Romance Author Peter Perrin Interview
~ Never Too Old for Love ~
Awesome romance author Peter Perrin writes contemporary romance set in a retirement village. In our interview, he shares his life experiences and why he choose to write romance.
Welcome Peter,
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sure. I’m a seventy-three-year-old husband, father, and grandfather. I was born in England but have lived and worked in Aden, Singapore, Madagascar and Saudi Arabia.
Apart from writing, my interests are carp fishing, online computer games, and PS4 games.
I was inspired to try to write a novel when my then fourteen-year-old granddaughter published two novels on Amazon, and I thought I’d see if I could write a novel myself.
Is writing something that comes easy to you or not?
If only! I started writing my debut novel some four years ago, having previously only written some poetry and some short stories for my kids. Those kids are now aged 40 to 48 so I was seriously out of practice. It took me two years to really get writing properly and then another two years to complete the novel.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I wanted to write something that would show older people in a positive light. Something that would go against the popular misconception that older people can’t have romance, relationships, and sex in their lives. So, a romance it had to be. But, not an ordinary romance. No, it was to be a seasoned romance featuring older characters with life experience and emotional baggage. Characters that mature readers of romance could identify with, who had been widowed or divorced and yet were still willing to take a chance on love. Hence the heroine is sixty-eight and divorced, and the hero seventy-one and widowed.
Can you tell us about any other upcoming books, series, or writing plans?
Sure. Originally the idea was for one book titled, Not Too Old for Love. But, as the book neared completion I was so enjoying writing it I wanted to give some of the minor characters their own books. Indeed, my critique partner asked me if I would give their own book to two characters she particularly loved. I plan on doing that, but not together. So that means not just one other book but two.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
Short of science fiction, I believe all fiction is based at least in part on the author’s real-life experiences, albeit subconsciously sometimes. I’ve drawn a little on my experiences in the Royal Air Force, and there is also one scene directly based on the monthly matinée club dances at my local community center.
How did you come up with the title?
Well it started off as Not Too Old for Love, which I thought was intriguing and appropriate to the theme. Then I thought about it leading to a series, and was going to make it Not Too Old for Love: Grace’s Turmoil. But, my publisher told me the book name had to take priority on the cover. So, it became Grace’s Turmoil: Not Too Old for Love, Book 1.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Both. The book takes place in a retirement village and it will be interesting for readers of book 1 to be able to follow the story of some of the minor characters as they develop into major characters in later books. The theme is to show that older people can have love, romance, and relationships after the flush of youth has faded. I might even find room in a later book for an even older pairing up.
Grace’s Turmoil
by Peter Perrin
Divorced and emotionally damaged, artist Grace Stollery wants nothing more than to spend her semi-retirement painting and let time heal her emotional scars.
But when dashing widower Alfred Nobel moves into her retirement village, he turns her life upside down and her heart inside out by awakening feelings she wants to keep dormant.
Alfred quickly sets out to woo Grace and slowly she warms to him. But the village’s resident femme fatale wants him for herself. Will she succeed in driving a wedge between Alfred and Grace?
Buy Links
AMAZON | B & N
More about Peter Perrin
Peter Perrin was born in Romford, Essex, England, in 1944. He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) when he was just fifteen and during almost fifteen years service served in the U.K, Aden, Madagascar, and Singapore. Post RAF he worked in Saudi Arabia for a year. Since then he has worked mainly in Engineering, but was also a Purchasing Manager for many years.
He has been retired for eight years and lives with his wife of almost forty years in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He is a father and grandfather. Peter has come to writing late in life, at the age of seventy-three, and writes sweet, seasoned romances.
His plan is for his debut novel, Grace’s Turmoil, to be the first in a series called Not Too Old for Love, where all the characters will be aged at least sixty. He knows that older people can still have fun, romance, and even sex. And as there is a growing demand by romance readers for characters who are aged thirty plus and have life experience and emotional baggage he wants to help them get their wish.
Apart from writing, Peter’s interests are carp fishing, and PC and PlayStation games.
His favourite quote is “Youth passes, but with luck, immaturity can last a lifetime.”
Glad you enjoyed the interview. I’ll have a look at Felicity’s Power. Shame about the negative review. If that critic has that view what would they make of Grace’s Turmoil with a heroine of 68 and a hero of 71. And I read a book recently (One Last Dance I think) with I believe a heroine of 69 and a hero of 79, and they have a relationship.
If you’re on Goodreads you might want to join my new group ‘Seasoned Romance). I plan a couple of sequels and maybe one with an older women (80s).
Thanks, Lisa. I found it surprisingly fun to write about romance and relationships for characters aged over 60. Hopefully there will be a couple of sequels.
What a wonderful interview. The book sounds fascinating, Peter, and the setting is quite unusual. I will certainly have a read. It’s about time that romance came of age. I also write romance with older characters. For me, people who have experienced life, who have taken risks, won some battles, lost others, are far more interesting than younger heroes and heroines who are just starting out, quoting the latest song lyrics, trying their hand at business (usually baking cakes, cookies or chocolates), and squabbling with mothers who demand they settle down. Particularly annoying, is when authors have the newly formed romantic couple immediately start making babies, as if this is the only successful conclusion to love (although, too often, it’s more of a duty, a chore, and a stress that leads to divorce.)
This might amuse you, Peter: in my book Felicity’s Power, in which both hero and heroine are in their sixties, one critic said that the idea of main characters who are that old and still having sex might be offensive to some readers.
Good interview Q&A. Age should not matter, but often in romance novels, the tendency is to have younger couples. This is the first one that I have read that takes place in a retirement village. I am glad that romance can happen at any age! Thanks, Peter, for showing us that it is also “not too late” to become an author.