Morning everyone! Today I'm bringing you Jennifer Lynne. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a fantasy buff and covers get me. Jennifer has another cover that I took one look at and said, "Must have her on the blog!" So she's here today talking about her new release, Educating Ethan.
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Thank you to The Muse for having me here today.
One of the things that became clear as I wrote Educating Ethan, my older woman/younger man romance, was that as this story progressed, it became less about an older woman educating a young man in the ways of love, and more about two people falling in love and dealing with the emotional baggage that we all bring to a new relationship. Regardless of our age. A cougar tale with a twist, so to speak.
Like many older women, my heroine Ida has already loved and lost, and when she meets her new young neighbor, Ethan, she finds herself in a situation where she is afraid to love again. Her first marriage failed when she was unable to conceive, so not only has she had to deal with a painful divorce, but also a blow to her sense of self and who she is as a woman. When she meets Ethan she sees a young man with his whole future ahead of him, and she doesn't want to start a relationship if he is going to leave her down the track for someone who can give him the children he might want in his future.
Yet she is not a "one-night-stand" kind of woman, able to seduce a young stud just for fun, and her dilemma leaves her in an impossible position.
Ethan, on the other hand, is not your average young guy. Despite being only 25, he too, is facing past demons in the form of a car accident, failed marriage and a forced career change due to a knee injury. I deliberately gave Ethan more than a young person would normally have to deal with, because I didn't want this to be a typical "cougar" story.
Ethan at times seems the more mature of the two emotionally, recognizing that Ida's issues centre around her past and her lack of self-confidence. However, like most young people he tends to live for the moment rather than worry about the past or a nebulous future, but is that youthful aspect of his personality really what Ida needs?
Educating Ethan is a short novella-length romance, but I didn't hold back in giving my gorgeous hero and heroine a lot to deal with emotionally!
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It sounds absolutely fascinating, Jennifer, and I can't wait to read it!
Readers, Jennifer has a question for all of you, that pertains to the giveaway, below.
Do you think the emotional challenges of an older woman/younger man relationship are unique, or do you think we all face similar issues in our relationships, regardless of age?
Thanks, Jennifer, for stopping by today!
JL: Thank you again for having me here, and I look forward to the cougar/cub discussion.
Giveaway details!
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Buy Educating Ethan today at Breathless Press!
~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com
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Hi Claire, thanks so much for having me today!
Jennifer, I love your books. The are erotic for the thinking woman. There is a real often tender story along with the sex. I love that. You are one of my favorite authors and I can't wait for more.
Cynthia Woolf Blog
I think every relationship faces challenges. An age difference might make you hesitate, but it's just another challenge really.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Jennifer - I think that relationships face some of the same challenges regardless of the age of the partners but there are also some individual challenges faced by those in relationships with a big age difference (regardless of who is older). People can be at different stages of their life. For example the older partner may have grown kids and not be interested in more while the younger partner may no have kids and want them. However, I think if you have a good strong foundation, trust each other and talk things through it is possible to face the challenges together.
THank you for hosting Jennifer today.
The books sounds wonderful, Jennifer. Best of luck with it.
I love that this is about relationships, not age. Any relationship is difficult, but to concentrate on age is foolish. It should be about the people themselves.
Hi Cynthia, thanks so much for your lovely comment. Erotic for the thinking woman - love that concept:)
Hi Marybelle, lovely to see you here today :) I think you are right - every relationship has its challenges, and an age difference is just one of many issues we might face.
Hi also to "anonymous" - you've made a really valid point about people potentially being at different stages of life and wanting different things if the age gap is quite large. But, like you say, having a good foundation and talking things through will go a long way to solving that. My partner is almost 11 years older than I, so this is an issue I can really relate to.
Hi Goddess Fish - thank you!
Jerri - thank you so much for commenting! Appreciate you dropping by to say hi :)
Hi Mom Jane - lovely to see you here :) I tried to make Ida and Ethan's story as real as possible - and in real life there are usually a myriad of issues for us all to face, not just one. Relationships should definitely be about the people themselves, not just a number.
Jennifer, your story sounds wonderfully heart-wrenching!
I think the emotional challenge for an older woman dealing with a younger man would make the emotional challenge of aging even more complex and difficult. On one hand the younger man might boost her womanly ego, but on another deeper level I think it would force her to face the reality of her older stage of life--no matter how youthful and sexy she still is. That's a tough one for all of us!
Hi Stephanie, thanks so much for dropping by! It is a tough one. I think if I were in that situation I would feel a bit of extra stress around keeping in shape/staying "sexy". That said, I'm quite a bit younger than my partner, and though I tease him to bits about being old and grey I wouldn't change one thing about my guy. He's beautiful inside and out :) I'd hope if I was with a younger man he'd feel the same way about me.
Your book sounds really interesting. I think all relationships have challenges and quite different ones with those age differences.
Hi Joye, thanks for joining the discussion! I think you're right - all relationships have their unique challenges.
I think all relationships have emotional challenges but I don't think that the challenges in a younger man/older woman relationship are unique...unless there is a HUGE age difference, of course!
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi Catherine, thanks for commenting! I think there could be unique challenges in an older woman/younger man relationship, based around more pressure on the woman to maintain a "young" look, but of course, that would depend on the individuals involved and whether it is something they would worry about. Knowing my own anxious nature, I think I would put that pressure on myself, whether my partner cared or not!
I'd love to try! Your book sounds wonderful.
I think all relationships have their own unique challenges, but I also think that most of those challenges are self-imposed...what we think others will think of us if we enter into an 'out of the norm' relationship. It really shouldn't matter but I think most people today are bothered by the scenario in your book.
Sorry I missed you on party day...sounds like it was fun.
Hi Mary,
thanks for your comment. Hope you enjoy Educating Ethan!
Hi Karen,
I think you are right about the self-imposed thing. Any relationship that isn't defined as "the norm" can create at least a raised eyebrow or two, if not more, and while that shouldn't be the case, it can weigh on your mind wondering what others will think of you, if you are considering that kind of relationship. Thanks for your comment!
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the book tour for Educating Ethan. I’ve had a wonderful time chatting over the past three weeks - meeting fellow book lovers and engaging in some really in-depth discussions about love and relationships. I hope we can keep in touch via Twitter, Facebook or at my own blog.
The giveaway draw is now closed and I’ll be announcing the WINNERS on my blog in a few hours' time: http://www.jenniferlynne.com.au/blog
You can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/JenniLynnAuthor or FB at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Lynne-Romance-Author/297504180262670
Once again, thank you everyone!