Jay Bell

My name, if you haven’t guessed already, is Jay Bell. I was born and raised in Kansas, although I also spent a good many years living in Missouri and Texas as well. My childhood could be summed up in two words: rebellious nerd. Come to think of it, that pretty much covers my teen and adult years too.

My life as an author began while I was living in a little college town called Lawrence. That’s where I met my future husband. Andreas was an exchange student from Germany and was just the right combination of handsome, intelligent, kind, and talented for me to fall madly, deeply, irrevocably in love. What he saw in me is the real mystery, but we packed up the cats, moved to Germany, and got hitched.

Not being able to speak the local language left me blissfully unemployable and allowed me to focus full time on my writing, a lifelong dream of mine. I’ve always adored how books allow us to delve into fantastic worlds and lose ourselves there. I grew up marveling at the creative genius of C.S. Lewis, Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, Terry Brooks, and even that guy who wrote the Mr. Men books. I’ve always had a passion for stories, especially when they capture my imagination and leave me feeling wistful. Perhaps that’s why I try to do the same with my own books, infusing them with emotion, adventure, and a sense of companionship. Books have always been good friends to me. I hope the stories I write can fulfill that same role for you.

After living in Germany for over a decade, my little family moved to Chicago. It’s been great to reconnect with my homeland, and to continue writing. If you have something to say, you can send me an email, but here’s the thing: I read and appreciate every message I get, but I almost never reply. Not because I’m full of myself. As a self-published author, I’m constantly swamped. When I do have time for my readers, I spend it on over on Patreon, where we all hang out like a big happy family. You’ll find lots of exclusive stories, comics, and illustrations there as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining me on this crazy adventure!