The Company - Chapter 5 - White Knight
Out now
Questions Answered-
Where in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana or Mississippi does the story take place?
The answer is... yes.
The setting is fictionalized. If you're familiar with the region, the place names will sound familiar but not quite right.
Think of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha county.
Why is AIDs such a big deal in the story?
The innocence of youth is a beautiful thing.
Well, the end is near! The end of June, that is! Did you check out this simple short story... or is it as simple as it seemed? Exit to Redemption introduced readers to characters who could be the driver in the next car, the man in the next office, or the jerk at the next table disturbing your dinner. Learning about Valkyrie is a lot more simple than the choices and changes faced by the characters in her story! Check out my interview with her and then share your thoughts about that or her story i
Belated Winter Solstice for our friends down south and a Happy Summer Solstice for those of us in the North Except it is like the whole world is mixed up, we had snow an hour west of the city here, and so did multiple places across the states too! Some up to 2 feet, or 61cm
Well no matter if it is snowing, raining, or sunny, you can always count on GA to be here with a ton of new reading and happenings going on.
On Monday Cia brought us the Classic Author Feature of the Month who is
A "transmission arm" broke early this afternoon in the city where my brother and parents live, leaving about 1/5 of the town without power (just under 10.4 thousand). Naturally, my charming brother didn't bother to text me until FOUR HOURS LATER to say that he still had power and mom & dad were with him. I hadn't had the TV on all day and hadn't heard anything about it. Aunt was without power too.
Heat index there today was 108° F at 3pm. Can't find anything that gives trivial little
Who is ready for the last round of the anthology entries? Well, wait no more! If you haven't already checked out the previous sets, I've included the links below! Happy reading!!!
In The Stars & Snapped
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Twin Stars
Cia
Perseverance
Valkyrie
Bullying Starts in the Home
Altimexis
Misentrope
Puppilull
Did you catch Monday's blog featuring David McLeod's story, Pilots? This novella-length contemporary story has such a wide variety of characters and short stories within the storyline that you are learning new things about them all the time, which is a great way of catching the readers' interest when the theme is a newly started community GSA. Of course, it won't go smooth for them because when in life--or fiction--does that happen when such a varied group comes together? Case in point....
Therapy. Counseling. Mental health. Talking doctor.
Whatever your choice word for it, that seems to be where I've landed. BEFORE THE PANIC SETS IN, I'M FINE. Well... that's a relative term, but there's no need to worry about me. I've been feeling depressed and uncertain about my future for a long time now, and it's getting in the way of my work.
It's not what I thought it would be. For one thing, I don't come close to fitting on the damned couch. My person seems to like cognitive beha
Well, apparently, in addition to not lasting more than a few days when it should last a few weeks and increasing my shaking, the dual steroid shot I got on Friday makes my blood pressure go up. It's increased every reading [morning / evening] since Friday. Of course, I did need something to break the pain for a bit at least and it did let me get up to the memorial & back which I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. If I get it again I need to remember that the higher reading isn't one of
Happy June and Pride Month! One of the big themes this month is always coming out, or being out and proud, or just being out and not having to be afraid. A big part of that in many places is the GSA, because it's not always easy. Pilots takes a look at how that might play out in a wider setting than just a high school or college, and there's a real cast of characters to get to know in each chapter who will draw you in. Check out this older story if you haven't read it before!
Well this turned out to be a very interesting week here at the GA News Blog. It wasn't planned this way, but it just worked out that 3 of the 4 entries were like the 4 of the planets lining up with the sun. In this case, the sun is Tim aka @Mikiesboy
Monday, Renee shared with us a great review written up by @Cole Matthews:
Then, this is where things started to fall in place! Tuesday, Graeme announced our newest Signature Author, @Mikiesboy:
Jump ahead a couple of days, and Renee
Woke up early this morning (too early for a Saturday [ah - just remembered re-reading this that I need to reset my alarm!]) and drove up to attend my Aunt's Memorial service. Took mom so she wouldn't have to ride with my brother -- that and I have a handicap sticker.
The slideshow / video her oldest boy made with a bit of help from my brother was nice. Could have done without the ministers congregational recruitment blah blah that I found a bit out of place and inappropriate for the situati
It's a drizzly Friday morning on the northern coast of California. Banks of low clouds blend into fog blanketing the forests of what has become my home. Big, brainy, loud ravens shatter the quiet as they bicker at one another in the field beside my work. Still, I'm amazed by the serenity, peace, and beauty of this place. I love the green, the fog, the wetness and the cool.
I love our trees - the tallest in the world. Walking among them instills wonder in me, even after thirteen years o
It's been sometime since I wrote anything. Life has been doing its utmost to kick my ass. Well, I have some choice words for that, which I shall refrain from using.
Seems my shoulder issues are tied into my diabetes. My physio, who is a talented and caring woman, has suggested speaking to my doctor about seeing an orthopedic surgeon. Damn it this is not what I was hoping for.
However, my wonderful and talented boy, tim has said, "You don't want to feel like this forever."
And he
Hey All!
Sorry about the lack of anthologies last week, but it's a new week and time for a new set for your reading enjoyment. We'll get right into them! And if you missed any of the first two sets, I've included the links below!
In The Stars & Snapped
Set 1
Set 2
Reminiscing About the Future
Altimexis
Where There is a Will
Timothy M.
Blackmail in the Night
northie
Gone Fishing
Headstall
Some time ago I became seriously ill. With seriously, I mean getting close to meeting Azrael personally, at least three times. With a white blood cell count considered extremely high even for the type of illness I had, the resulting stroke, hemiplegia, pneumonia, and cerebral edema, to be able to walk and talk again almost like before, I have to count myself lucky.
What I learned: Life as you know it can be over in a blink of a moment. In theory, I knew this, but suddenly being confronted w
Please join the Author Promotion Team in congratulating Tim (Mikiesboy) as GA's newest Signature Author! Tim has been a member of GA for almost four years and was first promoted to Promising in May of 2017. Since joining, Tim has been a prolific author and poet, with almost 400,000 words posted, including novels, novella, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction stories about his own life including how Tim met and married his husband, Michael. If you want to check out that story and the rest of Ti
Sorry for the lateness of this review (but not too late). I hope you all enjoy this review of Levko by @Mikiesboy
Levko
mikiesboy
Reviewer: Cole Matthews
Status: Complete
Word Count: 7,166
Short stories can convey as much of a impact as a novel if done well. In fact, sometimes they can even do it better. Think of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery or Edgar Allan Poe’s A Telltale Heart, gripping tales that are quite brief.
Within the confines of a few words, the writer
We are now a week into the month of June, and a lot of places around the world celebrate Pride in June. How about your neck of the woods? My city actually does Pride the first weekend of September, but I don't know why . I've heard some chatter around the site about good, and unfortunately some bad, already happening. Tell us all about the good!
Did it seem like a short week in the blogs? That's because there were no anthologies posted this week due to Renee ending up hospitalized Thursday
I introduced my best friend in high school to my best friend from college and they got married and had 5 kids -- all of whom still call me "Uncle". Then his brains turned to mush, he married the Whore of Babylon, had other kids and forgot about his first family. I've not spoke with him in ages. Last time we talked he apologized for only calling when he needed money -- them promptly asked for money.
The oldest boy is angry, but still wants his dads love. He's given L second chance after se
Until today, I have never done a writing prompt.
In true fashion, I chose a weird, silly, off-the-wall start to writing prompts. See the little, ~750 word story behind the link if you want a giggle.
Demonic Dentistry
G’day!
Anyone who’s read my CJ series knows I have a thing for Australia. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not due to the tiny bathing suits I saw blokes wear at Bondi Beach. Okay, fine, those may have influenced me a tad.
When I realized I had questions for a couple of our Aussie authors, I asked two reliable blog followers for additional ones. The result is the first ever Ask an AUSTRALIAN Author feature.
I’ve enjoyed stories from all these authors and suggest you give them a t
I thought Cia was up to tricks, and she was 😮
I got 2 correct by just listing the authors she listed in order of the stories listed
@Gary L and @Mikiesboy, I was so onto you both
Congrats to everyone who participated not only in the writing and editing, but participating in the blogs (should we call it the blog of liars 😮).
A huge shout out to @Gary L, swept the floor with his first Secret Author contest. Take a bow
Huge thanks to @Cia who always does this
Just the facts:
CALMNESS Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
CALMNESS Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
CALM Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Calm vs. Calmness | the difference - CompareWords
The concept of calmness in storytelling acts as a structural anchor that gives meaning to action. Just as music requires silence between notes to create a melody, a narrative requires moments of stillness to give impact to its conflicts.
Emotional Counterbalance:
Accentuates chaos: Constant action leads to audience fatigue. A period of stillness makes the next dramatic peak feel far more impactful.
Allows digestion: Quiet scenes give the audience time to process major plot twists
The word calmness combines the root calm (from the Late Latin cauma, meaning "heat of te midday sun") with the Old English suffix -ness which denotes a state or quality. Historically, intense midday heat in the Mediterranean caused winds to stop and the sea to grow still, shifting the word's meaning from "burning heat" to a "quiet, resting state". The shift from describing weather or the sea to describing a peaceful human mind occurred around the 1560s.
According to the Oxford English D