Aug. 21, 2024

Stella Fosse: The Business of Erotic Writing and Seasoned Romance

Stella Fosse: The Business of Erotic Writing and Seasoned Romance

Empowering Elder Writers: A Conversation with Stella Fosse

In this episode of Seasoned Women, Serious Business, host Isabel Alexander converses with special guest Stella Fosse, an author known for her work in highlighting the vibrant lives of older women through her fiction and non-fiction books. 

This podcast focuses on Fosse's writing journey, her advocacy for women over 50 to express their creativity and share their stories, and the importance of depicting mature women as dynamic and sexually active in literature. Fosse discusses her experiences in transitioning from a biotech writer to a novelist, the significance of elder erotica, and her latest book, 'Write and Sell a Seasoned Romance.' 

The episode also touches on Fosse's upcoming surgery, her philosophy on living an epic life, and her practical insights into book marketing. A must-listen for seasoned women looking to break boundaries, create, and thrive.

00:00 Introduction to Seasoned Women, Serious Business

01:26 Meet Stella Fosse: Author and Inspiration

04:45 The Importance of Representation in Literature

05:23 Stella's Journey from Biotechnology to Writing

07:10 The Dirty Old Women Reader Series

08:02 The Power of Writing Erotica After Midlife

10:02 Exploring Autofiction and Creative Freedom

11:40 The Controversy of AI in Writing

15:15 Celebrating Life in Your 60s and 70s

18:40 The Anti-Bucket List and The Phuckit Journey

22:09 Stella's Writing Groups and Anthologies

26:56 Upcoming Projects and Book Launches

34:55 Facing Health Challenges with Resilience

38:30 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

49:42 Conclusion and Call to Action

If you're passionate about writing, tune in to discover amazing resources and communities here: 📕Write & Sell A Well-Seasoned Romance 🌐https://books2read.com/wsr


Book links:

Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex, author Joan Price

Ageless Erotica, author Joan Price

Unmasked, Women Write About Sex and Intimacy After 50, edited by Marcia Meier

Aphrodite’s Pen: The Power of Writing Erotics After Midlife, author Stella Fosse

LADIES' OWN EROTICA: TALES,RECIPES,AND OTHER MISCHIEFS BY OLDER WOMEN 

Author: Kensington Ladies Erotica Society

Best Women’s Erotica, anthology series, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Article written by Stella Fosse quoting Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers:  “Learning and Sex Until Rigor Mortis”


About the Host:

 

Isabel Alexander

Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst

 Isabel Alexander's journey from modest beginnings to global recognition epitomizes entrepreneurial resilience and innovation. With over five decades of experience spanning diverse industries, she has become a driving force in shaping economic landscapes worldwide. Noteworthy accomplishments include founding a multimillion-dollar global chemical wholesale business and earning accolades such as Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

As a mentor and advocate, Isabel empowers women entrepreneurs through initiatives like the Lift As You Climb Movement and podcasts, guiding them from startup to maturity. Serving as Chief Encore Officer of The Encore Catalyst, she dedicates herself to coaching and educating emerging entrepreneurs. Her involvement in organizations like RenegadesReinventing.com and Femme on Fire underscores her commitment to leadership and business development.

Additionally, Isabel's advisory roles with government bodies and trade associations, such as Chair of the Canadian Association of Importers & Exporters, highlight her influence in shaping trade policies and fostering international relations.

Driven by her mantra, "Lift As You Climb," Isabel embodies the ethos of mutual growth and empowerment. With dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, she values her extensive family and embraces global connections through travel and professional engagements. Isabel Alexander's narrative serves as a beacon of inspiration, illustrating how visionary leadership and strategic advising can drive global entrepreneurship and economic independence forward.


Founder:

The Encore Catalyst Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/TheEncoreCatalyst )

and

Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.

also

Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ https://whoaminowbook.com/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelannalexander/

 

Thank You for Listening!

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If you have questions about this episode, please send me an email at Hello@TheEncoreCatalyst.com

 

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Crossroads Clarity Solution

Who Am I Now Book

Transcript
Isabel:

Welcome everyone.



Isabel:

I am over the moon excited today to bring a very, very



Isabel:

special guest on this platform.



Isabel:

I met our guest on the screen, if you're watching us on YouTube today,



Isabel:

she identifies as Stella Fosse.



Isabel:

We met several years ago in a Facebook group for women who were reinventing,



Isabel:

reimagining, and redefining what it means to be of a certain age or to be



Isabel:

retired or to do both at the same time.



Isabel:

And instantly I fell in love with this woman and I was



Isabel:

aware that she was an author.



Isabel:

I purchased her book and I did something very rare.



Isabel:

The weekend that I received the book, I sat down on the couch one morning



Isabel:

with a cup of coffee and I didn't get up till much later in the day



Isabel:

when I had turned the last page.



Isabel:

I was so charmed by this book, I knew that I needed to know more about the author.



Isabel:

So today on the screen with me, Stella Fosse, who is the author



Isabel:

of Elegant Charming Bastard.



Isabel:

And this book is for sale on Amazon and it should be on your bookcase



Isabel:

because it was a fabulous romp.



Isabel:

And it was the first time that I thought about the fact that there should be



Isabel:

quality fiction literature for women of my age, and that it should be



Isabel:

irreverent and saucy and humorous and sexy, but also really well written.



Isabel:

So thank you today for being here with us, Stella.



Isabel:

Thank



Stella Fosse:

you.



Stella Fosse:

What a fabulous introduction.



Isabel:

It is so easy to gush about you , and for several reasons let's be clear.



Isabel:

I have a girl crush on you because you're doing something that I aspire to do more



Isabel:

of and do and that's to be an author.



Isabel:

And because I also purchased your book, Aphrodite's Pen, we're going to talk a



Isabel:

little bit more about that in a minute.



Isabel:

I began Collecting my thoughts, my characters, my storyline for



Isabel:

my own elder erotica romance, steamy, sexy, senior, seasoned



Isabel:

woman romance, a couple years ago.



Isabel:

Those thoughts are still all in the journal that I started when I was



Isabel:

following your program that you had where you were sending us out prompts.



Isabel:

And then my own life got a little steamy and I went through a divorce.



Isabel:

I went through a country change.



Isabel:

I went through all of the, drama and excitement associated with that.



Isabel:

I guess I better pick that project back up and get going.



Isabel:

Yes, please do.



Isabel:

One of the things I would love to talk to you about is your perspective



Isabel:

on why there should be more women of our age writing fiction and fantasy



Isabel:

and non fiction because our peers, women like you and me want to identify



Isabel:

with the literature that's available.



Isabel:

Stella, tell us a bit more about how you came to really underline that belief and



Isabel:

how you've been doing something about it.



Isabel:

Okay,



Stella Fosse:

Wow, what a great question!



Stella Fosse:

I was in biotechnology for most of my adult life and I was a writer, but I



Stella Fosse:

wasn't writing what I felt like writing.



Stella Fosse:

I was writing submissions to the Food and Drug Administration for



Stella Fosse:

approval of new medical products.



Stella Fosse:

The tallest one I wrote was 32 volumes and stacked up, it was exactly my height.



Stella Fosse:

32 volumes, 5 feet 6 inches.



Stella Fosse:

So that's all well and good, and I did just fine doing



Stella Fosse:

that, but I wanted to do more.



Stella Fosse:

I wanted to write my own stories.



Stella Fosse:

And right before I retired, or rewired, or repurposed myself, whatever verbiage



Stella Fosse:

we want to use, I read an article in the New York Times book review section by a



Stella Fosse:

romance author in her 50s who was advising her sister writers of her age group that



Stella Fosse:

if they wanted to get published, they needed to write characters in their 20s.



Stella Fosse:

And I thought, hell no, I'm not doing that.



Stella Fosse:

I'm writing about people my own age and the vivid lives



Stella Fosse:

that we lead because we do.



Stella Fosse:

We lead these vibrant, wonderful lives and it doesn't get talked about enough.



Stella Fosse:

that when you turn 60, that around that time, your kids are probably grown,



Stella Fosse:

your career is winding down, you feel great, you're doing all kinds of things,



Stella Fosse:

and a lot of us are having wonderful, complicated, interesting love lives.



Stella Fosse:

And why not show that in fiction?



Stella Fosse:

Why not talk about that with one another?



Stella Fosse:

So that's how I really started on this path.



Stella Fosse:

And in particular, a friend of mine, Lynx Cannon, was starting



Stella Fosse:

a reader series around that time.



Stella Fosse:

It was called the Dirty Old Women Reader Series an d it was



Stella Fosse:

held in a bookstore in Oakland.



Stella Fosse:

She invited all her friends who were writers to write erotic stories.



Stella Fosse:

This is friends of hers who were over 50, to write erotic stories and come and



Stella Fosse:

read them in front of a live audience.



Stella Fosse:

I took that as a challenge and it was scary and it was really fun.



Stella Fosse:

One of the best things about it was, oftentimes, after a reading,



Stella Fosse:

the place was always packed.



Stella Fosse:

And women who were in their, say, 30s, would come up to us and say, Thank



Stella Fosse:

you, we had no idea, we thought that part of life for women ended at 40.



Stella Fosse:

Because that's the message they had been getting their



Stella Fosse:

entire lives from the culture.



Stella Fosse:

It seems to me that one of the best and most enjoyable ways to



Stella Fosse:

push back on the gendered ageism we encounter in our culture is for



Stella Fosse:

us to create and share our stories.



Stella Fosse:

In addition to writing my own stories, I'm really interested in spreading



Stella Fosse:

the word and spreading information about how to do this, how to write,



Stella Fosse:

how to edit, how to publish, how to market our seasoned sexy stories.



Isabel:

Thank you.



Isabel:

Thank you for doing that.



Isabel:

We were talking a little bit off air earlier about needing to step



Isabel:

up to the responsibility of being role models and trailblazers because



Isabel:

Let's face it, there was no manual for this before because we were all raised



Isabel:

with that narrative of "Go gently into that sweet night, blue haired lady."



Isabel:

right?



Isabel:

God knows I didn't think about my grandparents having sex.



Isabel:

But the fact that they had 10 children, they must've been pretty good at it.



Isabel:

We, we're not just talking about, trashy sex for the sake of being provocative.



Isabel:

We're talking about highly entertaining literature and can drawing other



Isabel:

women authors and male, all authors out saying you have an a lifetime of



Isabel:

experience which to draw on to create these works which serve to entertain



Isabel:

but they also serve to educate.



Isabel:

Because, you know, that we aren't sitting around waiting to die we're



Isabel:

way too busy living full vibrant lives and pushing the limits.



Stella Fosse:

We certainly are, and you're right!



Stella Fosse:

It's wonderful how much we have this great combination of a lifetime of experience



Stella Fosse:

plus our imaginations to draw upon.



Stella Fosse:

One of the things I talk about in my new book is autofiction, which is a



Stella Fosse:

combination of autobiography and fiction, where you can take, say, A person you



Stella Fosse:

knew when you were in your 40s and a situation, a conflict that came up when



Stella Fosse:

you were in your 50s in a setting that was very dear to you in your 20s or your



Stella Fosse:

60s and put those things together and combine them with imaginative elements



Stella Fosse:

to create a story that's just yours that no one else could create because each



Stella Fosse:

of us has this incredible library in our minds of experiences and feelings and



Stella Fosse:

people we've known and places we've been and conflicts and interesting situations



Stella Fosse:

that we've encountered and overcome.



Stella Fosse:

We can draw on all that to create this magical thing,



Stella Fosse:

this narrative that's only ours.



Stella Fosse:

Yes , it's an absolutely precious thing that we have as older adults



Stella Fosse:

that we can draw upon to create fiction or any other kind of art.



Stella Fosse:

I have friends who, who've switched from corporate careers into being painters.



Stella Fosse:

There are all kinds of creative things that we can be



Stella Fosse:

doing at this point in life.



Stella Fosse:

And we are empowered to do it because, again, some of our



Stella Fosse:

responsibilities that we had for much of our adult lives may be behind



Stella Fosse:

us, or may at least be winding down.



Stella Fosse:

So it's a really fabulous time in life.



Isabel:

I agree wholeheartedly.



Isabel:

And you just introduced something that I did want to talk to you about, and that is



Isabel:

the controversy today about AI in writing.



Isabel:

What you just described, that scenario of what did you call it?



Isabel:

Autofiction?



Isabel:

Is impossible with AI because you have to have had those various life experiences



Isabel:

to draw on, to create that blended narrative and have those perspectives.



Isabel:

It doesn't just come out of a can.



Isabel:

It's not automated.



Isabel:

It's a beautiful soup that you're talking about, and I love that idea!



Isabel:

And it also titillates me to think about which part of me will they think, is the



Isabel:

real me that I've written about, right?



Stella Fosse:

That's right.



Isabel:

I love and I'm going to share, of course, in the show notes,



Isabel:

your contact information and the links to your books and your bio.



Isabel:

But I was intrigued when I was preparing for our show that there was something in



Isabel:

your bio that just stood out so much to me and you're just touching on it now.



Isabel:

You said, "This is our voice.



Isabel:

This is our opportunity to let in others in on the secret that women past



Isabel:

middle life are vibrant and alive."



Isabel:

I just love this!



Isabel:

"That when we live in sin, we are blissfully sinning.



Isabel:

That when we marry, we want more than a companion.



Isabel:

That whether single or in a relationship, our sexuality is our innate birthright."



Isabel:

And I thought again, yay!



Isabel:

Let's blow those paradigms up.



Isabel:

Let's, change the narrative.



Isabel:

Who any of us are, whatever our gender is or whatever our preference is it's



Isabel:

about we get to choose the character and how they show up in our lives.



Isabel:

Exactly.



Isabel:

Very cool.



Isabel:

So take me to a little more, because I, what has also come out of this is that,



Isabel:

as I am understanding, so you, after a professional, a long running career,



Isabel:

technically writing, and by the way, I'm one inch taller than you, so you



Isabel:

would have had to write one more volume.



Isabel:

Good thing I'm only 5'6 then.



Isabel:

Okay so now that we are comparing numbers I didn't ask you at the outset of the



Isabel:

interview one of my favorite questions, and I'm thanking Diane von Furstenberg



Isabel:

for reframing a question that was often in our generation frowned upon asking a lady.



Isabel:

Instead of asking how old you are, Diane suggested that we say



Isabel:

how long have you lived, Stella?



Stella Fosse:

I have lived for 70 years, and I will celebrate my 71st birthday



Stella Fosse:

next month, so I've lived almost 71 years.



Isabel:

Great, congratulations.



Isabel:

I'm celebrating my 70th next month.



Isabel:

So maybe there's a party somewhere together in the future for us.



Isabel:

That would be great.



Isabel:

Cool.



Isabel:

That would be great.



Isabel:

The entire decade, as I look back now, on the entire decade of my 60s, It was



Isabel:

perhaps the best decade of my life so far.



Isabel:

So I'm, I have every hope that my 70s will turn out to be just as great.



Isabel:

And the thing is, nobody tells you this.



Isabel:

Nobody tells you that your 60s can be absolutely fantastic.



Isabel:

When I look back on it, I published my first novel.



Isabel:

I fell in love with the man I'd now been with for nine years.



Isabel:

My children thrived and I was getting to do exactly what I wanted to do,



Isabel:

probably for the first time in my life.



Isabel:

My next book, not the one that's about to publish, but the one after



Isabel:

that, is going to be a collection of essays that I wrote during my 60s.



Isabel:

I'm going to call it, What to Expect When You're Sixty, Adventures in



Isabel:

the Secretly Wonderful Decade, because that's what it is.



Isabel:

The 60s are the secretly wonderful decade, and it's about time we shared



Isabel:

that secret, but that book's going to be a while, that one's going to be a bit.



Isabel:

I have to, I still have to put that one together.



Isabel:

And you continue to live it, and which I think is the other thing that



Isabel:

I've recognized just listening to you talk right now, being a seasoned



Isabel:

woman it gives us this advantage that we're just continuing to live



Isabel:

it and adjust the seasoning, right?



Isabel:

My 60s were also remarkable.



Isabel:

My mother died at age 59.



Isabel:

O I really wasn't thinking much forward to that.



Isabel:

And of course, we were brought up to, you start to fall apart at 40,



Isabel:

once, once perimenopause sets in and menopause like it's the end of the story.



Isabel:

This is the other thing that I've appreciate so much



Isabel:

about what you're doing.



Isabel:

You're writing new stories, both in real life by sharing with other



Isabel:

women how to tell stories, but also sharing the literature that are



Isabel:

examples that people might go, "I can see myself in that character.



Isabel:

Maybe I could explore that life."



Isabel:

I have to say, I think my 60s, yeah, were the best decade, up to this



Isabel:

point, but I have a strong suspicion my 70s are going to top that!



Isabel:

I have an epic list started.



Isabel:

I don't believe in using the term a bucket list because the



Isabel:

connotation for me is rather negative.



Isabel:

It's disappointing at the end.



Isabel:

So instead I choose to live an epic life and to have epic experiences.



Isabel:

And when I started making the list, I thought, There's a lot



Isabel:

of fun to be had here, right?



Isabel:

A lot of experience to have, a lot of growth.



Isabel:

And when in doing so, younger people are saying to me, I am glad you are



Isabel:

showing us how this should be lived.



Isabel:

That's great.



Isabel:

I had dinner with my granddaughter and a friend of hers last night,



Isabel:

and they were saying like, wow, this is the way it should be.



Isabel:

Alive, vibrant, desiring to continue to learn new things and have new experiences.



Isabel:

At the same time, though, I have to say I do have an anti bucket list.



Isabel:

I have a list of things I won't put up with anymore.



Isabel:

I'm glad that you gave me a little segue there because right now I'm a few weeks



Isabel:

from publishing The Phuckit Journey.



Isabel:

Ah!



Isabel:

Wonderful!



Isabel:

A journal to joy and it's about exactly that.



Isabel:

The things that we say, hell no, never again!



Isabel:

We are aligned.



Isabel:

Anti-Bucket List and my Phuckit List.



Isabel:

Excellent.



Isabel:

Excellent.



Isabel:

Just for those that are concerned that they might not be able to



Isabel:

google that, they'll get censored or something, it is spelled with a "Ph".



Stella Fosse:

Very good.



Stella Fosse:

So I bet we have some of the same things on that list.



Stella Fosse:

For example, No More High Heel Shoes.



Isabel:

Oh,



Stella Fosse:

yeah,



Isabel:

no, done.



Isabel:

So done.



Isabel:

And No More Playing Small.



Isabel:

No more apologizing for things that I don't own.



Isabel:

But then there are the very specific things like, no more wearing clothes



Isabel:

that are tight and uncomfortable.



Isabel:

Mm-Hmm.



Isabel:

Or including those shoes, right?



Isabel:

Yeah.



Isabel:

I guess that's the other part that I appreciate in my sixties and seventies



Isabel:

and the company I keep, is that we are now looking at things very selectively



Isabel:

and saying, not doing that anymore, because then that opens us up to doing



Isabel:

so much more than we ever did before.



Stella Fosse:

Exactly.



Stella Fosse:

We get to choose our priorities.



Stella Fosse:

So nobody else is setting our priorities at this point.



Isabel:

No.



Isabel:

And whether you want to be in a relationship, coupled, single, exploring,



Isabel:

whatever, it's everything is there for us.



Isabel:

It's an option and life has become a wonderful buffet now, right?



Isabel:

or a charcuterie platter of living.



Isabel:

You get to sample all kinds of things.



Isabel:

That's true.



Isabel:

Yeah.



Isabel:

Take me back for a bit, because my audience, I want them to understand this.



Isabel:

Technical writer, then you explored some writing exercises and some



Isabel:

fiction writing, is that what led you to helping other writers find



Isabel:

their voice and their process?



Isabel:

When we



Stella Fosse:

had our Dirty Old Women presentations, our reading series,



Stella Fosse:

one of the things that came out of that was a desire to write together.



Stella Fosse:

And so my friend Lynx Cannon and I started a writing group that we



Stella Fosse:

called the Elderoctica Writing Group.



Stella Fosse:

We met once a month, we invited friends who were also writing sexy stories,



Stella Fosse:

and we got together And we had prompts and shared what we wrote in real time.



Stella Fosse:

This is pre pandemic.



Stella Fosse:

So we, all this was in person and we just generally had a great time.



Stella Fosse:

And then Lynx decided to publish a collection of the best stories or



Stella Fosse:

some of the really great stories from the Dirty Old Women writing series.



Stella Fosse:

So that's out there.



Stella Fosse:

That's called the Dirty Old Women Anthology.



Stella Fosse:

And then I decided, that I would start putting together stories and



Stella Fosse:

interviews and also writing prompts and information about how to set



Stella Fosse:

up an Elderortica writing group.



Stella Fosse:

I went to a writing and art retreat organized by a friend of mine and



Stella Fosse:

I was sitting next to a woman I had not met before and I told her that



Stella Fosse:

I was putting this book together.



Stella Fosse:

And she said, "Oh, I work at North Atlantic Books and we would like



Stella Fosse:

to publish a book like that!"



Stella Fosse:

So I didn't do a book proposal.



Stella Fosse:

I didn't reach out to agents.



Stella Fosse:

None of that.



Stella Fosse:

None of the things that people typically do for a first book.



Stella Fosse:

And that's how Aphrodite's Pen, The Power of Writing Erotica



Stella Fosse:

After Midlife, came to be.



Stella Fosse:

So that book came out several years ago, and then meanwhile, I started doing more



Stella Fosse:

writing, and when the pandemic hit, a friend of mine, who was locked down in



Stella Fosse:

a senior community called me and said, we have been told that if we leave the



Stella Fosse:

community and we don't come back with a doctor's note, we won't be let back in.



Stella Fosse:

And she had spent a lot of money to get into this place and buy a



Stella Fosse:

unit but, it wasn't the money that worried her, it wasn't the possibility



Stella Fosse:

of getting sick that worried her.



Stella Fosse:

What really bothered her was, How is this going to affect my dating life?



Stella Fosse:

And this is a woman in her late 70s, and I took that as a challenge.



Stella Fosse:

I decided that I would start writing stories about how women in



Stella Fosse:

a locked down senior community could still have an active dating life.



Stella Fosse:

So I wrote about friendly vampires coming to visit these ladies and



Stella Fosse:

time travelers and ghosts and people calling others on the Ouija



Stella Fosse:

board, people from other universes.



Stella Fosse:

So I just had a grand time.



Stella Fosse:

That's how I spent my pandemic.



Stella Fosse:

was writing these stories and that came out the next year came out in 2020.



Stella Fosse:

It's called The Erotic Pandemic Collection.



Stella Fosse:

It now includes some stories, other stories in addition to the ones in that.



Stella Fosse:

In that senior community.



Stella Fosse:

So the Erotic Pandemic Collection came out.



Stella Fosse:

My first novel, Brilliant, Charming Bastard, that you mentioned having read



Stella Fosse:

was about three women in biotech, who are scientists who discover they're all



Stella Fosse:

dating the same liar who is stealing their ideas for his invention and they



Stella Fosse:

decide to get some very smart revenge.



Stella Fosse:

So that book came out and then I decided that I wanted to write a romance novel.



Stella Fosse:

I had thought that Brilliant Charming Bastard was a romance novel, but when I



Stella Fosse:

looked into what the genre requirements are, I realized that it was not.



Stella Fosse:

It didn't really match the requirements that dedicated romance readers expect



Stella Fosse:

when they read a romance novel.



Stella Fosse:

So I looked into the genre and I put together Vampires of a Certain



Stella Fosse:

Age, which takes this idea of an older woman having a significant love



Stella Fosse:

life, to the max, because the woman is actually 500 years old and falls



Stella Fosse:

in love with a woman in her 50s.



Stella Fosse:

So that was my first romance novel.



Stella Fosse:

And then I decided that I wanted to share with other women, how to put together a



Stella Fosse:

romance novel, and that's the book that's about to come out this month, which is



Stella Fosse:

called Write and Sell a Seasoned Romance, and it takes you all the way through.



Stella Fosse:

It tells you what's, what are the genre expectations, how do you write a romance



Stella Fosse:

novel, gives you ideas for the premise that will work with characters our



Stella Fosse:

age, and then goes through the editing process, takes you through all the



Stella Fosse:

possibilities for publishing, and then lots and lots of ideas for marketing.



Stella Fosse:

So I've tried to do both things.



Stella Fosse:

I've tried to create my own stories, And at the same time, encourage other women



Stella Fosse:

of a certain age to get into this fun revolution and create their stories too.



Isabel:

It is serendipity, synchronicity, or whatever you want to say, divine



Isabel:

kismet, that I just launched Seasoned Women Serious Business Podcast a few



Isabel:

weeks ago, and then reconnected with you.



Isabel:

Actually, I think I saw LinkedIn post about how to write and sell



Isabel:

a well seasoned romance, and I thought, Oh, good heavens.



Isabel:

If that is not a sign, then I need to call Stella and say, we should talk about



Isabel:

your book on the podcast, because you have a business and you're doing seriously



Isabel:

good work with it and supporting others.



Isabel:

But also, you haven't put all of this work into it for it not



Isabel:

to be sustainable financially.



Isabel:

I know that you tax all the prisms of your brain, but I just love the fact that we



Isabel:

can share this with all women, all people.



Isabel:

Life will just surprise you if you open up and take a chance.



Isabel:

And that is why I pushed to have this interview now because at the date of



Isabel:

recording and just a couple of weeks, Write and Sell a Well Seasoned Romance.



Isabel:

Love that.



Isabel:

Will be on Amazon.



Isabel:

The publication release date is August 29th.



Isabel:

But if you are as excited as I am about this, you will go immediately



Isabel:

to Amazon and book a pre sale purchase of the book because I'm on the list.



Isabel:

I'm so excited.



Isabel:

I would love us to have Amazon say, Whoa, what's happened on over



Isabel:

here with all these seasoned women?



Isabel:

because we have sold out capacity of this book.



Isabel:

And I would love you, all my listeners, to do so and spread the word.



Isabel:

And of course, we'll put all the important links in the podcast notes, because



Isabel:

spread it, spread the word around.



Isabel:

Let's start a revolution of rogue, seasoned women writers.



Isabel:

Amen.



Isabel:

Woohoo.



Isabel:

Yes.



Isabel:

Okay, we're going to recap all of the titles of the books but one



Isabel:

question came up in, for me when you were talking about it, Why did



Isabel:

I think that was Pandemic Ball?



Isabel:

Is there a difference?



Stella Fosse:

The original collection was the Erotic Pandemic Ball.



Stella Fosse:

But I had some other stories that were about seasoned women and



Stella Fosse:

their love lives in the pandemic that took place in New York City.



Stella Fosse:

excuse me, that took place in California.



Stella Fosse:

The the setting for Erotic Pandemic Ball is an imaginary senior community in North



Stella Fosse:

Carolina where I live, but I had written stories about other places and how women



Stella Fosse:

were finding love during the pandemic.



Stella Fosse:

So we reissued the erotic pandemic stories with these additional stories.



Stella Fosse:

So now it's called the Erotic Pandemic Collection.



Stella Fosse:

So if you want all the stories, Check out that



Isabel:

edition.



Isabel:

I love the tagline, the most fun you can have with your mask on.



Isabel:

So good.



Isabel:

And, I also would like everybody to be aware.



Isabel:

You have an incredible blog series.



Isabel:

Seriously today with so many blog, blog, blog, blogs going on, there are very



Isabel:

few that I look forward to receiving in my inbox and read every single word.



Isabel:

While you're waiting for Stella's most recent book to come out, subscribe to



Isabel:

her blog also, because it's educational, it's entertaining, and I really like



Isabel:

that you push back on a lot of stuff.



Isabel:

Thank you.



Stella Fosse:

And I also publish on the 10th of each month, I



Stella Fosse:

publish a guest essay from an author, a woman author over 50.



Stella Fosse:

If any of your listeners are interested, have a book coming out, and would



Stella Fosse:

like to use that as part of their publicity, please get in touch.



Stella Fosse:

The new one that just came out is from Lynne Sprain, who took up



Stella Fosse:

writing after her career was over, started publishing books, and has done



Stella Fosse:

extremely well, and she talks all about the ins and outs of that experience



Stella Fosse:

in the new essay that's just out.



Stella Fosse:

It's called Living the Dream.



Stella Fosse:

Living the



Isabel:

dream.



Stella Fosse:

It's up on my website.



Stella Fosse:

And I also share out the blogs and guest blogs on my social media platform.



Stella Fosse:

So folks can find them on LinkedIn.



Stella Fosse:

X and Facebook as well.



Isabel:

Okay.



Isabel:

Stella, do you get pushback from people close to you, that you are



Isabel:

doing too much, that you're working too hard at your age or for your health?



Isabel:

How do people look at you and go, how is this possible that she's doing all this?



Isabel:

I don't



Stella Fosse:

think I get pushback.



Stella Fosse:

I have four grown children.



Stella Fosse:

I think they're a little startled at how much I do compared to their



Stella Fosse:

other parents and grandparents.



Stella Fosse:

Their grandparents for the most part are no longer here, but their



Stella Fosse:

other parents and step parents.



Stella Fosse:

I think they're surprised, but they also really get it.



Stella Fosse:

My daughters in particular are very clear that what I'm doing is



Stella Fosse:

a benefit for women of all ages.



Stella Fosse:

They're very happy that all this is happening.



Stella Fosse:

So that's really wonderful for me.



Stella Fosse:

I wasn't sure frankly, when I switched from technical writing to, at first



Stella Fosse:

I was very much into writing erotica.



Stella Fosse:

At this point I'm, what I'm writing is more romance and women's fiction.



Stella Fosse:

And I wasn't sure, frankly, how they would react, but they're very positive about it.



Stella Fosse:

So that's a wonderful thing.



Isabel:

There weren't any gulps in the beginning thinking, Oh, mom!



Stella Fosse:

There was a little gulp here and there, but they're into it now.



Stella Fosse:

Excellent.



Isabel:

That's a marvelous thing.



Isabel:

Good!



Isabel:

Because I'm going to make sure my kids listen to this section



Isabel:

of the podcast carefully.



Isabel:

I'm preparing them for, yes.



Isabel:

So what's next?



Isabel:

What's next for you?



Stella Fosse:

Next, between now and when the book comes out, the



Stella Fosse:

very next thing that's happening is I'm having cancer surgery.



Stella Fosse:

So that's a thing that's happening on the 19th which is a really



Stella Fosse:

interesting event in the middle of a book launch, I have to say.



Stella Fosse:

I decided to leave my book launch date where it was when I found out that I did



Stella Fosse:

have cancer and was going to need surgery.



Stella Fosse:

And at times, frankly, I have thought to myself, what a foolish decision, but



Stella Fosse:

on the other hand, It distracts me, it gives me something else to think about,



Stella Fosse:

and I can use the techniques that I talk about in my own book to set up the kind



Stella Fosse:

of marketing campaign that doesn't need my hands on participation every day.



Stella Fosse:

So when I'm first recovering, there will still be updates coming out.



Stella Fosse:

There'll be memes that I created on Canva with excerpts from



Stella Fosse:

early interviews of the book.



Stella Fosse:

There'll be quotes from the book.



Stella Fosse:

There'll be book trailers.



Stella Fosse:

And of course, this wonderful podcast will come out.



Stella Fosse:

So lots of things are going to happen to make sure that the



Stella Fosse:

word gets out about the book.



Stella Fosse:

And in a way, it demonstrates the very thing I'm talking about in my new book,



Stella Fosse:

which is that you can set up a marketing campaign for your own book, a marketing



Stella Fosse:

and publicity campaign that fits your own circumstances and your own skills.



Stella Fosse:

and make that happen.



Stella Fosse:

And it doesn't need to be expensive.



Stella Fosse:

It can be exactly what you want it to be.



Stella Fosse:

It's a mixed bag, but we are doing the absolute best with it that we can.



Isabel:

I,



Stella Fosse:

first



Isabel:

of all from me, from all of my network.



Isabel:

We're there to support your full and quick recovery, rebound, because we're going



Isabel:

to need you to keep guiding us forward in our own journey of writing and just



Isabel:

being a friggin awesome role model!



Isabel:

It's inevitable that we will have some health issues.



Isabel:

I'm 10 weeks today post hip replacement, never felt better.



Isabel:

And, we take it in stride.



Isabel:

We have incredible medical resources around us.



Isabel:

We built our support networks.



Isabel:

In fact, that was my podcast last week, and my LinkedIn article is



Isabel:

Building Your Own Emotional and Inspirational Trampolines and



Isabel:

doing that very purposefully.



Isabel:

And living with the expectation to recover and go on to continue



Isabel:

to fulfill all of these epic list items that, that we have, right?



Isabel:

The list just keeps getting longer.



Isabel:

I don't want to say wish you well, because I don't have any doubt.



Isabel:

You are vibrant and strong and resilient and you're doing all the right stuff.



Isabel:

And today, medical.



Isabel:

processes and technologies have advanced so much that the word cancer



Isabel:

doesn't have to be as terrifying as it is, not that it's not serious.



Isabel:

Damn, it doesn't stand a chance against you!



Isabel:

Thank you.



Isabel:

Thank you



Stella Fosse:

very much.



Isabel:

But let's be real, right?



Isabel:

We can be busy and creative and we create this public persona of having



Isabel:

everything perfect and having all this energy and all this stuff but



Isabel:

the truth is that we are still human beings and we are human living in these



Isabel:

bodies and so stuff will come along, but, mindset is incredibly important



Isabel:

for everything that we encounter.



Isabel:

That's true.



Isabel:

And somehow I suspect some more writing will come from this



Isabel:

experience in multiple genres.



Isabel:

You're going to weave it into the stories that you write.



Isabel:

So that'll be interesting to find out where that turns



Isabel:

up in the next publications.



Isabel:

I also want to commend you and thank you for having set up a



Isabel:

business process because I am a business person and so I like to



Isabel:

incorporate that in our conversations.



Isabel:

There's all the fun stuff, the aspirational stuff, the growth, the



Isabel:

evolutionary advantages of being a woman of a certain age, but then



Isabel:

there's also, the sustainability aspect.



Isabel:

And for you to walk people through with your book, how you support



Isabel:

the sale of the book, the how tos, explaining the technologies and



Isabel:

the platforms that we didn't even talk about 20 years ago, right?



Stella Fosse:

It's very true.



Stella Fosse:

It's very true that's one of the things that I cover is the evolution



Stella Fosse:

of the publishing industry.



Stella Fosse:

We have seen incredible changes from when we were in our, say, in our 20s.



Stella Fosse:

The traditional publishing industry has had its hat handed to it by



Stella Fosse:

Amazon, by Print On Demand, by all the other places where you



Stella Fosse:

can now sell an independent book.



Stella Fosse:

And next up will be people selling books on their own websites and



Stella Fosse:

circumventing places like Amazon.



Stella Fosse:

It's fascinating to see how all this is unfolding, and yes, I think



Stella Fosse:

pulling all that information together in one place and providing it to



Stella Fosse:

people I hope is a real service.



Stella Fosse:

We want to encourage as many women as possible to take up this challenge, to



Stella Fosse:

join this fun revolution and create our own stories that push back on



Stella Fosse:

and subvert the dominant paradigm, because we know the way we're living,



Stella Fosse:

we know how much fun we're having, and it's important to share that out.



Isabel:

We're removing the filters, right?



Isabel:

We're uncensoring how we have been censored by sharing these stories.



Isabel:

I love the fact that you are sharing the.



Isabel:

perspective on the platforms and the marketing machine in a very



Isabel:

general way and without an agenda, because this is a challenge today



Isabel:

with so much information, being dumped on us because of social media.



Isabel:

It's hard to sort out now, like who's, telling me something



Isabel:

because it serves their agenda.



Isabel:

I like that you're offering a broader look at and putting it in the context



Isabel:

which will be relevant for someone who's thinking , " I'd like to write.



Isabel:

I'd like to sell my story."



Isabel:

And we don't all have to rush out and spend tens of thousands of



Isabel:

dollars to be coached by somebody.



Isabel:

And, conversely, bullshit on the You Can Write a Successful



Isabel:

Book in a Weekend story.



Isabel:

I, because let's be honest, right?



Isabel:

Okay.



Isabel:

I want to keep talking to you forever and ever.



Isabel:

But on the other hand, I also want to get this episode edited and published



Isabel:

because I'm very excited for this opportunity to be supporting you on your



Isabel:

surgery journey and recovery, and then to wherever book launch success globally.



Isabel:

But before I let you go.



Isabel:

Two questions and then I'd like to welcome you to share any



Isabel:

other thoughts that you have.



Isabel:

Number one, this is just for fun and this might be a little challenging



Isabel:

because you're a very public persona, but is there something that you



Isabel:

might share with us about you that we might not be able to find on Google?



Stella Fosse:

Sure.



Stella Fosse:

So many things.



Stella Fosse:

How about this one?



Stella Fosse:

I once applied for a job at Doubleday back when there was a Doubleday and got on



Stella Fosse:

the elevator along with someone from HR.



Stella Fosse:

And there was one other person on the elevator, Jackie Kennedy Onassis.



Isabel:

Wow.



Stella Fosse:

And She smiled at me, and I smiled at her, and when the HR guy



Stella Fosse:

and I got off the elevator, I said, That woman looked so much like Jackie Kennedy.



Stella Fosse:

And he said, "That's because that was Jackie Kennedy.



Stella Fosse:

She's working here as an art book editor."



Stella Fosse:

. Briefly, she worked as an art book editor at Doubleday, making these



Stella Fosse:

great, art coffee table books.



Stella Fosse:

So that was one of those memories that absolutely sticks



Stella Fosse:

with you your whole life.



Stella Fosse:

Being this close to Jackie Kennedy



Isabel:

and sharing a smile.



Isabel:

Yeah, such an elegant woman, sophisticated.



Isabel:

She would have been ideally suited for that job, right?



Isabel:

But to be that, to be in that same airspace as her, that's, Thank you.



Isabel:

That was a great one.



Isabel:

And there's one heck of a woman example for swimming against



Isabel:

the current in her life, right?



Isabel:

Yes.



Isabel:

Cool.



Isabel:

The other thing I would like to ask, and again, this may be a challenge



Isabel:

because I'm going to ask you just to pick one, but if you were to share one



Isabel:

brief pearl of wisdom that we can share with our audience, what comes to mind?



Isabel:

I would



Stella Fosse:

say to women of our age in particular, and women in



Stella Fosse:

general, to get out of your own way.



Stella Fosse:

We have been told so many things about ourselves over the decades.



Stella Fosse:

We've been handed so many stereotypes, it's impossible



Stella Fosse:

not to internalize some of it.



Stella Fosse:

It's really impossible.



Stella Fosse:

We grew up with the Disney princesses and the Disney bad



Stella Fosse:

witch older women characters.



Stella Fosse:

How could you not internalize the desire to be a princess and not a dragon lady?



Stella Fosse:

But at our point in life, it's important to set aside that inner critic, to



Stella Fosse:

find a way to amuse her and have her go off and do something else.



Stella Fosse:

If you're writing a book, consider it as play.



Stella Fosse:

Your first draft is your play space and let the inner critic



Stella Fosse:

know that when it's time to proofread, she can have a free hand.



Stella Fosse:

But for now, if she could please step aside and let you have your play space.



Stella Fosse:

Play is so important for us at this age.



Isabel:

Yes, we might be serious about business, but we don't have



Isabel:

to live seriously all the time.



Isabel:

And laughter is so very important, especially when we look in the mirror.



Isabel:

You're so right!



Isabel:

Having been raised on fairy princesses and perfectly behaved, coiffed little



Isabel:

girls, it's time to look in the mirror and say, "I am the fairest of them all!"



Stella Fosse:

Oh, I love that.



Isabel:

Yeah.



Stella Fosse:

Yes, indeed.



Stella Fosse:

Yes, indeed.



Stella Fosse:

And we get to be creative.



Stella Fosse:

We get to play.



Stella Fosse:

That's not just the province of children.



Stella Fosse:

It's for us too.



Isabel:

Oh, my God.



Isabel:

We can teach them.



Isabel:

We can teach those kids so much about having fun, right?



Isabel:

We could.



Isabel:

Stella.



Isabel:

I would love if we could book your calendar a few months after the book



Isabel:

launch and your robust return to health.



Isabel:

But for now, is there anything else that you want to share with the listeners?



Stella Fosse:

We've covered so much.



Stella Fosse:

I'm just really thrilled.



Stella Fosse:

I think the only other thing I can think of is that when we're playing



Stella Fosse:

and creating, we get to think big.



Stella Fosse:

We get to think beyond our books.



Stella Fosse:

Think about the media.



Stella Fosse:

Think about movies.



Stella Fosse:

Think about performing your work in public.



Stella Fosse:

We get to be very visible at this point in life.



Stella Fosse:

There's a wonderful program called The Writer's Lab, which is funded by Oprah and



Stella Fosse:

Meryl Streep and some other actresses of a certain age, actors of a certain age.



Stella Fosse:

And this is a program that invites women over 40 to submit their movie scripts.



Stella Fosse:

So as you're writing your novel, your stories, think about that



Stella Fosse:

you can potentially get your story out into an even wider audience.



Stella Fosse:

We can change the narrative in so many ways, including the very public



Stella Fosse:

presentation of our work in media.



Stella Fosse:

So keep that in mind as well.



Stella Fosse:

Let's all think big as we're creating and playing.



Stella Fosse:

Oh my goodness.



Stella Fosse:

We're creating the future.



Stella Fosse:

We are!



Isabel:

Thank you.



Isabel:

All right.



Isabel:

I I'm going to follow up check in on you.



Isabel:

I'm excited about sharing this opportunity with everybody who's listening to PRE-buy



Isabel:

Write and Sell a Well Seasoned Romance, and hopefully find an opportunity in



Isabel:

the future to have it signed by the author when we find her out there.



Isabel:

Okay.



Isabel:

Wonderful.



Isabel:

Thank you so much.



Isabel:

All right.



Isabel:

Talk to you soon.



Isabel:

All right.



Isabel:

Thanks.



Isabel:

Bye.