Cia

Long time staff, and long time author, Graeme has finally been wrangled into the Signature Author group where he belongs! Yay! LOL Whether you are looking for short stories or novels, Graeme has a bit of everything. Slices of life, snapshots of a hilarious event like a visit to a farm or a dramatic turn like an AIDS diagnosis, and more can be found among his many shorts. He also has several novels of varying lengths, mostly featuring the ups and downs everyday people, teens and adults, experience in life and love. There are so many to choose from and more being added all the time! Check out Graeme's stories here, and then please join me in welcoming Graeme to the Signature Author group!

Awww, thanks trickyc! I always love driving folks to *have* to comment. lol Sometimes that happens to me too and I know how much I'm enjoying a story then. Sorry for the wait, but I have sooo much coming out and needing to be written that I won't get more on LI til next Wednesday this time.

I really like him too!

It was not a good day. Yuri rocked on the stupid paper covered table. He didn’t like the crinkle sound anymore. He didn’t like the doctors with their endless questions and their needles and wires and stupid computers with idiot questions. He wasn’t an idiot. Bashta was better. He’d curled up on a chair by the window. They’d talked, a lot. The sun glowed on the small cat’s brown skin. Yuri liked the circles on it. The other cat that came sometimes was all tan with no marks. Yuri hadn’t known t

Some people like sleeping pills. Some people need sleeping pills. My husband loves them. Other people can change their diet and exercise routine. EVERYTHING you do for your health should be researched by YOU and with the advice of a doctor when it comes to medication though. I run anemic, but have to be careful of my iron intake too. So I don't take a supplement. But I did drink a low-cal 9 gram protein drink this morning and just had an all natural larabar with pea protein that hit me with another 10 grams, about a fifth or so of what I need for a day. People can have my caffeine when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers though! LOL I do try to limit the soda and drink tea (herbal/natural tea I make at home without sugar, not bottled stuff) when I can. I don't sleep much and don't care too, though.

Those animals are dangerous. Think... untrained colt with skewers. AND they use them too. As beautiful as elk are in the wild, they belong in the wild and not near people--unless we're trying to hunt them when they always seem to disappear! Still, animals can be hilarious. We have a mini apple tree in our front yard that is always popular in the fall. I got this pic this year (safely inside through the window, thank you).

Close, and since I use such weird names that was pretty good. Cavel and Bashta. Just saying Bashta makes me smile. This chapter is a challenge. Yuri is an adult, but he isn't 'well'. He has problems. That doesn't change how he feels, just how he can relate how he feels, how he responds to his urges and others. It's like everything's new, but people are never sure how to relate. He's an adult, he's mated... but he's not a mated adult male in every sense. The pain Benny felt was really driven home in early chapters, which is why I wanted to let Yuri's POV share the scene. There was just something about Benny's breakdown that was more poignant from Yuri's side of their story. There's still so much to tell. Who's watching Yuri? Why? Can the doctors and Cavel and Bashta help him? How and in what ways will Yuri recover? Will he go to live with Benny now or will Benny live with the Falcons? Or will they go somewhere else? Can Yuri handle the changes, coupled with his treatment, and possible memories coming back? Sooooo much to come. Thank you so much for reading, and for always sharing me your thoughts and feelings about my stories.

Yes... that danger overshadows things. I was hoping the small hints of the watching wouldn't let it be forgotten too. Yuri definitely isn't miraculously cured when he sees Benny. If only I were that nice, right? LOL

That's just tomorrow! Yay, right? LOL Thanks for the review.

He wasn’t very tall. Yuri could see the top of his bald head, even standing several feet away. The cat was stacked with rounded muscles on his arms, shoulders, and chest though, and he was breathing hard, his ears flicking back and forth. Yuri stumbled back. He tripped over the edge of the flower bed along the yard and landed on his ass in the dirt. “You’re….” The words died in his throat. He shook his head, blinking rapidly. He was having a hard time breathing too. Ellis dropped to his knees

Happy Birthday, Wings!!

Are we stacking the deck? Nooooo... we'd never do that! Actually, these are just long overdue promotions. Never fear, I won't just be Promising to Signature author promotions. It is always a very good week on GA for readers. Ongoing, complete... there's usually something for everyone. And don't forget, we have all sorts of stories coming out next week with the anthology! I don't know exactly when, but it is coming!

Blasphemer! There is never too much sci-fi to read!

For me, it's not about flowery descriptions. If anything, it's the opposite. "He walked heavily out the door to confront his brother." could easily become "He plodded" or "He stomped" which give 2 very different views of his feelings regarding the confrontation. Plodded is more of a slow, rounded shoulder heavy walk like someone tired/depressed and stomped invokes quick, loud, heavy footsteps of someone angry. It's not about long, or overly-descriptive phrases it's using the best action word for the scene to reduce the amount of writing I have to do so the reader knows how the character is feeling. It invites sub-text in the scene without me having to write the character's emotions more than a single word because most people will pick up on the physical cues they've learned since they were children. She snatched the cup I held or She rescued the cup I held. His words stirred me compared to His words disturbed me. She darted to the door compared to She ambled to the door. Of course there is always times when you CAN use vague descriptive words. If you don't want to draw attention to something, a 'mundane' word like walked, got, made, do let the reader visualize it how they want to instead. .

Welcome to GA, Benedicte!

Bat heart tea... YUM! LOL This sounds so interesting with a lot of mystery and drama. A few things: Watch your homophones: now they were desperate to prove that their deaths hadn't been in vein. Should be: vain For two weeks they navigated trails, climbing higher and higher, checking every little cavern and gully... Great use of a variety of action words. Slowly they moved deeper into the cavern. Can you use another word beyond moved that's more exact? Trekked could indicate they go a great distance. Roamed would indicate they go slowly, looking all around not in a straight line--wandered would fit that way too, paced might indicate they are measuring the distance. You don't necessarily have to change this one area, but you mentioned looking for different ways to be more descriptive and 'moved' is one of those words that can mean any sort of action, really, so it's not always the best to share. anomalies you find offending to your far too discerning eyes. As I mentioned, watch your shades of meaning. Per Merriam-Webster: able to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently is the definition for discerning. A word more like 'discriminating' would fit better, because discerning carries a positive sense of observation and discriminating is obviously the opposite. Unperceptive might also work because it would indicate Sebastian sees but does not truly understand what lies beneath the surface of what he beholds. ``We...,'' Bruce began but Lorcan held up a hand to silence him. Check your punctuation rules. I'd read this as an interruption, which is indicated by an em dash. Ellipses indicate long pauses or trailing off. I might be reading the line wrong. You might intend to show Bruce trailing off when he sees Lorcan hold up a hand. If you do want him speaking that way indicated by the ellipses, I'd change the word began because it indicates he starts to talk then is stopped, rather than stopping gradually. Something like Bruce paused when Lorcan held up a hand to silence him. This would indicate he still wanted to speak, but is being respectful and trailing off instead of continuing and yet doesn't indicate that Lorcan is suddenly cutting him off either. Anyway... lots of fascinating tidbits, like including Quasimodo and stuff. I love when authors use existing stories or mythos and make it their own.

Always be mindful of the image you want to project and the scene when you choose descriptive words though. Shades of meaning matter. I once read an eBook where the female main character strolled over to the dead body of one of her lovers. Oh yeah, you're dead and I'm distraught, let me my way over to you so I can beat on your still chest and demand to know why you left me. Yeah...

A great way to get away from got up: He rose, He jumped up, He tumbled out of bed, barely making it to his feet. Make it interesting. Do your characters mince, stomp, sashay, stalk, tiptoe to answer the doorbell instead of 'get the door'? Do they grab, swipe, reach, snag, or snatch a cup out of the cupboard instead of get a mug? Do they make a snack, order takeout, slather peanut butter between two slices of bread instead of getting something to eat? There are so, so many ways to write actions. There are endless ways to write... period! And I'll echo Louis with a comment I shared with an author just last week. Go back to a story, or a chapter, you recently enjoyed and read it again. Look beyond the images the story creates in your mind. How does the author mix dialogue and narration? How do they characterize their people? What types of words themselves does the author choose? A lot of times authors tend to write the same style they prefer to read, which means you're learning when you're reading. It's like research. It must be done, right? At least, that's the excuse I use when I get to a great part of a book when the family is bugging me for dinner: "I'm studying, just give me 10 more minutes!". LOL

It never feels very long to me! LOL I'm going to try very very hard.

Yes, I am not surprised Benny showed up after Yuri said that. He's been through so much. Thanks for reading... and for the anticipation! LOL

In the two years since Stellar joined GA and began posting his first story, he hasn't post a ton of work. But what he has... whew!! If you like sci-fi, at all, you have to check out his 175k story, Hidden Sunlight. A hugely popular story, Stellar delved into his world bringing a vast array of details to life for his readers. There are tons of unexpected twists and turns as his main character, Shay, tries to come to grips with a series of events he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams. This story was followed by 100 different people and garnered a ton of buzz. You can check it out here, along with a short story, and... the currently posting sequel to Hidden Sunlight! Before you get sucked in, if you haven't read the stories already, make sure you join us in congratulating Stellar on his promotion to Signature Author!

back at you!

The brain is a miraculous organ, after all. I might manage a mid-week update, mebbe.

I thought it was time for Yuri to have a chance to show who he was. There will be a lot more to come from him too!

Well, he didn't have quite the upbringing most Snakes get, so he's not a bitter animal. LOL, and yes, while they're other things... these guys are still definitely men with all their flaws and fun.