Developing a Series
Restless Spirits in Progress
As I work on books two and three of my “Restless Spirits” series, I’ve been trying to learn more about what potential readers might want from late in life romance novels. I’ve long enjoyed the more traditional books that deal with younger characters just starting out in life. Not people more like me, a woman in her sixties, who’ve had a lot of life experience. So I did a Google search on “what readers want from late in life romance novels” and got the following results:
Authentic Representation
Hopeful Midlife Journeys
“Falling in Love” Again
To figure out whether I’m on the right track, I decided to do a quick analysis of the first book in my series: #Passionrestored.
Are my main characters authentic?
Angela Moran is a single woman in her fifties navigating the challenges of working full-time and caring for her elderly mother while dealing with the sometimes worrisome changes in her own aging body. Her life has fallen into a comfortable routine as she spends her free time hanging out with a multi-generational friends group.
Nicholas Samson is a fifty-something divorcee trying to forge his own path after being groomed to take over the family business. He finds himself well outside his comfort zone as he faces the challenges of the project he’s taken on as well as the distance he’s created between himself and his parents.
Are they on a hopeful midlife journey?
The story opens with Angela resigned to the direction her life has taken. While she’s often tired and worried about making ends meet she hasn’t given up on the historic research she now enjoys as a favored pastime than the career path she’d once hoped to pursue. She continues to learn and grow despite all the challenges she’s faced.
Though he escaped the big city and moved to a small town, Nicholas hasn’t disappeared from the spotlight since he voluntarily joined forces with a television network to help fund his new dream. He forges a path forward through all the problems facing his project.
Do they “fall in love” again?
In the beginning, we find that both Angela and Nicholas have fallen out of love with life. Neither are interested in the idea of a romantic relationship when they first meet. The events they face not only bring them together as a couple, but also reignites their passion for life by reminding them of the importance of enjoying every moment before time runs out. The couple seem authentic to their ages, both appear to be on a hopeful midlife journey, and they definitely fall in love again so #Passionrestored feels like a good starting point. Successive installments of the series will flesh out the main thread of life, loss, and love everlasting with the same cast of characters taking turns in the spotlight. As the author, I’m excited to find out where my characters end up.
I plan to keep the above ideas in mind as I continue working on my series. My answers may not match those of potential readers due to our individual life experiences and outlook on the world, so it will be interesting to find out what others think of this world. After all, learning about our differences is what makes both reading and writing so much fun.