Cia

Not really. If you have a question about site rules and/or issues directed at staff you should use the Help Questions and Answers forum. More staff respond there. I follow this forum, however, so I received a notification when you posted. We do not 'own' your stories at any time. You always retain the copyright on posted pieces. However, if a member posts stories then removes them for publication they are not eligible for promotion to Hosted or Promising author status. Additionally, if we feel an author is using GA as a place to polish and refine their stories simply to improve them for publishing, we will remove the author's posting ability. This applies particularly to site anthologies as removal of those stories is more work for the staff. Some authors from GA do publish as well as post free fiction. We understand the trend in the online fiction world is growing toward eBooks, however, GA Stories is not intended for stories an author plans to ePublish.

Too true Crazyfish. They have their time and place in stories, and I enjoy them when they are used well. I'm a bit of a contradiction myself. I was reading stories like Huck Finn by age 9. Some of my favorite stories growing up, and continue to still enjoy? The Lord of the Rings series, Dune series, Morgan's Run, The Scarlet Letter, Outlander series, Consolidated works of Shakespeare (with favorites like The Tempest and MacBeth), Clan of the Cave Bear series... all long-winded stories rich with a lot of detail... in some cases a LOT Of detail often in long, drawn out sentences. Hebert was slightly different from most earlier authors in that he used mostly concise sentences... he just wrote a huge universe into a story. I love stories rich in detail to read, if I can get into them. As a kid, I had limited access to new books, only 3 from the roaming book-mobile van ever 3 weeks that often didn't restock new books but every 3 months. I wanted substance, length, and complexity that I could read and enjoy many times. But for me reading is like watching a movie in my head. I don't remember even turning pages, I 'see' the words in my head. I can be captured in a story for hours, not realizing, if it's good enough. The problem is, if I don't know a word--especially if it is placed in a pivotal moment--I'm drawn out of my internal movie. I have a huge vocabulary so anymore that's rare, but occasionally it still happens. I'm not on par with any of my favorite authors, and I'm okay with that. I still think how an author chooses to write does depend a lot on the audience. For all the crap about 'write for yourself', to some extent we all write to be read. Today's readers are different from those 20 years ago, 50 years ago. As you can see with the trends of the authors over time to today, there are distinct changes in what is being published. Concise sentences, direct action, less setting and more plot progression are the editors' words to live by. I'm a simple author, not matter what my tastes are for reading. I believe in entertainment without complication, not because I think my readers can't understand something more complicated, but because what purpose does it serve? I know how many big words I know... doesn't mean I have to use them.

I am so sorry Jo Ann! I had it on my to do list to come back and answer all of the lovely reviews you left me and I didn't. I really do appreciate that you read my story. I hope you enjoy the finish now that it is done.

Thank you so much!

“Where did Sayer go?” Birch liked Lady Celeste, but he wanted Sayer. So much had happened in such a short time, his head was spinning. “He’s taking care of a few things,” she said casually. “I’m sure he will return shortly. Haverlseen will probably be back to badger both of us if I do not let you rest. I shall go.” “It was nice meeting you.” Birch didn’t stand up when she rose from her chair. It was probably more polite not to flash Sayer’s mom than to not get up. “Welcome to the family, Birc

“Stop them!” Sayer gasped when a hand grabbed his ankle, yanking him down. “There’s more than one!” None of the men answered him. Sayer strained his wings, flapping hard, but couldn’t break free of the iron grip on his ankle. Rittenhauser heaved them downward. Sayer held Birch closer and protected his head as they tumbled to the floor. He landed on his back with a thud. Birch cried out when Sayer couldn’t prevent his legs from being jarred. “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!” The man who’d capture

I think he's just hiding cause the Reader's Choice Awards are coming up soon and we all know a certain crown is going back to its rightful keeper this year.

Oh, I'm sorry, usually I put that in. I'll edit it now, but the story announcement is always the first Monday of the month, and the Discussion day is the last Monday of the month. You can always PM or email me Ieshwar.

What's that? We're going to feature Totallyy's shorts? Yeppers! The short ones, the shorter ones... even the teeny tiny ones! His short stories, that is! Pick any number of Totallyy's short stories, as much as you like reading this month. Then let us know what you read, what you thought, and if you read more than one, pick your favorite. Totallyy's Short Stories Are We More Than Just Friends 1,012 words Don't Cross the Threshold 1,176 words Feelings I Don't Know How to Say Otherwise 1,449 words First Snow 1,020 words Giving Back 1,048 words I Am Fine 3,743 words Love Letters to Nobody 1,457 words My Intern 3,299 words She Watches 1,082 words This is How I Speak 2,302 words Tomorrow, I Promise 1,108 words Wedding Jitters 1,638 words Will Our Love Run Dry 2,375 words As always, I'd love to hear what you think about the CSR Book Club. If you have any ideas on things to do this year, changes, new twists to pick stories or share feedback, discussion day features... speak up! Post it here, PM me, shoot me an email at cia@gayauthors.org We will discuss Totallyy's shorts on Monday, January 27th! 

When baking things like scones/muffins/cupcakes you can also replace up to half your fat, like butter or shortening, with applesauce. Get sugar free, or make your own by baking/boiling up some apple(s) til soft then pureeing, and your baked goods will be just a little less of a guilty indulgence.

Peace and quiet. I really dislike being around a lot of people. It's just easier to be at home, especially with kids.

As Natural As Breathing by Thianna D. My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed the story, which is why I gave it 3 stars. However, it was not without its flaws. I definitely felt the 'Stepford family' vibes. The contrast between the perfect couples to the supposedly broken Christian bothered me. The parental/child knowledge of their sex lives really bugged me. Just... ew, but I guess in a true DD relationship having kids would create a wrinkle. Either it becomes bedroom related only and extremely well hidden, or it's open. Usually I dissect exactly what I do and do not like about a story. Other than those issues though, I just felt a vague 'meh, it's a story'. I read it, I didn't feel like my time was, but it didn't really stick out. Overuse of character descriptions and a vaguely unreal feeling let me somewhat dissatisfied. I think the author would have benefited greatly from a comprehensive content review to shake up the story and make it more believable. View all my reviews

It's possible to point at a country, or a gender, or a stereotype, and say they have it easier for this or that reason. You can do it for just about anything personal, much less sexuality. What does this teach us? Every situation is different. Every family is different. Every individual's path in life is different. Easy is relative. We should all keep that in mind.

I've been knocked down to a mod! Yay! No more admin duties for me. Don't tell Myr. I didn't know I was being featured today, so that's really great. I've had some wonderful eBook news today, so hopefully the rest of 2014 will be as successful. Many thanks to Dark for arranging these peeks into the on and off GA lives of our authors.

I think, in many ways, it's the same. Even with stories where the character refers to their shifted selves as separate or believe their 'inner voice' of the animal is a 2nd cognizant being, they will display characteristics of their animal. Humans who use a lot of touch, for example, or have territorial leanings are common with werewolves. I read a story where the creatures were opossums and they had a thing for old meat in human form too. Scent, strength, and skills all come into play. With my Carthera, I wanted that to be more organic. They aren't creatures, they don't turn into creatures, they're just... people with a different genetic make-up than a normal human. Their varies species do have specific traits that manifest in them physically, like birds being smaller and lighter, cats having good balance, whales being big and bulky... but that's it. I probably do much the same research on animal characteristics that an author who writes more mainstream versions of shifters does as well, I just get a bit more latitude in how they act since they are never really animals.

Thanks Mann! I loved the series start with Bonds, but I think I really hit my stride with Hypnotic.

Happy end of December! As 2013 comes to a close we have one of my stories for the Can't Stop Reading book club. You can read Bonds Unbroken, the first story in my Carthera Takeover trilogy in Stories if you haven't already. Renee was kind enough to interview me for the blog, so we'll go straight into that! First a few more general questions: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Hmm… I don’t know if I have a mentor about writing. Nephy gave me some amazing tips when I first began to write. Julie Hayes guided me through publishing and helped me learn how to market. That’s the great thing about the community. Authors working in the MM genre are very connected, and I’ve had a lot of really great experiences with many of them reaching out to help me. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Hmm… I have so little time to keep up with serial stories on the site anymore. If I have to pick one I’ve enjoyed recently it was Finding Everything by Redsunshine. My fav eBook author from recent months would have to be Eden Winters. She wrote a hilarious shifter story about opossums that had me in stitches. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. An ‘entity’ leaves it open for so much interpretation. LOL. Could little people really be running my mind and inspiring me? (One of my Dribbles talks about this, lol). This sounds sappy as hell, but I have to credit this site. I’ve received encouragement from so many people that I can’t pinpoint any one without needing to mention a ton of others. I’ve grown as an author due to the encouragement and help I’ve found on GA. What are your current projects? Well I just finished a final proof on The Experiment, which publishes soon, and I’m working up marketing plans and materials for a novella that began as my flash piece, One Night, that publishes Jan. 10th. I’ve failed completely at keeping up with my sequel novel to The Experiment I’ve been posting for free. Adverse Effects is close to done, if I can just FINISH it. Then I’ve had a ton of requests for Benny’s story, more set in the world from Heated Blood, continuing Coupled in Synchronicity, writing Nicklaus’ story from The Experiment world… As you can see, I always have a ton of work projects to write, but actually doing them. Ughs. Can you share a little of your current work with us? Not really. My writing is really limited anymore. Mostly my flash and editing for publishing. Anyone care to share any dedication with me? I’d make it my New Year’s resolution if I actually ever completed any of those. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? Meh, I don’t find criticism that tough. Either the people have a point and I appreciate it, or they flamers and I roll my eyes and ignore it. I once had someone tell me they went from sobbing to stroking reading one of my stories. I probably blushed ten shades of red, but hey, I’ll take it. LOL Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla with a scoop of peanut butter! Yum. Now, lets get into the nitty gritty questions about Bonds Unbroken Your Carthera tales are definitely different, how did you come up with the idea for the Carthera characters and why do you call them Carthera? I have a cat that loves to snuggle. One day he was laying on my shoulder and I was rubbing his head, watching his ears flick. I thought it would be such a cute mannerism on a ‘person’ but I didn’t want to do the run of the mill shifter types. I read, a lot, so it just took me a few hours of going over books I'd read to pinpoint how I wanted my shifter trope to develop. To be honest, the name just sorta came to me. It doesn’t signify anything in particular in the ‘real world’. How do you decide what “animal” each of your characters is going to represent? Well, first I decide which animal needs to be in the story based on the characteristics and events. Then I start building the character around those traits. I often do character bio sheets to pinpoint how old they are, their hometown and history, likes, dislikes, etc… so that I can visualize their response no matter what situation I throw at them. I know it’s not a very organic way to write but I’m a planner through and through. If your book were made into a movie, who do you picture playing each characters part? I can never answer this question. I don’t see my characters as any particular actor. They are so vivid in my head that they’re already a ‘person’. Real people just don’t fit that visual. Is there something about “Bonds Unbroken” that you wish you had done differently? Oh yeah. The story is pretty simplistic. I could expand it easily and more fully immerse the reader in the Carthera world beyond Velaku and Natham’s story. Which character in “Bonds Unbroken” is your favorite and why? I loved Natham’s character. He’s been so abused but he’s still strong. The bond or not, he’s protective of Velaku, and I adore that alpha male type. Do you plan to write more stories in the Carthera series and if so, do you have a timeline for when we can expect the next story? I still have Benny’s story (Character from third story, Hypnotic) written down bare bones, so I guess that would be next. It’ll stand alone like his brother’s story, Inside of You. I don’t have a timeline on that. I also have a 2nd trilogy planned out that’ll bring a lot of the other shifters introduced in the third story. Bears, whales, other birds… lots to work with! Thanks for reading through my interview! Feel free to leave your thoughts on the story, good and bad, though remember... flamers will be laughed at! Also, please let me know if you have any story suggestions to begin 2014's CSR Book Club.

“I don’t figure you’re too worried about the iron part,” Mr. Rittenhauser said. “But a shot to the chest will kill you just as quick. I see a hint of that foul magic from him and you both die.” The older man curled his lip in disgust. “I always knew you’d be the link we needed. Filthy, unconsecrated sinners like you always draw in the demons.” Birch blinked. “What?” “I know! I saw the pale demon enter your window one night, like smoke from the fires of hell. No one believed me but I started w

That's Rob Colton's Timber Pack. It's not actually on GA. I should get him on that, lol. You can still read it on Literotica.

Good! I'm so glad he isn't getting in trouble. Is it funny that I'm slightly embarrassed I know a teen, and probably all these judging teachers, were reading sex scenes I wrote?

Good for you!

You won't be able to change your mom. You're just going to have to ignore her attitude until you can get away from it. It's hard to say that, but I grew up with a horrid mother figure and that's all I could do. It does get better. Also, people come and go from your life. Not everyone makes lifelong friends. Some people do it early and some people do it late. The one and only childhood friend I talk to has been my best friend since I was 6. Maybe it's because I've never needed anyone else, but I don't make a lot of friends, or really good ones, in person. Be open to meeting people, smile at strangers, say hello... and don't stress about it. A lot of people will say don't stress about the future, but I find that more stressful. Stop and think about what you want to have happen in 5 months. What goals do you have? What skills can you leverage to make that happen? What do you need to do or can do until that point to help your goals be realized? Not being focused and at the mercy of random events always makes me feel uneasy.

I tried it twice, but it won't give me the map locations overall. Each question showed different areas that my choice was most/least similar too though, which makes sense. I grew up mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but was raised by 2 guys who grew up in the backwoods of Florida, and I spent my teenage summers in Maryland, Delaware, and Florida visiting family. Little bits of all over show up in my word choices and point of view.

OMG! Oh, I am laughing so hard right now. Alicia Nordwell, queen of 'smut'! That's so going to be my new title!! I am sorry that your friend's son is in the situation though. The story does have sexual content, graphic even, so I see their point but jeez that's a pretty severe reaction. Now I'm wondering if it's so tame a teenager would risk reading it in school!

Thanks LadyDe! There's a lot going on that I do plan to reveal in the next few updates. I've an interesting angle planned for the whole conflict. Thanks for following and commenting!