The ABC's of Dating a Douchebag: The Red Flags of Love

By Katie Martin

“The ABCs...” covers the eternally popular topic, women’s frustrations with men.
When I found myself going through “the worst break up ever” I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought any relationship book that I could get my hands on. The ones that I sought most solace in and that gave me the most sense of ease were light, funny, and articulate. I liked the feeling that I was having a conversation with a friend who had been through the same experience, as opposed to being told how to behave by an authority figure who seemingly believed that the situation could be remedied by a behavioral modification. More specifically, that I was the one who needed to modify my behavior. In that state I certainly didn’t want to be told what I had done wrong, I simply wanted the comfort of knowing that others had been through what I had, that I would most certainly survive, and maybe, just maybe, there was hope for the future.
I have done considerable research and found that women, not just myself, prefer to read books written by somebody who can identify personally, and is able to portray that in a casual and witty format; not by a licensed therapist who uses scientific reasoning as a attempt to explain every thought that passes through our heads. Women want true stories, not opinions!

A - Athletics
(Why women should not compromise themselves for their partner’s love of extracurricular sports.)

B - Breaking Up
(The basic rules of going through a break up.)

C - The Chase
(A little game of cat and mouse never hurt a relationship.)

D - Deadbeats
(Simple indicators in relationships that describe the typical deadbeat.)

E - Excuses
(The man that has an excuse for everything is one to be avoided.)

F - Fighting
(Fighting has many implications for relationships; some good, some bad.)

G - Girlfriends
(How to decipher between the “girl friend opinion, and the “good friend” opinion.)

H - Honeymoon
(The first 6 months of bliss can be extremely deceiving when life gets real.)

I - Infidelity
(Cheating; acknowledging and accepting the red flags.)

J - Job
(A basic equation: how driven he is in a career = how driven he will be in a long term relationship.)

K - Kids
(The big decision: to have or not to have, the compromise, and whether or not a child is a marriage saver.)

L - Lazy
(‘Nuff said.)

M - Mystery
(The perks of keeping some of the cards to yourself.)

N - Narcissism
(It’s not all about him.)

O - Oven Mitt
(We will settle for an oven mitt that “just works”, but are we settling for a relationship that “just works”?)

P - Period Panties
(Letting in men on our dirty little secret.)

Q - Quiz
(How asking a thousand questions can cause more chaos and craziness than there needs to be.)

R - Realization
(When we finally come to the realization that the relationship may be over, no matter who made the call.)

S - Sex
(The sex life is a secret window into the inner workings of a relationship.)

T - Tequila
(Alcohol... Can we drink together? There are clues in the booze.)

U - Uterus
(Why our uterus wears the pants in a relationship.)

V - Victim
(I am woman, hear me roar.)

W - Waiting
(Oh, I didn’t realize this was on YOUR time!)

X – X-girlfriends
(The past is in the past, and why it should stay there.)

Y - Yearning
(Going all in too soon to escape the loneliness.)

Z - Zingara
(The bed hopping gypsy; how did this happen?)

Through each chapter I chronicle the story of my sister in law, “Jennifer”, and her husband, “Chad.” As a couple they have been married for 12 years, and unbeknownst to them, have served as my primary inspiration to write this book. The relationship is a real life example of the “A,B, C’s... at work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katie Martin
• Release date: Jun 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301186532

Katie Martin

KATIE MARTIN, 31, has the same amount of guy friends as girlfriends. She would rather bullshit and smoke cigarettes outside with the guys then gossip in the kitchen with the girls which has given her endless male perspectives of what guys think of girls. Listening to the guys bitch about the women INSIDE the house has taught her what guys REALLY think of the girls they’re dating and the shit they high-five their buddies about when the females are not around. She discovered that many men love treating women like shit and actually brag about it. From the University of Western Ontario to Hollywood...men, you’ve created a monster that is using the knowledge you gave her to even the score. Katie Martin has been that girl; the girl that got shit on and cried about it to her friends. But she learned from the bullshit. She has put into words and written a guide for women to see the douche bag signs and how to get out before these assholes get the best of them. Katie calls it as she sees it. She speaks to women the way guys talk to their guy friends. She is the enemy of any guy who is pulling some shit on a girl because Katie is going to teach her not to put up with that BS, be strong and move on. She is a cross between Chelsea Handler and Dr.Phil...minus the heavy vodka problem and male pattern baldness. She doesn’t quite spew the details of sexual conquests like Chelsea, but rather what women should do when mistreated. Katie will provide the tools that teach women how to respond while keeping their dignity and integrity. And it’s all done with her keen sense of humor. She doesn’t give advice, she gives the warning signs. She doesn’t tell women to “explore their feelings toward the guy doing her wrong,”. She tells them to get out of there when the red flags surface! She is from a small town in Canada, Brantford. Has a dog named Hoser, currently resides in Los Angeles.

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