Hundreds of people are married in B.C. thanks to Maryanna Sinclaire.
From 1989 to 1998 the Nanaimo resident worked as a professional matchmaker and she said she’s helped facilitate thousands of relationships over that time. Now she’s taken everything she’s taught and learned as proprietor of an “introduction service” and is releasing a trilogy of books.
The first, Memoirs of an Ex-Matchmaker: Don’t Give Up On Your Love, will be debuted at a book launch event at Nanaimo North Library on Nov. 17.
“My focus is on helping people and I think out of nine years of working with the agency that I have a lot of insight into relationships and I want to help people keep their relationships going,” Sinclaire said.
She said her first book will discuss how couples can value the relationship they’re in and make it better as they age. She said she was surprised that readers have already said that they feel like the book is addressing them personally.
“A lot of people, when they’re married, they feel like they’ve been married for so long and they take each other for granted and I want to make sure that just because you are older or a senior you don’t have to take something like that for granted,” Sinclaire said. “You have to still enhance your relationships, no matter what age you are.”
Sinclaire said she originally intended to write a single book, but she found she had enough material for a series. The next two books in the trilogy will cover divorce and dating for those over 40.
“I’m trying to show people that you don’t have to get divorced just because you’re going through a hard time … however at the same time there are toxic relationships and reasons why you should get divorced and I want to make that transition as easy as possible,” she said.
Sinclaire said she wanted to tackle mid-life dating in her third book because she said there is a lack of dating resources for “the older generation.”
She said her writing includes advice but also anecdotes gleaned from nearly a decade making matches.
“I think the reason that I stayed in so long, because it certainly wasn’t lucrative financially, but just to get those introductions that were successful was so satisfying.”
WHAT’S ON … Maryanna Sinclaire book launch at Nanaimo North Library on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m.
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