What happens when a former lawyer and pop musician gets told she's "too old" to write about desire—and builds a literary empire instead? In episode 249 of Joy Found Here, author Lexy Shaw Delorme shares how she turned publisher rejection into fuel for independence. After being told it's "unbecoming for a woman in her forties to still have sexual feelings," Lexy chose self-publishing and proved that refusing to wait for permission creates something extraordinary.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(04:12) From Music to Law to Literature: Lexy's Multi-Hyphenate Journey

(05:38) Characters as Truth-Tellers: Why Fiction Lets You Say What You Can't

(10:17) Finding Her Tribe: How Comic-Con Became the Perfect Venue

(14:24) The Inclusive Magic of Comic-Con Culture

(22:13) The Limerent Series: Four Books, One Converging World

(29:30) Writing with ADHD: Achievable Goals and Family Accountability

(35:32) "I'm Not Going to Allow Myself to Think I Can't Do It"

(44:24) Fighting the Publishing Patriarchy: Why She Went Independent

(47:36) Building a Creative Empire: Her Self-Publishing Team

(53:06) Taking on Amazon and Where to Find Her Books

Lexy Shaw Delorme is an award-winning American author based in Paris, known for her genre-defying Limerent Series written under the pen name S. Delorme. A true Renaissance woman—pop musician with an MTV feature, lawyer, 23andMe science writer, and sound engineer—she channels all those experiences into fiction that blends paranormal romance with legal thrillers and metaphysical mysteries. After rejecting traditional publishing's limitations (including being told it's "unbecoming for a woman in her forties to still have sexual feelings"), she built an independent publishing empire with her family. With nine books completed and a relentless creative drive fueled by ADHD, Lexy regularly appears at Comic-Cons and literary festivals across Europe and the US, proving you're never too old to write complex stories on your own terms.

In this episode, Lexy returns with updates on launching her fifth book at New York Comic-Con and plans for a short story collection. She shares how Comic-Con became her ideal venue—a passionate, inclusive community of 250,000+ attendees who embrace boundary-pushing stories—and opens up about managing ADHD through achievable writing goals, treating her author career as a startup, and building a creative team with her son as developmental editor. Whether discussing constant creative momentum or recent Amazon challenges, Lexy's message is clear: passion, persistence, and refusing to wait for permission are the keys to creating the life and work you want.

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"Too Old for Desire?" How Lexy Shaw Delorme Built a 9-Book Empire Out of Rejection