Cia

The curse of a flash story, updates are mandated at set times. But at least they come each week, right? I like mixing things, contemporary/paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi... and making the mundane magical or the magical mundane. More coming Wednesday!

Sorry for the late reply! The root... oh, the root... you may be closer than you know. I'll leave you with that. LOL

The fae was almost happy. I think being a Darkling scared the crap out of him. I think the answer is coming soon for you! Thanks again for being patient with my slow responses.

Sorry! Things have been a bit crazy. Thanks so much for reading Take Flight. I like to keep perspective for my characters. Birch is a human in a new world so he sees things the way he has always done... human

Illumination by Rowan Speedwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Illumination was a fascinating eBook. I was worried the subject matter would revolve around the day in and day out of a rock star. While it did matter, quite a bit, Adam wasn't really the focus of this eBook. Miles is, by far, the driving character behind the story, though we don't meet him first. He is complex, and has a personality behind the personality. I don't want to give away any of the lovely complexities in this story via spoilers... but what you think you know about him gets completely turned around as the story progresses. Rowan's multi-layered character must be acknowledged as a superior example of how to write a person in a story that feels completely real. I loved the damage the characters have, and the challenges they face, and the strength it takes for them to overcome. There's a lot of external drama, and internal, between Miles and Adam. I dislike the lack of communication being a pivotal point between characters, but in Illumination that was actually a part of their personalities that made perfect sense. It wasn't just to drive the conflict to new heights, there were understandable reasons why the romance devolves. Now, I won't get more explicit than that. There's angst, and drama, and some heart-break, emotional flaws, anger... and art. I can't forget about the art. I'm in love with the visuals Rowan created for the illuminations Miles did, so much so that I wanted one. I wish the cover could have shown that aspect of the story better. It felt like a color by number marker painting, not an intricate, custom illumination around a page of script. So, all in all, to sum up... great characters, good drama, and a satisfying ending that I won't spoil, lol. View all my reviews

There has been a time or two, or ten, over the years when I've wished for brain bleach to be a reality. Usually this happens from the authors who join and post without bothering to read our FAQ, which is a huge pet peeve of mine, anyway. LOL

I still like to think GA, which in reality is the site staff, is pretty fair when we review/censor 'questionable' material, including that which shows different, often uncomfortable, facets of society and personal relationships. We have strict limits, and we have soft limits. When we are confronted by an issue, we discuss it as a team. I am the front line in reading stories from new authors, Renee is the front line of the anthologies, and we all keep an eye on the content older authors post. If anyone has issues with content we find, or we get a report from members, we ALL discuss it so that we get a fair, consistent decision with as much of a consensus as possible. Limits are set on behavior all the time in real life, and GA is no different. I don't think we all need to write sanitized, life is wonderful and no one acts in ways uncomfortable/inappropriate/flat out wrong types of stories, but I do think how some subjects are approached, and shared, must be limited. You can find similar issues online in some other places affecting publishing authors as well. There has been a lot of controversy over some mainstream retailers/payment facilitating sites who are limiting certain types of fiction because they're 'immoral and/or obscene'. Paypal stirred up some serious crap last year when they struck out against bestiality, rape, incest, and pseudo-incest by imposing sanctions against sites that allowed that content, forcing them to either use an alternate payment method or comply with their regulations. Amazon has been accused this year of making it harder for fans of erotica to find content by excluding certain tagged titles from searches, thus imposing a subtle form of censorship on authors who choose to write sensitive material. All this boils down to the decision authors have to make for themselves. Is the 'censored' content necessary for the story they are writing? Do they want to work within the confines of the regulations being imposed by whatever sites they are using (GA, Amazon, etc...) or will they find another place that allows them to write what they want to share?

I was actually talking about this with my mother in law last night. She likes the books, a lot, but wasn't sure about the original actor for that plot. I didn't get past the author's first flawed research examples. Admittedly, I went into reading it with a chip on my shoulder based on the 'it was just fan-fiction when I wrote it' excuses she'd had, but still... look at a damn map, at least, if you put your plot in a real place! I don't have any interest in the story as a movie either, though hopefully they won't be leave Vancouver, and drive North to Seattle... through Portland which is south of Vancouver.

“While we wait for the Alchemist, I thought you might like to try out your wings.” Birch stumbled against a small table near the fireplace. “What?” “We’ve been ignoring them because we have bigger problems, but… you have wings, Birch. Flying is the one thing I never thought we’d share. I love the freedom of soaring through the air.” “I-I don’t know.” Birch licked his lips. “What if I fall?” Sayer could remember some rough tumbles when he learned to fly. The field wasn’t too hard, but Bir

Normal is a loaded word. Is it 'normal' to believe that a person well above consenting age, who is responsible for the emotional and physical well-being of a minor, engage in a sexual relationship with them that is not only illegal but could lead to emotional and social scarring should it be exposed? Or is it 'normal' to think that is wrong and should not be shown as sexually appealing by being written into a story meant to titillate readers? Like it or not, our cultures do have some moral boundaries set by general consensus. Some are more harmful than others, some change and others do not. While I believe in exploration and freedom of expression, I adhere to the guidelines set down by GA and even agree with most of them wholeheartedly. This is where my 'don't make me message you for violating our guidelines' aspect comes into play when it comes to expressing yourself as an author. I don't consider that censorship that in any way is geared toward people who identify themselves as LGBT. I consider that protecting ourselves, and the site, since we are the ones who could be held responsible for the content. When we had FSO active, the guidelines were the same and that site was geared to attracted writers with heterosexual stories. A big example of the risk of not enforcing our guidelines could be losing our ad revenue if we were to allow nude images on the site. That 'censorship' is in place for a reason that has little to do with sexuality and much to do with legality/social morality. We follow outside guidelines for that reason, and enforce them with members through our own guidelines, because there are repercussions we don't wish to face. There are always going to be limits people have to put up when their necks are on the line, even when it comes to pushing boundaries. Whether that be in society at large, an online setting, or a personal setting, you have to decide if you wish to abide by them for yourself. That decision can lead authors to stay on the site, or go elsewhere... but as always, that's your choice.

Interestingly enough, what Graeme mentions as 'censoring' when it comes to published fiction, I consider marketing. I'm an avid watcher of the trends and when I choose eBooks out of my material to submit to publishers, I try to use those that I believe will actually sell, and sell well. I'm not always successful, but since I've sold close to 5,000 eBooks this year, I think that sort of attention to what I write and present to the masses is vital. Know your audience, know or guess well what they want, and then give them that. That's not to say I throw out pat material just to sell. I've no intention of ever submitting my Carthera stories, not because I don't believe they are good enough to be published, but because I don't think the content itself lends well to publishing. I still wrote it, and plan to continue to write in the world. Since I intend to offer free fiction all the time, as well as sell, I get to write whatever takes my fancy too. GA's a bit more lenient in the underage/violent/sexual graphic content than the publishing world tends to be. I think this is somewhat along the guidelines of 'gay community', and how that as a whole is/should/might be censored.... Stereotypes about behavior and mannerisms still persist that lead a lot of people to make assumptions about the type of person you have to be if you don't identify as straight. Lesbian women are butch or super fem, gay men are limp-wristed lispers, jocks can't be gay, etc.. etc... If that's you, then should you change to be less like the stereotype, or is being yourself perpetuating the cycle? Why should anyone change because they are worried about how other people think? If it is safe for you to be yourself (some people cannot due to home/life/country situations) then do so! Be happy and screw everyone else. The same goes for your writing. If it's safe for you to do so (and me being forced to message you for violating our guidelines is not safe, lol) then explore content ideas that might not be for everyone. If they don't like it, they don't have to read it.

Sorry, testing browser compatibility, so I picked your story “Let me help you up.”

Thank you Daithi! I really wanted to show a new dynamic between the characters. Thanks for commenting in my forum!

Hmm, I used to do that. The wall never became my person's face and it never helped me feel better, either. Lessons we all learn, right? Good chapter with believable angst.

Thanks Dave! I feel bad, this story has been a LOOONG time in the writing. I have had more starts and stops and writing blocks in AE than in any other story. I'm lucky to have fans who continue to follow anyway.

Light by Nathan Burgoine My rating: 4 of 5 stars Light surprised me. I was expecting something a bit more intellectual, technical, I guess you might say. The cover was very 80s-esque, but the plot is very much within the current trend toward superhero fiction. The blurb really plays up the story's overall plot, and the style, so I wasn't disappointed, just a little surprised at the contrast between the cover and actual story. I'm not going to go over the plot. It's covered really well in the blurb. The characters were great. I absolutely loved Kieran's snark when he was judging guys he's dating or 'forced to date' by his meddlesome best friend. The power element seemed to be well described and the author stuck to the 'rules' they'd come up with through the whole story. So, the best friend is pretty much the cut from the same cloth gay man best friend type of character, but hey... I liked the coffee swilling woman anyway. I wasn't impressed or easily understood the element of the Miracle Woman, other than to explain the 'Hide' part that led to Kieran keeping his secrets hidden. Sebastian was pretty cool and HOT! He seemed pretty real, and I liked his interactions with Kieran. I love, love, loved his dog. I had the big, dumb dog myself until last year, so I totally got that and the reaction to Kieran was freaking hilarious. 'Play!' Okay, the bad guy and the bad guy behind the bad guy were completely and totally transparent. So, while I enjoyed the story... they felt way too two dimensional for me to really feel the tension after the first scene during the flag raising at the start of Pride week. Plot... pretty solid. Ease of reading and dialogue/narration flow was excellent and made this a very easy read. The characters were well described, and I could easily 'see' each of them, which was good because there were enough in the story that it could have been confusing if they weren't so distinctly fleshed out. Overall, not quite the story I was expecting, but very good nonetheless. Definite recommend if you like contemporary with a bit of 'extra' thrown in. The world was complex enough with some openings for follow ups, so it'll be interesting if the author comes back and writes more psi stories in this world. View all my reviews

Always reminded me of a hybrid monkey and Cheshire cat, you know?

“Your human has some good ideas.” Croll smirked at Birch. Sayer flicked his fingers. Croll’s chair toppled over. He sprawled on the ground, staring up at Sayer. Birch started laughing. “Are you okay?” Sayer jumped up. He held a hand out to Croll. “Let me help you up.” “What was that?” Croll rubbed his shoulder. “I have no idea.” Sayer shuddered. Power that usually took energy to channel just… poured out of him. He’d only meant to mess up Croll’s hair, a surefire way to set off the finicky fa

One of my sisters called me a freak when she found out what I write. We don't talk much anymore and before that we called once or twice a week. Some of my family went 'uh... weird.' and ignore it, and some are supportive. It varies, but considering my first published eBook provided me with the money to take my 2 kids and go see my dying grandmother across the country before she passed last spring, I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks in real life. I write what I want, I read what I want, and those who can't accept it can go take a jump of the closest bridge for all I care. I'm not overly friendly or care much about what people think about me in RL though. Plus I'm lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest where it's very much 'live and let live' for all different types of folks. There will always be some bigots, but by and large, I live in an excellent atmosphere that celebrates diversity.

After the Fall by L.A. Witt After the Fall was an interesting book. I enjoyed the horse facts, though I grew up around western riders, so eastern riding was a refreshing change. The average reader shouldn't have any trouble understanding the lingo used, especially since Nathan ends up teaching Ryan how to ride since he's the one who landed him in a world of pain. L.A. Witt is an accomplished rider, and I was looking forward to this installment in the Tucker Spring's series. Her stories involve rich characters and intricate relationships, but are rarely angsty. For the most part that's good, but I found this story to be almost predictable enough to be boring. Additionally, the heavy story line about Nathan's friends was distracting though I understood the parallel in the relationship fear. That being said... lust and fear drove the story's conflict. "I want you, you want me..." Both Nathan and Ryan are on the same page, but things changed for Ryan. I felt like the whole blow up at the end was a bit ridiculous. Ryan was never open about being willing to change his mind, that I could see, but when Nathan tried to explain how he felt, what he was afraid of, Ryan shut him down cold. Granted, Nathan was a bit of douche when/where he did it, and sometimes his 'I'm so afraid of being burned again' felt too girly, but Ryan blew his stack without even attempting to communicate his changing feelings. While that might be somewhat realistic, people do break up over non-communication all the time, it didn't feel like enough to drive the conflict in the plot. Part of that would be the first person style not letting us see the changing feelings Ryan had, divorcing us from his growing love and then the drastic hurt he felt. I enjoy L.A. Witt's writing style and her character's snarky humor, but in this case the first person style really divorced me from the couple dynamic. In the end that led to this being a fairly average romance story that was good, but didn't make any great impact on me. If you love the series, or L.A. Witt, you won't be sorry if pick it up. If not... well, read more of the reviews and decide for yourself. View all my reviews

AJ made the design and decided which color went to which group after I went through and added colors and group titles to the file. Creative and techie... handy guy, isn't he?

GA is my 'home' so to speak. I post a few stories on Literotica, then started my blog when I decided to start doing a bit of ePublishing. I recently started putting my Carthera stories on AFF too and I wrote 2 stories for a MM romance group on Goodreads, eBooked here. Like casting a net to find readers. You will, however, find pretty much everything here on GA. I think that sometimes, inside a situation, people can be a bit short-sighted, fae too. They're so hit by the effects of the magic going wild that they are just trying to survive them so far. Birch looks for problems but his purpose is to follow them to their source, looking beyond the effect to the cause. He's been trained to do it, so it wasn't much of a stretch for him to see the same here. Thank you so much for the review, and I'm glad you enjoy my stories. I never knew I had so many worlds in my head, lol.

The Briefers let me explore different stories with less expectation, since it is only 1k in length. It's harder in some ways, easier in others. I love mixing fantasy with contemporary too, both to read and write. Thanks for the review, Myiege.

“Ow.” Okay, sex felt more than great during but afterward… Birch groaned on his way into the grotto. He made a beeline for the pool. Muscle aches aside, Birch felt good physically. Sayer getting hauled out of bed by Croll for some sort of fae-ish cabal in the early morning hours had certainly upset his mood. The damn man wasn’t Sayer’s best friend, he was! Birch dunked himself. The water closed over his head. Birch’s heartbeat thudded in his ears over the sound of the water over his body on its

Nice shades, Matt.