A Goodreads user asked David Bell:

Hi David Bell just saw your Artwork and I am very impress such talent. I just hope I win one of your books for it looks like the Wolfhound seems to be very adventurous. I myself have a little Jack Russell just like Wish Bone from PBS Channel 13 in NYC. I think if we could team up both dogs, that would set a trend. My question to you is how did you get so talented with such fancy artwork? How did it all begin?

David Bell Hi Migdalia. Wow- thanks for the kind words. As it happens, I HAVE done a pic of Gelert with a Jack Russel. In fact, from memory, there are two. You can see them here: http://www.davidnbell.com/test/A_long....

Or, if you find the book's Facebook page, you'll find them as standalone pics- feel free to drag and drop- they're there for the taking.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Do...

As for your question- I started drawing very young (my mum & dad met at Liverpool Art School, so it's in the blood). All my childhood I was drawing, heavily influenced by TinTin. In fact my very first submitted MS was a TinTin rip off- David's Adventures of Dave. Methuen wisely rejected it. I was also a fan of Maurice Sendak. You can see the DNA of both Sendak and Herge in my pen and ink technique.

I then went to Liverpool Art school, where I trained in graphic design- with the express intention of becoming a writer illustrator. However, I also discovered creative advertising as a career path. Advertising pays much better, so I went into that for a few decades.

But then the writer illustrator bug resurfaced, and the Dog Hunters came about. More at:

http://www.davidnbell.com/The_Dog_Hun...

Anyhoo. I hope you win the book. If you don't, there's a lite version of it just now available as an eBook (faster, cheaper, but a blatant bit of bait to buy the real thing). If people buy the real thing, though, I send signed postcards.

Thanks for getting in touch, and good luck!

xxxD

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