About 'Valérie'
'Valérie (or, Red Velvet Nothing)' is a contemporary love story set in Paris, and the debut novella (short novel) of Zoe Marie Bel.
Zoe is a writer of fiction and poetry, whose work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review, The New York Times, Australian Book Review, Short Edition, and more. Her debut poetry slimbook Foothills is in bookstores now.
While variously too irreverent or dour to be called a "romance writer", Zoe does contemplate relationships often in her work. Her short love story 'Black Wax' was described as "superbly incisive, witty and uplifting" by the 'Australian Book Review' (August 2023), and 'Valérie' is in a similar vein. 'Valérie' is Zoe's first long-form love story to center on two women, and she couldn't be prouder.
Zoe lived in Paris during the pandemic and wrote the first draft of 'Valérie' while there. A number of scenes in the novella were inspired by the real-life places Zoe discovered in Paris, photos of which can be seen in Images.
This website is primarily intended as a tie-in for those who have read 'Valérie'. (If the features here have gotten you curious, why not buy the book.) For more about the novella, including an interview with the author, visit Scatterpunk Press.
