An Enniskillen man has recently published his debut novel.

Ryan Love, who is originally from Fermanagh but now lives in Buckinghamshire, England, last week released his novel, ‘Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out’, which follows a dual narrative as a grandfather (Arthur) and his grandson (Teddy) both deal with the decision to tell their family that they are gay.

“Writing and working on this book has been the one of the most incredible and thrilling experiences I’ve ever had; I can’t believe it’s an actual real book now that people can open and read,” says Ryan.

Ryan began writing the book during 2021, in the shadow of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, he said.

“I wanted to smile as I escaped real life, and threw myself into Arthur and Teddy’s worlds. I came out as gay to my family when I was 19.

“I consider myself fortunate that I experienced nothing but love and acceptance.

“Sadly, that is not the case for too many LGBT+ people. I didn’t want to write a story that heaped misery and fear on people; there’s more than enough of that in the world right now.”

Speaking to this newspaper as he explained what inspired the book, Ryan said: “A couple of things inspired the book, but primarily it was [about] creating an older grandfather character.

“It was [created] during lockdown, and I was thinking about what my grandparents would have made of the whole thing if they were still with us.

“Then I read a story about a 90-year-old man in the US who came out as gay. I tried to imagine what kind of impact that would have had on me at 20, so the dual perspective story was born out of that, and these two men at very different stages of their lives both learning to accept themselves and live authentic lives.”

Ryan, who works as a journalist, says that being an author was always a dream for him.

He said: “This was a dream that I thought was out of reach and had given up on at various points along the way, but writing has always been a massive part of my life, so thanks to family and friends’ encouragement, I kept pushing on.”

Recalling his early ventures in writing, Ryan said: “From short stories to writing a column for The Impartial Reporter as a teenager, writing was always an escape for me, so being able to now create characters and my own little worlds really is a dream come true.

“I came to London at 18 to attend the launch of the seventh Harry Potter book. Being at that just made me more determined to one day hold my own book one day.”

When asked about his hopes for the book, Ryan said: “It would mean the world to me if just one person who is struggling found some kind of comfort or hope from the book.

“Whether it’s about sexuality or not, it’s fundamentally a story about it never being too late to be yourself.

“I wrote a book I needed at the time to make myself smile, so it’s been really special hearing from early readers who have said it has done the same for them.”

‘Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out’, published by Harper Collins, is available in Waterstones Enniskillen, or can be purchased online.