When asked what “Project: Happily Ever After: Saving Your Marriage When the Fairytale Falters” is about, author Alisa Bowman laughs: “It’s a story of how I went from wishing my husband would drop dead to falling back in love.” She means it: “Project“ kicks off with Bowman daydreaming about her husband’s funeral. But instead of divorcing, they decide to take the steps to reconnect — a process she details on her blog, www.projecthappilyeverafter.com, and now in her new book.
What is the biggest misconception women have about marriage?
They think it’s going to be a fairytale. Women are conditioned to believe that. So when things get rough, you think, “I married the wrong person.” We don’t know how to communicate, how to forgive. We also expect cohabitation with our romantic partner to be different from any other cohabitation we’ve had. But living with someone in the same house is tough, whether they are your roommate or your parents.
Do you think your marriage would have made it without your ‘Project’?
I doubt it. We probably would have gotten a divorce. I thought [our problems] were all his fault. But he was a good husband for me and still is.
You’re so brutally honest about your relationship in the book. How did your husband react?
When I first started writing it, I didn’t say anything about it because I didn’t know where it would go. But he’s been so supportive; it’s all true and we’re both in a much better place now.
