I'm delighted to welcome Shannon Yingst to my blog today as part of the blog tour for IF THEY CAN'T KISS RIGHT: SURVIVING ONLINE DATING, the exciting new creative fiction book.
Shannon Yingst is a woman with dreams far beyond her reach. Not because she isn’t ambitious, but because she is short, and her dreams are on the high shelves. On her tip toes reaching for those dusty aspirations, she hopes to achieve the daunting task of entertaining the masses with the written word. Shannon likes to write while listening to Star Wars soundtracks, stand outside while it snows, and get confused playing board games. She would love to spend her days reading on the beach with a waiter bringing her frozen margaritas and snacks as the sun moves about the sky, but for now, she will continue to work at her desk in Jersey.
If They Can’t Kiss Right: Surviving Online Dating is her latest book.
You can visit her blog at https://waitstophelp.blogspot.com/ or connect with her on Twitter.
10 Things You Might Not Know About If They Can't Kiss Right
1. This book started as a thesis for Shannon’s M.F.A. program. It was originally much shorter and only lengthened at the suggestion from her thesis adviser. It took a year to add content before sending to a publisher for consideration
2. When reaching out for consent forms, some of the characters asked for their name and likeness to be changed. This is what sparked the idea to push the nickname as sole identifiers.
3. The first chapter is a lookback on a past relationship. Shannon had to reach out to that ex for a consent form which helped the two reconcile. They now talk occasionally and remain friends.
4. The ending was based around a relationship that fizzled out before the book was published. Around the time of final edits, Shannon broke things off with this man and a whirlwind of interesting and comical situations came forth. The publisher said the release could be postponed and the ending rewritten, or we could end it on a happy note. The ending remained untouched.
5. When submitting the original copy for the thesis review, Carla Tarrach, one of Shannon’s best friends, was noted as an editor. Both had joked Carla should be noted as editor on the published version, but that idea petered out as no more than a joke.
6. The only reason this book was published is from the help of an alumni group for Shannon’s graduate alma mater, Lindenwood University. There was a post about a new publishing house accepting submissions, so she took a chance and it worked out in her favor.
7. There are many stories that were cut from the final draft. Shannon considered writing a second book with the remaining stories, but felt the story ended in a good place. Most of the stories are now faded due to her bad memory.
8. Shannon warned her family of the adult content in the book, but many still purchased and read the entire thing. Her mother, however, stopped after the first chapter stating, “It has things I DON’T need to know.”
9. The book almost was not published. Just before the breakup with her ex in the final chapter, the two had a big fight. The ex expressed his concerns of having his girlfriend publish a book filled with her sexual exploits. Shannon thought about pulling the book from publishing, but was pushed by her family and friends not to.
10. This book was mainly
written to make people laugh, but it is also there to show that women can A. be
funny and B. have an active sex life and talk about it like men do.
Online dating: the new way of life. It seems like the only logical way to meet people anymore. The rest of our lives are on the internet, so why not our love lives too? Because if you wait for your friends to set you up, you’ll only be disappointed with their choice of Roger from accounting, the epitome of mouth breathing, booger eating morons.
Fortunately, there are no Rogers from accounting in this tale. There are, however, many other bad choices. But along the way, I learned what I want, and what I don’t want in a relationship. I learned good qualities to seek and bad qualities to leave behind. I also learned a lot about myself in the process, too. The biggest gain I got from my foray into online dating, though? Writing this book and passing along some of the life lessons I discovered through a painful trial-and-error process.
If you think your dating life is bad, take a gander at mine. Relive the awkward moments, soak in the unnecessary drama, and don’t forget to learn a thing or two. Men and women alike will be able to read this and take-home solid dating advice for the future.
Laugh. Learn. Love. Question why some humans are so insane. Maybe even see yourself in some of the pages. But above all, take to heart all the things I figured out along the way. It’ll save you the heartache and trouble. Trust me.
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