The Scene
The Mating Game
A local single writes his own novel
about the minefields of the dating scene.
LISA BRONSTEIN
Special to the Jewish News
R
yan Kaluzny insists that Randall Fox is not
his alter ego.
Kaluzny, 30, of Royal Oak, created the
character of Randall (Randy) Fox for his
novel es' Guest. While both author and protagonist are
30-year-old attorneys in search of true love, that's
where the similarities end. Kaluzny prefers to say that
Randy is "loosely based on me. Some of the things
that happen to the character are fictionalized versions
of events in my own life."
& Guest, which is subtitled "And I Will Not be
Afraid of Women," follows Randy from his childhood,
through college, to the present, where he dates often
but rarely successfully. The novel is not presented in
chronological order.
Most of the characters Kaluzny has created follow
Randy throughout his life. The title & Guest refers to a
wedding invitation Randy has just received. His best
friend is getting married, and Randy is dealing with
not having a date to take to the wedding. The novel
then flashes backward and forward as he details his
dating and sexual experiences. Kaluzny has described
his novel as "Sex and the City from a guy's perspective."
Kaluzny has often found himself in a similar
predicament. "It's the proverbial 'always a groomsmen,
never a groom,''' he laughs.
He has more married friends than single ones
these days, and a normal year has him attending at
least five weddings. But Kaluzny is still in search of
his "& Guest."
He wrote the novel during his free time over the
course of a year, while working as a judicial staff attor-
ney for Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Gene
Schnelz. It took another year to edit the book, while at
the same time trying to find an agent to represent him.
Unsuccessful in the search for a publishing deal,
Kaluzny decided to publish the book on his own. He
found that iUniverse has a good reputation, will print
the books on demand, and makes copies available
through Web sites such as Amazon.com and barne-
sandnoble.com , to name a few.
"Ideally, I would love for a national publishing house
to want to purchase the book," Kaluzny says, "but
unless you know someone in the business to help you
get your foot in the door, that's a long shot."
Kaluzny made a point of not reading books on
how to write a novel, and his only English course at
the University of Michigan was a poetry class. "I did-
n't want to be affected by how others think I should
write," he said. "I wanted to find my own style."
He is an avid reader, but dislikes books that spend
too much time on narration and description. It shows
in 6' Guest's rapid, dialogue-driven delivery. He specifi-
cally doesn't give location or dates in his novel, to allow
readers figure things out on their own. "I think it
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2003
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makes the book more
fresh and different," he
says.
Kaluzny's friends have
been positive about
Guest, with many trying to
figure out who the charac-
ters are based on. While a
character may have started
as someone Kaluzny
knows, each evolves and
changes from what may
have happened to any
friend.
Each chapter takes place
during a different time
period in Randy Fox's life,
and it is up to the reader
to figure out what time
frame they are currently
reading. "I had a lot of
fun with this book,"
Kaluzny explains. "People
have told me that reading
it is like eavesdropping on
a conversation at a bar."
Family and co-workers
have been positive as well, although he was a little
apprehensive about how the sexual nature of the book
would be received. "It was easier to write everything
down rather than tell these kinds of stories to my par-
ents," he says. "Even my Bubbie bought the book, but
I don't think she's read it."
The fictionalized family of Randy Fox bears
some resemblance to his own family. "I do have an
older brother who is married and has a little girl,"
Kaluzny says, which also describes Randy's brother.
Kaluzny's parents are similar to Randy's fictionalized
parents — the mothers are always finding blind dates
for their sons and Kaluzny's parents have been happily
married for nearly 35 years. Kaluzny explains in the
book's dedication that his parents' relationship is his
benchmark.
He hopes some day to write a sequel. "I already have
notes on new story ideas that happen to the charac-
ters," he says.
But for now, eT Guest is occupying most of Kaluzny's
spare time. He will host his own book release party at
Sangria restaurant in Royal Oak because it has a bar-
like setting, like eT Guest..
Kaluzny created Randy Fox without specifically
identifying his ethnicity or making him religious, but
he says there are clues in the book that would suggest
he is Jewish. "I wanted the book to be more inclusive,
so that this could be anyone," he says.
Kaluzny, however, is hoping to find a Jewish
soul mate for himself. He has gone to Federation
Young Adult Division events, and has even spent
A Novel By
Ryan Kaluzny
Kaluzny
some time meeting people through JDate, the
Jewish internet dating service, but he says he is
currently on sabbatical" from JDate.
"I went on a lot of first dates," he says, but nothing
came of them.
He is now focusing his time on promoting his book,
although he still makes time for an occasional blind
date or two. "You still have to put yourself out there,
and put yourself in position to meet people," he says.
Kaluzny knows his soul mate is out there. One part
of the novel, he admits, came straight from his heart.
Randy and friends are at a wedding, discussing why
weddings seem to be all about the bride.
His female friends say that, unlike men, women
have been dreaming about their wedding day since
they were little. They ask him what he dreamed about,
and Randy — here proxy for Kaluzny — replies:
"I thought about finding true love. And I never
thought about our wedding day. I thought about
the day after that, and the day after that, and the
month after that, and the year after that — and
our lives together. That's what I thought, and still
think about." El
Guest will be
The book release party for
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Sangria restau-
rant, 401 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak. The event
is free and open to the public. eT Guest will be
available for purchase ($18.95). For more
information, visit wwvv.ryan.kaluzny.com