• Hardcover Book, three-ring binder (comes with bookmark and 20 blank journal pages)
• eBook
• Audio Book
• Decks of Cards
• Page-a-day Calendars

Let me begin by admitting that this book has been a L-O-N-G time in the making. The story of how it came about is fairly comical, though ... 

The time: March 2001

The place: My bathroom

One morning, I got up and looked at my reflection in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. To my horror, I noticed a pimple on the very tip of my nose, the most obvious place possible. No amount of concealer was going to hide this baby – it was there for all the world to see, like a big Rudolphian neon sign at the end of my nose. Bemoaning the fact that at the age of 33, I still got the occasional zit, I looked up at the mirror again, this time to discover, with even more horror, that I also had not one, but two, gray hairs! No way! NO WAY!!! Acne is the curse of the young, and gray hair speaks one word to me: OLD. How ironic! I wasn't really young anymore, but I certainly was not yet old – and still I had these two antithetical things happening at once. I wondered at that moment how many other women were, that very day, experiencing this same exact age-related concurrence.

I spent that whole day wondering which other women were sharing this or that experience with me. Out of that wondering came other questions about every topic imaginable (and perhaps some that seem unimaginable). And out of those questions came the idea for this book.

First of all, I know this is not the only book of its kind. But it is, as far as I am aware, the first book of its kind written by a woman and geared specifically toward women. This is not to say that men should not read the book or would have no interest in it. The emphasis, though, lies with the universality – or lack thereof – of the experience of being an American woman in the 21st century. Young or old, rich or poor, beautiful or plain – there are facets of womanhood that unite us all. My goal is to examine these common experiences – and, hopefully, create a safe way to dialogue about them.

To that end, I welcome your feedback. Positive or negative!

This book is different from other question books in a number of ways. First, the questions – even the seemingly silly, trite, and/or innocuous ones – are approached respectfully. This is not a gossipy, "yo, girlfriend" kind of book. However, there's still lots of room for discussion with your girlfriends, to be sure!

It also contains notes and a detailed index, in which all the questions are cross-referenced.

Most importantly, it's got space for you to WRITE IN IT! You can answer the questions right there in the book, or use the questions as journal prompts. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers – only YOUR answers. In fact, this isn't my book at all. It's YOUR book. So you should use it exactly whichever way works best for you.

One of my friends who bought an early copy started filling out each question, writing on the blanks in the book. However, she told me she skipped over the "embarrassing" questions. She was worried that if she died, someone might find the book and learn things about her that were private. I couldn't see that she'd care all that much, if she was actually dead when they read these revealing details – but each to her own.

Another friend refused to answer the questions – she said they were "too hard." Obviously, not everyone is ready to tackle 1,001 introspective questions. But you shouldn't feel obligated or overwhelmed – answer the questions in any order and at whatever pace feels comfortable TO YOU!

One gal I knew took the book with her on a camping trip. She said she and her camping buddies stayed up all night talking about the answers to just ONE question. It's thought-provoking that way!

Here's a way to use the book with your significant other. Say there's an idea you've been wanting to discuss with your partner for a long time. At a neutral time, when he won't feel put-upon, bring it up casually, saying something like, "You know, I'm reading this book of questions and came across a really strange/interesting/funny one. How would you answer this question?" And then proceed to ask. The reason this works is because you're not asking him directly. You're couching it by having him first agree with you that it is, indeed, a strange/interesting/funny question. Who knows - maybe he'll be interested enough to want to know YOUR answers. Sure, it might involve some embarrassment ... but wouldn't it be lovely to get to know your partner that much more intimately?

Although the questions cover every topic you can imagine, they are not broken out into chapters or sections. The book starts at Question #1 and follows continuously through to Question #1,001.

I have, however, broken down the topics of all the questions into 83 different categories. At the end of each question, you will see 3- or 4-character codes that indicate which categories that particular question falls under.