Yesterday I had the joy of attending a meeting of senior citizens at their center in my small town. All vaccinated, all well, they have been excited to have the opportunity to get together, socially distanced.
It was an ice cream social, and it was clear that ice cream is a favorite of all ages! The whole group was very enthusiastic.
Guess what else they were enthusiastic about? A big topic was romance novels, and especially sweet ones. I was thrilled to hear their comments, and I thought I’d pass them on.
Most had read romances all of their lives. Which is a really, really long time for some!
Pearl is 100!
Evelyn is 104!
The ages of the rest ranged from 70+ to 96. Lots of experiences here. And lots of books.
They loved Mary Stewart, Jane Austen, early Nora Roberts,
and Francine Rivers. One like more “spicy
stories” and revered Kathleen Woodiwiss.
One read often outside the romance field, and sang the praises of James
Patterson.
Most were fans of the sweeter Harlequin lines (and remember
Silhouette?).
They all preferred a “Paper book”. Most had never had an ebook reader.
What did they like about the books they chose? They loved happy endings, sassy heroines, and
kindly men. They like small town
settings, and a few were in love with stories set in Ireland. They loved a “good story with a pet or two.”
Earlier in life, many had belonged to the month book clubs,
looking forward to their romances coming in the mail. Today, they cherish trips to the library. And
have books on their Christmas lists, And of course, they garner bags of books
for a cheap price at yard sales and used book stores.
Their late life gleaning doesn’t really bring us royalties,
but I have to admit, having these readers gave me great joy.
I left them each with a gift book, and a list of our sweet
romance authors to put on their next gift list, and to check out at the
library.
We’re always excited about finding “new readers” in our world. It was very cool to see that “old readers” are still benefitting from our wholesome stories.
Write on!
Do you have “older readers” in your circles? What are they reading? I’d love to hear!
Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author
of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense. She can be found living
in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and
spending time with her 14 grandchildren. When she’s not
writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients
in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear
from readers and writers!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent
Check out my sweet romance novella, "Christmas with the Carmichaels!" Senior citizens fall in love!
What a wonderful visit for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yes, it was great!
DeleteYes, I'm one of them! I love heroines and heroes who have lived longer than 25 years!
ReplyDelete"Seasoned"by life!
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