Book excerpt: I’ve Always Loved Older Women is an intimate memoir written by Howard Barker. Born in 1924, he shares stories of growing up in rural Mississippi, the tragic loss of both his parents at the age of seven, serving in the military during World War II, surviving an exciting life of a starving artist in New York City, and finally becoming a successful set designer in theater, television, and film. He weaves his professional experiences and his personal relationships with the greats and near greats, movie stars, and other extraordinary older women, finally finding the love he was always searching for.