Have you noticed that most romance novels are peopled by the young and beautiful?
Traditionally-published novels usually starred those under thirty-five.
In fact, an editor once said to an author: “Make your heroine twenty-three years old and the CEO of a company.”
I swear that is the absolute truth. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know too many 23-year-old CEOs. Do you?
The point is that traditional publishing had this idea that readers were all in their 20's, and they didn’t want to read about anybody much older than they were.
If you're looking for a reason why authors happily deserted traditional publishers and embraced indie authorship, there it is.
Forever YoungWe indie authors write books about people in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and even older finding lasting love.
Still, the idea of romance and sex being for those below forty holds sway. Of course, we indie authors write heroines younger than our own age, but we do it by choice not because it's the only thing we can write.
I love writing about two people who find each other in life. There’s romance and sex and passion and, in the end, commitment. But, I also love having a secondary love relationship in my books too.
The secondary relationship in several are between what we euphemistically call senior citizens.
In Still The One, the main love story is between Burke and Ally.Burke’s grandfather and Ally’s grandmother were scheming matchmakers who were also in love and having an affair after meeting on a cruise ship.
Yes, they talked about sex! Oh, horrors.
Seventy-something people talking sexily. What’s the world coming to?
They're trying to catch a thief, recover stolen jewels, and avoid falling in love!
But I get more comments and email about Susannah’s mom Tory and Hogan’s Uncle Walter.
These two middle-aged people fell hard and fast for each other–in lust and in love. Against their better judgment, they leap into a relationship and have no regrets.
Her soul mate just happens to be a younger man, Sean Butler.
Sean has all he can do to woo Stormy who obstinately refuses to become involved with him—even though she’s half in love with him anyway.
In the end, he prevails. I don’t want to spoil the ending in case you haven’t read this book, but he gives her a pendant with an engraving that sums up Stormy’s attitude about finding love.
Love at any age is amazing, intense, breathtaking, and wonderful. When you’re older, that’s still true—sometimes all those feelings are magnified.
In “The Man in Lower Ten,” Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote: “Love is like the measles. The older you get, the worse the attack.”
Takeaway Truth
No matter your age, I wish you the kind of love I write about in my romance novels!
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