Your Dreams Don’t Die At 40

New York Times Best Selling Author Kennedy Ryan didn’t get her first book deal until she was 40.

Not 20. Not 30. Forty.

And now there’s a generation of us who anxiously wait for every new book release.

Last week, I attended her book tour stop in DC for her new release SCORE at the historic Lincoln Theatre hosted by MahoganyBooks.

Ryan’s books are categorized as romance novels but what I love is that she uses them as an opportunity to talk about bigger issues that are impacting our communities and the conversations we're having with our families.

She brings the realities of what so many people are dealing with to the pages of every book allowing readers to feel seen.

And of course each story ends with a happy ending. Not only is that the goal of romance novels, it’s also a reminder to readers, especially Black women, that we deserve a soft place to land.

We deserve someone who will journey through life’s challenges with us. We deserve to be loved.

Society likes to place limits on what women are supposed to achieve by a certain age.

As someone who turned 40 last year and feels like I’m finally in alignment with what I’m doing with The Kickback With Keri platform, it’s always refreshing and a God wink to hear the stories of women who found their footing “later in life.”

If you've been sitting on the idea, the side hustle, the pivot, Kennedy Ryan is an example of what happens when you decide to choose yourself.

Start at 40. Start this month. Just start.