August 26 book release party set for local author and columnist Cricket Desmarais’ “Love on the Rock” dating column compilation

Author and Keys Weekly columnist Cricket Desmarais will release her newest book, “Love on the Rock: Irreverent Reflections & Terrible Dating Advice from a Key West Singleton,” on Friday, August 26 from 7pm – 9pm at Mockingbird Studios, 1616 Catherine Street in Key West. Desmarais will read briefly from the compilation of columns she wrote as a dating columnist for Florida Keys Keynoter from 2005 – 2006.

“I never set out to be the Key West Carrie Bradshaw,” says the writer with an MFA from NYU. “While it tickled me to be called that, which people did, the truth of it is that the column was born because I got dumped. Hard.”

When a friend recommended she process the hurt through the written word, she used humor as her henchman then pitched it for print in the entertainment section of the paper she was freelancing for. She soon landed a completely unexpected commitment — a year-long gig delivering everything dating and relating, island style, as a weekly columnist.

“At first I was a little nervous about sustaining interest, both for my readers and myself,” she says. “But because we live in a place where your date could be the ex of a friend or a friend of an ex, there was no shortage of absurd material.”

The 200-page book is a collection of all 52 columns that offer riffs, rants, interviews, and tips along with a little lust and longing— humorous and heartfelt content she thought local readers and beyond might like.

“There are life-altering revelations to questions like “Is it true there are plenty of fish in the sea?”, “Can I fish from the company pier?”, “When is it best to throw your catch back,” she laughs. “And let’s not forget the timeless “Does size really matter?”.

As the book’s title suggests, Desmarais says she’s no dating expert.

“Make no mistake. Anything resembling advice is mostly meant to be entertainment,” she says. “How can you seriously take advice from someone who hasn’t had a proper date sine MySpace was the social media forum du jour, pronouns weren’t preferred, and cell phones flipped open only for phone calls?”

Regardless of authority, Desmarais hopes people will help her celebrate.

“Who knows? “ she laughs. “Good time or long time— you just might meet “the one.””

For more information or to order a copy of “Love on the Rock: Irreverent Reflections & Terrible Dating Advice from a Key West Singleton,” visit CricketDesmarais.com.

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