Older women and younger men

I'm thinking of writing a May-December romance about an older woman and a younger man. But I'm stumped. Really, what constitutes an older woman? To me, if the age difference is, say, five or six years, that doesn't really make the woman that much older, right? I'd have to say at least ten years age difference. But...I've never written about a hero that's around twenty four, twenty five years old--see picture to envision him *g* (because I'd like the woman in her thirties--don't ask me why).

But what about a woman in her forties?

I know, I know. I'm making it needlessly difficult. I'm just not sure how readers will react to a fortyish heroine. I've asked a couple of readers about that and they were okay with it. But then they were rabid romance addicts who'll devour any books of any genre, as long as it romance. LOL. Gotta love them, though.

Seriously, will a story about a fortyish woman in love with a younger man sell? Hmmm...

Irresistible revisited

I've gotten a bunch of reader emails about my story Irresistible. Most were positive, but some were downright demanding. Why did I write such a story? Don't I know that romance is essentially about fantasy? That nothing should mar the rosy glow that surrounds the lovers? No hint of mistrust or infidelity? It's just not romantic.

I had to smile. First of all, I was pleased that at least I'd gotten some reactions. I got readers to actually talk to me and tell me what they think. None of them held back, trust me. LOL. Second, the emails usually ended with "But you really made the story work. In the end, I wanted Gavin and Maddie to get back together." Gotcha.

Okay, I have to admit that the blurb wasn't the best I've ever written in the entire world. I didn't think about it well enough to make it universally appealing. At first, I thought, why should I not put the fact that Maddie thought Gavin had cheated on her? Personally, I've never liked a book that turned out to be different from the blurb in the back. Sure, a blurb could entice me into buying a book not kowing what's inside the pages. once. After that, I'd be really leery of buying that author again. I don't care if I have to practically read the book in the bookstore, I'm not buying it until I know the blurb is dead on. It's that fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me kind of thing.

To borrow one of Karen's classic, witty expressions--my blurb sucked great big hairy donkey balls. No sense sugarcoating it. It's not that it was god awful. It just wasn't enticing enough. I admit, I needed to make it better. Hindsight is always 20/20, right? Other than that, most of the reviews for Irresistible has been positive. It was even nominated for Ecataromance's Reviewer's Choice Award. Pretty nice, huh?

I've been published since 2004. Compared to others, I'm a baby. And no, I'm not using that as an excuse. I'm only saying that I still have a lot to learn. Irresistible was certainly a learning experience. A good one, I might add.

This was a story I had to write. As a married woman, I've often wondered what it would be like to experience your man cheating on you, straying from the fold, so to speak. Personally, I've always told my husband don't bother cheating on me. Just tell me. That way, we can minimize the bloodshed. LOL. I'm realistic enough to know that it can and does happen to the best of us. Thankfully, he still declares he loves me everyday and adds a kiss to boot. *g*

Romance is indeed fantasy. I've been reading romances since I was around twelve or thirteen. But I contend that fantasy should be grounded in reality. I mean, how many stories of dashing Princes getting together with ordinary women can you write? That kind of thing just doesn't happen everyday. Most stories I read nowadays feature women who are take charge, career driven, sexually experienced. Now that's reality, right? The world evolves, so should we.

In the end, I thank everyone who wrote me and expressed their thoughts and rather forceful opinion of Irresistible. *g* Thanks so much. I welcome good and bad comments. Praise and scathing criticism alike. I'm of the mind that if I've gotten people to think and to sit down in front of a computer and take the time to send me an email, then it's all good. I did my job.

Can't Quite Make Up My Mind

Now that tv's new fall season is here, I'm SO glad for DVR. There are so many shows I want to watch and most of the time, they're up against each other! Honestly, can't they bump the low rated shows and just fill the schedule with the good ones? I end up recording others and have to settle for watching it later. Like CSI up against Grey's Anatomy. Now I'm a Grey's Anatomy fan, but how can I miss CSI? So Grey's usually ends up in the recorder, to be viewed later. What's bad about that? Sometimes I hear about notable scenes between Meredith and McDreamy before I see it. Kinda takes away the thrill of it, you know?

Of course, there are the old favorites. I've already mentioned two above (CSI and Grey's). There's Supernatural. I'm totally hooked. Love Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. I used to think Jensen was on the short side until he said in an interview that he's actually six feet tall! It's just that Jared is six-five or six-six. Soo tall. I like Jensen more, though. There's something about him...LOL. Then there's Gilmore Girls. I've always liked that.

In my opinion, one of the better shows this season is Heroes. It's about a bunch of people who discover they have superpowers. It's very interesting and thought provoking. I especially like the single Mom (played by Ali Larter) who seems to have some sort of alter-ego who has the guts to do the things she won't. Like kill people. Bad people, though. *g* Then there's the cheerleader who doesn't get hurt, won't die, yadda yadda. And the brothers who can fly. So cool. Of course they're all going to meet up sooner or later and then we'll find out what their purpose is. But it's a great show. I like it a lot.

There's also The Nine. It's about a bank robbery and the nine people who were caught up in it. Seems interesting. I'd have to watch the first episode to see. I've also started watching Smith, with Ray Liotta. I'm reserving judgment on this one. Can't quite make up my mind whether it's a keeper or not. *g*

HBO always has good shows. Notables? Sopranos, of course. Too bad they only have so many episodes left. I also like Rome. Can't wait for their new season. I've heard good stuff about Big Love--just can't get around a man who has more than one wife, so I can't get into that one. *g* My latest passion is Entourage. Funny and crazy, yet I can't help but cheer for Vince, E, Turtle and of course, Drama. Love Ari. He's the quintessential Hollywood agent. Shallow, greedy, rude and unbelievably funny. Breakaway character? Lloyd, Ari's assistant. He cracks me up.

As for reality shows, I'm SO over Bachelor. I watched it the first couple of seasons, then it quickly got old. Now they have a prince something-or-other who's on it. Blah. No interest. Same thing for Survivor. So over it. The only reality show I'm still watching is Amazing Race. Fascinating and never boring. Love it.

So there you have it. So many shows, so little time. I'd be interested to know if there are others out there who like the same shows I do.