Over the past few years, I've put this blog on hold while I blogged with a couple of great group blogs. I plan to continue blogging with Fierce Romance, but have also decided to begin posting to my own blog again as well. I'm working on a new series that I'm very excited about, Silver Fox Romance, and I think there are a lot of topics that writers and readers can discuss here. I'm excited about the positive response I've had regarding writing romances with mature characters - I call them Silver Foxes.
I'd love to hear all your thoughts!
Natasha
www.natashamoore.com
For those of you who want to catch up, here are the last two posts I wrote for Fierce Romance:
January 11, 2016
I’ve read a lot about the need for romance to be more inclusive, to have characters of all races, characters who have diverse ethnic backgrounds, LGBT characters and those with disabilities. And I wholeheartedly agree. But rarely do I ever see an outcry for romances to include, or even feature, older characters.
I happen to be what’s referred to as a “woman of a certain age”-- guess that sounds better than “middle aged” or "mature". And while I enjoy writing romances with characters in their twenties and thirties, I would love to write some love stories where the heroines are closer to my own age. But I fear it would be a waste of my time.
Women in their forties, fifties, and beyond are vibrant, passionate women who need love as much as a twenty-year-old. They enjoy candlelit dinners and long kisses, and...gasp...sex! And I would love to show that to the romance reading community through my stories. But I’ve always been warned not to make my characters too old. That no one wants to read about them.
Older women are often treated as though we are invisible. We’ve had our time and aren’t interesting anymore. We’re treated as if we have nothing to offer to society. No one markets to older women.
I could go on and on about double standards (
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/entertainment/maggie-gyllenhaal-too-old-feat/ ) but that’s not what this blog post is about. Still, there have been a few movies lately that show older women having romances, and they are mostly played by Meryl Streep. But look at Meryl Streep. Is she invisible? No, she’s vibrant and passionate and why wouldn’t readers enjoy romances about women like her? They’ve had experiences and histories that lend themselves well to the conflicts inherent to romances. And double standards aside, look at the silver foxes we have for inspiration for our heroes (Mark Harmon, Sam Elliott, George Clooney, etc.). Yet, I’ve been told I shouldn’t write about them. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to.
So, apparently this post on older characters in romance novels has turned into a comment on ageism and double standards. I think they are important topics and I encourage you to not only learn more about them, but think about the way we perpetuate these ideas. Here’s an interesting article on ageism.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amancay-tapia/ageism-or-the-last-accept_b_8186304.html
I did hesitate to spend my time and energy on something that possibly no one would want to read. But I’ve decided to write a series of “mature romances” anyway. I hope the market for them will be out there, older women who want to read about characters closer to their own age, and romance readers of all ages who simply want a good love story. So later this year look for my Silver Fox Romance series. I’m excited to be writing them. I hope you’ll look forward to reading them too.
Natasha
www.natashamoore.com
January 18, 2016
When looking for inspiration for the characters in my Silver Fox Romances series, I didn't have to go any further than Pinterest. I've spent probably more time than I should have scrolling through mouth-watering pics of handsome men with silver hair, or white or sexy salt and pepper. Their faces aren't baby smooth but etched with laugh lines and experiences. (And here's where I say there is nothing wrong with a sexy younger guy - I drool over them too!) If you want to see what I'm talking about, you could check out my Silver Fox board:
https://www.pinterest.com/natashamoore144/silver-foxes/
While men seem to get a pass for having silver hair, women are another story. I let mine go to my natural salt and pepper quite a few years ago and I had many people at the time tell me how much older I would look. It was hard to do at the time, but I'm glad persevered. I've had many women come up to me and tell me if they knew their hair would look this good they'd do it. I tell them they'll never know until they try, I know I'll never dye my hair again. I wish Pinterest had been there back then to give me inspiration as I lived through the half gray/half dyed brown hair phase. Now, Pinterest has tons of inspirational pics of gorgeous women who have let their crowning glory shine with shades of silver. See what I'm talking about here:
https://www.pinterest.com/natashamoore144/silver-foxy-women/
I found many pics of mature silver fox couples too. How can you not imagine romance stories for every one of them?
https://www.pinterest.com/natashamoore144/silver-fox-couples/
I'll be adding to these boards often, and I'm starting to set up boards for the individual stories I'm planning. So feel free to follow the boards if you'd like. And of course, sign up for
my mailing list if you'd like to get notifications of my releases.
Natasha
www.natashamoore.com
