With her debut novel Diary of a South Beach Party Girl (Simon Spotlight Entertainment; May 2007; Trade Paperback Original; $14.95), author Gwen Cooper takes the town immortalized in the detective and drug cartel stories of John D. MacDonald, Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard, and gives readers the South Beach of the ‘90s in all its glamorous glory.  A fourth-generation Miami Beach native, Cooper presents South Beach not as a mere setting for a plot, but as a visually decadent and culturally rich town with an energy—and a story—all its own.

Diary of a South Beach Party Girl chronicles the rises and falls of Rachel Baum, a sheltered, career-oriented girl who moves to South Beach from suburban Miami in pursuit of the life less ordinary.  Ushered into South Beach’s exclusive party scene, Rachel finds herself in the VIP rooms of the hottest clubs and the society columns of the local press.  Slinky gowns, free-flowing cocaine, and all-night parties become a daily routine as Rachel is drawn into the decadence and excess of her new lifestyle.  Surrounded by SoBe’s privileged Beautiful People, Rachel befriends media darlings, socialites, and nightlife moguls including the infamous Chris Paciello, and throws herself into a heated, drug-fueled affair with the seductively elusive John Hood.  But in a town where friends become enemies faster than highs become hangovers, the life less ordinary turns into more than Rachel bargained for.  Set during the heyday of the South Beach “scene,” Diary of a South Beach Party Girl is at once a snapshot of the unique culture and energy of South Beach and a captivating look at one young woman’s attempt to find herself during this landmark period in the town’s history.  As Cooper relates Rachel’s frequently humorous and occasionally painful exploits during her rise to SoBe stardom, she captures the essence of America’s glossiest party town—from celebrity-studded, over-the-top VIP rooms to the seedy bathhouses and cocaine speakeasies to which those in power simply turn a blind eye.  A smart and sexy read, Cooper’s debut will turn the heads of those in Miami and beyond. Check back for a full interview with Author Gwen Cooper…………..

To the Moon Marketplace (2205 Wilton Drive) is the place for all of your Greeting Card needs with over 1000 choices for young old, straight or gay. The card selection is amazing. The Easter Pop Up cards are almost sold out, they are wonderful looking this year, but there are about 20 different other Easter cards to choose from. The Easter selection of chocolates is Outstanding this year: Joseph Schmidt Truffle in hand painted boxes shaped like Carrots, Eggs with bunnies painted or chicks, even handmade Easter baskets filled with 4 large truffles, Old fashion Panorama Sugar Eggs, Solid small and large Milk White and Dark Chocolate Bunnies, Kinder Easter Eggs and chocolate with toys in the middle, Edible Easter grass, Giant Brazilian Easter Eggs, Old fashion speckled malted eggs, Bunny corn, Duck eggs a.k.a. hide n seek eggs (candy coated marshmallows looking eggs), Spiced jelly beans (rare), Easter mellow crèmes, Jelly Belly Spring mix, Jelly Belly Little Bean Beaded Purses with Spring Mix inside, Pastel colored chocolate mini bunnies filled with Creamy Peanut Butter, Giant Jelly Beans (about 1” long and fat), and of course peeps in all colors and shapes, even Sugar free Peeps and cocoa flavored ones, Easter Pez in collector Eggs, Eggs Laying, hopping, bunnies, chicks and ducks. You can also have a basket made to your budget or make one yourself. And so much more, but don’t wait too long, as supplies are selling out. IN addition, Vosges Chocolate (Vosges Haut Chocolat) known fore their wonderful spiced chocolate has made 4 flavors of their most popular bars into Floppy Ear Chocolate Bunnies. For more information call Antonio at 954-564-2987. They are open Sunday -Thursday 11-11 Friday-Saturday 11-1:00 am 365 Days A Year www.tothemoonmarketplace.com

It’s called the Aqua Foundation for Women, formerly known as the Women’s Community Fund, and you might not know about them yet, but they are quietly becoming one of Miami’s biggest power-hitters among gay and lesbian charitable organizations.  This year’s total of $25,000 in grant awards marks a milestone for the three-year-old group of professional women who donate their time and services to fundraising efforts on behalf of a variety of key issues in the lesbian, bisexual and transgender women’s community – including health, education and the arts. “We are especially proud of what our funding will accomplish this year,” says AFW Chair and Founder, Alison Burgos.  “This grant cycle, 10 community organizations applied for an AFW grant, and six were awarded a total of $25,000." They are: Women’s programming at this year’s 9^th Annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF), held April 27-May 6 in South Beach and Fort Lauderdale. According to MGLFF Program Director Carol Coombes, “Quality women’s films are more numerous and prominent this year than ever before, thanks to the generosity of our AFW grant.” GLSEN South Florida will utilize the grant for a Safe Schools project in Miami-Dade Public Schools. Through youth panel presentations and youth conferences that address women’s issues highlighting the specific challenges facing lesbian and bisexual female students in public schools, the female-led trainings will run from June 2007 through the end of the year. YES Institute will train and educate 35 lesbians in gay/straight alliances throughout Miami-Dade County in courses that aim to empower women and girls in helping to correct the seeming imbalance of power in the male-dominated and male-focused gay community. Pridelines Youth Services, Inc.’s “Becoming Women Program / Out in the City,” will use the funds to continue the series of workshops that started out aimed at assisting LBTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer) youth with life skills (etiquette, education, and leadership), to expand the program for community activities and cultural outings, as well as one nutritious meal a week. SAVE Foundation is using the funds for Together for Life, a series to be created by a leadership core of women who want to work toward changing societal norms and perceptions of same-sex relationships both within the LBT community and in the community at-large.  The program includes a training curriculum and speakers' bureau that will set up in private homes for small to large group gatherings. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida plans to create a networking social initiative called Women-4-Women in Broward County. It will include a monthly networking social, women's community fall health fair, support group operations at GLCC, seminars, lectures and social events all taking place at the GLCC. Burgos attributes the growing success of the organization to the hard work and dedication of a few, and the growing awareness and generosity of many friends and supporters in the LBT community.  “Women’s organizations have had to struggle in the past not only to reach out to women, but to create a philanthropic base. I think we’re beginning to turn an important corner and that feels very rewarding.” A grants reception will be held in honor of the recipients on Thursday, April 19 at Dot 51, an art gallery in Miami's Design District, located at 51 NW 36th St. from 7 to 10 p.m. A donation of $35 is suggested to attend. For more information, call the AFW office at 305-576-2782 or visit the Web site at www.aquafoundation.org

The Delray Beach Chorale celebrates 25 years with "Echoes of Impressionism" featuring the works of Francis Poulenc and Ralph Vaughan Williams on Sunday April 15 at 4:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 33 Gleason street. Due to Delray Affair, approach the church via a1a to Atlantic Ave, then left on Gleason. Tickets are $20 adults, $5 students and children and are available at the door. For information call 800-984-SATB or go to www.delraybeachchorale.org

The 9th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is proud to announce this year's Gala Opening Night Diva and Mistress of Ceremonies, the incomparable singer and performer ALBITA. Albita will appear onstage prior to the Opening Night World Premiere screening of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami on Friday, April 27 at 7:30pm. Albita began her career at a very young age coming from a home of parents who were famous singers. As a young singer she started to get attention due to her renovation of traditional Cuban music, composing, arranging and singing with a unique, personal style. In 1990, she left Cuba and headed to Colombia, where she lived for 3 years, she consolidated her passion for different fusions in her music although always maintaining her Cuban roots. In 1993, she crossed the border from Juarez, Mexico into El Paso, Texas and on April 15, 1993 she arrived in Miami, Florida. There she began to perform wherever they would let her bring her songs to the people; she was very successful, in her personal style. She put everything Cuban in style, from Guayabera, to the Cuban cigar, S.W. 8th street in Little Havana to the music. While performing in Little Havana she began to attract the attention of famous celebrities like, Gianni Versaci, Quincy Jones, Madonna, Sly Stone, Paco de Lucia Marco Antonio Muñiz, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, among others. Soon after she signed a contract with Emilio Estefan. Soon her career went international and she went on to perform in such places as Australia, Europe, Malaysia, Africa and of course all of Latin America. She shared the stage with such stars as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Phil Collins, Tony Bennett, Oscar de Leon, Gilberto Gil, Juan Luis Guerra, Tito Nieves, Daniela Mercury, Miriam Makeeba, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera and Melissa Ethrige. She has performed for four Presidential functions, including two inaugurations. In 2004, she created her own record company and label “Angels’ Dawn Records” and under her own label she made the album “Albita Llego” which won her two Grammy’s for Best Contemporary Tropicalo Album of the year. In 2005, she went to Broadway where she starred in the musical “The Mambo Kings."