Cia

“How come I know your name?” And he wanted to smack himself in the forehead. That was not the first question that Beckett actually wanted to ask. Or thought he should ask. Of course it was the first one that popped out. He tried to think back BTT or as his brain was already labeling it, Before The Touch, capitals all the way. Beckett stepped back. “You never said it, right?” He might as well find out. “I’m your guide.” Valrinda shuffled his weight on those huge clawed feet of his and t

So Secrets (I hope that's the story I went too, please remember to add links your story for help) showed as set to publish at 7:10 AM my time (Pacific) so you may have accidentally messed up the publish time? When you manually toggle the publish button on, the calendar/clock should disappear and when you save it should override that to immediately go live. I didn't have any trouble getting it to publish. It's live now. Let me know via PM if you have issues via the next chapter; it gets my attention faster though this was overnight my time.

Back when Space Balls was the funny... Ha! Someone was a bit prophetic on the idiocy to come!

Twin thumps outside rattled his tree, startling Beckett awake in his soft bed where he’d spent the best hours of sleep he’d had in weeks. He bolted up, looking around wildly. Then he collapsed back, groaning. He was still there. He’d slept so hard, dreamless for once, that he’d been sure he’d wake up in his own bed. Not that this bed wasn’t tons better. His head wasn’t throbbing for once and his stomach wasn’t churning. He wasn’t even hungry. Other than being stuck in this dream, he was ove

Well May's a nice, loooong month, so you get a nice looong story. Let's see if you can get past the urge to just keep reading. I know I started to check which story I wanted to feature, and once I read chapter one, before I knew it I was on chapter ten... so I knew this was it! Dejection and Hope by @Demiurge Length: 129,052 Description: All Seth wanted was ramen. A small, androgynous, blond was not on his shopping list. Nor was an outspoken new friend and therapy. He’d obviously turned down a wrong aisle somewhere. Noah has a great best friend, a great job, an okay car, and an awesome apartment. Things are great. Except he’s watching his life from inside the closet. Also, he has…eclectic tastes. Most of which involve lace and silk. He didn’t mean to take “niche” and run with it. Will the closet door open? Will everyone accept Noah? Most importantly, will Seth get his ramen? A reader said: So worth the read! ~ leeoeder Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, May 29th!

Ire had left him after flitting down the path, or rather up it toward the house he was supposed to have. He still couldn’t see it, just a few big trees. It was probably some shack. Or, knowing his luck and that he’d led there by a tiny dragon, he’d find a pile of heated rocks or sand to sleep on with a few branches to block any unfortunate rain showers that might come his way. Did dragons sleep on a bed of hot coals or sand? Meh, what did it matter? At least his clothes would get dry that w

April showers bring... May showers, at least where I live! How about you? If you've been stuck indoors, maybe you checked out this month's looong featured CSR story, A Love to Last? Or it'll be this week's evening entertainment of choice after this interview with the author, vanalas! (Or maybe you might pick another of vanalas' stories!) Q: Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? A: It depends with my mood. There are mornings when I wake up and want to be responsible and other morning when a demon of laziness possesses me lol Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? A: Definitely a cat. I like to be a little mischievous sometimes…. Okay, lots of times. Q: Did you like to write in growing up or start as an adult? A: I started as an adult. I was 17 when I wrote and published my first story, don’t know if that’s adult. Q: What brought you to GA? A: One of my fans on the first site I published my stories (Literotica) suggested I also Publish my stories on GA. I checked it out, registered and I’ve been publishing ever since. Q: What is your favorite genre to read, and do you like to write it as well? A: Hmmmm… quite a number, but I am gonna go with fantasy. And Yes, I love to write it. My fantasy series “Unbroken” has been a major hit. Q: What is the first thing you do when you start a new story? After you end a story? A: I try to think and find ways of developing it in a way that will get my fans hooked. And after I end it, I always take a deep breath, lie down and think about the journey I have had with the story. Q: What inspired the plot for A Love to Last? A: A TV series I was watching and I loved the plot. So, I said to myself, let me make something similar but not exact. Q: Do you identify or connect the best with any of the main characters: Ben, Jim, Jerome, or David? A: Definitely Ben. This is a character I took so much time developing because I wanted people to relate to his emotions and I am glad they did. I did too. Q: What is your favorite scene in the story? A: I have got a couple of scenes that I can mention. But if I can pick one, it has to be when Ben and David first met, the connection David felt. Q: Can you share anything about your current or upcoming work with readers? A: I have got an amazing upcoming series at the end of the year. Unfortunately, I cannot give any information. Let me just say, “stay tuned”

All of the anthologies that were submitted to site staff by the deadline were published with the event to date in the 3 weeks of planned blog announcements, plus this week's Wrap Up which will review the overall event. Authors are always welcome to publish their works afterward and mention they were intended for the event if they didn't meet the deadline, word counts, etc... however.

Welcome to week 3 of the 2023 Poetry Anthology, and the release of several great poems or poem collections by some of GA's authors & poets. This year the theme picked is so open, authors really can take readers anywhere on a journey of... Exploration *Additional poetry chapters posting this week: Backwoods Boy's Autumn Explorations, Headstall's Treasures Found, & Parker Owens/AC Benus' Cadence Don't forget to like, comment, and review!

“Hey! Where are we going?” They’d left the other creatures behind quickly, but that didn’t mean the world had gone quiet around us. The spring temperatures rapidly moved toward an early summer feel and the heady mix of treen leaves and flowers filled the air along with the buzz of insects and calls of other… things. Beckett wasn’t sure what they were after what he’d seen so far, and that made him nervous. “Your new home.” The tiny dragon’s wings flapped fast, not hummingbird speed or anythi

Did you catch Monday's blog where I featured Cynus's story, Shadow Honor? This is one of my favorite genres, and I have to agree with @JeffreyL because I really like the way that @Cynus used the tattoo magic in the storyline. Have you read this story? Share your thoughts below if you didn't get the chance to share your love on Monday. If not, maybe this except will draw you in enough to make you go read (warning: You're going to want to have NOTHING else to do for a while!) Want to read more? Click here

Okay, another long story feature and this one has themes of fantasy which we all know I love! If you haven't given this Signature Author's story, Shadow Honor by @Cynus, a shot, what have you been doing?? Better yet, it's part of a series! Full of political intrigue, magic, demons, and more.... there's a ton in store for intrepid readers! Length: 126,057 Description: In the depths beneath the Everbright City lies a vast complex of caves known as The Shade. The Underking of the Shade, Salidar thulu'Khant, seeks to free the demons imprisoned in the city above and use them to unseat King Neredos, the immortal ruler of humanity. The future of the world rests in the unwilling hands of young thief and Shade native, Styx, who is thrust into the middle of a conflict which has perpetuated for centuries. A reader said: Cynus has created an interesting world and populated it with some great characters! Styx, a young theif from the Shade, is caught up in an ongoing battle. There are secrets and powers and magic and double-crosses enough to keep the reader guessing. I really enjoyed reading this. I especially enjoyed the tattoo magic! ~ JeffreyL If you want to spread the word about Cynus'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!

And what Valkyrie doesn't say is that since the prompts are left up for authors to use over time, many might not know to add them to the topics. We also can't categorize them like we do the anthologies which have a finite timeframe. Maybe @Valkyrie could add a "prompt" to the future prompt blogs for authors (now and maybe go back) to add the numbers of what prompt they used in their story descriptions/chapter titles or notes, etc.... to make it easier for readers who enjoy a specific prompt to search? It will still be up to them, but it might make it easier when readers do those searches too.

Welcome to week 2 of the 2023 Poetry Anthology, and the release of several great poems or poem collections by some of GA's authors & poets. This year the theme picked is so open, authors really can take readers anywhere on a journey of... Exploration Additional poetry chapters posting this week: AC Benus' Second Sight: Remembering Some San Francisco Neighborhoods Don't forget to like, comment, and review!

Surreal. This dream was positively surreal. He’d gone from freezing, feet trampling on twigs and smooth pebbles covered in bits of snow that drifted over the dirt path to a spring path. The dirt was warm through his socks. “Hey, hold on.” Beckett wasn’t sure why he said it, but he couldn’t resist the urge to take off his socks and wiggle his feet into the dirt. The fox stopped, hopping up onto a rock dripping with lime green moss. The dirt on the path was soft, burying my toes to the knuckl

Yes, we've conscripted another one! In honor of all the hard work Valkyrie has been doing for the Prompt Blog, coordinating the Anthologies, Writing Contests, and in general awesomeness volunteering her time on the site... we've tagged and bagged her officially. Please join us in thanking and congratulating Valkyrie in becoming GA's latest admin! @Valkyrie Author * Prompt Promoter * Anthology Organizer

Sorry you're feeling lost, Treyvan, but glad GA is still here for you. Writing can definitely be a solace and a way to escape the world around you and use what you're feeling and needing to express in a safe place. Posting is definitely different from the past, so make sure you check out the Help topics if you decide to share your stories, and welcome back!

Welcome to week 1 of the 2023 Poetry Anthology, and the release of several great poems or poem collections by some of GA's authors & poets. This year the theme picked is so open, authors really can take readers anywhere on a journey of... Exploration *Additional poetry chapters posting this week: AC Benus' Miracles & Aditus' Delicious Delights. Don't forget to like, comment, and review!

You know.... I've never read the Kandric Saga? It's been on my list, but I've just never had the time to sit and read ALL the way through that tale. I do love dragons though. Last week we had crazy hair day at school, and my favorite shirt says, "In a world of bookworms, be a book dragon" so I made my hair into a braided nest and fastened a plushie dragon inside. The elementary kids went crazy for it, and tons of staff laughed and said I won for craziest hair.

“That’s it?” Beckett said when Parallax didn’t say anything else. “I’m just going to find it. Where? How? Who took it? Why? What do they want with it? What does it look like?” “It’s a star. Look, do you see my tail?” Parallax stood. “Um, no?” Where he usually had a long, fluffy tail with a bright white tip was nothing but a tiny wisp of darkness. “Exactly. So find my star.” The light around him began to brighten, and he hissed. “No more time. This is our only chance. You have to g

For me, April feels like it stretches on forever. So I picked a slightly longer story, and the title matches that feeling. Enjoy this month's selection and don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on the discussion day! A Love to Last @vanalas Length: 120,112 Description: Ben and Jim are half-brothers and sons of self-made billionaire Jerome Henandez. The Henandez sons are handsome, charming and intelligent, groomed to lead and head the multi-million empire set up by their father. Though half-brothers, their love for each other is manifested in everything they do. However, everything changes when David enters the picture. Their lives become intertwined through scandals, rivalry and romance when Jim falls hopelessly in love with the handsome hunk who on the other hand has his eyes on the kindhearted, mysterious and strong-headed Ben. Who will rise and fall in this game of love? A reader said: Wow! I am at a loss for words. ~mikeuniqueac Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, April 24th!

“Where am I?” Beckett stumbled to his knees. “Where’s the bathroom? Colby? Mrs. R!” He was alone, and he was not in a house. He was as far from in a house as he could possibly be; he was freezing, and it didn’t help that he didn’t have a shirt on. Glowing light in the dark trees to his left was the only sign of civilization. The forest looked dead otherwise, the trees’ limbs bare and spindly as they rattled against each other in the wind, and nothing but white bits of snow blew around the d

Okay, even if you're not a fan of anime or Freaky Friday, or if you're new to Laura S. Fox's writing... I hope you took a chance and read this month's featured selection! It was fun, right? Share your thoughts in the comments below, but first! Of course, she did an interview for me. Chocolate or Vanilla? What’s vanilla? Death by chocolate all the way. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I read a lot. I read extensively, fiction, non-fiction, literary works, mystery novels, sci-fi, romance, thrillers, you name it. Not even cookbooks are spared. I also like listening to music, another area where my tastes are as much a mess as they come. I listen to classical music when I write, but I also know who BTS is (don’t ask me to name all the boys, though). I like a little out of everything, I think. What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? An old library. I’d like to explore every nook and cranny, to see how it works, how the books are organized, what a regular day in a librarian’s life is like there. And, of course, browse through all those old tomes. The story would be about some secret society, and the main character could be a detective sent to investigate unusual phenomena happening in the library. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? As everyone, I suppose, I have several strong points and several weaknesses. I found it the most natural to write dialogue, but when it comes to descriptions of people, places, and so on, I find myself lacking the vocabulary necessary for writing them off the top of my head in a way that I’d consider satisfactory. So, that’s where I stop and start doing research. If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? Have more confidence in your writing. If you like what you write, the chances are that other people will like to read it, too. There’s no one that unique on the face of the earth not to encounter likeminded people, and that’s a good thing. What brought you to GA? I was searching for writing platforms where I could publish my M/M fiction, and I believe it was Google who told me about GA. I hope my memory isn’t playing tricks on me. It happened more than five years ago. So… anime. Do you read, watch, etc…? And what’s your favorite if so? First I watched a few yaoi and BL animes and progressed from there to reading manga, and later manhwa, and manhua – which are basically the Korean and Chinese versions of the same style of comics. It’s hard to tell an absolute favorite after all this time, but I think titles like Ai No Kusabi, Haru Wo Daite Ita, and more recently, 19 Days, Killing Stalking and Painter of the Night, will always remain on top of the list. Who is your favorite of the two main leads who essentially Freaky Friday switch in This Strange World Needs a Kicking? It all started as Kai’s story, but I must admit that I favor – just a little – Sebastian, because he somehow developed into a more complex character than initially intended. While Kai is just finishing high school and is still like a kid in many ways, his malleability and ability to adapt to what’s happening to him makes things easier for him than for Sebastian. Where Kai doesn’t find it that strange that he’s suddenly the hero of an isekai adventure, Sebastian believes he’s the victim of a curse. However, dealing with the challenges presented by the switcheroo appears not as that much trouble to Kai as it is to Sebastian. He fights the harder fight in some ways, so to speak. So, maybe, just maybe, he’s the favorite child by less than an inch of affection. Can you sum up the story in one line? It only takes a body swap to find love and the real you on the other side. Can you share a little of your current or future story you’re posting on GA with readers? I’m currently in the process of publishing Chasing Rusty Parker here, on GA. It is the sequel to my other story published here, Good Guys Don’t Date Bad Boys. I think it’s the first time I’m using a character’s full name in the title, and it’s all for a good reason. This story centers more on the main character than my other works, in the sense that besides the usual interactions with the MC’s love interest and his friends, I invite the readers to spend more time in Rusty’s head than I have done previously. That said, I hope that the journey through Rusty’s kinky and clever mind will be worth the time wasted on reading the story.

You never know when a prompt might get a short story in your brain and the creative juices flowing again. Start small?

“Mom, Dad, you back from the store yet?” Colby was yelling the second they walked through the door. Beckett winced. His head was throbbing, and Colby’s voice pierced through his brain like a hot-red spike. The nap hadn’t helped at all. Worse, when he’d opened his eyes, Colby had been staring at him and there was something off about the expression on his face. A mix of fear, awe, and something Beckett couldn’t pinpoint but made him super uncomfortable. “What, was I drooling?” he’d asked.