Life Seemed Good, But.... is a bizarre, funny, down-to-earth anthology of more than ninety original short stories. Bell's writing, originally begun as therapy while being a caregiver for someone he loved, then grew into a ten-year column for a local bar magazine. The stories are shaped by understated gallows humor and the author's warped sense of reality. They can be read as offbeat fairy tales for literate adults; a cross between Aesop's Fables and the Brothers Grimm.
Set in and around the subtly unstable Mystee Forest, each story unfolds within a strict word limit, giving the collection a compact, controlled rhythm. Hidden trivia from science, literature, and culture is woven throughout. The stories connect in unexpected ways, forming a world that rewards attention and invites rereading. Everything begin well in the Mystee Forest, but sooner or later it goes cattywompus.
One reviewer called it "shockingly amazing." A portion of the proceeds is used to support cancer research.
