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 (112)
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Three Feet From My Head
I was sitting in the library at one of the computer stations at my high school. I was excited because I was expecting an email from my long-distance boyfriend. There were only four computer stations. Three were in a row and one was off a bit by itself. That was everyone's favorite computer, but Emily was already seated at it. So, I had taken one at the end of the row. It took forever to log into a computer, get your browser up, and open your email in those days. I was in the middle of the process when this guy sat down one seat away from me.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Confessions
A Couple Benches
Rob was really cute. He was so cute I wondered if he was wearing makeup. No one had skin that perfect or a face that pretty. Honestly, he was a creature out of my daydreams. One specific daydream, in fact. When I was in school, there was no phrase more welcome than, “We have a new kid in our grade.” That was the only way you were going to meet someone new in a school that went from kindergarten to grade twelve in Magrath, a town that was six blocks by six blocks. I remember practically putting my hands together and praying, “Please let it be a boy. Please let him live across the street from me. Let him be handsome and let him think I'm pretty.” I remember passing this guy in the halls and thinking, Lord, you got part of it right. He's a boy. He's handsome. He doesn't live across the street from me. He has no classes with me and we'll never know if he thinks I'm pretty!
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Confessions
Four Things I Learned From A Poorly Signed Book
Yesterday, I was at a used book sale. I saw the word ‘cat’ on the spine of a fantasy book and that intrigues me (because I’m a cat person), so I pulled the book loose and made a surprised sound when I recognized the cover. The man next to me noticed my sound and like most men, he decided to use that as an opening to start a conversation with me.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Journal
If I Tie U Down by Stephanie Van Orman
Wedding Day - Shannon I stayed over at my parents’ house the night before the wedding. All the girls stayed with me, and though there were many jokes, most of them were merely in the form of unusual lingerie. When I woke up, I immediately went to make sure no one had written on my face that night. No one had, which was good, because I had had it with ink pranks.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Fiction
Kiss of Tragedy by Stephanie Van Orman
Persephone chose a white silk gown and white slippers that laced up her shins. The dress fastened over one shoulder while the other shoulder remained bare. She used a pair of sapphire clips to hold the fabric in place; one on the shoulder and one on her back to give the dress some shape by pulling the silk tight around her waist. Then the nymphs finished her hair and they left the tower together.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Fiction
AI-Generated Characters Versus Actors
Lately, there has been a plethora of articles that show the actor in a film versus an AI-generated image of the character created by an artist and a computer together. The artist feeds the character description from the book into a generator and BANG! We have exactly what Harry Potter was supposed to look like and not Daniel Radcliff.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Journal
Getcovers
Normally, I design my book covers myself. But, I had seen millions of ads for a design company called Getcovers, and their covers were totally decent. So were their prices, so I decided to go ahead and hire them for a cover for a novelette I plan to release on OBOOKO. Here is the finished cover. It took them two days to finish the order.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Journal
Call Him By Your Dad's Name
One time, I was sitting between two men who were desperately competing for my attention. One of them was a spunky blond with a tongue piercing who had put a lot of energy into his shoes. The other one was a brainy type with glasses. I watched them argue and try to one-up each other for a solid twenty minutes before I turned to Mr. Tongue Piercing and said, "Wanna walk me home?"
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Confessions
Ten Tricks to Selling Your Books in Person
Aside from being a novelist, I have spent quite a lot of time working tables at fairs and farmers' markets. I'm also familiar with the work that goes into administering vendor tables and organizing festivals. On other days, I worked at an independent bookstore where I could sell my books directly to the public on my days in the store. With all that in mind, let me give you my ten tricks:
By Stephanie Van Orman3 years ago in Journal
