666 ratings | 72 reviews | avg rating:4.96

Stella’s Year In Books

Stella’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Stella’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Stella’s 2024 Year in Books

Stella May’s Followers (23)

Stella’s Bookshelves

to-read (11)
currently-reading (8)
read (669)

Stella’s Friends (22)

Donna Foster

2,411 books | 4,996 friends

Lauren

19,004 books | 1,017 friends

Bridgette MacLean

40 books | 489 friends

Shuala Martin

438 books | 129 friends

Laurel

453 books | 47 friends

Vonnie Hughes

442 books | 369 friends

Donna Avery

498 books | 85 friends

Sofia S.

807 books | 945 friends

More friends…

Stella May

Goodreads Author

Born

in Baku, Azerbaijan

Website

http://www.stellamayauthor.com

Genre

Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Member Since

June 2018

edit data

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

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Stella May questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Stella May’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 376 ratings · 41 reviews · 20 distinct works • Similar authors

	'Till Time Do Us Part (Upon a Time, #1) 4.16 avg rating — 162 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) 4.22 avg rating — 46 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) 4.33 avg rating — 21 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) 4.19 avg rating — 16 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

More books by Stella May…

224 posts
Stella May's Blog

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours

by Stella May

In a little over a week, we in the United States will enjoy our Thanksgiving feasts with family and friends. It is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Outside the United States and sometimes called American Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name along with related festivities in other regions. The modern national cele

Stella is Currently Reading

Stella May is currently reading

New Life (Rostoff Family Saga Book 3)

by Stella May (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Sep 25, 2024 08:20AM

Stella May is currently reading

New Hope (Rostoff Family Saga Book 2)

by Stella May (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Sep 25, 2024 08:20AM

Stella May is currently reading

New Dawn (Rostoff Family Saga Book 1)

by Stella May (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Mar 20, 2024 10:08AM

rss
Stella’s Recent Updates

Stella May wrote a new blog post Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours by Stella May In a little over a week, we in the United States will enjoy our Thanksgiving feasts with family and friends. It is a federal holiday cel Read more of this blog post »
Nov 26, 2025 05:10AM · like
Stella May rated a book it was amazing The Seven Rings (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #3) by Nora Roberts (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
Nov 20, 2025 12:30PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing Out of the Shadows (Angelhart Investigations, #1.5) 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
Nov 10, 2025 03:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Out of the Shadows by Allison Brennan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Out of the Shadows by Allison Brennan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon	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
Nov 01, 2025 10:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal (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
Oct 27, 2025 07:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan, #1) by Kathy Reichs (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
Oct 21, 2025 07:07PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing The Girl from Devil's Lake (Joanna Brady Mysteries) by J.A. Jance (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
Oct 15, 2025 10:17AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing Beyond Her Reach (Bree Taggert, #10) by Melinda Leigh (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
Sep 25, 2025 05:58AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing Blessing of the Lost Girls (Joanna Brady and Brandon Walker #1) by J.A. Jance (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
Sep 21, 2025 11:52AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stella May rated a book it was amazing The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon, #6) by Dan Brown (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
WOW! What an amazing book! This book is the most nail-biting story I’ve ever read. One of the best Robert Langdon book. What an adventure! What an experience! Absolutely fantastic!
Sep 13, 2025 01:31PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Stella's books…

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

0 likes

“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

0 likes

“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

0 likes

See all Stella May's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Lost Challenges: December 2022 Easy As 1, 2, 3	39	24	Jan 10, 2023 09:03AM
Romance Readers R...: 2022 December Monthly Challenge	72	367	Jan 26, 2023 05:56PM
The Lost Challenges: Words in a Word Game #20 - Two Faced Words	97	69	Mar 07, 2023 11:29AM
The Lost Challenges: BFTP: I'm a Barbie Girl	126	236	Aug 28, 2023 09:50AM
Wanderlust Challe...: December 2022 - Santo Domingo Spell Out	68	29	Sep 21, 2023 09:34AM

More…

Stella’s Quotes

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

tags: attributed-no-source, be-yourself, gilbert-perreira, honesty, inspirational, misattributed-oscar-wilde, quote-investigator

176776 likes

“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

148276 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

130054 likes

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

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

135407 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

Stella’s Year In Books

Stella May’s Followers (23)

Add New
Videos

Stella’s Bookshelves

Stella’s Friends (22)

Stella May

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Stella May’s books

224 posts
Stella May's Blog

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours

Stella is Currently Reading

rss
Stella’s Recent Updates

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours

See a Problem?

Preview — The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts

See a Problem?

Preview — Out of the Shadows by Allison Brennan

See a Problem?

Preview — Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon

See a Problem?

Preview — This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal

See a Problem?

Preview — Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs

See a Problem?

Preview — The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance

See a Problem?

Preview — Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

See a Problem?

Preview — Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance

See a Problem?

Preview — The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

Topics Mentioning This Author

Stella’s Quotes

recent posts
Stella’s Groups

Stella’s Friend Comments

Stella May’s Followers (23)

Stella May

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssStella’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts

See a Problem?

Preview — Out of the Shadows by Allison Brennan

See a Problem?

Preview — Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon

See a Problem?

Preview — This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal

See a Problem?

Preview — Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs

See a Problem?

Preview — The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance

See a Problem?

Preview — Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

See a Problem?

Preview — Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance

See a Problem?

Preview — The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

Topics Mentioning This Author

rss
Stella’s Recent Updates