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A Holiday Goodreads Giveaway! ‘Final Audition: A Marshall James Thriller’
2022 is ending with a bang for me! Not only has my latest book, ‘Final Audition: A Marshall James Thriller,’ hit #1 on Amazon’s LGBTQ thriller new releases, but the first book in the series, ‘Murder at the Paisley Parrot,’ climbed to #26 in the best sellers for that category. I’d planned on this being the last book in the series, but fan reaction and sales tells me Marshall may not be ready for retirement quite yet.
And now … a Goodreads giveaway! I’ve been treated well by the Goodreads community and always do a giveaway with a new book. Final Audition is no exception. The giveaway will run from December 1, ending on December 25, just in time for a Christmas freebie!
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Steve Hayes’s Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)
From Steve Hayes / Tired Old Queen at the Movies
Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, Roland Young and Zasu Pitts are in comic heaven in Leo McCarey’s delightful satire RUGGLES OF RED GAP (1935) written by Harry Leon Wilson. Laughton plays a proper British butler who his employer loses in a poker game to Roland Young. Laughton is forced to go the American west at the turn of the century with his unsophisticated new employers Ruggles and Boland. There, he discovers what rustic America is all about and brings sophistication and class to the community in return. It’s by far Laughton’s greatest comedy and Boland, Young, Ruggles and Pitts are perfection!
Stream RUGGLES OF RED GAP Now! https://amzn.to/3Ve3uPj
RUGGLES OF RED GAP – DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS https://amzn.to/3i3lTjP
RUGGLES OF RED GAP Movie Poster https://amzn.to/3i3bKUg
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Senior Newswire November 28
Senior Newswire is provided by Savvy Senior and offers weekly links to news you can use. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
This week’s tasting sample:
The Perils of Medical Portals
Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression
The No. 1 Thing that Sets ‘Superagers’ Apart
Which to Choose: Medicare or Medicare Advantage?
Is It Ever Too Late to Start Saving for Retirement? -
‘Final Audition: A Marshall James Thriller’ Hits #1 in LGBTQ Thriller New Releases
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Chapter 3 of ‘I, Warlock’ Now Available on Kindle Vella
I’m releasing two chapters a week, every Wednesday and Saturday. You can now read Chapter 3 of my Kindle Vella serial, ‘I, Warlock.’ Be sure to follow the story and give it a ‘thumbs up’ when you’ve read the chapters. Every little like counts!
For a taste, here’s how Julius Tide reacts the first time he meets Charlotte Blythe, whose destiny will quickly become his own:
“With barely a few feet separating us, I was face to face with the most stunning woman I had ever seen. Everything else we said that afternoon, up to and including, “Thank you,” for her purchase, as I gave her change with a trembling hand, is lost to me. It’s as if I said nothing more at all, consumed by the effort it took not to stare at her.
Charlotte Blythe was twenty-three years old at the time. Had she lived to be a hundred, she would have remained as beautiful. Her hair was a buttery blonde, tumbling in waves over her shoulders. Her skin was so perfect it seemed manufactured from another world, a world where there were no flaws or imperfections. Her eyes were the green of precious emeralds. And her smile, which she offered often and without prompting, was the source of all joy.”
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Book Review: A History of the World Through Body Parts, by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras
“A History of the World Through Body Parts” by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras
c.2022, Chronicle Books $22.95 255 pagesGive the gentleman a hand.
He did a good job, and he deserves it. Seriously, someone gave him a leg-up, he jumped in with both feet, and shortly after he put his nose to the grindstone, he found himself rubbing elbows with influential people. He shouldered some responsibility, kept his ear to the ground, and look where he’s been – so give him a hand, and read “A History of the World Through Body Parts” by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras.
It all begins with Cleopatra’s nose.
Mathematician Blase Pascal seemed fascinated by it, not because it stood out (though it did), but because Julius Caesar and Marc Antony were both smitten with it and their obsessions changed the world. That got Petras and Petras thinking how other bodily bits might have affected history. Can “zeroing in on a body part” help make sense of our world?
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An App for That: Mastodon Welcomes Twitter Refugees
In the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover and ruination of Twitter, and his decision to allow the free flow of misinformation and hate speech, millions of users are looking for alternatives. The one I’ve settled on is called Mastodon. Not only does it have a cute cartoon Mastodon logo, it’s a good opportunity to start over. Gone are the thousands of random Twitter follows and followers. I’m finding like-minded people, politically and creatively, to add to a much smaller and engaged list.
It’s not for everyone, and there are other options out there, but I’m liking it. It’s not a single, for-profit company. It’s open-sourced, and once you create an account you will need to choose from a dizzying array of servers, all of which are connected to Mastodon. I’m on the “mastodon.world” server. Don’t be overly confused by that, all the users are connected, so you don’t need to be on someone else’s server to follow or be followed by them. And a great selling point is that most of the servers, hosted by individuals, have strong-to-strict content guidelines to prevent the sort of pollution swallowing Twitter.
It’s a learning curve, but it’s a nice sense of renewal, and a great escape from the Twitterverse that is sure to only get darker, uglier, and more toxic.
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An App for That: Mastodon Welcomes Twitter Refugees
In the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover and ruination of Twitter, and his decision to allow the free flow of misinformation and hate speech, millions of users are looking for alternatives. The one I’ve settled on is called Mastodon. Not only does it have a cute cartoon Mastodon logo, it’s a good opportunity to start over. Gone are the thousands of random Twitter follows and followers. I’m finding like-minded people, politically and creatively, to add to a much smaller and engaged list.
It’s not for everyone, and there are other options out there, but I’m liking it. It’s not a single, for-profit company. It’s open-sourced, and once you create an account you will need to choose from a dizzying array of servers, all of which are connected to Mastodon. I’m on the “mastodon.world” server. Don’t be overly confused by that, all the users are connected, so you don’t need to be on someone else’s server to follow or be followed by them. And a great selling point is that most of the servers, hosted by individuals, have strong-to-strict content guidelines to prevent the sort of pollution swallowing Twitter.
It’s a learning curve, but it’s a nice sense of renewal, and a great escape from the Twitterverse that is sure to only get darker, uglier, and more toxic.
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Co-Host Dewey: Veterinarian Guest, Brian C. Hurley, DVM
Dr. Hurley is the National Medical Director for AmeriVet Veterinary Partners. He will be a guest on Cat Talk Radio monthly to answer your medical questions about cats! We’re very excited to welcome him to the show and look forward to many engaging episodes as he shares his knowledge.
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.
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Savvy Senior: How Leg Pains Could be an Early Sign of Heart Attack or Stroke
Dear Savvy Senior,
I started a walking program a few months ago to help me lose weight but I’ve been having problems with my legs and hips hurting during my walk, although they feel better once I stop. I thought it was just because I’m getting old, but my neighbor was telling me about a leg vein disease she has called PAD and thinks I may have something similar. What can you tell me about this?
Limping Linda
Dear Linda,
The health condition your neighbor is telling you about is known as “peripheral arterial disease” (or PAD), which is an under the radar disease that affects approximately 8 to 12 million Americans.
It happens when the arteries that carry blood to the legs and feet become narrowed or clogged over the years with fatty deposits or plaque, causing poor circulation.
But you also need to be aware that because PAD is a systemic disease, people that have it are also much more likely to have clogged arteries in other areas of the body like the heart, neck and brain, which greatly increase the risks of heart attack or stroke.
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A Kindle Vella Exclusive: I, Warlock
A big leap of faith! I’ve started my first Kindle Vella serial. The platform is an Amazon Kindle offering that allows readers to enjoy one chapter at a time of what could be a novel, a novella, or a short story. I’ve been especially creative this year, and I’ve wanted to branch out. This is a good start, and an excellent challenge: I must write at least one chapter a week for this. I’m aiming to get two out each week, same day for consistency and growing some fans, but for now it’s one chapter a week.
Please check it out at the Kindle Vella store. The first three chapters will be free for any Vella story. Also, PLEASE RATE IT, and folllow it, too. If 2023 is anything like this year has been, I’m entering the most productive time of my life. Come with me! You’ll also notice that it’s my first project under the M.A. McNease name. It’s me. It’s not a pen name. It’s just part of my renewal. I like it, and I hope readers do, too.
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A Kindle Vella Exclusive: I, Warlock
A big leap of faith! I’ve started my first Kindle Vella serial. The platform is an Amazon Kindle offering that allows readers to enjoy one chapter at a time of what could be a novel, a novella, or a short story. I’ve been especially creative this year, and I’ve wanted to branch out. This is a good start, and an excellent challenge: I must write at least one chapter a week for this. I’m aiming to get two out each week, same day for consistency and growing some fans, but for now it’s one chapter a week.
Please check it out at the Kindle Vella store. The first three chapters will be free for any Vella story. Also, PLEASE RATE IT, and folllow it, too. If 2023 is anything like this year has been, I’m entering the most productive time of my life. Come with me! You’ll also notice that it’s my first project under the M.A. McNease name. It’s me. It’s not a pen name. It’s just part of my renewal. I like it, and I hope readers do, too.
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The Weekly Readlines November 19
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a feature at LGBTSr.com, offering news you can use every week. Subscribe here for virtual delivery.
Quote for the Week: “You’re guaranteed to have outcomes you like and outcomes you don’t like in a democracy.” – PA Senator-Elect John Fetterman
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESFirst the good news: Michael Moore was right. The dreaded red tide we’d been warned about by the media’s relentless drumbeat turned into a puddle. Democrats kept the Senate, lost the House by a slim margin, and vindicated President Biden’s first two years.
Nancy Pelosi will be stepping down from her leadership position. Marjorie Taylor Greene prepares to lead the rabid pack of GOP revenge seekers. Trump announced his run for 2024 in one of the week’s most anticlimactic stunts. And the Respect for Marriage Act was set for an almost-assured passage for the holidays.
