“What Was I Thinking?! How Not to Date” author discusses her ups and downs in online dating.
Author, Annie Earley, recently penned a book “What Was I Thinking? How Not to Date” about her experiences with online dating. Earley said that the book discusses the matter with humor, but also points out the dangers. I posed questions to the author.
Q: Why did you decide to join an online dating group?
A: I decided to join an online dating group because my close friend suggested it might be a good way to meet someone. She met her husband through an online dating service.
Q: What advice would you give to women thinking about online dating?
A: Try to meet someone through a friend or just try to meet someone out and about and in person. If they really want to try online dating I would advise them to be very careful. Set up some guidelines and rules for safety and stick to them. Unfortunately, you can’t believe everything in a potential date’s profile.
Q: Any story that sticks out in your mind as either the best or the worst date?
A: I think the story that sticks out in my mind the most is the story about “Peter Lorre.” This story is an example of how you can think you’ve gotten to know someone through email and on the phone, and feel that you really connect, only to find that when you meet them in person you are frightened and fearing for your safety and feeling vulnerable. When things like this happen it does not do much for your self-esteem. I found myself feeling foolish.
Q: Are you still an active member of the online dating community? Or are you in a relationship/ seeing anyone special?
A: Actually, at the end of the book it tells how I met someone special through a friend and we got married six months later. I could add that although I stated in my book that I do not believe in “head over heels,” I now know that there is such a thing as a “soulmate I met him nine months after I decided to take a break from dating and had decided to just put it in God’s hands, so there may be some truth to the philosophy that when you stop looking, that is when you will meet someone.
Q: Why did you decide to write the book?
A: I decided to write a book about my experiences because as I was telling these stories to my family and friends the response was always the same, “You should write a book!” So I did. I also hoped that in sharing my experiences I might give someone encouragement, or at least let some men and women who are dating and going through similar experiences know that they are not alone.
Q: Why do you feel people should buy your book and how could they get a copy?
A: I feel that someone should buy my book if they are interested in trying online dating or are dating at all. Each chapter tells a story about one of the men I met or dated and contains humorous cartoons depicting some of these meetings. Some of the stories are humorous and some are not so funny. I would like to think that anyone who likes to read about relationships would enjoy it.
My book is available through Tribute Books (Eynon, PA), Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Borders.
Q: Any final words of wisdom?
A: I don’t know if these would be considered words of wisdom but I would say the following to anyone out there who is dating: Set standards for yourself relating to what you want in a relationship; especially how you want to be treated. Don’t settle for less because you are afraid of being lonely. . If you are lonely, find things to do to fill your life. Have trust in yourself and put your trust in God.
ISBN: 9780979504587
120 pp.
$14.95
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