By Cynthia Amas of Second Acts Dating Service
This “advice” column is the result of art overtaking life. When author Julia Dumont created her leading lady, Cynthia Amas, for her Second Acts novels, she had no idea how domineering her character would become. Cynthia, a man-challenged matchmaker, insisted on writing her own dating advice blog. Julia tried to explain that fictional characters don’t usually write advice blogs for real people, but Cynthia was undaunted. The result is not your average dating blog, but it’s just as funny, irreverent and delightfully crazy as Cynthia. Should you take her advice? Read on and decide for yourself.
Hungry For Love Without The Picnic
Dear Second Acts;
My boyfriend has gone nuts with the whole food and sex thing. He started out with the typical stuff: whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, etc. And I liked it for a while, but now it seems like he sees it as a prerequisite, the one and only starting point for sex… Read More
A Hollywood Romance
Dear Second Acts;
My best friend and roommate (call her Darla) and I were out at a huge party a few months ago.Really huge…it was at Paramount Studios and the party was on the back lot. We’re both actresses and we have this friend who’s an assistant producer on a cop movie being shot there. Read More
Who Gets The Last Laugh?
Dear Second Acts;
Okay, this might sound a bit superficial, and I hesitate to even ask, but here goes. I met this guy recently who really is kind of wonderful on paper. In fact, he’s wonderful in pretty much every way except one: he has a terrible laugh. Don’t get me wrong, he has a great sense of humor and he makes me laugh all the time. But his cackle is so nasal, so grating, so annoying, I find myself trying not to make him laugh, restraining my own laughter and even avoiding saying funny things. Read More
Dateless in Podunk. Is It Time To MOOve?
Dear Second Acts;
I live in a tiny town in Illinois. Fifteen years ago I was the homecoming queen and the valedictorian of my class. But after I graduated from medical school, my mother got sick and I came back home. She has since passed away, but I have a good practice…Read More
All Tied Up? Holy Dominatrix, Batman!
Dear Second Acts;
This is a hard thing to write about, but here goes. I met this guy who, how should I put this, likes to be dominated. We met in a Whole Foods Market about two months ago. We’re both really into natural foods and cooking, etc. But this guy is big and strong and rugged…not submissive in any way. Read More
A Tale of Two Cities and Two Boyfriends
Dear Second Acts;
I work in advertising, mostly producing television commercials. I live in San Francisco, but the home office is in New York. So, I travel back and forth. Maybe you’ve already guessed it, but yes, I do in fact have two boyfriends . . . one on each coast. This has been going on for about a year and a half. Read More
Will This Relationship Go Up in Smoke?
Dear Second Acts;
I have been seeing a gorgeous guy for a while. He’s a trial lawyer and a good one. He is passionate about his work and about me. There’s really just one problem, but it’s a big, fat, stinky one. He smokes cigars. Now I know there are lots of women who like cigars, or at least….Read More
Run, Don’t Skywalk From This Relationship
Dear Second Acts;
I met a great guy. He is good-looking, intelligent, an accomplished person with a great career. I really like everything about him. Well, almost. He is a Star Wars fan…truly a fanatic. Most guys I know went through this phase, but this dude has experienced no such decline in this childhood obsession. He has a huge collection of Star Wars toys, books, comics, you name it. You know it’s bad when a grown man actually loves Jar Jar Binks…Read More!
Tell Mom That It’s Good To Be Picky
Dear Second Acts;
I have an active happy sex and dating life. I’m turning twenty-nine next week. I’m not ready to settle down, so I am content to concentrate on my career and play the field for the next few years. Several men have proposed to me in the past — as recently as this month…Read More!
Is She A Fool for Love or Just A Fool?
Dear Second Acts;
My friends think my boyfriend, Marty, is a total sh*t. They all say I’m crazy to stay with him. He’s sexy, funny, makes a ton of money, and is incredibly fun. Yes, he has fooled around on me in the past, but that was years ago and we got through it. He swears he’d never do it again and I do believe him. But when he travels once a month to his company’s headquarters in San Diego, he seems to…Read More!
The No-Call List: This Boyfriends’ a Cell-Out
Dear Second Acts;
I recently met a guy I really like. He’s smart and sexy and successful. But one thing that drives me completely insane is the fact that he almost always has his smartphone in his hand. I can get him to put it on the nightstand during…Read More!
About Cynthia:
(Cynthia Amas is the heroine of Julia Dumont’s Second Acts series. Cynthia, who was downsized from her Hollywood studio marketing job, has launched her own “second act” with her hi-end and very personalized matchmaking service – the Second Acts Dating Service. Determined to use her uncanny gift of finding true love for others, Cynthia embarks on her journey with a cast of characters that includes her new best friend and dog-groomer to the stars, Lolita, her slightly off-balance mother, a pesky but weirdly charming ex lover, and a world of great new possibilities. The first two books in the series – Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers and Starstruck Romance and Other Hollywood Tails – are now on sale at all major online book retailers.)
