ABOUT ME:
Hey there! My names Justin Jay Gladstone. But you can call me Justin Jay.
I enjoy playing video games, hanging out with friends, and family, hiking with my husky, Lunae and petting my shoulder cat, Fayth. The two are inseparable.
I was born in New York, a place in the Bronx called Co-Op City.
Consider it a calmer part of the state. Not nearly as hectic as Manhattan. There is space to walk in private, large fields of grass to look upon, and many glorious sights to behold.
At eight years old, my parents moved us to Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. I spent most of my life there up until I was 27 years old.
HOW I STARTED WRITING:
When I was a kid, I was inspired by the video game, Final Fantasy 7. I'll never forget that first moment of stepping out of the grand city and out onto the map.
I thought to myself, I want to make a story just like this. A game that can make people feel just what I do.
I said that, at just five years old. God must have been listening because here I am, fifteen years later, with a story. No. A series that I've worked on for fifteen years.
And I'll do just about anything to make it real.
HOW I CAME UP WITH THE OTHER SIDE:
The year was 2008. I was fifteen. I had no friends. I was switched from school to school. I was hated. Abused. I wanted an escape. I was going through a lot of torment. One day, I left with my mother who was on her way to the library and needed to get some tasks done. Shortly after arriving, I walked away to find the restroom. The hallway leading inside was a crooked and dim entryway leading inside. I looked at the dim mirror ahead of me and thought, What if there was a world that reflected ours?
My heart pounded. I felt inspired and also a great deal of fear. I rushed to the computer, knowing how important it was to write this idea down before I lost it. I worried that someone out there would take it.
Hard to believe that that happened fifteen years ago. Because since then, I’ve published two out of the five books that aim to tell the story of The Other Side.
(There's more that inspired this series. Listen to my fully detailed story, here)
PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING THIS:
The Other Side is funded solely by my funds and with Patreon, a crowd funding program that has made so much possible. Without my 31 patrons who donate $1 a month and more, none of the artwork, book covers, or editing would be purchasable.
Reader, if you're seeing this, please consider supporting the cause. No amount is too little. On my Patreon page, you can see all that I use the funds for, and more.
You also get access to cool perks like personal drawings, merch, and SO MUCH MORE!