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Stella May

Goodreads Author

Born

in Baku, Azerbaijan

Website

http://www.stellamayauthor.com

Genre

Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Member Since

June 2018

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Hello, my name is Marina Sardarova. Stella May is my pen name (or my alter ego). In many regards, we are very different, even though she is me. She’s more daring, braver and self-assured; she knows exactly what she wants. She writes because she loves it and because she has stories inside of her. She never listens when people tell her she cannot do something simply because it’s impossible. She believes in herself. In short- she’s a much better version of myself.
I was born in the sixties of the last century in a country that doesn’t exist anymore: the former Soviet Union. However, I am not Russian–I’m Armenian and proud of my heritage.
Literature and music are my two great passions. My maternal grandparents were both professional singers; my f Hello, my name is Marina Sardarova. Stella May is my pen name (or my alter ego). In many regards, we are very different, even though she is me. She’s more daring, braver and self-assured; she knows exactly what she wants. She writes because she loves it and because she has stories inside of her. She never listens when people tell her she cannot do something simply because it’s impossible. She believes in herself. In short- she’s a much better version of myself.
I was born in the sixties of the last century in a country that doesn’t exist anymore: the former Soviet Union. However, I am not Russian–I’m Armenian and proud of my heritage.
Literature and music are my two great passions. My maternal grandparents were both professional singers; my father was a jazz guitarist. My brother and I both finished musical colleges. I graduated from a Conservatory (or Music Academy) with a diploma in musicology.
When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. Or an artist. Or even a famous poet. I was practicing piano for hours, sketching and writing some plays and poetry. And, of course, reading books. I don’t remember myself without a book. Ever. My aunt had a huge home library that was my absolutely most favorite place on earth. I had a very happy childhood indeed!
When I moved to the United States, to a country where everything was so different (including language), I quickly realized that I needed to learn English more than I needed to eat. Because while I could easily survive on water and bread, I absolutely refused to live without books. And so, I taught myself English (with the help of children’s books and cartoons), and my dear neighbor, Mrs. Foster (God rest her beautiful soul). She truly believed I understood whatever she was saying, so she’d engage me in a long conversation whenever she could, and demanded (in her own patient and kind way) a response. She left me no choice.
As soon as I was able to read books (with a dictionary at first), my life became whole again. And the absolutely crazy idea of writing started to slowly emerge from somewhere within.
I began to write in secret, penning a few sentences here and there, using my son’s discarded, half-used notebooks. When my husband brought home our very first computer, a chunky heavyweight Compaq, I discovered Microsoft Works (how many people still remember that program?). Of course, he purchased it for business purposes, with the silly notion that I would learn spreadsheets and accounting . . . poor misguided soul.
Instead, I spent every free moment in front of my beloved computer learning to type, writing my heart away.
I guess that’s when Stella May first started to emerge. She didn’t have her own name yet, or her own identity. She was still hiding behind me, unsure and hesitant.
Then, one night, I saw in my dream a very young woman, almost a girl, who was standing in the middle of a crowd, clutching a baby. She was skinny, badly dressed and scared. She had green eyes and curly red hair, and her name was Natasha. She was at the JFK airport. Somehow, I knew that. I also knew that the baby wasn’t hers. Above her head I saw a banner: Welcome to the United States of America. And that’s how the idea of Rostoff saga (Once & Forever ) came to me. And that’s when Stella May was born.
It took me twenty years, between raising my son and running a business with my husband, to bring this story to life. In 2018, after many unsuccessful attempts to submit my book to a traditional publisher, I split my first book into three parts (my son’s brilliant idea), and self-published it as the separate books: The Children, The Parents, and The Lovers. I sold more than 1100 copies.
After I said good-bye to the Rostoffs, I almost had postpartum depression (ha-ha) until I started to play with the idea of past-lives remembrances and dreams. I decided to read more on the subject . . . and the idea of Rhapsody in Dreams came to life. This time around, I deliberately chose to self-pub ...more

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Stella May’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 382 ratings · 42 reviews · 20 distinct works • Similar authors

	'Till Time Do Us Part (Upon a Time, #1) 4.17 avg rating — 164 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rhapsody in Dreams 4.13 avg rating — 63 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Time & Again: Time Travel Story (Upon A Time Book 2) 4.23 avg rating — 47 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Before & After 3.97 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Other Time (Upon A Time Book 3) 4.39 avg rating — 23 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Twirl In Time (Upon A Time Book 4) 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Once & Forever. Complete Trilogy 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Children 3.57 avg rating — 14 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lovers it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Parents 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Stella May's Blog

The Characters Who Argued With Me

One of the questions I’m asked most often is whether I outline my novels before I begin writing.

The answer is yes. At least, I try. I usually know where the story begins. I have a good idea where it’s headed. I even know many of the scenes I want to include along the way. Then something unexpected happens.

The characters decide they have other plans.

It may sound strange to anyone who has never writ

Stella is Currently Reading

Stella May is currently reading

New Life (Rostoff Family Saga Book 3)

by Stella May (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 25, 2024 08:20AM

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New Hope: Rostoff Family Saga, #2

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New Dawn: Rostoff Family Saga, #1

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Mar 20, 2024 10:08AM

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Stella May rated a book it was amazing What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 17, 2026 10:21AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing When You See Me (Detective D.D. Warren, #11; Gardner Universe, #20) by Lisa Gardner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Best D.D. Warren book This is unarguably the best book in this series. It held me captive from the first sentence. It broke my heart and made me teary eyed. I highly recommend this awesome book!
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing The Only One Left by Riley Sager (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing And the Crowd Went Wild (Chicago Stars, #11) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing Never Tell (Detective D.D. Warren #10) by Lisa Gardner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing Look for Me (Detective D.D. Warren, #9) by Lisa Gardner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Stella May rated a book it was amazing The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Stella May (?)

“My dear girl, we all have our limitations. The most important thing is not to fight them, but to accept them, even embrace them, and then turn them to our advantage.”
― Stella May

tags: be-yourself, inspirational

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“My love is shameful,” he whispered fiercely after a long heavy pause.
“There is no such thing as shameful love!”
― Stella May

tags: be-yourself, inspirational, love

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“Yes. One of the greatest composers once said that music is a dialog between the musician and God. But God answers very rarely, and only to the truly gifted ones, to those who bear his kiss.”
― Stella May, Rhapsody in Dreams

tags: inspirational, music, talent

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Lost Challenges: December 2022 Easy As 1, 2, 3	39	24	Jan 10, 2023 09:03AM
Romance Readers R...: 2022 December Monthly Challenge	71	367	Jan 26, 2023 05:56PM
The Lost Challenges: Words in a Word Game #20 - Two Faced Words	97	70	Mar 07, 2023 11:29AM
The Lost Challenges: BFTP: I'm a Barbie Girl	126	236	Aug 28, 2023 09:50AM
Crazy Challenge C...: Fall 2022 Spelling Challenge	133	71	Feb 04, 2024 12:12PM

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Stella’s Quotes

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

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“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

tags: attributed-no-source, human-nature, humor, infinity, philosophy, science, stupidity, universe

149025 likes

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

tags: ataraxy, be-yourself, confidence, fitting-in, individuality, misattributed-dr-seuss, those-who-matter

130614 likes

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

tags: attributed-no-source, books, simile, soul

136069 likes

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

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