William E. Bell was born in 1945, in Toronto, Ontario, and died in 2016.

He was a Canadian author of young adult fiction.

Bell was an innovator in literature for young adults in Canada and many of his novels are read in high school English courses.

‘Crabbe’ Bell’s novel was partly inspired by his days as a student at Lakeshore Collegiate Institute.

Having gained a master’s degree in literature and a second master’s in education curriculum and administration, both from the University of Toronto.

He taught in a variety of settings.

He was a high school teacher and the head of the English department at Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute.

He was a teacher in China at the Harbin University of Science and Technology and the Foreign Affairs College.

William also worked at the University of British Columbia and the Simcoe County Board of Education.

Bell was regularly invited to give presentations at conferences and to speak to elementary and secondary school students on creative writing.

His inspiration to become a writer came to Bell when he heard a speech by John Metcalf, author of one of his favourite short stories.

Apparently, he says he likes to write for young people because they are “the best audience: they are loyal to the writers they like and they are enthusiastic readers”.

William Bell has written many books, including three set near his home in Orillia, Ontario (Five Days of the Ghost, Stones and Fanatics), one in Barrie (Death Wind) and one in Guelph (Zack).

William resided with his wife, Chinese-Canadian author Ting-Xing Ye.

They had three children: Dylan, Megan and Brendan.

William Bell passed away at 70 years old.