Meet Lenny and Louise, Creators of Secret Little Sparks

In the words of the creators of Secret Little Sparks (a card game for couples): "We are Lenny and Louise, a French-American couple! We met in 2012 in Berlin, Germany and been traveling around the world since then. This project is our intro into entrepreneurship, and we're having so much fun. We've done everything ourselves from the graphic design for the cards to building the website. Hope you enjoy it!"

Learn more by visiting SecretLittleSparks.com.

Lenny has answered the questions below...

1. What gave you the idea to create a card game in the first place?

I thought of the game while I was in California after we got married and she had returned home to France. Our relationship has had many chunks of time apart due to visa issues and our exploratory nature. During these breaks, I would really miss her, but just spending time daydreaming about her felt like a waste, even fake. So I tried to be more productive, and instead of just daydreaming, I would think of fun things we could do together when were reunited. Getting married was a first for both of us and little scary, so I focused on thinking of ways to help our sex life stay vibrant, and the idea for this game was born. A pitch for a business we could do together and the first six cards drawn by hand were my Christmas present to her one year ago.

2. What has been the most fun part of the process of creating the entire game (and business) yourselves--and what has been the most challenging part?

The most fun part for me was learning to use Inkscape. I'd never done any graphic design work before. But the fact that you can download this amazing open source software for free, and the fact that there are thousands of YouTube videos teaching you how to use it, made me happy to be alive at this time. The most challenging part was making sure the cards worked for all genders and preferences. Removing gender specificity from the cards wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but something we both agreed was necessary.

3. How did you come up with the actions for the cards?

We've both had a pretty diverse history of sexual experiences and partners, from vanilla to...extremely not vanilla. So this part was kinda easy. Also with our experience we knew from the beginning that if we wanted to make a game that really pushed boundaries, not everyone would like every card. We actually have way more cards than fit into the deck, so expect an expansion pack on the horizon.

4. I like that your game differs from many games for couples in that you've designed it to be very inclusive. How would you define "couples," in contrast with more conservative notions of straight, monogamous pairings?

Haha I think this is my favorite question. We're not a straight monogamous pairing; we've been polyamorous since our relationship started. So "couple" to us means two people who choose to share each other. It is in no way indicative of gender or exclusivity. Everyone loves, and everyone should have the freedom to love whomever they choose. Our game is made to help two people explore a sexual relationship together, and we would not have been satisfied if anyone that fit our definition of "couple" couldn't play.

5. What else would you like readers to know about you and/or Secret Little Sparks?

We see Secret Little Sparks more like a project than a product. So if you have any ideas you want to share or if you want to personalize your game by designing some of your own cards, contact us! Our game is made and shipped one at a time, so we are very flexible! Help us help you! team@secretlittlesparks.com

Thanks, Lenny!