"Honey, do you think we're soul mates?" asks the starry-eyed wife to her husband.

"Naw, we ain't soul mates," he quips. "More like cellmates and I've got a life sentence!"

I heard that joke on a late night Comedy Central show years ago. I knew right then that the joke would make a great subject for a book. I had no idea exactly what I would write, but I knew the title was a sure winner. We now have Soul Mates and Hot Dates: How to Tell Who's Who.

My research spawned a national lecture tour that took me to dozens of cities and three countries. Everywhere I spoke, people had stories to tell of great loves, overwhelming heartache for the "one that got away" and many wonderful, spiritual, loving connections that they needed to understand more.

After researching soul mate theories and doing thousands of individual past life and relationship consultations, I felt compelled to write as much as I knew about these special connections in layman's terms. Most of the people who come to my soul mate workshops know nothing about astrology or other metaphysical theories. Some don't believe in the new age arts, but all believed in the theory of soul mates.

They had experienced a unique and deeply moving relationship at one point in their lives. Soul Mates & Hot Dates details all of the soul connections we have with others. It doesn't discriminate by only listing the love and sex types, but also the connections we have with family, friends, and past life ties. One common misconception is that soul mates have to be lovers, boyfriend/girlfriend, or husband/wife connections—not necessarily. Soul mates are two souls walking on the same path for a higher spiritual purpose. Your soul mate can be your best friend or a teacher who saw potential in you when no one else did. For pet lovers, your soul mates could be your dog or cat. But if you do meet someone that you fall madly and passionately in love with, that turns out to be a soul mate, all the better! That's what movies and songs are made of.

One of my pet peeves is that the term "soul mate" is used so loosely these days. Some of our special connections aren't always soul mate connections. They could be karmic marriages, past life ties, and such. Many times people come back together to repay a debt they owe or to work on an issue from a former lifetime that was left unresolved. Some people reconnect to help others on their path and yet others reincarnate and marry the same person over and over again; their eternal love transcends all time.

So which is which? That's the big question. How do you know if someone is truly a soul mate or a past life connection? Soul Mates & Hot Dates includes a "test" to determine just that. The book also includes a chapter on how to attract anyone your heart desires, based on birthday information. There's also a chapter for married folks titled, "Was your wedding day blessed or cursed?" I take your actual wedding day and reduce it down to a single digit. It's a numerological formula that helps couples understand what their mission or lesson is, in regards to the marriage. And in some cases, the number reveals a soul mate connection!

I believe we have past ties with many people, but finding out what those ties mean and what we are trying to accomplish in these relationships is the hard part. However, you can easily find some of these answers in Soul Mates & Hot Dates.

I've also included a detailed relationship compatibility guide. It covers 144 birthday combinations. Other sections include past life case scenarios with clients, a formula on how to predict how old of a soul you are, and what your current lifetime lesson is.

The best way for us to grow as a soul is through our relationships. It is through the joys and heartaches that we learn about ourselves and how to give and receive love. Our souls need the partners that we draw to aid spiritual growth. Many of those relationships are not always easy, but they do provide us with an opportunity to pay off karmic debt, to release old wounds and learn to love on a deeper level. I think some of our most heart-breaking relationships offer us the most growth. Look at your most troubled relationships as blessings because they give you the chance to pay off karmic debt.

Have you ever locked eyes with someone across a crowded room and felt an immediate, powerful connection? Well, you may have met your soul mate! Many clients ask me, "Have I met my soul mate yet?" I tell them, if you have to ask then you probably haven't. The soul mate connection is like no other. It's so deep, so spiritual, so life altering. I can only describe it as this: when you meet your soul mate, you will feel at peace, as if you've come "home" … as if that void in your heart and in your life is now filled. You feel complete and whole.