Work out now or publishing in the next three years

Zoe Marie Bel's debut novella is on bookshelves around the world now. Two further novellas and one full-length novel will follow in the near future.

Novella 'Valérie' is available now, wherever books are sold

Zoe's debut novella 'Valérie (or, Red Velvet Nothing)' published on December 1st 2024 and is now available for purchase around the world.

'Valérie' is a love story between two French women whose very different incomes and cultures make happiness together seem impossible. The story follows the courage and growth demanded from them both as they negotiate a combined future, and confront this question: can star-crossed lovers actually work in real-life?

'Valérie' was critically lauded, with Kirkus Reviews calling the novella "an artfully rendered tale about finding oneself in love" and Book Life (from Publishers Weekly) describing it as "a powerful story of love, both transcendent and tangible."

For more about 'Valérie (or, Red Velvet Nothing)', including where to buy it, see the novella's page at Scatterpunk Press. The official website for the novella, featuring photos and background pieces on the real-life people and places in the story, is RedVelvetNothing.com.

Novella 'The Fifty List' publishes November 2nd 2026

Zoe's sophomore novella 'The Fifty List' will publish on November 2nd 2026, for purchase wherever books are sold.

Tommy is a young, bruised dreamer in Los Angeles: possibly heartbroken, definitely bored. Deciding he wants to die, Tommy sets about planning an elaborate suicide that won't hurt his mother. The obstacles and people he meets along the way present a new dilemma: maybe his real problem is wanting to live. Black comedy drama and offbeat love story.

For more about 'The Fifty List', including where to buy it, see the novella's profiile at Scatterpunk Press.

Novella 'Lorna' publishes November 1st 2027

Zoe's third novella 'Lorna' will publish on November 1st 2027, for purchase wherever books are sold.

An aspiring writer meets his first great love when she's perched on the lowest rung of Hollywood and he's sleeping in his car. Their turbulent relationship is recalled years later, after one of them has made it and the other has not. A tragic but tender love story about the cost of dreaming, when nothing is affordable, opportunity has a security camera, and toxic escapism is everywhere.

For more about 'Lorna', including where to buy it, see the novella's profiile at Scatterpunk Press.

'After The Angels' is Zoe Marie Bel's debut full-length novel

Zoe's debut novel 'After The Angels' is three interrelated stories about survival and rising again in Los Angeles.

A street entrepreneur determined to escape homelessness must escape Los Angeles instead, after the criminals in his life threaten his already fragile future. A female surgeon whose wife suddenly dies is struggling to raise their young son alone, until an impromptu road-trip around the city compels new honesty in mother and son. A Hollywood actress, publicly unraveling under the weight of a terrible secret, is challenged by the reappearance of an old face in town. These are the three characters of 'After The Angels', with each of their stories rippling into the others in ways large and small.

A cinematic literary drama (think: David Benioff's 'The 25th Hour'), 'After The Angels' is a portrait of collapse, resilience and redemption in a city whose angels can sometimes seem elusive.

A website for the novel is forthcoming. You can sign up there to be notified when the novel publishes. After publication, the site will feature background information and multi-media related to the novel.

To follow developments with 'After The Angels' in its approach to publication, sign up to the Zoe Marie Bel newsletter below.