Does Age Matter? By Kim Boykin

DOES AGE MATTER?

When I was writing my Tule title, FLIRTING WITH FOREVER, my heroine was of course  beautiful and smart. At the time, I'd read a bunch of romances with mostly twenty-something-year-old heroines, and I wanted different, so I made Tara Jordan 45. 

The setup for the story was fun--Tara's first book, The Perfect Marriage in 30 Days, is at the top of the bestseller lists and her publisher wants her on book tour ASAP. While Tara's about to live her dream, her husband of 15 years has just walked out leaving Tara on the brink of financial ruin with no choice but to promote a marriage self-help book while hers in secretly in ruins. 

I finished the story, sent it to my editor, loving my older protagonist and the fact that she ends up falling for her 30 year old publicist. And then I got back her notes, mostly all good, hardly any changes, except one. 

My editor felt 45 was too old, 40 was pushing it, but I liked idea of a May/December romance where the woman was the December part of the duo. So Tara ended up being 40,  and got her HEA despite her age. 

Granted I write sweet, and Kristen Ashley writes hot, but she is a favorite of mine. I particularly loved her second book in the Magdalene series, SOARING. But mostly I love her because that wasn't the first time she made me fall in love with a 40+ year-old-heroine or hero for that matter.

 Does the hero and heroine's age matter to you? What's your limit, so to speak? If you're over 50, like I am, do you still prefer to read about twenty -something-year-old protagonists?

 Be sure and check out FLIRTING WITH FOREVER. It is a fun story and is going to be set free on Kindle JULY 6-10 ONLY!