photo by Koko Ko

Growing up, one of my favorite short stories was Melissa Bank’s “The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing,” which is about a girl named Jane and the disaster she brings upon herself when she allows a self-help book to take over her love life. I guess even at the wide-eyed age of 18, which was when I first read Bank, I had already decided that I wasn’t going to subscribe to a specific set of rules when it came to boys and dating. Even then, I already knew: I was going to trust my feelings and follow my instincts, and sometimes I was going to be wrong, and often I was going to be hurt, but that was okay because that meant I would be learning, and living.

Having said that, this guide is not meant to dictate what you should and shouldn’t do. Dyan and I made sure we edited and compiled all the stories in a way that would make reading them light, fun, and enjoyable—this book won’t sit in a dark corner and judge your choices, or tell you that you’re never allowed to make mistakes, ever. Instead, this is what it will do: It will make you smile and laugh, and think, and make your own decisions, and ultimately decide for yourself just how you’re going to navigate that tricky little road called romance. The Candy Girl’s Guide to Guys is beautifully illustrated, wonderfully designed, and a great gift for yourself and your girl friends—we hear this lovey-dovey holiday’s coming up in a few weeks?

xx,
Marla