‘Opportunity Rings’ a hilarious page turner

Toronto-based publicist-turned-author Sheryl Steinberg has just written her first book, a side-splitting look a tech couture, relationships and a women’s role in a wireless world.

Toronto-based publicist-turned-author Sheryl Steinberg has just written her first book, a side-splitting look a tech couture, relationships and a women's role in a wireless world. 

Perhaps one of the humorous multiple choice questions peppered throughout this 288-page book sums up what to expect in this novel:

If you contract viruses daily: a) horizontally speaking, you get around; b) you are undoubtedly pissing off everyone in your email address book; or c) you work with kids and really should really think about taking a good multivitamin.

OK, so Erica Swift isn't easy — though the fictional heroine in Opportunity Rings ($19.95; Key Porter Books) will suddenly rediscover single life after her husband leaves her for his older boss — and hey, the marketing director for the Rockit Wireless smartphone company has some experiencing in "faking it."

You see, Swift doesn't have a clue about smartphones (or laptops, MP3 players or GPS devices, for that matter), though, ironically, her peers revere her as a bit of a tech maven. After all, the tagline for this paperback is "It's not what you know, it's what they think you know."

Can she pull off the company's important new product launch if her VCR at home still blinks 12:00 — and while trying to reformat her personal life at the same time?

Steinberg's writing is simply hilarious, as we learn about what happens when high tech and high heels collide. In many cases, you're privy to Swift's thoughts (um, do all women think about food and sex so much?) or following her (mis)adventures as she wrestles with finicky gadgets and handsome suitors — figuratively and literally.

As a side note, Steinberg is a friend and colleague of mine, who I met while she served as the public relations manager for Lexmark Canada. If this book is somewhat autobiographical — er, professionally speaking — she's had me fooled for years, as we've sat and had lunch together to wax about the PC peripheral business, and such. Knowing this, I enjoyed her book on another level altogether.

Opportunity Rings will likely appeal more to women — especially those who enjoy the language, tone and pacing of the Shopaholic books — and for those who can relate to trying to keep up in a male-heavy tech world.

The book is available at major book stores and online.

Filed Under: Computers & Software > Handhelds > News > Reviews > Satire