Wanting to see equal representation in genre fiction doesn’t stop at gender. We want to see all kinds of people represented across gender, creed, sexuality, race, age, physical ability, taste in films, dog lovers, cat lovers, tea drinkers, and even those coffee drinkers… You get the point. This week, we ask why only young folk are given the opportunity to have all the fun adventures in genre fiction. Why does the publishing industry seem to think readers can’t relate to older protagonists? And what about the problematic tropes we see when older characters do appear – albeit as members of the supporting cast – such as ‘the jolly matron’ or ‘the wise elder’? We need to give special shouts outs to two extended members of the Breaking the Glass Slipper family this week – my ever-youthful father and Lucy’s fabulous grandmother. These characters made for some highly entertaining real-world examples to help us illustrate our points!