Synchronicity by Michael E. Gonzales

I have been writing since before the turn of the century. My first manuscripts were saved on floppy disks (if you aren’t aware of 3.5-inch floppies, ask your parents).

I began writing after seeing a movie with my wife and commenting as we came out, “I believe I could have written a better story.”

She replied, “Yeah? Do it.”

After a time, wherein which I read a number of books on the art of writing, I came to enjoy the process. Exercising the mind, the imagination, even the research, editing, and rewriting.

As I look back to 2016, I marvel and my extreme good fortune to have been published.

Initially the thought of publishing my stories never even entered my mind. When my wife encouraged me to make the attempt, I did. Sending query letters to publishers throughout the US and several in the UK.

No one would have considered it possible that I would, through a pure act of synchronicity, find a publisher right here in Oklahoma City.

I cannot possibly explain the euphoria I felt when signing that first contract. Nor the incredulity of seeing my name on the cover of my first published book.

I’ll never know how many people have read my stories, but if one person truly enjoyed one of them then I am ecstatic. I am fortunate to have received reviews both on Amazon and via email from many happy readers. I know you are all aware what a great pleasure it is to receive these.

So, on this all hallows eve, I sit not with visions of vampires and monsters on my mind, rather I bask in the glow of my small success with my stories of…monsters and vampires. I dream yet of adventures in space, explorers on Mars,

great battles among the stars,

and of witches and warlocks battling for supremacy and falling in love for their troubles.

I have my wife to thank for pushing me. And Jef, Michelle, Jessica, Cheryl, and countless friends who cheered me on.

Before me there opens a dark passage with countless twists and turns. There are pitfalls too, but also stairwells that can lead one to the stars, and beyond.  

Into that yawning maw I will proceed. I trust that good fortune precedes me, luck accompanies me, and hope that Carl Jung was right!

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Mike

Seasoned Romance

According to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of ageism is "prejudice or discrimination on the ground's of a person's age." Sadly, ageism is alive and well in our culture. It seems that once a person hits fifty or so, their knowledge and life skills are no longer as valued simply because they are no longer twenty-something, which seems odd to me. Each stage of life comes with its own learning, building on the knowledge and experiences gained in the years preceding. The older members of society are those with the most varied experiences so why not learn from them rather than treat them as somehow less simply because they are ageing? After all, it happens to all of us, if we live long enough.

I will be the first to admit that, at times, I have been more than a little naive. When I first became aware of ageism, it took me by surprise. It was something that had never played a part in my life. My parents were in their late thirties when they had me and I grew up surrounded by older/elderly people. Honestly, it was always easier for me to relate to older people than it was to people my own age and I never thought less of any of them simply because of their age. When I was in middle school I heard a class mate bemoaning how old his grandparents were. I was surprised when I realized that my parents were the age of his grandparents! When I contacted my sons to remind them of my father's 90th birthday my youngest responded with "No one ever believes me when I tell them how old my grandparents are." 😂

As a  romance writer, it pains me to say it but ageism is very much alive and well in the world of romance. Most romances feature heroines in their twenties - maybe every now and then, even one in her thirties. But older than that? Please, say it isn't so. *fans away a case of the vapors* Admittedly, I'm just as guilty as any other romance author. To date, only one of my stories, Saved by the Belle, has featured a heroine in her fifties. (And honestly, Dot is one of my favorite heroines so far.) But, I have discovered a Seasoned Romance group dedicated to fighting this trend and helping publishers to see that readers want stories with older characters. After all, those of us on the seasoned side of life can better identify with characters of our own age, facing the same trials and tribulations we have faced. And, after all, love isn't only for the young.

Image courtesy of www.depositphotos.com

So, if you want to join the battle - or just find books with seasoned love stories - join the Seasoned Romance group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/958318970951705/ If you are an author and are a member of Romance Writers of America, there is even a new chapter for writers of seasoned romances.

 As for me, I'll be doing my part. I have several stories planned with heroines in their forties, fifties, and even sixties. This is not to say that there won't still be heroines in their twenties because, well, there will. My characters tend to show up fully fledged, they are who they are, age included. My secret desire is to write a post-apocalyptic romance with a fifty-something heroine kicking butt and saving the world. She has survived divorce and menopause so nothing so simple as the end of the world as we know it is going to ruffle her feathers. Maybe someday...

Until next month, Happy Fall Y'all!

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