The Birth of Ain’t Too Old To Grind
- Aunt Georgia Lee
- Nov 15, 2025
- 5 min read
A story about faith, found family, menopause, and the magic of never giving up your groove with a little Aretha Franklin soul for good measure.
How did the birth of Ain’t Too Old To Grind begin? That’s a good question, and one that’s familiar when folks ask how I get inspiration for most of my books.
Those of you who’ve rocked with me since day one, after my fifteen-year hiatus from writing Black sapphic stories, already know my love for book covers. Actually, we discovered that passion together. I never thought of myself as a visual person. I wasn’t always about a pretty picture, even when I fell in love with the women who became part of my romantic sapphic history. It was always a feeling.
As an empath, I don’t often lead with my eyes but with my heart. But that’s a story for another time.
My first book under the pen name Aunt Georgia Lee was Hot for Teacher.
That story had nothing to do with the book cover. It came from my desire to turn what could’ve been a straight-out-of-Harlequin FMC story into a Black sapphic one. The cover was cute (and expensive!) from a design group that did it justice. But when I was referred to one of my now go-to designers and began The Real Lesbians of Atlanta series with him, that’s when the real love story began with my book cover-romance.
Okay, I told you that was a story for another day, but that’s your Aunt Georgia Lee for you. Sometimes, an idea or conversation grabs hold of me, and I just can’t pivot. Laughs.
Anyway. Back to Ain’t Too Old To Grind.
It was around the time I had just published They Call Me Dr. Feelgoode. The title itself was inspired by the great Aretha Franklin’s 1967 hit “Dr. Feelgood.”
A friend and I were talking about that inspiration and how even though my Dr. Feelgoode wasn’t a man but a woman, it still carried that same soul. We joked about other catchy titles, and when I told her I was writing another story about a sixty-year-old woman getting her groove back (Old School Lovin’, from The Real Lesbians of Atlanta series), she laughed and said, “You should call another one Ain’t Too Old To Grind.”
And baby, that title played in my mind for some time.
And if you know your Aunt Georgia Lee, once an idea lands in my head, I run with it. Around then, I was looking for another graphic designer. Someone who could celebrate the Black experience through his artistry. That’s when I found Sheergenius on Fiverr. I picked out stock images from Shutterstock, gave him my concept, and he delivered. He breathed life into that story before I ever typed the first chapter.
But here’s the thing: that book cover was created more than two years ago, and only now has the story come to life.
Even in the second chapter, thirty-five-year-old Destiny Jackson, the romantic love of fifty-five-year-old Cleopatra Jones, reminds us that destiny and faith may not come when you want them to—but they always come right on time. That’s a gospel lyric, too, about how God shows up not when you expect Him, but when you need Him. I season this story and most of my stories with Black sapphic romance and the traditional flavor of Harlequin love, but I elevate it with faith, family, and a sprinkle of gospel truth.
Writing Old School Lovin’, especially after turning fifty-one myself, made me face my own feelings about aging. It wasn’t easy to find the beauty in growing older and to celebrate that through this character. But Yvette Leigh-Dixon, a sixty-year-old woman and the five women who vied to be her next partner, helped me to rediscover joy in being a seasoned woman. Learning from real women in their fifties and beyond, especially on social media, inspired me even more.
And though sapphic romance tends to favor characters in their twenties and
thirties, readers are slowly opening their hearts to age-gap and mature love stories. Even young readers are starting to find these seasoned women intriguing.
You’d think that by fifty-six, I’d be completely at ease writing more mature characters. But even as I wrote Cleopatra Jones, widowed supermodel turned restaurateur, mother to thirty-five-year-old Sophie, grandmother to eight-year-old Amara, and mother-in-law to forty-year-old Elliot, I struggled. How could I honor her wisdom and her silver strands with both dignity and vibrance?
Those old doubts lingered like smoke in my kitchen, especially as I battled the humbling, unglamorous parts of menopause. How do you write “sexy-time” when your own body feels more like “naptime”? How do you bring energy to a fifty-five-year-old heroine when your bones crack and your memory sometimes forgets where the coffee is?
But just like God always does—He came through right on time, for me and for Cleo.
There’s a growing movement now of women both young and old that is embracing hormone replacement therapy, healthy eating, and strength training to reclaim their joy and their bodies. I saw it in my own lineage too. My mother and grandmother aged gracefully and stayed active well into their seventies and eighties. They proved that as women, it really ain’t too old to grind.
And when I say grind, I don’t just mean between them sheets. I mean in life. Through surgeries, heartbreak, grief, and loss, I still get up most mornings at 4:45 a.m., head down to my basement gym, and keep my mind, body, and spirit as strong as I can. I fight that old devil sugar daily. It’s been my lifelong temptation, but with a mostly vegan lifestyle and a determination to fall and get back up, I keep pressing forward.
Cleo and The Elders, Destiny and The Fab Five, and Cleo’s family—all of them feel like kin to me. Their voices, their humor, their love, it poured out naturally. They represent the family and community I dream of: found kin, soul food, and the kind of love that holds you accountable and lifts you up.
Another love that’s grown over the years is my love for music, especially soundtracks for my stories. From the My Day One series and onward, I’ve worked with singers, songwriters, and beatmakers to create original tracks that bring these worlds to life. Ain’t Too Old To Grind was no exception. The music gave breath to Cleo and Destiny’s romance, and the video edits gave their story a heartbeat. I had so much fun creating the immersive experience that I almost missed my deadline to complete the novel. Lawd, have mercy!
In the end, this story, like Old School Lovin’ spoke straight to my soul. Every book I write comes from the heart, with you in mind. My stories don’t always serve easy joy or endless steamy scenes; they make you think, they make you feel. They’re roadmaps toward healing and hope. They’re reminders that no matter what season you’re in, you’re not alone.
There will be brighter days ahead for you and me. Just wait and see. But in the meantime, get your grind on, and enjoy this old-school lovin’.
Cleopatra Jones and Destiny Jackson are waiting to welcome you to their table.
Now y’all know your Auntie don’t just write love stories, she score ’em too. So next time, I’ll tell you how the soundtrack came to life, and how music gave Ain’t Too Old To Grind its heartbeat.
And because your Auntie finds it hard to keep a present as a surprise, even during Christmas time, here’s a sneak peek of the soundtrack for your listening pleasure.
You’re welcome!
And let your Auntie know what you think, or if you feel that you ain’t too old to grind too! Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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