Creation of Good Man Hunting

GOOD MAN HUNTING only took about ten days to write, but I played with ideas for writing it over the course of several years as different elements inspired me. Media such as current television shows and the Internet have influenced the underlying concept of how far people will go for matchmaking. Television shows like "The Bachelor" and other dating reality shows helped to create a sense of satire and irony about dating and the drive to "get" a guy at any price. The popularity of shows such as "Desperate Housewives" further illustrated society's interest in the fantasy of finding "Mr. Right" or "Ms. Right." Matchmaking has become big business on TV, in movies, and services on the Internet. GOOD MAN HUNTING just takes it one step further and shows what could happen if the obsession for getting anyone a person wants is taken to the extreme.

Over the years, I have been influenced by the literary works of authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Shirley Jackson. Their use of satire and irony, as well as the psychological dynamics of their characters, inspired the elements now found in GOOD MAN HUNTING.

Another influence for the book was the growing recognition of the problems faced by people who feel, and are often treated like, they are invisible, especially women. Law school and practicing law have allowed me to see how the legal system and parts of society treat people who are uneducated and right at or below the poverty line. Working with victims of consumer scams, women who have been sexually harassed, and people otherwise discriminated against has presented the same circumstances of people feeling invisible or being treated as if they "don't matter."   The same women who are taken advantage of by consumer scams and discrimination are often the same women who feel invisible in the world to men.  Without a college education and money needed to make changes, they tend to feel stuck in their positions in life.  Getting to know these people has made me wish I could somehow pluck them out of their negative environments and place them into situations where they can see how valuable and special they really are.

All of these influences came together to create the character of Sandra Greene. I wanted to see what would happen to an average young woman with little education or money when she is given the opportunity to create her own station in life, go after and get any man she wants to have, and explore what she can accomplish. It developed into a modern-day Cinderella story—with a twist or two.

Gives a new meaning to "shotgun wedding". Good Man Hunting is a featured book in Fiction Readers, a group to discuss contemporary women's fiction, books, women's issues and much more. Click here to join the group.

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