There is romance for every season of life. Today’s guest Starla Criser is here to chat about the timeless nature of romance, particularly a newer genre I’ve seen described online as “mature romance.” Read through the post, leave your questions and comments for Starla and be sure to follow the instructions at the end of this post to get a free copy of Starla’s new anthology of romances featuring mature heroes and heroines.
Love & Romance Is All Around Us
By Starla Criser
I read in lots of genres, but romance is my favorite. It is also the genre in which I write. Reading, writing, and observing love and romance in the world around me makes me happy. There are so many sad things in the world and I prefer not to dwell on them. I’m all about the HEA (Happily Ever After), or even the HFN (Happily For Now).
As a long-time observer of people, I have witnessed so many beautiful romantic moments. Those “ahhhh” moments that stick with you. The little boy shyly talking to a girl he has a crush on; her equally shy smile as she patiently listens to him. The awkward teenage boy too young to drive, but determined to be with his girlfriend. He is determined enough to convince his parents to give him a ride to her house, or to take them out to a movie. The new husband who tries hard to say and do the right things to make his bride happy. The older, lonely widow who bucks up the courage to take part in a social event at a senior center and meets someone special.
Sometimes I let my mind wander and think about how my characters could continue on with their lives together, go through the ups and downs of life, but stick together on into their older years. Or sometimes I write short stories strictly abut older relationships and that special love few younger people take the time to consider. It is easy to think romance and romantic relationships only revolve around people in their 20s and 30s, because most romance books focus on that. So not true. There are some amazingly beautiful older romances.
As an example of this, I want to share part of one of my older romance stories, “A Special Night,” from my anthology, Timeless Love. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it reminds you to look a little deeper at the relationships around you.
Ted glanced with frustration out the picture window in the living room. Dark clouds tumbled across the sky as they had done for most of the day. They had spit snow off and on as well. If any night was made for staying in where it was warm and toasty, it was this one. His seventy-five-year-old body wasn’t really up to getting out in this mess.
He shoved the thought aside and yelled, “Are you coming, Marie? It’s almost five o’clock.” Not that it was such a late hour, unless you were used to settling in for the night about now.
“What’s your hurry, old man?” his beloved wife called back, using the “endearment” she used when he tested her patience. He smiled fondly at the notion. They’d tested each other’s patience for a whole lot of years and he hoped to be doing that for a whole lot more.
“Just dab on your lipstick and let’s go.” He knew she’d be rolling her eyes at him for that.
Any other night Ted would just as soon have stayed home, tucked into his well-worn recliner, TV tuned to whatever ballgame was on that day. But tonight was different. When Marie had gone next door to visit their neighbor earlier, he’d set the DVR and called Trombolli’s Restaurant, the best Italian food in town. He’d even arranged for one of their special corner tables. He was darn proud of himself for all of it, too. Mr. Romantic, he was not. Today was different, though.
She stepped into the living room doorway. “Usually I have to practically drag you kicking and screaming out any time after three in the afternoon.” Her expression mirrored confusion. “What’s up with you? Not that I’m opposed to going out.”
Patience. A man had to have patience with a woman, and didn’t he know that well after all these years. “What’s to understand? I said we’re going out tonight and we are. Now, get your coat and hat. It’s cold outside.”
The urge to question him more flashed across her time-wrinkled face. A face he loved to look at any time of any day. He didn’t even really notice the wrinkles she complained about. All he saw was the woman he’d married fifty years ago, the one who still took his breath away.
She shook her head, smiled in resignation, and moved to where he had her black leather coat with the big fur collar that she loved so much draped on the arm of the sofa. For a second, he missed the woman who had once seemed to challenge him over every little thing. Her spirited Italian temper had mellowed over the years, especially this last year. She’d started forgetting things more, too. Her health had gone downhill as well. His heart ached with the knowledge that they might not have a lot of time left together.
Timeless Love
Author: Starla Criser
Genre: Women’s fiction
SPECIAL GIFT: If you would like a FREE copy of the ebook or paperback, please send me an email request to Starla@starlakaye.com.
I think that as this generation of readers ages we’re able to identify with older H/h. I know when I was in my early 20′s I had a hard time identifying with the H/h in their 30′s. It seemed crazy to be thinking of someone that “old” and then before I knew it, those same 30 somethings seemed so “young” WTH? lol
Sounds like a romantic and sweet read.
That’s exactly the kind of comments I usually get when someone reads them. And that is exactly what I was aiming for.
What do you find different about writing mature romance vs. writing romance with younger characters? Do you find the conflicts are different? Solutions to conflicts are different?
For one thing the “heat” element is different. Lust and heat aren’t quite as important to a mature relationship. The romance part is kind of softer, deeper.
We all face conflicts in our lives and relationships throughout our years. In maturing relationships, I see the conflicts revolving more around family members, changes in our personalities/wants/needs as time goes along, and more health issues.
My husband and I were 19 when we got married. We aren’t the same people we were all those years ago. Our personal goals and dreams are different. What we want and will tolerate in a relationship aren’t the same either.
I think it’s probably a sub-genre, like others, that publishers have ignored because they didn’t think there would be a market. I think they’re probably going to be proven wrong.
There is something wholesome and inspiring about relationships that have lasted many years through all the things that life throws at you. I think there’s something beautiful in the way that people mature through their relationships. Starla hints at it a bit in the excerpt above where the hero thinks about patience and how he has learned patience through the years of his marriage.
I also find that as I age I am less enamored of very young and impulsive heroines. I do still read them…and enjoy them…but less a steady diet of them. I find now that I like characters with a bit of wisdom…with the ability to look a bit beyond the immediate moment…and that largely comes with age…maturity.
I think mature romance has a lot to offer readers.
It may be like other genres…not something we read exclusively…but something that rounds out our reading.
A number of years ago one of the publishers (maybe Silhouette, not sure) tried an older heroine series. It wasn’t successful for their purposes. Today, I think, women’s fiction comes the closest to offering that.
I read a lot of romances because I love HEAs and I love relationship stories. But I also like reading series like JD Robb’s with Eve and Roarke, plus a few other series that aren’t actually romances. I enjoy them because these series do follow at least one couple through whatever mystery or adventure, and I get to watch their relationship continue to develop.
I’ve had a lot of positive comments about these mere 5 short stories, from mature adults who have read them. And I’ve had many requests for more. They don’t sell really well at Amazon, partly because I probably don’t have them tagged right, etc. I don’t really care.
Sure it would be nice to make a little more money off of the book, but it was kind of a test for me. I wanted to find out how to self-publish something. I had been thinking about publishing these kind of stories for a while and finally decided if I didn’t try it then that I might never do it.
Mainly I give these books away and it makes me extremely happy to see how much people appreciate getting them. I’ve heard from a number of people that I’ve given copies to that they are now passing the books along through their family or their friends. That just makes me smile and makes me heart happy.
I think one of the problems with earlier attempts at older heroines was that the stories themselves were not that much different.
It’s hard to believe an older heroine who has the same issues as a younger heroine. It doesn’t ring true…doesn’t really resonate. I am much different at almost 50 than I was at 20 or even 30. I’ve matured. My temper is less quick. I am more inclined to pick things apart, look for understanding as opposed to just looking to have my way about something. My outlook is different…my goals are different.
A lot of what I saw in early attempts at mature romance was more characters who were older pushed into the mold of younger heroine stories and that didn’t work.
One of the things I like about the excerpt you posted is that the hero and heroine have the outlook of people who are older. Their age isn’t something that is just stamped onto their foreheads for the reader to appreciate. It is part of who they are…how they think about each other. It’s clear that they are older people…they have the sort of wisdom with each other that comes from spending years in a relationship.
I would tag the anthology with mature romance and use that as one of the keywords as well. Mature romance seems to be the genre name being used for stories with more mature characters. It’s all about people finding the book…and feeling comfortable about what they are buying.
Feel free to post the excerpt on the Romance Novel Excerpts Group at Amazon.
Have you published the book through Smashwords? They get it to a lot of other channels besides just Amazon…and you can generate a coupon there that makes giving copies away a lot easier.
Thanks for the suggestion on how to tag it.
No, I haven’t gotten around to publishing the book with Smashwords. It is on my To Do list.
Sounds like a great book, I’d love to read it.
I will send you a copy of the book if you send me an email at starla@starlakaye.com with your mailing address.
Mmmm…nice read. Has a nice, soft, comfortable feel to it.
It does indeed have that nice, soft, comfortable feel to it. There’s very much the sense of people who have grown together…who are comfortable together.
I must say that I have not read any ‘mature romance’. I have witnessed it first hand with my parents, so it’s actually something I would enjoy.
It’s the spark of familiarity!!
Thanks, Mary, for stopping by. Yes, it isn’t something most readers get a chance to read about. But seeing how special an older love relationship can be… well, it’s beautiful.