Ron Critchfield asked Marilyn Foxworthy:

I'm curious as to who you see as your typical reader? I know it's aimed at adults but was wondering if it skewed younger or older, male or female?

Marilyn Foxworthy Thank you for that question! The answer is, I don't know. When I started writing, I didn't ever expect to have any readers at all, so the typical reader was going to be Mrs. Cupcupboard, the crazy fortuneteller from the movie, A Dark and Stormy Night, who was comfortable seeing invisible balloon mice and shooing them away from the dinner table. I wrote the books and read them myself. On a lark, I published one and it kind of took off and I found that I had actual fans. Some people said that the books weren't very realistic and no one really talks like that - and I try to point out that that's why they are called Fantasy.

But back to your question: I expect that my readers are men or women, young or old, who enjoy a vicarious romp and want to escape for a while to relax. In some ways I think that my stories might appeal to people who either remember a day when paperbacks cost under fifty cents and were often published as serials in magazines. People who wish that they made "young Adult" adventures for actual adults. And people with a sense of humor who aren't bothered that my stories are revealed primarily through dialog. Keep in mind that some of my more philosophical topics won't be interesting to a lot of younger people because they haven't started to explore the topics of looking for our true selves yet. The characters go through internal crises that may need some years of experience to appreciate.

As I say in the preface to every book, there is a fair amount of allegory if you want to approach the story that way. When we dream, most of the characters are actually aspects of ourselves. My books are very much that way, if you read them that way. The main character is processing both male and female aspects and trying to help all of those parts integrate.

It seems that the majority of my readers may be men. And many of them seem to appreciate the topics and think that the sex is pretty fun too. My favorite reviews of my books are the ones that say things like "This was strangely weird, but I couldn't put it down." When one of them says that they found thoughtful topics and felt encouraged to be happier and more helpful and kinder to others, I love it. How does a trashy romance novel do that? Make someone feel good? It makes me feel good that some of my fans feel that way.

Some people hate that and they aren't the right audience at all.

Like I say in the preface, this is Tom Swift for adults.

Thank you again for asking. Please do read the preface and warnings before you decide to go farther. I hope you truly find what you are looking for.

Happy trolls,
Marilyn

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