Bagwell, Stella

Stella began her writing career almost by accident. Although she always loved reading romances, she never thought to write one herself. She was a hairdresser and worked in her sister’s beauty shop. Ironically, Stella developed a severe allergy to hairspray and was forced to resign.

With time on her hands, she wanted to do something creative. She remembered a high school English teacher telling her she could be a writer if she wanted. Armed with that notion and an old, manual typewriter, she went to work, attempting to create a story similar to those she liked reading.

The result —her first book, purchased by Mills & Boon and issued under the Harlequin imprint. After that, Stella became a full time writer and today, has close to forty published novels.

When she was seventeen, Stella married her high school sweetheart: Harrell. This year, they are celebrating their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary. One of her greatest joys was to see Jason, her only son, graduate from college with degrees in math and physical education. He now lives in Port Lavaca, Texas, where he teaches high school algebra and geometry and coaches football and weightlifting.

The couple has always lived in southeastern Oklahoma. Recently, they purchased a portion of a twenty-two hundred, acre ranch; they now make their home there. The closest town of three thousand is fifteen miles away; Stella says she loves the seclusion, living among the woods and horses and wildlife. The only thing she doesn’t like is making the thirty mile round trip to the post office or grocery store. Worse still, is the eighty-five mile trip to get office supplies!

Next to writing, traveling is one of her most favorite activities. Yet, because the southwest is dear to her heart, she sets most of her books there in rough, rugged ranch country. She feels it’s essential to know a place before writing about it; that philosophy gives her more reason to plan trips!

In her spare time, Stella enjoys practicing violin and guitar, both of which she can play by ear. She claims to need years of practice before calling herself a musician. Stella also enjoys gardening and being outdoors. Before moving onto the ranch, she had a swimming pool in her back yard and spent most of her summer evenings in the water. Her husband has promised to put in another pool, but for now she has to make do with the creek that runs through their property.

Family has always come first with Stella and she enjoys spending time with her son when he visits Oklahoma. Sometimes, she and her husband drive down to the Texas coast to see him. However, her mother, step-father and siblings all live nearby and they have routine get-togethers.

Stella’s plan for the future is to continue writing romance novels as long as there’s an audience to enjoy her work.

(Source: Harlequin)