Jessica Bell

Imagine being put to death for the crime of your child's unhappiness. This is the tale of Icasia Bloom: how she is caught up in a story not initially her own, and how it changes her world. In a Globe controlled by a trusted yet elusive leader who has granted immortality to those who live by The Book, misfit Icasia Bloom is doomed to die young for the crime of her child's unhappiness. Like all 'tatters' she gets food by bartering, and when she brings customers to the new local bakery, she meets another borderline outcast, Selma Beyett, whose plight touches her. Selma's husband Jerome must die in six months if his quest for perpetual happiness is not successful. What starts as a desperate attempt to save Jerome takes the two women on a profoundly enlightening search for happiness. Icasia questions the Globe's judgement on its people and on the nature of happiness itself. Heart-warming, yet strangely unsettling, How Icasia Bloom Touched Happiness, questions everything we take for granted, and takes a long, hard look into our souls.

How Icasia Bloom Touched Happiness

This book is not The Book. The Book is in this book. And The Book in this book is both the goodie and the baddie. Bonnie is five. She wants to bury The Book because it is a demon that should go to hell. Penny, Bonnie's mother, does bury The Book, but every day she digs it up and writes in it. John, Bonnie's father, doesn't live with them anymore. But he still likes to write in it from time to time. Ted, Bonnie's stepfather, would like to write in The Book, but Penny won't allow it. To Bonnie, The Book is sadness. To Penny, The Book is liberation. To John, The Book is forgiveness. To Ted, The Book is envy. But The Book in this book isn't what it seems at all. If there was one thing in this world you wished you could hold in your hand, what would it be? The world bets it would be The Book.

The Book

Rewind. Melody loves to play guitar. She almost becomes a rock star. But then she falls in love with Alex and gives birth to her daughter, Tessa. Fast forward. Melody loves her daughter and her husband, the music promoter. Her guitar sits dusty in the corner of her bedroom. Skip. Melody can't bear it any longer and plots a return to the stage, and the person she used to be. But the obstacles she faces along the way-are nothing-compared to the tragedy that awaits. Pause. Her desire to have an affair? Well, Button Boy is quite charming ... Did you know? This novel is accompanied by an all-original soundtrack, written and performed by the author, entitled: Melody Hill: On the Other Side. If you purchase this book, please visit the author's website to find out how to receive your complimentary digital copy.

String Bridge

Sonia yearns for sharp objects and blood. But now that she's rehabilitating herself as a "normal" mother and mathematics teacher, it's time to stop dreaming about slicing people's throats. While being the wife of Melbourne's leading drug lord and simultaneously dating his best mate is not ideal, she's determined to make it work. It does work. Until Mia, her lover's daughter, starts exchanging saliva with her son, Mick. They plan to commit a crime behind Sonia's back. It isn't long before she finds out and gets involved to protect them. But is protecting the kids really Sonia's motive? (This novel contains coarse language, violence, and sexual themes.)

White Lady

Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell

Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all. Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change. The only problem-Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother-an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and cliches, and who still hasn't learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister-a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy's mother-a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous." Against all three women's wishes, Kit decides to find Roger. Enter a sister Kit never knew about. But everyone else did."

Bitter Like Orange Peel

The Bell Collection

A girl's brief encounter in limbo, following a suicide attempt, after being sexually abused by a priest. God in limbo is represented by She. She has been misinformed about how faith is advocated on Earth, and sends the girl back for another chance at life, in the belief that she must repent for her sin. This story explores the notion that it is blasphemous for religion to be institutionalized, because no matter what one believes, there will always be something or someone that contaminates its worth. The only faith anyone needs can be found within one's own heart and soul. *Disclaimer: This story is not in any way a direct criticism of religion, or a representation of my beliefs, but simply a creative exploration of the concept.

A Short Story in Verse

Note: This cyberpunk/dystopian short story is an experimental work of fiction written in verse. Page count: 30. Word count: 2000.It's illegal to wear clothes. In some streets, it's also illegal to sing. Concetta, a famous Italian a capella singer from before "the change," breaks these laws. As punishment, her vocal chords are brutally slashed, and her eardrums surgically perforated. Unable to cope living a life without song, she resolves to drown herself in the river, clothed in a dress stained with performance memories. But Concetta's suicide attempt is deterred, when she is distracted by a busking harpist with gold eyes and teeth. Will he show her how to sing again, or will the LEO on the prowl for another offender to detain, arrest her before she has the chance?

Muted: a Short Story in Verse

"Jessica Bell's FABRIC is a rich collection of poems that take the reader on a deep tour of the psyche. Charting and moving across politics of language, Bell explores love, pain, failure and redemption from a variety of angles. Most of the poems sit at the fragile threshold of instinct and meaning, using symbol and sensation to get to the shock of denouement. This is a significant collection that bears multiple readings, each time yielding something fresh." ~Magdalena Ball

Fabric

GO: a Memoir about Binge-Drinking, Self-hatred, and Finding Happiness

Dawn Ius

In late 2011, Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius founded Vine Leaves Literary Journal to offer the vignette, a forgotten literary form, the exposure and credit it deserves. The vignette is a snapshot in words, and differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn't lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot, instead it focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. The journal, published quarterly online and in print, is a lush synergy of atmospheric prose, poetry, photography and illustrations, put together with an eye for aesthetics as well as literary merit. The annual print anthology showcases the very best pieces from across the year. Each vignette merges to create a vivid snapshot in time and place. Prepare for big stories in small spaces, between and beyond the words. Read one at a time. Taste them. Savour them. Live them. Note: As of 2016, Vine Leaves will be published biannually online and in print. The annual anthology will be discontinued.

The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2015

This full-colour coffee table book, full of prose, poetry, art, and photography, is the final celebratory installment of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, which ceased publication in 2017, after six wonderful years of publishing extraordinary talent from all around the globe.

A Collection of Vignettes from Across the Globe

Vine Leaves Literary Journal

Kate Elizabeth Winslet CBE is an English actress. She is particularly known for her work in period dramas and tragedies, and is often drawn to portraying troubled women.

Jessica Bell

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