Writing Their Own Story

SEASONED AUTHORS ARE REINVENTING THEIR LIVES BY CREATING INSPIRING HEROINES THAT READERS LOVE.

- LAURIE SUE BROCKWAY

Claire Emerson spent her life as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She never dreamed she would end up divorced, lonely, and searching for a new purpose. Nor did she expect that her 60th birthday would bring a magical mission, contact with strange supernatural beings, and a call to step into the role of defender of humankind. Amid hot flashes and creaky joints, not to mention struggles to harness her late-blooming and unpredictable magical powers, she must try to save the world.

First, she has to find her reading glasses.

And so begins a three-book paranormal saga. It was created by Linda Poitevin, an author of the same age as the heroine who writes as Lynda M. Hawke.

In the series, Claire learns she must fight a dark war and that she is one of five wise women destined to save the planet. In real life, Poitevin's 60th birthday inspired her to try her hand at inventing a superhero who is a menopausal grandma. The first book, Becoming Crone, debuted in 2021. A Gathering of Crones followed in 2022. The third book, Game of Crones, is due in August. Readers are raving that these fantasy books reflect the real lives of older women. Some people call this new genre "crone lit."

"Creating this series definitely grew out of my personal life," says Poitevin. "People tend to be more dismissive of so-called seniors, especially women." At the same time, she recognized, "I really don't feel that much older from year to year. I'm still hovering around the age of 30."

Poitevin is happily married, unlike Claire, but she shares the similarity of having spent much of her life taking care of others. She was devoted to caring for and homeschooling her autistic daughter. With her children "all grown and flown," she now has time to devote to her own life purpose of writing meaningful stories.