Nick Pappas has published a series of over 20 thought-provoking books with Algora Publishing, examining ways to handle personal challenges, how to think about our relationships to each other and how to decide our own path in life, how to choose what we do and why, and how to get the most out of everyday life.

Nick teaches high school English Language Arts in Western New York. Prior to that he worked as a director and consultant in information technology. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Harvard Law School. Nick has written numerous short stories and poems in addition to his philosophical dialogues.

In this captivating conversation, two smart people discuss what love is and why it needs to be pondered to be appreciated. Is love merely attraction, or a boost to our ego? Do some people really "fall in love all the time"? The book is not just...

In this captivating conversation, two smart people discuss what love is and why it needs to be pondered to be appreciated. Is love merely attraction, or a boost to our ego? Do some people really "fall in love all the time"? The book is not just abstract philosophy - Nick offers some good advice for singles as well as for people who are keen to keep their love alive. Once you find your One, how do you keep the magic going? Both characters are looking for the love of their lives, and they understand that the best way to find something is to be clear about what you want. So, while they consider what aspects are most important ' looks, character, brains? Money? - And they also discuss a philosophical place to stand in while conducting the search. It takes courage to start a conversation when you feel you may have a lot at stake, and it takes courage to walk away from 'good enough'� in order to be free to find 'the One.'� How do you get close without being burned? How do you avoid hurting another person? The ideas in this book are presented in short snippets that can be read in just a few minutes at a time, or all in the course of one long and lovely evening. Pull up a chair and join the conversation!

This book consists of one long conversation between Director and Handsome on the topic of love. Who are these characters? Why don't they have traditional names? Director is the one constant throughout the books I've written. He is a philosopher, and he does what you might expect a philosopher to do. Handsome appears only in this book. He is, as you might guess, handsome. From Director's name we gather that he, well, directs. When I first conceived of him, I saw him as working in a company as a manager. That happened to be at a time when I, too, was working in a company as a manager. But, and I can't stress this enough ' Director isn't, and never was, me. None of my characters are me. None of my characters are anyone else in real life, for that matter. Director is my idea of a philosopher. As such, he helps lead the conversations in my books. His name reminds us that he is often directing, even when he does so in less than obvious ways. And isn't this how it once was? Someone named Weaver wove. Someone named Baker baked. So it is with my characters. But what does Handsome do? He simply is; he is handsome. Naming him Handsome allowed me to keep present to the reader his looks throughout the conversation, as happens in life. But after a while, ideally, the name becomes merely a name. One forgets, or rather discounts the fact, that the other is good looking (or bad looking, or passing indifferent). One focuses simply on what is said. And what is said is meant to be basic, simple. In my opinion, this is how we get to the fundamental. Accordingly, there is no prerequisite for a good understanding of this book. I found the above quote from Francis Bacon, though it may seem dated, to be especially appropriate because of what it says about perfecting mankind. My book is about love in general, but I trust you'll sense an underlying concern with what he calls friendly love. I hope you enjoy it. ' Nick Pappas

Introduction 1. Play 2. Handsome 3. Roughly Matched 4. Beautiful Minds 5. Superior 6. Appreciation, Equality 7. Roles 8. Self-Esteem? 9. Attraction 10. Nothing 11. Something 12. Best 13. Handsome, 2 14. Truth 15. Choice 16. Growing 17. Saving It 18. Attraction, 2 19. The Intimacy of Growth 20. The End 21. Growth Defined 22. Outward 23. Friends And Wholes 24. Wings 25. Fleeting Love 26. Melting 27. Sun 28. What It Is 29. Hate 30. A Suggestion 31. Intense, Opposed 32. Insecurity 33. Balance 34. Jealousy 35. Protection 36. Doubt 37. Love, Relationships 38. Integrity 39. At First Sight 40. Director 41. Force 42. Massive Objects 43. Orbiting 44. Mass 45. The Ideal 46. A Model 47. The Source 48. Helping 49. Education 50. Power 51. Fame 52. Summing It Up 53. Love Me For Me 54. Profoundly Un-Profound 55. Faking 56. Infatuation 57. Fleeting Love, 2 58. Appreciating 59. Good, Better, Happy 60. Fulfillment 61. Better and Happy 62. Love 63. In Love 64. Tragic 65. Light and Sparkling 66. The Game 67. A Problem 68. Deep and Clear 69. Friends and Lovers 70. At Bottom 71. Muck 72. Ground 73. Circles 74. Bad Circles 75. Ambassadors 76. Together 77. Teaching and Learning 78. Harmony 79. Different Strings 80. Closer �  81. Silence 82. Peace 83. Moving 84. Those Shoes 85. Excited By Excitement 86. Money Can't 87. Free 88. A New Dance? 89. Touch 90. What If 91. Luck 92. Ears, Eyes 93. The Nose 94. Meant To Be 95. Simmers and Boils 96.�  One And Only One 97. Release 98. No Madness Here 99. Fools 100. At First Sight, 2 101. The Wrong Kind Of Love 102. The Leap 103. The Ones 104. Ending It 105. Vigor 106. Common Sense 107. Ignorant 108. Pain 109. Beautiful 110. Something Else 111. Soul 112. Help 113. Clues 114. Make Good 116. Scaring Them Off 117. Mistake, Next Step 118. Gentleness 119. Anything Else? 120. Need to Know 121. What's Good For Me 122. Why Not 123. Sparks 124. Worth It 125. Believing In Love 126. Understanding 127. The Lists 128. Lies and Untruths 129. Bonds 130. Purity, Foundation 131. Falling Apart 132. Friends 133. The One? 134. A Debt Of Gratitude 135. In Common 136. Normal, Philosophical 137. Philosophy 138. Philosophy's House 139. Walking Away 140. A Mind of Your Own 141. Domination 142. Born To Be 143. Planning 144. More Than Luck 145. Flirting 146. Serious 147. Weight 148. Laughter 149. Air 150. Rekindling 151. The Comic 152. The Tragic 153. Stronger 154. Ambition 155. Music 156. Pretension, Reason 157. Love the Music 158. A Love Who Loves 159. Appreciation 160. Degrees of Unique? 161. End �