MEET THE PANEL

Annamaria Alfieri writes the Vera and Tolliver stories, which are set in British East Africa and explore the evils of colonialism. It began with Strange Gods, 1911, The Idol of Mombasa , 1912, The Blasphemers 1913.  The fourth book in the series, A Death on the Lord’s Day, was released in 2024.  The Richmond Times-Dispatch praised the series as having “the flair of Isak Dinesen and Beryl Markham, the cunning of Agatha Christie and Elspeth Huxley.”

Tom Coffey grew up on Staten Island. His first novel, The Serpent Club, was published in 1999 by Pocket Books and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. His second novel, Miami Twilight, came out two years later. In 2008, Toby Press published Blood Alley, which also earned a starred PW review. In 2015, the independent Oak Tree Press published Bright Morning Star.

In 2023, Coffey signed a three-book deal with Level Best Books. Public Morals is the first novel in The Devine Trilogy, which is named after the family at its center. The series examines the arc of law enforcement in New York from the 1980s to the present. The second book, Special Victim, will be released in late November.

I discovered author Bruce W. Bishop’s terrific historical fiction a few years ago, including Unconventional Daughters, Uncommon Sons, and Undeniable Relations: A Novel, all books in his Families Storytelling series. His research is as impeccable as his writing, and he has the gift of bringing readers into a book’s world so completely you may find yourself startled to be back in your own when you turn the final page. I also had the great pleasure of meeting Bruce when I was on a cruise that stopped in Halifax. He’s as delightful in person as he is talented with a keyboard.

His new book, ‘Grow Up, Rory Rafferty‘ is both a coming-of-age story and a coming out story, told from the perspective of young Rory Rafferty. It takes place in 1979 in Toronto, a city and time the author knows well. It shows in his vivid details and his in-the-moment narrative. As with his other books, I feel as if I’m on those Toronto streets and in those restaurants, eavesdropping on a cast of characters I won’t soon forget – if I ever do. This is a heartwarming and poignant journey to youth on the cusp of adulthood, in what may seem like a simpler time but is as complicated as growing up can be.

All workshops are currently 2 hours via Zoom
All times are eastern (New Jersey) – 2 Hours 

Tuesday, October 22
Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
11: 00 AM – 1:00 PM
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Wednesday, November 6 (4 weeks)
4 Week Guided Autobiography ($100)
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
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Monday, November 18
Fiction Writing Essentials ($40)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Monday, November 25
Self-Publishing With KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) ($40)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Wednesday December 4
Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Monday December 9
Fiction Writing Essentials ($40)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Monday, December 16
Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) ($40)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Wednesday, December 18
Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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NEW! 5 Week Guided Autobiography Workshop ($125)
Every Wednesday in April
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
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From the Social Security Administration

Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5% in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced today. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January.

Over the last decade the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase has averaged about 2.6%. The COLA was 3.2% in 2024.

Nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.5% COLA beginning in January 2025.  Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2024. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).

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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.

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!

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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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.

Wednesday, August 21
Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
10:00 AM
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Wednesday September 4 (for 4 weeks)
4 Week Guided Autobiography ($100)
10:00 AM
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Tuesday, September 17
Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
10:00 AM
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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.

From the book’s description:

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.

By Mark McNease
Dreamshaping: Name Your Poison
From the upcoming dreamer’s guide: Dreamshaping, Second Edition

“Have patience with all things. But, first of all with yourself.”

            ―Francis de Sales

Observing the current cultural and political climate, I’m reminded of a scene from the westerns once so popular with American moviegoers. A bartender in a grimy, dusty saloon, says to a weary customer, “Name your poison.” The customer asks for whiskey—they all drank whiskey in the movies, with names like Rot Gut and Dead Eye—and the bartender serves him from a bottle on the shelf. The customer throws back a mouthful from a greasy shot glass, grimaces as it burns its way down his throat, then smiles, slaps the glass on the counter and orders another one. That sure felt good