How to Hunt a Husband, Part One:

The winner is Teresa K! Thank you all for the comments. Some great stories there! Please come back next month on the 25th for part 2 and a chance to win a signed copy of Be Still my Vampire Heart!

(This true love story was originally translated into German for Love Letters magazine, but in belated honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m posting it here in English.)

Is it surprising that an author would pick her husband out of a book? It shouldn’t be, for that is exactly what I did!

The Backstory: I was in my early 30’s, newly divorced, and the mother of a four-year-old boy. My first marriage was crummy. The divorce even crummier. I was left feeling like a failure and definitely not in the mood for romance. I decided to concentrate on my son and my career as a schoolteacher.

Fast Forward Two Years: I was stronger and more confident now. I thought about my secret desire to write, but I was too busy working and raising my son. Life was good, but my heart was lonely. And my biological clock was ticking. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fall in love with the perfect man, get married, and have another child—a little girl, perhaps? It was a lot to ask for, but I’d read enough Romance books to believe every woman was entitled to a “happily ever after.”

Just like the heroines in my favorite Romances, I decided I would set a goal and go for it. I wouldn’t sit by and hope that Fate brought the perfect man to me. That kind of thinking had proven disastrous for my first marriage. No, this time I would be different. I would take charge of my own destiny and become the Husband Huntress!

This was before the onset of computer dating and online matchmaking services. Back then, spouse hunters used a video dating service. I joined the largest one I could find. I filled out the profile, had photos made, and endured the video-taped interview.

For the first few months, it worked like this: I would receive a postcard in the mail informing me that a guy (first name only and ID number) wanted to meet me. I would go to the video dating headquarters, read the guy’s profile, watch his video, and either agree or refuse to meet him. After a long line of boring dates, I realized this was not the proper course for a true Husband Huntress. I needed to do the hunting myself!

So I started with the ‘A’ book and selected a few guys to date. ‘A’ was for awful. I went through the ‘B’ book and the ‘C’ book. No luck. There were three ‘D’ books. I made it through the ‘DA’ books, but none of the Daniels or Davids suited me. On to the ‘DE-DI’ book. Forget it. Then as I thumbed through the ‘DO-DU’ book, a photo caught my eye.

Wow! One of the ‘Dons’ was really cute. Green eyes, a mischievous grin, and dimples. I ran to the video room to watch his interview. Wow, again! He was tall, and his deep voice had a slow cowboy drawl that made my heart flutter. And best of all—he made me laugh!

One problem: this Don looked young. What if he was younger than me and didn’t want to date an older woman? I ran back to the ‘DI-DU’ book to check his profile and date of birth. My jaw dropped. I blinked to see if the birth date changed. It didn’t.

His birthday was exactly the same as mine.

Was it fate? Would he agree to meet me? I filled out the form to request a date, then went home. And waited.

What happened next? Did Kerrelyn find her true love? Come back next month to find out! Please leave a comment telling me where you met your true love, and one lucky commenter will receive a signed copy of Vamps and the City! (no, those aren’t my legs!) Please include an email address so I can contact you. Good luck!