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Indie Author
Shaped by
Indie Rock
Roots
For Jessica Bell, success
as an author has come
from being true to herself,
finding her readers, and
self-publishing with pride
BY MATIA BURNETT
For indie author Jessica Bell, writing and music are two vitally important pieces of a creative personal and professional
mosaic. She was raised in Melbourne, Australia,
by her German mother and Greek stepfather,
Erika Bach and Demetri Vlass, founding members of the revered indie rock bands Ape the
Cry and Hard Candy. Today, Bell is the lead
vocalist and songwriter of the Greek synth-pop group Keep Shelly in Athens.
As one might expect, Bell’s earliest writing
was greatly influenced by her musical upbring-
ing. “Having grown up surrounded by musicians,
Jessica Bell
