Handheld fans abound in the “We’re 40! Welcome to Perimenopause! Exploring Characters with Experience” panel held in the Hyatt Embassy CD on Friday, 4PM. Moderator JM Paquette, author of “Cheesy vampire romances” attempted to keep it clean while talking about women’s bodies and other conundrums with panelists Theresa Glover (Caitlin Kelley: Monster Hunter), Candy Atkins (publishing pro), Stuart Grosse (indie author), Luke Chmilenko (Starbreaker), and Catherine Lundoff (Wolves of Wolf’s Point).

These days, you can’t throw a rock and not hit a person talking about menopause. Go ahead and try. We’d be scraping you off the walls. But writing mature female characters with complicated lives is a relatively new phenomenon.Glover couched it like this: Our mothers and grandmothers didn’t talk about it. We are the first generation to openly discuss this change. She highlighted the similarity in hormonal shifts between girls hitting puberty, saying, “perimenopause is cougar puberty.”

Lundoff agreed, suggesting that as readers and writers who are aging, we want to read something that’s more relatable.

Younger characters are tempting to write. They come with a clean slate. Chmilenko admired older main characters who’ve racked up life skills, how they may move through life with more confidence or at least fewer concerns for the opinions of others. He reminded the audience that some of the most intimidating heroes are the ones who’ve outlived their contemporaries. The young set may be faster and stronger, but experience and craft win the day.

Atkins pointed out that these mature characters also have more complicated lives. They are working jobs, running carpools, going to soccer practices, and managing several lives. She lamented the lack of “mom-lit,” citing that the happily ever after of most stories is often characterized by falling in love or having a baby, when in reality, that’s just when life starts going off the rails.

For her part, Lundoff is interested in reading and writing about the major identity shake-ups we often experience in midlife. Midlife characters are going through divorces, changing careers, coming out as queer for the first time… These pivots are life-changing forces that reshape identities.

When an audience member asked about writing the physicality of these characters, Grosse quipped, “Who hasn’t hurt their back getting out of bed in the morning?”

It’s hard to write a superhero who can’t remember where she put her glasses.

When asked how the panel felt about men writing perimenopausal women, the response was a unanimous admonition to proceed with caution. As when any writer tackles something outside their direct experience, research is a must as is getting sensitivity readers.

A veritable treasure trove of reading recommendations have been made, far more than could be included here, but when the question was asked, “Why aren’t there more older characters featured in traditional publishing?” the answer was overwhelmingly positive. Those stories are here, and more are expected.

Indie authors and indie publishers have the flexibility to feature broader representation across the board, and mature characters are no exception. Panelists suggested looking there for your next read.

“And be patient,” they said. If there’s money to be made, traditional publishing will find a way.