Prisoner of Romance

About the Book

A New York couple meet on Love@AOL the week of 9/11/01 and assume they have at last found their soul mate. The timing of their encounter suggests a spiritual convergence - a phoenix rising from the ashes. She is 55, he is 73. Their courtship moves rapidly and they are married within six months. After resettling in Naples, Florida they start a non-profit organization called, Living Love in Action to promote romance and initiate a project to have 300 couples renew their wedding vows on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2004.

The City of Naples is electrified and taken with the "Incurable Romantics", who appear everywhere dressed in formal wedding dress. Articles are written in all the local newspapers and magazines. The town is geared for the big event when suddenly the "Bride" walks out.

She invokes a bogus Order of Protection from Domestic Violence against her husband and initiates a divorce suit, claiming half of all his assets. In his attempt to stave off a bitter War of the Roses, he writes her a conciliatory letter offering a settlement without malice, which lands him in jail for 28 hours for Violation of the Order of Protection. Left with the shock of her action and the embarrassment of canceling the event, he is thrust into the irrational world of Florida no-fault divorce law.

The protagonist entered into this relationship in a quest for a soul mate. He believed in the myth of finding his missing part -that part that would make the perfect fit, that part that would open the gate to a creative future together.

When the romantic fog cleared he found his illusions shattered. He found his soul mate to be self-centered, dishonest, emotionally immature, financially irresponsible and disengaged from real friendship.

But this book is not about divorce. It is about an unmanageable relationship and the part that illusions play in creating bad marriages. It is about a marital and criminal court system with unjust laws, formula-driven judges and indifferent lawyers. It is about the prevalence of myths that masquerade as truths.

About the Author

Selwyn J. Mills practiced psychotherapy in Great Neck N.Y. for 25 years. His research into the left/right brain impact on personality development lead to the unique discovery of why "opposites attract". His book, The Odd Couple Syndrome, both scientific and funny, was chosen as a Psychology Today favorite when it was published. Also active in live theatre, he wrote and produced a musical comedy satirizing the world of psychotherapy called Love, Torment and Lollipops.

His interests also include the visual arts. An accomplished photographer, his prints are part of the permanent collection of the Bibliotech Nationale in Paris and he is known for his work in the field of faux finishes and decorative painting.

Dr. Mills is a resident of Naples, Florida.