana70 (Stacia Hess) added: “because it makes you hot and sweaty..lol”

These two responses show why I wanted “summer” in the title. Summer conjures up visions of passion, heat, and sweat. The book is more romantic than erotic, but these associations also apply to intense emotion. But does the title mean more? Here are more responses:

@rolypolywoly (Alan) said: “Thought it might be ‘Something Like Summer’ ’cause the summer Ben & Tim meet is a starting point that reverberates through the story.”

@TaylorSalley (Taylor Salley) said: “Because summer is something really good that we all have a hard time letting go of. Much like Ben and Tim’s relationship.”

Leave a question for the reader to answer, and chances are, they’ll come up with something brilliant. I love the symbolism that these readers picked up on. I’m tempted to lie and say that’s exactly what I intended. My answer is much simpler. To me, summer is the time of year that I feel the best, both physically and emotionally. Perfect blue sky days when the sun warms my skin and makes the world beautiful—those summer moments make me feel sixteen again. There’s only one other thing that makes me feel so blissfully content. Love is something like summer.

There it is, my personal interpretation of the title, but that doesn’t make it true. The book has been set free and is out there in the world, romping through fields of imagination that no longer belong to me, and that’s how it should be. The title means what you want it to mean, and the story now belongs to you.




Er… Not legally of course.

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