Q&A: Jay S. Bell, Author of ‘Welcome to Cottonmouth’

We chat with author Jay S. Bell about Welcome to Cottonmouth, which is a hilarious, fast-paced dive into the world of faded spies and secretive operatives living under the radar in a sleepy town in East Texas.

Hi, Jay! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I always respond to this question by paraphrasing Bad Company: The day I was born, the nurses all gathered ‘round, said leave this one alone… But just the facts: Native Texan, resident of a Dallas suburb, two kids, and a wife of 33 years. I have been owned by many cats and a few dogs. I have the scars from three careers and a short-lived business venture, and the experiences of someone born before the JFK assassination, and well before CDs, computers, smartphones, and Google.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was a poor reader and did not enjoy it, at all. Until. One day, my dad, in desperation, gifted me a book of short stories about Conan, the Barbarian. Sword fights! Monsters! Evil wizards! Man, I was hooked. Read every kind of pulp fiction I could find.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Wind in the Willows.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I dare not name the title as it was so awful, I thought to myself, “I can do better than this.”
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Time Enough for Love, Robert A Heinlein.

Your latest novel, Welcome to Cottonmouth, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Fast, fun, pulpy, rollercoaster ride.

What can readers expect?

A quirky cast of characters and a couple of broken people looking for some crazy glue.

Where did the inspiration for Welcome to Cottonmouth come from?

My What If machine is like a spin dryer. Ideas tumble in and bounce around and sometimes two or three things cling together. In this case, the idea of Sanctuary Cities stuck together with the CIA’s NROC (National Resettlement Operations Center) which is the organization that resettles defectors. The ding went off and I pulled out “What if there was a Sanctuary City for spies?”

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved ‘em all, for one reason or another. Devlin, the main male lead, was a hoot to write. Man’s got a screw loose, for sure. Finding Britte’s voice (female lead) took some effort, but in the end it was worth the journey.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Words. Words are hard. No, seriously, I have a day job that keeps the household going, so carving out time to write is a phenomenal challenge. I become quite the grizzly bear if real life gets in the way of indulging my obsession, which is how I have to be if I want any spare time to write.

What’s next for you?

One, the sequel to WTC. (My title is Snake Charmer, though I expect that will get changed. I’m terrible at titles.) Two, I have a Mil-SF story that’s eating my brain cells and demanding to be finished.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

The Big Empty by Robert Crais tops this years list so far. My wish list includes Stephen Hunter’s next work: The Gun Man Jackson Swagger and Larry Correia’s Academy of Outcasts.

Will you be picking up Welcome to Cottonmouth? Tell us in the comments below!