There's Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut
When I first read, No Woman Diets Alone, There’s Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut, by best-selling author Kristen Houghton, I wasn’t sure what I was in store for. I absolutely loved the title and was curious to see what was in store. And, I wasn’t disappointed! After I began reading (and laughing out loud, and nodding my head in agreement, and reciting parts out loud to friends who I knew would identify) I realize that Kristen Houghton truly knows how to bridge the gap between the sexes and make our differences seem more entertaining than nerve-wracking.
Fresh. Funny. Honest. Relatable. These are just a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe Houghton’s collection of short stories about marriage and relationships. Houghton’s breezy conversational style of writing makes it easy to become absorbed in her world of men, women and the dynamics between us. From planning vacations together, to buying a home, Houghton finds the hilarity (and truth) embedded in the daily interactions between women and men. This is a book not to be missed!
I chatted with Kristen Houghton recently about her latest e-book. We had a great conversation about the differences between men and women, about how to make a marriage last, and how to have fun with the love in your life. It truly seems as though the key to any happy, long-term relationship is to be able to have a sense of humor about it.
Humor is something Houghton has in spades.
Enjoy our interview and don’t forget to check out, No Woman Diets Alone, There’s Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut.
twoday: This book is fantastic! What was your inspiration for writing it?
Houghton: I love humor because it makes me feel good and I can find the humor in every situation. Little things that would happen either with me or with my husband, like when we bought out house, that was a true story that I just had to include into the book. All of the stories in the book are either real or based on real events that I pulled from life. I started working on the book a little bit at a time, and it just came about and it seemed as though the time was now to do it.
twoday: How did you pick what stories that you picked into the book?
Houghton: That’s actually a difficult decision, because you fall in love with all of them and it is a similar idea to the concept of giving birth. You want to see them all blossom. But some of the ones I had gotten really great response from friends, those are the ones I chose. The ones that people email me about, those are the articles that I realized people were relating to. That’s how I picked them for the most part.
twoday: Do you think this book fills a certain void that you didn’t see out there on the bookshelves (or in this case, the virtual bookshelves)?
Houghton: Yes I do believe that we need more books out there that celebrate the differences between men and women as well as point out the humorous parts of being in a relationship or marriage. These stories are something we can all relate to...and laugh about!
twoday: One of my favorite short stories that you wrote about is entitled: “Hamburger vs Steak and We’re Not Talking About Food”. It is such a funny (and true!) take on how what men and women say to each other can be completely misconstrued and cause all kinds of unnecessary drama within the relationship. In this case, your husband stated that he thought one of your friends was “hot” which set off a host of other hilarious events. How do you feel about the (mis)communication between men and women?
Houghton: What I loved about writing this book was trying to see these situations from a man’s vantage point and have fun with it. Yes, my husband thought my friend was attractive, but I took it in a very different way than in which he meant it! I think, no matter how long you are with someone, you are always hoping to turn their head in your direction.
twoday: Are you planning on writing any other books on humor? This genre seems to fit you very well.
Houghton: I love writing humorous books because there is a need out there for us all to laugh more. I love writing self-help books, like my previous book, And Then I’ll Be Happy: Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First! I also write horror stories, as well, which a lot of people don’t know about, so who knows what I will write next! I always seem to have a lot of projects going on at once, which I love!
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And for your reading pleasure, dear readers, here is a small excerpt from one of my favorite short stories from No Woman Diets Alone, There's Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut.
The Simple (?!) Art of Planning a Vacation
My husband holds the title for World‟s Greatest Procrastinator. It took him three months, no exaggeration, to switch internet servers. He'll tell me he needs an oil change in April and get around to doing it in August. That being said, you can imagine how much stress is involved getting him to help plan a vacation with me. Cleaning the teeth of a wide-awake, hungry bull alligator would be less stressful.
So when I mentioned that Las Vegas would be a nice place for a vacation, I got what I expected. No comment and a sudden need on his part to take out the garbage which town law says shouldn’t be on the curb until after six P.M.
“Why do you have to take it out now?” I ask. “It isn‟t even five yet.”
“Honey! The neighbors already have theirs out. You don‟t want to be last, do you?”
“In taking out garbage?! Yeah, last is okay with me on that one,” I say to the back of his head as he heads out the door.
During dinner I tell him that I went into the website for the new “Wynn Las Vegas,” the brand-new mega-hotel built by Steve Wynn."
“Wow, is it beautiful! And the prices are not bad at all! You really should see it!”
No comment. He‟s concentrating on the green squash which he has never paid any attention to before. Actually he hates green squash.
“Would you like to see it?” I persist. Big sigh.
“Want some more squash?” I say sarcastically. “I know how much you love it.” Bigger sigh.
Two days go by with my subtle hints becoming not-so-subtle as he finds “things” to occupy him while he procrastinates. It isn‟t until a dinner out with his best friend, who has just returned from Vegas, and is bragging about the fantastic time he and his fianceé had, that I see him get interested. Male ego thing, of course. The next day I see him clicking away on the laptop.
“What are you doing?” He just smiles and beckons me over to see. I look over his shoulder and, wonder of wonders, he has the website for the Wynn Las Vegas on the screen! Impressed I throw my arms around him and give him a big hug.
“So you‟ll help me plan it?” I say.
“Oh yeah, I‟m really psyched, it is fantastic! But, honey, there‟s a lot more we can do than just be at the hotel, you know. Let me check out a few things for us to do.”
“Really? Okay. You plan what you want and let me know. You‟re so good at this type of thing, sweetheart,” I purr in his ear, not at all ashamed to use the time honored promise of sex to get what I want.
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To get your copy of Kristen Houghton’s hilarious new e-book, No Woman Diets Alone, There’s Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut, CLICK HERE.
And don’t forget to check out her best-selling book (one of my most favorites!) And Then I’ll Be Happy! Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First. (A MUST READ!)
Follow Kristen on Twitter @kristenhoughton.
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