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cover art for Rick Karlin - Last Call South Florida: A History of 1001 LGBTQ

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Rick Karlin - Last Call South Florida: A History of 1001 LGBTQ

Last Call South Florida sweeps aside the glitter and glamour of the Sunshine State's LGBTQ nightlife scene to reveal the vibrant tapestry of real people who thrived on both sides of the bar. From the harrowing days of bar raids and police arrests to the triumphs of hard-won rights, this book dives deep into the lives of those who made history.


Meet the investors and entrepreneurs who built the foundation, the entertainers, bartenders, go-go boys, drag performers, and "bar celebrities" who brought life to the stage, and the customers who found solace and community in these havens. This isn't just a nightlife chronicle; it's a celebration of a resilient community that emerged stronger from every challenge.

What makes South Florida's LGBTQ bar scene unique is its dazzling blend of glamour, diversity, and unyielding spirit. Historians Fred Fejes and Rick Karlin have meticulously researched this distinctive community, covering an era from Prohibition to the present day. Focusing from Palm Beach to Broward, and Miami-Dade to Key West, they capture the essence of a community that has withstood the test of time and adversity.


Fejes and Karlin's journey unearthed countless personal stories and experiences, bringing the history of South Florida's LGBTQ bar community to life. Their extensive archival research and interviews have culminated in a captivating book that informs and entertains.


Last Call South Florida presents a rich tapestry of recollections, memories, histories, and artifacts. It's not just a book; it's a vital contribution to LGBTQ history, preserving the legacy of a community that shaped the cultural landscape of South Florida. Dive into this fascinating chronicle and celebrate the vibrant, resilient spirit of South Florida's LGBTQ bar community.

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  • James L. Hill - The Ruby Cradle

    28:40|
    It is the turn of the nineteenth century. The industrial age has begun. Steam powered ships has taken over the oceans. Factories are going up across Europe and America. There is a resurgence of activity in the castles in the mountains and when the Crimean War breaks out Zabella is sent to her grandmother, Rehema to learn about the dragons.Rehema mentally transcends the girl to the First Split (1000 A.D.), the wars her mother, Apollonia, fought to destroy the dragons as they had spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe. It began as they built castles and started controlling men with gold. The dragons led the Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese empires over the centuries. The dragons turn Molytans into Ogres as their generals that lead huge armies and protect them when their powers wane at night.New dragons come to power in Europe and now threaten the balance of power in the world. The world of dragons is one of total destruction. They take over an area and cause wars until the world is in ruins. The dragons can’t be killed but can be drained of power causing them to turn into ruby-like stones. Only a dragon can consume another dragon, increasing its power.Apollonia becomes a sorceress and can retain her power for years out of water with the help of her sisters. She raises a champion in France to battle the dragons’ growing threat of England’s Vargrerot and Russia’s Deyhezas. After destroying a Castle in the Alps and capturing its dragon in the Ruby Cradle, Napoli, the Dragon Killer, confronts the English at the Battle of Hastings. Apollonia returns to the sea and spawns two more mermaids. Afterwards she returns to the world of men to continue the hundred year war and is burned at the stake as Joan of Arc.Zabella knows she must prepare men to fight and destroy the dragons before the world is at war once more. She knows dragons can be killed.
  • Kyle Mills - Fade In

    35:26|
    When ex-navy SEAL Salam “Fade” al-Fayed steps in front of a sniper’s bullet, he assumes that he’s reached the end of the road—his death wish has finally been answered.Instead, he wakes in a hospital. As one of the deadliest operatives in U.S. history, he’s now incapable of even standing without assistance. Alone and wanted by authorities, he’s destined to spend the rest of his life lying in a prison infirmary.So when a shadowy organization offers him a new identity and next-generation medical care, he has no choice but to agree. Nothing’s free, though. After a grueling rehabilitation, he’s drafted into an elite paramilitary unit. But who’s in charge?When a dire threat—a highly contagious pathogen—explodes out of China, his question is quickly answered: A select group of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people has decided that governments are no longer capable of controlling the chaos erupting around the globe. It’s a power grab by billionaires who’ve decided that it’s their time to rule.With panic rising, the leaders of both democracies and dictatorships prove equally willing to destroy anything and anyone to save themselves. Forced into action before he’s fully ready, Fade finds himself at the sharp end of a mission to stop a menace unlike any he's faced before. If he fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. But what if he succeeds?No one elected the people he’s working for. And God sure as hell didn’t ordain them. Has he signed on to save the human race . . . or to help quietly enslave it?
  • Ryan Melsom - Gods of a New World

    28:01|
    The trillionaires were powerful enough to reshape the world, but it wasn’t enough. Now they want more . . .In a world where trillionaires assisted by powerful AIs call themselves gods, a world where miracles are engineered and secret technology is wired into the very air, James Kessler and Maree Shell stumble upon a conspiracy that defies possibility: the new gods’ plan to encode their consciousness into the world and seize control of reality itself, to literally become the gods they have so far only pretended to be.From the world’s gleaming new AI-crafted cities to the crumbling ruins of the old ones, the two unlikely allies, one a childhood survivor of the Bad Times and the other a privileged daughter of wealth, must run a gauntlet of hostile AIs, vengeful modern-day gods, and mysterious ancient deities, desperately trying to disrupt the plans of the most powerful people who have ever lived. Nothing less than the fate of free will itself hangs in the balance.A mind-bending cyberpunk thriller of rebellion and redemption, Gods of a New World is a visceral dive into the soul of a world on the brink.
  • Jason Kristopher - The Dying of the Light Series

    33:53|
    In a world where the dead hunger for the living, these classified tales reveal humanity's darkest hours and unexpected heroes. From remote wilderness to secret labs, follow the warriors who faced the walker threat before the world knew its name. Some stories should remain buried—but truth, like the dead, always rises.The Walker Chronicles expands the universe of The Dying of the Light trilogy, uncovering the untold history of humanity's fight against the walking dead. While David Blake's journey in END, INTERVAL, and BEGINNING shows the apocalypse and its aftermath, these essential stories reveal the covert battles that raged for decades before Z-Day changed everything. Each tale deepens the conspiracy, heightens the horror, and illuminates the sacrifices made to keep humanity alive.
  • Johnny Trevisani - The Serial Killer Travel Guide Across America

    23:14|
    The Serial Killer Travel Guide Across America isn’t your typical road trip companion. This darkly fascinating guide is quirky and unconventional and takes readers on a darkly humorous journey through the United States, exploring notorious locations linked to infamous serial killers. From the shadowy forests of the Pacific Northwest to the sun-bleached basements of suburbia, each stop offers true crime devotees an unsettling glimpse into the macabre.Designed like a 1960s-style travel guide, this campy book offers a coast-to-coast tour, showcasing select spots and delving into the twisted histories of the perpetrators. Blending history, psychology, and a hint of gallows humor, this book is part travel guide, part true crime encyclopedia, and fully addictive.Whether you’re planning a dark tourism pilgrimage or just indulging your morbid curiosity from the safety of your couch, The Serial Killer Travel Guide Across America will take you closer to the truth—and the horror—than you ever thought possible.
  • Robert Fieseler - American Scare

    33:49|
    In January 1959, Art Copleston was escorted out of his college accounting class by three police officers. In a motel room, blinds drawn, he sat in front of a state senator and the legal counsel for the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, nicknamed the “Johns Committee.” His crime? Being a suspected homosexual. And the government of Florida would use any tactic at their disposal—legal or not—to get Copleston to admit it.Using a secret trove of primary source documents that have been decoded and de-censored for the first time in history, journalist Robert Fieseler unravels the mystery of what actually happened behind the closed doors of an inquisition that held ordinary citizens ransom to its extraordinary powers.The state of Florida would prefer that this history remain buried. But for nearly a decade, the Florida Legislature founded, funded, and supported the Johns Committee—an organization using the cover of communism to viciously attack members of the NAACP and queer professors and students. Spearheaded by Charley Johns, a multi-term politician in a gerrymandered legislature, the Committee was determined to eliminate any threats to the state's white, conservative regime. Fieseler describes the heartbreaking ramifications for citizens of Florida whose lives were imperiled, profiling marginalized residents with compassion and a determination to bring their devasting experiences to light at last. A propulsive, human-centered drama, with fascinating insight into Florida politics, American Scare is a page-turning reckoning of our racist and homophobic past—and its chilling parallels to today.
  • J.D. Horn - Writing Crime Fiction

    36:06|
    J. D. Horn is the author of the standalone dark fantasy Shivaree and the bestselling Witching Savannah series (The Line, The Source, The Void, and Jilo). The Witching Savannah series has been/is being translated into Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian. He and his spouse, Rich, split their time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. During this episode, J.D. discusses his recent change into writing in the Crime Fiction genre.
  • Jonathan Handel - Who Do You Want to Be?

    29:22|
    What do you want to do when you grow up?One day my best friendSaid to meWho in the worldDo you wanna be?I thought and thoughtAnd thought and saidMaybe a firemanCuz their trucks are red?That’s not a great reason—but there are dozens of other possibilities in this lyrical, illustrated story. It’s an affirming book written for diverse kids aged 4-8 and their parents, but it just might appeal to anyone who isn’t sure what they want to do for work. (And, really, who is?)With large color illustrations on just about every page and rhymes throughout, it's a great gift for any young kid. We're contributing ten percent of the book’s revenue to The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.This color, fixed-layout Kindle edition is best viewed on color tablets, laptops and desktop computers—and even cellphones.
  • Timothy Jay Smith - Fire on the Island Audio

    34:31|
    Set against the very real refugee crisis on the beautiful, sun-drenched Greek islands, Fire on the Island paints a nuanced and loving portrait of a community in crisis while shedding light on the challenges of life in contemporary Greece.After a string of mysterious fires breaks out on a small Greek island, undercover FBI agent Nick Damigos arrives to investigate, showing up just in time to save a beloved truffle-sniffing dog from the most recent inferno. But as Nick searches for the arsonist responsible, he finds himself navigating a community rife with conflicts, some of which go back generations. As the threat of the next fire looms, Nick begins to uncover the villagers’ countless buried secrets. But Nick has secrets too, and as he falls for a young bartender who becomes his prime suspect, he becomes entrenched in the very mystery he’s trying to solve. With time running out to prevent catastrophe, will Nick expose the truth and save the village, or will the island be engulfed in a blaze of vengeance and heartbreak?

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