Kiss and Tell

About the Book

This is a book about where to find them, when to keep them, why to break it off and how to lose them. It’s a book that tackles such important questions as: How do you read between the lines to discern what’s true and what’s not? Should you fake orgasm? Is it okay to break up via voice mail? What if your kids don’t like him? And what should you write in your on-line ad?

We fervently believe this book will enable all single women to learn what we’ve learned, laugh along with us at our mistakes and thus have an easier time charting those uncharted waters on their way to new relationships.

Mothers and daughters compare notes on all sorts of things, but few get to compare notes on the dating scene, let alone write a mother-daughter dating book together. We didn’t plan things this way. I suddenly found myself widowed after 19 years of marriage and my daughter, Andi, became a divorcee after ten years of marriage. We both re-emerged as singles at times in our lives when we least expected to do so.

We discovered over the years—as we compared notes, soothed each other’s egos, offered encouragement, and giggled uproariously over some of the funnier anecdotes our dating experiences have yielded—that commiseration was a learning and healing experience and– most important of all—great fun.

We decided to broaden the circle and interview our friends—two very different generations of dating women–and we found we had all reached many similar conclusions, namely that there are few problems that can’t be rectified, that women are too hard on themselves in dealing with men, and that it’s far better to laugh than to take these things too seriously.

Kiss and Tell: Tales by a Mother and Daughter is filled with our stories and newfound wisdom. We look at how children fit into the dating picture for younger women. Is it possible to find a man who not only loves you but also adores your children? And we look at the discomfort older women might feel about suddenly dating again after forty plus years of marriage. Invaluable dos and don’ts of dating are included throughout the book

About the Author

Stephanie Kay (the mother) is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who consulted at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. for thirteen years and facilitated a Single Parent Support Group at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for four years. She is co-president of TransitionWorks, a consulting firm dedicated to helping people and companies manage change, and co-author of The Transition Guide, an assessment to help people understand and handle life events. She has been in Private Practice in North Bethesda, Maryland since 1984. Stephanie has written about her experiences as a young widow in the Journal for Counseling and Development and in the Washington Post. She is happily married to someone she met on the dating scene. Andi Kay (the daughter) owns a personal training business and was recently voted second best personal trainer in Bethesda Magazine. She was featured on TV Fox 5 in Baltimore, MD, demonstrating exercising on the go, and in Oxygen Fitness Magazine for Future Cover Girl. Andi also coached and trained a bride and taught a class for her bridal party on the Platinum Wedding show. Married for ten years and divorced when her children were 1, 6 and 9 left her in a strange and frightening place. She was fortunate enough to be introduced to several men through her friends, family and clients resulting in interesting experiences to share and much advice to offer. Andi has been in a serious relationship for a year.