Janet Cheatham Bell is an independent scholar, writer, speaker, and publishing consultant. She and the talented artist and designer, Merridee LaMantia, who together have over fifty years of experience in editing and book design, have collaborated to establish Belmantia Custom Publishing Services. Victory of the Spirit is the second book produced by Belmantia and the first to be released from Bell's revived Sabayt Publications imprint, dormant since 1994. In 2007 Bell's memoir, The Time and Place That Gave Me Life was published by Indiana University Press. It has been called "The best form of social history." Part II of her memoir is currently a work-in-progress.