Monday, January 14, 2019

Age Discrimination?

LUCY BURDETTE:  I’d been working along on my latest manuscript and thinking about a plot for another book in the Key West series, when it occurred to me to wonder whether I was really qualified to write about the inner life of a 20 something? Or even a 30 something? On the other hand, I realized that I’d never had a main character over the age of 40. Hayley Snow is in her twenties, nearing thirty (maybe) and Cooper Hunziker is in her 30s. 

One theory to explain the phenomenon might be that this is what publishers want. And they believe this is what the reading public wants. Another might be that I write about an age in my life that is strongly imprinted in my memory, maybe a time when I went through important changes. What do you think Reds? What age do you write? 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: My main characters range from early fifties to late twenties, but i have everyone from grandparents in their eighties to little kids in my books. As someone was in college and was a young working single during the Regan years, the hardest ages for me to write are the twenties and thirties. Despite slang and social media, teens have not altered much since my day, probably because the job of those years - figuring out who you are and how you relate to the world - is the same. 

But Millennials have gone through a whole different kind of youth than I did - online from an early age, graduating during the Great Recession, burdened with school loans and social expectations that bear no resemblance to what I had to deal with. I'm lucky in that I have kids between the ages of 18 - 26, and I have godchildren aged 29 - 35, so I have a lot of sources to help me get it right. I'm comfortable with writing Hadley Knox, who's a mother of two and in her mid-thirties, but I'd really have to stretch to write a main character who was, say, the Smithie's age. I'd want to spend a lot of time reading fiction with twenty-somethings before I tackled it.

HALLIE EPHRON: I like to write generations of women, young and hip and old and prickly. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, DEAR has three generations -- a 30-something, her mother, and her grandmother. Or working the other way, a woman in her 70s, her daughter, and her granddaughter. In THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN I've got an 80+ year old with her neighbor's daughter who's in her 30s. I feel like the different perspectives sparks misunderstandings, conflict. 

Besides, older women are hot. Right now. And not just on the BBC. ( (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nancy Pelosi, Janet Yellen, Angela Merkel, Helen Mirren, Glenn Close...) 

LUCY: And that reminds me Hallie, that Hayley Snow’s roommate, 80-year-old Miss Gloria, is probably the character from the Key West books that I hear most about!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I was talking to a big time person who should know (not an author) who says the best age for a character in FICTION (the kind we're talking about here) is about 33. I don't wanna debate it--I'm just saying that's what she said. She says that's who readers want.  Mid-forties is too old for a main character.  Agree or not--but that's from pretty on high.

 I'm most comfortable writing from the viewpoint of--and this is so odd--kids who are about nine.  The difficult age for me is that 30's group--because a thirty-something now is SO different from 30-something me. But I do love to get to be that age again, through fiction--because of course you have to channel how they feel, and understand how that's the result of their particular experiences.

A main player in THE MURDER LIST is referred to as "a grandmother " by a court clerk, and indeed she is. She's also treated with super-hyper-partronizing kid gloves by a judge.  But when I parsed out how old she really was, she was, um, my age.  Ahh.

JENN McKINLAY: I've never really thought about it. My characters pretty much arrive on scene with their age already established. My protagonists range from 25 to 35 because those seem to be the big life change years where the relationships are the big ones, the career choices are solid, etc. The supporting cast is always diverse in age and ethnicity and sexual orientation. I try to get into the head of each character so that they are authentic. Mostly, I try not to overthink it. 

RHYS BOWEN: my main characters seem to be young women in their twenties, apart from Constable Evans who was in his late twenties, and Hugo who was in his thirties. I'm lucky because most of my stories take place in the past so I don't have to worry about what is current or what young people want. I have plenty of young female fans. I have received fan letters that say " I've just seen your photo and until now I thought you were the same age as Lady Georgie. I have to say her first person voice and Molly's voice came to me so easily and naturally.


I would not want to write a book starring an elderly woman. It's much more fun to be twenty again!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My four main series characters range between late twenties, mid-thirties, and early forties (since they are aging VERY slowly) but I've always loved writing all ages. Even my first novel had a stroppy fifteen-year-old and a couple of elderly sisters. I adore Hallie's Mina and Lucy's Miss Gloria--I certainly don't have a prejudice against reading books with older protagonists. And I guess it's a good thing nobody told J.K. Rowling she couldn't sell a book with an eleven-year-old protagonist...

Reds, any thoughts about this? And what age characters do you prefer to read about?

84 comments:

  1. I enjoy reading characters of all ages. And I think multi-generational stories make for interesting reading . . . .

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  2. The main character in a stereotypical cozy series is in her late 20's. I actually really enjoy it when I find a character who fits into a different age group. It's not that I don't enjoy reading about that age group, but it's nice to have some variety because otherwise they all start to look the same to me. But that age group is certainly what the publishers seem to want, or at least what Berkeley wanted when they were the main publisher of cozies.

    Somewhere years ago, I read the stereotypical first book in a cozy series. It was so accurate it was funny. I wish I knew where it was. But again, the late 20's protagonist is one of the things they brought up.

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  3. I like reading about a variety of ages. But I was pleased to read Hank's comment. My main series character just turned 33!

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  4. I think Jenn hits the mark when she says that people make so many life-altering choices when they are in that mid-twenties to mid-thirties range. Life parters, careers, and shifting family dynamics all seem to come into focus at that age, so it makes for a lot of interesting conflicts. I think, however, that there is a level of age discrimination in the editorial eye.

    These days I really enjoy reading about more mature women because, again, there are a lot of changes and conflicts in a woman's life when she hits her late forties and early fifties. Her children are growing up and moving out. Her husband may be having his midlife crisis with attendant affairs, divorces, and trophy wives looming. Her parents may be aging and need more care at a time when her career demands longer hours if she ever wants a promotion. People die. The life she had might be completely overturned in a heartbeat.

    At the same time, that's an age when many women finally start to speak up and find their authentic voices. They reassess the values they grew up with, and may see those values don't stand the test of time in the real world. It's a fascinating time, and I think there are lots of untold stories there.

    The protagonist of the novel I'm working on now is a fifty-year-old man. I adore him, but he probably puts me completely out of step with what agents and publishers think is trending. This is undoubtedly why editors always pass on my novels. I don't pay much attention to trends, current wisdom, or demographic trends. I just write stories I want to read.

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    1. And that “time of making life decisions” is exactly why the publishing exec explained it was the perfect age.

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    2. But I think… And this is said in the most straightforward of marketing terms… The point is: would your reader want to BE that main character. Another reason why Gone Girl was such an iconic breakthrough.

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    3. At which point we get back to the question of who the reader is. Are we all just old ladies longing for our lost youth and missed chances? Or would we like to see ourselves once in a while when we hold the mirror up to life?

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    4. Exactly! And that is why I said I was not defending the execs explanation , simply repeating it. Was she right? I don’t know. Is she a big deal in commercial fiction? Yes. Does that mean she’s right? No.

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    5. I think, as has been stated below, that it all comes back to having an interesting character at the heart of our stories, and having publishing industry pros who are willing to take a chance on something different once in a while. Would this woman have stepped out of her comfort zone if the right book came along? Or would she have stuck stubbornly to the formula that made her a big deal in commercial fiction in the first place?

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    6. I think you’re right, Gigi. There is so much age discrimination from the powers that be - it’s frustrating. This is off topic, but I recently read that the reason the old bodice ripper romances have the shirtless guy and the busty gal is because the men in charge of sales and marketing loved these covers. *facepalm* It explains so much.

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  5. I like this topic! My protags have been mid-late twenties and early thirties, but she's 37 in the new Cape Cod series, and facing the question of a baby clock (the hunky boyfriend wants kids, she's not sure). The ones I love WRITING are the old-person sidekicks: the great-uncle, the dynamo 70-something aunt, the diminutive 80-something grandma with her spyglass and hot pink track suit, and my 1880s's midwife's teacher and mentor, Orpha. Like Gloria, like Hallie's Old Woman.

    Lucy, are those photos yours from India? They are lovely.

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    1. Yes they are my photos, thanks Edith! I was trying to figure out where to get photos of different ages to illustrate when I remembered all the lovely people in India...

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  6. I don't know that I have ever thought about a specific age that I like to read about. However, given some of the books that I read, the 30's to early 40's would seem to be the primary age for things to make sense at least in a physical sense. Mitch Rapp would be unlikely to be running around all over the world at 60 plus years old taking out enemies of the US.

    I think age considerations were why Robert B. Parker stopped aging Spenser, right?

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    1. Kinsey Milhone basically didn't age, either.

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    2. And Michael Connelly run into the same problem with Bosch… How could a Vietnam war veteran still be on the police force?

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    3. Hank, in the most recent Bosch books, it does seem like Michael Connelly has taken some pains to make it seem more realistic that Bosch is still working cases.

      Also in the case of the Charlotte McNally series, I loved that she was an "older" woman and not some bubbleheaded bleached blonde.

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  7. A big question on my mind these days, Lucy, and I am going to read the comments with great interest. Struggling with it myself, since my series protagonist is about late 30's AND she has a teen age daughter. I started this idea a very long time ago. My daughters were barely out of their teens, and I had no doubt I could write a teen. Now, they are the age of my protagonist and I wonder if my teen is anything like a current one. Many of the issues remain the same, but the way they play out in life seems to have changed a lot.(Internet and sex? School shootings?) As to my protagonist? Some of my wn nearest and dearest point out that anyone her age would be WAY more tech savvy! She isn't because I'm not, so I've made it a running joke. We have to write who we can write, who speaks to us, and who fits the needs of the story, but I am now toying with an older heroine. Hmmm. And finally, yes, I agree with everyone who said, "Life is different now for those crucial early/mid adult years." My children, establishing careers and families, are facing challenges and realities quite different from ours. No reason we can't write it but we need to be aware that it is very far from the same.( And Deb? No fair to bring in Rowling. 1. because all children's books are written by adults - separate set of issues about that and 2. because JK makes her world and she's the one who chooses what the challenges are. Not easier, but different.

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    1. I had a similar problem with a book... and I reset the book's timeframe to one where I understood what it was like to be that age.

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  8. PS Thanks, Lucy and all the Reds, for such a stimulating topic first thing this morning.

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  9. I have never thought about reading a book with certain ages of the characters. It seriously has never mattered to me. While I did read typical children's books growing up, some of my most loved books had a range of ages in the characters. When I started reading mysteries, I was maybe 6 or 7. Nancy Drew and her friends were the most amazing and brave people to me! Frank and Joe Hardy were the big adventurous brothers I wished I had! Then I found Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Sherlock Holmes. Yet, I was just as excited reading Trixie Belden!
    I have always thought that you should write what you know and love!

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    1. Miss Marple certainly wasn't a young woman! Nor was Jessica Fletcher.

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    2. And vera! But that’s what makes this so interesting… We could name pretty much all of the female protagonists who are over 60. You could not possibly name all the ones in the 30s.

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  10. My main character is 50 something. Don't know if that will ever sell, but I made a conscious decision not to have a young, good-looking, practically perfect protagonist. I don't know if it will ever sell, but Miss Marple sure did! And no, I'm no Agatha Christie. I loved the Southern Sisters Mysteries, and I remember Carolyn Hart had an older protagonist at one point. I'm sure there are others.

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    1. I truly think anything can work, as long as it is well written, right?

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    2. Agreed that anything can work as long as it is well written.

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  11. MaryC, you just beat me to the punch. Patricia Anne Hollowell was one of my all-time favorite characters, and when I was reading the Southern Sisters mysteries for the first time and falling in love with her, I was substantially younger than she. Now that I'm getting closer to her age, I'd LOVE to find other protagonists around the same age. But they are rare. And of course age alone isn't enough -- they also have to be interesting characters doing interesting things, too.

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    1. Exactly right, it can't be all about the age! The character has to be interesting, and imho, have room to grow.

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    2. Lucy/Roberta, I think that "room to grow" is absolutely IT, for both writers and readers. Though we can all name some successful series where the protag never grows at all, a lot of readers get bored with that. And don't the writers, too?

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  12. Hank, in 2014 at MWA-U in Chicago, you said 47 was a good age for a protagonist, so I went for it. Now it's 33? My favorite characters are those over 50, with quirks, opinions, get up and go mindsets.

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    1. Nope! I said I had made Charlie 55–And my agent said that was absolutely way too old. I said I wanted an older protagonist, consciously wanted her to be older, so how about 46? Is that too old? And she said no, 46 is not too old.
      So I made Charlie 46, knowing that was pushing the edge of age. So sure, there can be older protagonists, and they can work just fine. :-) But the exec was just saying: that the 30s are the optimum.

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    2. what's done is done. I needed a protagonist with kids in college. Tough to achieve at 33. Thanks for clarifying.

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  13. I enjoy reading about older characters, especially if they are having great adventures. Deb Baker wrote a cute series about an irascible older woman named Gertie Johnson, and the Ivy Malone series by Lorena McCourtney, about a retired woman running from the mob in a motorhome, is grand fun.

    Stephanie Plum, without Grandma Mazur, would just be another klutzy, man-crazy amateur, no?

    I just finished watching the Longmire series, and one of the most intriguing characters was the medicine woman who guarded the Cheyenne sacred grounds. Older, wiser, and very powerful, both physically (she was a crack shot) and spiritually. She took no quarter from anyone. Walt himself is no spring chicken in the series, for that matter, if his daughter is several years out of law school. Tony Hillerman's main character is a seasoned lawman, too, close to retirement.

    How could we forget Peter Whimsy and Harriet Vane? They are not young'uns, either.

    One last comment: Olive Kittredge.

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    1. OH, Olive Kittredge. Another of my favorite books. Unforgettable prickly character. But then, that's not a crime novel.

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  14. Off topic post, but for those who know mystery critic Oline Cogdill, she and her husband were in a bad car accident yesterday. They are both relatively okay but Oline was banged up pretty harshly. You can share well wishes on her FB page and read a post from her husband there as well.

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  15. While I enjoy well-written books with protagonists of any age, I long to read about people who are like me: verging on seventy, finding their way in retirement OR not retiring (because that’s what they need to do or prefer to do), not wanting to be the go-to baby sitter for grandchildren, being involved in their communities, volunteering for political candidates, maybe finding a body in a senior center restroom or elevator, volunteering in a hospital and walking in to a patient’s room to deliver flowers and discovering that the patient has mysteriously died (the knife in the chest gives it away)...I do get tired of reading about people who are forty years younger than I am. (I miss Anne George’s books, too!)

    DebRo

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    1. You might need to get started on that book DebRo:)

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    2. I love your idea of what an "old woman" is like, Deb. It certainly fits the reality I see. Back when I was 49.8, I sat in on a meeting with a marketing "genius" who had just completed a fairly extensive survey of our audience at the Dallas Winds. As he ran through his demographic analysis, it became clear that his idea of a "fifty-year-old widow" was more like my idea of an eighty-year-old. He thought it was weirdly inappropriate that these women thought our conductor was hot, despite the fact that our conductor was, at that moment, fifty years old and is pretty hot. He clearly had no idea that he had a nearly-fifty-year-old widow sitting right in front of him. He would have been shocked to see my Mustang, since the fifty-year-old widows in his imaginary world toddled around from senior center to grandchildren's homes in taxis and public transportation. I called him on it, but I also wrote it off to the sexist male stereotype that makes women invisible once they are no longer of child-bearing age. I think we need to challenge that stereotype wherever we find it. I wonder if it is at work in the publishing industry as well?

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    3. I think one of the problems many people have when envisioning "old age" is the tendency to plug in what you remember that age to be from your childhood or youth. When you think "Grandmother" - or Gigi's marketing genius thinks "fifty-year-old widow" - we envision our own grandmothers. The thing is, grandparents don't look like they did back in the 50s or 60s or 70s!

      I have a picture of my grandmother and mother together at my mom's college graduation in 1961. My grandmother has stiffly-waved silver hair, wears a Mamie Eisenhower hat, and has on a dark, old lady dress. She looks like she's seventy. She was fifty-two. That's the same age as Robin Wright and Cynthia Nixon. Think about the cultural difference that represents.

      Also, Gigi's marketing genius is a sexist, ageist jerk, who will probably be the kind of guy who, at fifty, thinks he's liberal-minded because he'll date women as old as 30.

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    4. Exactly. I have posted a photo on my Facebook page of my two grandmothers and my great grandmother in about 1961. My great grandmother was in her 70's, and the grandmothers were 59 and about 50.

      My mother at 89 looks younger and more stylish now that my great grandma did then, and the grandmothers look ancient. Neither wore bras (paternal grandmother's chest was held "up" by her belt), they all three wore orthopedic shoes and held their stockings up with rolled garters, and one of them always had her hair tamed via a hairnet.

      At my age now, 67, I look like I could be one of their daughters.

      Also, that "genius", and the guy who is getting press right now for disdaining to date older women: I wish them all they deserve.

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  16. This is a topic I've considered when reading. Many times I've pulled a book off the shelf at the store or library and returned it after reading the description of yet another 20-something re-establishing herself in a cute little town/interesting neighborhood after break-up/divorce, with mother/grandmother/father along for comic interest or tension, etc. Unless the writing is superlative, it gets another grumble of 'can't anyone write something different??' Terri Shames' Samuel Craddock was a delight to discover. And Leaphorn is a flat-out favorite, along with Miss Marple, Brother Cadfael, and Emily Pollifax. The latter four were characters I discovered as a young woman--so it's not just my age making me crochety. I like multi-generational stories with strong characters of all ages (even 11-year-old boys!).

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    1. And that’s why chick lit soon became passé… People did not want to read about 20 somethings with their first expensive shoes or their first boyfriend or the first job.

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    2. I remember it being 'splained to me that chick lit had passed into hen lit... and that was some time ago. But I think there's still a market for both. Comes back to: What do you WANT to spend your time writing/reading?

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    3. And there was a brief flurry of geezer lit, remember?

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  17. One of my favorite books is about an elderly man who's losing his mind to dementia. Walter Mosley's THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GRAY. And of course I adore Miss Marple.

    It's really hard to write a novel, any novel. I've got to write the book I *want* to write. Which almost always includes at leas one 'old woman.' And at least one who's young.

    What I so admire is writers who can write a novel for adults with a kid who's a main character. Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce comes to mind. I can't think of too many others where the child in the story is more than background/supporting characters. I'm sure they're out there.

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  18. Mrs. Pollifax. I would love to be her!

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    1. Remember that at the beginning of the first Mrs. Pollifax novel, she is contemplating suicide because she thinks she is no longer needed, that her life has no purpose? I recall reading that as a 10 year old and gaining an insight into the older people in my life--looking at my grandmother, so busy with since the passing of my grandfather, such a good Christian in the "busy doing good works" sort of way--and saw wondered about the deep loneliness that might be there. Although so much that followed in the series was light-hearted and fun, Dorothy Gilman launched Emily Pollifax on her journey from a dark place that gave her some real depth, I thought.

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  19. I enjoy reading all ages but not necessarily as the main protaganist. I tend to back away when the lead is 60+ years old. Which makes no sense since I’m on the cusp of 70. My mental age is much younger so I guess I’m ignoring my physical age but not that of book characters. Clear? Not to me either.

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    1. What I hate is when the old character is cliched. I remember talking to my 90-year-old mother-in-law who said she felt like exactly the same person she'd been when she was 14. Time just went by a whole lot faster. Of course she had all her marbles and could walk my feet off. She aged very well.

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    2. Hallie, that is impressive! I was reminded of my then 60 year old uncle, a runner, meeting a 90 year old marathon runner! He is in his 80s now and still going strong.

      Diana

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  20. One reason I liked the Anne George so much was because of the age of her main characters. people who kind of faced the same things I did but they had a ball doing it. i'd really like to read about some older characters, some people who shared some of the same memories I do. To say nothing of our music memories!

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  21. This is all so interesting. Like Flora, I read and loved books with older characters when I was in my teens and twenties--it never occurred to me that I shouldn't. And I have to wonder, since I think the majority of readers tend to be older women, if the marketing fixation on twenty and thirty-somethings isn't a bit short-sighted.

    Lately, I've been following some millennial UK YouTubers (long story) and recently saw one guy and one girl, both thirty, say that one of their big resolutions for 2019 was to read A book. A book!!! I didn't know whether to be horrified, or to be slightly hopeful that they seemed to consider that an important thing to do...

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    1. Deborah, I have friend who just turned 40. She doesn't "read". Her daily commute in an hour one way. Her kindle is loaded with the "audible" of all her favorite authors and she listens to entire series during her drive time. I'd like to believe that the YouTuber comment was a poorly expressed intent to actually "read" as opposed to "listen."
      Anyway, I can hope.

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  22. Meaning I would like to be Mrs Pollifax, too! I think my reply to Karen got published out of order.
    ( I continue to have Blogger problems.)

    DebRo

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  23. I read all kinds. Every generation has interesting things to say.

    My characters tend to be mid-30s. As Jenn said, so much is coming into play in those years. My historical main character was 18, though. I'd never attempt that in a contemporary, but historical, well, things are pretty set from the past. You don't have to worry about being "out of step" with the times.

    Mary/Liz

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  24. Hallie, I can relate to your mother-in-law. I feel younger and happier than I did when I was 25. I’m sure a lot of that is just maturity, and learning not to let things bother me.

    DebRo

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  25. Love this! So wonderful reading about different perspectives from the Reds! If I created a character, I think I would create a character at the age of 36 because it is supposed to be a magical number. I think it is 6 squared 6 in maths? In some religions, 36 is a lucky number.

    Like Mary Sutton, I read all kinds.

    Reading the Reds' mention of ages, I was reminded of Agatha Christie. I think that Agatha Christie created Miss Marple when Agatha Christie was still relatively young? The Miss Marple character was based on a grandmother ?

    Question for the Jungle Reds: If you created a character in your novels who was older than you, did you base the character on an older person you remembered from your childhood?

    Diana

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    1. Interesting question, Diana. The two elderly sisters in my first book, A SHARE IN DEATH, were partly based on my grandmother and one of her sisters.

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    2. Debs, I love that! Were your grandmother and one of her sisters English?

      Diana

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    3. That's so interesting--just thinking about the juror who's a pivotal character in THE MURDER LIST...and I'd have to say now, she's not based on someone from my childhood. Huh. Older people I remember from my childhood were--not cozy or wonderful.

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  26. I enjoy reading characters of all ages. Here's the thing though. I am rather obsessive about wanting to know what age the main character(s) are. More than once I have gone back through a book to remind myself how old a character is. It rather drives me nuts not to know.

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  27. Question:

    When you meet an author, are you surprised by how young the author is? I often meet authors who are younger than I expect them to be.

    Diana

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    1. Oh, great question! Works both ways--Megan Miranda was much younger than I'd thought. And as for "older," well, beware of never changing your author photo. All I can say. xxx

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    2. Interesting because I never know what the author looks like. At mystery conferences, I look at the photo so I know who I am meeting. LOL .

      Diana

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  28. Two of my favorite books over the last few years have had main characters who were very close to retirement: Becky Masterman's series and The Darkness (the start of new series from Ragnar Jonasson).

    Publishing may have "rules" but they are meant to be broken. If a character is relatable and interesting, there are no limits in my opinion.

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  29. Even in my teens and twenties I loved older characters - especially in the area of romance. My 2 all time favorite couples are Russ and Clare and Father Tim and Cynthia. I've never been much of a re-reader, but after I've read a boatload of other books, I find I miss them and feel compelled to go back and at least re-read my favorite parts - particularly with Russ and Clare. Ruth and Nelson (Elly Griffiths) are pretty high on my list - older characters as well. And, apart from romance, DC Smith by Peter Grainger is at the top of those I feel I know personally. I love his wit and care for those under him. In fact, it's hard for me to think of a character in their twenties that has found a place in my heart. I may enjoy them as a stand alone, but probably not as part of a series.

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    1. I love DC, too. This is one of my favorite series. I know it's very frustrating for people that it is only available on Kindle.

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  30. I enjoy all ages of characters but I do remember Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Allyn was around 40 in the first novels before he met Troy. There were some books before they got married, and in the last book, they had a grown son, and he was still in the police. Of course, books can cover a small amount of time but if you want to have a series, you have to think about starting with an 80 or 90 year old sleuth.

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    1. The aging thing is true for a long-running series! How old was Poirot? But I do think that in my own reading, I have always preferred slightly older characters. Adam Dalgliesh, Andy Dalziel, Vera Stanhope, Mrs. Pollifax, and so on. This might even be more true now that I'm finding myself thinking more about my own age. I'll be 50 this summer--startling! And SO EXCITING! Also, speaking with my MIL over the Christmas holidays, she was saying she's always surprised by the mirror--who could this old woman possibly be? It can't possibly be her--she's the same age she always was, not the 94-year-old she sees reflected back!

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  32. Ellen ByronJanuary 14, 2019 at 11:21 PM
    The protagonist in my Cajun Country Mystery series was originally in her twenties but my publisher asked me to age her a bit, so she's in her early thirties, as is the protag in my new, second series. I had a convo with a reader about this once. She was in her mid-sixties. She gave me an interesting perspective!! According to her world, readers don't have a lot of patience with twentysomething problems. Thirties is good because they still have time to marry and have children. Older protagonists are okay IF they've had a life - again, children. She said she gets sad for characters in their forties and fifties who only have cats. LOL! I think a lot of cozy readers are sad when the characters DON'T have cats!

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