Guest Post: The Inspiration behind The Selfish Guide to Romance

After reading and reviewing “The Selfish Path to Romance: How to Love with Passion & Reason, Inspired by the Ideas of Ayn Rand” by Edwin A. Locke & Ellen Kenner, I had to ask about the inspiration behind this book. I wanted to know how they got from reading Ayn Rand to writing such a phenomenal book on romance and relationships. So, here is what author Ellen Kenner had to say...

I had thought about writing a self help book based on Ayn Rand's philosophy (Objectivism) for many years, especially since I had grown much stronger by studying and applying her life-treasuring ideas to my own life and in my clinical practice. After reading The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, I learned  to value my own life, to think for myself, to express myself more effectively and to pursue my dreams.  My husband is also a tremendous admirer of Ayn Rand. I had wanted to write a course dedicated to my husband (whom I adore) and I did just that with my first course on romance titled Courting Success in Romance.  The Objectivist mini-conference that I spoke at was: “Love, Romance and Sex”:  A Valentine’s Weekend Getaway (Phoenix, Arizona Feb. 1998). In addition to applying Ayn Rand's ideas to romance, my husband and I both loved raising our children--and although Ayn Rand didn't have children, her core ideas apply to bringing up children rationally. Although I had periodically thought of writing a book to show how valuable her ideas were in one's life, and even wrote notes and outlines over the years, I had focused the topic more broadly, not just on romance. I had given many courses on topics that I would have liked to have "translated" into a self-help book or workbook (e.g., communication skills, psychological self-defense, parenting skills, bring out the heroic in yourself) but I had never written a book before and let other goals, such as my radio show, my clinical practice, and ballroom dancing with my husband, take priority. My husband had also encouraged me to write a book--or books. 

            When Ed invited me to write a self-help book with him on romance, based on Ayn Rand's ideas (and our own), I was thrilled. It was an easy "yes." I had attended many of Ed's conference talks and courses over the years and found them personally very helpful (especially his talks on setting goals to achieve happiness). In addition, Ed has a wealth of writing experience, and his book: Study Methods & Motivation: A practical guide to effective study (http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KL51B ) had helped me when I was in graduate school. I also enjoyed his book, The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators. So it was a "Let's do it!" when he asked me to join him in this project. Exhilarating! 

Website: http://www.selfishromance.com/

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