Hopeless Romantic Guest Post by Gregory G. Allen

Hopeless Romantic by Gregory G. Allen

     So when I started writing “Patchwork of Me”, I wasn’t ever sure if I was writing a true romance. I was writing a book about a woman in search of herself and IF a man happens to play into that- sweet! I knew the rules for ‘chick-lit’ and thought “hmmmm….I’m not playing by the rules.” But I seldom do. My books have twists and turns that cause traditional publishers to throw their hands in the air and get upset with me. Yet I believe life is that way. It’s not always perfect and safe and laid-out smoothly.

Nor are the worlds I create. And yet, I believe in love and romance. I enjoy seeing someone wooed and courted. I think I’ve watched every date movie there is. Love Nicholas Sparks and where he takes us in stories. And my all time favorite movie (and the book it is based on) is “Somewhere in Time”. To show what a true romance geek I am – I wrote a musical based on that movie years ago. Only I wasn’t able to get the rights (and now, 20 years later I hear they are working on one for Broadway). I also took a trip to Mackinac Island where the film was shot and was completely swept up in the magic of it all. Yes, I am a romantic at heart even if the characters that I tend to write about are going through major adversity in their lives.

I think the feeling of being in loved (and being loved) can get us through so many difficult times in our lives. Both those that are tragic when you need that person to cling to and even those that are comical when you think “I want more than anything to share this with x”. And when someone says ‘it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’, I know that many scoff at that. But I tend to believe it true. To have known that amazing feeling. To have shared life with another. To have had that special person (even if gone) so you know what it is you are looking for the next time around. I say it is all worth it.

Everyone should get to experience the amazing joy that is love. When you’re ready for it. When you’re ready to give it. When all of those things align (or in the world of writing: when my character is truly ready for it) – I believe it can happen.

So yes, Virginia…there is a Santa Claus and some men believe in romance. There…I’ve said it! And I didn’t have to use a fake pen name to be able to stand up and share that.




About Patchwork of Me

A product of the foster care system, Sara Butler spends her early thirties hiding from her past while striving for a normal life with her small group of quirky friends in Arizona. Seeking treatment for an invisible rash and abnormal dreams, her therapist helps her unlock a heinous past that she is unsure she wants to open. To patch her life back together, she realizes she must travel across country to Maine to confront that past in order to plan for a future.

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