Cia

Oh yes, I'm all for Happy Endings! The action is definitely coming to a climax, with Benny taking on the responsibilities he's destined for. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, Afrodita!

I think Benny will be a great Alpha, too! Thanks for reading, avidreadr.

I know! I've come across stories that I just wish I hadn't touched before they were done, lol. So much has been happening to my guys, I definitely think it's time for them to start things happening instead. Thanks for the review!

Yuri was limp as a doll, letting Benny manipulate his arms into a shirt. His anger was gone, and in its place was a man scared as hell and getting worse by the minute. “He hurt me.” “I know. We won’t let it happen again.” “With needles. I don’t like needles.” He shivered. Benny pulled him into his arms and hugged him. “No more needles.” “No more time,” the Falcon hissed. “Can we get the hell out of here? My men are tired of circling overhead. The air isn’t great for flying tonight.” “I won

I never did tell my parents growing up. I'm bi, and I met my husband at 16. It was really a non-issue, and since my dad's favorite way to create an insult for a person or group he hated is to add faggot to them (he hates windsurfers, so I heard 'wind faggots are ruining my fishing!' my whole life). I knew I should keep my mouth shut, so I did. I admitted to my family I write gay romance when I began publishing, and it went okay. A little awkward, as my dad is still a redneck, but not a big deal. I left my sexuality out of it, until my dad began mouthing off on Facebook about gay people being in the scouts later on. Needless to say, his comments were derogatory. I went off on him for being a bigot, and by the end of the phone convo, he'd apologized for his comments. I could care less what my moms think, and my father in law isn't someone I'd talk to about it... but my mother in law knows, and she's supportive, too. Being in my 30s, and not dependent on my family for anything since I early in my 17th year, their opinion doesn't really matter.

Sometimes I cannot believe how fast a month flies by! July has come, and nearly gone, already! This month, in honor of Christmas in July, we featured Cole Matthew's story, Advent. He was kind enough to do an interview for me, and he'll be here from 7 to 9 PM, Central Time, to discuss Advent, and his writing in general. Please feel free to share you thoughts on his story, and post any questions for him you might have, even if you can't be here during his live blog chat. Single people work more. Are you single? I’m happily married to Randy, my copy editor in life. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I’d have to say Mann Rambling is an inspirational writer for me. That being said, Lisa and Joann414 have helped me immensely both with advice and counsel. I doubt I would have had the guts to finish posting my first story, Porcupines, without Lisa’s support and suggestions. Advent and Button never would have been written if not for Joann414 so a big smooch to them both! What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? Pete Bruno gave me the best advice when I started posting Porcupines. He told me to get an editor because I needed it. I did because he was right. My best compliment was a PM I got from a reader. He said a chapter in Button made him fondly remember a family member who had passed away. To evoke that kind of emotion, a writer has to be doing something right. I was humbled by his kind words. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Huktaunluv and Valkyrie71 are two authors I believe are telling some great stories. Huk has been writing “Aaron’s Dilemma” and his honesty makes you stop and think. Valkyrie’s ideas are dynamite and her writing is eloquent. Bryce Lee and Astro are couple of writers I’m also watching. When did you first consider yourself a writer? I wrote a series of articles on subjects relating to my work as a paralegal. I even got paid for them. It was after the publication went bust I found myself itching to continue writing, so I tried fiction and this time it worked. When I finished Porcupines and began revising it, I joined Gayauthors.org soon thereafter and that’s when I felt my fiction writing career began. How many books/stories have you written? Which is your favorite? Everything I’ve written worth reading is on Gayauthors.org. I have written other things but they should never see the light of day. Not everything I write needs to be seen. I’ve learned that lesson. Porcupines will always hold a special place in my heart but I think Button is my favorite work so far. Advent is a close second place. I love it. For Advent, did the characters or the plot come to you first? Definitely the characters. Cayden was inspired by a guy who hung out in front of my work building each morning smoking. I never spoke with him, but he inspired me. Brian’s character is based on my former brother-in-law who has lived twenty years in a stage 3 coma. After I put those two characters together, Danny came along organically. The story unfolded from there. What was your favorite part of the story? The Christmas ornament scene when Cayden is helping Danny decide what to put on the tree. I cried writing that scene. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to look at those personal items and realize they don’t belong to anyone anymore. Can you share a little of your current work with us? There is Button, which is winding up. It’s a story about a little boy who was left on his father’s apartment doorstep. Craig meets Graham and the three of them form the cutest family ever. Each chapter is a vignette that represents the most impactful part in each year of Button’s life until he’s twenty. Early on it’s more about Craig and Graham and how they handle things about their son but around chapter ten, it becomes all about Button. Gaia-Town is a collaborative project I’m doing with Aditus. We are creating a shared land of fantasy with lots of magic and magic folk. It’s fun because we can create tons of awful people and off them without feeling bad. We only post a chapter each month or so. Working with Aditus is amazing. 1550 Loring Lane is an anthology of experimental stories I add to from time to time. It was originally based on prompts I found on Twitter. Button was a short story in that collection. I later continued writing it into the novel. What are your future projects? My next book project will be the sequel to Button. ‘The Barbed Wire Heart’ will feature characters from the story in their first year of college after Craig and Mirabelle’s baby is born. Brent is still coping from Andy’s death and the story will include characters from the ‘1550 Loring Lane’ story ‘Voice of the Garden.’ I’m in the planning stages and very excited about it. I have to thank Cole for sharing himself in this interview, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Don't forget to post your thoughts on his story, and any questions you might have for him! Then come back for his 'live chat' from 7 to 9 PM, Central time.

Welcome to GA, jcswift! I'm not going to toot any one author's horn, but thank you Caz, and Wayne for reco'ing my stories. LOL GA Stories is a custom designed software, geared toward letting readers find the best stories in genres and categories they prefer. The top box on the left side has many different Browse options. You can browse by Favorite stories (those with the highest number of likes on the site) or various specific genres and tags. Advanced options lets you sort authors and stories by different criteria or see who has the longest story or series, who edits/beta reads, etc.. You can also use the advanced search option to pick a more complex set of criteria: like genre, tags, length, and type of author and then have it sort by most reads, favorites, most followers, most recent update... to find the stories that hit all those elements. We're currently working on coming up with some upgrades, so the system will change in the coming months to year, but we will ensure that every feature changed or included is geared toward creating a great system for both authors and readers to enjoy using.

I expect people to respect my preferences and choices, without attempting to push their agenda on me... so I show respect for others the same way. It's also known as tolerance. I don't have to embrace a lifestyle to not denigrate or disrespect it. I try to teach my kids the same. That is the essence of respect.

Oh look... they're making a lorno! Seriously, I cannot abide this whole thing. She wrote off her mistakes as 'Well, this was just fan-fiction.' Well, she published it--so the author and publisher should have made sure the quality was there. It wasn't, which drove me to get 3% in and stop wasting my time. If she cared that little about her quality, I didn't care to read it. Snotty of me, I know. I feel the same way about the movie. Then again, I don't like chick flicks anyway. Give me aliens, crime, or explosions any day over that drivel!

The problem is believing anyone has the right to judge others based on their appearance, mannerisms, behavior (that doesn't harm others), socio-economic standing, sexuality, gender identity... or anything else. That's what's wrong, not that people aren't exposed to the 'right kind' of gay people. We absorb this sort of judgmental framework from our parents, friends, and other people in our lives like teachers, co-workers, bosses... what is and isn't 'okay' to act like, and how we should treat others who don't fall into those roles. We have to break those barriers ourselves by respecting others above all, and try to lead by example for those around us. Those who are parents need to teach that acceptance to our kids. It is getting better, but there is still a ways to go.

Know your source material. If you choose to write fan-fiction, either have proof the author has publicly stated permission (such as their website/blog) or contact them to obtain permission.

Yay for something to read while you wait, lol! The trio has a special place for me, too. It's a lot of fun to write, and the next story will really feature them. I hope you'll enjoy it. In the meantime, there's other stuff to read too. Thanks for reading!

Okay, your reply is late... but not quite as late. Sorry! The relationship between them is slowly but steadily building. More will definitely come in September, and a large part of that story in the series will focus on the relationship, as well. Thanks again for the review, hun!

Wow! Super late reply!! So sorry. It was hard to decide on the POV, but I thought it was important to understand how Miah felt about his injury and being taken care of. I've lost the use of one hand, but not two, so I can only imagine. More coming in September, of course!

There's a lot going on, I know! It's so frustrating when people are in the way--it seems like nothing goes right. But don't worry, I'll make sure your trust isn't abused. Thanks so much for the review, hun!

Ahh, see, but I only said he was the only Falcon in front of the door--I didn't say he was the only one there. I don't ever want the story to seem as if Yuri is wham! bam! healed! because that's just not really believable. He is this mix of brain damaged man without inhibitions with a few problems, and a very strong, alpha Tiger who understands things in more subtle ways and wants to protect his mate. I'm glad that came through here, without seeming like too big of a see saw between personality polarities. Thanks for the review!!

I do know many publishers are no longer allowing any copy of copyrighted material such as quotes from books, articles, or songs. To be safe, I just don't do it.

Yuri ate, but his headache grew again. His brief burst of energy was gone, and all he wanted to do was sleep. “You done?” Benny grabbed the box, still half-full with most of the burger and fries Yuri had wished for, before it could tip over and spill. “Uh-huh.” Yuri yawned. His eyelids weighed a ton. “Sleepy again.” Benny tucked the blankets up around Yuri’s chest. “You can shower and get dressed later. I bought you some sweats and a t-shirt.” The bed dipped under his mate’s weight. Benny cu

I love to write sci-fi. The greatest compliment I recently received was for my newest free eBook and the reader said that it was completely plausible and I'd renewed their love of sci-fi. How did I accomplish that? Numerous technical websites and books, from multiple trips to the library, encompassing subjects from supernova, gamma radiation, glaucoma, carbon nano tubes, FTL travel, near Earth solar systems, environmental factors like the Goldilock's zone, hydrogen rich water, plant cellular make-up, viruses, RNA mutation... and much, much more. Truthfully there is no shortcut in sci-fi. Not if you do it right. Research, plan, plot, and keep track of the details. Make it plausible and make sure you stay true to 'your universe' when it comes to the technology, mythology, and society. Also, find a like-minded reader(s) to bounce ideas off.

Thank you!

Happy Birthday, hun!

This is where you have to decide how much you care to beat your head against the brick wall ignorance often masquerades as. I usually use logic, like when I told my dad his comments on facebook made me ashamed of him when he went on about how allowing gay people into the Boy Scouts would lead to boys he knows not getting to be involved because of their parent's bigotry, and what a shame it was that the abuse instances would be going up. At that point, he knew I wrote gay romance, but not that I was personally bi. When I challenged him to reflect on the fact that he thought young girls would be in danger of being abused by me--just because I'm attracted to WOMEN and men--based on that stupid view, all because of one simple thing that has nothing to do with abuse, in reality. I also pointed out 1) they were letting in gay scouts, not scout leaders and 2)pedophiles aren't going to raise their hands and say, I'm gay! and make themselves stand out. They operate under the radar, or they go to prison. Now, he's my dad. He has an inherent guilt button I know how to push, and I know how to make him listen to me when I present a logical argument. That same approach might not work on a stranger or casual acquaintance. Only you can decide how you approach people who seem to have a brick wall between their minds and logic and truth. If you do so, at all. Sometimes you just have to ignore idiots.

And so speaks a fellow meat-eater, yet social thinker. We're very similar in my household. I eat animals. I even kill animals to eat them. But then again, I like knowing where my meat comes from and how it's processed. My husband and I grew up around farms, it's natural to us, but many people find it odd that we oppose things like veal and lamb, as well as other types of inhumane food practices. Usually the only fish cooked in this house is what we've caught ourselves. With fishing poles--no nets. Growing up I've eaten just about anything you can get in the Pacific NW, fried. That's just about the only way my dad knew how to cook it. Now, the hush puppies with leftover batter were good, but bleh on the fish. There's only so much salmon, sturgeon, steelhead, trout, bass, bluegill, croppie, catfish, etc... a girl can eat! .

I don't eat fish, or other seafood aside from octopus or shrimp. I do like beer battered prawns the best, though coconut battered butterfly shrimp is good too. Octopus is best just lightly smoked with butter--no frying, imo.

Oh yeah!