At 97 years old, Ethel Ann Shaffer is still writing steamy romance novels from her home in a Valencia senior housing complex, and she's not slowing down. Her book “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” draws directly from her own life story: she fell in love with her husband at age 80, and now she's working on her third book.
Shaffer's writing career didn't start in old age, though her most attention-getting work has come during it. As reported by CBS LA, she earned an English degree in her late fifties, and her novel about later-in-life love eventually caught the eye of a publisher, which agreed to publish her work; the book went on to start selling online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Long before that, according to the San Fernando Valley Writers, Shaffer earned her B.A. in English Literature magna cum laude from California State University, Northridge in her fifties, after raising her two daughters as a single mother and working as a paralegal for more than 20 years. She had relocated from Ohio to Ventura, California following the dissolution of her first marriage.
A Writing Life Decades in the Making
Shaffer's late-career breakthrough followed years of quieter literary work. Per the Ethel Ann Shaffer Official Website, she served two separate terms as president of the San Fernando Valley branch of the California Writers Club and published her debut novel, “Secret Torment,” in 2004 under the pen name Ethel Ann Pemberton, having earned early paid writing success with essays about overcoming an abusive relationship.
“The Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” a recent release, tells a real-life story: Shaffer reconnected with a childhood sweetheart after 62 years, according to a release on PR.com. The book uses the character pseudonyms Eva and Kurt to tell the story of the pair reuniting at age 80. The 390-page memoir was re-released by Mainspring Books in October 2025, and per Atlantic Books, it addresses physical intimacy in old age alongside family friction caused by adult children who initially struggled to accept their late-life marriage.
A Friendship Built on Similar Heartbreak
Shaffer isn't working alone. Her best friend and proofreader, Helen Martin, came into her life last year, and the two now meet to edit about four times a week, according to CBS LA's report. Martin has macular degeneration, and her husband was battling health problems, yet Shaffer said Martin enables her to keep writing on her third book, which the pair is developing at Sunrise Assisted Living at Sterling Canyon.
The two women share more than a writing partnership. The same CBS LA report notes that Shaffer and Martin were both married to abusive men in their first marriages, both raised children alone, and both went to school later in life, giving them what Shaffer described as similar joys and heartbreaks. Martin has said she found the love of her life at age 78, while Shaffer said their own love was magical and that the book she's writing is intended for adults.
She Always Gets Her Man — Even at a German Book Tour
Shaffer's next novel is titled “She Always Gets Her Man,” and the station's report indicates she and Martin plan to complete it in time for a German book tour. Shaffer has many more books in development, and her published work continues to sell online through her author website.
Part of a National Shift in Late-Life Love
Shaffer's story reflects a documented demographic shift. Between 1990 and 2022, adults aged 65 and older were the only U.S. age group to see an increase in their remarriage rate, rising from 4.6 to 5.1 per 1,000 previously married individuals, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University, even as remarriage rates fell for younger age groups over the same period.
That trend coincides with older adults being unpartnered. Online dating is also part of the broader discussion of dating after 50, as the Connected Couples App describes. Sociological research published by the National Council on Family Relations in Summer 2024 notes that single older adults navigating late-life re-partnering encounter distinct dating scripts, often prioritizing independence and mutual companionship over traditional domestic expectations.
Shaffer's genre is also sold commercially, as discussed by Troubador Publishing.
Life in Santa Clarita's Senior Community
Shaffer's home community reflects the broader graying of Santa Clarita. The city has older residents and households with varying incomes, according to Every City in the USA and Point2Homes.
For Shaffer and Martin, though, the numbers matter less than the page count. Between four editing sessions a week, a novel bound for German readers, and a shelf of books still in development, the two Valencia friends are proving that neither romance nor a good story has an expiration date.
