Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza by Cherie Burbach

Have you become frustrated with Internet dating?If you've tried online dating and given up, or even if you thought the Internet wasn't right for you, this book will give you the courage to try again, this time armed with specific illustrations on what really works - from the profile through the dating stage. Don't waste another minute wondering why some people seem to have Internet dating success while you're still waiting for a response to your online ad. Through dozens of concrete examples, dating expert Cherie Burbach will show you how to write an eye-catching profile, search for, and meet the right person online.





Cherie Burbach used her experience with meeting her husband online to pen At the Coffee Shop, a humorous look at the world of Internet dating. Cherie went on over 60 coffee dates in just six months. She met lots of great people and one of those turned out to be the guy she would marry just one year later.

She is the Dating Feature Writer for Suite101, an online magazine with over 10 million views monthly, and also the author of three poetry books, including A New Dish and The Difference Now. Her latest, Father's Eyes, has received the 2008 Editor's Choice Award by Allbooks Review. Cherie blogs at Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Career and Kids, Celebrity Apprentice, Gossip on Sports, and Diabetes Notes.

For poets looking for a review of their book, check out Cherie's new site Bonjour Poetry Reviews.

Readers have resonated with Cherie's honest and inspirational "This I Believe" essay, which is the second-most popular out of over 32,000 entries on the NPR website. For more information, please visit Cherie's website at www.thedifferencenow.com or www.datingdatingall-things-dating.blogspot.com.

I was lucky enough to be able to interview this author. This is what she had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Certainly! Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza shows daters how to succeed with meeting people online. It provides concrete examples on how to write an eye-catching profile, set up coffee dates, end dates, and email matches. It's a handbook for anyone new to Internet dating, or those who have tried it and given up.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

I met my husband online, and have written hundreds of article on the subject of dating and relationships. I've also had the opportunity to hear from Internet daters and find out exactly what they are frustrated about when it comes to meeting someone online.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

I thought Internet dating was a great way to meet someone special, and I want to encourage other daters that they can find the right person for them. People get very frustrated with Internet dating at times, but there is a process that will help them out. With the right approach and right profile, anyone can succeed. They just need to know how to do it. My book doesn't just tell them how to do it but shows them how.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My husband, hands down. He's very supportive of new ideas I have and is always the first reader of my books.

Your biggest critic?

Myself!

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I'm passionate about research and funding for diabetes. I got Type 1 Diabetes when I was at my healthiest. I was actually training for a biathlon at the time I got sick. It is a disease that is hard on the body and costly. People have a lot of misconceptions about the disease, and I hope to educate people as well as inspire them. In fact, my new book is diabetes-related. (Stay tuned... :)

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

First, a silent celebration that consists of smiling, feeling happy, and thanking God for allowing me to do what I love. So often writers are very critical of their own work, and I can certainly fall into that category.

After my brief celebration, I put the work aside and let it "rest." After that, I go back and read it again before sending it on for edits.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

My husband and our happy marriage. I'm very proud of what we have and thankful to God for bringing us together.

What are you currently working on?

I have a diabetes-related book I'm finishing and another relationship-related book due out in 2009. (It's still in first draft form right now.)

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

My faith. God has led me through some very difficult things in my life, and I've survived because of Him.

Biggest weakness?

Being critical of myself. Not sure if this is something a lot of other writers deal with or if it's a lingering effect from my childhood. Maybe a little of both. It's something I'm always working on.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

It has several real examples to show someone what it means to "be more descriptive" in their profile or "send a short email" to someone that's interested them. I've been in their shoes and know what works, and want to show them - not just tell them.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Just one? That would have to be the Bible. I would need it for inspiration and lessons in faith. Plus, it also has the poetry of the psalms, and I couldn't survive without poetry!

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

Oh how tempted I would be to change things in the past! But the truth is, if you change one thing many other things might change as well. Since I like my life now, I'd have to keep everything the same.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

Here's a big one I've learned recently: That everyone is responsible for their own happiness. Some people will guilt you into jumping through hoops to make them happy. In the end, we are all responsible for the way we view and interact in life.

What is your favorite past-time?

Reading, writing, drawing, scrapbooking, crocheting. Anything creative floats my boat!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me!
If anyone has a question on online dating, feel free to email me. My contact information can be found at my website, www.cherieburbach.com.

Irene Watson Book Spotlight and Author Interview

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Loving Healing Press (July 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932690670
ISBN-13: 978-1932690675


Book Synopsis:


Irene Watson's pretentious life could go no further until she faced her past. Her moving and inspiring memoir begins at the end, in a recovery center, where she has gone to understand a childhood fraught with abuse, guilt, and uncertainty.


Two distinct parts of the book look at abusive child rearing and the process of recovery years later. This story shows change, growth, and forgiveness are possible. It gives hope and freedom to those accepting the past and re-writing life scripts that have been passed down for generations. It's never too late to change your life, never too late to heal.


I was extremely fortunate to be able to ask Irene some questions about herself and the book. Here goes:


How did you come to the point in your life where you decided to write "The Sitting Swing"?


I’m pretty much a classic author – I knew I had a story to share. After being in recovery for a number of years and seeing that people parallel to my life, I decided to write my story so readers can look at themselves and know there is hope and freedom from past negative experiences.


Could you describe your relationship with your parents, and whether they ever saw the pain you were in?


The relationship with my mother now is okay. My father passed away this past spring. However, it only became “okay” after I decided to divorce my self from them and re-write my life scripts. I no longer have them influence my thoughts, behaviors, and actions.


Who is the most influential person in your life, and why?


It would be Margie, my best friend as a child. I write about her in “The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference.” She was the only stable thing in my life growing up and I dedicate my stability as a child to her.


What are your greatest fears?


Right now? (Laughs) One of the things I “worked” on and still am is fear. Although I’m to a point in my life I can turn fear into love, I still have to be conscious every moment that I don’t get tied up in fear and allow myself to wallow in something that is virtually non-existent.


What do you hope to accomplish with this book?


My biggest hope is to have readers find healing within themselves after reading my book. So far, from the reports I get I’ve succeeded.


What is the greatest gift life has given you?


Ahhh, what a great question. At this moment I am so grateful for my life as it is now. I love what I’m doing, how I feel, my family and friendships, and most of all my connection to a Higher Power. That is such a gift to me.


How did you feel after "The Sitting Swing" was completed? Any regrets?


Oh my goodness, no regrets at all! In fact, I felt I peeled another layer of the onion because while I was writing the book, I was also releasing more of my “stuff.”


What is the greatest feeling in the world?


Hummm….wow. At this moment I would say happiness. At one time in my life I wasn’t happy at all, and it lasted for a long time. Now I am truly happy.


Have you always wanted to be a writer, or did you aspire to be something else growing up?


Oh, sure, as I child I remember wanting to write. I tried several articles for a newspaper but got rejected. Feeling defeated I gave up trying until I started writing my book. In the meantime my life took me on many career paths and experiences.


Are you currently working on anything?


I am working as a co-editor putting together a book about publishing. Aside from that I’m concentrating on my book review and author publicity service as well as being active in the Higher Power Foundation, Inc. We give scholarships to people needing financial assistance in attending spiritual life-transforming workshops or retreats.


About the author:

Irene Watson, author of award winning The Sitting Swing, was born and raised in a tiny hamlet of Reno in the northern area of the province of Alberta in Canada. It was a farming community, mostly settled by immigrants from Russia, Ukraine and Poland during the early 1900s.

Two books that had the deepest impact were Change me into Zeus’s Daughter by Barbara Robinette Moss, and, Lost and Found by Babette Hughes. Reading both books inspired Irene to write about her own life’s journey, from growing up in a semi- abusive home to finally accepting that experience as a path to a spiritual understanding of life. She now shares her story in The Sitting Swing.

Irene is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team of reviewers carefully reads each book and posts their honest opinion.

Irene received her Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Summa Cum Laude, in Psychology from Saint Edward's University in Austin and her Master of Arts, with honors, in Liberal Studies: Psychology, from Regis University in Denver.

Today, Irene lives beside Barton Creek in Austin, Texas with her husband Robert of 42 years, and their Pomeranian, Tafton; their calico cat from a rescue shelter, Patches; and their cockatiel, Clement.


THE SITTING SWING VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on September 2, '08 and end on September 26, '08. You can visit Irene's tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about her and her new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

Irene's virtual book tour is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.