Interview with Bob Brooker and Kaye O'Dougherty, Authors of Football is for Lovers

Joining us today are Bob Brooker and Kaye O'Dougherty, authors of Football is for Lovers. I’m not sure how football and sex are related, but the authors will be able to provide us with some humorous insight, I’m sure.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Bob and Kaye. Why don’t you start by telling our readers a bit about yourself?

Bob is an old saloon singer who, as Bobby Brookes, recorded for RCA Victor and Capital back in the day; Kaye has trouble carrying a tune in a bucket. Even so, after we met at a recording studio on 42nd Street (yes, that 42nd Street), we began a decades-long partnership as Brooker and O'Dougherty, collaborating on a variety of theater, film, TV and video projects, performing, writing, directing, managing, and producing. Football is for Lovers (which can be found at www.footballforlovers.com) marks our debut as book authors.

You’ve collaborated on a variety of other projects, but this is the first book you’ve written together. Why?

Yes, Football is for Lovers is our first book. After years of being an entertainer, Bob's stroke a few years back ended his life on the wicked stage. His light-footed days treading the boards were definitely at an end. And Kaye has never spent a light-footed day in her life. So a book seemed like a good idea.

What do you enjoy most about your collaborations? What are some of the challenges of working together?

Although one of the pluses of the collaborative method is that it brings broader, more diverse perspectives to the table, it is nonetheless true that, at the end of the day, it can only work if the collaborators have the same ultimate vision. That is, to use interior decorators as an analogy, if one wants to do a French Provincial room in shades of off-white and mauve, and the other is more into psychedelic retro post-modern in hot pink and chartreuse, there could be a problem. So even though we fight – a lot! – about how to get there, we always seem to agree on where we're going. Even so, the preliminary fighting before we get to our goal can get a little intense. So I guess our greatest challenge over the years has been not to kill each other.

Tell us about Football is for Lovers?

We thought it was a shame that a cool game like football was apparently causing conflict in a lot of relationships. Val, our favorite bank teller, admitted she didn't know anything about the game, but she still swore she hated football. Well, obviously, if Val didn't know what the game was about, it couldn't really be football that she hated, now could it? A brief discussion of the subject revealed that it was being ignored by her boyfriend from August pre-season through the February Super Bowl that was putting a strain on their couplehood. So we wrote Football is for Lovers as an antidote to what seems to be a rather common problem. In the book, we not only make understanding the game as easy as buttering toast, but also we give you the tools to make football work for your relationship, not against it. Football is for Lovers gives you a whole new way of looking at football that can end the TV clicker wars, spice up your love life, and maybe even get you some M&Ms into the bargain. Not bad, huh?

Where did you find the inspiration for this story?

Football is for Lovers is humorous non-fiction, so there's really not much of a story line. But since it reflects our rather off-kilter view of life, I guess you could say we're our own inspiration. For us, human behavior is a constant source of . . . well, many things. Most of it defying logic. So we can't help but laugh . . . especially at ourselves. And we kind of like the idea of the rest of you crazy humans laughing along with us.

I’m one of those women who dreads football season. Not so much because the hubby ignores me, but because I really don’t understand football and don’t find it very interesting. Can your book help me?

Absolutely!!! It's like the stop action button when you're watching the running of the bulls at Pamplona. And what makes it even easier than the bull thing is that where everybody is running to is more clearly defined. Plus each team wears a different color uniform, so you can tell the bad guys from the good guys. Better yet, you get to pick which is which! We note in the book that football is chess on Astroturf. And at one level, it can be. But it can also be understood and enjoyed at the checkers level. Maybe even the sub-checkers level. In Football is for Lovers, we bring it down to the sub-checker basics. As one of our readers notes, it's nice to learn something and be able to laugh at the same time. If you read the book, you can – and you will!

There’s also some humor in this book. How does it all come together to make football widows happy?

It makes them widows no more! Really, that's the point. Speaking of basics, the basic premise of Football is for Lovers is that sharing is good. And when there's something this easy and this much fun to share – and believe us, it is – why choose widowhood? The thing is, we take the pain out of the learning process. Not only does this book give you sufficient education in the fine art of football so you can follow along with the action on Sunday night, but we've even included some fine art of the more classic variety (two illustrations of works by Jean Dubuffet), plus a Burma Shave sign and enough weird factoids to help you sound clever at cocktail parties. As if you weren't clever enough already. So why be a widow when good times can be yours just by flipping a few pages? Oh, and did we mention there are some rather hot . . . uh . . . relationship tips in there as well? Hey, it's all good!

Will men enjoy this book too?

We think so. Football is for Lovers offers so many one-up tidbits that we're pretty sure most men will get something out of it. We're willing to bet there are facts in there that they don't know. Like Terrell Owens' middle name. Or who the Cleveland Browns are named after. That's another thing: if you know the answers first, these items are great for making bets. We even suggest some interesting pay-offs. Plus the book is well-researched and accurate, and treats the game of football with respect. Because we do.

Where can readers purchase a copy Football is for Lovers?

They can order the book online on our website, www.footballforlovers. There's a direct link to our publisher for shipments inside the United States, plus a link to Amazon for our International clientele.

What else will people find at your website?

Besides the links for ordering, the site has excerpts from the book, a Family Album, attire to wear while watching the game (which we explain in some detail in the book), and a bunch of articles. So y'all come see us, hear?

What is up next for you?

We're working on our second book – also humorous non-fiction – He's Not the Guy (God Didn't Do It!). It bothers us when we hear those stories about things like, say, a building collapsing and ninety-nine people being killed. And the sole survivor says, "It was a miracle! God saved me!" So - uh – exactly what does that mean? God killed the other ninety-nine? We think not. And we intend to set the record straight.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Might as well pull out the old cliché: life is short. The thing is, if you have the chance to share something – yes, like football – with someone you love, we say: for goodness sake, do it! Because . . . yeah: life is short.

Thank you for stopping by today. Good luck with your book!

To see where Bob & Kaye are stopping next on their virtual book tour, visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.