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Would I do that??? List a few in order?? No!! That's cheating! Next year, people might start wondering who is in order... if any! Thanks all, you were amazing!!

So here it is, what you have really been waiting for! Which story did you vote as your favorite use of the "Forbidden Knowledge" theme for this year's event? Ahh, did you think there is more to this reveal? Of course there is! You'll also find out who wrote the story with the favorite use of the theme! And all the other stories, too. This is always one of readers' favorite parts, getting to know just how right you were (or wrong!) Favorite Use of the Theme Winner! Emptying the Library 2026 Secret Author Contest - Forbidden Knowledge The Ledger of the Howling Void by chris191070 The Ledger by drsawzall Wrong Window by Topher Lydon Subtle Signs by Thirdly Coffee with Supervision by Mikiesboy Sweet Sour Paradox Logic by Kileoli Just the Facts, Man by Lee Wilson Murder At 9th and Tom by astone2292 No Official Reason by Myr Undeliverable by Ieshwar Gemma by CassieQ Peeping Tom by kbois The Ivory Fig Ceremony by BendtedWreath Emptying the Library by Gary L Unexpected Discovery by Bill W How many did you get???? I'll be returning all the stories back to their authors so they can reply to comments and reviews today, but I hope you've enjoyed this year's event and games! Make sure you share your final count below on your Story/Author match ups. And, if you haven't had time to like, comment, and review on your favorites this year, take time to do that! I forgot to say, THANK YOU! to everyone who took part this year, sharing stories, playing the games, reading, commenting, etc... This event wouldn't be fun if you didn't take part!

I never tell a lie. 😇

I'll be posting the reveal next Monday and attributing all the stories back to the authors so they can respond to comments/reviews. As that's my first day back to "work officially" sadly the event must end. I sort of die the first week back to school!

Guess as much as you want!! At some point you will have to have a "Final Answer" though, lol.

Woohoo! It's what all of you have been waiting for! That's right, the grand reveal of... just the author's names. That's right, we have another game because where's the fun in just TELLING you who wrote your favorite story? Right now there is a 3 way tie between who used the theme in readers' favorite way, but with just 3 votes each, we can do better! Vote here on your favorite use of the Forbidden Knowledge theme. Now, for your match up fun! I've listed in numerical order, all the authors who took part in this year's event in NO particular order. You might be surprised at some of these names, but maybe not. Maybe it was not Forbidden to YOU, and you figured it all out. Can you figure out which story they match up with, also shared below? Authors in the 2026 Forbidden Knowledge Contest Topher Lydon CassieQ Myr chris191070 Mikiesboy Lee Wilson Ieshwar drsawzall astone2292 Thirdly BendtedWreath Bill W Kileoli GaryL kbois Stories in the 2026 Forbidden Knowledge Contest The Ledger of the Howling Void The Ledger Wrong Window Subtle Signs Coffee with Supervision Sweet Sour Paradox Logic Just the Facts, Man Murder At 9th and Tom No Official Reason Undeliverable Gemma Peeping Tom The Ivory Fig Ceremony Emptying the Library Unexpected Discovery

Ha! Did you think it was time to share the stories and authors? No!! Total clickbait. Heehee! That's right, time to vote on your favorite! Now, to be fair, it would be ideal to have read ALL the stories. Can you vote without having read them? YES! Because this is about your favorite use of our theme of Forbidden Knowledge that you read in this year's Secret Author Forbidden Knowledge stories. Pick a SINGLE title, this isn't your top three. It doesn't even have to be your favorite overall story... just how did the author use the theme in a creative and/or twisted way that made it into the story. Make sure you share why it's your favorite use of the theme in a comment, because inquiring minds want to know! That's not forbidden!

Reason why?

So today's blog leads to a double feature on the main forum page (have you read Graeme's story, Heart of the Tree? Check it out here, it's not forbidden!) but the theme of today's blog is there can be only one! That's right, which ONE character from the Secret Author Forbidden Knowledge stories have you read would you LOOOOOOVE to meet in real life? Share your favorite character to meet in a comment below (and why!). Seems simple, right? As with all discussions on GA, muahahahahaha! You guys always make things interesting I can't wait to find out more.

Thanks all! Since this has proved to be a very popular event and is relatively easy to plan for authors, I hope to keep doing it year after year, but we have to keep it fresh! That's why I've expanded the games this year. I wanted to give our speedy readers some new games and also hint around in various ways, but not give away too much for the members who take a bit more time or digest stories slower because life is busy or something comes up (we all know about that!) This way the Secret Author event isn't going too fast or too slow, and everyone gets to go at their own speed while enjoying the event. It makes me happy it seems we're walking the line just right so far. Next week there's a bit more of the usual sort of guessing/voting, and then reveals (because the evils of day-to-day work is coming for me!) so keep having fun at whatever pace you're going.

Two Truths & A Lie! So... we all know the theme of this year's Secret Author contest was Forbidden Knowledge. In order to "help" you figure out who wrote which story, I've asked authors to share 2 Truths & a Lie about their story writing process, the story itself, or... you know, stuff you should or shouldn't know. Will it help you? Maaaaybe. Let's get on with it, shall we? These are shared in no particular order, so have fun! Story Title: Undeliverable I wanted to write something different from my current stories, something more lived-in and introspective. That's what led me to the idea of present versus past. One title I seriously considered was 'You Won't Read This'. I scrapped it because I didn't want to jinx the story. The ending was the easiest part to write. I had the final scene in my head long before I wrote the opening sentence. Story Title: Gemma The entire story was written in under a week. The story was originally written in third person POV. The story was inspired by a YouTube video. Story Title: Subtle Signs Based on a true story. Written in less than an hour. Inspired by TikTok videos featuring men singing in bathroom stalls. Story Title: The Empty Library The story is inspired by a visit to Berlin as a student One of my hobbies is reading World War II historical books I love a good romance Story Title: Coffee With Supervision The concept originated from a television program in which the protagonist awoke beside a stranger. Having written the opening line, the narrative progressed naturally in a supernatural direction. This represents my first attempt at writing within the supernatural genre, and I found the experience of exploring a new style enjoyable. Story Title: Murder at 9th & Tom I firmly believe everyone and everything has some sort of way to tell their story. I love cats. I have never written about a murder before. Story Title: The Ledger I've always had a fascination with the Civil War and its ramifications. Also, a case of what-ifs: how history is a sequence of random events leading to life-changing encounters The most difficult issue in writing was dealing with the bisexuality of the main character and his fear of leaving his safe, comfortable existence. Story Title: Peeping Tom I love cats. I don't love cats. Animals are better than people. Story Title: No Official Reason I loved reading the boyband collection in the celebrity section on Nifty and wanted to try writing my own. I love the drama created by being closeted and wanted to weave it into the story. I have never written a romance story before without some speculative element involved, so I was determined to write one this time. Story Title: The Ivory Fig Ceremony I was hankering for for fig newtons. It was fig season. I was eating buckwheat crisps. Story Title: Wrong Window The story came from a song title I found randomly on Spotify The story came to me while listening to someone brag about a weird night. I was getting Pork dumplings and saw a fire escape in Hong Kong and thought that's a great setting. Story Title: Just The Facts, Man I remembered reading about this a few months before the secret author topic came out. ChatGPT didn’t like translating about a crime. https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-greatest-mysteries-in-history ranks this as #1 on their list of history’s 19 greatest mysteries. Story Title: The Ledger of The Howling Void The story idea came to me whilst in the library at school This is my 100th story on GA I have a huge presence on GA and have written many genre of story using prompts. Story Title: Sweet Sour Paradox Logic While I was cooking sweet sour chicken got the idea with the sauce. I like mixing random leftovers to cook, so Caden did the same. Running through the Golden Gate park showed the best place for the boys to meet. Story Title: Unexpected Discovery The setting was an area I was familiar with in real life. The idea for the story evolved from a true story that I fictionalized. Part of the story was based on personal experience. All right... which are the truths? Which is the lie? Can you decide and do any of these little tidbits help reveal the author of the story(s) to you? Share your guesses below!

Hey, I thought that "Help...." was inspired. Set the tone right off.

Did you expect me to make things easy??? It's like you don't know me at all!

Who wants to play a game? For those who want to hit an easy button, check out the spoiler below. You'll find the list of attributions for the quotes in this list from the great stories from the our Secret Author Forbidden Knowledge category. Click the picture banner if you still need to read these great stories, catch up, or want to pair up the quotes yourself! Then come back to play the first of this week's games! Remember as you read, you're also trying to figure out which character you'd most like to meet for later voting. Now, ready to play? If you want a challenge, try to remember who said which quote below or find them on your own! Story Quotes "Help…" 'You didn't stop' “I am, in truth, right sorry.” “Now we have all the time in the world.” “If you were carrying something that large around, it would affect the way you walked.” “Come on up to my lair,” “Enough. Give me facts, not funerals.” "But I can tell you I don't have to give him a spanking about it.” Truths don't like to be locked away. "You were my monster," He dropped like a college kid’s laundry bag after a month away from home.” “I always knew!” "I've had dozens of girlfriends," “I don’t have any money to play poker,” “The ghost of the chicken is strong in that one.” Quote Attributions - Click below to open spoiler

Monday!

Always interesting to learn how other people decide how to read stories. Maybe it's just me, but I'm a list person. I go top to bottom. If I'm really feeling froggy, I go bottom to top. 😮🫢🫣😉 But is that how I share things? Or list the quotes in the first game soon to come? Nahhhh.... I'm far more evil than that. Plus I use randomizers because I hate being predictable. Did you think you could get me that way? HA! 😈

On the upside, the stories will stay live (and secret!) and the games will continue for the next 3-4 weeks, so everyone will have plenty of time to read!

It might have taken a bit, but the secret stories are going live today for readers to enjoy! What mysteries are being revealed, secrets are being shared, or forbidden truths are being uncovered? Well, you'll just have to read the stories to find out! Let's go over the name of the game, just in case we have a lot of newbies here... plus I have some extra fun twists to reveal! Read, comment, and review the Forbidden Knowledge stories posted by our Secret Author. Wonder who wrote them... because no one is telling! 🙊 Game 1: Connect the Quote: Can you name the character and story the quote came from? Pretty self-explanatory! Game 2: Guess the Authors: I hope to get input from all the participants this year with a fun twist of 2 Truths & A Lie to help readers out where authors share information about how they came up with their idea or wrote their story. Game 3: Favorite Character I Want to Meet (and poll): We'll have more than one poll this year. I want to have one topic where readers get to share the character they would most love to meet from all the stories they read (and why!!). I'll use those character names to then create a poll for voting to determine a winner of the most popular character to meet. Game 4: Favorite Story: Voting poll with a topic to share thoughts on your favorite stories with reader conversation. No choice is forbidden! Game 5: Author Reveal: Can you connect the right author to the right story? How many will you get right? So keep an eye out for blogs, topics, and more to post over the next few weeks. Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to read, comment, vote, and just all over have fun with this event. The only fun that's forbidden is revealing who the real author is before the end! So click on the banner above or the link below to begin your reading adventure! https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/category/210-2026-forbidden-knowledge-secret-author/

That's what I usually do when I'm looking up stories or checking out different options from authors. I'll open the author's listing of stories and do a right click "open link in a new tab" on the story title so you can close that story and go right back to their author page and list of stories when you finish the one you were enjoying to find the next one that catches your fancy from their listing (because that tab is still sitting open).

Now, there has been some.... misinformation out there. 15th... 16th... what was the true date? Was someone trying to keep your favorite author from playing this game or you from knowing all the juicy details of the forbidden truths hidden in this year's entries by changing it up from blog post to blog post? I will admit nothing! Neither will the team! But since there MAY have been some confusion out there, I will accept late stories on the 16th if they come in while I *coughs* the Forbidden Author, works on formatting everything for the event. So get your guessers ready, your game faces on, and let the fun ALMOST begin. I know some of you late night Lucies out there YOU CAN get us a story!

I don't post the stories for a few days, so due to the mix up on a few blogs posted, I will accept Secret Author stories on the 16th if they come in that day as I work on formatting and the contests. Thanks,!!

Peanut butter & banana... Yum!! I like this in yogurt, in a wrap, smoothied, blended and frozen in coins for a cool down treat... Really, you can't go wrong any way you put them together!

That's right, to whet your whistle, so to speak, this month we're looking back at last year's submissions to the Secret Author contest! Authors maybe aren't sure how to incorporate a Secret/Forbidden topic into the story or just how tangential it can be, these stories could be the inspiration needed (you never know which new author may take up the mantle for the contest once they have a reference!) Readers, well... sometimes we all enjoy a 2nd, 3rd, or more look back at content from our favorite authors! And mayyyyybe it will help you decipher who wrote which story this year? 2025 Secret Author Contest - Reveal the Truth Thoughts from readers on some of the submissions: @Jeff Burton on Unmasked by @BendtedWreath As I said in my comment, this story is stupid-cute. Years can keep people at bay, but the feels always bring them together. @Headstall on Four Hours by @Cole Matthews: And now for something completely different. This short story takes the reader all kinds of places. Give it a read. @Thirdly on Liminal by @Camy: Dag-friggin-nabbit. I want to read more about this story's world and characters. @Mikiesboy on Septima's Potential by @Lorenz Qatava: Lust for what you'll get when someone dies can blind you. Don't be greedy, be grateful. This was an enjoyable read. @Gary L on Carpe Veritas by @kbois The title says it all, or does it? An intriguing read with some fantastic language and imagery. I loved all 1300 words of it. Try it and prepare to be teased! These were just a few reviews on a few of the stories submitted to the contest. Did you read and guess these authors last year? Or did they, and the others, keep their secrets???

It's always been due the 15th, BUT you did make me go check just in case I was passing along misinformation. Who, me?? Now, stories don't post that same day but the fun does begin soon after!

Wow, it's July 1st already?! There's a time warp somewhere, I swear. Or some sort of spell on my life at times, perhaps from a book of Forbidden Knowledge? Or each day I pass through the front door and enter a rift through which I lose time due to... well, who knows? What isn't forbidden is reminding all my site author friends that they need to get their themed stories to me ASAP if they want to participate in this year's fun! Click the banner to go to the event details. And readers, get ready to play.... Maybe I've already gotten yours? Hmmm... Maybe someone new has joined in, or someone who swears they just don't have time? Or someone on the site who never plays but decided to try for funsies because the third year's the charm? Do you think I have double digit submissions yet? You can't torture the names out of me, just the deadline again. JULY 15th! Tick tock... time's counting down.