Sep 5, 2023
Defying the notion that characters in novels need to be of a certain age to be popular, Stella Fosse is living her dream as a successful writer and advocate of erotica for older women. Stella completed her career as a biotechnology writer in 2019 and became an advocate for the creative power of older women. She champions older women's creativity by leading imaginative workshops in seasoned romance erotica and memoir writing. She writes sexy stories as a creative antidote to the gendered ageism that exists in our society. Her 2019 book, Aphrodite’s Pen encourages ripe women to encourage erotic writing as a joyful practice. She models this playful approach in her own fiction, including her novel, Brilliant, Charming Bastard and her story Collection, The Erotic Pandemic Ball. Stella Blogs about topics of interest to women after midlife, including creativity, media representation, and finances. She draws from her background in biotechnology to write about older women's health and encourages guest blogs on her site by other women of a certain age. Her upcoming novel, which we'll learn more about today, is a gothic romance called Vampires of a Certain Age, about a medieval healer turned vampire. Also in the works is Crone Hub, an online resource center for older women's culture. Stella's next book on writing will be The Well Seasoned Romance: How to Write and Sell Your Late Life Love Story, and in 2024 look for Stella's collected essays, tentatively entitled, What to Expect When You're 60. Stella Lives with her partner in North Carolina Research Triangle.
What You Will Hear in This Episode:
2:51 Stella’s personal journey
9:52 What attracted Stella to writing seasoned romance erotica
12:34 What holds women back from embracing their erotic selves. Conditioning
15:36 What led Stella to the characters in her books
17:49 The creative power of older women
21:15 Tips for getting around your inner critic
26:30 Lessons learned and challenges overcome
Quotes
“I really do encourage creative writing and writing our vivid stories as a way to push back on the stereotypes in society about people of a certain age because we really are out there living our lives and having a grand time, and that word needs to get out.”
“I think for women of my age, our ideas about sexuality were already formed and they were quite constrained and it's tough to put that conditioning behind you.”
“Learning and sex until rigor mortis” - Maggie Kuhn
“As we become successful we do build certain barriers that we live inside in order to maintain our success.”
“It's important to find a way to just let yourself play. That is really the key.”
Mentioned:
Aphrodite’s Pen: The Power of Writing Erotica After Midlife
Andy Courier
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Gendered Ageism Survey Results
5 Tips to own the superpower of your age
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