I was born at the tail end of the baby boom. I grew up in the sixties to: the tune of the best music; girls finally being allowed to wear pants at school; and slightly less expectation that we make one of only three choices for our future–become a teacher, become a nurse, or get married and have children.
I sense nodding among the crowd.
Graduating from high-school in the early seventies meant I was the generation riding the wave of freedom hard won by my sisters just a few years older… Not that I went out and conquered the world, but the possibilities were there, and devouring romance novels set me up to dream.
Fast forward forty years, and here I am still in love with reading. Okay, so what’s the rejoicing part you say?
Seasoned Romance … because love is ageless!
For those of us who aren’t interested in reading about romance between twenty-somethings, there is a new, burgeoning genre. One where the heroes and heroines are at least thirty-five, and (hallelujah) much older!
I’ve heard from plenty of readers who feel no emotional connection to stories about people the ages of their children and grandchildren. These are women who glance at the bookshelves and ask, “What about us? Why can’t there be stories about older women who’ve kicked butt as executives, pilots, wives, mothers, jockeys, nurses, doctors, dog walkers, and everything in between. Why can’t we read about the kind of women we are or want to be, and the heroes we’d love to meet.”
Good news, older generation heroes and heroines do exist in the world of romance books.
Better news, a group of authors already writing this kind of story have banded together to get our Seasoned Romance genre recognized by agents, publishers, and booksellers.
Meanwhile, there are Seasoned Romances already available. Great stories about women finding love for the first, second, or seventh time, single moms, empty-nesters, divorcees, widows, financially secure women looking for adventure, married couples rediscovering each other after retirement…
My own brand new book set to release in a few weeks, Dance With Me, is about a married couple in their early sixties. Julia and James, the mother and father in my Intrepid Women series have some serious issues to get past, plus a mystery to solve before they can get on with a romantic reconciliation.
I’d love to hear what you think about Seasoned Romance. What is your favorite age range to read about? Young, to relive your youth? Older to feel a connection to the characters? Tell me, tell me, so I can get the word out to other authors 🙂
If you’d like to be kept up to date on my new Seasoned Romance releases, as well as those by the Sisterhood of Suspense authors (and many others), hop on over to my website and sign up for my newsletter. Easy peasy.
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Addicted to the ocean, award winning author Kathryn Jane lives on the west coast of Canada with her fabulous feline assistant, and a devoted mutt to keep her charming prince company while she’s busy penning fast-paced mysteries and adventures about Kickass Women and the Men who Dare to Love them…
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Word by Word 
Reblogged this on Mystery and Romance.
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I love to read romance and it doesn’t matter how old. People of all ages fall in love. And we love many in our lifetime. Some people have a hard time relating to young heroines while others relieve their youth. I want a story that captivates me and follow the journey to the HEA. Good post!
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Thanks Vicki! Like you, I want a story that grabs me and drags me through the wee hours of the morning because I can’t put it down 🙂
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Yay, love this Kathryn! I’m seeing more and more interest in baby-boomer love stories and think it’s great. Just because we might be getting older doesn’t mean we don’t want romance!
Congrats on the new release, love, love the cover {{hugs}}
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LOL, I heard a few people say recently that they felt a bit weird lusting after a hero who was the age of their oldest grandson 🙂 …. But then again, when good writing puts me into the heroine’s head, it feels okay to be excited about a hero much younger than I am. 😀
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I like to pretend I’m younger, lol
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Kathryn, I believe you’ve pioneered the next big trend in romance novels. Best of success with your new book!
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LOL, Thanks! But I’m just one of a group of pioneers bringing something special to light! 🙂
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Thanks for this post! I too have written heroines and Heros as old as in their 60’s. Baby boomers love them! Seasoned romance is the wave of the future
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Thanks for stopping by, Jill, and it was great meeting you at RWA too! I’m so glad we’re banding together in Seasoned Romance 🙂
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Love it, Kathryn! Keep on fighting the good fight. I’ll be right there with you!
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Thanks! And thank YOU, Karen for being a great leader 🙂
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Hi Kathryn, I love the idea of Seasoned Romance…a new trend in boomer lit. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your upcoming release. 🙂
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Thanks, Joanne, and boomer lit, love it! I hadn’t heard that term before 😉
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I love new trends and I’m so happy you’re going to be at the forefront of this one, Kathryn. Can’t wait to read your newest release! 🙂
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I love the idea of over 40 and over 50 romances! Too many stories with older heroines seem to be women’s fiction about family issues. Since I never had children–I’m all for romances that feature women who have had colorful life experiences and are able to have a mature relationship. This sounds right up my alley! Good luck!! I’m looking forward to diving into this new sub-genre!
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Thanks, Lark! I don’t have kids either, so I lean towards the colorful life experience theme. That said, my new book is actually about the “parents” in my series, and they have eight kids and 4 grandchildren, but that’s not what their story is about 🙂 …and many of my heroes and heroines don’t have and won’t have kids. Kind of an even mix but always about the personal relationships 😀
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I have been searching for romance with seasoned (love that term) characters. I am 64 and know that women my age are still vibrant and sexy. Life experience makes for richer, more interesting characters. I am more than willing to support authors who want to develop and expand this genre.
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Thank you, Julia! Yes we are still vibrant and sexy, and interesting and…all of that!
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Oh, Kathryn, I love the cover of your new book. Can’t wait to read it. The first year I attedned RWA when it met in Dallas I’d just retired and had just begun my writing jouyney. I remember attending a Harlequin sponsored section that featured older characters and then it just seemed to go away. Never made sense to me since the Baby Boom generation is taking over the country in terms of numbers. I’m thrilled with the shift because it will give me more writers to read and it’s what I write. Of course it helps when the books are as well written as yours. Is your Seasoned Romance group a part of RWA or like us on Sisterhood–just a group of like minded writers? I’ve shared. 🙂
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Thank you, Marsha! I’m glad you’re as excited as I am about Seasoned Romance. The group is actually on Facebook so I’ve sent you an invite 😀
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Love this post, Kathryn! I’m really excited to see this genre expand. Can’t wait to read your upcoming release.
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