Reese Ryan Romance

Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Mindful Banter

Readers Want More Romances with Older Couples. Here’s Why We’re Committed to Writing Them.

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#GrownFolksRomance / #SeasonedRomance Reader Discussion on YouTube

In case you missed the latest episode of my YouTube show, Story Behind the Story, it was another lively, interactive reader and author discussion. This time we talked about romance featuring older protagonists. Particularly the female protagonists which have always tended to skew much younger in romance, even though the average age of readers is 35-39.

Authors Karen Booth, Suzette D Harrison, Sheryl Lister, and reader Lisa Salvary joined me for the livestream discussion.

Representation is everything. That includes seeing female characters who, like us, are older than the typical 20-something romance heroine and have been through a few things.

Karen, Suzette, Sheryl, and I write characters who are typically in their thirties and up. Karen co-founded the group Seasoned Romance with author Maggie Wells (who coined the term). Lisa Salvary founded and runs a Facebook group called Romance in Her Prime.

Watch the show, embedded below to hear:

  • Why we and many of the readers who joined us enjoy reading about couples in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.
  • Find out what a publisher once told Karen Booth when she tried to pitch a story to them with an older heroine.
  • Hear why some of the readers and authors who joined us in the chat prefer to read/write more mature characters.
  • Get lots of recommendations of #GrownFolksRomance.
  • Add your voice to the debate about the best term for romance featuring older character (or whether it requires a term at all).

Watch the replay of the show below and get in on the conversation by leaving a comment. You’ll get lots of #GrownFolksRomance, #GrownAndSexy or #SeasonedRomance book recs from the show and the live chat.

Facebook Groups for Readers Who Enjoy Romance Featuring Older Couples

Check out both the Seasoned Romance and Romance in Her Prime Facebook groups. You’ll get ongoing recommendations, connect with fellow readers of #SeasonedRomance, and discover the authors who are writing them.

Want More #GrownFolksRomance Recs?

Can’t get enough #GrownAndSexyRomance? Or maybe you prefer your romances Seasoned but Sweet. Either way, you’ll find more recs of romances featuring older characters in the conversations below. Click the logo in the embedded tweet. Click the day or date beneath my name on the Facebook post. You’ll be taken to the respective original posts. There you can review the wide-ranging recommendations from fellow readers and authors.

Happy reading!

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

The Making of a Multi-Author Series

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Readers love multi-author series around a single theme or event. Sherelle Green, Sheryl Lister, Angela Seals, and Elle Wright—authors of the Once Upon a Bridesmaid and Once Upon a Baby series—join us to discuss their series and to discuss the creative process behind creating a multi-author series. They’ll also reveal the challenges, benefits, best-practices, and biggest mistakes of developing a multi-author series.

***NOTE: There are some technical and audio issues in this episode. So sorry! But the content these fabulous authors provided is well worth enduring it.***

Where is RWA Today? A Romance Writers of America Q & A with Alyssa Day, LaQuette and C. Chilove

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Last night I had the privilege of hosting a frank, open discussion about the current state of Romance Writers of America with interim president, Alyssa Day, interim secretary, C. Chilove, and Director-at-Large, LaQuette. They gave us a glimpse of all the work that the interim board has been doing to right the ship and rebuild RWA’s reputation with authors, publishers, and readers.

I invited these women to chat with me about what’s going on in RWA because I’d allowed my membership to lapse after the debacle and implosion of the organization at the end of last year. So I had several questions about how the organization is handling the rampant racism and homophobia among its membership that led to what has been termed the #RWAShitShow and decades of the odds being stacked against black women and other authors of color in the judging of the RITA awards—which have now been abolished and replaced.

Listen to the playback to find out what practical steps the organization has taken to tackle bigotry and homophobia within its ranks and prevent marginalized authors from being discriminated against or feeling unwelcome or unsafe in the national organization, in local chapters, or on the community of practice forums.

As you listen to the playback, we invite you to share your thoughts on what you heard in the comments section of the video. If you enjoyed the discussion and found value in it, be sure to hit the LIKE button. If you’d like to hear other author discussions, check out my past conversations with authors like Kennedy Ryan, Farrah Rochon, Olivia Dade, and Vanessa Riley in my #StoryBehindTheStory Playlist. And hit SUBSCRIBE to be the first to know about future author discussions.

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Where is RWA Today? A Romance Writers of America Q & A with Alyssa Day, LaQuette and C. Chilove

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Last year the romance writers trade organization Romance Writers of America essentially blew up due to a series of events that stemmed from long-standing issues of racism and inequities suffered by LGBTQ authors and authors of color—particularly Black authors. When the dust settled, the entire Board of Directors was gone, and a Special Election was held in March of 2020 where an a new slate was elected.

Fast forward three months. Many former members—like myself—would like to see the organization succeed. We’re also feeling a bit gun shy and many of us are standing on the sidelines taking a wait and see approach.

The idea for this chat was born out of my personal interest in getting an update on what’s been going on behind the scenes since the installation of the new board. The purpose of this discussion is to get a snapshot of where the organization is right now and where the board sees it heading. It will be a positive, constructive conversation to discuss recent board decisions and to learn about the board’s future plans for the organization.

3 Tips for Researching Your Historical Novel with Author Vanessa Riley

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Historical author Vanessa Riley stops by on Friday night to chat with us about her brand new historical release—A Duke, The Lady, and A Baby—to give us the #StoryBehindTheStory. Then she’ll share three tips for doing the research necessary to create a historical novel that feels authentic to the time period in which it is set.

The Story Behind 40-Love: A Conversation with Author Olivia Dade

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Author Olivia Dade will pop round for a visit to give us the #StoryBehindTheStory on her latest release 40-Love and discuss why representation for plus-size characters matters in romance and should be done thoughtfully. Learn more about Olivia Dade by visiting her website: https://oliviadade.com/. We’ll get insight into the characters and story and learn more about the author behind 40-Love

The Story Behind The Boyfriend Project: a Conversation with Author Farrah Rochon

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Author Farrah Rochon will join us for a live #BookChat on Friday, June 12th at 2 PM. She’ll give us the #StoryBehindTheStory on her latest release The Boyfriend Project,. This highly-anticipated book has been all the buzz, named to several book lists, including Entertainment Weekly’s Best Books to Read in June 2020, Library Reads, and a featured May Book of the Month. We’ll get insight into the characters and story and learn more about the author behind The Boyfriend Project.

The Story Behind QUEEN MOVE: a Conversation with Bestselling Author Kennedy Ryan

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USA Today Bestselling and RITA® Award Winning author Kennedy Ryan joins us to share the #StoryBehindTheStory of her powerful new release, QUEEN MOVE. She also gives us an exclusive, sharing what she is working on next.

Join Me Over on YouTube

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For the past two years I’ve been pondering the development of either an author podcast of YouTube channel. I decided to go with Door #2, and now feels like the right time to feel the fear and do it anyway. So I’ve posted the first video and the channel is here: https://bit.ly/ReeseRyanChannel.

You can watch the video below. Look forward to fun content and collaborations with some of my favorite authors who are likely some of your favorite authors, too.

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.