Buy the book for yourself, someone you love or a friend who could use it.

Since 2002, minds have been opened by Karen Kreps’s insights about love and lovers, shared over seven years in monthly columns for The Good Life magazine and the public conversation group that met monthly  at BookPeople to discuss these personal topics.   Her book, Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance, contains a collection of her columns and is illustrated with photographs of figurative sculpture by her husband, Arye Shapiro.

Karen is an advocate for giving voice to what needs to be said, even it it breaks a taboo or two. Read her blog below, ask her a question and download her free ebook, Choice Intimacies, and get satisfaction between the covers of her book.

The Intimacies Conversation Group meetings, hosted monthly by Karen Kreps, 2002-Jan 2009, was sponsored by

At our last meeting, on Jan 21, we talked about

“Love in the Recession”

It was our final meeting at BookPeople  after a seven-year run, since our sponsor, The Good Life magazine, has ceased publication.

Watch as this site transforms over the coming weeks to take the Intimacies discussion to new dimensions.

Please tell us what you think of the book, the column or the meetings. Leave a comment below. (If comment form isn’t showing below,  please click on the title of this post and it will appear in the new page.)

Z-Helene Christopher

Karen Kreps
Net Ingenuity Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780979789007
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)

Having been happily married for ten years, Karen Kreps has written a book about how to have successful relationships. She has experienced both sides of the coin. She has had her heart broken in unfulfilling relationships, and now she is experiencing a wonderful marriage. Accepting the opportunity to write a monthly relationship column, she also got to host a monthly Intimacies Conversation Group in Austin, TX. This group attracted people from a variety of backgrounds and ages to it. Each month there was a specific topic and a special guest to provide their expertise. “Intimacies” is a collection of articles that were written based upon information that was gathered from these meetings. They might include personal observations and experiences, professional advice and information about human behavior and current trends.

more

It’s in Life section of today’s issue of the Austin American-Statesman.

Here are links to the text copy and the video:

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/03/23/0323selfpublish.html

http://www.statesman.com/news/mplayer/other/65206

“When performed well and received with pleasure, kissing signals our brains to produce the hormone oxytocin, an antidepressive agent that boosts feelings of affection and promotes caretaking behavior.

“The best kind of kiss is shared with someone you really care about, but just the act of kissing can stimulate emotions
and may bring you closer together. Passionate kisses may be savory, sweet or spicy. Dig in and enjoy.”

I found this kissing tutorial on YouTube.com, and thought that the A/V instruction was charming.

]]> http://trueintimacies.com/2008/03/how-to-kiss/feed/ 1 http://trueintimacies.com/2008/03/sex-talk-at-the-remarkable-womens-conference/ http://trueintimacies.com/2008/03/sex-talk-at-the-remarkable-womens-conference/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:01:42 +0000 Karen http://www.netingenuity.com/trueintimacies/?p=52 I’ve been invited to speak on a panel at the Remarkable Womens Conference along with Gayle Michaels, Robin Heart Shepperd and Jade Beaty. The title and description of our hour-long program is:

SEX! Now that we have your attention

Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to…well, you get the idea. When we think of intimacy we generally think of time shared with a partner but it’s about more than that – it’s about falling in love with yourself. Our panel of experts will create a fun, safe environment where you can start to explore some paths to better relationships – not only with your partners but with yourself!

The panel will cap the weekend-long conference. The Remarkable Women’s Conference was created to fill a void in local conferences by providing a space for women from all cross-sections of the community to come together, make meaningful connections, and provide support and encouragement for one another while attending first class break-out sessions and keynote addresses from the best talent that Austin has to offer. The Conference provides a vehicle for women to grow their whole person and includes amazing speakers in topics such as family, workplace, health, relationships and business ownership.

The inaugural event was a huge success and its unofficial motto “Go Big or Go Home” continues to inspire and guide us. This year’s conference is being expanded to include a Friday all-day workshop intensive and a Friday night reception for last year’s participants. The conference itself will take place over Saturday and Sunday and include a Saturday Night networking reception and happy hour.

My book, Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance, will be available for purchase all day Sat and Sunday in the conference bookstore.

77101 Hwy 71 W #200
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Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance
Karen Kreps
Net Ingenuity Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780979789007

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)

Having been happily married for ten years, Karen Kreps has written a book about how to have successful relationships. She has experienced both sides of the coin. She has had her heart broken in unfulfilling relationships, and now she is experiencing a wonderful marriage. Accepting the opportunity to write a monthly relationship column, she also got to host a monthly Intimacies Conversation Group in Austin, TX. This group attracted people from a variety of backgrounds and ages. Each month there was a specific topic and a special guest to provide their expertise.

“Intimacies” is a collection of articles that were written based upon information that was gathered from these meetings. They might include personal observations and experiences, professional advice and information about human behavior and current trends.

In the table of contents there are symbols for each article to indicate who the topics would be most relevant to. Even if I wasn’t reviewing the book, I still would have read all the articles, just because they provide a wealth of information about human behavior. I also loved the personal stories and reflections. They are touching and heartwarming. Kreps husband, Arye Shapiro illustrates her book with photographs of sculptures that he has created. These sculptures are beautiful and reflect depth and emotion.

“Intimacies” is well written and does not provide a “one size fits all” formula. Kreps writes about what works for different people. One example of this is her discussion of non-monogamy. For some people this works. Even though I would not be interested in a polyamorous relationship, it is interesting to read the views of people for whom it works. Kreps doesn’t leave any subject regarding relationships untouched, however, she writes in a manner that is respectful and not crude. I love that the last chapter is about “The Law of Attraction.” This adds a special spiritual touch to the book and provides a perfect ending. I highly recommend “Intimacies” to all people who are either in a relationship or would like to be.

My wife and I really enjoyed Intimacies by Karen Kreps. Not only did we find the book packed with insight and useful information — and beautiful artwork by her husband — but it was exceptionally well-written. We particularly liked the wide range of topics and the equally wide-ranging examples.

If you look up Ms. Kreps’s background, you will find that she has written professionally for decades. Much of her work is about human relations. This entwined history enables her to create a very well crafted book that does NOT waste your time.

We intend to gift some of our pals with this book.

– A Fellow Reader

Gabriel Shapiro
Assistant Professor
Journalism & English
McKendree University

Gayle has made a series of terrific videos in which she speaks explicitly about improving your sexual experience. Look for the SensuousVirtuosa on YouTube.com. She pulls no punches, sharing what she knows about superior penetration technique, circumcism, penis size and how to prevent sexual boredom. I’m going to invite my husband to take the class in The Intimate Dance she’s to teach next month . It’s open to singles and couples.