After making a list of all the people that he knew, under 40, who were divorced, filmmaker and serial monogamist, Dana Adam Shapiro decided to answer the ultimate question: Why does love die? His book, You Can Be Right or (You Can Be Married), contains 30 intimate interviews, where real people share the reasons why their marriages ultimately failed and their own important advice for others on keeping relationships alive. In an exclusive interview, Shapiro shares what it was like to write this intimate book, discusses the common reasons why he believes marriages fail and shares advice on what can be done to prevent this from happening. Continue reading →
Sue Frederick is more than just an author; she is an intuitive life coach who helps people get in touch with their spirituality and higher self. She uses this intuition to guide her through life and encourages people to trust their gut when it comes to making decisions. Her previous book, I See Your Dream Job: A Career Intuitive Shows You How to Discover What You Were Put on Earth to Do, shows people how their specific birth date corresponds with the mission they were put on this Earth to do. Her newest book, I See Your Soul Mate: An Intuitive’s Guide to Finding and Keeping Love, follows the same premise but focuses on romance instead. Frederick explains how you can’t truly find your soul mate until you are fulfilling your unique mission. She uses birth paths to help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses in relationships and also provides other birth paths that work well with your own.
We had the chance to talk with Frederick about trusting your intuition to find the love of your life.
Dianne Burnett at the NYC book launch. Photo courtesy of Lori Bizzoco.
By Lori Bizzoco, with transcription by Kaitlyn Herzog
An hour before her book launch, Dianne Burnett is nothing but smiles as she walks into the room at the Kimberly Hotel in New York City to meet us for an interview. A clearly happy Burnett speaks with ease about her new book, her former marriage and the exciting ventures that lay ahead.
Dianne released her memoir, The Road to Reality: Voted Off the Island!…My Journey as a Real-Life Survivor last Tuesday. Her ex-husband Mark Burnett has been the mastermind behind some of televisions greatest reality shows, including “The Apprentice,” ‘The Voice’ and Survivor,’ one of the most successful programs of all time. But this Reality King didn’t get there alone, or at least not according to Dianne and her tell-all book.
Francine Brokaw’s writing career, which spans over two decades, has taken a few twists and turns: she’s focused on everything from politics and travel to celebrity interviews and entertainment news. Her new book, Beyond the Red Carpet: The World of Entertainment Journalists, out today, looks at the ever intriguing world of the rich and famous. Lucky for us, she shares never-before-told stories and behind-the-scenes secrets about Hollywood’s hottest residents. Having interviewed celebrities like Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Tom Hanks, Brokaw knows what it takes to get these folks talking about life on and off the red carpet.
We chatted with the author about her experiences in the entertainment industry, specifically those celebrity interviews about lasting love and messy break-ups, and her advice for up-and-coming journalists. …Don’t miss the rest! Click here for more.
When body language expert Janine Driver suspected her live-in boyfriend of cheating, she knew better than to make accusations. Although his habit of coming home at late hours in the morning roused her suspicion, she took her own approach to catch him in the act. “I asked him, ‘Why are you so late?’” she shares, “and he told me, ‘I was walking around M Street thinking about our future together.’ When he said that, I decided to come up with a lie of my own and said, ‘No wonder you’re late – I heard about the five-alarm fire at Urban Outfitters on M Street on the news. Is that what held you back?’ A truthful person would have said, ‘No, I was there, and there was no fire. What are you talking about?’ Instead, he paused — and liars will always have an uncomfortable pause — and then went on and on, making excuses. I told him to pack his stuff and get out of my life.”
One thing you can’t change in life is your birth order. Firstborns are destined for leadership, and lastborns take the role as the family’s beloved baby, making it a confusing ride for a child growing up in between. While a vast amount of research has been done on birth order, it always seems like the ones left out are middleborns. Realizing this truth, Dr. Catherine Salmon strives to credit middle children’s extraordinary traits through her research, surprising readers, myth-believers and parents with the real facts about middles. Salmon teams up with journalist Katrin Schumann to reveal how middleborns can “harness their unexpected and remarkable abilities” in The Secret Power of Middle Children. …On the edge of your seat? Click here for more.
Matchmaker and reality star Amy Laurent didn’t realize how much she needed her own help until she began filming Bravo’s ‘Miss Advised.’ As viewers saw throughout the first season, she quickly learned how hard it was to be open to love and how scary it was to feel vulnerable. That was the catalyst she needed to write her book, which she began working on two-thirds through filming. 8 Weeks to Everlasting: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting (and Keeping!) the Guy You Want isn’t about getting the ring or getting to the altar; it’s about building a strong foundation for a lasting relationship with your perfect person. “This book offers simple guidelines that every women needs to follow when they first meet someone they like,” Laurent explains. “It’s about how to change your approach to dating so you don’t lose yourself in it.” No one knows the importance of these parameters better than the author. We had a chance to chat with her about what rules to follow, what lies men tell and what she’s learned in her search for love. …Don’t miss the rest! Click here for more.
From catching her husband cheating to combating breast cancer, there’s no doubt that former lawyer and author, Marcy Miller, is a survivor. Sure, everyone has gone through a breakup, but Miller’s memoir, aptly titled ‘Rebooting in Beverly Hills,’ covers so much more than your average heartbreak. She shares a witty and humorous account of finding herself at the age of 45 after two devastating divorces. Whether you’ve settled down with the man of your dreams or just recently found out the guy you loved is gay, anyone can relate to the challenges of twenty-first century living, dating and loving. We had the opportunity to chat with the Hollywood writer, and she unveiled her biggest fears and challenges as well as her love lessons learned.
Wedding Cake for Breakfast: Essays on the Unforgettable First Year of Marriage, edited by New York literary agents Kim Perel and Wendy Sherman, offers an intimate peek into the first year of marriage, as experienced by twenty-three critically acclaimed female writers. This collection of essays explores the unexpected and often difficult moments — from a surprise pregnancy to ghosts of husbands past to blending families — that brides fail to plan for as they prepare for their “big day,” and the 365 days that follow. …Don’t miss the rest! Click here for more.
Harlan Cohen, a nationally-syndicated advice columnist for over 17 years, knows what he’s talking about. The author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College has already helped thousands of people survive dorm life. Now, with his recently-released Getting Naked: Five Steps to Finding the Love of Your Life (While Fully Clothed & Totally Sober), he’s taking his advice a step further. With his simple approach, Cohen offers a candid guide to falling in love and finding happiness. …On the edge of your seat? Click here to continue.
Three years ago, Jessica Massa’s best friend and now business partner, Rebecca Wiegand, was complaining about her love life – or lack thereof. As Wiegand was telling Massa about her dating dilemma, she was subconsciously resurrecting the different (platonic) men she had in her life. It was that very evening that Massa realized that her best friend actually had a gaggle of men around her and like most women, these men made up her list of non-dating romantic prospects. It was then that “The Gaggle” was born.
In Massa’s new book, The Gaggle: How the Guys You Know Will Help You Find the Love You Want, Massa discusses what she calls the post-dating world. This is the place she says that the rules of traditional dating no longer apply. The gaggle of men in a woman’s life can range from “the career booster” to “the boyfriend prospect,” and this gaggle of guys can help you on your path to find love. ‘The Gaggle’ encourages women to stop worrying if every guy they meet is “the one” and, instead, to start wondering if he is a potential gaggle member.
Dr. Ian Smith is known for helping people succeed in weight loss with his books, ‘The Fat Smash Diet’ and ‘The 4 Day Detox.” But, now the author is determined to help you succeed in your relationship too. From the importance of looking good on the first date to waiting until the right time to label yourself as a girlfriend, The Truth About Men: The Secret Side of the Opposite Sex is a tell-it-like-it-is guide to understanding the male gender. We had the chance to talk to Smith about the inspiration for his book as well as his secrets to a successful marriage.
Dating and searching for “the one” is an imperfect art. Gavin Green, the protagonist from Devan Sipher’s debut novel The Wedding Beat (New American Library), knows this better than anyone. As a sentimental, neurotic, middle-aged, Jewish man, he tries to use his profession as a wedding columnist to find a strategy to fix his own miserable love life.
The author, Devan Sipher, is also a single, Jewish wedding-columnist at the New York Times. But thanks to his years of romantic journalism, this book can be read as a dating guide for sensitive men as well as for its witty prose and fast-paced story.
We had a chance to speak with Sipher, and he revealed some of the conclusions he’s drawn about love, relationships and marriage based on the many interviews he’s done with happy couples on their road to tying the knot.
These days, maintaining a healthy and long term relationship is tough work. Not only is it hard to stay committed for a long time, but it’s also difficult to overcome the criticisms from the world around you. Now, imagine being in a relationship with someone of a different race. Even though we’d like to think our society is wholeheartedly accepting of interracial relationships – we know it isn’t always that simple. We had the chance to interview one of the authors, Christelyn D. Karazin, of Swirling, a book about interracial relationships and what to expect once you are in one. Swirling isn’t only insightful, but it is a guidebook on how to approach various situations you will find yourself in when involved with someone of a different race. Swirling is an honest book that many people can find comfort in.
Okay, so you and your husband dated, fell in love, got married, had a few kids and now you realize that he’s no longer the person he was when you first married him. Sound familiar? What happened to the man you once knew? Don’t fret; change is very common among couples. Things you once desired out of the relationship are no longer the things you need as your relationship progresses. It’s healthy for couples to grow as individuals, but sometimes it’s hard to adjust to the change, and the person we once married becomes a stranger sleeping in our bed, walking around our house and kissing us “hello and good-bye” every morning. Therapist and author Dr. Steven Craig speaks more about this in his new book, The Six Husbands Every Wife Should Have advocating that successful relationships should be viewed as fluid entities that are made by continually maturing people. In his practice and in the book, he teaches couples who are at various stages in their relationship to learn how to adapt to every stage they experience together. Here are some points we discussed with him:
It’s no secret that trust is the adhesive that holds a healthy relationship together. To trust in a romantic partnership is to place confidence in your lover, and to assure that you can rely on his or her character to be there for you whenever you’re in need. But trust, as essential as it is to a successful relationship, is fragile in nature. Once it’s broken, it’s difficult to piece back together, and often times if it is repaired, the cracks of betrayal still show, and the relationship trudges on, damaged at best.
It’s easy to find a book about searching for your soulmate or discovering the rules of dating, but where do you turn to after an excruciating breakup? Have no fear, psychotherapist and breakup expert, Rachel A. Sussman, LCSW, has your guide to healing, understanding and transforming your life after a broken heart. In her new book, The Breakup Bible: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Healing From a Breakup or Divorce, she tells her readers how to create a personal love map and take the steps needed to get over an ex. We had the chance to speak with Sussman, who has counseled women in all stages of heartache and recovery, about her work and the importance of perseverance after a failed romance.
The “rules” of dating can be complicated, and most of the time, we can’t figure out what we’re doing wrong. Dating expert, David Wygant, wrote Naked to get rid of those “rules,” hoping that we could finally learn to love ourselves and be ourselves when entering the dating world. He successfully coaches both men and women in dating by analyzing their situations and helping them figure out what they’ve been doing wrong, so they can move forward and have a happier and more successful dating life. We had a chance to interview David about his book, and here’s what he had to say:
Everyone wants to find their soul mate but it can be extremely stressful. From worrying about first impressions to deciding if your partner is “the one,” the process of finding love can be daunting. Author Amy Leigh Mercree reveals how to make dating bearable with a bit of spiritual self-love. Mercree teaches all genders of all ages how to attract the right dates with positive energy, while remaining emotionally safe in her book, The Spiritual Girl’s Guide to Dating: Your Enlightened Path to Love, Sex, and Soul Mates.
We got a chance to ask the spiritual dating coach and medical intuitive about spiritual dating and finding the perfect partner.
Thanks to the fairy tales that we heard as little girls, many women are searching for their Prince Charming, their perfect match. In our hearts, we believe that there is one man for each of us — our soul mate. Well, ladies, listen up! In her book, The Soul Mate Myth, Jean Cirillo, PhD, offers a new perspective on finding love, one filled with realistic expectations and attainable possibilities. Through her three-step program, she teaches women how to overcome their fears and fantasies so they can see love with fresh eyes and an open heart. …Don’t miss the rest! Click here for more.
Sure, we all want to find “the right guy,” but how do we successfully approach such a task? In her new book Get Married This Year: 365 Days to “I Do,” relationship expert, professor and psychotherapist Dr. Janet Blair Page shares her easy-to-follow 12-month plan to help readers not only get married this year but to build a loving and long-lasting relationship with the man of their dreams. We had the chance to interview Dr. Page, during which she shared her personal story of true love. She also expanded on the steps of her program and discussed why her plan really works.
Whether you classify yourself as straight, gay, lesbian or bi-sexual stock, there’s clearly an intrinsic value and emphasis that our sexual orientation and relationships play in our overall identity. As our society has matured, we continue to poke and prod at these sexual boundaries, blurring the lines with each passing day. The concept of “sexual fluidity” is beginning to overtake the archaic and rigid ideals of classifiable sexual identity.
Elena Azzoni has chronicled the ever-shifting perspective on sexual roles by actually engaging in the shift herself. A lesbian for most of her life, Elena was suddenly entranced by her yoga instructor during a class. This lustful interaction drove Elena to open the doors to the hetero-dating world. We had the chance to speak to her and attain some perspective on gender roles, sexual attraction, and how our the values in our society have begun to shift from one end of the spectrum to the other.
When you’re struggling in an unfulfilling partnership with someone you love, you may not know whether it’s best to move on or stay together as a couple. Communications specialist and author, JAC Patrissi helps support women who are uncertain of their current relationship or are healing from a destructive love life with your partner. Her latest book — co-written with author Lundy Bancroft — Should I Stay or Should I Go?: A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can — and Should — be Saved, offers guidance to help women understand the path in which their relationship is going and how to move on — with or without their partners.
We had a chance to interview Patrissi about her book, and this is what she had to say:
What made you choose to write about this topic?
First, let me ask you if you personally know any women who have not asked the question, “Should I stay or should I go?” Most women find meaning through satisfying connections with others. We care about our partnerships, so we talk and read about them. Continue reading →
From Disney movies to romantic comedies to romance novels, most of us have grown up with the belief that a “happily-ever-after” ending is commonplace in reality. Not only are these endings not guaranteed, but anyone who finds true love will admit that sustaining a serious relationship is no easy feat. Arielle Ford, author of Wabi Sabi Love: The Ancient Art of Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect Relationships, talked to us about her new book and how to master being in a relationship without trying to attain perfection. Wabi Sabi is an ancient Japanese art form that honors the beauty in imperfections, and according to Mrs. Ford, it’s the key to the expected happily ever after.
We had a chance to speak to the author herself, and here’s what she had to say:
