When I tell people I've written a humorous series set in a senior citizen community, they often ask, "Are you making fun of the senior citizens?" The answer is, "No, I'm creating laughable situations."
In the Whistling Pines cozy series, we deal with the senior citizens tactfully and with respect. They present us with "situations" that are laughable. In one book, one of my favorite characters walks into a wedding reception and starts moving the name markers around on the tables so she and her friends can be together, and close enough to the head table to hear what's being said. (Something that one of my elderly relatives actually did).
Sure, we're laughing at Hulda, who's outspoken and feisty. But we're not laughing at her as much as we're laughing at the things she does and the havoc created by her actions. In another book, she suggests that her art class is ready to move from still-life, to painting a nude. That's chuckle-worthy, but the humor comes in when we discover their nude model is the daughter of a very conservative minister and his congregation pickets the art gallery during their classes.
In "Whistling Librarian" we're confronted by Hulda, who seems to show up at inopportune moments, rendering unwanted opinions. The residents want to know when Hulda is approaching, before she can interject herself into a discussion. The Swedish handyman steps in with a solution worthy of Solomon.
Because of an apparent haunting of the library, it's decided there will be a seance to evict the ghost. During the seance, the Danish ghost complains that she isn't going to move to the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Because of dwindling congregations, the local Methodist and Presbyterian Churches have merged into what the locals term "The Methbyterian Church". So, the medium suggests the ghost move to that church as an alternative to spending eternity with Norwegians.
There are endless quirks we authors can point out to create humor, without making fun of anyone, well, other than a non-existent ghost.
Check out the ghostly seance in "Whistling Librarian". It's co-written with my new partner, Anne Flagge. Anne's well experienced in telling humorous stories about senior moments - she might be the Hulda character's granddaughter.
whistling librarian - BWL Publishing
https://books2read.com/Whistling-Librarian
I've enjoyed this series
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like fun. Thanks for sharing.
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