Today
on First Kiss Friday, we welcome romance author, Peter Perrin, and an excerpt
from his Contemporary Romance, “Grace's Turmoil (Book One of Not Too Old for
Love).”
The
inspiration behind my writing
Almost five years ago, my granddaughter self-published
two novels on Amazon, at the age of fourteen. I was impressed with this and
decided to try writing a novel myself. I thought that if she wasn’t too young
to be published maybe I wasn’t too old. Also, I thought it would be a good
mental exercise for my then sixty-nine-year-old brain. How much exercise I
could never have imagined.
I believed the younger generation thought most people
over the age of sixty had one foot in the grave, and were just killing time
until the grim reaper claimed them. But, I knew that wasn’t the case for many
people, so I looked for a way to write something to show them in a positive
light.
Even though at this time I had never read any romance novels I decided to write a romance, with the hero and heroine both being over sixty. And, I came up with the idea of my characters being residents at a retirement village that was pretty much a private 5* hotel. There was a lot of scope for activities and relationships and I was sure the idea would work.
Even though at this time I had never read any romance novels I decided to write a romance, with the hero and heroine both being over sixty. And, I came up with the idea of my characters being residents at a retirement village that was pretty much a private 5* hotel. There was a lot of scope for activities and relationships and I was sure the idea would work.
Unfortunately, I had virtually no previous writing
experience or training and no idea about planning, etc. So, the book started
off as a series of conversations, and developed from there. My inexperience
meant that sometimes I ran into a dead-end with the plot line. Then I had to
throw away material as the story just didn’t work properly. This meant the book
took a lot longer than I had expected it to.
Before I started on the novel proper I created
separate Character Portraits for both the heroine and hero. Then I created
virtual interviews with them. Also I looked at how certain star signs are
supposed to work together, or not. From that I came up with the idea the
heroine would be a Pisces and the hero would be Aries.
Astrologically it is claimed that for these two signs
when their minds link it is magical. They stimulate each other, both in sexual
and non-sexual ways. And they are also inclined to irritate each other. This
gave me a strong feeling for how they would get on in the story and why at
times they wouldn’t.
My decision to set my book in a retirement village was a brave one. It meant that much of the action would either be based there, or start or finish there. But, I felt that by doing so I had a perfect excuse to have so many mature people in one location, trying to get along with one another. And in some cases, they would be trying to do a lot more than that. I went to visit a retirement village and was impressed by the facilities. It was that establishment that gave me the idea of having my imaginary village (The Grange) set in a seventeenth-century mansion that had been converted into a modern retirement complex with first-class facilities.
My decision to set my book in a retirement village was a brave one. It meant that much of the action would either be based there, or start or finish there. But, I felt that by doing so I had a perfect excuse to have so many mature people in one location, trying to get along with one another. And in some cases, they would be trying to do a lot more than that. I went to visit a retirement village and was impressed by the facilities. It was that establishment that gave me the idea of having my imaginary village (The Grange) set in a seventeenth-century mansion that had been converted into a modern retirement complex with first-class facilities.
As the book developed so I came to know my
characters—especially the main ones—and began to think of them as real people.
At times I could really feel them interacting together as if I was present as
an observer. At times I felt quite emotional when reading back some of what I’d
written and that made me feel I must be doing something right. But the
highlights were when, on several occasions, I looked over what I had written
and thought ‘that wasn’t supposed to happen’ or ‘I never meant them to say
that’. I had experienced what I had previously only heard about; my characters
had written part of the story themselves. What a remarkable and deeply
satisfying feeling that was.
I submitted a sample chapter to a publisher to see if
it fitted with the sort of work they published, and it did. After a year of
rewriting and polishing the manuscript I submitted it and fifteen months ago I
won a publishing contract. Now, aged almost seventy-four, my debut novel,
‘Grace’s Turmoil’ has been published by Devine Destinies as Book One of a
series called ‘Not Too Old for Love.’ And it is available from Amazon, both as
an eBook and in paperback.
It seems that over recent years more and more readers
of romance had become frustrated that all the heroines they read about were
aged about twenty, whilst they themselves were on average at least ten years
older. They were looking for heroines they could identify with. Women who had
life experience and carried emotional baggage with them. Women who had
experienced the pain of becoming a widow, or experiencing a painful divorce. In
short, real women.
Unfortunately the book was finished before I knew so many romance readers felt like that, so I guess I’m lucky that my instincts drove me to write about the sort of people I did. Now it seems that there are a growing number of authors writing for this new market, which seems to be being referred to as Seasoned Romance, Second Chance Romance, and the like. I’m proud to be a part of that growing band of authors trying to respond to this demand.
Unfortunately the book was finished before I knew so many romance readers felt like that, so I guess I’m lucky that my instincts drove me to write about the sort of people I did. Now it seems that there are a growing number of authors writing for this new market, which seems to be being referred to as Seasoned Romance, Second Chance Romance, and the like. I’m proud to be a part of that growing band of authors trying to respond to this demand.
This started out to be one stand-alone novel, but
people who critiqued it along the way wanted certain characters to get their
own book(s) later, so I decide to try my hand at creating a series in which
each of the books would be stand-alone, but would be linked by at least one
character from a previous book. There have certainly been enough interesting
characters created to lead to another two books. This is exciting for me but
has the downside that I’m going to have to write much quicker, and more
efficiently in the future to make this possible. But, at least I have now made a start on book
two.
Wish me luck.
First Kiss Excerpt
They’d finished
watching the first episode of Poldark. Alfred
was feeling completely relaxed and comfortable in Grace’s company. He was aware
she only wanted friendship, and even that seemed difficult for her right then.
Still, he found it hard to accept they could only be friends. In fact—because
she was so beguiling—his plan to play the
field already lay in tatters. And he knew he wanted much more than she was
offering—regardless of how long he had to wait for it.
Indeed, so strong was his
attraction to her, he felt compelled to kiss her. He knew she would not want
him to—but he believed it was sometimes easier to say sorry than it was to get
permission. “Grace,” he murmured, and she turned to look into his eyes. He
caressed her face with the fingertips of one hand. Then he brushed his lips
against hers in the softest of kisses.
Grace jumped and pulled away
from him. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?”
Alfred rubbed one hand over
his face and let out a deep sigh. “I’m so sorry. The kiss wasn’t planned. I was
overcome by a sudden need to do it. Please tell me I haven’t offended you.”
Grace pressed her lips
together and shook her head slowly. “No…I’m not offended, but I am a tad
disappointed…given what I told you about my emotional state after my divorce.”
Alfred hitched a breath and
hung his head. He had let his desire put any future relationship with Grace at
risk. With tenderness, he enveloped both her tiny hands in his and spoke softly
to her. “There’s no point in denying that I feel a strong attraction to you.
And I’m sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“Yes, it does. But if you
can promise to behave yourself in future, I’ll try to be your friend.”
A feeling of great relief
surged through Alfred’s body. It looked as if he had not put Grace off
altogether. Still, it was clear he was going to have to be much more
circumspect in future. “Thank you, dear lady. You have my word as an officer
and a gentleman that I will behave with absolute integrity in future.”
“Thank you. Even so, we
should call it a night.”
Shuffling his feet, Alfred
tugged at his beard before speaking. “Fair enough, my dear. But before we do, I
must ask if you’ll let me buy you breakfast in the bistro tomorrow. By way of a peace offering, so to speak.”
Grace tipped her head to one side. She appeared to be giving his
offer consideration. “Well now, let me see…”
“Grace’s Turmoil” is available through:
Connect
with Peter Perrin
Thanks for having me Bonny. The sequel to Grace's Turmoil is finally underway.
ReplyDeleteYou are a remarkable man who has accomplished a remarkable feat - and produced an admirable story. I'm so glad to hear you're starting a sequel! You go for it, Peter!
ReplyDelete