For my next Author Spotlight I’m joined by the amazing Stella Rainbow. We talked writing low-angst romance, found family vibes, her love of hurt/comfort, and her brand new book.

Over to you, Stella…

First things first, please introduce yourself!
Hello! My name’s Stella, and I’ve been writing MM romance since June 2020. I live in a small town in India, and my cat, Harry, is my number one writing buddy.

Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
I mainly write low-angst MM (and sometimes MM+) romance with found family vibes, and lots of sweetness. My men are big on cuddles and usually good at talking about their feelings.

Describe your books in only three words.
Sweet. Warm. Comforting.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest release?
My latest release, Weathering the Storm, is a roommates-to-lovers hurt/comfort contemporary romance that follows Luke and Scott as they fight their demons to find their place with each other.

Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
Touch of Magic. It was my first PNR story, and led to the creation of the town of Mistvale, which I now have ten books in, with more to come.

What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
The love I find in the MM romance community is my biggest influence when it comes to writing. It was the home I found in this community that inspired me to start writing MM Romance in 2020, and it is what keeps me going.

What inspired you to start writing?
I discovered the world of books when I was 13. As a chronically ill teenager, it quickly became my escape. Since then, I’d wanted to give other people similar escapes, and when I found the MM romance community, I finally had the chance to do it.

What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
My writing process is all over the place, to be quite honest. Usually, I write first thing in the morning right after breakfast. Sometimes, I write on my laptop, other times on my phone.

What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
Plot if it’s the first book in a new series, otherwise character. My side characters have a habit of demanding their own stories.

What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
The Jon’s Mysteries series by AJ Sherwood, maybe. It’s one of my all time favorites, and I wish I could tell stories the way AJ does.

If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Hurt/Comfort. My favorite type of scene to write is one where a character comforts the other with a hug/cuddle/kiss. If I had to write only one trope for the rest of my life, that’s what I’d go with.

What would be your three desert island books?
Oooh, that’s a tough one. The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Falling in Love by Alice Winters, because Leland makes me laugh no matter how many times I read it. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green because it’s my comfort read.

If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
I’m not much of a TV person, so I have no idea who I’d cast, but I’d love to see Maximus (and the whole Lords of Otherworld series) turned into a TV series.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Do you have a secret passion or hobby that we don’t know about?
When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading. No secret hobbies, just me and my Kindle.

Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
Um, would it be the biggest crime to admit I don’t have one? Mythical creatures interest me a lot more than dinosaurs. 

Stella Rainbow lives in a small town in India with her family and her five-year-old cat, Harry, who is her number one supporter, cuddle buddy, and writing buddy all rolled into one.

Living with a chronic illness, Stella grew up with books as her best friends, and now she writes in the hopes of giving others like her a reprieve from the real world.

Stella’s books are low on the angst, high on the sweetness, with a doze of found family, and some absolutely adorable fur—and sometimes scale—babies.

For more information on Stella and her work you can find her on her website, BookBub, Instagram, and you can also sign up to her newsletter for more news and updates.