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Client Book Just Published: The Wildflowers Within Her Heart (Poetry), by Tara Elizabeth Benedetti
One of the most rewarding things about working with people to publish their books is that I’m helping them achieve a goal. In this case, a mother’s desire to publish her daughter’s poetry. It was a labor of love for her, and I was able to help her bring it to fruition. Keep reading to understand why it matters to her, and why I feel privileged to help birth this gift from a mother to her beloved but challenged adult child.
The Wildflowers Within Her Heart
Tara Elizabeth Benedetti has written poetry since she was a young girl. Tara wrote a poem when she was 10 years old, in the 5th grade, and it was published when she was 12, in the 7th grade.
The poem “My Windows” was published in the 1993 Edition of the book “Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans.”
Tara was encouraged by her teachers beginning in the 5th grade, and it was always pointed out that she had a profound and rich imagination – the part that can’t be taught.
Tara graduated from Summit High School, in Summit, New Jersey. She obtained a B.A. Degree in Creative Writing and Photo Journalism, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts. She has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickenson University in Madison, New Jersey.
Tara was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 28 years old, while teaching English in Boston. It has been 16 ½ years of a struggle for Tara. She is now 44 years old. All of her poetry was written before Tara was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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Self-Publishing Workshop at Hunterdon County Library a Big Success!
Big thanks to the 14 participants who came to my workshop on self-publishing last night at the Hunterdon Country Library, including fellow Mystery Writers of America-NY board member (and president) Nev March. It was so rewarding to engage with everyone, and hear so many of them say how much they liked the workshop. Onward!
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Health Beat: Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (Tirzepatide) No Longer In Shortage (And Why It Matters)
Health Beat is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting health news and issues.
The good news: I’ve lost 24 pounds, with another 20 to go, using Tirzepatide. I’m not arguing for or against using weight loss medication, but after more than a decade of needing to lose some serious weight I’ve finally been able to do it.
The not-so-good news: It’s very expensive for those of us who have to pay the full cost out of pocket. As a Medicare recipient, it’s not covered, unless you have some serious underlying health condition. Eventually this may change, because a lot of expensive medical issues arise from obesity and it would be more affordable for Medicare (and the supplemental health and drug insurance plans) to cover these than to pay the exorbitant costs of heart disease and other serious weight-related illnesses.
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Podcast Pick: The Golden Girls Deep Dive with Patrick Hinds and Jennifer Simard
Podcast Pick: The Golden Girls Deep Dive
Frank and I listened to an episode of The Golden Girls Deep Dive Podcast with Patrick Hinds and Jennifer Simard in the car driving back from Provincetown this year. I love this show! It’s going to be my treadmill podcast once it’s too cold, or dark too early, to walk outside. Give it a listen.
About the Podcast
Starting with the pilot episode and going in order, each week hosts Patrick Hinds (True Crime Obsessed) and Jennifer Simard (two-time Tony Award nominee) will recap an episode – infusing their commentary with humor and tons of trivia you probably didn’t know about the show.
Each episode will end with a fascinating deep dive into something from The Golden Girls universe. For example, did you know that the actor who plays Coco the chef in the pilot episode vanished 35 years later and then was found dead under very mysterious circumstances? And did you know that the actress who played Blanche’s sister Virginia was hired by 20th Century Fox in the 1950s as a replacement for – and a warning to – an “increasingly unreliable” Marilyn Monroe?
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On the Map: A Trip to Eastern State Penitentiary and the Barnes Museum, Philadelphia
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr for the not-so-weary traveler.
We took the train to Philadelphia with our friends Beth and Doris for a day of sightseeing and lunch at the Barnes Foundation museum. First stop: Eastern State Penitentiary, which was open for over 140 years, from 1829 until 1971! It was started by the Quakers and revolutionized incarceration at the time. It was the first to confine every prisoner in a single cell – today known as solitary confinement and a huge contributor to mental illness among the incarcerated. Back then they thought it was a better way to rehabilitate prisoners. They were allowed nothing to read but the bible, and they spent 23 hours a day alone in their cells. This could be something the architects of Project 2025 may want to look into …
After touring Donald Trump’s future lifestyle, we walked over to the Barnes Foundation museum, where we saw an art collection that is among the most unique in the world. I have never imagined seeing so many Cezannes, Picassos, and other modern masters in one location. Dr. Albert Barnes was an astute collector, purchasing works by artists in their un-famous prime that would later be with tens of millions of dollars.
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Lambertville, NJ, America’s Halloween Town!
Lambertville, NJ, is my favorite town! It’s only about 20 minutes from our little house in the woods, and it’s America’s Halloween capital. For years now the neighbors on Union Street and elsewhere have made somewhat of a competition (okay, maybe a HUGE competition) out of decorating their houses for Halloween. People come from miles around the stroll along, or drive slowly past, the extravagant displays. The street itself is closed off on Halloween night and thousands of people gather for the festivities. It’s a must-see if you’re in the area.
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The Twist Podcast #276: October At Last, Pumpkin Spice Everything, and We’re Almost Done with This Election!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we welcome October with open arms and sweaters, consider the all-purpose pumpkin spice, and start the countdown to getting past this election.
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Savvy Senior: How to Arrange Your Own Cremation Service
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I would like to arrange a simple cremation that doesn’t cost me, or my family, a lot of money. Can you offer any tips that can help me with this?
Still Kicking
Dear Kicking,
If you’re looking for a simple and affordable way to go, cremation is an excellent choice, and one that’s become exceedingly popular in the United States. About 60 percent of Americans are now choosing cremation over a traditional burial, versus only around 20 percent in the mid-1990s.
Why the big shift? Price is a key reason. A basic cremation can cost as little as $700 to $1,200, depending on your location and provider, versus $7,500 or more for a traditional funeral and cemetery burial. Geography is another factor, as many families are spread across the country, making future gravesite visits less common.
Here are a few tips to help you arrange your cremation and ensure you get a good deal.
Shop Around
You can arrange a cremation through a funeral home or a cremation-only business, but it’s wise to shop around because prices vary widely. It’s not unusual for one funeral home to charge $1,000, while another charges $4,000 or more for the same service.
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Savvy Senior: Does Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
How does Medicare cover cataract surgery? My eye doctor recently told me I’ve developed cataracts and should consider making plans for surgery in the next year or so.
Almost 67
Dear Almost,
Like gray hair and wrinkles, cataracts are an inevitable part of the aging process. Eventually, everyone (usually in their 60s) will develop cataracts, a condition that causes cloudy or blurry vision. The only way to correct this is through cataract surgery.
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The Twist Podcast #272: New Jersey Fun Facts, Kamalot Rising, and Wisconsin Gets Its Blue Back
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we run down some fun facts for Jersey, choose our outfits for the Harris inauguration, and breathe a sigh of relief at the return of Wisconsin.
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Workshop Schedule Through November
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New Release! Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams (Second Edition)
If you’ve followed me, you know I’ve been working on this a long time. I’ve just published a second edition of Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams, and I couldn’t be happier to put it out there. I’ll also be creating a Dreamshaping Workshop for next year! I’m very excited about that, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful experience sharing the ways we create the dreams we call our lives, and how to live them with exuberance.
In this Second Edition of Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams, we find a collection of writings about our ability to shape the lives we live, the dreams we live. These words of advice and experience, presented in easy-to-read short chapters, are more essential than ever as we navigate the dreamscape of our everyday world. Quotes and commentary add to the suggestions made in this simple dreamer’s guide, and everything is presented in a way that makes it possible for anyone to do. As the introduction says, dreamshaping is not wishful thinking, it is wishful doing. Follow along and read about listening to our bodies, and letting go of the poisons in our lives, and embracing change without fearing it. Use this simple dreamer’s guide to steer a course toward freedom, self-acceptance, and exuberance in your life. And remember, all things are of the substance of dreams.
