Put love and sex in books featuring over-65s'

• Deborah Moggach said stories about 'impending death' do not reflect life
• Over-65s attracted to stories about love, happiness and 'undignified sex'

By Mario Ledwith
PUBLISHED: The Dail Mail - 10 July 2013 | 

Author Deborah Moggach said people over the age of 65 are more attracted to novels about love, sex and happiness

Love stories, tales of happiness and ‘undignified middle-aged sex’ should be the focus of novels and films if they are to attract people over the age of 65, according to a best-selling author.
Deborah Moggach, 65, said stories should not focus on ‘impending death’ and sickness as this does not reflect the reality of life.
The author of These Foolish Things, which was turned into the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, said storylines should look at how people make ‘the same old mistakes you did when you were younger’.
She said: ‘The whole question of controlling our own death is one thing, but much more important in my case is how you live these last perhaps 20 or 30 years, because it’s a big raft of time.
‘This stage, my stage in life of 65 onwards, is a really, really interesting time.
'The films and the books that speak to you don’t have to be all about dementia and stuff; they could just be about the fact you make the same old mistakes as you did when you were younger.
‘You fall in love, you’re jealous, same joy, same everything – you’re just a bit more wrinkly.
'It’s just us, at whatever advanced stage we are.’
The novelist told the Daily Telegraph Ways With Words festival that she hopes her latest novel Heartbreak Hotel will counter the number of films targeting those of ‘foetal age’, saying that it features ‘lots of undignified middle-aged sex’.

 

She added: ‘The Best Exotic has been a success and I hope this [her new book] will do the same thing, in that it shows you that what I call “very grown up indeed” — ie a bit older — is actually not very grown up at all.’
The author has complained it is difficult to find love at 65.

These Foolish Things was turned into the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench (pictured)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2359185/Put-love-sex-books-65s-Best-selling-author-says-stories-just-focus-death.html#ixzz2Yfco0ZNv