Books: Secrets of Skinny Cooking

Eating healthy can be hard and many think, dull. So many tasty dishes we love are usually high in calories. But, did you know that low-calorie recipes can be just as enjoyable as those with lots of calories? With their new cookbook, Secrets of Skinny Cooking, bestselling cookbook author Victoria Dwek and nutritionist Shani Taub show home cooks how to create exciting, flavorful, and filling meals... all for a fraction of the calories they'd typically be.

“There are lots of delicious foods out there. Plenty of recipes with fat and sugar that taste really, really good. I think we all know that,” Victoria explains. “But I realized that what people didn’t know…is that light food can be just as satisfying. That’s why I wrote this cookbook, so everyone can feel good about themselves and never, ever feel deprived.”

From that moist Corn Muffin for breakfast, to creamy Eggplant Parmesan for lunch, to Sesame Chicken & Lo Mein for dinner... Victoria and Shani have created flavor-filled recipes of favorite dishes all surprisingly low in calories!

Books: F'd Wide Open

From a humanistic and secular perspective, Marja West’s “F’d Wide Open” is a book that inspires people to take command of their lives, especially after experiencing trauma.

The book is a reality-based self-help resource that does not focus on religion or new age concepts. Regarding personal trauma and feelings of lacking control, readers are asked whether they will continue to be victimized or if they will present their past traumas as badges of strength.

“I encourage everyone to learn to care about how they truly feel, think critically, take personal responsibility for their lives and happiness, and to be their own gurus,” said West. “I shine light on our individual and collective darkness to spark our individual and collective creative natures so that inspired change can begin.”

Additional aspects include relationships between family, friends, and romantic partners. Whether pleasant or difficult, interaction between people is a constant factor in life and the book serves as a resource for those who wish to evaluate their various relationships and what they can learn from past traumas and difficulties.

“F’d Wide Open” takes an honest and unfiltered approach to life and relationships that are often shocking, but nevertheless crucial for individuals to be happier and more fulfilled.

Books: Live Through This

Live Through This: Surviving the Intersections of Sexuality, God, and Race by Clay Cane is book of powerful, personal essays that will intrigue readers from all backgrounds, and help them connect with the issues facing some of America's most disenfranchised communities by delivering emotional narratives that demand to be heard, respected and understood, now, more than ever.

With honesty and humor, Clay Cane reflects on his diverse racial identity, his childhood growing up in Philadelphia and Washington State during the 1980s and 1990s, and his search for his “tribe” as a black gay man. Through these stories, Cane also explores the intersections of identity in communities of undocumented workers, transgender women of color, queer people, single mothers, and poor whites, as well as, the nuances of race, sexuality, faith, and gender.

Books: Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality

Harrington Park Press released the Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality: A Guide for Business Practice on March 7, 2017. Authored by LGBT travel experts Jeff Guaracino and Ed Salvato, the book includes interviews with nearly a hundred industry experts, and analyzing multiple emerging trends among LGBT travelers. 

The Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality is an easy-to-read, practical, and relevant guidebook with a simple goal: to help marketing professionals, business owners, and allied professionals compete in the increasingly competitive global LGBT travel and hospitality industry. Dozens of contributors helped make this book the most inclusive and comprehensive guide of its kind. It is intended for industry specialists in the tourism and hospitality fields, as well as academics and students in tourism and hospitality studies.

To prepare this handbook, co-authors Guaracino and Salvato traveled to six continents and worked with hundreds of individuals and companies. Input from almost a hundred expert industry consultants and authorities helped make this book the most inclusive and comprehensive guide of its kind. 

Given the vast opportunity for diverse marketing to LGBT travelers, it is published at an opportune time as the LGBT tourism and hospitality industry expands in a challenging political climate. 

According to Thomas Roth, President of Community Marketing & Insights: “[This volume is] Educational. Balanced. Entertaining. Practical. Required! These are just a few words that come to mind when reviewing this tremendous achievement. Jeff and Ed share invaluable insights that can only come with decades of personal experience and professional success in LGBT travel. They’ve formulated all that and more into a well-organized manual for any reader, from the doe-eyed newbie to the long-time veteran, to help set and achieve realistic goals. It can be read in one sitting or referenced throughout a career. Or both.” 

According to Bob Witeck, President of Witeck Communications: “Our human impulse to travel is grounded in curiosity, adventure, and romance—whether we’re gay or straight. What often sets LGBT travel apart are our lifelong needs for community, acceptance, and safety. Few writers are better than Jeff Guaracino and Ed Salvato to distill their expert knowledge across 6 continents into the best practices found in this one essential book.”

Books: The Broken Heart Toolkit

Written from the life, experiences and wisdom of Paul Thorn, The Broken Heart Toolkit is a holistic and life-changing guide for those who have had their heart broken. 

Thorn has been HIV-positive his entire adult life and knows first-hand what loss and heartache feels like but, having been instrumental in changing cross-border legislation for people living with the virus, he also understands what it means to transit from victim to victor. Practical, step-by-step and without any hype, Thorn’s guide will prepare anyone to discover a bold new sense of self and independence after a relationship ends.

Books: Route 66 Adventure Handbook

As the song says, get your kicks on Route 66! Dubbed “The Mother Road” by John Steinbeck, this iconic highway has inspired generations of Americans to take to the open road and go traveling.

This road trip season, Drew Knowles releases Route 66 Adventure Handbook: High-Octane 5th Edition, which contains tons of new and interesting facts as well as maps to guide readers down the multiple paths of Route 66, displaying the exact locations of points of interest.

Says Knowles, “Today, people from around the globe continue to take to the open road—the free road. This book is dedicated to all of those who, by setting out to explore even a small portion of Route 66, have kept its mystique alive. I hope that spirit of adventure never fades.”

Books: "Appealing for Justice" Tells Story of Amendment 2 Lawyer Jean Dubofsky

Jean Eberhart Dubofsky came of age when trouble was around every corner, fueled by one grave injustice or another. Appealing For Justice is the story of how this shy, unknown, and unheralded woman found her place at the table again and again, then led the way, broke down barriers and helped shape the direction and flow of history. At almost every step, Jean Dubofsky's story mirrors, reflects, or reveals the depth of the injustice, discrimination, and inequality that lay hidden just beneath the surface of the country we thought ourselves to be.

Jean Dubofsky made history in 1979 when she was the first woman appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court, then made history again in 1996 at the U.S. Supreme Court when she argued and won the landmark gay rights case, Romer v. Evans. Dubofsky's journey from helping to shape and implement the strategy that led to the passage of the 1968 Civil Rights Act, to bringing the first slavery lawsuit since the Civil War, and finally winning at the U.S. Supreme Court is not simply her story, it also is the a story of an entire generation.

Appealing For Justice allows, for the first time, Jean Dubofsky and Romer v. Evans to find their rightful historic place at a critical turning point in the country's unfolding story of equal rights and justice. It is a captivating tale of wild rides, fears and triumph, of hurdles overcome, battles won, and a time in the nation's history that breaks our hearts and renews our spirits.

Books: "Redefining Redefining Normal: A Modern Gay Men's Guide to Happy and Healthy Living" by Denver's Own Brent Heinz

"Redefining Normal: A Modern Gay Men's Guide to Happy and Healthy Living" is a smart, funny, serious, and sometimes irreverent look at the variety of ways gay men see themselves and interact with each other by former Mr. Leather Colorado, Brent Heinze. 

It challenges and encourages individuals to address those issues keeping them from creating a more fulfilling life and offers suggestions on ways to overcome difficulties that cause negative impacts in their lives. It discusses topics relating to dating, flirting, using technology, cruising, sex, relationships, self-improvement, and creating strong support networks while offering perspectives and techniques helpful in making sustained life changes.

9 Out of 10 LGBT Students Experience Bullying; Colorado Author Addresses Long-Term Risks

Nine out of ten LGBT students say they've experienced harassment at school and online, and one in five kids admit to doing "some bullying."

Deborah Sandella, a Denver-based psychotherapist and author of Goodbye Hurt and Pain, said being bullied can produce lasting psychological impacts on children, even as they grow into adults.

"They won't speak up for themselves, so they end up having repeated experiences of feeling bullied throughout their lives," she said. "So it's really very significant both for those who are bullied and those who are the bully."

She said victims are four times more likely to have anxiety problems, and bullies have a greater risk of developing antisocial personality disorders. Sandella added that victims who end up taking their frustrations out by bullying others are more likely to have panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.

Sandella said one simple but effective way kids can disrupt a bully is to have a short phrase at the ready, such as "What was that?" or "That was mean," and then to walk away.

She said since teens typically don't want to talk about being bullied, parents should check in regularly and pay attention if anxiety levels go up suddenly. She added the experience sends stress hormones throughout the body, so other signs could be head or stomach aches. Sandella noted in most cases, immediate intervention can dissolve an incident within ten seconds.

"So it's almost like this spell is broken, of that power over another, by somebody else's presence being there," she explained. "There is a shift, there is a change."

She said if you've been a bully and want to stop, the first thing you should do the next time you get aggressive is to take a deep breath. Sandella said ask yourself what's causing your response. Do you feel angry or invisible? She said at that point you can choose to talk through the issue in a nonthreatening way.

Books: Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality

The Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality is an easy-to-read, practical, and relevant guidebook with a simple goal: to help marketing professionals, business owners, and allied professionals compete in the increasingly competitive global LGBT travel and hospitality industry. 

Dozens of contributors helped make this book the most inclusive and comprehensive guide of its kind. It is intended for industry specialists in the tourism and hospitality fields, as well as academics and students in tourism and hospitality studies.

Books: Kings & Queens in Their Castles

Tom Atwood's forthcoming book, Kings & Queens in Their Castles has been called the most ambitious photo project ever conducted of the LGBTQ experience in the USA. Over 15 years, Atwood photographed more than 350 subjects at home nationwide (with over 160 in the book), including nearly 100 celebrities (with about 60 in the book).  

Among the luminaries depicted are Meredith Baxter, Alan Cumming, Don Lemon, John Waters, George Takei, Alison Bechdel, Barney Frank, Don Bachardy, Billy Porter, Ari Shapiro, Arthur Tress, Michael Urie, Greg Louganis, Charles Busch, Kate Clinton, Dan Savage, Tommy Tune, Jonathan Adler, Simon Doonan, Leslie Jordan, Anthony Rapp, John Berendt, Bruce Vilanch, John Corigliano, Anthony Goicolea, Elizabeth Streb, Michael Musto, Carson Kressley, Joel Schumacher, Christian Siriano, John Ashbery, Terrence McNally and Christine Vachon.

 

Books: Handbook Of LGBT Tourism And Hospitality - A Guide for Business Practice

The Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality is an easy-to-read, practical, and relevant guidebook with a simple goal: to help marketing professionals, business owners, and allied professionals compete in the increasingly competitive global LGBT travel and hospitality industry.

To research this book, the authors traveled to six continents, interviewed nearly a hundred industry experts, and analyzed multiple emerging trends among LGBT travelers.

Jeff Guaracino, author of Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing (2007), is an expert in LGBT marketing, tourism, and large-scale events. He led the Atlantic City tourism industry through the seaside resort's most turbulent tourism period, and in 2016 he became president and CEO of Welcome America, Inc., which seeks to enhance Philadelphia's image among travelers and to attract more visitors to the city.

Ed Salvato is chief content officer for ManAboutWorld, the world's number-one digital gay travel magazine for smartphones and tablets. He was previously editor-in-chief of Out Traveler and Out & About, and other major LGBT travel content platforms. He serves as the treasurer on the Board of Directors of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.

Books: Warwick Rowers - Freedom

The coffee table book that everyone will want this holiday season!

Following on from the great success and universally positive feedback of the first limited edition book last year, the Warwick Rowers have decided to produce another. Produced to exactly the same luxurious specification as their first book, and in a similarly limited and numbered edition of only 1000 copies, you can expect it to be even bolder than last year's.

Along with the purchase of the book, customers will receive an exclusive print copy of the first published report from Sport Allies. With funding from Warwick Rowers, Sport Allies has commissioned an authoritative report on the problem of homophobia and gender bias in sporting culture.

Books: I Was Saved by the Bell: Stories of Life, Love, and Dreams That Do Come True

Every episode of the iconic 90s teen sitcom, Saved by the Bell, ended with the same four words: Executive Producer Peter Engel.

With the November 15th launch of his captivating and inspirational new memoir, I Was Saved by the Bell: Stories of Life, Love, and Dreams That Do Come True, Peter opens up for the first time about his life, from personal and professional highlights to the serious challenges that shaped him. He explains how “a small boy with a big dream” got his start in the cutthroat television industry, his work as Executive Producer on Saved by the Bell and later TV successes of California Dreams, Hang Time, City Guys, and Last Comic Standing, among others.

Books: Let No Stranger Wait Outside Your Door

The LGBT community witnessed a life-changing decade during the 70’s that was, in equal measure, wonderful and horrific as they fought for their rights and against persecution. Author Lou Kief wrote the memoir – Let No Stranger Wait Outside Your Door – to ensure history is preserved by those who lived it with his unique and insightful view of the decade from San Francisco, a city that was at the center of the transformative decade.

While San Francisco’s LGBT culture has roots dating back to the 19th century, it’s during the late sixties and seventies that the movement truly began to gain traction. Following the Stonewall riots of New York in 1969, San Francisco became a hub for the LGBT community and the gay liberation movement, with the first march that eventually evolved into the renowned San Francisco Pride being held in 1970 and the community growing throughout the decade. It was this exciting and historical time that Kief witnessed first-hand.

Kief says, “Let No Stranger Wait Outside Your Door is a book written for my younger gay brothers and lesbian sisters and for anyone who wants to understand the significance of the period and how it changed – for the better – the lives of gay men and women all over the U.S. and around the world. It shares what it was like to be gay at a time when society and often our own families, chose to deny our existence, ignored or ridiculed us.” Kief added, “My memoir is a story about a sudden, great migration of men and women, who like pioneers a century before, found themselves bound for California and San Francisco were happy, exuberant people filled with hope discovered they didn’t need anyone’s approval to live their lives in the open.”

The author urges the younger generations of the LGBT community to embrace the historical significance of the 70’s and learn about the sacrifices and events that those who preceded them endured and organized for their rights. Let No Stranger Wait Outside Your Door will help those that are not gay better understand their gay friends or family members by giving a first-hand account.

Books: The Feast

Thanksgiving is just 43 days away! For some it's a delightful day, but for many it conjures up nightmares more suitable for Halloween! Jason Leclerc, political columnist for Watermark Magazine and author of the new book, Black Kettle, would love to offer the delightful excerpt from his book, The Feast, for inclusion in your November plans.

Featuring two grandmothers, two gay sons and one visiting neighbor's son, surely nothing can go wrong! Until you add two additional types of gravy, one dry turkey, sweet potato casserole and multiple pies setting the stage for Thanksgiving's "best in show"!
“It is the nineties, after all.” The uselessly inaccurate non-sequitur tumbled out of her mouth. Her lips quivered as a follow-up threatened. Delicately, she patted her own head to collect the moisture forming above her brow. I could feel the corners of my mouth turning up into a grin that I had to stifle.

“Woman, have you bumped your head?” The attempt at crisis diffusion was immediately halted with the delicacy of granite on glass. I loved his mother at that moment as nearly as much as I love him every day. She was as preciously rambunctious as my own Momma and the only woman I had ever seen stand up to her.

"Will you please pass the gravy?' a third voice chimes in. “White or brown?”
Not yet articulate in the ways of diplomacy,121 the youngster whose dry overcooked turkey cried out for anything to make it palatable, weighed his words with a wise precision beyond his years. Opting over, “I don’t care” in favor of “Both, please. I love them both,” he proved quite the Solomonesque natural.

Sadly, he is the neighbor’s kid and had no commonality with the dominant gene pool in which this dinner was soaked. His parents had dumped him off on us as their oddly timed “romantic retreat” took them to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving break. Leaving the boy with us, the ubiquitous “gays next door,” was considered better than dragging him along on this, the only chance they’d have to be alone until Easter. Besides, we adored the kid, we needed a prop to finish off the dining room setting, and we must not have seemed the gay-proselytizing type. While he might one day make a fantastic homo—especially with his extraordinary smile and budding inclination for show tunes—we are just as happy that he might one day marry a prom queen as be one. He is precious and always a joy to have in our home.

Two surrogate grandmothers, glaring at each other, reached for their own lumpy concoctions and passed them in the boy’s direction. Using the same ladle to dip into the two adjacent gravy boats, he reveled in the joy that congeals in a child with unlimited gravy and no parent to urge its moderate application.

“What else would you like, Honey?” With a quick twist of her head, my Momma both toothily smiled and menacingly glared at the two aims of her attention: a sweet boy and her own rival. “I have not bumped my head and your turkey is dry.” Pushing her butter–and-sugar-strewn sweet-potato casserole in the boy’s direction, she added, “The driest I have ever tasted. Here Honey, pile some of this on top of your turkey. It’ll make it not so blasted dry.” She puckered her lips and wrinkled her nose as the word “dry” lingered over the table with more acrimony than overcooked asparagus. I remained restrained at the edge of uncontrollable laughter only by the glint of mortification in my husband’s eye.... 

Jason Leclerc is an internationally renowned poet (PoetEconomist.Blogspot.com), prolific blogger (SemioticArbitrage.blogspot.com), film-maker (FLAG, 2018), and political columnist (Watermark Magazine). As concerned with form as he is with quality storytelling, the author of Momentitiousness brings his socioeconomic theories to bear each day through trade. Connect with Leclerc on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and http://momentitiousness.com/black-kettle/.

Black Kettle is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in bookstores everywhere.

Mom’s Children’s Book Inspired by Her Son’s Princess Dress

With more and more families and schools grappling with how to respond to gender diversity among children and with gender issues increasingly in the news, a Berkeley, California mom has reached into her own experience with her son to write an affirming and beautiful bilingual children’s book about gender diversity.

Already receiving praise from book reviewers and LGBTQ community advocates nationwide, One of a Kind, Like Me/Único Como Yo is the first of a new series of diverse children’s books being issued by Blood Orange Press, dedicated to bringing diversity to children’s literature. The book is available now at bloodorangepress.com, Amazon.com and retailers throughout the United States.

In One of a Kind, Like Me/Único Como Yo, first-time children’s book author Laurin Mayeno introduces us to Danny, a multiracial Latinx preschooler who wants to go to his school costume parade as a princess – so he and his mom head out in search of the perfect princess dress. As time runs out, the tension mounts: Will he find his dress in time? The book shows us a loving multicultural family, teacher, and friendships that embrace Danny for who he is.

Robert Liu-Trujillo draws the reader into Danny’s world with his charming illustrations and Teresa Mlawer retells the story beautifully in a Spanish translation that appears directly opposite the English text.

Serena Yates of Rainbow Book Reviews wrote, “There are very few children’s books that challenge gender stereotypes, but this one is a perfect example of what such books could look like. … The author has written Danny’s story based on what happened to her son, and he is a very lucky boy!”

Jean Hodges, National President of PFLAG said, “What a great way to show young children that they can be whomever or whatever they want to be. … I highly recommend this book to every primary, elementary educator and parents of that young princess!”

Ever since Mayeno’s son told her he wanted to dress up as a princess over 20 years ago, she has been learning about gender diversity and sharing what she has learned as an educator, writer, and self-taught film-maker.

“When I was growing up as a mixed-race child, I didn’t see people who looked like me in books,” Mayeno says. “And, when my son Danny decided to dress up as a princess, I didn’t know other children like him. Danny started to realize he was different and felt very alone. I also felt very alone as a mother. I wanted a book where children and families like ours could see themselves reflected back, know that they are not alone, and know that they are beautiful.”

Books: The Transgender Teen

There is a generational divide in our understandings of gender. Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney hope to bridge that divide by providing practical information in their new book, The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Teens (Cleis Press, September 13, 2016). 

Designed as a guidebook for parents, teachers, counselors, and therapists, The Transgender Teen explores the unique challenges that thousands of families face every day raising a teenager who may be transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid or otherwise gender-expansive. Combining years of experience working in the field with extensive research and personal interviews, the authors cover pressing concerns relating to physical and emotional development, social pressures, and family communications.

Books: 10 Classics to Read When the World Seems Too Bleak

By Sally Allen

Since I learned how to read, books have been where I’ve turned for consolation, hope, and a clarifying dose of perspective. Lately, my solace seems to come from classic literature. Classics remind me how resilient humans are, how much beauty exists in the world. They remind me of the cyclical nature of human history. They illuminate all that humans have survived—insane rulers, endless wars of all kinds, devastating plagues, more devastating plagues … yet another devastating plague. We have survived it before, and we can survive it all over again. 

The Iliad by Homer (maybe)
That this poem, set in the 10th year of the Trojan War, has survived thousands of years provides hope in itself. Gruesome battle scenes play counterpoint to moments of grace, as when a Greek and a Trojan honor their past friendship by refusing to strike each other down. Woven throughout the poem are timeless snapshots familiar in any time and place – the pleasure of a cozy sleep, a satisfying meal, children at play. 

Antigone by Sophocles
In Sophocles’ tragedy, conflicting duties between Antigone and Creon lead to, well, tragedy. As the play progresses, our loyalty shifts according to who is telling the story and how. By the end, we understand that the deepest impediment to reaching consensus isn’t Antigone and Creon’s incompatible loyalties but their pride and refusal to engage with each other. 

Plutarch’s Lives by Plurtarch
Plutarch’s collection of biographies of famed Greeks and Romans is quite the tome. But the biographies don’t demand to be read cover to cover. Readers can dip into them as they might a recipe book, in this case, a recipe for recognizing that our little planet has survived millennia of turbulence. As a starting point, I recommend Spartan Lycurgus and Athenian Solon. 

Beowulf by Unknown
The poem begins with a young Beowulf presenting himself to Danish king Hrothgar. A monster called Grendel threatens to destroy Hrothgar’s kingdom, and Beowulf offers to fight the beast. He wins, but his labors are far from over. Until our time has passed away, the poem seems to suggest, the next beast forever lies in wait. 

The Decameron by Boccaccio
This collection of tales dates to the mid-14th century and features a frame narrative readers won’t envy: A group of men and women fleeing the Black Death who hole up together in Florence. They wile away the hours swapping stories that run the gamut, from bawdy to funny to moral. 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Like Boccaccio, Chaucer wraps a frame narrative around a collection of stories that fall along a broad continuum. Here, it’s pilgrims headed to Canterbury and Thomas Beckett’s shrine. The pilgrims represent a range of classes and occupations, which creates moments of tension as well as connection. 

Macbeth by William Shakespeare
After Macbeth hears a prophecy that, he believes, predicts he’ll become King of Scotland, he hastens to bring that prophecy to fruition: With his wife’s encouragement, he kills the King of Scotland. His act of murder leads to a downward spiral of paranoia and violence until he meets the same end. Apparently, there is nothing terribly new about power-obsessed madness… 

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
When we need help reconciling ourselves with humanity’s imperfection, with all that is unknowable, Shelley’s novels makes excellent company. Budding scientist Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with solving the riddle of human existence. The thrill of success lasts approximately 4.7 seconds before things go horribly wrong, and then go worse from there. 

A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
Uttley’s moving story reminds us that even when we cannot change outcomes, there is power in witnessing. Young Penelope travels from the 1930s back to the late 16th century, where she becomes embroiled in a plot to save Mary, Queen of Scots. The plot, however, is doomed to fail, and Penelope is powerless to change it. All she can do is listen and provide comfort. 

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
When all else fails, I find comfort reading Frost’s gentle poem. It captures a simple but painful truth culled from his observations of the physical world: Nature is cyclical. The moment of perfect beauty inevitably dies away. And that is precisely what enables it to be reborn.

Sally Allen is an award-winning author who holds a PhD in English Education from New York University, with an emphasis in writing and rhetoric, and an MA in English Language and Literature. She has taught writing and literature at New York University and Fairfield University, and is the recipient of New York University’s Willy Gorrissen Award for Dedication and Skill in the Academic Development of Student Writing. Currently, Allen is a faculty member at Post University where she teaches literature, writing, and communications. She is the founder of Books, Ink at HamletHub, a website dedicated to Connecticut books news, where her writing has earned her three Connecticut Press Club awards.

Unlocking Worlds (Griffins Wharf, 2015) can be purchased from Amazon and other booksellers nationwide. More information about Sally Allen can be found at www.sallyallenbooks.com, Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

How the Summer Can Heat Up Your Sex Life

Dudley Seth Danoff, MD, FACS, men’s urologist and expert for more than thirty years and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Male Sexual Health, has advice on how to have your hottest summer yet. Why do you think most couples honeymoon in tropical destinations? It’s not just the tropical flowers and hula dancers that create a seductive ambience—the physical effects of warmth are responsible for boosting male potency as well. This makes summer the ideal time to get your body and your sex life in shape. Here are three reasons why:

1. The Health Benefits of Sexual Activity
Nothing is more wonderful for the human spirit, body, and mind than the free and uninhibited expression of sexuality. A current plague of confusion and self-consciousness causes most men to have less sex than they would like, and they enjoy the sex they do have a lot less. Men who are sexually frustrated tend to be tense and irritable, and they often seem angry at the world. But men who are sexually satisfied and feel good about themselves as sexual beings tend to have a positive outlook and a warm glow of health. Dr. Danoff tells how sexual activity can boost your mood, circulation, and mental sharpness.

2. How to Get Your Body Ready for Summer
Good health is important year round, but in the summer we are more active and more of our bodies are visible, making it even more critical to get in shape. A good exercise program is central to overall health and sexual fitness—it takes energy and strength to make love! Some basic tips for reaching and maintaining peak fitness and performance in the summer include building muscular strength, committing to regular cardiovascular activity, and cleaning up your diet. Dr. Danoff shows you how to optimize your health this summer.

3. The Potency-Boosting Benefits of Superfruits
Hungry for an aphrodisiac with a heart-healthy nutritional boost? Think blueberries! These sweet natural treats, along with other foods high in certain flavonoids, may give men an edge on potency, significantly reducing their risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). Drawing on new research, including a study featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Danoff helps men pick the right “5-to-9 a day” (yes, that’s servings of produce) for peak sexual health.