Cia

Dealing with my own brand of nerve pain right now I feel so much for you. I'm lucky to have a lot of support, but I'm really glad your friends are there for you. One thing I've learned over the years is that when you live with long-term issues you find ways to work around the problem. There are physical aids out there that might help you overcome a few of the more annoying effects from the numbness in your hand. Spoons with thicker handles and deeper 'bowls' help spillage. And you can get devices that strap to the wrist to hold silverware that reduce some of the shakiness if you aren't interested in learning how to be ambidextrous. My grandad lost his thumb and most first two fingers in WWII and he had some adaptive tools since he lost part of his left hand too. Just a few suggestions that might make life in the short-term not as trying. I'll think good thoughts for a continued string of good days, though!

No, I didn't read in your post that your emotion hampers instead of helps you. I simply have never made the connection to a story I write in that way, but I've had many stories inspire me to tears or anxious reactions as I sank into the world and scenes seamlessly. I think, for my own writing, I just can't stop thinking and start feeling. I've been told I'm too logical to a fault, lol. I just don't respond the way most people expect. For me, whenever I do anything I'm goal-oriented and deliberate. It might be why writing isn't a passion for me like it is for so many authors I know. I enjoy it though, and I really like helping new authors find their own path. I can't be as hands on with that as I used to on GA, but the community here does a great job creating a support network.

Many authors don't find writing organic. I don't. I'm always amazed by authors who say they cry or get emotional when they write. I don't get that. For me, every word chosen to elicit a visual or emotion is deliberate. From the very beginning I've focused too much on the words and scene to make an emotional attachment. Some people say you have to feel that organic connection, but I think a well written story can be just as pulling without it, if you write it well enough. It also makes people watching into research as I observe everyone around me to see how they look and talk in various situations. Even though I'm not an author who writes every day, I tend to always think about it. Practice does make perfect, after all. Gradually writing can become easier and flow for you on a first draft as you refine what works and what does not in the scenes you wish to create. That opens the floor to writing longer stories as well.

Oh, I have lots of plans for this story! I don't want to give anything away right now but yeah... lots of plans!

Thank you Suvitar!

Strain by Amelia C. Gormley My rating: 5 of 5 stars *COMING SOON* Feb. 17th! Many, many times I search for dystopian stories only to fail to find one that captures my attention. I want the sense of 'the world has ended' drama, the gritty and often dark reality that the comfortable has disappeared and survival takes a level of guts and bravery not everyone has. Strain fulfilled every single one of those dystopian desires. We have governmental mishandling, virus-releasing, politician tumbling, society crumbling and... and.... ZOMBIES! Well, kinda. We also have superhumans that are more human than the humans they're trying to save and protect. I'm not going to go over the plot, other to warn that there is a lot of sexual content and those who have issues with slight reluctant consent/shades of non-consent should be wary. I felt the sex, while frequent, was not gratuitous due to the integral nature of the plague/cure the plot required. There's some shades of D/s involved as well. The world building was a little lax. I'd have liked to see more of the society and overall picture, but the microcosm of the story from the character's POV made that lack not too bad. When the world has ended, there's not like any newspaper or TV to watch to see what's going on in other countries, or even in the same country or state. The author's writing was smooth. I was hooked from the dramatic beginning, where the main character was fighting for his life... and losing. I adored the main characters, disliked the villain and steadily grew to hate him as I was supposed to. The story wasn't exactly a surprise when it comes to events but I was forced to stay up half the night to finish it anyway. It was absolute torture... to end it! I wanted more. I will definitely be watching this author for more stories to come. View all my reviews

It was. Sometimes it's like that, just a normal day and then the shock of a lifetime strikes. The world is not always a nice place. Thanks for the review!

Aww, thanks! There is a lot to come with this story, and it will be sad. But at least you know there will be updates each week. Thanks for the review!

Awww thank you so much! That is a true compliment.

LOL... *cough* but let us not devolve into any discussion on the validity of any religious texts in the forums. *cough*

Me too! Benny's story has been floating in my head for a long time, and I thought it was the perfect start to get me moving on my writing again. Thanks for reading m.p.

Woo hoo! So I finally caught up. You know, out of all your contemporary pieces I'm really liking this one. The characters have a real balance to them, and they feel more 'real'. The 1k dynamic makes it hard to create a smooth plot arc, but I just read this whole thing to catch up again from where I left off and you're doing a great job of that. Now to wait for next week! *sighs* LOL

I like bing, myself, but tips and tricks for searching are always useful. The biggest thing to remember is that just because it shows up on google doesn't mean it is a reputable resource. Internet info is always a good start though. I'm still a big advocate of the library, myself.

If the word is meant to be pronounced 'Doh', it is spelled doe. As in a stag being a male deer then doe as in a female dear. That's the confusion.

Thanks belann! I really like these guys too. I'm trying to get back to my favorite series, and write new stories, and publish, and... well you get the picture. Benny was one of my favorite supporting characters too, and I always wanted to tell his story. So now I am.

Thanks! I dunno what I was thinking!

Benny dug his claws into the mud. He needed the anchor to stay in his spot hidden at the base of a pine tree. The fragrant needles helped hide his scent so he could get close to the eyrie. It was close, but not close enough. It was never close enough. Instinct drove Benny to race down the slope. The slender Carthera wouldn’t be able to stop him. He could be down there, amid the young rolling around on the ground, in seconds. He trembled with need. The memory of Yuril’s frantic screaming was t

Benny had his mate for a few short weeks. A moment in time that is slowly dragging him down. Yuri is alive, he's well... but he's not really there, not the Yuri Benny loved. His mate screamed at the sight of him. Jerret was happily mated; Davis had found his mate in a human. But Benny is all alone with his rage and pain slowly eating him up inside. Something had to change.

None for me. I went out for dinner with my sister in law one night and she tried to take me to an adult store to embarrass me... but yeah, big fail as I made her turn redder than a beet. Plus I was only 18 at the time and none of my friends lived within 2 hours of me, so it was pretty meh. By the time the wedding was almost there all I wanted was for it to be freaking over and hop on the plane to Maui.

There are several shifter stories here on GA, tons of teens, etc... Your best bet is to use our Advanced search option to pick multiple tags to narrow the type of story search you're wanting. There is a video 'how to' for that feature one of our Admin's recently made that will help you learn that option in Stories if you don't know how to use the search. https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/38238-advanced-search-help-video-by-jsmith/#entry448875

When I was pregnant with my daughter I had a dream that instead of a baby inside me, I had a book. I could feel the spine and the corners and everything through my stomach. I kept wondering if this was a long book or a short one, and hoping it was a short one.

Yeah, he has reason to be closed off, but he slowly opens up. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

There's plenty more to be read! Thank for reviewing.

I began this story as a flash piece with my blog group, The Wednesday Briefers. With a lot of polish, and over 14k in new content... it's now Protecting Bear. Today only, January 10th, you could win a copy on my off-site blog! Just comment, include your email, and you could win! Contest ends at 10 PM, PST. All comments also count toward my $10 Amazon gift card contest ending on my blog, January 20th. Visit my blog contest Protecting Bear is also available for purchase for only $2.99 Protecting Bear Synopsis: Bear has sworn off guys who try to pick him up at his second job working as a bartender. His ex, Vilem, damn near turned him off dating altogether. Jimmy would flip if he finds out Bear dated a drug dealer, as if Bear did it knowingly. His career as a cop only makes his brother more protective. But Kameron doesn’t try to pick him up at the bar. He doesn’t ask for a blow job or a back alley screw. He asks Bear out for coffee. That alone is rare enough to get Bear to say yes. They have an instant chemistry, even though he will cut the giant off at the knees if Kameron calls Bear “little guy” one more time. Kameron’s secrets grow harder to hide the longer he dates Bear. He wants to come clean, but he knows there’s a very good chance the fiery man will never speak to him again. Kameron wrestles with his conscience and his desire for Bear. Both men’s choices lead to a series of events neither see coming. Bear believes his judgment failed him once again when he learns exactly what Kameron was hiding. At the same time, Bear learns Vilem wasn't just a corner drug dealer, and some very scary guys are after him. Can both men survive their encounter with Vilem’s bosses? When Bear and Kameron land in a life or death situation, it's up to Bear to save himself … and Kameron, if he's lucky. Excerpt: "I don’t know man, that’s a lot.” “Can you get the stuff or not?” Kameron shifted his weight back and forth. The inside of the phone booth was filthy and something had died in the corner. The small space had a foul smell, but Kameron tried to pretend he didn’t notice. “Ben said you could get me ten grams. I need it.” He sniffed and wiped his nose. “I don’t usually—” “Look, I got two fifty. I’m looking for ten grams for a… a party I’m throwing. I need it now. You coming or not?” His heart raced during the silence as he urged Maks to agree. “Fifth and Inochs?” “Sweet,” Kameron said with relief. “Yeah, I’ll be by the statue. See you in twenty, right? You’ll be there with my stuff?” “I’ll be there.” Kameron heard Maks mutter about junkies under his breath. He managed to keep his response in check. He waited until he was almost to the bridge before he made the call so it only took him a few minutes to get in place. His palms were sweating, and he kept wiping them on his ratty jeans. Finally he stuffed them in his pockets to keep them still. His hoodie obscured his vision, but he didn’t want to lower it. It was cold under the bridge, and the wind sent icy fingers inside the holes exposing his knees. Kameron hunched over, slumping against smooth side of the abstract metal statue. Damn wind was making his nose run already. How much longer? He couldn’t help peering back and forth, checking the creeping shadows. The freeway overhead hummed with cars taking people home or out to whatever entertainment they craved on a Friday night. And here was his. Maks looked just like his picture. Kameron relaxed a little. He took his hands out of his pants pockets and fiddled with the strings to his hoodie. The cold made his fingertips burn. There was a lot more snow here than he was used to, and Kameron was fucking freezing. “Carson?” Kameron nodded. “You Maks?” “Yeah.” They both knew how this went down. Kameron twitched his strings again and sniffed. “You got my party supplies?” “Yeah, I brought them.” The drug dealer lifted a six-pack of beer. “You’re gonna pay me back for the beers, right?” “’Course.” Kameron dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small wad of crumpled bills. He stuffed the money back in his pocket after he flashed it to Maks. “I just need to make sure the beer’s my favorite kind.” Maks didn’t look happy, but he handed over the six-pack. “It’s all there.” Kameron picked up a bottle, peering at it, then tilted the carton. The orange glow from the streetlight shone on the white baggies tucked in the bottom, around the beer. “Looks good.” He put the beer back and then shoved his hood off his head. Kameron dug into his pocket, shivering as the wind blew sharply, scattering litter along the ground. He peered at Maks. “If I have another party, say in a couple of weeks, could you get me more of the same?” “Sure.” Maks looked eager to be gone, his eyes focused on the cash in Kameron’s hand. “Cool.” Maks grabbed the cash Kameron held out and kept walking. “Nice doing business with you,” he said over his shoulder. “Oh, it was. You can stop right there though.” Kameron tugged on the cord hanging around his neck, hidden under his sweatshirt. “What the fuck? You gonna try to rip me off? My bosses will—” Maks spun around and froze. “Not be any help to you.” Kameron pulled his gun from behind his back.

It varies. For some authors of high quality stories we can work out an agreement with them, as long as their publisher approves, to remove stories from the public free area of the site to our Premium section. That is a case by case basis though. Other people do leave originals up and publish expanded, polished pieces as eBooks instead. The main concern for us is the removal of stories, and if it becomes a repeat habit.