Aurelius Publishing
Creative Work. Uncompromised.
Aurelius Publishing is the home for the creative work of Brisbane storyteller Peter Bell. Built on concepts grounded in Stoicism – focusing on what you can control, and a punk rock ethos – get it done yourself, the label exists to release work that is unique and remains true to its artistic intent.
About
Peter Bell is a Brisbane storyteller. His first book, Stepping Out the Other Side – finding purpose through adversity, received a Gold Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association in 2021. Stepping Out explores Pete’s mental health challenges and how he found stability and purpose through the processes.
He completed Faber Writing Academy’s intensive Writing a Novel program in 2023. He is a highly regarded property analyst/business adviser and a strong advocate for breaking down the stigma associated with mental illness.
Peter grew up listening to punk rock and playing the drums. While he still can be found behind a drum kit, his music tastes have broadened, but his belief in creating your own destiny remains.
Books
Sacred Seventh
Fiction · Contemporary drama - Crime
What if your worst decision became someone else’s second chance?
Brisbane, 1992. Engineer Michael Whelan is devastated by one problem he can’t fix: he’s ‘the issue’, according to the IVF doctors. An experimental surgery in San Diego might give him and his wife, Daniela, a child, but the cost is out of their reach. Widowed TAB owner Hazel Andrews is drowning in her late husband’s debts and his mate Craig’s creative accounting. All she really owns is a tired suburban betting shop and twenty thousand dollars in cash hidden off the books, while the bank closes in. On an ordinary weekday, Michael walks into Hazel’s TAB with a shotgun. Inside, he confronts Hazel; Charlie, a corporate lawyer avoiding his own mess; Angus, an ex-con who knows too much about fixing horse races; and Claire, an exhausted, struck-off doctor looking for a few minutes’ reprieve from the bottle. A tip on a country race that’s not ‘running straight’ offers them a way out. The five of them make a pact to back one horse in the seventh at Alice Springs – and never speak of it again. Years later, the fallout ripples through marriages, jail-time, hospital wards and racetracks. Eventually, they all must decide what matters more: the stories they’ve told themselves to live with what happened, or the truth about the dirty money that could change everything.
COMING EARLY 2026
Stepping Out the Other Side: finding purpose through adversity
Non-fiction · Memoir · Mental health
Sometimes adversity can be a blessing in disguise.
This was certainly the case for Peter Bell who had struggled with undiagnosed mental illness issues since childhood. A breakdown at the age of 38 resulted in him being admitted to hospital, where he finally found the help he needed. A diagnosis of obsessive- compulsive disorder brought some relief and, with the help of a support network of family and health professionals, Peter took the first steps in the fight of his life. Over many months, Peter learned how to manage his illness and to live a more meaningful life. In Stepping Out the Other Side, Peter describes his journey from illness to health with honesty and passion. His vision is that his story will inspire others to seek help immediately if they are suffering. Asking for help is not a weakness. It is the most courageous thing you can do. I read Stepping Out the Other Side with the backdrop of Simone Biles stepping back from competition at the Olympics. The whole time I marvelled at what an important and well-done book this is. This is the kind of book every person should read because everyone is touched by mental health issues. Judge, 29th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards Absolutely inspiring! Non-Fiction Book Awards (Gold Award Winner)
BOOK RE-ISSUE COMING EARLY 2026