Greene - The flirting bible: how to read the body language of attraction and win over anyone you meet

There is no better place to start than thanking Will Kiester, my publisher, for having the vision of The Flirting Bible and for letting me make my dream of writing a book on flirting a reality. Will, thanks for believing in me and making it happen. Your taste is impeccable!

Mom, you taught me everything about flirting I could ever want to learn. I would not be the flirt I am today were it not for you. Your love, charisma, wisdom, infectious laugh, positive spin on life, and the interest you always had in all of my flirting endeavors are the foundation for this book. If only you could be here to share this milestone with me! I know you are smiling down on me and saying Franny, I told you so. Thanks Mom, I love you so much for being the best mother any daughter could ever ask for!

To my dad, Joe Greene, who always flirted with my mom and made her feel so special all the time. Dad, thanks for making me feel like a million bucks and for all your love. I know you would be so proud of me!

I saved the best for last: my loving and supportive husband, Jim Mullin, who has been my biggest cheerleader since the day we met. Thanks for coming to my flirting workshops, for going with me to the TV interviews, for always being so proud of me, and for flirting with me day in and day out. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always being there to read and reread every word I wrote. Your input and willingness to help me while I was writing the manuscript is something I will always treasure. Thanks for putting our life on hold, for looking at the back of my head at the computer all day and all night, and for listening to all those, So how does this sound? Most of all, thanks for being Exhibit A, for believing in me, and for always telling me that I could do it. You are and always will be the love of my life!

My gratitude goes to my incredible and caring editor, Amanda Waddell. Amanda, I feel that this is our book. Thank you so much for making my words come alive. You helped me in so many ways. You were so encouraging and always knew how to boost my confidence and give me a pep talk when I so desperately needed it. I am truly grateful for everything you have done to make the book the best it could be. You are very gifted at your craft, and I am so lucky that you came into my life.

I am so fortunate to have Rosalind Wanke as my creative director. Your eye for detail, your flair for design, and your commitment to making the photos enhance my words was a phenomenal accomplishment. But most of all, thanks for the fabulous time we had in NYC for the photo shoot. Your friendship and professionalism will be cherished! You made a tedious task so much fun.

A huge thanks to Liudi Hara and his photographic team, for capturing all the flirting moves we possibly could and for all your painstaking efforts to make each photograph a perfect one.

And to the entire team at Fair Winds Press, especially design manager Meg Sniegoski and assistant managing editor Jen Gradythank you for all of your help.

To my incredible family for always being so supportive and so proud of me, a very special thank you. I love you all.

Thank you to my wonderful friends, who always had the time to listen to parts of the manuscript, and who were always there for me: Roz, the 2 Carols, Gail, and Maryann.

Thank you to all my friends who have always shown sincere interest in my flirting accomplishments and endeavors. It has meant the world to me.

Thank you to Trish McDermott, formerly of Match.com, for hiring me and for always telling me I had to write a book. You have always been an inspiration to me and I thank you for everything you have done to get me on the bookshelves!

A warm and heartfelt thanks to all of you who have invited me to share my flirting knowledge: the Learning Annex, Princess Cruises, the New York Association for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, the Clubhouse of Suffolk, the Town of Brookhaven Womens Services, Columbia University, and so many more.

And finally, my biggest thank you goes to all of my participants and clients. Each of you has inspired me to write this book. Your personal struggles and triumphs have added so much to what I do. Thanks for sharing your flirting stories with me. It is because of you that I have been able to write this book. You are all my heroes!

Fran Greene, L.C.S.W., is a nationally renowned relationship expert and the former director of flirting at Match.com. She has appeared on the dating show Wingman, Dateline NBC, the Today Show, the Travel Channel, and more, and has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Self, French Elle, Style, Good Housekeeping, and In Touch Weekly.

Fran runs a private practice in the New York City area working with singles who want to maximize their social lives and couples who want to improve their relationships. Through her ever-popular flirting workshops and seminars, she has helped thousands of people find love. To find out more, visit www.frangreene.com/ .

My own flirting story is the inspiration for this book and the reason I met the love of my life. It happened to me, and it can so easily happen to you. And its proof positive that flirting can spark love.

I have always been an outgoing person, but during my twenties, I made putting myself out there my full-time job. Determined to find a husband, I did everything in my power to make it happen: blind dates, singles events, bar outings, personal ad placements, cruises, partiesyou name it. I flirted anywhere and everywhere and made each event an exciting journey. Several adventures led to dates, others to boyfriends, some to great one-time meetings, and many to no-thank-yous. A few even led to broken hearts. Still, I never regretted trying.

As a full-time flirt, I rarely waited for someone to approach me. It just seemed such a waste of precious time. Going to a singles bar or event alone motivated me to flirt. If I didnt, the evening would be painfully boring, frustrating, and disappointing. (I know many of you are thinking, No way, not me! Going somewhere alone is too scary and overwhelming. Rest assured, in the pages to come, I will help you through this process. Eventually, you may even look forward to solo-sailing! Trust me.)

Whether alone or with friends, I flirted no matter where I went: dining out, attending a concert, waiting in line, getting gas, talking to the letter carrier, even sitting in classlocation never mattered. I was always on the flirt. To me, flirting made every situation more enjoyable and fun, made me feel good and others feel great, and increased the chances of my dream coming true.

Like anyone, I felt the occasional frustration or discouragement looking for love. But I never gave up (though I did let go of the myth that love just happens). I knew that anything important in life takes work. I must admit, I was envious of those who said that love just found themlucky them! But I persevered.

One day, after a lengthy meeting, I went to lunch with a group of colleagues. There were eight of us, seven women and one man. Jim worked at a sister office so I had met him for the first time earlier that day. He was nice and good-looking, so I decided to sit next to him at lunch to try out some of the flirting moves I had picked up and perfected from my flirting fieldwork. I was complimentary, funny, leaned in when he talked, smiled, maintained warm eye contact, listened attentively, and showed interest. Over lunch, we had a great time getting to know each other, but we left it at that.

Fast forward three months. Jim came to our office for another meeting. After it ended, I offered him a ride to the airport. He said yes but on the condition that I went to dinner with him beforehand. I agreed (of course!).