Judy Smith didn’t set out to write a novel about betrayal. Initially, she was working on a heartwarming story about women living in an over-55 community. But life threw her a curveball: the very betrayal that her character Andi endures, discovering her partner’s public Facebook flirtations, mirrored Judy’s own real-life experience.
“There’s a bit of truth and a bit of revenge in the book,” Judy shared. “When it came time to make revisions, I changed a lot. My language was stronger. Everything was different.”
Her editor encouraged her to lean into the rawness of Andi’s story. The result was The Golden Years Glitch, a novel Judy never expected to write, but one that resonated.
Fiction Meets Reality
As I read the book, I was stunned by what I assumed were outlandish plot points. A husband sending risqué messages on his public Facebook wall? That couldn’t possibly happen in real life. And yet, it did.
“My grandchildren saw it. My neighbors. My friends. It was a mess,” Judy said.
While much of the novel is fictionalized, Judy did draw from her own long-term relationship of 15 years, which ended in heartbreak. “It wasn’t a marriage,” she said. “But it was long enough.”
Like her protagonist Andi, Judy also ran a direct mail business (though her son now manages it), and she knows what it feels like to watch a long relationship unravel publicly and painfully.
Writing Through the Pain
Both Judy and I found healing through writing. She processed betrayal and grief by crafting fiction. I’ve done the same through memoir and blog posts over the years. We shared stories of cheating partners, emotional fallout, and that deep questioning so many women face in the aftermath: “What’s wrong with me?”
“There is a lot of that. ‘Why me? Why wasn’t I good enough?’” Judy said. “But for me, when I was done, I was done.”
Writing can be cathartic. Judy didn’t sugarcoat the process. She allowed herself to wallow. She spent nearly a month in bed, avoided phone calls, and cut off social interactions. Eventually, a simple, silent hug from a friend shifted her out of grief and into healing.
“She hugged me, said ‘I love you, you’re going to be fine,’ and walked out the door. I snapped. Took a shower. I was good.”
Yes, Women Over 70 Still Have Sex
Judy’s book doesn’t shy away from sex, and neither did our conversation. One of my favorite parts of the novel was when Andi and her friends visit a lingerie shop and openly talk about sexuality, something rarely portrayed for women over 50, let alone 70.
“There’s a freedom that comes with age,” Judy said. “It’s okay to feel what you feel as deeply as you want to feel it.”
She noted that while some women in her community were shocked by the book’s openness, calling it “sexually explicit,” others were inspired. Some even asked her for lingerie store recommendations.
Redefining Aging
Despite the personal upheaval that inspired The Golden Years Glitch, Judy describes her 70s as the best years of her life.
“I’ve never, ever in my life been happier than I am now,” she said. “Not just because of the book, but because of the sense of self and being proud of who I am.”
We talked about how younger generations fear aging. Some teens on YouTube even told me they were scared of turning 20. Judy and I agreed that as women in midlife and beyond, we have a responsibility to model joy, vitality, and purpose.
“It’s a reward,” Judy said. “We went through all that hell and we came out the other side.”
What’s Next for Judy?
Judy is already working on her second novel, this time diving even deeper into themes of sexuality and self-discovery. One of the characters from her debut, Melanie, takes center stage in a new life outside the over-55 community.
“Now that I know I like writing about sexual awareness, I really wrote about it in the second one,” Judy teased.
Life After Loss and Love
Our conversation also covered grief, resilience, and the possibility of new love. Judy isn’t actively looking for a partner, but she’s not closed off either.
I shared my story of writing down a list of qualities I wanted in a future partner and how I met my now-husband Phil, who checked every box (except being rich and a good dancer, which I didn’t really care about).
Judy laughed and said she might make her own list now, with “faithful” at the top.
Words of Wisdom
Judy ended our talk with a message that stayed with me:
“Be true to yourself. Be grateful. Be gracious. And find joy everywhere you can.”
She’s rethinking the gift books she once wrote and now dreams of rewriting them with real-life advice instead of sappy sayings. “Spray your sheets with perfume” might be out, but “embrace your messy, beautiful life” is definitely in.
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