Victoria Allen's Blog

Here’s a scary health statistic–three sexually transmitted diseases are spreading. The STDs syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are rising initially in years, reported Health Day News on Nov. 17. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the number of cases of those major STDs increased last year the very first time since 2006.

Here’s another scary stat: the rate of chlamydia infection could be the highest it’s have you been. Some 1.4 million cases of chlamydia were reported on the CDC in 2014. That represents a 2.8 percent increase since 2013. This is the greatest number of cases of the STD ever reported on the CDC, said CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2014 report.

The first thing you must do if you believe you might have genital herpes is usually to visit your main care physician. It is a mistake to try and diagnose genital herpes jenis penyakit raja singa. The signs and symptoms of genital herpes are similar to the signs of other conditions. If your main physician suspects that you’ve got contracted the sickness, he / she will perform a visual inspection in the affected region. If you can find blister like lesions that’s one with the most common visible signs and symptoms of genital herpes, create will do a swab make sure send it for the laboratory for additional analysis and confirmation.

The more you lose konsultasi dokter in the enjoyment of sexual abuse and perversion the greater probability of getting rid of sexually transmitted infections HIV AIDS. It is not our view though the experts have highlighted this important aspect. To be frank, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome will destruct the fighting power of your body to combat the germs and viruses. It will terminate the entire immune system/mechanism of your body to overtake diseases and illness.

These are the 15 common symptoms and warning signs of possible STD already infecting one’s body : 1) Have itches, sores, red spots and burning sensation within your reproductive organs, 2) have warts on song of one’s body, legs or hands, 3) have ulcers inside sunat laser berapa hari sembuh, 4) have frequent rashes and itchiness of the epidermis, 5) prolonged fever without having obvious causes, 6) prolonged chills or sweats, 7) chronic or long-lasting fatigue or tiredness, 8) loss in appetite and weight, 9) chronic muscle or pain, 10) long-lasting sore throat, 11) swelling of lymph nodes, 12) frequent diarrhoea, 13) severe infection, 14) meningitis, 15) other unusual conditions in your body.

Another thing is a STD have no or minor symptoms on our bodies while many others mistaken them for something else and for a great many others, the symptoms is only going to appear in later stages.

The danger using this type of situation is these men’re probably unaware they’re carriers of the disease; and they’re going to continue with their sexual activities and continue spreading the disease to their partners and strangers not understanding it. So, should you be showing no symptoms and signs of STD, no mean you happen to be completely safe. The only way of knowing for sure will go for the full STD testing at locations close to you.

One with the most “manly” outfits in the late medieval and renaissance age was the herpes. One with the most prolific samples of this was the portrait of King Henry VIII. In his painting, he’s shown with shoulders slightly back, and groin area thrust forward with the enormous codpiece prominently forward because the centerpiece from the painting.

Worried physicians have become asking people to take security precautions to protect themselves as well as their partners. One of the most important step is recognizing symptoms and signs and symptoms of STD on the body. In this article, we are going to look at the symptoms and indications of STD in males. It is my hope that the information below can help men to learn more to do with STD and obtain them from infected.

The special STD dating sites be really nice in putting aside the vulnerable feeling. All the people who go to the special paid dating sites understand your condition and therefore there is no tension about disclosure. However members should become aware of people that visit to not find out more on STD and singles which date but who desire unprotected sex. There are notorious individuals who visit having an intention of having random sexual encounters.

This off course hinders serious relationships from blossoming. Many college singles are receiving infected because they’re too shy or frightened of being honest while using form of people they find there. It is in colleges high is plenty of unprotected sex. Jane admitted that she ended up infected with the STD during her second year while attending college.

Treatment of Syphilis: Once diagnosed, syphilis might be all to easy to manage. However, the patient needs to be careful to refrain from involving in virtually any sexual activity when he has contracted penyakit raja singa itu apa. Treating syphilis can be simple and easy efficient if the patient demonstrates a responsible attitude and follow some guidelines.

She was new inside sex field and wouldn’t normally ask her partner about sexually transmitted diseases before she engaged in sex. She was afraid of potentially insulting him but her fear did not save her from being have been infected with herpes.

People who are sick are not wanting to tell their partners regarding their status since they’re fearful of potentially losing someone you care about. In the global education about sexually transmitted diseases and singles, folks are urged to come out clean before they get into serious relationships that also may involve intimacy. Your head reels whenever you knowingly infect someone who was clean if you don’t would not have a heart.

Mother Nature has not been entirely kind when she passed out periods to women. At their best, some may only last 2-3 days with minimal bleeding and no pain, if your are lucky. At their worst, a lady could possibly be bedridden the initial couple of days as excruciating cramping occurs even though the uterine lining, or endometrium, is bentuk dan ciri selaput dara.

Many women experience water fat gain, tenderness inside breasts, lower back pain, heavy blood circulation, and mood swings. It is not pleasant by any stretch with the imagination. It is, however, a sign of being both fertile, and a particular favorite for a lot of women, not pregnant. Noting the downside, during the week-long marathon of menstruation, women can use a little pick-me-up.

While some women might have endometriosis and feel just like their peers, many women with endometriosis suffer progressively worsening pain in accordance with their monthly periods.

The common signs of endometriosis are pelvic tenderness, heightened pre-menstrual syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, dysmenorrhea (pain before and during periods), painful urination, and pain during sexual activity, chronic fatigue and cramping among numerous others.

Hip pain or pain that radiates from the buttock and along the leg are normal in ladies where endometriosis has effected the sciatic nerve. Also, endometriosis inside groin area can feel like hip pain.

Women health reproductive is primarily interested in health activities like contraception, fertility, infertility and also other sexually transmitted diseases. Here contraception by way of chat medis – Klinik Utama Gracia, condoms, diaphragm, intrauterine, vasectomy is very important means of avoiding unintended pregnancies and other hormonal diseases.

There are a number of other considerations that ladies who are suffering are capable of doing to be able to decrease the seriousness of menstrual cramps. For example, it is usually required to avoid intra-uterine devices (IUD) to prevent pregnancy given that they can increase menstrual cramping and bleeding, often ultimately causing inflammation and in many cases pelvic inflammatory disease. Many women, must also think about using tampons only once necessary and employ sanitary tampons most of the time, instead.

Use one or possibly a mixture of herbs to produce an infusion, and this is known as the herbal tea, or purchase a herbal tincture in the natural grocery. I chose to drink an infusion made from a blend of 1-2 tsp each: dried red raspberry leaves and females mantle leaves, I covered the pot and steeped the herbs for ten mins in just-boiled water.

This treatment is best suited if you have a cup every day for around week before menstruation and 1-2 cups in your period. If you like it sweeter, add several items of licorice root or even a few lemonbalm leaves to steep with the red raspberry and ladies mantle leaves, or ?? tsp honey as soon as the tea is ready.

Nevertheless, the most effective alternative would certainly be to think about some special tracks that really catch the particular material of what 80’s love songs were. This cd is just a collection of each of their hits throughout their profession thus far. So long as it is a fantastic track, we like it.

It was a very good show. The song Pagan Vacation is among my favorites PPBT – Pop Punks. It makes every little thing a little bit more enjoyable.

Given that you can see, it is clearly viable to get the guitar gear that is appropriate for your demands all at an incredibly affordable. There are a couple of things which you can do in order to make certain that the audio quality is much better than that which you could get with only the mic on the electronic camera. The wonderful aspect of sticker labels is they’re removable.

With that claimed, rock-and-roll isn’t really a style that attract everyone. Punk rock players don’t utilize great deals of pedals to alter their sound a great deal of the moment. Mindful collection of the appropriate microphones, guitars as well as impacts in addition to the producers eager ear, represent the reason why this album is truly a gem. The category attracts influences from several sources, including noise songs and also electro-industrial along with post-punk as well as conventional rock music. For instance, emo and also pop punks dealt with each other to appeal to some other generation.

Identify the style you want to achieve. An obscure truth is these guitars were listened a non-traditional means as they were extremely inexpensive, given that the band could hardly pay for excellent equipment. Finally, you can create the split easiest in case you draw a line on both sides of hardcore. It ended up being a trademark noise as well as fashion, for certain.

There’s lots of remarkable skill playing Saturday. If you obtain the possibility to try one, it is certainly worth the effort! Nevertheless, different in the Punk video game is typically an outstanding point. Do not end up believing the entire time concerning exactly what you have actually got to do. It can additionally imply a number of different rise against tour complete schedule. It can absolutely be painful must you accidentally obtain struck by somebody, so beware!

Other individuals prefer something a bit a lot more formal. You they have no preference. Some of us will intend a true party. Remember it’s your day as well as most of individuals will certainly focus on you, not the music.

Fanzine remained in the practice of preparing the Jamming! Bear in mind the adhering to eleven bands are classified simply in indexed purchase. Punk caused a full cultural transformation, which progressively led to the maturation of the alternating rock movement.

Some bands made an effort to trip. Hefty metallic bands are the most preferred kind of band. Amongst one of the most well-known rock bands is Bon Jovi.

In the form of brand-new school pop-punk bands, nonetheless, punk isn’t really dead. The Saints weren’t only Australia’s initial punk band, they were among the initial punk bands. You might not have the capability to recognize precisely exactly what they are stating, Hence if you’re one of people that have to hang on to every word the vocalist claims, this band might not be for you.

Over the last few years the Retro look is now huge. Listen to what you want because you prefer it, I believe. It’s still quite crucial.

It is a wonderful city around. The punk society prospered in 1970s in the U.S.A. of The U.S.A. together with in Britain. Deformed Trip is mosting likely to do that to you.

Bali island is definitely a famous island in Indonesia .. generally known as paradise for pepes tourists. would like to know a good beach attractions you visit!?? just sharing my experience and opinion, Lovina beach is one kind of a decent beach you visit besides Kute beach, Sanur beach. Lovina beach is just not less beautiful as opposed to beach. Lovina beach a great deal of beautiful scenery, particularly when we’re off on its exterior a tiny motor boat to find out dolphins dolphin who was simply dancing dancing within the ocean was beautiful. This is the appeal of Lovina beach

It is only in recent years we have recognized the need to preserve ecosystems. An ecosystem won’t necessarily include nature inside a region. It also contains people, their traditions, their customs etc. Adoption of sustainable practices to safeguard ecosystems is exactly what eco tourism is about. Eco-tours always alllow for an intimate experience.

Did you are aware that while about 56 people?s lives are taken during shark attacks on a yearly basis, in the same period; 100 million sharks are killed within the name of shark fin soup? While the tragedies endured by families along with the horror from the shark attack about the victim are horrible and you pray that nobody ever move through this type of horrific ordeal, humans have a tendency to neglect the cruelty they force on these predators themselves. In fact, many shark attacks are set to confusion with preys including seals, the finning and fishing of sharks are far from being brought on by confusion. In fact, they hunt them deliberately.

The Filipino race known to become a conglomeration of varying ethnicities and cultures, because they inhabit an archipelago of 7,107 islands. Although generally known as Filipinos, some are alluded to as Filipino-American, Filipino-Spanish, Filipino-Japanese, Filipino-Muslim or Filipino-Chinese. The distinctive groups get their roots from ancestors who, at some stage in period in the annals of Philippine history, prevailed upon and influenced the predominantly Filipino-Malay race.

What is shark finning? Well, to be honest, when it involved while using the whole carcass of your shark simply by cutting it out so most body parts might be commercially used, that you will find another thing nevertheless the matter of an fact, it can be much resep ikan salmon untuk acara keluarta.

You see, while finning techniques vary in line with the regulations imposed by various countries. While Australia, United States of America, New Zealand and Mexico are banning shark finning, the majority of countries permitted either by imposing a series of regulations or not regulating it in any way in which particular case the fate in the poor animal is worst then sudden death.

Normal and balanced alteration in hormones promote good mental and physical well-being in women. But research suggests that a lot of women have problems with hormone imbalance during their lives and are rarely alert to it. It is very important to understand how this imbalance occurs and you skill about this.

If you don’t need to take drugs to help ease your painful periods you will find there’s strategy to fight and relieve menstrual cramps fase menstruasi. Regardless of how bloated you could be before getting your period or how heavy your flow is during your period of the month, stepping out of the fetal position and moving one’s body is key to natural relief.

Yes, spider veins are what doctors refer to them as and are close relatives of blue veins, the sole difference between them being blue veins seem larger, raised and swollen blood vessels that mar your otherwise smooth leg landscape. A

woman?s legs include pride and therefore, most fight to keep them looking as flawless as possible, even going to the extent of busting their piggy banks open only to receive the best treatments possible. There are many reasons why this concern happens, with common ones being heredity, hormones, pregnancy, putting on weight or obesity as well as your occupation, especially if your projects involves constantly being on you.

Women who regularly experience problems like KlinikGracia.Org, pain, bloating, swift changes in moods, and migraines should see a practitioner of Oriental medicine. Acupuncture is one kind of many tools that could be utilized to improve the functioning in the body. When the body functions better, pain and also other complaints are decreased.

Sesame seed is an excellent cure used for the treating menstrual problems. Those women suffering from menstrual aches should drink a cupful of warm water added with sesame seeds twice daily. Patients those who have regular painful periods are recommended to work with this herbal cure 48 hrs just before expected period time.

Ginger is the one other important cure used for the treating menses problems. It has been used for centuries for the treatment of menses problems. Ginger is available to be very good for preventing potential risk of painful menstruation and stoppage of menstrual flow. For attaining fast results, patients really should drink a cup full of ginger juice after each meal.

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Genital warts (often known as ano-genital warts, Condyloma, Condylomata acuminate, or venereal warts) are highly penyakit raja singa pada pria. They are transmitted during sexual intercourse and caused by some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) affecting men and women.

Genital warts don’t appear until 2-4 weeks after contact and infrequently months may elapse prior to warts become visible. They are usually painless but may itch or produce a burning sensation. Genital warts are certainly not life-threatening, nevertheless they can have a psychological effect, causing website visitors to feel uncomfortable in existing or new relationships.

Worried health officials are asking website visitors to take health concerns to shield themselves as well as their partners. One of the most important step is recognizing symptoms and indications of STD on the human body. In this article, we are going to glance at the symptoms and warning signs of STD that face men. It is my hope that this information below might help men to know much more about STD and have them from infected.

In armor, the codpiece predates a simple fashion statement and was utilized as being a little bit of armor. It was Edward III while fighting inside Hundred Years War that first turned the armor version right into a symbol. He, like the majority of men, belief that the size of his penis what food was in direct correlation with power and strength. He supposedly had his armor modified to feature a very over sized codpiece, and ordered the nobility fighting with him to do exactly the same.

These are the 15 common symptoms and signs of possible STD already infecting one’s body : 1) Have itches, sores, red spots and burning sensation in your reproductive organs, 2) have warts on certain parts of the body, legs or hands, 3) have ulcers inside rumah sakit KlinkUtamaGracia.Net, 4) have frequent rashes and itchiness of the epidermis, 5) prolonged fever without having obvious causes, 6) prolonged chills or sweats, 7) chronic or long-lasting fatigue or tiredness, 8) decrease of appetite and weight, 9) chronic muscle or joint pain, 10) long-lasting sore throat, 11) swelling of lymph nodes, 12) frequent diarrhoea, 13) severe yeast infection, 14) meningitis, 15) other unusual conditions in one’s body.

The state with the highest rate per 100,000 population was Georgia with 10.3 cases per 100,000. The state while using most P&S syphilis cases was California with 3,532, accounting for 20 percent of cases recorded nationally (California was second in rate of syphilis with 9.3 cases per 100,000 population).

1. What is the name of your character? Zack Lindstrom

2. Is she fictional or a historic person? Fictional

3. When and where is the story set? In the fictional town of Littleton, Pennsylvania, a small town in the middle of nowhere, about two hours outside of Philadelphia, with some very interesting residents. It is a contemporary time period.

4. What should we know about him? Zack is former military who now works for a private security company. After the death of his brother and partner, he takes some time to figure out what he needs to do with his life. He likes fast cars, fast women, and no roots. Oh, and he has powers, though he denies them because the “other” world is what got his brother killed.

5. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life? He heads to Littleton to look up an old friend and try to get his head back in place, but when he arrives, he meets Phoebe (by running into her, literally, with his bike) and the rest of the Keepers and Protectors. He is informed that he is a Protector – but he wants nothing to do with this bunk. Magic? Yeah. Right. Except that he can see things in the fires Phoebe raises. And knows how to wield a sword like he was born to it. Plus his brother and grandmother convince him this is his destiny – even though they’re both dead. He doesn’t want roots. He doesn’t want responsibility. That just leads to people he loves being killed. But he can’t turn away from friends who need his help.

6. What is the personal goal of the character? His goal is to atone for his brother’s death, even though it wasn’t his fault, and learn to be comfortable with his life as it is now. He needs people who care about him, and to be needed.

7. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it? The book is called “The Ruby Key” and is the second in the Crystal Keys series.

8. When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published? The book will be available in the beginning of November from Liquid Silver Press.

Kerry Adrienne is back with another novel that’ll keep you up way past your bedtime.

Rocco Lazzaro meets the a new age, yoga instructor Devin in SCULPTOR’S DESIRE , the second novel Kerry Adrienne’s sizzling Gallant Gentlemen’s Guild series, out on August 27th. 2014 from Ellora’s Cave.

Purchase here: Ellora’s Cave

About SCULPTOR’S DESIRE:

Rocco Lazzaro is on a mission to find the perfect male body to sculpt. His inability to find “the one” has affected his creativity and he’s frustrated by his failure. With a Guild charity auction coming up, he’s expected to provide high quality sculptures, but the pieces he creates feel soulless.

When Devin, a yoga instructor, approaches him and offers to help, Rocco can’t quit thinking about the red-hot ginger. Devin’s New Age beliefs push Rocco away—he can’t deal with reality, much less mysticism. No auras and rainbows for Rocco—just stone and chisel and hammer.

But Devin is persistent. He knows he’s supposed to help Rocco find his muse—and he’ll stop at nothing to show him that the line between art and skin is very thin and a true muse can provide inspiration in many ways.

 Goodreads | Amazon| Barnes and Noble

Also in the Gallant Gentlemen’s Guild series: ARTIST’S TOUCH by Kerry Adrienne! On sale for just .99 cents from August 25th – August 31st, 2014.

About Kerry Adrienne:

Kerry loves history and spends large amounts of time wondering about people who lived and walked on Earth in the past. She’s a mom to three daughters, six cats, and various small animals, including a panther chameleon.

In addition to writing, she’s a college instructor, artist, costumer, and editor. Her new love is her Mini Cooper Convertible, Sheldon, and they have already gone on many adventures.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

STEAMINESS

Rocco clutched the purple fliers and stared out at the busy park from his seat. He’d posted enough of the papers for the day, not that it mattered. He’d never had luck distributing them before—the responses had never lived up to his expectations. He set his backpack on the ground and leaned back against the wooden bench. Why bother? Not like the perfect man was going to walk up, pick up the flier and actually respond. Not in this lifetime.

He lowered the sunglasses over his eyes. The late afternoon sunlight didn’t thread through the full-summer trees in this part of Central Park, but his shades allowed him to “bulge watch” as the throngs of tourists and New Yorkers paid homage at the mosaic shrine to John Lennon. The circular black and white medallion with “Imagine” scripted across its center was a place of reverence. Disciples had outlined the medallion with a peace sign made of fresh-cut flowers, and tourists took turns posing and taking pictures in front of the makeshift altar.

Rocco scanned the visitors. The place was a people-watcher’s dream, and for a Monday, the crowd was huge. Summer in the city always brought the tourists in droves of asinine clothing and hats and noise. Still, he had hope he’d find the one he was looking for.

The man who’d make his dreams come true.

He set the fliers on the bench beside him, then picked up one purple sheet and folded it into a fan, carefully creasing each fold. He tried to breathe out the hot air, but no doubt about it, the June day was steaming. New York was a sweltering change from the Adirondack cabin where he’d spent most of his time in the last month. Still, he was happy to be back in the city—his second home. The cabin was great as a quiet place to work, even though it was small, but its remoteness made it impossible to people-watch and gain inspiration.

Rocco crimped the last crease. His apartment in one of the Guild’s brownstones felt like home away from home. The Guild’s large studio provided the best space he’d ever had to work—tons of light and plenty of quiet. And his guildmates were like brothers, always ready to support each other through any artistic struggle, though he supposed they too were growing tired of his search for a perfect man. No one had actually voiced it, but he felt a distinct difference in the tone of the conversation when he brought the search up in conversation. With the upcoming charity auction in October, most of the artists would be working overtime and even less inclined to listen to his plight.

He fanned himself with the folded flier. Nothing to see at the moment. Not a single possibility in the groups of people gathered in the small courtyard. He scanned the area. The top edge of the Dakota Apartments peeked over the trees and Rocco glanced over the rows of tightly curtained windows. He’d never been inside the lavish building, though he knew several Guild members had been to private parties there. Rocco had been invited many times but had always declined. Wealth and showmanship weren’t his thing. He preferred the simple life where nature set the style, not John Varvatos and Marc Jacobs.

Strawberry Fields was a prime tourist spot. Too bad today’s mob held few specimens worthy of a glance, much less a stare. I’d think the simple math odds would warrant at least a couple prospects. Add in summer shorts, and there should be at least a good bulge or two…

He glanced at the stack of fliers—about fifty of them left. He’d put up as many papers as he could around the park over the last hour. Who was he kidding? After years of searching, he might as well give up on finding the ideal male. He set the fan on the bench and shoved the stack of fliers into the front pocket of his backpack and zipped it up.

He’d held several open calls with no luck. Something inside him pushed him to keep looking, keep trying, no matter how many times he failed. The same something kept him awake at night and tore apart his thoughts during the day. He’d find what he was looking for and he wouldn’t stop until he did, no matter what it took. It didn’t matter if it cost him his friends, his guildmates, his sanity. That was art, wasn’t it?

“May I sit here?”

The soft, lilting voice wove through Rocco’s thoughts and he paused. He looked up and his breath caught in his throat when he saw where the voice originated. Broad shoulders and a flat abdomen encased in a perfectly tight white T-shirt. Tall, but not overly so. Blue jean shorts, snug. Red cropped hair that glistened gold at the tips and fell over in a lock of bangs. Rocco gazed from top to bottom and licked his dry lips.

Red, white, blue, and all American.

“May I?” the man repeated.

“Sure.” Rocco fumbled with his pack and slid over to make room on the wooden park bench, pushing his folded fan behind him and out of the way so the stranger could sit down.

“Thanks,” the man said, dropping onto the bench.

No, thank you. But not so close. The vibrations of the man sitting raced through the wood of the bench into wood between Rocco’s legs. He swallowed hard, pushing back the anxiety. “No problem,” he said, half-whispering. He peeked then gazed down again. Finally, someone worth looking at. Only the man was so freaking near, Rocco felt as if he could feel the heat emanating from the man’s hotness.

Too close. No comfort.

The man scooted back on the bench and stretched out his legs. “Long day. I’m exhausted. Didn’t expect there to still be such a crowd here this time of day.” He blew out a long breath and closed his eyes.

Despite the heat, a shiver raced through Rocco and he eyed the fluid line of the man’s form. If he’d had a sketchpad, he’d do a quick gesture drawing of the long stroke of torso and limbs.

Not knowing what to say, Rocco turned away. A group of noisy teens descended on the mosaic like a swarm of bees, laughing and shouting and taking photos of themselves in stupid poses. Rocco blinked away the distraction and looked back to the man sitting beside him.

Not bad. “Yeah.” Hell, not bad at all. “It’s crowded.” He squeezed his thighs together to control his body’s reaction. Why couldn’t the man have chosen to sit on the other side of the path where Rocco could observe without having to talk?

“Such a loud crowd, at that.” The man opened his eyes and peered at the teen spectacle then shook his head. “They need to relax. Chill. You’d think they’d never been outside before.”

Rocco nodded and followed his gaze. A teen had picked up one of the flowers from the medallion and was tossing it into the air and catching it. “Tourists. New York can’t live with them, or without them.”

“Tourist?” The man asked. “Aren’t you? I can’t place that accent, so I assumed you were. Where are you from?”

“Italy.” Rocco sat up straight, trying to not be obvious in staring at the man’s muscular legs. He must be some kind of athlete. Was this man a candidate or had the hour of staring at subpar specimens clouded Rocco’s judgment? “Well, born in Italy, but I’ve lived in the city for several years. Many, actually. I consider myself a New Yorker now.”

“Ah, so Italian with some city dialect. Not a tourist. What’s your name?”

Rocco flipped his sunglasses up onto his head. “Rocco Lazzaro. Not a tourist.” He forced a smile. Meeting new people in person wasn’t something he was used to doing.

“But very Italian, I see. Nice to meet you, Rocco.” The man held his hand out. “I’m Devin Johansson. Also not a tourist. I live on the East Side.”

Rocco took Devin’s hand in his own and shook it firmly, aware that his own hand was clammy with anxiety. “Good to meet you too, Devin.”

Devin clamped down on Rocco’s fingers and held on. “Oh. You have working hands,” he whispered. He pulled Rocco’s hand closer and rubbed Rocco’s palm with long, soft fingers. “And your aura shows great creativity.” He looked up. “What is it you do?”

The teens moved on down the park path, giggling and talking loudly as they went. Rocco glanced over at them, trying to still the shudder that played along his arm as Devin rubbed his hand. A calm, warm feeling flowed up through his arm and into his chest. Even in the summer heat, the warmth felt good. Too good. Wait, what did he say? What the hell?

“My what? My aura?” Rocco yanked his hand away, immediately aware of the loss of warmth. Great. The first good-looking guy he’d met this week was a fruit loop New-Ager. The city grew all types, but this was one type Rocco tried to avoid. These dopes talked too much and thought too much about weird things instead of reality.

Devin leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head. He stared up into the trees, smiling. “Yeah, I can tell you are creative by your aura. So, what is it you do?”

Rocco scowled. “I’m a sculptor.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling Devin, or why he was even talking to the man in the first place. Am I that desperate? Do I look like a pity case? He straightened his sunglasses on top of his head and smoothed back his hair.

“I knew it.” Devin looked at Rocco, his eyes sparkling. “You work with your hands, I can tell. Your hands hold lots of kindness and feeling and warmth. I knew you were an artist of some kind.”

Rocco made eye contact. He nearly sighed aloud at the deep green in Devin’s gaze. A perfect offset to his red-gold hair and pale skin, which, oddly enough, seemed devoid of the freckles that redheads often sported. If Rocco were a painter, Devin would be a divine palette to experiment with.

“Good g-guess.” Rocco looked away. Something about intense men always caused him to lose his confidence, like maybe the men were peering into the innermost part of him and not running away. Like the fruit loop cast a spell.

“No, it’s really obvious.” Devin chuckled. “If you’re sensitive to reading people, you’re rarely wrong. It happens, but not often.” A look of doubt crossed his face and was gone in an instant.

A warm breeze pushed through the park, sweeping a few dry leaves across the trail in a crackle and rustling Rocco’s hair. He smoothed it down and settled the glasses back on his head.

How am I supposed to respond to that? Rocco fidgeted. Is he trying to get me to ask him something? “Well, okay. It’s obvious I’m an artist.” He had to get the conversation away from himself. Now. Not only was it uncomfortable, but Devin was in his personal space. “So what do you do, Devin? Besides tell people about their auras?” Magician? Fortuneteller? Horse Whisperer? He hoped Devin would notice the skepticism in his tone and lay off the hoodoo talk. Seeing colors around people? He’d heard of it before, sure. It was about as stupid as believing ancient aliens built the pyramids.

If Devin felt made fun of, he didn’t show it. “I’m a yoga instructor and meditation coach,” he said. “I meet clients here in the park and we embrace the movement of the sun and the moon and the seasons of nature. Here’s my card.” He pulled a neat stack of cards out of his shorts pocket and slid one off the top.

Rocco took the dark blue card. Embossed in gold lettering:

Devin Johansson, owner of City Dreams. Yoga, meditation, and spiritual healing—on my schedule or yours.

And quack. Rocco scooted forward on the bench. “Meditation, huh? Like being still for a really long time and breathing and not thinking?” He raised his eyebrows. This was going to be interesting.

“Yeah, I do group meditation classes on the Great Lawn on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at seven. Free. You should join us. We had a great crowd today. Summer sessions are always well attended.”

“Thank you, but I don’t meditate. I sleep. That’s being still enough for me.” Rocco rubbed his palms on his jeans. “I do try and breathe every day though.” He held back a smirk. Something about being uncomfortable made him sarcastic, a smartass. He knew it but just couldn’t help himself. He looked out over the park. Why was he even embarrassed?

A noisy group of tourists wearing matching lime green T-shirts circled the medallion. Their guide spoke loudly about John Lennon and the crowd ooohed and ahhed. One woman sobbed.

Maybe Strawberry Fields wasn’t the best choice today. Too many weirdoes congregating. He should’ve checked the planetary alignment or star charts before he came because something was amiss. He smiled at his own cleverness.

“Well, maybe you should consider trying meditation. Your aura looks pretty blocked.” Devin scooted closer and lowered his voice. “Maybe I can help you find what you’re looking for. If you’ll let me.”

Rocco cleared his throat and stared at the woman crying, unable to look Devin in the eye. Was the fruit loop coming on to him? Rocco certainly wasn’t looking for a quick fuck, though there were plenty of opportunities in Central Park. So he’d heard, anyway. But if he wanted a quickie, the last place he’d pick was a dirty bathroom or out in public behind a butterfly bush just off the path. Being stung in the ass wasn’t worth it.

“Well, think about it,” Devin pushed. “I’d love to help you out. It’s what I do. I don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, but maybe I can help you. Us meeting here today wasn’t by chance.”

The hell it wasn’t. “Thanks. I’ll check out your website later.” When I have nothing else to do.

“Great. Please do.” Devin slid even closer until his leg brushed Rocco’s. “I don’t bite, Rocco. I help people.”

Rocco’s heart thudded and he yanked his leg away. How one man had gotten to him so quickly then left him scattered just as quickly was frightening. He had to get out of the park and back to the safety of what he knew. His work. His privacy. His studio.

The Guild auction was only a few months away and Rocco hadn’t even begun to sculpt his main piece. At this rate, he’d have to work in clay only. He shoved the card into the small front part of his backpack and zipped the pocket closed. “I gotta get back to work. Nice chatting with you, Devin.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around another time.” Devin closed his eyes. “I’m in the park most days for one thing or another. Just call me. I’ll meet you here any time you want. One-on-one assistance, if you prefer.”

I’ve been in on a lot of discussions lately about what draws a person to a book. Is it the cover art? The blurb? The title? The author name? The subject? Something else?

I honestly believe it’s a combination of all of the above. When I’m wandering through a bookstore, the cover art is obviously the first thing to catch my eye. Even if I’m looking for a specific author that I know where to go to find, other books may draw me in with the cover art. And I might stop and pick one up.

Once I’ve picked it up, I check out the title. Even with an amazing cover, “Following the history of libraries” would probably not be something I’d go for. So I’d look at the blurb on the back. I get very irritated with books that have no blurb. Or the blurb may be only about the author’s other books. I want to know about *this* book, not his or her other ones. At least, not yet. If you want to give me that info, put it inside, but give me a back blurb. A back blurb should be short and to the point. It should be intriguing enough to get me to actually open the book and look at a page or two. Some places get you with leading questions, other publishers don’t do this. That doesn’t matter to me. Tell me who the main characters are, what they want, and why they can’t have it. (Ever heard of Goal/Motivation/Conflict?).

So far, all this stuff is on the publisher (unless it’s self-pubbed). If I’ve gotten this far, I’ll open the book and read the first page. This is where the author has to pull me in. If you don’t catch me in the first page or two, that’s it. I’ll put the book down and move on – unless it’s an author I know well and know that the story will get significantly better by page ten or so.

Do I look at reviews? Rarely. An amazing review has never gotten me to purchase a book, nor has a bad one gotten me to ignore one. A review is just someone’s opinion. A few years ago, there was a book out that was getting amazing reviews. One of my good friends read it and gushed all about this book and how good it was. She even mailed me a copy so we could read it together (she lived across the country). I sat down to read the book… and hated it. I tried very hard to love the book. I really did. But I hated it. It was made into a movie. I watched the movie to see if that would make me like the book. It didn’t. Though it had two really good actors in the lead parts, I hated it almost more than I disliked the movie. I thought it was me, but in talking with other friends, I found out I wasn’t the only one who disliked this book. So reviews? They don’t do it for me.

So… cover art, title, blurb, first two pages – these are the things that get me to pick up a book and read it. What about you? What gets you to read a book?

Vicky