Voices Within: Bella: Beyond the Bark

By Lana Stasek

From award-winning author Lana Stasek comes a novel inspired by the true life of her rescue dog.

"What is it like to remember what you shouldn't, and to see through people even when they can't see themselves?"

Bella: Beyond the Bark is not a cute pet story, and it is certainly not a fairy tale. Inspired by the true life of a rescue dog adopted from the Orphans of the Storm shelter in Illinois, this dramatic novel explores survival, memory, fear, trust, and unconditional love.

Told entirely in Bella's voice - canine in form, painfully human in truth - the story follows her journey through the streets, homelessness, the shelter system, and the fragile hope of finding a forever home. Bella filters human reality through acute honesty and raw instinct, stripping away the social masks people wear and revealing how deeply the need to belong connects animals and humans.

Her story becomes a reflection on abandonment, resilience, and what it takes to trust again after being hurt.

Bella: Beyond the Bark is for readers drawn to emotionally powerful fiction, unconventional perspectives, and stories about the human-animal bond.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1968405216
• ISBN13: 9781968405212
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Stasek Publishing
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"