Zoe Marie Bel (sometimes credited as "Winter Bel") writes literary fiction and poetry.

'After The Angels' is Zoe's first novel; 'Hard Place Rock' her first short story collection; and 'Passengers' her debut poetry collection. These works have together taken the best part of a decade to complete, and will be forthcoming in the next few years. A selection of her poetry published as slimbook 'Foothills' on February 7th 2024.

Zoe's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Australian Book Review, Short Edition (once, twice), Mystery Tribune, and Mays 13, among others. In August 2023, her story 'Black Wax', from her collection 'Hard Place Rock', was shortlisted in the Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize.

Short story 'Torata' (another story from Zoe's collection 'Hard Place Rock') published in the Los Angeles Review on April 9th 2024. New short fiction will publish in Short Edition in May 2024.

To read a selection of Zoe's poetry, prose and journalism – as well as the occasional flash-bang of news – head to her Journal.

How it began

Zoe was born and raised in Britain in the '80s, then complicated and tanned by America. She now has one foot in France as well. A graduate of Oxford University and London Film School, Zoe established her first creative arts business in grad school and hasn't had a "real job" ever since. This might explain her ability to survive for extended periods on chick peas and next door's wifi.

Zoe wrote her first novel at age 9. It was a multiracial gangster drama as full of shit as you might expect from a four-foot white chick writing with a Thundercats biro. That was also the age at which Zoe was first published, with her elementary-school poem about a lonely scarecrow printed in the town newspaper between roadwork announcements.

Outside of writing

Zoe is a passionate pianist, runner, cyclist, and photographer.

Zoe is an advocate for a number of social issues. Paramount among these is homelessness in Los Angeles, and fighting for better judicial outcomes for victims of sexual assault. She is launching projects in these areas in 2024; they will be announced here when that happens. In October 2023, Zoe created the Love Is Best campaign, a donations drive for medical aid for Israeli and Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas War. In April 2024, she created the Feed Gaza Now grassroots campaign to demand diplomatic and humanitarian action against imminent famine in Gaza.

Zoe presently splits time between Paris and Los Angeles. She also, it should be noted, travels a heck of a lot.

The other identity

Under pen name 'Lexia Snowe', Zoe writes thriller fiction and screenplays. You can read more about Lexia Snowe projects at LexiaSnowe.com