Join us in welcoming author Morgan Wyatt to Word Wranglers today.

We love the woman who is inept in the romance department. Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, and even Meg Ryan, made major bucks playing girls who can’t get a date, or keep a man, or pick the loser every time. Books that feature a blurb on the back about some heroine or clever title indicating the heroine is a bad date magnet sell much better than Her Highness’ Royal Lover.

Not a real book, btw, but, please isn’t it enough she is already a royal. How sorry is a reader going to feel for a princess. Who has doubts that a princess can get her pick of men? The only way women might be vaguely interested in this is if it included singing animals and a wicked stepmother who is trying to kill off the royal princess. Oh, and the interested female needs to be under ten. American girls tend to view themselves as Disneyesque princesses thanks to the wonderful world of marketing.

We grow up and learn by the age of thirteen, that mice don’t make party dresses and princes don’t come to our door. Often boys ignore us in pursuit of Candi, the cheerleader, who later becomes Bette, the office bombshell. Through a series of bad dates and failed relationships, we come to the conclusion that most men have never watched a romantic comedy in their lives or they’d know how to behave better. That’s why we like books that reflect that aspect of our lives.

We, of the bad date sisterhood, enjoy our troubled heroines because they touch a responsive chord. They know they’d had some questionable relationships, yet hope for better. Don’t we all? Our heroine revives our hopes by finding the right guy and the happily ever after.

Peter Todd, in recent article in WIRED magazine used statistics to prove that people can find the right person after twelve wrong people. My fiancé sat down and did the math to test Todd’s theory. As an engineer, he’d made a spread sheet of the women he dated. I am not kidding about the spread sheet. I am lucky thirteen. I will admit to feeling lucky to have found him. My not so scientific approach was to try to remember. I was unsure if I should count the popular, funny guy I went out with twice in high school and dropped for his shy, socially awkward best friend. If I didn’t count him that meant my sweetie was thirteen! Should we have heroines rushing through men to get to the thirteenth one? Probably not, in a few years, someone will tell us, the lucky number always was nine, and she has the data to prove it.

All we really want is a romance-challenged heroine who finds love. I have several, but let me introduce you to Deidre from CUB IN BLUE who decides to take an abrupt turn form her dates with middle-aged men who whine about their lives to Curt, a young cop wounded in the line of duty.

EXCERPT

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she noticed a man staring at her intently. She slipped off her glasses, thinking it would make her look more attractive. It might be him. A square set to his shoulders, short military-style haircut, and he appeared to be walking in a direct line to her. Could be. She flashed a smile, a calculated smile meant to dazzle with perfect orthodontic work and promise. He stopped suddenly as if hit in the solar plexus.

“Deidre?”

Turning slightly, she allowed one long leg to stretch out and make contact with the floor before speaking. Falling off the barstool might not make the best first impression. “Curt?” Dare she hope this toned male with the almost crew cut was her man.

“Ah, it is you.” Curt grinned, taking her hand and helping her alight from the barstool. Nodding in the direction of her glass, he asked, “Is that your drink?” At her agreement, he picked up the glass and led her to a table.

Deidre shot a quick glance back at the bartender who shrugged his shoulders. Probably meant no key lime pie for her. Oh well, she didn’t come for the pie.
Putting her drink on the booth table, Curt leaned over and gave her a brief hug and kiss on the hair. Wow. Surprised, Deidre plopped down on the vinyl seat, causing it to make an embarrassing hissing noise. “It’s the seat,” she explained, sorry she said anything once the words came out. Can we say sophisticated older woman image up in flames?

“I know.” Curt acknowledged her remark, sliding in opposite her. A server showed up, handed them menus, and took Curt’s beer order.

The conversational ball was back to her. Argh. Her mind kept yelling “yummy,” but not a great way to start a conversation, or was it? “Curt, I couldn’t help noticing you are even cuter than your photo. Now why is it you like older women?”

His eyes lit up as he picked up Deidre’s hand and bestowed a kiss on it. “That’s one of the reasons I like older women, they cut to the chase, say what they mean.”

“Oh.” Did she do that? If she did, it wasn’t intentional.

The server brought Curt his beer and inquired if they’d like to order anything from the menu. The deal was you really needed to order food if you wanted to prolong your time together. Suddenly, she knew she wanted to extend her time. So far, she’d had more physical contact with Curt in the last four minutes than all her dates with Kevin combined, and she liked it. A lot.

Want to read more, one lucky commenter will receive a free ebook. The rest can visit:
http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=5&products_id=238, or Amazon, or my website: www.morgankwyatt.com

How many are now mentally counting the also rans to decide if you are now in your lucky thirteen relationship?

Comments

  1. This is great, Morgan! And good timing. I've been reremembering my bad dates lately along with my friend (and queen of bad date stories in her books) author Kristan Higgins. I'd forgotten there were so many. So twelve, huh....very interesting. I write YA and bad dates tend to be different there, but you're still left with the same yucky feeling no matter your age....

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    1. Hi Huntley,
      Thanks for commenting. My daughter recently asked me about my worst date for her Psychology of Women assignment, which forced me to walk the bad date road again.LOL

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  2. This is so timely. I recently acquired my mother's photo albums. I plan to scan the pictures and give digital copies to my kids and other family members. Man, there are pix of old boyfriends in there, including the guy who knocked up his step-sister named Judy. Didn't even have to keep the names straight when he was dating me and bedding her. After counting up dates and one ex, I'm up to 12. Look out next guy. You may be Mr. Right.

    And, Cub in Blue sounds like a totally fun -- and hot -- read.

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  3. Hi Judi,

    Thanks for commenting. Your story trumps mine. My worst date wrote a three page critical review of what I could do better for the next date. There was never a next date.

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  4. Hi Morgan, the story sounds like fun. A wounded cop seems like the perfect prey for a cougar. Great premise.

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  5. Hi Morgan, this is a book I have to read. It sounds so funny and the heroine perfect in her own way. I'm not telling about past boyfriends. In the remote case-that will never happen-that my DH reads this: "Honey, you are and always were my one and only one." My fingers are crossed behind my back.

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    1. Hi Mona,

      Thanks for stopping by. I send my sweetie a link to every site I blog on, he lurks, but never comments. Sigh.

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  6. Great post, Morgan. Your story sounds wonderful.
    I was given a short boyfriend list by the karma gods. I had one boyfriend in high school who rejected me after he went to college. Then I self-destructively rejected the next boyfriend, a blonde, blue-eyed nice guy, and dated a genius-IQ drug peddler. Fate intervened in the form of an arrest for possession of controlled substances (slipped in my purse by you-know-who.) Waiting for my court date, I met my husband. We eloped right after the charges were dismissed for illegal search and seizure. I wouldn't have met him if I hadn't been arrested.
    Oh, both boyfriend #1 and blonde good guy came to see me shortly after I was married. Blondie to propose, and #1 to show off his new wife. I'm still with my husband.

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    1. Hi Ana Morgan,

      You do realize your love story would make an excellent book! Think about it. I've heard it said there is nothing more tempting to a man then a woman he can't have.

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  7. Hi Kylie,
    Thanks for commenting. Cops always embody the alpha male, even young ones.
    Morgan

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  8. Hi, Morgan. Thanks for visiting Word Wranglers today. Great post!

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    1. Hi Liz,

      Thanks for inviting me to Word Wranglers today. I am amazed at how well your site works. It has to be one of the best I've ever seen as far as ease of use. My insurance company could take a page from you guys.

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    2. Kristi's our go-to girl and she keeps it running really smooth.

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  9. Hi, thanks for coming to WW today. Your story sounds great!

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    1. D'Ann,
      It has been a fun visit. Thanks for allowing me to visit.

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  10. That excerpt is great!! I'm a fan of the can't-find-love girls, too.

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  11. Hi Kristina,
    Who isn't a fan of the bad date gal? It just makes it all the sweeter when she finds the right man. Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Great excerpt. I was super-super shy in school so my husband is indeed my one and only, for almost thirty years now--two dating and 28 married in April.

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    1. Margie,
      You are blessed. Thanks for commenting.

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  13. I'm the lucky one to have found you Sweetie... great job on today's post...

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  14. Scott,

    Ahh..how sweet. Thanks for being so good to me today while I am sick in bed, but you're good to me everyday, which makes me lucky to have found you.

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  15. Great post, Morgan! I love your excerp too! :)

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  16. Great post and love your blog and the excerpt. Most of us can relate to the shy bad-date girl, and that's why I love a heroine who isn't perfect!

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