• New

    Audiobook Sale for May! ‘Beautiful Corpse’ Just $2.99 for the Month

    On sale for the month of May from Authors Direct! The audiobook for Beautiful Corpse: A Marshall James Thriller is just $2.99 for the month. Narrated by Sean Rhead, who is set to do Reservation for Murder later this year. Normally $14.95 at Audible, $8.95 at your other favorite retailers.

    It’s been over a year since Marshall James first became intimately familiar with murder. He’s six months sober now and happily living with the love of his life, LAPD Detective Mac McElroy. Despite the coming storm of AIDS and its devastating toll on the world Marshall knows, his dark days seem to be behind him. Then one night he says the wrong thing, storms out in anger, and walks straight into a nightmare. Someone is setting him up to take the fall for a beautiful corpse. But who would do something so evil, and so planned? Within hours he finds himself running from the police and the mob, and running toward a killer he must apprehend before the only chance left is no chance at all.
  • Video Select,  Videos

    Video Select: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a New Vegetable Garden (GrowVeg/YouTube)

    Video Select is a regular feature suggesting videos of interest for the LGBTSr reader.

    One thing I wish I’d known was that rabbits can make their baby nests in gardens that have not been cleared for spring planting! This happened to me just yesterday when I finally got around to clearing out the wild growth in our raised beds. To my dismay, I came upon a nest of baby rabbits. After searching online for what to do, I read that leaving it alone is the best approach. So I covered the babies back up as best I could and sent a human-to-rabbit telepathic call out to Mama, hoping she will relocate them or that they’ll survive long enough to hop away.

    Watch this video from GrowVeg for less alarming tips on what to consider before starting a new vegetable garden. – Mark McNease/Editor

    GrowVeg/YouTube

    See the Grow Veg book here: https://www.growveg.com/growveg-the-b….

    Growing a garden is equal parts challenging, rewarding, mystifying and uplifting. There’s a lot to learn, but we’re here to help. Don’t make the same mistakes we did!

    In this short video we’ll share our top 10 tips to help you grow a successful garden. If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers: http://www.GrowVeg.com http://gardenplanner.almanac.com http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com and many more… To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c…

     

  • Podcasts,  The Twist Podcast

    The Twist Podcast #159: Back from Break, Maricopa Madness, For Cryin’ Out Colton, and the Week in Headlines

    Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we return from our April break with new takes on the news, listicles, the ongoing GOP insanity, and Bachelor Colton Underwood’s shameless shenanigans.

    Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.

    Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing

    Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!

  • Podcasts,  The Twist Podcast

    The Twist Podcast #159: Back from Break, Maricopa Madness, For Cryin’ Out Colton, and the Week in Headlines

    Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we return from our April break with new takes on the news, listicles, the ongoing GOP insanity, and Bachelor Colton Underwood’s shameless shenanigans.

    Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.

    Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing

    Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!

  • LGBTSR

    Spring Cleaning and Decluttering Tips

    I don’t limit my spring cleaning to spring, but it’s always a good time to clean and declutter, especially now that we can open the doors and windows! Below are some tips from Nationwide. You can read all 22 of them at their site. Some you’ve probably heard before, some were new to me (socks as dusting mitts?).

    From Nationwide.com:

    Spring has arrived – which means it’s time to get your home in tip-top shape. A good, deep spring clean-up is a tradition that not only promotes wellness by keeping your environment clean and organized, it also helps carry the fresh-start feeling brought on by a new year well into the summer.

  • LGBTSR

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month

    From the National Alliance on Mental Illness

    “Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Each year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

    You Are Not Alone

    For 2021’s Mental Health Awareness Month NAMI will continue to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone.” We will use this time to focus on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay through NAMI’s blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events.

    Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives — a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle.

    Help us spread the word through awareness, support and advocacy activities. Share awareness information, images and graphics for #MHAM throughout May.”

  • Blog,  Dreamshaping,  New,  On Dreamshaping

    On Dreamshaping: Nowhere to Hide

    Mark McNease

     

    Wherever I go, there I am!

    It’s an old adage, meant to be humorous but with a grain of truth  to it. The one thing I cannot escape is also the one thing I spend so much time attempting to flee: myself. My repetitive thoughts, my obsessions, my fixations, all playing out in loops that sometimes remind me of spools of yarn that have become entangled. Do I do this today? Do I do that? If I don’t to this, will I feel freer? What will bring me the simple relief I crave?

    Another common analogy is that nearly all of us possess – or are possessed by – a monkey mind. This one is self-explanatory: what is something monkeys are known for? Jumping! Limb to limb, restless, never ceasing to move. That is a good description of our minds. It certainly captures what I experience almost every day. And the more I attempt to stop jumping, to settle on one fragile limb and stay there, the more another limb grabs my attention and within an instant I’ve jumped to that one. On and on, hour after hour, day after day.

  • Book Reviews,  Books

    Book Review: Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore, by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller

    By Terri Schlichenmeyer
    The Bookworm Sez

    “Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore” by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller
    c.2021, Flatiron Books  25.99 / $34.99 Canada 185 pages

    Tomorrow’s outfit is on a chair over there.

    That’s where it’s been since you last washed it. What you wore today came from a basket and off a hanger, the shirt needed ironing, there was a tiny stain on the pants but who noticed? and you just bought new socks, so there’s that. Time to do the wash?  Yeah, but get a load of this: “Laundry Love” by Patric Richardson (with Karin B. Miller).

  • Columns,  Savvy Senior

    The Savvy Senior: How Seniors Can Learn New Technology Skills Online


    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    Can you recommend some good technology classes or online learning resources for inexperienced seniors? I have a computer and a smartphone, but my knowledge and skills are pretty limited.

    Tech Challenged Senior

    Dear Senior,

    There are many different technology teaching tools available to older adults that can help you learn new tech skills so you can better utilize your devices. Here are some good options to consider.

  • LGBTSR,  Restaurant Reviews,  Restaurants

    Restaurant Review: The Golden Pheasant Inn, 5 Emphatic Yums

    This review is reprinted from LGBTSr.com.

    By Mark McNease

    Restaurant reviews are based on a 5 Yum scale, 5 meaning put it on your must list, 1 meaning avoid at all costs. 

    The Golden Pheasant Inn
    763 River Road (Route 32)
    Erwinna, PA 18920
    (610) 294 9595
    Website: goldenpheasant.com
    Spend Meter: $$$$+
    Service: Excellent

    Another Sunday, another outstanding meal. I don’t expect them all to be this good, but when you go to the Golden Pheasant Inn you can count on the standards being high. Located in Erwina, PA, just about twenty minutes from our home in rural New Jersey, the Golden Pheasant is a nearby taste of excellence. My husband Frank and I rode there with our friends and neighbors Phil and Jim. We were going out with them regularly before the pandemic put a stop to life as we knew it. Now that restrictions are being lifted, spring has arrived, and we’re all vaccinated, it was time for another delightful dinner out, this time indoors.

  • Restaurant Reviews,  Reviews

    Restaurant Review: The Golden Pheasant Inn, 5 Emphatic Yums

    By Mark McNease

    Restaurant reviews are based on a 5 Yum scale, 5 meaning put it on your must list, 1 meaning avoid at all costs. 

    The Golden Pheasant Inn
    763 River Road (Route 32)
    Erwinna, PA 18920
    (610) 294 9595
    Website: goldenpheasant.com
    Spend Meter: $$$$+
    Service: Excellent

    Another Sunday, another outstanding meal. I don’t expect them all to be this good, but when you go to the Golden Pheasant Inn you can count on the standards being high. Located in Erwina, PA, just about twenty minutes from our home in rural New Jersey, the Golden Pheasant is a nearby taste of excellence. My husband Frank and I rode there with our friends and neighbors Phil and Jim. We were going out with them regularly before the pandemic put a stop to life as we knew it. Now that restrictions are being lifted, spring has arrived, and we’re all vaccinated, it was time for another delightful dinner out, this time indoors.

  • LGBTSR

    Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Is Downsizing the Right Choice for You?

    Dave Hughes

    This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.

    By Dave Hughes
    RetireFabulously.com

    Is Downsizing the Right Choice for You?

    As you contemplate your options for where you’ll live after you retire, you may be considering moving to a smaller dwelling.

    Downsizing might make sense for both financial and logistical reasons, but it might not be an advantageous choice in every situation. There are many factors you should consider in order to decide whether downsizing is right for you.

    Here are some of the pros and cons of moving to a smaller home.

  • LGBTSR

    Q Audiobooks: Conflict of Interest (Portland Police Bureau Series, Book 1), by Jae, Narrated by Abby Craden

    This week’s Q Audiobooks pick sticks with one of my favorite genres. Written by prolific lesbian romance author Jae, it features a workaholic detective (is there any other kind?) who falls for a psychologist. Will circumstances keep them apart, or can they overcome the obstacles, including crime? Fasten your headphones and find out for yourself in Conflict of Interest.