Bella was born in December of 1949 to blue-collar working class parents in a small town in North Carolina. Her childhood was very tragic and left wounds that can never truly heal. Bella started writing at age seven, hidden in a closet with a flashlight. She poured her heart and dreams of a better life out onto paper and hid them. She was a good student all the way through school. Knowing that knowledge was all she could control, she soaked up every bit of it she could. Graduating from high school as Salutatorian, she was granted a full scholarship to college. She went on to publish three poetry books and a book on animal rescue. Life and relationships were always a challenge for Bella, as her upbringing followed her like a dark shadow. Animals were her best friends. She married, had two daughters, divorced, and remarried. Life for her was one of deep depression, and she struggled daily just to survive. Today, after much therapy and healing, Bella is working to help other children and women much like herself. There is a light shining at the end of that dark tunnel.