Cia

You mentioned age then my name in your intro @wildone so I thought you were gonna reference my b-day, and as a lady in her 40s... I thought my next unicorn story was going to have to have a certain Canadian getting the horn (and no, you wouldn't like it!) 😋I did go visit a friend for the weekend (no internet really, hence the late glimpse of this blog) and saw a goaticorn at the county fair... poor thing only had one!

“Friend,” the beast scoffed. “There is so much you don’t know.” “And let me guess, you’re just dying to tell me.” Like he was just going to take a stranger’s word over what he’d experienced with Colby, or how Mr. and Mrs. R had treated him. Sure, he’d never expected their crazy cat to claw him up, grow ginormous, and create all this magic mumbo jumbo crap he was living through right now, but still…. Who in their right mind would just accept a stranger’s vague, supposed dire warnings? B

Damn, he hated being right. Around mid-morning on the next day, when the city was still the faintest smudge on the horizon to Beckett, Valrinda came swooping down. “There’s a large cloud of dust heading our way.” “Dust?” He thought it was just the nature of the desert, not something coming for them. “Well, obviously something is making the dust, but for that to happen, something must be kicking up enough sand and dust on the sides of the road to make such a thick cloud even I can’t rea

Summer is still going hot in the north, so why not feature a heated love story by northie? Plus, I'm always a sucker when one of the characters is described as shy. Soul Music: Love Encountered by @northie Length: 57,168 Description: Geoff is shy, lacking in self-assurance, and not out to his family. When by chance, he meets Tony, a fellow musician, he can't believe that anything will come of it ... A Reader said: Just finished reading and I have to say I love this story so much! I especially like the character of Geoff, he is definitely the type of guy I fall for - shy, reserved and modest, but kind and loving. Also, it's beautiful to see how Tony is patient with him, they are a perfect match for each other. I can't wait for the sequel! ~ WhenItRains

Landing on the road, Valrinda was panting heavily. Beckett scrambled to his feet. “Are you okay?” he asked. There were cuts on his chest and face, slices marring his beautiful dark scales. “I’ll heal. Are you hurt? Did it get acid on you?” “Acid?” Beckett spun, checking the back of his body where he’d thought the stones were too hot. He sighed. “No, no acid. I’m fine. What was that thing?” “That was a chacory. We were lucky that was a young male, probably just left it’s maternal f

Yes, it's time to unmask the Secret Author and put all the guessers out of their misery. Just so you don't forget who you guessed, here is the Guess the Secret Author! blog so you can compare who you thought wrote them versus who REALLY wrote these 11 great stories. 1. 14,000 Days of Virtue by Libby Drew *Contest Winner* 2. Adrift by James Carnarvon 3. Baring My Soul by kbois 4. Learned to Lie by Krista 5. Life of a Pet by astone2292 6. River City by Bill W 7. Searching for God by Mikiesboy 8. The Book of Poems by Tim Hobson 9. The Case of Cloud Rider by Valkyrie 10. The Egg Stone by drsawzall 11. Unchained by lawfulneutralmage AND, since the Secret contest was such a success letting authors try writing stories in new genres for readers to enjoy, we're going to do this again next year! I want to say a big thank you to all the authors above who participated and all the readers who took the time to read and share the 427 likes, 228 comments, and 61 reviews!

“Working with wisps,” Valrinda grumbled. “I’m telling you, this will go bad for us.” The wisps were bustling around, setting up a camp for the night. They’d spent the morning flying, and then Beckett had spent the afternoon passed out against Valrinda’s side. He’d nearly froze to death, and for what? To avoid these cute little characters who were skipping around and putting up colorful tents while chattering at each other? Everything they had was bright, or stitched with metals and stones t

You all are HILARIOUS! Now that I've revealed the winning author, I'm going to reveal the list of AUTHORS.... in no particular order so you can keep guessing. 1. kbois 2. Bill W 3. Libby Drew 4. Valkyrie 5. Tim Hobson 6. astone2292 7. Krista 8. James Carnavon 9. lawfulneutralmage 10. Mikiesboy 11. drsawzall

Yes, you did it! You read the stories, liked, commented, reviewed... and voted! I have tallied the poll (it was so close!) and the story receiving the most votes was: 14,000 Days of Virtue by... LIBBY DREW!!! Libby has won custom advertising for her story or stories, and one reader who voted is also a winner, and that is: @George Richard to both our winners

All right, then! You've been on tenterhooks with all hush-hush of the Secret Author Story Contest, but here's your chance to make a guess in the blog comments on who wrote which story. Guess one, guess them all.... It's up to you. Bonus, you'll have a few days, since just for funsies, I'm revealing the winning story and author on Tuesday, 7/25, but the rest of the contest authors won't be revealed until Thursday, 7/27. Yes, just because.... A reminder of the stories for your guesses below, our sneaky Secret Author purloined: 1. 14,000 Days of Virtue 2. Adrift 3. Baring My Soul 4. Learned to Lie 5. Life of a Pet 6. River City 7. Searching for God 8. The Book of Poems 9. The Case of Cloud Rider 10. The Egg Stone 11. Unchained

Wildone is on wild camping vacay, so I'm bringing you the Weekly Wrap up. We shall all have to hope that he doesn't get eaten by a wild bear (*coughs*) so he can come back next week to resume his usual posting. In the meantime, onward for a refresh on last week's goings on from yours truly. Monday I featured a short story by our very own long-term Signature member and admin, Graeme: Tuesday we started voting on the Secret Author Story Contest. Remember1 reader who votes wins free Premium! Did you read the Torn in Two excerpt on Wednesday? Or check out the list of all 11 Secret Author Stories on Thursday (and find out you get to guess the author on Monday?) Friday, you were invited to go take a hike... no, it's fine, I promise! Saturday Comicality talks about the "Author Experience". What is that? Well... Words of the Day: agnosia coot whine muddleheaded preternatural corral bubbletop Upcoming Writing Events Leap of Faith Anthology! All Submissions due Sunday, October 1 Guidelines here. Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets! Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories Paradox Lost by Libby Drew (In Process) Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories Gap Year by Mark Arbour (In Process) Northern Exposure by Mark Arbour (Temporary Hold) By Chance or Appointment by Parker Owens (Temporary Hold) Dichotomy of Love by Mrsgnomie (In Process) Broken Path, Starless Tail by Cia (In Process) The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus (In Process) GFD: Fanboys by Comicality (Long-Term Hold) The Cockney Canuck by Dodger (Temporary Hold) The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus (In Process) The Best Year by Krista (In Process) Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories Paradox Lost by Libby Drew (In Process) Seth on the Road to Chaos by Ronyx (In Process) Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed by Bill W (In Process) Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories No stories Recently Updated 'Author' Stories The Discovery by Jdonley75 (In Process) The Case of the Short, Short Prince by Geron Kees (In Process) Kidnapped by a Vampire by Thirdly (In Process) Chasing Rusty Parker by Laura S. Fox (In Process) Taming Of The Beast by ASH PHOENIX (In Process) 593 Riverside Drive by RichEisbrouch (In Process) Don't Blame The Band by Lee Wilson (In Process) Thicker Than Water by John Henry (In Process) Aedan's Story by RichardWrites (In Process) A Wizard's War by TeamStilinski (In Process) Heartbreak To Healing by D.K. Daniels (In Process) Unchained by Secret Author (Complete) Lone Wolf Ranch by Justin4Fun (In Process) Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport (In Process) Disputed Sea by quokka (In Process) Desafinado: Slightly Out of Tune by LJCC (In Process) The Egg Stone by Secret Author (Complete) Wicked Games by CasualWanderer82 (In Process) ARROW by CLJobe (In Process) The Case of Cloud Rider by Secret Author (Complete) The Book of Poems by Secret Author (Complete) Silvered Spell by PrismaFox (In Process) Quantum Shift by Luca E (Complete) Searching for God by Secret Author (Complete) Connor and the Wolves by Yeoldebard (In Process) Beyond Imagination by W_L (In Process) Revival with "Firebird" by Georgie DHainaut (Complete) River City by Secret Author (Complete) Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories Musings of a Wordsmith by JACC (Temporary Hold)

Voting is happening now! (click the image below) What, you say you didn't get a chance to read all the stories? Well just click on the preceding link or check out the list of awesome stories below! Or... maybe you want to refresh your memory or look for author clues. Yes, that's right! Monday we're going to have a fun 'Spot the REAL author' blog feature. Do you know? Of course not, only I know! Muahahahaha! 1. 14,000 Days of Virtue 2. Adrift 3. Baring My Soul 4. Learned to Lie 5. Life of a Pet 6. River City 7. Searching for God 8. The Book of Poems 9. The Case of Cloud Rider 10. The Egg Stone 11. Unchained

“Are you okay?” Valrinda asked. He craned his neck and tried to peer at Beckett, who only looked up for a brief second before the icy wind of their rapid flight made it too unbearable. “F-f-fine,” was all Beckett could get out without risking biting off his own tongue. He patted Valrinda’s neck, and his hand burned from just the light contact. There wasn’t a choice. They had to stay higher in the atmosphere, and he was going to tough it out. His core was warm enough, pressed against Valrind

I know this may seem like a story you've read before... but Graeme has a way of bringing emotions to life that you can't help but absorb and follow as if they were your emotions and your choices. Don't pass up this short story if you ignored the comments by Wildone featured on Monday's featured blog post or this excerpt tidbit! Want to read more? Click here!

I'm going to do a blog next week where readers get to guess who the authors are.

Time to vote! What are you waiting for?! You read, you liked, commented, and reviewed the Secret Author Story Contest stories so now it's time to get out and vote. Wait... not out, stay in! Just click on the vote picture below to go make your choice! Need a reminder of the stories first? Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing

July has come and with it so many events for me I can't pick between if I'm coming or going... so I chose Graeme's story, Torn in Two, as this month's feature. Please enjoy this short story and leave him a comment or review! Length: 9,024 Description: Scott's heart is torn in two directions. He wants to leave Greenwood to be with his boyfriend, but he can't leave his grandfather, who needs him. A Reader said: I just read the story and loved it ❤️ As always, Graeme, thank you for sharing your great talent of writing amazing stories. ~ Wildone If you want to spread the word about Graeme's story, download the graphic below and add it to your signature! Make sure you come back on Wednesday to see the excerpt I chose to share!

Well, better late than never! You readers certainly haven't been slack in providing your feeback!! Wow! With just one more story to go, I have to feature how the 10 stories so far have been received, and we still have 1 to go. Keep it up! 10 stories in 10 days 323 Likes 190 Comments 45 Reviews Voting will start next Tuesday, so make sure you read all the Secret Author Contest stories so you're ready to vote for your favorite! Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing or follow the profile to get notifications on all the stories.

I prefer to sandwich feedback to authors positive/constructive/positive. If a reader cannot give an author constructive criticism instead of a scathing critique, then I don't believe they hold worthwhile opinions. Some may consider me the Queen of Red Ink, but I always try to avoid squashing authors who are at different levels of proficiency or ability. Working with exceptional students, or with those with ACE trauma and behaviors, I've learned to check my assumptions, such as just because I write a certain way or have a certain level of ability that everyone else should as well. I might offer tips or links to websites to improve writing, but I also say that is because if an author wants to write their own way and break the rules, they should just know them first. Use of tropes, kitschy dialogue, instalove, etc... might be an author's choice for fun, because this isn't published, it's just for fun/love of writing.

Maybe he shouldn’t be so amazed by flying, considering the modern world he came from, but flying on Valrinda’s back was really different from the two hour flight in a jet to his aunt’s house. One big difference? His seat was a living, breathing being who liked to crane his neck back and talk to him whenever he got the chance to snap his wings out and glide along on a thermal wind. He answered a lot of questions Beckett had about the world they were gliding swiftly over. Watching the land ri

Yes, Secret Author still has more secrets to unveil! Have you been reading the stories posted so far? Many of you have and then shared likes, comments, and reviews, so thank you! How much fun are you having guessing who wrote what? Just don't tell if you think you have it all figured out! 🫢If you missed any stories, you can check out the story listing below, and follow so you don't miss the last few still to come. 1. 14,000 Days of Virtue 2. Adrift 3. Baring My Soul 4. Learned to Lie 5. Life of a Pet 6. River City 7. Searching for God 8. The Book of Poems Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing or follow the profile to get notifications on all the stories.

Good morning and whew, what a great start to the Secret Author Story Contest. We've already had 45 likes, 39 comments, and 8 reviews on 3 stories, with one story just posting a few hours ago! Thank you all for taking the time to read these great stories and share your appreciation. The author(s) will share the love right back once Secret Author, that sneaky devil, gives them back! Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing or follow the profile to get notifications on all the stories. Do you think you know who wrote what story? You can guess, but remember, authors....

Beckett should have waited until she had the spell and crescents, shouldn’t he? “Will she come back out?” he asked Valrinda. “Of course. A wizardess who doesn’t keep their word doesn’t get much business, would they?” Oh. Good point. “Okay.” He’d just wait. An incredibly tall, green-skinned man with yellow eyes and three black horns opened the door. “Here.” He thrust out two huge hands, one holding a bag and the other a water flask like the one Beckett had seen on other’s belts. Be

I was wondering if someone would post the link here... I put a post by the Secret Author in the topic for the Club yesterday. It was a final "secret trick", and I was coming 6 hours later to post a link if no one had. Myr beat me to it a few hours ago.

It's no longer a secret that 11 authors took up the challenge for the Secret Author Story Contest! From today, July 4th through July 14th, a new story will post each day and readers can enjoy these great stories with the theme "secret". Don't forget to like, comment, and review as the stories will revert back to authors once the contest ends. Voting for your favorite story happens on Tuesday, July 18th through Monday, July 24th, so remember, through this whole time... Tuesday, July 25th is our big winner reveal! One author will win custom advertising on GA, either for a story of their choice or themselves as an author and one reader who voted will win 3 months free Premium access! Thursday, July 27th, we'll do a blog look back over the whole contest and make sure you get a chance to see what stories were written by what favorite GA author. Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing or follow the profile to get notifications on all the stories.