William Bell: A Novel

Just who the heck is William Bell? He is somewhat of an enigma, so he’s not easily introduced nor described.  He describes himself as a life facilitator, but hates the term. He also grudgingly admits that he doesn’t have a better term.  No, he doesn’t facilitate meetings.  He is certainly not a life coach nor counselor.  And William is right:  “Life facilitator” doesn’t begin to explain who he is or what he does, both of which defy description. 

William is William – his own unique brand of human.  Perhaps another way of putting it is that he takes “human” to a new level. And an ideal adjective to describe him is “quirky.”

Physically, William offers a commanding presence.  He’s tall and slender with very long fingers and very big feet.  But he is lithe and nimble; he can appear or disappear in a blink of an eye.  But William would scoff at physical prowess, because his mental capabilities are what really matter to him. 

For William is a true intellectual.  While he enjoys the arts as an element in a balanced life, he has simply too many brain cells to waste his time in any sort of activity that didn’t require copious amounts of intellectual activity.  So how does this tall commanding presence use all that brain power? 

William came up with a grand concept many years ago.  He decided that he would offer services to individuals and organizations long before they asked for them.  Put a different way, he anticipates needs.  In fact, if asked to provide X or Y, he simply would decline because there would be no fun in that.  Examples you demand?  Certainly.

 A struggling young author, for example, received career counsel from William.  Did he want career counsel?  No.  Did he ask for counsel?  No.  How then did William determine that he needed said counsel and provide it in a valuable sort of way?  Well, he should be able to keep some of his secrets. But the struggling young author didn’t even know he was a struggling young author.  He thought he was an advertising director.  Little did he know.  And he wasn’t too pleased to find out that William had created a television ad for the company which led to his firing as advertising director.  That must have been a delicate conversation!  William wasn’t asked to create that ad; he just imagined it, produced it and sent it in.  Who does things like that?

Or how about the newly-widowed woman who deep down didn’t really love her husband?  She dreams of houses and happens upon William in the most unusual way.  He’s even able to help someone he’s hired to help him – his attorney.  That certainly offers a dicey balancing act.

How does he do the fascinating things he does?  That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?  It would be easy to stereotype him as half psychic, half psychologist and half genius.  Yes, that just about explains it.  But he reveals very little about his background. 

In sum, William is a brilliant eccentric, with a good soul.  His intentions are fairly pure and positive.  The world could do well with a few Williams around.

Praise for William Bell:

“So, five stars: One for any author simply brave enough to face a blank page (or screen); one for a unique theme; one for a main character at once familiar and mysterious; one for Betsy's willingness to bend and blend genres to find a compelling and unique voice; and one because, as the book asserts at the conclusion, the world indeed does need more William Bells.”
- Amazon Reader

“This is a wonderful book, with an incredible character, William Bell, at its center. In reading and meeting Emma, Sam, and Debra and learning about their struggles that William Bell takes it upon himself to inspire change, I learned tidbits about myself. Things I could be doing to foster my own happiness and growth. It’s a beautiful and unique mix of fiction and inspiration for personal development. I want my own William Bell!”
- goodreads Reader