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  • LGBTSR

    Cat Talk Radio with Hosts Molly DeVoss and Dewey Vaughn: What Kind of Music Do Cats Like?

    CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

    Ever wonder if your cat has a hidden playlist? In this episode of Cat Talk Radio, Molly DeVoss, Certified Cat Behavior Specialist, and her co-host Dewey Vaughn dive into the surprising world of “cat music.” We explore fascinating research showing that cats might actually have their own musical preferences — and it’s not exactly what we humans groove to! Join us as we uncover how specially crafted music, featuring cat-friendly purrs and high-frequency sounds, can help soothe your furry friend at home or even at the vet. Tune in and find out if your cat could be the next big fan of feline tunes!

    About Cat Talk Radio

    Cat Talk Radio is all about cats, what makes them do what they do, why they occasionally misbehave and what cat guardians can do to fix it. We educate you on how to modify unwanted cat behavior by providing the proper environment and stimulation, enabling cats to express their natural behaviors in ways that are preferable for both the humans and cats. You will learn how to have fun with your cat, fascinating cat facts and be inspired to try new things, which will lead to a happier relationship and closer bond with your cat. We’ll also call attention to the plight of cats in our country, feel compassion for their challenges and share the message.

  • LGBTSR

    The Bookworm’s Holiday Book Giving Guide: Fiction (1 of 3)

    Narration provided by Wondervox.

    By Terri Schlichenmeyer
    The Bookworms See

    Holiday Book Giving Guide: Fiction

    So you looked at the calendar the other day and… eeeek.

    You’re not very far away at all to the holidays and you’re way, too, uncomfortably far away from having everything ready. At the top of your list is fulfilling your Gift List, but you’re out of ideas and now what? How about a book? How about one of these great books….

    Fiction

    For the reader who loves a good comedy, The Best Way to Bury Your Husband” by Alexia Casale (Penguin, $18.00) is perfect. It’s the story of four women and one same old story: their husbands have been jerks and it’s time to take matters into their own hands. Pair it with How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin (Dutton, $28), another fine mystery that’ll keep your giftee perfectly entertained.

  • Book Reviews,  Books,  LGBTSR

    Featured Book: The ABCs of Storytelling: Reflections of a Story Coach, by Dr. Michael Williams

    Narration provided by Wondervox.

    I had the great pleasure of taking a Guided Autobiography certification course with Dr. Michael Williams as a fellow student. He has subsequently published a truly wonderful, slim volume on the craft of being a professional storyteller. I loved this book! As a workshop instructor myself now and an author of fiction, I highly recommend it. However we choose to tell stories, this book will enhance our understanding of the craft, and enlighten us in the ways of communication through words and actions. I’ve added it to my must-read list for longtime, beginner, and aspiring writers, as well as those magical beings we call storytellers.

    About The ABCs of Storytelling

    The ABCs of Storytelling contains 26 reflections on the art of oral storytelling from Story Coach Michael Williams. Dr. Williams learned the traditional art of oral storytelling during his 30 years of living in Scotland where he was a member of the Scottish Storytelling Directory and a popular performer and workshop facilitator. In 2005, he exchanged his teaching career for a life as an itinerant storyteller and story coach, working with adults and young people. His reflections have been gathered from his experiences as both a performer and coach working with individuals, community groups, and corporate clients. His book offers the beginner and experienced storyteller a range of tips, techniques, and reflections on this traditional art. Dr. Williams’ reflections capture the spirit of telling stories “eye to eye, mind to mind, and heart to heart.”

  • LGBTSR

    Savvy Senior: Best Pill Boxes and Medication Management Tools

    Narration provided by Wondervox.

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    Can you recommend some good pill boxes and medication reminding devices? I’ve recently started taking several new prescription medications along with some vitamins I normally take and need to get a pill box that helps me organize them. What can you tell me?

    Almost 70

    Dear Almost,

    Pill boxes (a.k.a. pill organizers) play an important role in keeping people healthy because they help you stay on top of your medication regimen. While there are many options, here are a few tips to help you choose, along with some top-rated pill boxes as recommended by expert reviewers.

    Identify Your Needs?

    When choosing an appropriate pill box for you, you first need to ask yourself a few questions, such as:

    • How many pills do you take and how big are they? If you take only a few medications, a smaller pill box may be sufficient. But if you’re taking multiple medications and large vitamin supplements, you’ll want to get a large compartment pill box that can hold your daily dosage.
  • LGBTSR

    Moderating a Mystery Writers of America-NY Panel on Writing a Series: Getting It Started and Keeping It Going (November 11, Hoboken, NJ)

    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.

  • LGBTSR

    Featured Book: Grow up, Rory Rafferty: A Novel, by Bruce W. Bishop (Releases Oct. 31)

    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.

  • LGBTSR

    Updated Workshop Schedule Through December!

    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
    REGISTER

    Wednesday, November 6 (4 weeks)
    4 Week Guided Autobiography ($100)
    11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Monday, November 18
    Fiction Writing Essentials ($40)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Monday, November 25
    Self-Publishing With KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) ($40)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Wednesday December 4
    Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Monday December 9
    Fiction Writing Essentials ($40)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Monday, December 16
    Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) ($40)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    Wednesday, December 18
    Guided Autobiography 2 hour intro (free)
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    REGISTER

    NEW! 5 Week Guided Autobiography Workshop ($125)
    Every Wednesday in April
    11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
    REGISTER

  • LGBTSR

    Social Security Set for 2.5 Percent Increase in 2025

    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).

    READ MORE

  • LGBTSR

    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.

  • LGBTSR

    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.

  • LGBTSR

    Lambertville, NJ, America’s Halloween Town!

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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.