As a life-long romance reader, I have always been drawn to stories containing strong heroes and heroines who know their minds and live their truths. When I got the urge to write about older women and men, I did so with full knowledge some readers might not be interested in reading about mature characters in love. I knew there was a possibility the stories might not sell, but in typical Baby Boomer rebellious fashion, I said “screw it, I’m not making the characters younger, they need to be older”.
Why did I do this? Because my youngest child is twenty-six, not sixteen. Because I’ve had two, yes two, long term relationships where I continue to happily express my sexuality (first one for twenty-three years). I personally know people of many ages who are still falling in love as if they were seventeen and new at it. Being older just means you just get to the really profound sex part quicker, and there’s so much less fumbling in the dark. Thank heavens for experience.
My Never Too Late series characters are older, successful, mostly stable, and yet on the brink of starting over. Things have happened to them that color their judgments about life. They often hate getting older. Cancer hits a loved one. Their jobs end. Still life goes on somehow. Good thing too, or we would all be in a lot of trouble in this world. I don’t dwell on how they handle the trauma. I just show that they survive, and later thrive by finding happiness despite their setbacks.
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