Rebecca's Interview with
Wendy Burt & Erin Kindberg
Authors of
Oh, Solo mia!
The Hip Chick's Guide to Fun for One.

Rebecca :
Why do so many 21st century chicks end up at home watching reruns on Saturday nights & when did you realize that between the two of you, you had a useful & entertaining book?

Wendy :
I think a lot of women -- not just single women -- think that they're a package deal; “Well, if my husband wants to stay in then I guess I will, too.” Being married or in a partnership doesn't have to mean being attached at the hip! I think we knew we were on to something when we were daydreaming about things we wanted to do alone and the writing just flowed.

Erin :
We got the idea because so many of our friends were lamenting the lack of fun things to do...and scintillating partners to do them with. Why should women sit around, waiting for the phone to ring when they could be out painting the town? Armed with a few killer ideas and a little encouragement, there's nothing women can't do!

Rebecca :
What are the Ladies, Start Your Engines! sections about?

Erin :
They are tips to help readers get started with an idea. If an idea seems a little too new or “out there” for you, you can check out the tips to see if it's something you'd like to pursue. We included plenty of websites to check out for more details.

Wendy :
We wanted to put something in the book that gave specific examples, tips, or contacts to back up the ideas. We figured that offering the idea wasn't enough; we needed to get women started if they didn't know where to look.

Rebecca :
You quote Mark Twain as saying: “Sacred cows make the best hamburgers.” What do you mean by that?

Wendy :
I love that quote! I think it says “rules were meant to be broken!”

Erin :
I think it means the biggest taboos are usually the most fun to break.

Rebecca :
What's the Eleventh Commandment?

Wendy :
My dad's a minister so I grew up with early Sundays ...“Thou shalt not oversleep on Sunday” seems a natural for a commandment.

Erin :
It's “thou shalt not oversleep on Sunday,” of course. Even if you aren't the churchgoing type, why fritter away a day off lounging around in bed? Check out chapter 46 for the full explanation!

Rebecca :
Between the two of you, have you done everything you write about? Working at a dog pound? Parasailing? Snowshoeing? Interview local hermits? Get involved in local politics? Going to ballgames to watch the tight pants? Plan a family reunion? Try out as a stand-up comedian & so on?

Erin :
I'm guessing we've probably done more than half of them between the two of us. There are a few I'd never be able to do! (be a stand up comedian?! No way!). But that's why we included such a broad range of ideas -- you may not like every single idea, but we guarantee there are some that will make you say: “hey, I wanna try that!”

Wendy :
I'm much more conservative in real life than in my imagination! I've probably done about a quarter of the ideas but I'd love to do them all (ok -- almost all of them.) I think I could live without the skydiving ...

Rebecca :
What could we do that would be meaningful to help the human race?

Wendy :
I think we give up on people too easily, especially the seniors in our
society. We continue to create programs to help the poor, the elderly, the
abused, but take on very little personal responsibility. The best thing that we can do is to get involved in issues that move us rather than expecting
someone else to change things for us.

Erin :
Be more giving, both of material gifts and kind, positive words. Share more of our blessings with others less fortunate, including those outside the United States. We're so blessed in this country, we forget the horrible circumstances other people have to live with in other parts of the world.

Rebecca :
What's with the metal detector?

Erin :
Hey, it's actually kind of fun seeing what trinkets the detector will scope out. You never know when you'll find someone's lost Rolex™ amidst the rubble at the beach!

Wendy :
My grandmother used to take me beach combing on Long Island and I loved the idea that I might stumble upon a buried treasure! (A nickel went a lot further 20 years ago.)

Rebecca :
How would we immortalize our bodies?

Wendy :
Remind ourselves that technology plays a major role in what you see in women's magazines nowadays and love our bodies. When in doubt, turn off some of the lights and fall in love with the curves of your shadow.

Erin :
I suppose posing nude or semi-nude for an artist might be one way (it's one of the chapters in the book). But that idea is not about making yourself into an object: it's about celebrating who you are and feeling like: “hey, I am a work of art!”

Rebecca :
Tell us about a project that didn't make the cut to get into this Hip
Chick's Guide.

Wendy :
I think we had one of “Become the town floozy.“ That one didn't really fly with our publishers ...

Erin :
There were a few sexy, saucy ideas that didn't make it in...but it's probably for the best. We wouldn't want to be responsible for unleashing a major wave of wily coquettes on the poor, unsuspecting men of this country!

Rebecca :
What are you up to now?

Erin :
Writing, writing and writing. And sleeping, if I have time.

Wendy :
Nightly voodoo for a follow-up book, drinking lots of coffee, dreaming of sleep ... Thank you so much for these fun questions, and for your interest in Oh, Solo Mia! We hope our answers are just what you were looking for.

Rebecca :
My pleasure, Hip Chicks -- go get'em Girls!
(Published June 03, 2001)