Reaching Half a Century - Never Too Old To Follow Your Dreams

It's official - I'm middle-aged. Though strictly speaking I probably have been for years but just not realised it. At what age do you become middle-aged? Is it when you reach a milestone birthday? When your hearing and eyesight begin to struggle? Or when you check your plants in the garden before doing anything else each morning? I've never worried about age before, until my 50th birthday loomed. Panic set in. But then I decided I should be grateful I'm still around to see that birthday when so many people don't make it. So it was a time for celebration. I may be getting on, but I'm not ready to stop partying yet!

Pippa Franks is the name I write under. 

I'm also known as Cheryl 

(The Peril)

My 50th Party Link

(My speech is around twelve minutes in)

They say life begins at forty. I'm not sure about that, but the year between being forty-nine and fifty has certainly been one of my most eventful. I got married last year, four days before my forty-ninth birthday.

My Wedding Link!

(My speech is around nine minutes in)

I've been writing for ten years, but finally published my first two books this year, not long before hitting the big 50. It hit me that life was too short to look back and regret not doing something, so I decided to just go for it. I'm so glad I did! Although I'm far from being a bestselling author, complete strangers are reading my books and enjoying them. The longest dream in history has come true!

Link To Book

Link To Book

So for anyone reading this, if there's something in life that you really want, go for it! Determination isn't relevant to age. Neither is having the mindset of 'I'd rather try and fail, rather than fail to try.' My mum used to say that sometimes in life you have to take a chance. She was right.  And maybe, just maybe, an older age can be beneficial rather than a negative in many cases. Like writing for instance. I can write about many different ages because I've either been many of them, or I know somebody of every age group to relate my characters too. 

You're never too old to follow your dream!

(unless it involves being a lion tamer. Let's leave that one to the young, they can run fast if need be)

Love Pippa x