Jay Bell Books - Something Like Summer Archive

Something Like Summer audiobook release and movie update!

Published on May 3, 2013 by Jay Bell in Books, Movies, Seasons Series, Something Like Summer

Wanna hear Ben and Tim talking? How about arguing? How about them… uh… well, you know! The Something Like Summer audiobook is here! This isn’t an audio play with sound effects and a cast of actors. This is a true, unabridged reading of the book, and yet narrator Kevin R. Free lends each character such a unique voice that at times it does feel like a play. The boy can act too, so be prepared to have a good time! No need to wait. Check out a free sample of the first chapter right here:

The Something Like Summer audiobook can be bought from Amazon, Audible, or iTunes. At the moment, it’s only available in digital format, so you folks still listening to shiny coasters will have to buy the files and burn them to disc. I figure the audiobook is also a great way to expose friends who don’t read to Ben, Tim, and Jace’s story. Or something to hold you over until the movie comes out.

Speaking of which, the producers of the Something Like Summer movie have released new publicity images. The one above is of Ben, although not the actual actor who will be staring in the movie. Casting hasn’t taken place yet. These images are just to get investors interested and us excited. Check out the recreation of the cover art in this image:

Neat, huh? The movie is currently set for a 2014 release. Sounds far away, I know, but I’ll try to help ease your pain by releasing Something Like Autumn on June 6th and Something Like Spring later this year. Assuming all goes according to plan, by the time you’ve read the complete series, the movie won’t be so far away. It’ll make a nice grand finale too, but let’s not think about the end right now. Not when things are just starting to heat up! Instead, take a look at how the Something Like Summer movie came to be in this recent article on the Huffington Post!

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Something Like Series

Published on January 1, 2013 by Jay Bell in Books, Gay, Seasons Series, Something Like Summer, Something Like Winter

How many books does a series make? Two is a pair, three a trilogy, and four… Hm. That sounds about right. Four books is enough for a series, and just happens to be the number of seasons there are. How very convenient then for us then, because what started as a stand-alone book (that I was sure no one would bother reading) is now expanding into a series. Something Like Summer told the story of Ben’s love for two very special men. Something Like Winter gave us Tim’s perspective on their history, both together and apart. Now I think it’s time to hear one more tale before moving on. What do we really know about Jace?

Something Like Autumn will tell Jace’s life story. Like the other two books, it will begin in the teen years. This is very exciting, because by the time we meet Jace in Summer, he’s already a very well-adjusted adult. I love the idea of exploring what Jace’s younger years were like, and discovering how he slowly developed into the lovable and rather saintly person we see in Summer and Winter. Surely he wasn’t always perfect, and wisdom always comes at a price, so his story won’t be simple. While I’ve made good progress on the book, I’m not sure if there will be any revisited scenes like with the previous two books. Something Like Autumn might end the moment Jace and Ben meet, or it might further flesh out their relationship. Regardless, Autumn will rely even less on retreading previous scenes than Winter did.

Painting by Andreas Bell, and no, it's not the cover of Something Like Spring

Painting by Andreas Bell. www.andreasbell.com/blog/

That just leaves one season. Spring symbolizes new beginnings and fresh starts, and while I don’t want to give away too much now, I think it’s safe to say this is the book many of you have been waiting for. Something Like Spring will be told from a new character’s perspective, but will feature a supporting cast from the other three books. The best part? This story begins after the events of Something Like Winter. In other words, it takes place in the future of many characters we know and love. You want to know what happens to Ben, Allison, Marcello, Tim, and even Chinchilla? Are you sure you want to know? Are you really really sure? Yeah, me too.

It’s too early to talk release dates. I still have a lot of work to do. I can promise that neither story will see the light of day until I feel they are up to par. I want the Seasons Series to be the absolute best it can be, not just for us, but for the characters that I adore so much. I want them to continue living in our hearts and imaginations, and I hope you are as excited to see their return as I am.

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Visit New York with me!

Published on June 10, 2012 by Jay Bell in Something Like Summer, Vacation

In three different ways no less! The Big Apple is one inspiring city, and to prove it, you have three mediums in which to relive our recent trip to New York. The first, good ol’ fashioned prose, covers what went down at the 2012 Lambda Literary Awards. I wrote a guest post over at Reviews by JesseWave that covers all the details. Did Something Like Summer win? Did I get kicked out for eating too many h’orderves? You’ll have to read to find out.

Andreas has put together a swanky PDF presentation, featuring photos from the trip. As a special bonus, you can see some of the sketches he made while there. These were all done on the scene, often over breakfast when I’m still too grumpy to socialize. View the PDF in full-screen mode and page through with the right arrow key to see it how the hunky artist intended.

Finally, you can check out the video below for a fast paced montage of photos, accompanied by none other than the Pet Shop Boys. How stereotypical of me! I’ve always been more an Erasure fan, really. Seems like you have to like one or the other to be a bona fide gay from the eighties. Have fun!

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Something Like Winter and Summer in New York

Published on May 30, 2012 by Jay Bell in Books, Something Like Summer, Something Like Winter, Vacation

You know what I’m tired of saying? “The companion novel to Something Like Summer.” Or even worse: “The book from Tim’s perspective that sheds new light on the story while revealing what he gets up to when away from Ben.” *Whew!* I think it’s high time we finally have a title for this sucker, don’t you? From now on, all we need is five simple syllables. Something Like Winter.

Continuing the seasonal theme seems obvious, which might be why I fought against it for so long. I had a million working titles for Something Like Winter, but none of them were quite right. Having read through the new book, the winter theme is very appropriate. If summer in the first novel refers to an eternal feeling of love, what in the world could winter symbolize? I hope you’ll discover that on your own once you read the book. Easy now! Put those credit cards down, because Something Like Winter won’t be out until… well, winter.

In other news, I’ve packed my bags and am heading to New York this weekend to represent Something Like Summer in the Lambda Literary Awards. Writing is such a solitary job that the idea of suddenly being around tons of other authors, publishers, book lovers, editors, press agents, and hopefully a very generous bartender, is a little intimidating. If you hear a report of some guy breaking down in the middle of the Lambdas screaming “DON’T LOOK AT ME! WHAT IS EVERYONE STARING AT? AAAAAAH!” That’ll be me. I’ve lived as a happy hermit for far too long. Andreas will be with me though, and he makes everything okay. I’ll probably ride around on his shoulders all night—nice and high where I’ll be safe.

21 Comments

Join my street team and get free stuff!

Published on May 20, 2012 by Jay Bell in Books, Kamikaze Boys, Random, Something Like Summer

I’m participating in the Hop Against Homophobia in honor of the international day against homophobia. You can see my post over at Reviews by JesseWave. Once you’ve checked that out, head on back here and watch the informative video below. You’ll learn how to get some free swag while helping me become more famous than J.K. Rowling and Stephen King’s love child.

For those that are hearing impaired or don’t want to watch the video, I’m giving away cool post card stickers. (Update! We are now out of postcards. Sorry!) I’ll send a pair to anyone that wants them. If you happen to know of a good place to leave a stack of these postcards (gay book stores and reading groups, gay bars, gay all-you-can-eat buffets) and you want to help me out, I can send you extra. Please only request a stack if you’re truly motivated to distribute them. If you’re not, I’m still totally happy to send you a couple postcards for you to keep. If you want them autographed, be sure to let me know. All requests should be sent to me via the email address over there on the left (and down a bit). Supplies are limited, so please don’t grab your Jay Bell voodoo doll if I run out!

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April Ain’t Foolin’!

Published on April 1, 2012 by Jay Bell in Books, Kamikaze Boys, Something Like Summer, Vacation

Considering the date, I should precede this by saying none of the below is a joke, or even remotely funny. The only thing wacky here is that I meant to have this news update posted in March, but hey, I’m on vacation. The first of draft Something Like Summer’s companion novel is done, From Darkness to Darkness is nearly ready to go, and Kamikaze Boys has just been released. With those three ducklings in a row, I decided to take a break to prevent my head imploding. I already spent a week in Amsterdam where I visited my fairy godmother, as you can see in the photo. Strange city, Amsterdam.

Now for some really exciting news. Something Like Summer is a finalist in 2012’s Lambda Literary Awards! If you’re not familiar with the Lammies, they’re sort of like the Oscars, but celebrate gay books instead of closeted Hollywood celebrities. It’s a big fancy shindig and I’m thrilled to pieces to be part of it! I’ll be flying to a little town called New York City to see if Summer can score a win in the gay romance category. If not, I’m still deeply honored that Something Like Summer was chosen among the many entrants this year. If anyone wants to hang out with me and Andreas, you can find us at the awards ceremony and the after party. Neither are cheap to get into, but feel free to throw pebbles at the window and maybe I’ll come outside. Details and ticket prices for both events can be found here.

Continuing the love for Something Like Summer, there’s an extremely flattering article at Joyfully Jay (love the site’s name!) where Brahmin talks about her passion for Something Like Summer. She really knows her stuff too! What she says about Tim is dead on and will be made clear in the sequel. There’s also a new review for The Cat in the Cradle over at Risingshadow. I have a lot of plans for this series. If this review doesn’t convince you to hop on board, I’ll get you eventually.

Kamikaze Boys is also doing well, having been reviewed at Jessewave’s wonderful site. If that weren’t awesome enough, Kamikaze Boys is also My Gay Book Club’s selection for April! Reading is a lot less lonely when done in a group. If you’ve already read it, pop on over there and leave a comment about what you thought. Or join them on Twitter to keep things short and sweet.

Alex Knapp has published an article on Forbes about enhanced eBooks, which may or may not be the new way to read. The idea is enhancing a foggy Jack the Ripper scene with haunting footstep sound effects or even a scream. The article quotes my opinion on this possibility toward the end. I would love to hear your thoughts on enhanced books, even if you don’t agree with me.

And finally, to those of you still waiting for Kamikaze Boys to show up on iTunes, I’m very sorry that it hasn’t yet. Not that it’s my fault. I did everything I was supposed to nearly a month ago and never thought it would take this long. I hate the idea of any of you feeling left out, so with future releases, I plan on cutting out the middleman to avoid delays. Lesson learned! Hmm… I don’t want to end on a down note, so here’s a photo of me hanging out with Eddie Murphy. Coming to America, baby!

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