Don't write a novel with an older, female protagonist

[DetlefK]

http://io9.com/the-worst-taboo-in-urban-fantasy-1692481622

Excerpt:
"Taken together, those observations made me want to read an urban fantasy novel with an older female protagonist, a book where the character who knows what needs to be done doesn't pass that information like a shopping list to a young character. I wanted a book where she does it herself.

But I couldn't find one. There were mysteries with older protagonists, definitely, but urban fantasies? No one knew of any. What's more, the oldest female protagonists in fantasy anyone was able to come up with in that thread was 35.****If I wanted to read this book, I'd have to write it.

It's commonly accepted wisdom that no one in sf/f wants books with an woman in her sixties in the lead. Supporting character? Sure. In the mystery genre? See above, because yes. But urban fantasy? Think again. The market wasn't interested and publishers don't take them. And yet, here I was, about to commit Senior Protagonist, and she wasn't going to be helpless, or doddering, or in way over her head. She was going to be the Urban Fantasy Miss Marple....

It's taken me years to get a draft I like and release it, and I'm already seeing negative reviews from people put off by a forceful older female protagonist."





I have to admit, fantasy/sci-fi novels with older, female protagonists are rare. AFAIR I have only come across one: "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boneshaker_(novel)

The protagonists are:
- a teenage boy (the runaway who kicks off the plot)
- a 40-ish woman (his mother, looking for her son and her dark past unravels along the way)
- a 50-ish woman (a one-armed bar-owner who doesn't take shit from anybody)
- a 60-ish woman (mysterious vagabond... no spoilers here )
- a male adult (mysterious crime-boss)

It was a bit weird: Not only is about half the story told from a mother's point of view, it's the women that drive the plot. The male characters either go with the flow of external incidents or are clearly side-characters, no matter how hard and dangerous they are.
It was a new point of view. I liked it.

There is a scene, I knew I would never see something like this in a movie: (slightly modified to avoid spoilers and because I don't remember the details)
Imagine an action-movie. In the midst of a crisis, three middle-aged/older women take leadership and discuss what to do next. They make a plan, they personally lead the charge, and they ultimately personally save the day.