Carolyn Clarke: On Creating HENLIT CENTRAL
Welcome to Hen Lit Central!
I started this blog because I imagine there’s an entire genre that’s underrepresented in the literary world — and it’s us, middle-aged women (looking for mature, and unadulterated fun) who are missing out! If you’ve been to your local bookstore or hit up Amazon or Goodreads lately, you’ve surely been confronted with the awesome marketing machine that is chick lit. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with chick lit or the amount of exposure it’s received. They often feature strong female protagonists, although many of them are single millennials swiping left in their search for love, struggling for independence, or on a noble quest for political correctness.
But what if you’re a 40-plus woman who’s dealt with all her childhood traumas and who’s never heard of Tinder? What if you’re in the mood for a fun and light-hearted read, but just aren’t interested in the frivolous romps and adventures of a 20-something? We need something to bridge the gap. And this is where hen lit comes in.
In my little corner of the Internet, I’ve decided to join the crusade for hen lit, although maybe we can come up with a better name. We definitely want strong female protagonists, but we also want to read about more than just what it’s like to live in the big city with a terrible boss and wandering lover. Instead, we want to read about issues that reflect our reality. So, meaningless jobs, failing marriages, MIA kids and aging parents (aka, the sandwich generation). Give us anything except first jobs, first romances, and anything else we hens have already dealt with and (gladly) moved beyond.
And while many of us don’t like being referred to as ‘hens’, whatever they call us, we’re definitely the ultimate untapped market. We’re active, healthy, literate, and we’ve got money to spend. On top of this, roughly 3.5 million baby boomers are retiring each year; with Gen X not far behind. So that means we have all the time in the world to read. The problem is, there just isn’t enough available for those of us who want something more relevant, but not too heavy. What chick lit authors and publishers must recognize is that their audience is aging.
The good news is we might be heading in that direction. Hollywood seems to be getting it. There’s an increasing number of movies and series featuring mature stars and related topics. Just think about shows like Grace and Frankie and movies like Book Club or Gloria Bell. Let’s face it — these days, older is in. And I must admit, some publishers might be getting on the bandwagon too when it comes to featuring older protagonists, like Allie…ahem…in my book, And Then There’s Margaret. I’ve also had the extreme pleasure of interviewing some best-selling authors with one or more light-hearted books with older MCs under their belts such as Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes, Crazy to Leave You by Marilyn Simon Rothstein and coming up soon, Maddie Dawson and her new book, Snap Out of It. Be sure to check out henlitcentral to get your fill of life and lit for women over 40 and read what some of these authors are saying about where they see hen lit in ten years, given the ongoing popularity of chick lit.
Check out And Then There’s Margaret on Amazon US
Carolyn Clarke is the founder and curator of HenLit Central, a blog focused on ‘life and lit’ for women over 40. And Then There’s Margaret is her first novel. She has been an ESL teacher for over sixteen years and has co-authored several articles and resources with Cambridge University Press, MacMillan Education and her award-winning blog ESL Made Easy. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her partner, Tony, her two daughters and a bulldog, Sophie.
You can find her here:
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AND THEN THERE IS MARGARET (KINDLE DEAL IN USA!)
For fans of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go Bernadette or Camille Pagan’s I’m Fine and Neither Are You, comes the perfect laugh-out-loud dramedy AND THEN THERE’S MARGARET about marriage, midlife and a controlling, manipulative and self-absorbed mother-in-law thrown into the mix. MULTI-AWARD-WINNING debut novel, AND THEN THERE’S MARGARET, takes readers on a relatable and hilarious ride, as Allie realizes the only way to survive the angst of family is to let go….and let be.
“Perfect for women’s fiction books club wanting to explore complex and turbulent family relationships. It’s a playful coming of (middle-age) novel.” –IndieReader
When Allison Montgomery’s beloved father-in-law and long-time confidant passes away, her mother-in-law, Margaret, ‘temporarily’ moves in. From rearranging the furniture and taking over the kitchen, to undermining and embarrassing Allie at every turn, including funding her daughter’s escape, throwing a hissy fit at the mall, and publicly equating Allie’s glass of Chardonnay to full blown alcoholism, Margaret turns Allie’s life upside down causing her to bounce between a sincere desire to support her grieving mother-in-law and an intense urge to simply push her out of the nearest window.
Feeling annoyed, trapped and even a little childish, Allie struggles to avoid a complete meltdown with help from her fearless and audacious best friend, a plan for reinventing herself and enjoying a second act, and, yes, a few glasses of Chardonnay. Along the way, Allie discovers the reasons behind Margaret’s attitude toward her all these years. Does it help? Maybe…
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Category: On Writing
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Just bought your book, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, because I’ve been banging on about hen lit for a while. In fact, it’s one of my shelves on Goodreads. My debut novel is coming out, at some venerable age, and I wrote it with older women in mind, because they are an underserved part of the market. And people who’ve read early copies absolutely love one of the side characters, who’s 90! So I’m writing a story about her too. We have to redress the balance somehow!