The 10 Phases of Dating

I was 28 years old. Single, but not by choice. Tinder just came out, and I was fed up with how seemingly impossible it was to find a serious relationship, despite the fact that it was easier than any other time in history to meet women. I took to my keyboard and penned a blog called ? The 10 Phases of Dating,’ almost in an effort to mock how many hoops I’d been jumping through to find love, along with false starts and new insights along the way. This learning curve had included the unwritten rules of texting and emoji use, whether or not selfies are a taboo in your dating profile, if hooking up on the first date was a good or bad idea, and understanding the phenomenon of making plans with someone and consistently getting bailed on at the very last minute. The blog resonated with a friend who commented that I should turn the blog into a book. So that’s what I did. Nearly four years later, it’s here. I interviewed more than 30 people for this book. I read all of the chick lit and dating books I could get my hands on. I even threw in some of my own stories. This isn’t a love story, but it’s on a love mission. It’s written for people in my generation who want love but keep getting tangled up in BS instead and need an unbiased, truth- telling voice to help them make sense of it. Plus my mom really liked it, and she thinks you will too.

David Berry is a Miami-based dating writer and entrepreneur. His debut book, ?The 10 Phases of Dating,’ will be released in October 2016, and he is the founder of DB + Partners, a marketing/advertising agency with clients that include McCormick, Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, the YMCA and others. His straightforward, punchline-a-minute writing style drives several thousand readers to each of his blog posts, and has landed his dating perspective in the pages of the Miami Herald, the Miami New Times, Aventura Magazine, and a snippet in Cosmopolitan, as well. Berry has an MBA from Florida International University and draws passion for his craft from a wide base of interests, as he’s also an amateur boxer, former stand-up comedian and volunteer, having won Miami Children’s Hospital’s 2012 Volunteer of the Year award while raising more than $200,000 for the hospital’s Radio Lollipop program.