I wonder if you know about the new fiction created with those of us over 40 in mind. I ran into this genre by chance, so I thought I should tell others. There’s a very cool British publishing house: Transita Publishing (www.transita.co.uk) that specializes in “fiction written for women over 45.”
Transita publishes contemporary fiction that provides insight, inspiration and encouragement to those in the prime of their lives. Their tag line is: “Giving heroines and writers over 45 a voice.”
Would you like an example? I ordered Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard, and utterly enjoyed it! This review summarizes it well for me:
“A book about madness, memory and mountaineering that defies categorisation. The book’s narrative style is spare and kaleidoscopic; the plot layered in time like an archeological dig. It is a novel interspersed with poems, a study of the relationship between madness and creativity, and above all, a love story – filled with passion and paint-stripping honesty.”
“Emotional Geology” is now on the short list for the “PURE PASSION” Award from the Romantic Novelists Association! Unfortunately, it’s tough to find a copy here in the U.S. unless you order directly from them. They are happy to send you their catalog, etc.
I didn’t know this was an actual movement in fiction, to attend to the needs of the ‘older’ reader, but I think it’s a grand idea! There was an article in TIME magazine in February 2006 called “It’s Good To Be Gray.” They call this ‘gray literature’ which I dislike. Haven’t these people heard of hair coloring???
I’ve contacted Nikki Read, Transita’s editorial director a few times by e-mail. She’s friendly and accessible. She says: “Midlife is no longer a gradual decline to old age; it’s a time to start again. We want that to be reflected in the literature of our time.”
WRITE on Linda and Nikki!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree, “gray literature” has no ring to it and even sounds insulting. Does not even begin to describe the richness and diversitiy possible in this genre. But “Clairol Lit” doesn’t quite work either. Thanks for bringing attention to this! I remember well the TIME magazine article you mention; I’m glad to be living now and able to be a part of this fascinating movement!
Hey, I just heard a great line: “Does this blog make me look fat???”
Glad to hear you enjoyed EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY. I’m the author! Transita fiction is hard to categorise because the books are as different as the women who wrote them and they appeal to younger women as well as mature women because they are good stories. The heroines are feisty, resourceful, funny and passionate women who have great stories to tell. (Oh, and we do some great heroes too.
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You’re right Linda. Most anyone would love this story!
I loved it on so many levels, the climbing angle, the artist angle and the great love story!
Please write more like this!
Thanks for the encouragement, Midlifecrisisqueen! I re-invented myself as a novelist at the age of 53 after my health broke down as a result of stress and overwork as a teacher. My 3rd novel STAR GAZING will be published in May in the UK by Piatkus and it has something in common with EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY. The heroine is 45, blind and fiercely independent. It’s set partly on another Scottish island, the Isle of Skye (where I live) and there’s another hunky Highland hero. I’m hoping this one will be my breakthrough novel. I was very sorry to give up teaching but I have found another vocation. One door closes and another opens…
Hi, I’m another Transita author – my books are Pond Lane and Paris, An Old Fashioned Arrangement, light-hearted with hidden depths, I hope. Thanks for mentioning Transita, Midlifecrisisqueen. Some people call the genre Hen Lit – one of the more polite terms, but, as Linda says, all the books are different. What they have in common is an older heroine.
I believe you can order books from the UK free of postage via the Book Depository
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk