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  • Cia

    September CSR Discussion Day: The Tor by andy cannon

    By Cia

    Well, tis a cool day here in the end of September, though in the past it's been blazin hot. In this month's featured story from the first Monday's blog post, the past, present, and maybe even the future? weigh immeasurably on the main characters. Can they bear it? Could andy cannon bear my questions? Read on to find out the answers to all that! Share your thoughts on his story, The Tor, below in comments!  Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? I’m a big fan. If you were an animal, wha
    • 2 comments
    • 35 views
Review

'Pansies' by Alexis Hall

Pansies by Alexis Hall. My rating: 5 out of 5 stars Why bother with a predictable or exotic location for your queer romance when South Shields in the NE of England works perfectly well? I love the way Alexis Hall sees beyond the surface drabness of a run-down coastal town to find so many points of character, fascination, and natural beauty. And surely it's important some queer tales take place in forgotten geographic corners. Not everyone lives in London, Manchester, or Brighton.
northie

northie in Review

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Life and Writing

Writing and Life. In that order.

Writing: Get in and get out. I write novels because they’re in demand. But my favorite writing project is a short story. It’s not often I get asked for them. Certainly not as often as I’d like, and I understand that. People want novels.   But a good short story… chef’s kiss. To read is fun, but to create is divine. I encourage the site’s authors to give the short story form a try, if they haven’t. “Experts” say many of the same writing rules apply, whether penning novels or short form
Life and Writing

What shapes the writer...

There was an article on Open Culture about a week ago that I’m just now getting around to linking because… that’s my life. My dog actually got in my lap this afternoon (plot twist: he’s not a lapdog, but a fifty-pound Brittany in his prime), probably in an effort to pin me in place for five minutes. It worked. I sent emails. Watched some YouTube videos. I even drank a cup of coffee while it was hot. Pretty epic.  Check this out if you never have before. Less to compare your have-read list t
General Ramblings

My real first month on GA.

I don't generally write many blog posts, I never really have.  I used to keep a journal in my teens and honestly I wish I still had them to fall back on to see how my thought processes have changed over the years.  Have I gotten better, have I gotten worse.  I joined GA back in 2006, because I was friends with someone who is now considered a Classic Author, but never really posted anything.  I was brought back again in 2011, 2012 but still didn't post anything. I came back this time because
blog post

When Words Are Not Enough

“Life is so cruel,” it was all I could think of to say to my nephew Stuart, who was on the other end of the phone. I was sat on the Brompton Road, the traffic rushing passed me with far too much haste, slight drizzle beginning to fall. I had missed Stuart’s message on Facebook, the day before, I’m not great with social media, so I was returning his call. Stuart wanted me to hear it from someone who knew me, a friendly voice. Dave, my only brother, had died, suddenly, two days ago.
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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General Ramblings

Stories that change you.

Have you ever read anything that just totally tore you apart? I mean something that just took apart your psyche down to the foundation, then rebuilt it from the ground up leaving you naked and confused at how you view yourself, how you view the world, because it touched those old wounds years have buried and shook up the core of your being? I recently came back to GayAuthors because back in the day, me and another author who by the way is now listed as a 'Classic Author' by the name sh
Review

'Mr Loverman' by Bernardine Evaristo

Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo.  My rating: 5 out 5 stars If, like me, you spend much of your time reading queer fiction, it's very easy to fall into the trap of assuming the majority of main characters are young(ish), white(ish) and come from (more or less) privileged backgrounds. It's a phenomenon that's particularly prevalent in romance but can carry over into other genres. The hero of 'Mr Loverman' is none of these things. And it is such a pleasure to encounter an authenti
northie

northie in Review

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blog post

Lily Savage is Missing

Last Wednesday morning (29th March), I was woken up by the radio news telling me that Paul O’Grady had suddenly and sadly died (1). It was a shock. Lying there, half asleep, I didn’t believe it, for a moment, but it was true. The tributes poured in for him, praising his work as a television presenter, chat show host and champion for Battersea Cats & Dogs Home (2). But I will always remember him as his alter ego, Lily Savage. When I moved to London, in the mid-eighties, Lily Savage
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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blog post

Sunday 2nd April 2023

I hated Sunday afternoons as a child. It was always the low point of the week, the afternoon when nothing really happened. It was those long hours between Sunday lunch and Sunday tea. My parents would go and garden, leaving me alone with the television. There were only three channels and none of them saved their best programs for Sunday afternoons. I watched a lot of old and often not very good films, black and white war films that were all about the glory of fighting, or equally black and white
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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blog post

Thursday 30th March

I’ve had problems with the bailiffs, or one particular bailiff company. It’s not what you think, I didn’t owe anyone any money but someone else, who I have never heard of, has been giving out our address as his own, someone who has never lived at our address. For ages I’ve returning letters for him as “Not known at this address.” The three weeks ago we received a hand delivered letter for him, with no return address on it and the envelope was open. Inside was a letter from a firm of bailiff
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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blog post

Wednesday 29th March 2023

On the grass, in front of our house, the crows and seagulls have fallen back into their usual cold war, after all staring at the lorry that came to emptying our rubbish bins. They stand around, glaring at each other, or attacking leftover fast-food wrappers, which the crows always seem better at. Every couple of days the cold war breaks down and they’ll start fighting over something or other, leaving behind the occasional feather on the grass. Before lockdown, the grass was dominated by pig
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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blog post

Tuesday 28th March 2023

Last Friday we had a day out. We went to the London Transport Museum Depot, out at Acton (West London), for one of its open days. It was an amazing experience. It is housed in an old London Transport depot and is full of all kinds of old equipment, trains and memorabilia from the London Underground. I have always been fascinated by the London Underground, ever since I moved to London. Taking a train across a city, that travelled only underground, was so new and different. Since then, I hav
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

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Life and Writing

Mirror in the sky, what is love?

Sunday blog time. I was asked this question a few days ago: “What one book do you love that you believe influenced your own writing the most?” That’s a seriously hard question, folks. How could any writer, who is most likely an avid reader, choose just one single book as the most influential in their life?  There have been moments. Epiphanies. When I read something that, upon reflection, altered me. But pick one work above all others? That feels impossible. I can think of many ins
Libby Drew

Libby Drew in Life and Writing

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Review

'Syncopation' by Anna Zabo

Syncopation by Anna Zabo My rating: 4 out of 5 stars In music, syncopation is the idea of cross-beats, a rhythm that stands out against whatever else is going on. Yes, it can be a cause of musical conflict or tension, but syncopation is also an important part of the musical whole. Those different, independent beats often enhance whatever else is going on. They add strength. This is where we meet Ray van Zeller and Xavier Damos. Ray's band is going through tricky times. So is Xavie
northie

northie in Review

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Life and Writing

Ode to Sunday

Wait, I can’t do poems. Let’s call it Stream of Consciousness Sunday. This week felt ten weeks long. Modern medicine is a wonder, but modern travel is torture, and I often use Sundays to consider all the different ways I could avoid airplanes for the rest of my life.   Also, no surprise to anyone, the world is full of self-involved, self-righteous, ignorant individuals, which is also no modern phenomenon, as human nature has basically remained unchanged since the dawn of the species. C
Libby Drew

Libby Drew in Life and Writing

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Background of the Bad Dog

Memory

On August 24th of 2022, I went to what seemed to be a routine therapy appointment. I have complex PTSD stemming from, well, lots of places. This led to depression, anxiety, and an impossibly tricky minefield of things that would set me off for no reason. In fact, that same day, I had a panic attack, hearing metal bats hit softballs. This was new, as I had watched the summer of softball games in the employee league, and only on this day was it a problem.  My therapist decided to do some EMDR
writing tips

Part 3

Authenticity vs everyday life There are two camps of literature consumers: Those who practice escapism (fantasy and science fiction to the rescue) and those who prefer stories that seek a high order of reality and authenticity: Feelings—good ones as well as bad ones—, situations you can identify with, which you even already might have experienced. In the early days of filmmaking, there have been ideas now and then, that had the potential to be revolutionary. The idea, I want to talk ab
Zuri

Zuri in writing tips

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Review

'A Marvellous Light' by Freya Marske

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars This book contains magic, Edwardian society, arcane puzzles, soul-deep connections, and the British civil service. What a mix. And you know what? It works. It really works. Some reviewers complain there's not enough emphasis on the magic. For me, it's enough. Magic drives the plot, steers the action, and has sufficient internal logic to hold the story together. I don't want to be sitting through pages of lore or mechanics.
northie

northie in Review

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Writing

Moving Pictures

On a July evening, in 1991, three people are each caught in a moment of indecision, not knowing what the next right thing to do is. Helen has cooked a special, surprise meal for her husband, but he still hasn’t returned home. Paul has parked his car at the side of the road, but he doesn’t know where to drive to next. Craig is working late, but his mind isn’t on work. Moving Pictures is my newly published short story. It tells its story from the point-of-view of three different people,
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in Writing

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Life and Writing

Wait, I wrote that? (Or, how 40 Souls to Keep began its life)

Happy Thursday to me! Thursday is the one weekday I have off. It’s dark, cold and rainy outside at the moment. Perfect for snuggling in front of the fire.  With the dogs.  Which is fine. I love a solid dose of unconditional adoration.  Who develops ideas like I do, I sometimes wonder? When a story starts as nothing more than a concept, leaving you to flesh out everything else -- characters, POV, time period etc. Many of my writer friends focus on characters. They have the perfect
Libby Drew

Libby Drew in Life and Writing

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Book review

Book Review: The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie

This play opens with a startling image. In a sitting room, at night, a man lies dead in his wheelchair while standing over him is his wife holding the gun that killed him. Onto this scene stumbles a man, a stranger to this household. But instead of calling for the police, or even calling for help, the man, the unexpected guest of the play's title, starts to coach the woman in how to get away with the murder of her husband. Agatha Christie had an equally successful career as a playwright as
Drew Payne

Drew Payne in Book review

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Life and Writing

To Sequel or Not to Sequel

Should I or shouldn’t I? This has always been a relatively easy question for me because I have the attention span of a kitten. Rarely have I felt my characters need more once I’m done with them. Of course, they could always have more adventures. I’m just ready to move on. Again, kitten on catnip. When I type “The End” (or “Finis” if I’m feeling bougie) and readers clamor for more, then I feel successful. Yet the idea of writing a sequel makes me twitchy. I’ve noticed that when authors do pr
Libby Drew

Libby Drew in Life and Writing

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