I was surprised and gratified by the comments I received on my previous post Where are all the Romantic Men? The thoughts and ideas, as well as the encouragement have enabled me to really get a sense that there is a need for what I propose to do, that is advise men (and their women) on the fine art of romance, and what it means to be romantic. Not to mention how to be romantic. Unfortunately, it also threw me into a bit of a dilemma..

When I first started The Incurable Romantic it was, and will continue to be, a love letter to my wife. As I have stated before, one of the things that I like to do is write the odd romantic story. I had it in the back of my mind to perhaps publish a collection of these stories if they were well received, so like many aspiring authors, I chose a pen name, Marc Basile. The reasons were two fold: one, to create an identity separate and apart from my “day job” identity of Internet marketer. I didn’t want people coming around and thinking that I was just doing this as another means of making money. My love for my wife and family, and my sincerity for the subject are too important to risk that. It would have diluted and/or trivialized the message, if you will.

The second reason, in an ironic twist, is actually marketing related. In the hopes of one day becoming a published author of romantic fiction, I selected the last name of Basile because it sounds romantic. Or at least more romantic than my actual last name of Berry… I don’t know if I will ever publish, and right now, I don’t care about that, because for the first time in many a year, I’m on a mission. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of sound advice for men on the subjects of love and romance, and it’s making me just a little crazy. However, I am not entirely comfortable giving tips and advice to real men using a fake name. It just isn’t right…

As an aside, the story on my About page is true, except for the names. That really is how we met, and that’s who I was, all those years ago. All that has been written here to date has been drawn from my own life, experiences, and interests. Just the name was different. Just so’s you know…

I’ll be picking up my regular writing style again starting on Monday, but while you’re waiting, please keep the awesome comments and suggestions coming in. What do you want to know? What should I write about. What do you think of my midnight confession? Tell me what you think, because after Dawne, this blog is for you!

Cheers, Marc Berry

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