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A New Me: Soon to Be Writing as MA McNease
Making a book sale at the Frenchtown Bookshop It’s not a gender-neutral thing. It’s not even a pen name, since I’ve always written under my own name, and MA are my initials. Once I finish up the last Marshall James thriller, and the sequel to A House in the Woods, I’ll be using the name MA McNease. No periods. I just feel like some renewal, and I’ve never been fond of the name Mark. (It was Marshall at birth and later changed when I was adopted.) Stay tuned. I may put out A House the the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due, under the new moniker, I’m not sure yet. Just keeping it all interesting for myself. – Mark/MA
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The Twist Podcast #202: Armed and Fabulous, Losing Loretta, Rick’s Flick Picks, and More!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we contemplate gays with guns, mourn the loss of country music legend Loretta Lynn, run down Rick’s flick pics, and scan the headlines for any signs of hope.
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There’s An App for That: DALL.E 2 Lets You Create Images from Text Using AI
Cat with magnifying glass sleuth hat cartoon style. Those are the words I typed into my image creator at DALL.E 2, part of OpenAI.com.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI)—by which we mean highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity.
We will attempt to directly build safe and beneficial AGI, but will also consider our mission fulfilled if our work aids others to achieve this outcome.
DALL·E 2 can create original, realistic images and art from a text description. It can combine concepts, attributes, and styles.
And I just did this one: fish on a bicycle paiting style. It doesn’t cost anything, either. Try it out!
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Savvy Senior: Auto Aids That Make Driving Easier and Safer
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Do you know of any car gadgets that can help older drivers? I drive a 12-year-old car and have arthritis in my neck, back and knees which limits my mobility making it more difficult to get in and out of the car and look over my shoulder to backup.
Almost 80
Dear Almost,
To help keep older drivers safe and extend their driving years, there are a number of inexpensive products you can purchase that can easily be added to your vehicle to help with many different needs. Here are some popular auto aids to consider.
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Retire Fabulously’s Dave Hughes on the Where Do Gays Retire Podcast
Dave Hughes is a leading authority on retirement lifestyle planning. He has written over 100 articles about retirement lifestyle planning for his website, RetireFabulously.com, and has published three books: Design Your Dream Retirement, Smooth Sailing into Retirement, and The Quest for Retirement Utopia.
From 2016-2017, Dave was a regular contributor to U.S. News’ On Retirement blog. In 2017, RetireFabulously.com received the Best Senior Living Award from SeniorHomes.com as one of the top retirement blogs, by both reader polling and judge’s selection. Dave was named one of NextAvenue.org’s Top 50 Influencers in Aging for 2017.
Following a successful 34-year career as a software engineer, trainer, course developer, and manager, Dave accepted an early retirement package and retired at age 56.
You can hear my own recent interview with Dave on the One Thing or Another Podcast HERE.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #46: Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery (3 Chapter Sample)
Welcome to a new Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast. It’s been awhile, and it’s good to be back at the mic, with a new book. In today’s podcast I’m narrating a three chapter sample of Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery. It’s the second book in the series, and it has Maggie pursuing another killer in Lambertville, NJ, a not-so-idyllic river town where murder has a way of showing up when Maggie’s around. She’s also faced with the possibility of new love, or at least new like, after grieving the sudden death of her husband for the past year. Will she date again? Will it be more than that? Read Open Secrets to find out.
About Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery
Maggie Dahl returns in ‘Open Secrets.’ It’s been six months since the media circus surrounding the last murder Maggie solved, and a year since her beloved husband David died. The dust seems to have finally settled. Then one morning a customer walks in and asks Maggie to do her a favor.
Soon a body is discovered on a rural New Jersey road. A body Maggie is sure belongs to a local author whose next book was rumored to reveal secrets not everyone wanted known. But were they enough to kill for? And who murdered the woman found in the woods? Maggie is determined to find out, even as her life continues its road back to normal, complete with the possibility of new love. Can she find the answers she seeks in the death of a local celebrity? And will love be part of her life once again when she least expects it?
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The Great SHOCKtober Giveaway! Nine Mysteries and Thrillers FREE on Kindle for 5 Days Only
For five days, from October 1 – 5, you can enjoy nine (9!) of my mysteries and thrillers FREE on Kindle. Just CLICK ON MY AMAZON PAGE or one of the book links below and start downloading for your killer Halloween reads.
Kyle Callahan Mysteries
Murder at Pride Lodge
Pride and Perilous
Death by Pride
Death in the Headlights
Kill Switch
Last Room at the Cliff’s Edge
Reservation for MurderMarshall James Thrillers
Murder at the Paisley Parrot
Beautiful Corpse -
The Weekly Readlines September 30
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a feature at LGBTSr.com, offering news you can use every week. Subscribe here for virtual delivery.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESFirst the good news: coffee drinking is associated with increased longevity, in which case I’ll live forever, and Mitch McConnell backs the Electoral Count Reform Act.
Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida as a Category 4 storm before moving on to batter South Carolina. Judge “Trump’s My Boo” Cannon ruled against her own Special Master, making clear whose puppet she is, and Ginni “Looney Tunes” Thomas told the January 6 Committee she still believes the 2020 election was stolen. We have two words for her: GORE WON.
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Savvy Senior: Flu Vaccines That Are Recommended for Older Adults
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I just turned 65 and would like to learn more about the stronger flu shots I see advertised for older adults. What can you tell me about them and how are they covered by Medicare?
Senior Novice
Dear Novice,
There are actually three different types of senior-specific flu shots (you only need one) that the CDC is now recommending to people age 65 and older. These FDA-approved annual vaccines are designed to offer extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot provides, which is important for older adults who have weaker immune defenses and have a greater risk of developing dangerous flu complications. Here’s more information on these three vaccines.
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Book Review: The Book of Phobias & Manias: A History of Obsession, by Kate Summerscale
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezThe Book of Phobias & Manias: A History of Obsession,’ by Kate Summerscale
c.2022, Penguin $20,00 256 pagesYou don’t know whether to run or scream in fear.
Or maybe both. When you see whatever it is that scares you to the point that you’re a babbling puddle of mess, well, it’s no longer a fight-or-flight thing – it’s just plain flight. Funny, you’re normally big and brave, fearless to the end, so read “The Book of Phobias & Manias” by Kate Summerscale. See what other scary things are out there…
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The Twist Podcast #201: Dark Brandon Rising, Pumpkin Spice Handguns, Falling for Autumn, and More!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we take a look at Biden’s uptick, rave about the fall season, consider the revolver vs automatic question, and so much more! Headlines, Twist tops, listicles, all in one rollicking podcast.
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The Weekly Readlines September 22
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESFirst the good news: President Biden’s approval rating ticked up to 45 percent, boding well for the Democrats. The President also declared the pandemic over. Go Dark Brandon! Cherry on top: New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million civil suit against the Trumps for their massive real estate fraud no one was surprised to learn about.
Donald Trump has gone full QAnon, while denying doing any such thing. Whether it’s their relentless attacks on all things trans and drag (with the rest of us in the queue), or their delight at the inhumane treatment of migrants, ‘the GOP base’ cheers the increasing cruelty of their own party. And a new study found that COVID appears to significantly raise the risk of Alzheimer’s in older adults. What a world.