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On The Hunt For Mr. Right

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By WALT BELCHER

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

Published: January 18, 2009

TAMPA - Whitney Casey knows what drives men wild, or at least how to get their attention.

One tip: Smell like fresh-baked cookies, vanilla, pumpkin pie, cinnamon buns or grapefruit.

"You may as well skip those expensive perfumes and head for the grocery store to stock up on vanilla extract, Toll House and fresh fruit," says the author of "The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild - Not Away" (Perigee, $19.95).

The cookie and cinnamon smells are warm and inviting, pumpkin pie arouses desire, and a hint of grapefruit can make you appear 10 years younger in a man's eyes, says Casey, who spent a year interviewing 250 men and dozens of relationship experts.

The result is a breezy, funny and eye-opening book about relationship do's and don'ts, from cosmetics to conversing with the opposite sex.

Casey, who grew up in Tampa, is a relationship expert. A former CNN and ABC News reporter, she writes the "Relationships With Whit" column for the Houston Chronicle newspaper and is a contributor to the dating Web site Match.com

The 32-year-old says she started on "The Man Plan" after getting numerous rejections from the editor of a woman's magazine.

"I wanted to write stories about superfeminists and stories that were rah-rah for women who can do anything. And here I was being told that women don't want to hear what other women think," she says. "The editor told me that they want to hear about what men think - what men think about their hair, their clothes, their fragrances, their careers and how they are in bed.

"At first, this took me back because I thought that a woman shouldn't change herself because of what a man thinks," she says. "But this is about building self-confidence. I'm not telling women to change their personality or their values, but if you want to be in a relationship, then you need to do the right things to get the guy interested."

Casey compares it to a job interview: You don't just show up; you research the company, wear your best suit and put your best foot forward.

"A date is like an interview with cocktails," Casey says.

She says men are "sensory rooted," and first impressions mean a lot.

"They see, they smell, they touch, they take," she says.

In the book, she offers tips on a variety of topics, such as grooming, dining manners, sports basics, business basics, e-mail etiquette, home decor (that men would like) and even 10 movies that every guy likes and every woman needs to know.

"Scarface," "The Godfather" and "Animal House" are on the list.

Casey has been single since her marriage to former NFL standout Jason Sehorn ended in divorce in 1999, but she has been romantically linked with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

She and Sehorn dated for five years before marrying in 1998. They were fellow athletes at the University of Southern California. She left USC and graduated from the University of Virginia.

Casey, who is 6 feet tall, was a talented volleyball player in high school and college. Her mother, Barbara, is communications director for the Tampa Sports Authority and Raymond James Stadium, and her father, Charlie, was a standout football receiver for the University of Florida.

Casey went to Coleman Junior High (now Coleman Middle School) and left Tampa during her high school years to tour with a volleyball team.

She has always had a passion for writing and telling stories, she says, and has ideas for at least two more books.

Currently on a tour to promote "The Man Plan," Casey will be in Tampa on Friday for several radio and television appearances including visits to "Daytime" on WFLA, Channel 8, and Kathy Fountain's "Your Turn" on WTVT, Channel 13.

One of the most important things for women to remember, she says, is the key to getting a man's attention is to "appeal to his senses and not his sensibilities."

The plan in "The Man Plan" is how to get "Mr. Right Now." She says after a woman gets to know the man, she can decide whether to move toward making him "Mr. Right."

For information on Casey and her book, go to www .whitneycasey.com.

HERE'S A PLAN TO FIND YOUR MAN

1. Research movies that guys like beginning with "The Godfather." If you know lines from "Dirty Harry," you can win his heart.

2. Don't wear anything that makes you look like you've been wrapped, twisted or tied up in knots.

3. Never go braless, and avoid the "nude bra," the "sports bra" and too much padding.

4. Go easy on the perfume. Don't let the scent reach him before you do.

5. Among the home decor items in your pad that are turnoffs: futons, frilly window treatments, self-help books, pictures of ex-boyfriends and stuffed animals.

6. When it comes to home cooking, the fastest way to a man's heart is to fill his stomach with a beef brisket.

7. Keep your car clean inside and out. Guys figure a messy car equals a messy woman.

8. Know how to do simple chores, like how to fix a running toilet, change a doorknob or unclog a drain. Although guys like damsels in distress, they don't like dumb damsels.

9. If you are not into sports, get a basic knowledge of teams, positions and players. But don't fake it. Respect his passion for the game.

10. When it comes to fingernails, men see glitter, sparkles, nail art, neon red, black and chipped polish as trashy and cheap.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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