'Ludicrous And Tragic Dating Experiences' Memoir Released

LITTLETON, CO – Denver author Jane Binns didn't realize she was working on a memoir 18 years ago when she started journaling to chronicle her post-divorce experiences with internet dating and a string of inappropriate relationships.

"Shortly after my divorce in 2002, I engaged in these relationships for twelve years, tracking them through writing, that was amusing and reflective," she said. When she related some of the episodes to friends, they told her "You've got to write a book."

Binns, 50, who teaches English composition at Arapahoe Community College, gathered the best part of her on-the-spot journals and crafted them into a memoir, "Broken Whole" newly published by Berkeley, California-based She Writes Press.

The book describes the "ludicrous and tragic" dating journey of Binns, who at age 35 decides her marriage is suffocating and decides she must "save her two-year-old son from witnessing a miserable relationship between his parents."

"I think of it as a journey of transformation," Binns said. The book describes a her on-again-off-again relationship with "Steve," 12-years her senior, who's still recovering from PTSD he acquired during the Vietnam war.

Meanwhile, she encounters a string of other men (all names changed to protect the criticized) and all unsuitable for various reasons. All of the men in the book share the qualities of being "unable to commit and unavailable," Binns said.

Death finally clarifies her journey, specifically her father's death and the death – after a bout with aggressive cancer – of her ex-husband. It takes these events to finally break free of Steve and "fully unearth the self she’s been chasing all along," according to publicity blurbs.

The author says she's not worried about the local men in the book resurfacing in her life to object to their objectification. "I was dating non-readers. It was a great way to hide."

Binns said her 19-year-old son has declined thus far to read about his mother's romantic exploits. "I don't want to read this right now, Mom," he said. One of his buddies fearfully asked if the book was a "new 50 Shades of Grey." Her son seemed to understand her motivation, though, when he told her, "I know you wrote [the book] because it’s gonna help a lot of people, who might recognize themselves."

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Binns came to Colorado for an MFA in prose from Naropa University. In 1998, she was awarded the Jack Kerouac Award for Prose. She's published short stories before, but this is her first full-length book. She's already looking ahead to other projects such as a social history of clairvoyants through the ages and another possible memoir about reuniting with a lost brother who had been given up for adoption.

The publishing process was "very collaborative," she said. "They sent me drafts of the book and I read every word out loud, like I always tell my students to do, to catch typos and errors."

Binns has been on a whirlwind blog virtual book tour, with help of her publisher's publicity team, BookSparks.

Binns will be launching the book at local metro-Denver events next month:

December 1st, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Holiday Market at Mile Hi Church: 9077 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, CO

December 2nd, 1 - 3 p.m.

• Book Release Party at 4280 Tennyson St., Denver, CO

December 4th, 6 p.m.

• Reading at Innisfree Bookstore, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., Boulder

You can pick up a copy of the book, distributed by Ingram Publishing at local bookstores or download it from online bookselling sites.

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