Is there a place for Geezer Lit? Hmm. It sounds moldy, stagnant, and well worthy of a yawn, and yet, I believe there’s room for Geezer Lit in this world of sound bites and homogenized sequels—or at least there should be.
Why? The older I get, the less I tolerate bullish*t, and that’s an admirable quality in a writer. Forget being PC. Forget the zeitgeist. Forget bowing to gatekeepers. I’m a geezer, and I want to tell stories from my heart.
It’s a time thing. When you have less of it in front of you than behind you, you realize there is no time left to waste, and you steer away from trends and move towards the truth—or at least your truth. If you don’t believe me, wait a few years.
I’m writing a contemporary cozy mystery series set in the Pacific Northwest driven by a head-strong retired nurse named Anna Maple (Anna Maple Cozy Mysteries). They say readers will read stories about younger people but not older people, so to be honest I wonder if I will sell enough copies to pay for the covers. But at the same time, the main characters haunt my mind. They’re a lively bunch of mature people who have stories to tell. Anna’s not a sweet old lady like Agatha Christie’s Miss. Marple; she’s an outspoken modern woman with a keen understanding of people.
What do you think? Do you like reading stories with mature characters? What is your favorite book in this genre? I’d love to hear from you below, or directly (jo@jo-anncarson.com).
The Anna Maple Cozy Mystery Series
The Nanaimo Bar Christmas Mystery (chapters drop on Fridays)
For Whom the Hounds Howl (Kickstarter campaign will start in the fall)
One Cookie Short of Christmas (December)
Notes:
Images created on Canva.com
the bookmarks are part of my Kickstarter campaign
I'm in my sixties and really enjoy your geezer's and can relate to quite a few of your predicaments you write in your books they make me smile and that's very important. I hope to be able to read many more in the future. Kat from Ottawa. ☺️
Being as I am probably older than you, I have less patience too. I love reading about characters of a certain age, and have less patience for the angst and waffling of younger MC's, although I do enjoy a lot of YA lit, ,mostly s/f and fantasy but for some reason cosy mysteries seem to require a little more life experience to be enjoyable, but I never was a Nancy Drew fan LOL