About Bella
DR. BELLA ELLWOOD-CLAYTON was born on Valentine’s Day in Melbourne, Australia; the daughter of avant-garde composer and playwright, Syd Clayton, and enlightenment-seeker, Gwenda Ellwood.
At a young age, Bella moved to Vancouver, Canada, with her mom. They lived in different basement suites in Kits (Kitsilano). Bella’s mother went back to school, studying IT. Bella had a chaotic childhood with lots of freedom. She loved dancing and being with her friends.
In elementary school, Bella had a bad knee accident and on the way to the hospital, wrote her first poem—a topic fitting a Vancouverite.
Raindrops on the window meet like lovers after a long separation
During her recovery in the hospital, a friend’s mother visited Bella and read aloud Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night,” as well as gifting her a book of poetry. From that moment on, Bella never stopped writing. Journal in hand, she found deeper companionship with the page than almost anything or anyone else.
After high school, Bella moved to Montréal and completed a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University, majoring in anthropology. Her honours thesis examined beauty historically and cross-culturally. She received first class honours and was the recipient of the Mark Doughty Scholarship. She had a studio apartment in the McGill Ghetto, a long-distance (toxic) relationship, and a burning desire to explore the world. Her first short story was published, as well as some poetry.
Soon after, with a crew from National Geographic, Bella took to the jungle to explore tattoo and social change in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia. This documentary continues to air from a wide range of international locations.
Offered a PhD scholarship, Bella conducted an ethnography in the central Philippines about young women's sexual and reproductive health. (Luckily for her, she had a Filipino boyfriend who helped her understand the nuances of courtship.) As the Philippines is the texting capital of the world, her research followed suit. Bella became an international expert on mobile phones and intimate relationships, speaking at conferences worldwide and publishing in prestigious academic anthologies.
Throughout her postgraduate degree, Bella was the recipient of numerous grants and scholarships. She completed her PhD thesis from The Key Centre for Women’s Health in Society, WHO Collaborating Centre, The University of Melbourne.
But academia was too stifling. She wanted to take her knowledge about sexuality to the mainstream. More Carrie Bradshaw than Margaret Mead.
Bella returned to Australia to write a weekly sex and relationship column for the newspaper mX – published in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. She became a columnist for Sunday Life Magazine, which appeared in the Melbourne Age and Sydney Sun-Herald.
Then everything changed. She met an Adelaide-born, management consultant at a bar in Fitzroy. They had an intense conversation and exchanged numbers. She told her friends the next morning, “I’ve met the man I’m going to marry,” and thirteen months later, wearing her grandmother’s wartime wedding dress, said, “I do.”
Her nonfiction book, Sex Drive: In Pursuit of Female Desire, was published by Allen & Unwin. She published more short stories and poetry and wrote for The Huffington Post and Daily Life, and frequently appeared on radio programs such as Triple M as well as TV programs including The Project and Sunrise. She’s given many talks about relationships, including a TEDx talk.
Bella hosted The Science of Sex Drive on Love Destination, a global video-on-demand network on 8 million devices.
With nearly 15 years of experience, Bella has spent the past decade focusing on editing and book coaching. She previously served as the resident creative writing teacher at Kensington Neighbourhood House and is now Head of Editorial at the NAC (New Authors Collective) Literary Agency. Through her freelance business, Dr. Bella Editorial, she works with emerging and bestselling authors, helping them bring their stories to life.
After writing her first poem about raindrops all those years ago, her debut novel, WEEKEND FRIENDS, was published in 2023 (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster). THE SWIMMING GROUP is out now (April 2025, Joffe Books). Her next psychological suspense is set for release in 2026.
Married to a real-life superhero, she lives in Melbourne and has two screen-obsessed teens and a mini Maltese who is convinced he’s a pit bull. When Bella isn’t on her laptop, you can find her downward dogging, pleading with her teens to go outside, and randomly blurting out, “Oh, that sounds like a good story idea.”
Excerpt from Karen King’s ‘Friday Talk’ blog:
Welcome to my blog, Bella. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yep. Since I was twelve years old and started writing angsty poetry…I never stopped writing. Hopefully, I’ve improved over time. :)
Has any author inspired you?
When I was a teenager, I loved Anaïs Nin and Hermann Hesse. My twenties and thirties saw me reading authors like Marian Keyes, Jennifer Weiner, and Jodi Picoult. Now I’m a huge fan of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng.
What do you like writing most?
I’m fond of writing a sex scene or a comedic moment—and sometimes combining the two. Oooh, I also love foreshadowing. And dropping clues and red herrings into the story so only later readers are like, “You tricked me!”
Do you have a special place for writing?
My hubby and I bicker over the only office in our house. Usually, I win. Otherwise, you’ll find me with a mug of coffee and my laptop in the corner of my local café. Totally plays into the writer stereotype, I know.
Are you a pantster or a plotter?
Plotter. My novels usually have massive twists and often multiple POVs (points of view). It can be messy without a plan.
What are you writing at the moment?
It’s set in Cape Cod… There are sharks. There is a missing woman. And lots of relationship drama. That’s all I can say right now. Shhh!
What inspired you to write Weekend Friends?
I’m fascinated by the pain parents feel when their children/teenagers suffer. And how children/teen drama can morph into parent drama. With increased bullying through social media, the child/teen landscape is dangerous, especially in terms of mental health. I wanted to explore these murky areas.
What time of the day do you write best?
Morning – preferably when it’s still dark. (No laundry, no phone calls, no kids.) The outer world is silent. My inner world is wild.
What are your hobbies?
Yoga, studying writing craft books, mastering the perfect salad dressing. Oh my god, I sound so boring. But with mommy-ing, house stuff, writing, running my developmental editing business, and working part-time at NAC Literary Agency, there is no time. At the end of the day, you’ll probably find me collapsed on the couch, consuming reality TV through a drip. Don’t judge. Reality TV gives me the *best* plot ideas.
What advice would you give to other writers?
Writing is addictive, almost guaranteed to lead to misery, and probably make you broke. Only commit to writing if you can’t stop yourself from doing it. Compulsion can lead to bliss.