HAPPY TO FIND THIS GROUP

[Tammy]

Hello! So happy to have found this group. I'm an author of a clean "light" romance series called the Hometown Harbor Series. It is difficult to find these type of novels and I enjoy writing and reading them. Great to connect with readers who appreciate more of a PG book. I also tend to write characters who are approaching middle age, rather than young women. I'd love to hear from any of you, especially if you've taken the time to read my series. I'm looking forward to finding some new authors to read. Thanks for having me!

[Lynne]

Hi there. :-)

[Rachelle]

Hi Tammy! I'll have to check your series out--I've started increasing the heroines' ages from 20s to 30s in my books and my sweet series features a senior citizens group as secondary characters.

[Tammy]

Lynne wrote: "Hi there. :-)"

Hi Lynne-I see you also write! Fun to connect with you.

[Tammy]

Rachelle wrote: "Hi Tammy! I'll have to check your series out--I've started increasing the heroines' ages from 20s to 30s in my books and my sweet series features a senior citizens group as secondary characters."

Hi Rachelle--thanks for letting me know about your books. I love the senior citizen idea!!

[C.]

Hi Tammy and Rachelle, nice to see two more authors of "clean" romance, since that is the kind I look for.

Also like the sound of the lovers being older than young adults, Rachelle. I enjoy the couples in their 20's too, but it's also nice with older couples. Just don't like the hero over 5 years older than the heroine.

Wishing you both much success with your writing! :D

[Tammy]

C. wrote: "Hi Tammy and Rachelle, nice to see two more authors of "clean" romance, since that is the kind I look for.

Also like the sound of the lovers being older than young adults, Rachelle. I enjoy the c..."

Thanks so much! I have a hard time relating to 20's and even 30's the older I get!!

[Darlene]

Welcome Tammy! I write sweet contemporary romance. Most of my heroines are in their twenties or thirties, but my books have kids and grandparents as well, who play a major role.
Wishing you much writing success!

[Abigail]

I love the idea of focusing on older main characters! A much-overlooked demographic group for romance, and I imagine you must find that it offers you the opportunity to enrich your plots with the complexities of life rather than simply “will they or won’t they get together.”

One of the most delightful Austenesque romantic comedies I ever read was Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Marantz Cohen, which was Pride and Prejudice among retirees. It has been a number of years since I read it so I can’t remember if there are any sex scenes, though I believe not, only elliptical references.

[Tammy]

Darlene wrote: "Welcome Tammy! I write sweet contemporary romance. Most of my heroines are in their twenties or thirties, but my books have kids and grandparents as well, who play a major role.
Wishing you much wr..."

Hi Darlene, I love your books with the baked goods and recipe theme...can't wait to read one. Thanks for connecting!

[Tammy]

Abigail wrote: "I love the idea of focusing on older main characters! A much-overlooked demographic group for romance, and I imagine you must find that it offers you the opportunity to enrich your plots with the c..."

Hi Abigail, Thanks for the book recommendation. What you said about older main character is spot on...much more to life for them, so they are more interesting to me. Love to hear from you if you try the first book. Thanks so much for reaching out to me.

[Lynne]

Tammy wrote: "Hi Lynne-I see you also write! Fun to connect with you."

Good to see you too! I hope your series does well. :-)

[Groovy]

Welcome, Tammy

Like you, I LOVE writing clean romance. A few of my books include very mild love scenes between my married couples, but have decided that I will no longer include that for a few reasons. I write clean romance, suspense, and romantic suspense.

My characters are usually in their middle 30's. Would you consider that old enough?:) But like Darlene stated above, there are always grandmothers and children in them. From reading the threads here, I'd like to consider making future characters a bit older, not too much--lol!

All the best on your writing. Keep us all up to date:)

[Tammy]

Groovy wrote: "Welcome, Tammy

Like you, I LOVE writing clean romance. A few of my books include very mild love scenes between my married couples, but have decided that I will no longer include that for a few rea..."

Thanks for the welcome! I'll be checking out your novels. The last character I did was in her middle 30's. My series focuses more on friendship and the challenges my characters face and how they overcome them. So much fun! Enjoy the week ahead.

[Jessica]

Very happy to have found this group as well. I am currently finishing a novella with this exact concept in mind — romance without sex scenes. It's nice to know there's a market for this!

[Groovy]

Thank you, Tammy:)

And welcome, Jessica. I agree with you and Tammy. When I first began publishing my books, I thought I had to put sex scenes, albeit mild ones, in my storyline because there was not a lot of interest in clean writing. I felt pressured and uncomfortable, too.

But now I'm so glad that there is a market for clean romances; and I realize you can have love, friendship, overcoming challenges, and create PASSION without the bedroom scenes. I wish I could go back and take the scenes out of a few of my books, but:
1. They're so mild
2. They're still so mild, the reader won't be offended and they're easy to just skip over.
3. I'm working on two books at once, and just don't have the time:)

When I'm done with my current projects, I plan to check out yours and Tammy's books, since these are the kind of books I love to read!

Happy writing, everyone!!