Showing results by author "Bob Bello" in All Categories

SYNOPSIS: In 2044, scientists discover a gravitational subspace link between Earth’s and the Moon’s cores. Dubbed Instantaneous Space Communication, it causes a major breakthrough. But while civilian science can’t begin to explain it, the military can’t wait to experiment with what they call Virtual Space Exploration (VSE), which creates a paradigm shift.

SYNOPSIS: In 1619, a drunken samurai trainer witnesses a midnight battle between two heavenly creatures, crashing on Earth like meteors. In the morning, he thinks it was a nightmare, yet before they had burned each other to ashes with lightning rods, one of them unwillingly left something behind. This is a story of love, betrayal, medieval conquest, vengeance, and the ultimate victory of true friendship. (Novella in 3 parts) NOTE: Available in print as part of the Starcall Anthology, Vol. 23, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is NOT illustrated to save on price and file size (1 ...

SYNOPSIS: In 1884, a French immigrant writer publishes a book in England. After reading it, a young girl loses all hope of living and attempts suicide. Her parents rescue her, but she becomes catatonic. Now only the writer can undo what he had caused unintentionally, but would her family allow him?

SYNOPSIS: In 1943, a mysterious woman visits a Creole teen with a proposition that will change both their lives to an extent only one of them comprehends in full. Whether the visitor is a US Navy Intelligence officer or a German spy, the teen agrees to help her carry out the undercover mission of their lifetime. Note: Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 1, illustrated by the author.

SYNOPSIS: In 2357, a Native American journalist investigates the Venusian Genesis Mystery. Both Human Authority and the Native Council of Venus support her work, yet conservative elements try to silence her. Apparently, her discovery threatens more than just the diplomatic relations between the two planets. It seems the entire universe is at stake. (Standalone version.) Note: Available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.2 illustrated by the author. The eBook version is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

EPISODE 31: In 2018, a young South Korean receives an express package he never ordered. It contains a female mannequin with a set of dresses, ready for a clothing store display. Assuming this is a birthday prank by his colleagues, he accepts the gift, yet his buddies at work don’t even know when his birthday is. The question is, who sent it and why? (Standalone version) Available also in print, illustrated by the author. The eBook is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

SYNOPSIS: In 2006, the teenage son of Cuban immigrants in America has a dream, which inspires him to write his first short story. He pitches it to a publisher, who immediately offers him a deal, but soon a private detective starts investigating him. After the two men clash, the young writer learns that he is a suspect in an intellectual crime he hadn’t committed. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.3, illustrated by the author. The eBook is NOT illustrated to save on file size.

SYNOPSIS: In 1985, a Russian immigrant visits a US professor of psychotherapy on a sabbatical, begging him to save his wife from a Siberian Gulag. The problem is that the American is now nothing more than a pulp fiction writer with a flair for sci-fi thrillers and can’t help even morally, let alone physically. Note: Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.2 illustrated by the author. The eBook version is NOT illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

EPISODE 3: In 1977, a concerned mother takes her teenage son to a psychiatrist. The boy is an artist, who constantly talks about hardcore sci-fi and contingency survival plans. Unexpectedly, his futuristic philosophy changes the old shrink’s worldview. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.1, illustrated by the author.

SYNOPSIS: In 2009, a physiotherapist recommends a 14-year-old paraplegic boy to fight his muscle atrophy by swimming. His divorcing parents send him to live with his handicapped grandfather in Okinawa, where the two must fight not only their medical conditions, but also something that defies human logic. Note: Available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 9, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is NOT illustrated to save on price and file size (1mb vs 100mb).

EPISODE 9: In 2037, a test pilot returns home to Luna after an experimental space flight, but something is wrong. Trying to contact Earth Headquarters, he crash-lands in an unknown location, where he has an unscheduled appointment with his own destiny. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.1, illustrated by the author.

SYNOPSIS: In 2310, a young woman arrives to New Earth in the Capricorn constellation, presenting a young Amish widower with a letter from a Mail Order Bride Network he’s never heard of. Is this a prank, or did God send him one of the most beautiful creatures in the world to test him? When things get more complicated, his commune demands a reasonable explanation. (This standalone story is also available in print as part of the Starcall Anthology, Vol.6, illustrated by the author.)

SYNOPSIS: In 2006, a mute teenager applies for a job at a Hungarian bakery. The owners suspect she’s an illegal immigrant, but they hire her secretly because she is attractive. Only after the young baker marries her does the painful truth start coming out, unburying far more history than the living are ready to handle. Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.3, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is not illustrated to save on file size (1 mb vs. 300 mb).

SYNOPSIS: In 1982, a young New York artist arrives in Italy as an exchange student. After losing his sister to a car accident, he needs the atmosphere of Florence to move on and improve his art. His new professor pairs him with a local student to study anatomy and painting techniques together. However, while he is rich and average, she is poor and talented. Can their private worlds coexist without clashing? Note: Available in print as part of the Starcall Anthology, Vol. 20, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is NOT illustrated to save on price and file size (1 MB vs. 100 MB).

SYNOPSIS: In 2051, a handful of teens and children survive the global holocaust in a lunar base. Suffering grief and denial, they must grow up fast and restart human civilization from scratch. In space. Note: Available in print as part of the Starcall Anthology, Vol. 4, illustrated by the author. The eBook is NOT illustrated to save on price and file size (1 mb vs. 300 mb).

SYNOPSIS: In 2107, after a fierce dogfight in an asteroid field, two enemy pilots crash on an uninhabited moon. Both have lost radio communications with their space fleets, both are presumed MIA, and both struggle to survive on limited resources. The fight must continue at all costs. There can be only one winner, one survivor. Or ... is it? (A novelette in 2 parts.) NOTE: Available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 16, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is NOT illustrated to save on price and file size (1 MB vs. 100 MB).

In 2007, a homeless teen builds a wickerwork cabin on the southern coast of Portugal. His dream is simple: sell fish jerky and seashell souvenirs to tourists, and hope for no storms. Yet, after trouble strikes, he finds unbelievable luck where least expected. It will turn his poverty lifestyle into a lucrative business, but until then, the sand is hot and his pockets are as empty as his belly.

SYNOPSIS: In 1920, the daughter of a Russian baron falls in love with a young British writer. Her immigrant father forbids her to marry an Englishman, but not because the young man is an orphan or because they are political exiles in his country, disinherited by the Soviet Revolution of 1917. Her family’s reasons are far more complicated than an Oxford graduate of history could comprehend. However, after he offers to elope, something else happens, and life takes its own course of action. NOTE: Available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 8, illustrated by the author. The ...

Synopsis: In 2076, an exoarchaeologist dies during an unsuccessful docking with the Central Space Station in Earth’s orbit. His wife refuses to accept it is a mere accident. He was a reserve military pilot, and he had just discovered an ‘alien artifact’ on Mars. Undertaking a private investigation, the widow uncovers a deep conspiracy of postwar politics that will change the world forever.

SYNOPSIS: In 1920, the daughter of a Russian baron falls in love with a young British writer. Her immigrant father forbids her to marry an Englishman, but not because the young man is an orphan or because they are political exiles in his country, disinherited by the Soviet Revolution of 1917. Her family’s reasons are far more complicated than an Oxford graduate of history could comprehend. However, after he offers her to elope, something else happens, and life takes its own course of action. (Illustrated by the author.) NOTE from the publisher: This is the 3rd and final edition, now with ...