51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life - Paperback

by Kristen McGuiness (Author)

51 dates. 50 weeks. That was the social experiment Kristen McGuiness--single, living in LA, and entering her thirties newly sober--embarked upon. McGuiness thought facing her struggle with alcoholism would be the hardest part, with love coming easily afterwards. It didn't. Rethinking her previous dating strategy, she embarks on the ultimate social experiment: 51 dates over the course of 50 weeks, and a chance to claim the life she thought was supposed to be hers.

Dodging CHAs (Cheesy Hollywood Actors) and men with self-diagnosed RAD (Relationship Anxiety Disorder), McGuiness is determined to find the "perfect guy" by being the "perfect girl." But McGuiness, like all of us, has her own issues to contend with: a longing for the wrong kind of men, a penchant for swearing, and a difficult relationship with her father in maximum-security prison. But as the year progresses, McGuiness begins to develop a new hope for her future--the dates transform into truth-seeking missions, and point her toward a life with satisfying work, a supportive family and, with the help of a local shaman, a comforting spirituality. Told with wry humor, pathos, and an engaging lack of self-pity, 51/50 is a moving adventure.

Author Biography

Kristen McGuiness works in fundraising for a Los Angeles nonprofit serving low-income children, youth, and families. Before she was paid to spend time with four-year-olds, she worked in publishing for St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins (via the office of Judith Regan), and in film as a junior creative executive. Her first screenplay, The Betty, was optioned last year. She spends her free time hanging out with horses, shamans, and people who used to drink.