Cia

For us, it's usually about 2-3 weeks before Christmas and it comes down sometime between then and New Year. That depends on how fast it dries out. Living in Washington state, we have lots of tree farms to go cut fresh ourselves. I always make cocoa and we roam around the lot before picking our fav tree and bringing it home. The hubby does the stand, I do the lights, and the kids do the ornaments and the candy canes, then the hubby does the santa on top.

I saw this commercial just last night and LMAO. I mean... really? They're in unders... whoo whoo

Ooh, a shifter story, right up my alley. And it was well written too! Shifter stories with bears as main characters aren't as common, so I always like to see how authors take that aspect and create a new shifter theme. I'm definitely going to be following your story.

No, most of the dreams I remember are either super strange or nightmares. I remember once, I was pregnant, and I dreamed instead of a baby I had a book inside me. I could feel the hard corners through my stomach and everything. LOL I'm glad you had a good dream, Mark!

I don't keep up with nearly as many people as I used to from GA on Skype (darn that program, I want my msn back!) but I'm always here if you want to chat. The best thing about GA is that while people come, and go, and come again... we're always here. The supportive community on the site, whether you're trying to write or read or just live life, will remain for those who need it. It sounds like you have a ton on your plate. While 12 hours every 48 would be amazing... maybe 30 minutes, an hour, two... whenever you can squeeze them in without stressing YOU out is just as good. I'm so glad you've decided to come back though.

Nurture is not always at the heart of an issue though you're right Matt, quite often it is. I've lived it, though not at the heart of a city, but in a small town. Neglect and abuse can happen anywhere. Kids with shattered backgrounds come with a lot of baggage. They are more likely to act out and have issues, but sometimes no matter what the parents try to do kids can be 'wrong'. Then again, you have kids who live that life and they turn out okay so obviously there are always exceptions. Kids CAN overcome their upbringing. There are also more than a few kids with privileged backgrounds that get into drugs and other issues too. The problem is that some people who are completely outside the situation think it's okay to judge. Without being one you can't know the day in and day out slog of parenting. Condemning THESE parents and/or the kid without walking a mile in their shoes is wrong. Obviously they all need support and thankfully we have systems set in place for just that reason.

The prompts are fun! It's great to see how a phrase or scene can inspire authors to such variety. That's why the anthologies are so much fun. Thanks for the review knotme!

LOL! Yeah, I did leave a lot of the world-building behind. Just enough to add a supernatural flair that could SO be expanded on. Then again... it seems like all my short stories are like that. Thanks for the review, Wayne!

This sort of thing really is moot. The issue boils down to this: Those who are capable of looking up the word and taking in the nuances of the definition are all old enough to understand the social connotations. At that point they are either 1) aware that it is an offensive use of the term and shouldn't be used or 2) use it already and don't care. Also Yang, I agree. I used to hear this term on the playground or halls of the elementary school when staff wasn't around quite a bit more, even so recent as 5 years ago when my daughter entered kindergarten. It was sad to hear that sort of talk from kids that young. Recently it has definitely passed from popular use but I think in a lot of ways that is because the 'accept others and do not use disrespectful terms' has become a major component of their yearly lessons from the guidance counselor about socially acceptable behavior.

LOL! We'll see. Glad you liked it Mann.

“Please, I can explain.” He looked up at me from his knees. “Don’t worry.” I tilted my head and stared at him. “You don’t have to.” “But—” His head rolled across the floor. His wife screamed and scrabbled back. Her body hit the floor with a dull thud. The silence was broken by the pattering of blood dripping from my nails. I flicked my hands, annoyed with the sound. “I know you’re here. I can smell your rot. Come out, come out wherever you are.” I prowled the room, trying to find the scent t

That is sad when you lose a pet. I'm sorry hun. Some people find a new pet helps ease the sting of losing a loved animal, and others can't handle it. Even if you're traveling and busy, I'm sure you're doing the best you can for your mom and what she needs from you.

Humans ARE herd animals. We do not live in microcosms based on singular aspects of who we are but like DOES tend to gravitate to like, in many ways. As Tetrefine basically pointed out, we like to feel like we are accepted and 'part' of those around us. Color, creed, socio-economic status, regionality, and yes sexuality, DO play parts in how we define ourselves and those we commonly interact or 'relate' to. Is this a hard and fast rule? No. Is any one of those factors, specifically sexuality in this discussion, HAVE to be that defining element of our personality and/or dictate our behavior or peers? Of course not. That would make for some very one dimensional people. Just as our personality is built upon many layers of who we are as individuals, so are our 'cultures'. There are many, many areas of overlap. Trying to box people in like that just isn't logical. Look at me. I am a woman who had a strong Southern upbringing (read: homophobe Southern parent) in the very liberal Pacific NW who happens to be bi but married to a man. I am a stay at home mom and interact with other typically hetero parents, but I also write man on man fiction and have a very wide circle of gay friends, though mostly online. I am Mom and wife. I am erotica author and school volunteer. I am a general acceptor of anyone who is accepting of me... be they the local 30 something Catholic mom married to her high school boyfriend who accepts I am *coughs* quirky or the single gay 20 something who can't imagine the boring hetero-normative, white picket family thing as they enjoy their gay hook up bar crawling. I have so many toes dipped into so many scenes.... But that just means my life is fun. Sometimes conflicting, and often strange, but I like it weird.

My bff and her younger half brother were adopted at the same time by the same family. I am not saying their lives were picnics but we all had shit happen. Yet at one point as a young teen he just went wrong. Accusing people of things, horrific things, hurting animals, running away and committing petty crimes and some not so petty. He ended back up in state care after juvie then a lock down facility and then eventually into drugs and prison. Then again I knew a whole lot of other kids taken from their bio parents short and long term and another adopted teen with rage issues that stayed with her family with therapy ongoing when I was growing up. Another boy I knew of in town was 11 and in a state mandated anger management class I was in when I was 16 because he convinced another boy to help him lure a not quite friend of theirs to a train bridge and tried to throw him over. Trust me, not all kids are innocents. Not many young kids are as capable of that level of problem... but some are. Sometimes it's nature, sometimes it's nurture, and sometimes it's both. Every person, every family, every situation has its own dynamic and it's easy as hell to stand outside and judge. Unfortunately, sometimes there is no easy answer or a right thing for everyone.

Bad Idea by Damon Suede My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first Damon Suede eBook. I'm a tad torn on the review and hopefully this won't come off as a bad review. I have to say I enjoyed the story. Trip and Silas were well fleshed out characters and their motivations were easy to see and understand. The plot was arced well and fit together seamlessly. The supporting characters, especially the women, blended together a bit for me and I'd have liked to see more character definition and quirks from them to set their personalities apart. Though I liked the story once I'd finished, I still felt a disconnect. I started and stopped this book twice when usually I can breeze through one this length in a few hours at most. It might be that I'm not a comic person. I'm not a movie person. Those two elements were vital vehicles to the character and plot progression. Without having that interest, and 'inside' knowledge, I think it was harder for me to really identify with the overall story. If I were to rate this on the plot alone, I'd give it 3 stars. But I am inclined to add another star for a writing element that would normally have turned me off completely. I was fascinated by the graphic feel to this book. I could almost, as I read along, see the action panes for each scene. It hopped from section to section that would usually make me complain about plot continuity and ease of reading but with Bad Idea... it felt deliberate. That sort of tie in, with the writing itself to the plot, impressed me. Overall, I think this was a good story. If you like comic artist stories, graphic novels, cons, movie effects, etc... this is right up your alley. Oh, and if the author had been able to commission and squeeze in an image of Silas' Con costume this would get sooooo many stars. Cause damn. *drools* View all my reviews

Swear, this is my son's version of every day after school... walk in door, drop backpack and coat, strip off shirt and pants, grab blanket... spend the evening in his britches. Friday's nothing special! LOL

Nature...? Well, you'll just have to see, won't you? no spoilers!

It's on the DL maybe. These fae were warned and are focused on the goal... find and fix the problem. Maybe the fae back at the castle are going nuts, but we can't see that since this is from Birch's POV and he's gone. Thanks for the review Daithi!

Thanks Mann! A lot of my shorts can be expanded... if and when I have the time, lol. I like making up 'new worlds' to write in. Thanks again for the review.

Birch squirmed, trying to find a comfortable spot. There seemed to be no way to sit without his horse’s spine digging into his ass. “Abandon all hope,” Birch muttered as they entered the forest. He glanced up at the branches that grew denser with every minute. The fae realm was always lit either by gentle sunlight or shimmering starlight and silvery rays from the moon. By contrast the shadows seemed darker and more menacing. “Excuse me, my lord, did you say something?” asked Forisilki. She fli

You might know Totallyy from chat or *coughs* his very colorful gallery pictures, but today's blog is all about his author side! Read on to learn what Ashi found out motivates one of GA's newer authors. Interview with Totallyy Interviewer: Ashi Totallyy is one of my favorite authors on GA. His writing is concise, and each of his word delivers a lot of punch than its initial impression. Some use of words are very poetic, and may require some deeper work on readers' part, but a couple read-throughs will pay off. I certainly feel I could connect with his writing. I hope you guys will, too. So here are some of the questions I asked of my favorite author. What inspired you to write? I started writing because I didn't like how ugly my feelings were and I wanted to make them into something beautiful. Hmmm.... Interesting. Ugly feelings.... Could you elaborate on that? I struggled with a lot of my emotions when I was a teen. I was sad a lot, and I didn't like that it always manifested so negatively. Writing helped me focus on something else other than how horrible I felt about myself. Feelings I Don't Know How to Say Otherwise, when you wrote that, what was on your mind? Basically, the title expresses the pieces exactly. I was listening to someone talking and it suddenly hit me: this overwhelming wave of emotional fluctuations. Writing has been my coping mechanism for a real long time, so I channeled those feelings into words. So the piece is just that, me, coping. As a reader, I find your writing style very lyrical and raw on emotion. Hahaha. That's the way I usually am. What/who was your inspiration of that style, if there is any? Honestly, people tell me my style is descriptive but that's just the way my emotions translate most wholly. A lot of fiction like to describe things, and places and people and those are really important. But I personally enjoy describing feelings more, the noise inside your body, instead of of the details outside. I find [them] more interesting, more universal. Interesting. On that vein, would you consider yourself more of an introspective person or do you seek experience outside of yourself? I'm usually introspective. I often dwell inside my mind. Totallyy's works can be found on GA. Please check his works out! Thank you Ashi and Totallyy for coming on today's blog!!

But the privatism of sexuality is a relative newcomer to our species. Pagans expressed some of their highest ritualistic ceremonies through sex, including public sex, for ages until prudism began to reign. I'm not saying that sex should be treated cavalierly, I'd certainly never tell my kids that, but I think that this guy's thought about what sex means to him and the culture he lives in, and he's making a statement he feels strongly about. Exhibitionism is a fairly widespread kink, ( Lacey) and this guy is simply taking it one step further. Sex can happen in many different forms. While I would say having a private moment with a partner you love is the ultimate expression of feeling... that doesn't demean the connection that can be made from other types of sex. People can be happy and fulfilled with all sorts of sex and relationships. If this way makes him happy... then so be it. I'd think it'd be incredibly awkward, especially with a virgin, but that's just me.

Oh good lords. Exhibitionism at its finest, I guess. *shrugs* No one's getting hurt, and it doesn't involve me so if that makes him and his partner happy, great. I just wonder if he truly knows what he's in for. Guess he'll find out if it happens.

Wordless shouting surrounded Birch. He stood, frozen, locked in horror as Sayer changed. His dazzling white hair darkened to black and his skin became gray and pebbled. His eyes, now a malevolent red, began to shine. “Sayer,” Birch whispered. His beloved raised his hands and the shouts became fever pitched. Two muscle bound fae, the ones who’d been guarding the inside of the doorway, shoved the butts of their weapons into Sayer’s stomach, knocking him back. “Move, my lord!” Birch stumbled