Love Is in The Air

I don't know what it is about 2007, but love is definitely in the air – especially online. Two friends have gotten engaged in the past week (one from eHarmony), three other friends are very much in love (one from JDate, one from Nerve, one from eHarmony), and at least four of my former clients are on the path to engagement as well. One of them, Marianne Sangesland, can be seen above, with her special man. Her story is below.

These success stories – and a flurry of speaking events - were the inspiration for this special Valentine’s Day Newsletter. Hope you enjoy.

Best wishes,

Evan

In this issue:

The photo you see at the top of the page is of my client, Marianne Sangesland, and her boyfriend, Steve. I'm tempted to tell their whole story, but I'll let Marianne do it herself.

Hi Evan,

Wanted to thank you again and recap how far I've come in the past year, due to you!

On New Year's Day, 2006, having recently turned a major page, I was reflecting on my life and future, couch-potato-style. I started watching the Wall Street Journal Report, which featured a special on internet dating. I'd never tried it before, but I felt ready to get serious about my personal life once again.

You did an interview segment on that show, and what you offered as a personalized service was just what I needed...especially since I have a 9 year old daughter and a full time career as an engineer. I wanted to be cautious and minimize trial and error, as well as tedious, "learning the hard way" dating. I felt so upbeat and psyched after seeing your segment that I scribbled down your name. Thank goodness! You were one of my best "just do it" intuitions ever!

You were so supportive and fun to work with... and yes, it was work. But you encouraged, pushed and cajoled to bring out the best in me, my hopes and dreams, so they might be fulfilled. Bottom line: you helped make sure I was a hit, first time out, with the kind of men I was interested in. And from the first day we got online together, I was actually comfortable with internet dating(!). I had a blast touching base with lots of terrific men I never would have crossed paths with, otherwise.

Around 4 months into this process, I met Stephen, also an engineer and father of two terrific girls. What a deep connection and passion we found!! Those first months he brought me armloads of flowers every time he saw me. Why? "Just to see you smile!" he said. His happy pastime now is discovering new ways to make me smile. Our friends and families see the seismic shift in our lives and are thrilled for us, too. In 7 months, we haven't stopped delighting and pinching ourselves over our good fortune in finding each other. The girls are happy, and life together just keeps getting brighter and richer.

This is all just a long way of saying to you, Evan, that our work up front really paid off. Like preparing the soil before you plant a garden, and tending it with care, I'm enjoying a great harvest. This relationship is a joy to last a lifetime... and it's just what I always wanted!

With warm wishes,

Marianne

Single...and Sick of It?

We all lose perspective when it comes to dating. We know that it's hard to fall in love, yet we get so frustrated when we experience failure. Having seen tons of people get derailed by the online dating process, I decided to write this one page manifesto for Match.com's Happen Magazine. My hope is that you embrace emotionally what you know intellectually – that if your future partner is a one in a million catch, don’t be surprised if you have to go out with 999,999 of the wrong people first.

Live, from Los Angeles, It's Christian Carter
(and yours truly)

My buddy Christian Carter is running a two day seminar this coming weekend in Los Angeles. I attended his last one, which was amazing, and this one promises to be even better - with the added bonus: I'm guest-speaking on Sunday. Here's the lowdown, taken directly from Christian’s website:

If you're interested in moving past your old single life and you'd like to find "the one", Christian Carter’s live seminar is actually two entire new programs you'll get for the price of one.

Day 1 is "Finding The One" and will show you exactly how to meet, interact with, and connect with the right man, growing towards love and a committed relationship in the future.

Day 2 is all about Online Dating and will show you everything you'll ever need to know about how to find and attract the right guy online, avoid the wrong ones, and then meet and build a relationship in person.

Click here to get all the details for this very special event. Only a few tickets remaining!

See you there!

Single Semite of the Month

I wasn't sure if I was going to send this out, but it brought me some amusement, so why not amuse you as well? My friend Esther Kustanowitz is a blogger extraordinaire. A former E-Cyrano consultant who has created a few websites that cater to Jewish singles, Esther is the doyenne presiding over both MyUrbanKvetch and JDatersAnonymous. As it turns out, she issued me a Valentine's Day surprise by nominating me as her " Single Semite of the Month ". As you might imagine, it was both flattering and embarrassing. What I didn't anticipate, however, were the negative comments that come with being the subject of a blog post. Anyway, I sent the link to my sister, who, ever protective of her big brother, came to my defense. So while I'm probably never going to be nominated for SSOTM again (or People's 50 Most Beautiful People for that matter), please continue to enjoy Esther's super-entertaining Jewish singles forums...

Media, new and old

Yesterday, I was a guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio, doing the online dating thing with host Suzanne Kantra. We talked about preferred sites, profiles, and other fun stuff. But if you don't have Sirius Radio, you probably missed it. Which means you missed my Playboy Radio appearance last summer as well. Shame on you.

Finally, I was notified by a flurry of hits to E-Cyrano this past weekend that an NPR interview I did three years ago was rerunning on their show, "Studio 360". It's amazing how my business has grown (and my hair has shrank) since then, but it's still a cute four-minute piece, narrated with wit and warmth by my good friend Lori Gottlieb.