Helen Bell
@helenbellauthor.bsky.social
Writer of stories that sneak up on you. Wherever I am, you'll find me @helenbellauthor.
Pinned
Helen Bell
@helenbellauthor.bsky.social
· Jan 21
If you're finding things horrible right now, have a free short story to distract you.
Featuring:
* An ex-pirate
* A dying woman
* Soon-to-be-orphaned kids
* A good dog
* A man in black with a ledger
And a few sheep!
helenbellauthor.com/wp-content/u...
Featuring:
* An ex-pirate
* A dying woman
* Soon-to-be-orphaned kids
* A good dog
* A man in black with a ledger
And a few sheep!
helenbellauthor.com/wp-content/u...
What a waste of atoms this man is.
December 22, 2025 at 9:36 PM
What a waste of atoms this man is.
This weird ‘Let’s have one day where everybody throws special offer prices at everyone on everything’ arrangement has never made sense to me.
Find my latest Blog at helenbellauthor.com/2025/11/28/n...
Find my latest Blog at helenbellauthor.com/2025/11/28/n...
NOT a Black Friday offer (wait till the buying frenzy is over!) | Helen Bell
This weird 'Let's have one day where everybody throws special offer prices at everyone on everything' arrangement has never made sense to me.
helenbellauthor.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This weird ‘Let’s have one day where everybody throws special offer prices at everyone on everything’ arrangement has never made sense to me.
Find my latest Blog at helenbellauthor.com/2025/11/28/n...
Find my latest Blog at helenbellauthor.com/2025/11/28/n...
The dog is washing the cat's ear so enthusiastically it's been turning inside out. She must like it though, she keeps coming back for more.
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The dog is washing the cat's ear so enthusiastically it's been turning inside out. She must like it though, she keeps coming back for more.
Reposted by Helen Bell
Reposted by Helen Bell
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
October 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
This thread is glorious. Enjoy.
The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.
October 17, 2025 at 7:28 AM
This thread is glorious. Enjoy.
Happy 10th Birthday to Restoring the Light, Book 2 of the Ilmaen Quartet!
See bio for website/sales links.
See bio for website/sales links.
October 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Happy 10th Birthday to Restoring the Light, Book 2 of the Ilmaen Quartet!
See bio for website/sales links.
See bio for website/sales links.
Explains a lot.
I think the rapture happened ages ago and David Bowie was the only one taken. The rest of us are in hell.
September 23, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Explains a lot.
Reposted by Helen Bell
London Writers Award now open, great prizes, lovely people and different categories. Also details available in different formats.
Details in link below.
Please share :)
www.spreadtheword.org.uk
Details in link below.
Please share :)
www.spreadtheword.org.uk
September 23, 2025 at 8:18 AM
London Writers Award now open, great prizes, lovely people and different categories. Also details available in different formats.
Details in link below.
Please share :)
www.spreadtheword.org.uk
Details in link below.
Please share :)
www.spreadtheword.org.uk
Reposted by Helen Bell
One of my favorite things in creating art is light. ✨Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. #positivitypost #kidlitart
September 21, 2025 at 1:15 AM
One of my favorite things in creating art is light. ✨Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. #positivitypost #kidlitart
I think it should be enforcable but each household should be able to declare (with some specificity) where they would like it spent. I for instance would not fund the current news department heads, or certain senior BBC execs. Most quiz and comedy shows execs I would.
September 20, 2025 at 8:48 AM
I think it should be enforcable but each household should be able to declare (with some specificity) where they would like it spent. I for instance would not fund the current news department heads, or certain senior BBC execs. Most quiz and comedy shows execs I would.
His preferred aphorism:
"You snooze, you lose."
The one he's going to regret not using:
"When you're in a hole, stop digging."
"You snooze, you lose."
The one he's going to regret not using:
"When you're in a hole, stop digging."
“In the midst of emotion, amidst the crowd’s celebration after the victory, I was convinced the tennis player was passing the cap to me – for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs”
Reassuring that millionaires can’t buy better lies than normal people.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
Reassuring that millionaires can’t buy better lies than normal people.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...
Millionaire apologises for snatching Majchrzak’s souvenir cap from young fan at US Open
Piotr Szczerek, a millionaire businessman from Poland, has apologised to a young tennis fan after snatching from the boy a souvenir cap from Kamil Majchrzak
www.theguardian.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:26 PM
His preferred aphorism:
"You snooze, you lose."
The one he's going to regret not using:
"When you're in a hole, stop digging."
"You snooze, you lose."
The one he's going to regret not using:
"When you're in a hole, stop digging."
I do like mornings like this...
September 2, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I do like mornings like this...
I feel the world should also do this on behalf of Russians and North Koreans at the appropriate time. For now a bottle is indeed on the side, I will replenish stocks for all other dictators shortly (in the hope it triggers things).
Everyone is getting ready...I don't think anyone has ever been as hated as Trump in our life times at least.
I’m lying to myself, I know, but I’m putting in on ice anyway… 😈
August 30, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I feel the world should also do this on behalf of Russians and North Koreans at the appropriate time. For now a bottle is indeed on the side, I will replenish stocks for all other dictators shortly (in the hope it triggers things).
Sounding more like Chairman Mao every day.
RFK Jr, "We need to stop trusting the experts, right.. Trusting the experts is not a feature of science or democracy"
Good luck America 🤷♂️
Good luck America 🤷♂️
August 30, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Sounding more like Chairman Mao every day.
Anyone else noticed that white people in AI images are actually orange?
I wonder what pictures they've been training them on.
I wonder what pictures they've been training them on.
August 23, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Anyone else noticed that white people in AI images are actually orange?
I wonder what pictures they've been training them on.
I wonder what pictures they've been training them on.
I'm struggling to find one good reason why I would wish fascist billionaires should exist.
August 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I'm struggling to find one good reason why I would wish fascist billionaires should exist.
Reposted by Helen Bell
I've had the same thing happen to me: watch out for scammers, people.
Saying this again: there is a scammer out there targeting newbie authors, claiming I'm one of their clients. They use different names, and I'm already pursuing legal action. But I have never worked with a PR company, editing service, or book packager, so anybody saying so is lying, period full stop.
August 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I've had the same thing happen to me: watch out for scammers, people.
Reposted by Helen Bell
THIS.
If we don't resist, we collude.
If we don't resist, we collude.
Ursula Le Guin: “The shift from denial of injustice to recognition of injustice can’t be unmade.... Once you see the injustice, you can never again in good faith deny the oppression and defend the oppressor. What was loyalty is now betrayal. From now on, if you don’t resist, you collude.”
August 12, 2025 at 2:45 PM
THIS.
If we don't resist, we collude.
If we don't resist, we collude.
Reposted by Helen Bell
Letter of the day (in the Times)
August 11, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Letter of the day (in the Times)
Reposted by Helen Bell
Arresting 400+ people for the "terrorist" offence of protesting against mass murder while large segments of the right are openly encouraging riots against immigrants is a tale of a very unhappy country and government.
August 10, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Arresting 400+ people for the "terrorist" offence of protesting against mass murder while large segments of the right are openly encouraging riots against immigrants is a tale of a very unhappy country and government.
For the record, cremate me unless I merit a headstone like this.
A tombstone in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, photographed by Andy Darby.
Note the border inscription.
Note the border inscription.
August 10, 2025 at 6:47 AM
For the record, cremate me unless I merit a headstone like this.
Reposted by Helen Bell
People in Los Angeles have been protesting 24 hours for 2 weeks straight and no news outlet is covering it!
8/8/25
8/8/25
August 9, 2025 at 12:33 AM
People in Los Angeles have been protesting 24 hours for 2 weeks straight and no news outlet is covering it!
8/8/25
8/8/25
Just picked up this month's book club book, have stopped for tea and banana bread at the canal boat cafe (in Woking, open till 2pm if you're local and contemplating it).
August 7, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Just picked up this month's book club book, have stopped for tea and banana bread at the canal boat cafe (in Woking, open till 2pm if you're local and contemplating it).