It’s that time again, folks. We’re running dangerously low on material for future issues, and I need your help. Think of something you’d like to ask any GA author and send me their name and the question. I’ll take it from there.

Privately, I answer most generic questions sent in. This one was tough. Is it wrong I’d like to meet one of my own? Anyway, I found the question and the responses of the authors I pose it to fascinating.

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Is there a character you read about in a story on GA that you would like to meet? Get to know better? Take out to lunch? Who is it and why?

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@comicfan

Okay, I'm not sure who asked this but they enjoy making my life hard. I read a lot of stories on here and couldn't pick just one. So I'm having a brunch to invite three of my many favorites.

First is Alexander Wellberg from Mistletoe and Handgrenades by KC Grim. Alex is just a sweet man whose life is turned upside down. I want to know what he fought with his grandfather about and how he is making out with Brice. He lost millions and is starting over. I want to know how the house was when he was finished with the repairs.I am nosey and he has the answers.

Next up is Peter Gregory from Second Shot by Andrew Q Gordon. I love Peter's determination. He is so down to earth and seems to have so much common sense. Would enjoy just making him a friend and maybe learning martial arts from him. One way to get in shape.

Finally, Skylar from Twice the Night Before Christmas by Aditus. I love a character that turns the expected on its head. He is so sick and as a vampire he can't drink blood. How does that even work? Skylar is sassy and determined to live his life, or is it his afterlife, the way he wants to. He is the type of man who sees things differently. I would love finding out his take on werewolves, elves, and the likes.

So a nice brunch, coffee, tea, and plenty of conversation. Those are my choices today. In a month that might be completely different. 

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@Graeme

It all depends on whether I'm meeting them as myself or as another fictional character. Most of the characters I love are much younger than me, and I'd feel weird and out of place meeting them. So, assuming I'd be meeting them as myself, I'd pass. It just wouldn't feel right to meet them. If I can meet them as a character in the story, then there's way too many to mention. I often imagine myself as a side character in stories, interacting with the protagonist(s) and helping them out.

Having said that, there's one character I'd like to meet as I am. That's the bartender in chapter 1 of Dabeagle's You Don't Know Me. When it's time for me to move on, I'd like to meet him and see if he'll give me a second chance, too... I'd like to see what my life could've been like if I had lived as an openly gay man.

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@Myr

If I could meet a character I've read about in a story on GA, I think it would have to be Dalen Ashkevron in dkstories' Tests of Blood.  It is a FanFiction story of Mercedes Lackey that is pretty unique.  It takes place within the lore of the world, but much further forward than any story Mercedes Lackey has published thus far (including her yearly Anthologies. ie. official FanFiction). 

I find Dalen to be a very interesting person, in that he has power but he's conflicted by his family history and the fear of it repeating.  Underlying it all is the steel nerve to drive what is right. And he's basically a magical engineer. It would be hugely interesting to me to see the magical steampunk sort of world he exists in too.  How could you go wrong with a magical artificer making a locomotive?

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@Krista

I would choose, Aaron Keslin from Desert Dropping. Singularly he was the character that brought me to Gay Authors. I would like to meet him later in life, after he moved on from High School to see how he developed into a young adult. He had an interesting character arc. He was a bully, but one that had demons that made him mean, to the point where it was slightly irredeemable for their ages. He also had tender and romantic moments that kept you guessing and interested. It brought him to life and I would be curious to see if he still had that spark that made him interesting.

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@Mann Ramblings

A few years ago, Cia wrote a series across a set of anthologies called Maze for Three, and I was kind of fixated on her alien shifter, Moshe. He was big, powerful, and kind hearted in a way I'd always appreciated. I guess I've always had a not-so-soft spot for honorable beast-men in sci-fi and fantasy. (I may have even written about one...)

So, to be honest, I wouldn't have wanted to take him out just for coffee.  (nudge, nudge, wink, wink...)

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@Renee Stevens

Just one? Argh! You don't make this easy on me. I don't get to read on site as much as I'd like to, but there are still a few characters that really stand out in my mind. I'll be honest in that as soon as I read the question, my mind screamed Davis Retic (also known as Dav) from Cia's story Hypnotic. I personally love the depth that Cia put into the character. There are so many dimensions to him that I'd love to learn more about him. To most, he comes across as nothing more than a very dangerous Carthera, but the more we learn about him, we learn that, while his reputation is definitely deserved in some aspects, there is so much more to him. He was fascinating to me and he has stuck in my mind since the first time I ever read Hypnotic.

Receiving this question actually made me go back and read my two favorite Carthera stories, and then I questioned my answer. Why? Because I'd also love to meet Bashta, from Cia's other Carthera story, Two of a Kind. I loved Bashta from the start of the story and just kept wanting to learn more about him.

Geez, who am I kidding. I'd love to meet the majority of the Carthera. They are fascinating and I'd love to hear lots of stories about them! These are by no means the only characters that I've loved, but they are the ones who stand out immediately in my mind.

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@Valkyrie

There are several I can think of, but I'd have to say Jonah from @aditus' Red Running Shoes tops the list.  There's something endearing about him, despite his penchant for running when things get tough.  His quirks and spontaneity would keep things interesting, and he seems like he'd be a loyal friend.  I'd love to sit down over some lunch or a cup of coffee and talk about life, dragons, or whatever else strikes our fancy.  

My other choice would be Ben from @Cole Matthews's stories.  When I edited So Weeps the Willow, I frequently commented "I adore Ben!"  I also threatened Cole with torches and pitchforks if anything happened to him.  Ben seems like a down-to-earth, friendly guy who would be fun to hang out and chat with.  

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That’s it for this month. Remember if there are no questions, there’s no blog. Come on, y’all, I’m begging here.

EDIT NOTE-

My apologies to @Valkyrie for leaving her off the blog. She answered the question before anyone else, and I screwed up. Sorry, Val.