As part of the Grace & Gravity literary magazine in the DC area, I wrote an introduction to Chelsea Leigh Horne's "The Heartbreaking Misfortunes of a Nearly Genuine Almost Casanova" which was reposted online.
The main character in Chelsea Leigh Horne’s “The Heartbreaking Misfortunes of a Nearly Genuine Almost Casanova” has a complexity that makes me simultaneously want to smack him and also feed him Ben & Jerry’s ice cream by the pint. In this short story, Daniel has all the makings of a budding Casanova. He’s watched movies starring Humphrey Bogart, rehearsed hair flicks, and invented his own kissing technique, “The Twisting Cobra.” His one issue lies in the small detail that he has never put these practices in effect. But when he finally has a chance with long-time crush and all-around hottie Chloe, it quickly goes awry.
I’m sure we’ve all been a Daniel in some way or another. Growing up in the digital age, I experienced the perks of having all information readily accessible. I could easily plug questions into Google with a tap of my fingers. There were no more wonderings about "Is this a swollen mosquito bite or am I just dying?” or “What are the tell-tale signs of botulism and do they apply to this can of SpaghettiOs?” But ironically, the issue of growing up in the digital age was having all information readily accessible. Like Daniel, I had an ‘information is power’ type of mentality even as a child. Therefore, my attempts at a love connection would start like any school project: with research. I was convinced this ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ thing would be a breeze with the entire internet at my disposal. To be fair, that was how I achieved such a good grade on my class presentation on the state of Wisconsin. Yet, no matter how many times I “accidentally” touched a guy’s hand, made sure my feet were always pointed at him so he knew where my priorities were, and talked about sports I had no interest in, a love connection was not meant to be.
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