Stephanie Van Orman
Bio
I write novels like I am part-printer, part book factory, and a little girl running away with a balloon. I'm here as an experiment and I'm unsure if this is a place where I can fit in. We'll see.
Stories (116)
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The Hug Hurdle
I have always hated it when random people touch me. I have been guilty of cringing when perfectly nice people have tried to pull me in for a little side hug. A pat on the back? I jump. This causes immediate suspicion. "What were you up to that made you jump that high? Something bad, FOR SURE!"
By Stephanie Van Orman4 months ago in Humor
Dear Author. Top Story - November 2025.
Today I read a Dear Abby column that really bugged me. It was about a woman whose best friend of thirty years abruptly stopped speaking to her because of differing political beliefs. They supported opposing parties, and her friend ended their relationship over it. The writer was hurt, but she hoped that there would be a way to work things out. When the friend had a grandchild, she wrote her a text congratulating her. Her friend responded with a "Who's this?" Our writer was ravaged and wrote the Dear Abby letter, and Abby's response was rather lacking.
By Stephanie Van Orman5 months ago in The Swamp
AI Book Covers
This is the cover for the Teardrop Edition audiobook for my novel, If I Tie U Down. One morning, I woke up with this brilliant idea. I decided that I should have two editions for all my books. The first edition is the first edition. It has been made with a cover that I paid for. Usually, it's from at least one artist. Sometimes, I have an artist for the background and another artist for the foreground. Sometimes, it's AI, but it's an expensive AI generation that I paid for on an individual basis. But on this one morning, I woke up and decided that I was going to list my first edition books for $1.99 for an ebook. and $2.99 for an audiobook. The Teardrop Editions would be free (or as free as I could make them) and the cover images would be generated with Canva AI.
By Stephanie Van Orman6 months ago in 01
Hanging out with Galatea
Publishing with Galatea? Let's talk. Galatea is the publishing division for Inkitt. That's a free writing site where you can post and read for free. If you've been there lately, it might be because you like reading books about alpha males, werewolf dudes that mate for life, or billionaires who fall in love with insignificant women and then shower them with riches like Aladdin's genie.
By Stephanie Van Orman7 months ago in Writers
If My Exes Read My Novels
I started writing novels before I had a single boyfriend. It was smart of me to get started before I met any of them. They all knew I was a writer, yet I doubt that any of them thought that I might become a writer who published internationally, that I might use them as character models, or what I might say about them in retrospect. I have to admit a level of curiosity. What would they think of my writing? Let's play a game. I had eight boyfriends before I got married. What would they think?
By Stephanie Van Orman11 months ago in Confessions
Contemporary Romance
I have written 30 novels. Three of them are contemporary romances. Considering how popular contemporary romances are, that's not a good ratio. Seriously. What was I thinking? Let's go on a stroll down memory lane to see what I have been writing.
By Stephanie Van Orman11 months ago in Writers
Pocahontas and Me
"I'm a Disney princess!" I don't know what possessed me to say I was a Disney princess. I am over forty years old, and I was running an activity night for little girls under the age of 12. Even though I felt a little weird about what I said, it had the appropriate effect on the little girls. They shrieked with laughter.
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Humans
Dream of the Wolf
“No one wants to eat a human! They are sacred animals,” the wolf said gravely. Selphie had never heard an animal talk before and to hear the wolf explain in such eloquent language the philosophies and privileges of being a wolf was frankly astonishing.
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Fiction
I Was Dumped For The Same Girl Twice
When I was a teenager, I was dumped for the same girl... twice. The first time, I was able to talk myself through it by saying things like, "She's blonde. I'm not blonde. She's way shorter than I am. Maybe some guys like girls who are mini M&Ms instead of normal-sized. Isn't everything cuter when it's smaller?" Sniffle. "Some day I'll meet a guy who likes normal-sized brunettes who thinks I'm amazing! WAH!"
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Humans
Dear Author
I read an advice column with terrible advice. Let me tell you about it. The writer was a woman who said she had always been there for a friend of hers. Her friend had cancer, and she had been there with her to visit, help with chores, bring food, and just be there for her. When the writer had a hip replacement, her friend was nowhere to be seen, and she cites multiple moments of being ignored and shunned. She’s so confused. Why isn’t her friend there for her?
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Humans
