Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man

Acknowledgments

I would like to pay a debt of gratitude to some amazingly helpful people. My editor and publisher, Dawn Davis, somehow believed I could write a book in the first place… and then backed up that belief with a work ethic I’ve seen only a few times in my life. Jill Jamison, a new hire with invaluable insight, sat in every single writing session to help form my focus group. A special thanks to Shirley Strawberry, who, with her inquisitive nature and relentless questioning, pushed me to dig deeper and deeper, to be more thorough for my female readers; she was also there for all the read-throughs, even reading all the drafts out loud to me and refusing to let me nod off in the final rereads.

This book also does not exist without the millions of readers who bought my first book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. Your follow-up and seminar questions motivated me to go further into the minds of my male friends, giving birth to what I think is a book that is as important as the first book. The two together offer quite a bit of knowledge.

My business partner and best friend, Rushion McDonald, works behind the scenes, but his work ethic, savvy, and promotional skills have aided in not only my publishing endeavors, but also in the many hard-fought battles he and I have engaged in over the past twenty years. Nothing we’ve done has been easy, but it’s all been so rewarding. Thank you, my friend.

And to Denene Millner, who has typed, edited, and laughed through this entire project, helping me to put my unique thought processes and even more unique speech patterns into readable prose: Thank you for your guidance, questions, and devotion to this project. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To my family, who are too many to mention, Thank you. I love all of my kids.

And now for my favorite part: My wife, Marjorie… I can’t put on this page what she means to me. I’ve evolved into the person I am over the last five years because of this wonderful gift that was given to me named Marjorie. She proves God really does know what we need more than we do. In all my life and in all my imagination I never knew this could exist for me. She allows me to be better; she encourages me to be better; and here’s the kicker: she expects me to be better. And on top of all that she appreciates it when I am. And that causes me to walk through walls and any hellfire for her. I have a few hundred things I could say about her but I will save that for another book. It’s because of Marjorie that I’m able to share with you so much of my own journey. She is “the bomb.” I love my girl, Marjorie.

WITHOUT GOD, I WOULD BE LOST. YOUR DIRECTIONS HAVE BEEN FLAWLESS. YOU HAVE TAKEN ME PLACES FAR BEYOND MY DREAMS. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME MORE THAN HOPE. YOU HAVE SURPASSED ALL MY EXPECTATIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME OPENED MY MIND TO RECEIVE EVEN MORE INSPIRATION. I DONT KNOW WHERE ALL THIS IS GOING BUT I AM WILLING TO FOLLOW BECAUSE YOUR VISION AND GUIDANCE IS OFF THE CHAIN. SO PLEASE, PLEASE DONT STOP DOING WHAT YOU DO.

– Your imperfect soldier, Steve… GOD is not through with me yet.