Sheila Roberts | Inside A Man's Brain

Men are different from the rest of us. Anyone who grew up with one, raised one, dated one or married one knows that. I grew up with brothers and, back in the day, when I played in country-rock bands it was with men. I've also played recreational sports with men. Maybe that's why I always find the male point of view fascinating. They definitely see the world differently than we women do. Different isn't bad though, right? As they say, vive la différence. Our differences can compliment each other.

But these days it seems like men take it on the chin a lot, sometimes simply because they don't think or act like us. On TV shows they're dumber than a rock (a far cry from the days of Father Knows Best) or two-timing beasts, and in most commercials they're fools. (Thank God that man in the commercial always has a smart woman on hand to set him straight!) But what about real life? I think most guys are ... okay, still clueless. But not on purpose. Most men work hard, sacrifice for their families, and try to basically live good lives. And they simply want to be appreciated. (Okay, and also to get lucky on Saturday night.) Sadly, we women often overlook the nicest ones in favor of those notorious bad boys.

Seeing that happen to one of my friends really got me thinking. What does an average guy have to do to grab a girl's attention these days? A lot of them don't have a clue. Even married men often complain that they don't understand women. Maybe they should all read a few romance novels.

That's what my men decided to do in my new novel, WHAT SHE WANTS, which is about a group of poker buddies trying to fix their woman problems. These poor guys really are a clueless bunch, but once they discover romance novels, they're on their way to winning their women's love. Well, sort of. For my shy, geeky hero Jonathan, it's an uphill (and often embarrassing) battle. His friend Adam definitely needs lessons in how to be a good husband. And their pal Kyle needs to figure out that yes, size matters - the size of a man's heart, that is.

After writing this story, I wound up coming away with a fresh appreciation for the male of the species. It's not easy being a man these days. Should I open the door for that woman or not? She's wearing a bikini, but will she get mad if I stare at her boobs? She just asked if those jeans make her butt look big. Does she really want to know the truth? Sometimes I feel sorry for men. We really can get them confused.

Helping my men understand what women want was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed writing a book strictly from a male point of view. I had a great time poking around inside the male brain and I hope readers will, too.