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Join me and my special guest, Charla Hathaway of the BodyJoy Intimacy School, for a conversation about how to keep Eros strong in your daily life and nightly lovemaking. Charla’s new book, 8 Erotic Nights: Passionate Encounters that Inspire Great Sex for a Lifetime, follows her success with Erotic Massage (both from Quiver Press).
Meet Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
Got questions for Charla, ask them now even if you can’t make it to BookPeople, and I’ll get her answers for you.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.
A buddy, well into mid-life and divorced for many years, bragged to me about how easy it is these days for him to get laid. “When women reach a certain age, they aren’t looking for a husband anymore. They’ve been there, done that. Most women I know lead busy, independent lives. They don’t have time nor bandwidth for a serious relationship. But they still want sex and they are direct about their desires.”
Do you think he’s just making this up, or does it ring true?
This fellow has no complaints about finding women fast and easy, but other men have shared with me that they do. At least three men who come to talk about relationships at the “Intimacies” discussion group that I host at BookPeople each month, tell me that they would like to first feel some emotional connection with a woman before they go to bed with her. The women are the opposite.
Says one gal, “I don’t want to spend months becoming a guy’s best friend before I find out whether or not we’re sexually compatible. If we aren’t, then I have to break up with my best friend!”
I confess that, before I was married, I have enjoyed what I’ll call “convenient” relationships with men whom I knew weren’t appropriate partners for me in the long term, but they came in handy when I needed a little help going to sleep.
What about you? Do you think there can be a good time and place for casual sex with a reliable partner?
I’d love to hear your stories and, with your permission, reference them (anonymously of course) in the column I write for The Good Life magazine. What do you think of having a convenient, stand-in lover to fill the void when Mr. Right is overly elusive?
Karen Kreps,
Author of Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance
I thoroughly enjoyed Karen Kreps book of Intimacies. I found it easy to read and very approachable and insightful in its contents. It reminds me again and again of the endless possibilities in relationships and the gardening that’s required to keep them blossoming. Thank you Karen!
I am a panelist at the upcoming Remarkable Women’s Conference, June 6th - 8th. Our discussion is titled, “A Call for a New Sexual Revolution,” and our time frame is on Sunday from 2:45 – 3:45. I would love to see you at our presentation.
I’m excited about the conference and being a part of it - they are really creating a first class experience for everyone involved. The conference is a fantastic opportunity to connect with resources in our community, to meet new friends and contacts and to hearing current information on relevant topics.
One of the benefits of being a speaker is that I get to give a discount to my friends. You can find more information about the conference at www.RemarkableConferences.com <http://www.RemarkableConferences.com/> and when you register just enter coupon code SPKR08 to get $20.00 off the price of registration. You do need to register online by May 15th to get the discount, otherwise the price goes up to $149.00, so act NOW. Men are welcome! The networking alone is worth the investment.
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.
I’d love to hear from the brides (and grooms)-to-be about what kind of rituals you are planning for your wedding ceremony. I’d particularly like to learn about unique innovations on traditional wedding rites and why you chose them. I’d like to include your stories in a June column I may write for The Good Life magazine. Will your wedding be officiated by a minister who is creative with the nuptials? Stories are welcome, too, from those who married some time ago about any rituals you made up or employed to inspire a successful union.
Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Neil Stegall, LCSW, for a conversation about how to keep moodiness from mucking up your love life. Learn how to deal with the emotional fluctuations that affect all relationships. Neil practices psychotherapy to help individuals and couples find practical solutions to improve communication and relationships.
Meet Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.
Excerpt from the pamphlet “An introduction to Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous” Copyright 1985 : S.L.A.A. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship based on the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. With established meetings in many cities in the United States and several cities overseas, this self-help fellowship is open to people of any age or sexual preference. Members include both those who suffer from a compulsive need for sex, and those with a desperate attachment to one person. What all members have in common is an obsessive/compulsive pattern, either sexual or emotional (or both, in which relationships or activities have become increasingly destructive to all areas of their lives — career, family, and sense of self-respect).
My guest at BookPeople on Wednesday, March 19, will be Michael Johnson, PhD a therapist who counsels people about sexual addiction. We’ll be talking about discerning the difference between intensity and intimacy. Got any questions for Michael? Post them here.
My book has a chapter,”Sweet are the memories of the lips that first kissed ours.” Here’s an excerpt:
“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.
