“How could it be?” I wondered. “How could an attractive, intelligent, fun to be with young woman have such a hard time finding a “normal” guy?”

Nora may not be her real name, but my lead character is a very real person whose dating stories had always intrigued me. I had listened in amazement to one dating fiasco after another only to be shocked yet again, that I could be shocked yet again! I’d either be holding my sides from painful laughter, or covering my mouth in disbelief!

“You have got to be kidding me!” I’d often remark. “You really have to write a book… you really need to write this book!”

I would repeatedly prod her about it. But when she conveyed to me that she had no interest in writing about it (and in fact it made her a little depressed to think about) I told her I believed it would not only help her lose her blues, but I felt it would be the best therapy she could ever have.

So, with that, I decided to take the initiative (with her permission of course) and set out with paper, pen and tape recorder in hand, to document what I felt was to be an incredibly entertaining as well as educational read.

Well, once I started my quest Nora didn’t know what hit her, I’m sure. I called, cajoled, and bugged her non-stop to sit down with me and give me more details so I could keep pushing forward with this new passion of mine. I was inevitably hooked on not just the stories and the entertainment value that was in it for me, but ultimately even more so for what I saw it doing for her.

Even though these were not my own personal stories, they became my stories, and I believe a lot of women’s stories…the silent majority, if you will. Not the women who have time to drink cosmopolitans four times a week, or afford a designer label wardrobe mind you, but the everyday-life working woman.

In the end, my theory was correct in that talking it all through and going over even the smallest details got Nora laughing and venting and many times accepting that as difficult and aggravating as this time in her life had been, it truly was time well spent. It was all about learning experiences and realizing that what she had discovered could now be a valuable tool to help others.