by Kristin Billerbeck

Ashley Stockingdale, 31, has a respectable (read: boring) job in Silicon Valley as a patent attorney. It's the kind of life that causes her mother to ask repeatedly, 'Now what exactly do you do there, dear?'

Given that in Silicon Valley the single men outnumber the women 2 to 1, Ashley can't help but wonder why a cute, eligible, Christian girl ('with absolutely adorable shoes') sits home most weekends. Even her church singles group fails to satisfy, endlessly watching The Matrix and 'splurging,' obnoxiously, on un-cool dinners at Applebee's and unhip franchise restaurants.

So Ashley resolves to go for it! If only she knew what 'it' she's going for. Perhaps that ever-illusive promotion that would give her the glamorous career girl image she's longed for? Or maybe the wardrobe to end all wardrobes, turning her glowing, possibly-pregnant newlywed friends green with envy? Or, best of all, winning the affections of the handsome doctor she's met through her work with the youth center!

Ultimately, Ashley finds that what a girl wants and what a girl needs aren't always the same thing. Join Ashley for the first of two lighthearted books about a single-girl's bumbling but loveable quest for meaning.