Hello, and welcome.

My name is Marina Sardarova, though many readers know me by my pen name, Stella May.

In many ways, Stella May is my alter ego. She is braver than I am, more daring, more fearless, and far more certain of herself. She believes in impossible things. She refuses to accept limitations simply because someone else says they exist. Most of all, she writes because she must — because stories live inside her, waiting to be told.

Perhaps, in some strange way, Stella May became the version of myself I always wished to be.

I was born in the former Soviet Union, in a country that no longer exists. Though many people assume I am Russian, I am Armenian, and deeply proud of my heritage and cultural roots.

Music and literature shaped my life from the very beginning. My maternal grandparents were professional singers, my father was a jazz guitarist, and both my brother and I attended music colleges before I graduated from a Conservatory with a degree in musicology.

As a child, I dreamed endlessly. I wanted to become a concert pianist, an artist, a poet — perhaps all three at once. I spent hours practicing piano, sketching, writing poetry and little plays, and, above all else, reading. I truly do not remember a single period of my life without books.

My aunt owned a large home library, and it became my sanctuary — my favorite place in the world.

Years later, when I immigrated to the United States, I suddenly found myself in a completely unfamiliar world where even the language felt unreachable. I quickly realized something important: I needed English not only to survive, but to reclaim the part of myself that lived through stories and books.

So I taught myself.

With the help of children’s books, cartoons, dictionaries, and a wonderfully patient neighbor named Mrs. Foster, I slowly learned to understand and speak English. Mrs. Foster believed wholeheartedly that I understood far more than I actually did, and she insisted on speaking to me constantly. Looking back now, I realize how much she helped shape my journey.

Once I was finally able to read books in English, even slowly and painfully at first, I felt whole again.

And somewhere during those years, the impossible idea of becoming a writer quietly began to grow.

I started secretly writing in half-used notebooks belonging to my son. Later, when my husband brought home our very first computer — a massive old Compaq meant for spreadsheets and accounting — I discovered something far more important: writing.

Instead of learning accounting software, I spent every spare moment teaching myself to type and pouring stories onto the screen.

That was the beginning of Stella May.

One night, I had a dream that changed everything.

I saw a frightened young woman standing in the middle of a crowded airport, holding a baby in her arms. She had curly red hair and green eyes. She looked exhausted, vulnerable, and completely alone. Above her hung a banner that read:

“Welcome to the United States of America.”

Her name was Natasha.

And in that moment, the idea for the Rostoff Family Saga was born.

It took me nearly twenty years — while raising a family and helping run a business with my husband — to finally bring that story into the world.

The original version of the saga was first released independently in 2018 as a trilogy. Years later, I completely rewrote and expanded the series, transforming it into the four-book version it was always meant to become.

The series now includes:

• New Dawn

• New Hope

• New Life

• New Horizon

After finishing the Rostoff saga, I found myself drawn toward another fascination of mine: dreams, memory, and the mysterious feeling that some connections transcend time itself. That journey eventually became Rhapsody in Dreams.

Soon after, a visit to Amelia Island, Florida inspired yet another world entirely. The island felt suspended in time — quiet, haunted, and impossibly beautiful. It became the perfect setting for what would eventually grow into my time-travel romance series, Upon A Time.

Writing these stories has brought me immense joy.

Some days the process feels smooth and magical. Other days it feels chaotic, stubborn, and unpredictable. My characters often refuse to behave properly. They argue with me, change my plans, and drag me far away from carefully outlined storylines.

And honestly?

I love every moment of it.

As for the name Stella May — the answer is beautifully simple.

Stella is the name of my beloved aunt, and May is my birth month. The initials, S.M., are my own — only reversed.

Thank you for visiting my world.