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STEPHANIE | style in my late 30s

@ownyourbold

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39½ & dressing how I want
realistic style • aging naturally
confidence without the pressure
↓ books, vlogs & things I love

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a little indie author update 📖

43 copies of The Love Lottery sold through Amazon, giveaway winners to celebrate, and my book release party is almost here! 🥳

if you’re in metro detroit, come celebrate with me this saturday, october 17 at 7 pm at kuhnhenn brewing in warren.

thank you for supporting my little lake dreams. 💛

#indieauthor #romanceauthor #michiganauthor #thelovelottery #bookreleaseparty

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Little me would absolutely lose her mind over this. 🥺

Seeing a whole box of The Love Lottery—a book I wrote, published, and now get to sign for actual readers—is one of those moments I want to remember forever.

And I want to send one of these copies to one of you. 🤎

GIVEAWAY! 📚

One winner will receive:
✨ a signed + personalized copy of The Love Lottery
✨ a personalized note from me
✨ a few surprise bookish goodies

TO ENTER:

1. Follow @ownyourboldwrites
2. Like this Reel
3. Tag a book-loving friend in the comments

Each additional comment tagging a different friend = one additional entry.

Giveaway closes 10/2/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Winner will be selected at random and contacted via DM from @ownyourboldwrites only.

No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents 18+. Void where prohibited. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram or Meta. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. I will never ask for payment or financial information to claim your prize.

Good luck & welcome to Little Lake!! 💛

#thelovelottery #romancereader #romcombooks #indieauthor #bookgiveaway

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this has been the hardest, most stressful summer ever. i’ve cried more this year than i ever have, and i feel like it’s aged me faster than i would’ve liked. but i’m choosing to focus on the good: sunshine, friends & family time, and of course my new novel 📖 (btw charlotte kessler would totally approve of this outfit 😂)

and i really think whoever made this elevator did us dirty by putting in a mirror. it’s a medical building 😭 anyway… if you’re not having the carefree summer you wanted, we’re in this together boo 🌞

#reallife #reels #explorepage #late30s #chronicpain

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Just checked The Love Lottery off of my Goodreads list today. ✅ How cool is it to say that my friend wrote a book? A very good book too! One of the coolest things was showing the cover to the boys and having Beckett read the author’s name and watching him realize he knew her. His face was pure pride. It was a very cool moment that I wish @ownyourboldwrites could have seen. We are all super proud and impressed! So everyone go buy or download #TheLoveLottery by Stephanie Shar. It’s on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

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I sold 17 copies of The Love Lottery in its first week, I’m so excited, thank you SO much (22 AS OF 8/11!!!)

(This is the most I’ve ever sold of like anything I’ve ever made by the way)

I’m starting to track how many I’m selling because my first goal is to get to 100.

Once I get to 100 copies sold, I’ll be able to afford to replace my laptop, which has been crashing and doing crazy stuff during the last several months while finishing this book.

I’m getting my first MacBook, the yellow Neo because of course I want it to remind me of my first published novel.

I was going to make this digitally, but Canva wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do so I did it the old fashioned way.

So every time I sell a copy of The Love Lottery I will be pulling off a sticky note which seems kinda wasteful but it was either this or AI, so idk take your pick people, you can decide what’s worse

Also if you are one of the people who purchased the book already, please make sure to tag me so I can thank you! Here’s who I know of so far…

💛 THANK YOU TO:
Bryan
Angela
Sarah
Kathy
Kassie
Void
JoJo
McKenzie
Ash
Dayna
Glenda

#indieauthor #bookstagram #authorlife #thelovelottery #bookmarketing

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✨ A little behind-the-scenes fun at Saint 1881 Coffee & Cocktail Bar! 📸🥂

We had SO much fun at our photo shoot for an upcoming issue of Greater Rochester Living! And let me tell you… Saint 1881 is absolutely gorgeous! 😍🌿✨

One of my favorite parts of what we do is getting to see the magic happen behind the scenes. From the first introduction to the photo shoot, the laughs, the details, and finally seeing everything come together in the magazine—it truly takes a team! ❤️

And we have to give a HUGE shoutout to our amazing photographer, Chelcie Lou with Chelcie Lou Photography! 📸✨ She has such an incredible eye and knows how to capture the personality, beauty, and story behind every feature. We are so lucky to have her on our team! 🙌🏻

A BIG thank you to JoJo Dries for making the introduction and to Tatiana for believing in us and trusting us to tell her story. 🥰

This is why I love what we do. We aren’t just creating a magazine—we’re creating connections, telling stories, and shining a spotlight on the amazing people and businesses that make our community so special. 🧡

And yes… I may have taken a few extra pictures because how could I not?! 😂📸

Stay tuned for the finished feature! 👀✨

#GreaterRochesterLiving #BehindTheScenes #SupportLocal #BeSeenBeFoundBeChosen #ComingSoon

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She’s finally here in both formats for you. Thank you to everyone for all of your support on this journey. And now I need a nap 😴😂

If you’re a perfectionist, don’t become an author… because it will humble you. This has definitely been a learning experience and now I know what to do (& not do) for book 2! 🎉

Have a fun weekend reading!! 📖🌞

#TheLoveLotteryBook #StephanieShar #OwnYourBold #DebutNovel #MichiganAuthor

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hey little me, we did it.

The Love Lottery is up now on Kindle Unlimited + free chapter on Substack + launch party tonight right here!! 🎉

#bookstagram #booktok #booklover #romcomreader #romcomwriter

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32 years ago I wrote in my diary that I wanted to share words that would change lives someday.

It started with blogging and social media, then podcasting and vlogging and magazines.

And now she’s here… my first published novel.

It’s been the scariest and coolest thing to share Max & Charlotte with you.

5 days til official launch 🚀

#childhooddreams #debutnovel #bookstagram #indieauthor #michiganauthor

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SURPRISE! 💛💛💛 The Love Lottery is already up on Kindle and Goodreads!

Buy the ebook for 9.99 or if you have Kindle Unlimited you can start reading it for FREE today!

I’m still working out some formatting kinks behind-the-scenes but Max & Charlotte’s story is 10/10 🌸🎟️🎪🎲🍀

All links are on all my profiles. 📚

Come back here later and let me know what your favorite moment or character was 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

#TheLoveLotteryBook #DebutNovel #RomComWriter #BookLover #MichiganAuthor

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If you’re looking for:
💛 A late 40s MMC 🧔🏼‍♂️
💛 A late 30s FMC 👩🏻‍🦱
💛 Cats 🐈‍⬛ & plants 🪴
💛 Frenemies-to-lovers banter 🙌🏻
💛 Gilmore Girls meets She’s All That in a Michigan beach town 🌊

Then I think you’re ready to meet Max Dalton, Charlotte Kessler, and the rest of Little Lake in The Love Lottery on August 1! 🎟️🎪🎲🍀🍻

Can’t wait? 👀 Read the first chapter at stephanieshar.substack.com ✍🏻

#TheLoveLotteryBook #MaxAndCharlotte #XenaAndInk #SmallTownRomance #MichiganAuthor

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25 days until my debut novel releases 🌼

Maybe it sells 10 copies. Maybe it sells 10,000.

Either way, on August 1, I get to say something I’ve wanted to say since I was a kid:

I published a book.

And that was always worth doing.

Now back to convincing my couple to cooperate 😂

Follow along for the countdown 💛 Meet Max + Charlotte in the first chapter now at stephanieshar.substack.com 🎟️📚

#DebutAuthor #IndieAuthor #RomComWriter #BookGirlie #TheLoveLotteryBook

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