Life Seemed Good, But is an anthology of more than ninety original short stories in a weird fiction style that follow a similar pattern. Light on the surface but anchored in real stress, fear, and the strange ways people cope, these pieces lean into dark, absurdist humor, filtered through the author's warped sense of reality.

Set in and around the subtly unstable Mystee Forest, each story unfolds within a strict word limit, giving the collection a compact, controlled rhythm. A purple amulet carries unpredictable power. A porcupine is spellbound to believe he's a medical doctor. A giant potato attempts to end civilization. Werepigs. The Gloomy-Bird! Santa falls into addiction. First-person stories drift into cloud alphabets and cloning. A cross between Aesop's Fables and the Brothers Grimm, these stories can be read as offbeat fairy tales for adults.

Bell's writing, originally begun as therapy while being a caregiver for someone he loved, grew into a ten-year column for a local bar magazine, shaped by understated gallows humor and playful immaturity.

Hidden trivia from science, literature, and culture is woven throughout, including a parody of A Christmas Carol. Life Seemed Good, But is built from offbeat stories that connect in unexpected ways, forming a world that contains cartoon violence, sometimes steeped in anti-humor. It rewards attention and invites rereading. One reviewer called it "shockingly amazing." The ebook version has been updated. A portion of the proceeds is used to support cancer research.