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| Author Helen Warner |
I love February. As an
incurable romantic, it feels to me as if Valentine’s Day casts a rosy glow over
the whole month. My own Valentine is my
husband, Rob. When I tell people that I met him when I was 8 and he was 11, the
reaction is always: ‘Ahhhh, how romantic!’
And of course it is romantic but it also has its drawbacks. Although I had lots of other boyfriends in my
teens, I have been with him since I was 18, so my only experience of ‘grown-up’
dating has had to be gained vicariously through my friends.
I have been there in the first flush of new love, to hear them give
a gushing moment-by-moment analysis of the first date. I have heard all the gory details as the
relationship develops and I’ve been there to comfort them when it all falls
apart.
It’s always at this point that my friends stop thinking that it’s a
bit dull to have been with the same man since I was 18 and envy me that I don’t
have to go through the agony of a messy break-up. But I envy them too. Because despite the pain
it causes when it doesn’t work out, there is nothing quite like the
heart-fluttering, dry-mouthed excitement of a new relationship.
I think this is why I became such an incorrigible match-maker. Even now, every time I meet someone who’s
single, I find myself flicking through a mental rolodex of other single friends
that I could fix them up with. I want everyone to find love because I’m
convinced that somehow, when you find true love, everything else in life seems
to fall magically into place.
And am I successful in my endeavours? Do these mutual friends find love and race to
the altar? No. Never. I am possibly the worst match-maker in history and can
claim absolutely no triumphs. In fact,
now that I think about it, there are people who are no longer friends with me
after my efforts...
Well, what’s a girl to do? I
had to get my match-making fix somehow.
So I started writing novels. It’s
the perfect way to determine the romantic destiny of people I know and love (my
characters) without annoying real-life details like them hating each other
getting in the way.
My first novel, RSVP, was about whether we all have ‘the one’ true
love. In my new novel, Stay Close To Me, I have moved on to the notion that it
is possible to love more than one person. I don’t plan my books in advance, so
I open my laptop each day wondering what will happen to my characters and I
adore having the power to decide if they’re right for each other or not.
So maybe all of that unsuccessful match-making wasn’t entirely in
vain. It has provided me with endless
inspiration for my novels and let me experience the highs and lows of love and
dating, without any of the pain. In my book, that counts as a winning result.
