Book Review: Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza by Cherie Burbach

Author: Cherie Burbach
Title: Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Bonjour Publishing
Genre: Nonfiction; Relationships
Language: English
ISBN: 0978974751
Purchase at Amazon here
Visit the author’s website here

When it comes to going through all the trials and tribulations of online dating, Cherie Burbach has been there, done that. A single girl in her mid-30s who had a great life, but no one to share it with, she shared a common statistic among women her age. A great job, outside interests, but no one seemed to fill those gigantic shoes of the infamous Mr. Right.

Despite her wonderful and active life, Cherie couldn’t help but to feel something was missing. She tried ignoring it, but it was a void she knew must be filled.

Cherie took to the Internet after finding out that guys who fit her criteria were a dime a dozen in the offline world. Before long, she found her Mr. Right who she married not too long afterwards.

But here’s the thing. Not everyone is that lucky. Finding love over the Internet takes much more than placing an ad or conversing with strangers in chatrooms. There are horror stories that could fill a book (in fact, I started one myself a few years ago, but never finished, and those stories would curl your toes).

So how did Cherie find her knight in shining armor?

Cherie’s newest book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza, is a tell-all on how to look for love online and be successful.

She covers such topics as:

• Having the right attitude
• Creating the right profile (very important)
• Where to meet safely
• How to pay attention to your gut instincts
• Body language
• Why you should never give out any financial or personal information
• Why you shouldn’t look for someone who is on the rebound (I know a no-brainer, but her points are worth reading)
• Advice on what to say and not to say
• Why you should put all your negativity in the baggage department where it belongs in the first place
• And much, much more

As Cherie says, “Remember the title of this book. Internet dating is not like ordering a pizza. You can’t just pick up the phone or log on to a site and have the perfect person sent directly to your inbox! You do have to spend some time in order to see if someone you’ve just met might be right for you. Invest that time. you won’t regret it when you do finally meet the right one. And you will.”

Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza is a reality check into the world of online dating. I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about going to the Internet to find their Mr. (or Ms.) Right before you get yourself into an uncomfortable position. Follow her advice and you may find the person of your dreams, too!

Rating:

4 Turning Pages

Let’s Play Book Trivia with Mystery Suspense Author Richard Roach!

It’s time to play Book Trivia! Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us. By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one elseknows! So, let’s get ready…let’s play…

Today our guest author is Richard E. Roach, author of the suspense mystery novel, Scattered Leaves.

Suspense mystery author Richard Roach was born in 1931 in Galveston, Texas. Short stories of his have been published in Man’s Story 2, Happy 2007, Vol. 20 and Bibliophilos 2006, Vol. 42. His first novel, Scattered Leaves, hit the book stores on September 1, ’08, and his second novel, Scattered Money, will be published in 2009.

You can visit his website at www.richarderoach.com.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us, Richard. Here are your questions:

If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of SCATTERED LEAVES , how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

He would be inspired by Ben and PJ’s never-die attitude and begin to build a boat.

Everyone knows rock star idol Brittany Spears is always in trouble with everything you can think of. In what way could your book help her and set her life back on track?

She would see my name on the cover, (and my location) drive out to my residence and ask me how to make up with her boyfriend. I would give her the lecture that I gave new recruits and this would straighten out her tangled life. Yes, you guessed it…I know her boyfriend. No fooling.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi determining whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay. What would impress them more – your book cover, or an excerpt or your best review – and why?

Neither. I would tell them to plug my book and I would tell them my sure-fire investment plan. I have made millions on Wall Street and for a price (namely them advertising my book on each of their shows) I would tell them my secret I was taught by Mr. Graham. This is the same man that taught Warren Buffet!

Hulk Hogan, the famous wrestler and star of his own reality show, has invited you and your book to appear on his show. One catch. You have to read a passage out of it to convince him you are star material. What part would you read?

The part I would read is the closing passages but first, I would play him his favorite (The Steel Guitar Rag) on my twin necked steel guitar—then on my standard f-hole electric guitar I would play him his favorite Les Paul tune, and finally I would dazzle him with a hot fiddle tune like Devil’s Dream. And yes, I do indeed play these instruments.

They’ve invented a board game using the theme of your book. What would the title of it be that would be different from your book?

A Maiden Prayer.

Which retail store would they place it to make the most sales?

Package Store

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance. What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

This is the easiest of all. They would choose a long leaf pine because Ben McCord is from texas. (My computer has decided it won’t make a capitol t.)

President Barack Obama has become the author of several books and he has requested your presence at a special hush hush meeting to discuss ways to promote it. Through luck of the draw, you were chosen. What would be the first thing you would tell Barack?

Have a crew of thousands tear down the white house and give a memento such as a board or shingle or clock or piece of furniture with each book.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2009 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan . Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom. On stage, you must give an acceptance speech. What would you say and who would you thank?

I would know it was a dream, pinch myself and wakeup.

Thank you for having me. If you take time to read this, I love you and wish you the best of everything and PLEASE buy a copy of SCATTERED LEAVES. It will make you happy from morn til night. I promise! Now, would I lie to you.

Book Trivia: Interview with Short Story Author J.W. Nicklaus

It’s time to play Book Trivia! Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us. By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows! So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is J.W. Nicklaus, author of the short story collection The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between.

J.W. Nicklaus currently resides in a place not entirely fit for human habitation about five months of the year. No pets to speak of, only the apparitions which all romantics suffer from.
An Arizona native, he’s been from one coast to the other, and a few places in-between. Snow has been featured prominently in his stories, perhaps because of the season-less climate he lives in. Nature was meant to be enjoyed and experienced, not hidden from the senses. So, to that end, he hopes someday to live amongst those who are able to live through four true seasons, and not just blast furnace and warm.

He enjoys the occasional Arizona Diamondbacks game with his son, as well as watching him grow up. The experience of being a single dad has taught him far more about himself than he ever thought possible.
Within the expanse of every waking moment, he hopes his guardian angel keeps its arms open wide and heart ever watchful, for there but for one true Hope goes She.

His personal blog can be found at http://avomnia.wordpress.com, and his web site at www.avomnia.com.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us, J.W.! Here are your questions:

If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of (name of your book), how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

It’s nothing short of miraculous how the human spirit can drive the body forward. If inspired to focus on what matters to the heart he could very well keep his attitude up and hope alive. We are social creatures by nature and innately require some level of interaction with others. He may just find the stories provide him the looking glass to peek into his own heart and gently blow on the ember within.

Everyone knows rock star idol Britney Spears is always in trouble with everything you can think of. In what way could your book help her and set her life back on track?

Dear Britney,
How many mornings have you kicked off the covers and wondered who you are? Are you what the public wants you to be, or are you something hidden, a mask you won’t wear for all to see? Who is that stranger in the mirror?

What will your deeper legacy be if the world stopped turning today?

How long can you keep the dark from suffocating the light?

Listen to Aury’s father in Emissary. Be very careful about what you ask for and what price you’ll pay for the results, like in 10:18. What might get Broken that can’t be fixed?

The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between might just give you some food for thought.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi determining whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay. What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

The cover—it has simplicity and quiet strength.

Hulk Hogan, the famous wrestler and star of his own reality show, has invited you and your book to appear on his show. One catch: You have to read a passage out of it to convince him you are star material. What part would you read?

The opening passage of One Washington Diner; it showcases the deep connections we develop between two people, even under the worst of circumstances.

They’ve invented a board game using the theme of your book. What would the title of it be that would be different from your book and which retail store would they place it to make the most sales?

I’m thinking it would be called something like By Degrees, and would be sold at FAO Schwartz.

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance. What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

Pine tree, because it bears the most symbolic reference to me—prefers northern climates, tall, quiet, and whispers softly when it needs to communicate.

President Barack Obama has become the author of several books and he has requested your presence at a special hush hush meeting to discuss ways to promote it. Through luck of the draw, you were chosen. What would be the first thing you would tell Barack?

“I am one American with fifteen stories told. Take the story of every American, native and naturalized, and launch them skyward into the gentle tissue-thin blue that stretches over this amazing country—you could grow crops with the tears from those stories, could educate by simply breathing, could open doors and windows to new ideas with the lightest of breezes.

We, the people, desperately want you to never forget to listen. Our national life is as close as the air around you. We are vigilant, are waiting — we are You.”

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2009 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom. On stage, you must give an acceptance speech. What would you say and who would you thank?

In my best British accent I’d start with “Thank you, thank you . . . I love you all! Hope I see each of you next time I’m in town! Good night!” then wait for the thunder of feet stomping on the ground and lighters held aloft. Barring that highly unlikely scene I’d genuinely thank all those who helped my words see ink in the light of day, and then repeat the dedication from my book:

To those who have been quietly supportive and encouraging, you have both my genuine respect and unreserved gratitude.

To the concealed yet ever manifest angel watching over me, I need not reveal what you possess, for you already know.

IN THE MAILBOX: MAKING LIGHT OF BEING HEAVY by Kandy Siahaya

I’ve had this book for a few days now and I just now picked it up and started reading. This is hilarious stuff!

It starts out like this:

“Are you overweight? I am. Doesn’t it suck?”

Then she goes on to say:

“I think our bodies shape themselves into what they should be regardless of certain measures we take to prevent it when we live our life normally and happily. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure if I exercised for four hours a day and only ate rabbit food on a regular basis I may not be fat. But who wants to exercise four hours a day and only eat rabbit food every day? I don’t.”

And that’s not the funniest part as I couldn’t help myself and kept reading. This book is the bomb. I asked her tour coordinator if I could host her for a few days next month when she’s on virtual book tour with us and I’m waiting on her answer. No, I’m not the only one taking books on tour and, no, I don’t have a say (or too much, lol) on where she ends up, but after reading a few pages, I immediately asked Tracee if I could host her here for three days and I’m waiting on her answer.

This book hits so close to home, but I won’t spoil any of it until she comes in May. But, how many people who are naturally big can laugh at the situation? Kandy Siahaya is my role model. I was born a skinny person and up until about a year ago, I started really considering dieting. I have gained 50 pounds (shudder) since the birth of my first child. Of course, I was in my twenties and I was SKINNY, remember?

So, this ought to be fun. I’ll let you know if I can get Kandy here we can find out more about her, but it will include a review at least.

Teaser Tuesday – The Obama Revolution

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Please avoid spoilers!

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

My two (2) “teaser” sentences for today:

“As long as Obama could get his message across – without it being distorted on the nightly news or in fear-mongering robocalls – we knew that we would win on hope and change. We also knew that we had to be Obama’s messengers.”

- Page 68 of  The Obama Revolution by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

Book Trivia: Interview with Internet Dating Expert Cherie Burbach

It’s time to play Book Trivia! Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us. By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows! So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Cherie Burbach, author of the nonfiction book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza.

Cherie Burbach is an author, blogger, poet, crocheter, and geek. She loves football and is obsessed with anything having to do with the Green Bay Packers.

Cherie 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.

Cherie’s new book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza, is available now.

She is the Dating Feature Writer for Suite101, staff writer for b5media, 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.

Readers have resonated with Cherie’s honest and inspirational “This I Believe” essay, which is the second-most popular out of over 40,000 entries on the NPR website. For more information, please visit Cherie’s website, www.cherieburbach.com.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us, Cherie! Here are your questions:

If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza, how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

Tom would probably have wished he would have brought a bible or GPS with him, instead! But if he did bring my book, he would be inspired by all the concrete examples on how to write a profile, email an online dating match, or end a coffee date. So much so that he would find a way off the island simply because he would so badly want to get back and meet someone special!

Everyone knows rock star idol Britney Spears is always in trouble with everything you can think of. In what way could your book help her and set her life back on track?

Britney has had some bad luck in the “man” department. She hasn’t quite found the right guy for her yet. My book would show her how to present herself online and in real life so that people would take her seriously and see her for the sweet girl she is. She would get tips about moving on from the past and finding mature love that will give her the confidence to feel comfortable and secure.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi determining whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay. What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

Just like with the singers they audition, the judges know that a book truly is judged by the outside to start out with. They’d let me through to the next round because they would enjoy the cover. Then, they would read an excerpt and become wowed with the conversational style of writing and intelligent examples. They know this book would appeal to millions of people and would encourage America to make sure I was the next American Book Idol!

Hulk Hogan, the famous wrestler and star of his own reality show, has invited you and your book to appear on his show. One catch. You have to read a passage out of it to convince him you are star material. What part would you read?

I’d read the section on posting photos and looking your very best. It isn’t simply about putting up a good picture, there is a science to the pictures you post and they should help tell a bit about your personality. (Hulk would be impressed because he knows looking good is part of the battle.)

They’ve invented a board game using the theme of your book. What would the title of it be that would be different from your book and which retail store would they place it to make the most sales?

The title of a game on Internet dating would be “Mystery Date.” (Oh wait, they already did a game called that! haha!) They would have to sell it in pizza joints because you know Internet dating IS NOT like ordering a pizza!

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance. What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

They would plant an apple tree, because one tiny seed sprouts a tree filled with beautiful fruit and leaves that grows for many years to come. With Internet dating, the seed is the act of logging on to an Internet dating website with the desire to find someone special. The fruit, leaves, and branches are the love you find, the color it adds to your life, and the development of a new family.

President Barack Obama has become the author of several books and he has requested your presence at a special hush hush meeting to discuss ways to promote it. Through luck of the draw, you were chosen. What would be the first thing you would tell Barack?

I think President Obama would probably do just fine with book promotion! But if he needed a couple tips, I would tell him to hire the best possible marketing team he could so people who would most enjoy his book the most would be able to find it.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2009 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom. On stage, you must give an acceptance speech. What would you say and who would you thank?

I would thank God for giving me strength and guidance and blessings beyond my wildest imagination. I would tell my husband that his love and support mean everything to me. And I would tell anyone who doesn’t believe that dreams really do come true!

Thank you for playing, Cherie! What a good sport…everyone go out and pick up a copy of her latest book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza!

Book Trivia: Interview with Historical Fiction Author J.A. Hunsinger

It’s time to play Book Trivia! Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us. By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows! So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is J. A. Hunsinger, author of the historical fiction novel, Axe of Iron: The Settlers!

J. A. Hunsinger lives in Colorado, USA, with his wife Phyllis. The first novel of his character-driven, historical fiction series, Axe of Iron – The Settlers, represents his first serious effort to craft the story of a lifelong interest in the Viking Age—especially as it pertains to Norse exploration west of Iceland—and extensive research and archaeological site visitations as an amateur historian. He has tied the discovery of many of the Norse artifacts found on this continent to places and events portrayed in his novels.

Much of his adult life has been associated with commercial aviation, both in and out of the cockpit. As an Engineering Technical Writer for Honeywell Commercial Flight Systems Group, Phoenix, AZ, he authored two comprehensive pilots’ manuals on aircraft computer guidance systems and several supplemental aircraft radar manuals. His manuals were published and distributed worldwide to airline operators by Honeywell Engineering, Phoenix, AZ. He also published an article, Flight Into Danger, in Flying Magazine, (August 2002).

American Institute of Archaeology, Canadian Archaeology Association, MIPA-Midwest Independent Publishers Association, and IBPA-Independent Book Publishers Association, are among the fraternal and trade organizations in which he holds membership.
http://www.vinlandpublishing.com/
http://www.vinlandpublishing.blogspot.com/

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us, Jerry! Here are your questions:

If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of Axe of Iron: The Settlers, how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

From reading the book, he would learn how to survive, how tools are built, and how wooden ships and boats are built. Knowing this would give him hope and perhaps a flash of ingenuity.

Everyone knows rock star idol Britney Spears is always in trouble with everything you can think of. In what way could your book help her and set her life back on track?

Can she read?

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi determining whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay. What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

The best review. It tells the entire story from another person’s perspective.

Hulk Hogan, the famous wrestler and star of his own reality show, has invited you and your book to appear on his show. One catch. You have to read a passage out of it to convince him you are star material. What part would you read?

The scene with the dying native in a canoe that drifts to a shoreline where a grizzly kills and eats him is poignant, I think.

They’ve invented a board game using the theme of your book. What would the title of it be that would be different from your book and which retail store would they place it to make the most sales?

Axeman. Wal-Mart, Sam’s. Amazon

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance. What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

Yew tree. The area of Canada, Quebec, where the first two books take place have an abundance of yew.

President Barack Obama has become the author of several books and he has requested your presence at a special hush hush meeting to discuss ways to promote it. Through luck of the draw, you were chosen. What would be the first thing you would tell Barack?

Thank you for inviting me.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2009 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom. On stage, you must give an acceptance speech. What would you say and who would you thank?

I am humbled by this honor that you have bestowed on my book and me. My wife Phyllis and my brother Tom are partially responsible for the final product. Phyllis is not only my wife, she is my best friend, and one of the few people on earth to whom I listen. On occasion, I need a push, to get me going again. She happily provides that. My brother Tom is now doing my research. His encyclopedic knowledge of the American Indian is proving to be invaluable for the other four books of the Axe of Iron series.

And so forth, thanks, Jerry.

Thank you for playing, Jerry!  What a good sport…everyone go out and pick up a copy of his latest book, Axe of Iron: The Settlers!

Booking Through Thursday – April 9, ‘09

For something different, I’m borrowing a question from … here! One of the very first questions ever at Booking Through Thursday. Back from 2005 when Laura owned the blog but, because it was so new, it didn’t get as many responses as it does now … so, why not revisit?

Here’s the question:

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
3. Is this normal for you?
4. Where do you keep your current reads?

1. Oh Lordy yes! If there weren’t such a thing as bookmarks, I don’t know what I’d do. I’m reading Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage by Tim Kellis, The Obama Revolution by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, and several more, just don’t have them here by the computer.

2. Hmm…I’d say about five.

3. LOL, yes, this is normal. A bad habit which comes from trying to do a million things at one time.

4. I usually keep them here by the computer but some are left downstairs having not made it upstairs.