Meet Stephanie Duley

We recently connected with Stephanie Duley and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

There will always be people who don’t like you, don’t agree the way you live your life, or don’t like the art you are putting out into the world. Always. It’s only now at the age of 34 that I have come to realize, other people’s opinions of me are none of my business. It took me a full two years to finally realize that publishing my book was for me. Not for the recognition, or the glowing reviews I hoped to get, or the fanbase I hoped to build. This was something that I was doing for me and anyone who fell in love with the story I told was just a bonus along the way. If I liked what I wrote, and I was proud of the work I put out there, then it was a success, no matter what the sales or the reviews looked like. So when I do come up against negative feedback or comments, whether about me as a person, or the stories I’ve chosen to share with the world, I remember that I am proud of myself and that’s the only opinion that matters when it comes to your art.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve been writing stories since I was very young. My grandmother still has some of the old books I wrote down on notebook paper, stapled together with three staples on the left hand side. Although my content now is a little more verbose, and paperback bound or e-book in fashion, my love for telling stories never changed.

Writing is an outlet that allows me to escape some of the normal everyday stresses in life, but more than that, I think it sort of fills a desire to be in control of things. I learned very early on in life that sometimes things just happen and there is nothing you can do about it. Being a very stubborn and mostly unchangeable Taurus, I didn’t like that much. Luckily I’ve learned to let go and let be, but there’s still that small little desire for control that is satiated when I start world building and plotting a course for the characters in my books. I know the event, the outcome, and what is coming next and that is extremely satisfying.

Since publishing my debut novel, I’ve found an amazing community of other indie authors out there doing the same thing I am, sharing their passion for story telling with the world. Social media has connected me to some incredibly amazing people who have been so encouraging and helpful during my time navigating the self publishing space. I know by the time Summer 2025 rolls around, I will have a much more concrete and organized plan to help launch and market book two of my series, all thanks to the people I’ve connected with through social media.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When I look back at my journey to get to where I am today, the three most impactful qualities or skills that I believe got me here are, resilience, a borderline delulu amount of self confidence, and the ability to always find the silver lining. These are certainly all things that I had to work on over time, and I wasn’t great at any of these overnight.

Fear of rejection was a huge factor for the late start in my career as an author. Shifting my mind thoughts from “What if people don’t like it?” to “I love this story and I am proud of it.” helped me get over that fear of rejection and created a spirit of resilience in me when I faced opinions about my book that differed from mine.

My self confidence used to come from the approval of others, now it comes from me and me alone. And if you look in the right places, you can always find the silver lining when situations seems bleak, turning negative energy into positive and attracting more great things your way!

The best advice I can give new or struggling creatives is never give up on yourself! Do something, no matter how big or how small, to keep that train rolling down the tracks for any project you are passionate about.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

‘Untamed’ by Glennen Doyle was the most impactful book in shaping me to be the woman I have become. This book tore down my walls and ripped away all of the different versions of myself I had created in order to mold into the person everyone around me wanted to be. The version of me that existed before reading this book would likely never have written my own book, found my voice, and certainly wouldn’t be living her life for herself. Doyle showed me that it was okay to question things and challenge the status quo if deep down they felt wrong for me. She writes “When a woman finally learns that pleasing the world is impossible, she becomes free to learn how to please herself.” By the time I had finished the book I found that freedom. I had found myself again, the truest and most authentic version of me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephduleyauthor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephduley_author/