Well, it’s release day for my latest novel, Menopause to Matrimony, and I have no idea what to talk about. Isn’t that sad? So pardon me while I simply ramble.
When I finished Vegas to Varanasi, I had no plans to write a sequel. However, I did miss the characters quite a bit. Not long after publishing V to V, I started feeling kinda crappy—physically. I had already acknowledged other signs of getting older, such as my son finishing high school and no more trick or treating or Easter egg hunts with the kids.
But now the body begins to complain in small ways. As someone who used to relish in sleeping in, good sleep is frequently elusive or often interrupted with trips to the bathroom to pee. Okay, so I’ve always had to get up in the middle of the night to pee—but usually once—not two or three times. And when I did get up, I could easily fall back to sleep. These days it’s a crap shoot, due to being too hot, too cold, etc.
Then there’s the fatigue. I’ve upped my coffee in the mornings from one cup to two, and that seems to have helped, but by 1:30 in the afternoon, I could easily be cast on The Walking Dead, which is not good when your days are spent in the company of middle schoolers. I’ve heard it more than once: “Mrs. Hickman, you look tired.”
I’m sorry. That’s one thing a woman does not want to hear on a regular basis. You look tired. About every other time I see my mom, she gets this look of pity on her face. “You doin’ okay? You look so tired!” Ughhhh! I’ve been seriously considering going back to bangs just to camouflage the tired eyes.
So anyway, I won’t go on about all the other physical and emotional changes I’ve experienced as of late, but since my main character Anna is my age, this became the focus of Menopause to Matrimony. We have to find humor in all of these changes. We must. And it needs to be talked about so women don’t feel so alone and crazy. The poor fellas? They go through it, too—just in different ways. No one will convince me otherwise.
Sometimes I feel like I complain too much, especially since I do believe our thought patterns affect our bodies. But honestly, it’s fun to joke about getting older because there’s a camaraderie about it. My husband had a heart attack almost three years ago. I had a hip replacement four years ago, and we give each other shit about it all the time.
“At least I haven’t had a heart attack.”
“Yeah, well at least I still have both my hips!”
See? Isn’t that fun?
My hope is that readers will find Menopause to Matrimony fun, especially middle-aged readers. There’s no doubt that one of today’s popular genres is New Adult—which is cool—but let’s not forget about us not-so-new-adults. (wink)
When I finished Vegas to Varanasi, I had no plans to write a sequel. However, I did miss the characters quite a bit. Not long after publishing V to V, I started feeling kinda crappy—physically. I had already acknowledged other signs of getting older, such as my son finishing high school and no more trick or treating or Easter egg hunts with the kids.
But now the body begins to complain in small ways. As someone who used to relish in sleeping in, good sleep is frequently elusive or often interrupted with trips to the bathroom to pee. Okay, so I’ve always had to get up in the middle of the night to pee—but usually once—not two or three times. And when I did get up, I could easily fall back to sleep. These days it’s a crap shoot, due to being too hot, too cold, etc.
Then there’s the fatigue. I’ve upped my coffee in the mornings from one cup to two, and that seems to have helped, but by 1:30 in the afternoon, I could easily be cast on The Walking Dead, which is not good when your days are spent in the company of middle schoolers. I’ve heard it more than once: “Mrs. Hickman, you look tired.”
I’m sorry. That’s one thing a woman does not want to hear on a regular basis. You look tired. About every other time I see my mom, she gets this look of pity on her face. “You doin’ okay? You look so tired!” Ughhhh! I’ve been seriously considering going back to bangs just to camouflage the tired eyes.
So anyway, I won’t go on about all the other physical and emotional changes I’ve experienced as of late, but since my main character Anna is my age, this became the focus of Menopause to Matrimony. We have to find humor in all of these changes. We must. And it needs to be talked about so women don’t feel so alone and crazy. The poor fellas? They go through it, too—just in different ways. No one will convince me otherwise.
Sometimes I feel like I complain too much, especially since I do believe our thought patterns affect our bodies. But honestly, it’s fun to joke about getting older because there’s a camaraderie about it. My husband had a heart attack almost three years ago. I had a hip replacement four years ago, and we give each other shit about it all the time.
“At least I haven’t had a heart attack.”
“Yeah, well at least I still have both my hips!”
See? Isn’t that fun?
My hope is that readers will find Menopause to Matrimony fun, especially middle-aged readers. There’s no doubt that one of today’s popular genres is New Adult—which is cool—but let’s not forget about us not-so-new-adults. (wink)
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Buy Menopause to Matrimony on Amazon.
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Shelly Hickman 
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