Cia

“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.

Did you catch Monday's Feature of Comicality's story, If Memory Serves? If you missed his submission to the Anniversary anthology (or the other great stories) check out the preview in the excerpt I chose below and then go read the rest!! Want to read more: Click here

March is already half over, but that just means you need to take a break to read this little gem of Comicality's. It'll get you in the feels. Length: 6,562 Description: Three years ago, Sawyer and Josh showed up to help build a park playground as a part of a mutual friend's Eagle Boy Scout project... and ended up sharing a moment that they'll remember for the rest of their lives. A reader said: Boy o boy...did this bring back memories, the nerves and angst of reaching out to make a 'connection' with another like minded boy! This deserves a one-off chapter later, perhaps a retrospective a few years down the road as they live their lives!! Well done and thanks!!! ~drsawzall If you want to spread the word about Comicality'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!

It's a secret! Secret author, secret story contest... as in a secret should factor into the story somehow. Wow, I guess I'm REALLY good at keeping secrets even when I'm not thinking about it.

Well, I updated all that on the 9th, so about 10 days ago? So it was very recently. I wasn't putting it out via blogs and such because the poetry event is still ongoing, and we still want that in the forefront.

@Valkyrie @Mrsgnomie*coughs* I updated it on the sly I guess *coughs* You gotta keep an eye on the Events Activity stream.

“You look like shit, man.” “Mr. Reviee, language!” The football coach barked at him and then moved on, having bigger worries than Colby’s rude ass comment. Then again, Colby never cursed and so that just went to show how shitty Beckett looked. “Let’s get out of here.” Beckett didn’t feel like sitting on the bleachers, and the rest of the football team wasn’t leaving fast enough for him. “My mom’s home.” “We can go to my house.” Well, the backyard at least. They had some loung

Blithe always reminds me of Anne of Green Gables, with Gilbert Blythe, which I always thought was ironic considering that was much more Anne's character trait and he was her "nemesis".

I was just looking at it. It says you published/then added it 35 minutes ago. It can take a short amount of time to actually 'appear' live. Attempting to republish it during that window will trigger the 24 hour warning. That's probably what happened.

Something sharp poked his chest, and he jolted awake. His breath caught, what little he could with the weight on his chest and the daggers at his throat. Nothing prepared him for this, and he should have known better. “I swear I locked that door.” Parallax was Colby’s cat. Or the family’s cat. Or a cat that lived in the woods that bordered their side of town, and he somehow had free reign on their house and demanded food the moment the horizon began to light and the stars began to fade befo

March is a month for magic... of a sort. C'mon, any month where there's a holiday that features gold at the end of a rainbow has to be magic, right?! And this story has magic... of a sort. It certainly made me laugh, and I could use some of that. What about you? It's way longer than normal, but it's a recent-ish finish in the last year and it does tend to suck you right in. I hope you will enjoy Laura's story and come back to share your thoughts at the end of the month! This Strange World Needs a Kicking! by @Laura S. Fox Length: 182,757 Description: If only I got transported to another world like in those cool anime series – is what Kai Martin thinks when Milo, his best friend, suddenly confesses and asks him out. Next thing he knows, he’s in a huge bed, in what looks like royal chambers, and there’s a handsome naked guy next to him. Who glares at him and asks him something about another round. Another round of what? And then, a guy in butler's livery walks through the door and looks at him like he just spat in his food. A Reader said: I made the mistake of planning to read just the first chapter then go to bed..... I read until my eyes closed some 8 hours later. I then carried on the next day until the very last word I laughed, I cheered and I absolutely loved this story. Thank you so much for transporting me to a magical kingdom and a very happy ending. ~Blue Fan Lady Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, March 27th!

When you click "Publish" you are given a calendar and time option to select the date/time to publish the content. "Publish now" literally publishes the content now. Not clicking on either button is how you post a story and/or chapters unpublished. Valkyrie was correct below. You cannot publish the story meta data, or even get that publish button option, until authors post a chapter. However, once you post chapter(s) authors should NOT click on either button for the story or chapter(s) when posting an anthology. I've edited that part of the blog post above since I had the time right now, but didn't track down if there's anywhere else to correct.

Beckett rolled a blade of grass between his fingers. The bottom of the stem was full and round, and the blade fluttered when he spun it again. Grasping the two pieces, he pulled slowly, trying to get the whole blade off the stem before it broke. “Damn.” It tore, so he tossed the grass down on the field and pursed his lips, looking for another one. A foot kicked his hip, rolling from his belly to his side. “What are you doing?” “Dying of boredom.” Beckett squinted up at the dark sh

Parallax needs help, but he never expected a human to walk the broken path.

Did you ever think you so strongly did something, you didn't even worry about it? Well, I've been doing the CSR blogs for over 10 years (Yes, I checked, they started in Jan. 2013!) and was sure I'd sent Rich his interview for Crisscross Moon. I did not. Sorry again, Rich!! If he gets his (very late) interview back to me, I'll add it here, but for now I wanted to feature the thoughts of some readers who enjoyed his story so you can also share yours below! Plus a graphic because that's also what I do! Ironic character choice in fiction? I’m not entirely sure what this question means. A character I created that turned out to have ironic repercussions in today’s world, or a character another writer did that seemed to predict or parallel the future? Since I write pretty lightweight stuff and try to stay away from politics, I can’t have much impact on the world, except to try and distract from its frequent complications. Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Oh, yeah, partly out of laziness. I used to eat big salads in the summer, when it was easier to make them than to cook, but when I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago and realized it was always summer, I pretty well quit cooking at home and ate salads. And I eat a lot of apples and toss dried cherries and cranberries in my breakfast cereal. What’s one location you’d love to go (or have been) to research for a story? Since my stories are so people and dialogue centered, the locations become far less important, as long as I don’t get them wrong. And, actually, the caves in Crisscross Moon are the product of research, remembering my trips to Carlsbad Caverns, and walking and light hiking done in the domesticated, suburban, Los Angeles parks, particularly in the Santa Monica mountains. So it might be fun to explore the area where Crisscross Moon is set and correct what I got wrong. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be? He Thinks He’s Being Funny. It will be chiseled on my headstone. What brought you to GA? I was searching the Internet for a good website to post on and Gay Authors came up. I posted an early book as an experiment, got the spacing wrong for that and several others I next posted, and I slowly go back and correct that between other projects. But the site has been a very good fit for me, I have a handful of interested readers who sometimes even stay through my personal projects, and I like what other people are posting. Still, I’m afraid to read too much fiction because I’m always worried about unintentionally plagiarizing, so I can’t read as much as I’d like. But someday, when and if I retire from writing. What inspired you to do a parallel historical/modern storyline in Crisscross Moon? It was actually a response to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. As mentioned, I don’t read a lot of fiction, popular or otherwise, but that one was really popular, and one of my friends had a copy, so I borrowed it from her, read it, and thought, “I can do that.” I had a different idea in mind at first, using a series of iconic American landmarks, but eventually, that evolved to focusing on the Cliff Dwellers, which I first learned about in high school. Research showed me how little I knew about the subject, but it also gave me more to work with. The title, by the way, was lifted... er, inspired... by the Hardy Boys book, The Crisscross Shadow. See what I mean about plagiarism? There’s also the structure of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, which also has antecedents, so I felt less guilty about borrowing it. Is there a favorite line or scene in the story for you as the author? In my books? Nothing in particular. In all of literature, fictional or otherwise: Way too many. There are so many really good thinkers and writers. After posting, where there any reader reactions or insights that surprised you? That they held on. This book isn’t quite as weird as the Alan Danshroeder series, both in terms of content and form, but there is a lot of back-and-forth that people have to be patient with. I was surprised they were. Also, the parallel isn’t exactly right, and I keep meaning to go back and try to fix that. It should be two guys in the present and two guys in the past. But I can’t get the details right, so I leave the book alone. Can you sum up Crisscross Moon in one sentence for prospective readers? Two guys in the present try to unsnarl a mystery in the past—and there are bears. Will you share something about what you are currently working on or any future projects? 593 Riverside Drive. I’ve been patiently finishing The Waldron Police stories so I could get to this, which is both personal, family inspired, and almost completely fictional. My sister found the transcripts of our great-aunt’s mid-1920s divorce trial, but when I read them, I realized they made my great-aunt too helpless. I needed to fix that. Plus, I needed to narrate the book by my mother, so that meant a bit of juggling in time. It’s kind of fun, but I’m not sure how much it’s going to get read on this site. I’m hoping for my usual 100 readers.

“Oh look, there’s some of those plants. The ones with the sindranth.” I crouched, wanting to study the tiny organisms that had ultimately been responsible for so much change in my life. I was yanked backward off my feet, pulled against Garjah’s thick chest. “Ow! Stars!” Bouncer growled, jumping down out of a tree he’d been prowling through, his head swinging back and forth. “It was him,” I said, jabbing a finger over my shoulder and into the meaty muscle I was captured by. Bo

Did you catch Monday's feature of Cole Matthew's story So Weep's the Willow? If you've ever indulged... ahem... a little too much, you might identify with the feelings at the start of this excerpt. Now the hows and whys the character makes the choices that go on in the story? Maybe, or maybe not, but that's the beauty of getting to follow along with another's story, right? Enjoy!! Want to read more? Click here

I went another route, tugging at the heart strings again with this read. Plus the visual was just too good to pass up! If you're stuck inside due to yucky weather, why not try this super long read of Cole Matthew's! Length: 104,569 Description: Jake is having a rough time. His career's at a dead end. His love life is a disaster. His mother is a mess. Finally, he decides to turn things around. This is his story. A reader said: Brilliantly crafted, full of surprises and a satisfying finish. Cole Matthews at his finest. Don't miss this one. ~Mikiesboy If you want to spread the word about Cole Matthew'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!

Yep, we're forecasted for snow on Wednesday. Why can't you keep that to yourself, evil northerner?!

Had this been a set up? The officer had brought me into a trap and delivered me to the Kardoval? I slumped to the floor, my body no longer my own to control but my mind whirred uncontrollably through the many different options of what went wrong. How was this possible? Had I been duped or had Garjah? It had to have been me. He was too smart, too well trained to have fallen for such a simple trap that he’d believe he had captured the Kardoval if he hadn’t. Had Timok even been with him,

I know I often theme stories based on the month, and February is love, love, love, and romance, romance, romance. Sorry, folks, life is just too crazy for me right now. (Don't worry, those who know my hubby from the past--*snorts* that was an adventure of a membership--he's still very much my hubby) But I wanted to go for something a little more... more. Now, there's still romance in the sub-genres, but also adventure, comedy modern, and light mystery! Crisscross Moon by @RichEisbrouch Length: 43,469 Description: A couple of young guys in the present try to figure out a mysterious legend from the past. Meanwhile, some years earlier, a young, Native American wife is being admired by a young warrior from another family, temporarily stranded because of an injury. And there are bears. A reader said: Very intriguing story. Love the way you told the parallel stories and brought them together in the cave at the end. Very nicely done and most entertaining. ~ Jaro_423 Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, February 27th!

Well, did you find out about the little prince? Just what happened to him? Quite the change in circumstance... but what about fortitude? Share your thoughts in the comments below, but please enjoy this interview (long delayed!) with Georgie first! Q: Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? A: Vegetables regularly, mostly every day. Fruits is not my thing or I don’t take the time for it. So it is a banana so every now and then on an incidental basis. Q: Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? A: Yes, I do. Being a rather chaotic person, who suffers from creative chaos on a continuing basis during daily life, I bring structure in things and one of these is making my bed. But the same goes for cooking a meal. OK, some days I end up with throwing a pizza in the oven but mostly I make a full meal. And I wash the dishes afterwards, so no stacks of dirty dishes in my kitchen…grin…. Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? A: Most certainly a dog or maybe its wild predecessor, the wolf. But one of these is a certainty. Q: What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know? A: That’s a tough question. When I answer it in relation to the stories I write I guess the most personal thing is I was a juvenile care kid myself and had my share of severe mental problems, resulting in psychiatric treatment from my 16th to my 26th. But then I was healed and life became bright! As a result I mix autobiographic facts from my turbulent past into stories. It doesn’t mean a whole story is autobiographic but there are always little parts or even a single sentence that is autobiographic. With the sole exception of Juvenile Care Lovers which is largely autobiographic. Apart from that,…I really wouldn’t know. Maybe that I used to be singer as well, mostly old blues and hard rock. And maybe that I really like to translate old, even medieval Dutch poems in modern English that appear on line on GayAuthors in cooperation with ACBenus in his Mirror of Same Sex Love-Poetry. Q: What brought you to GA? A: I was looking for a way to expand my number of readers on a quality platform and after a tip from an American colleague-author I just joined. I remember it took me some time to understand your computer system. Q: When do you get your best writing inspiration ideas (morning, evening, reading, images, music…)? A: Inspiration is a purely intuitive thing with me. Everything can inspire me, something I see, hear, read, smell, touch, no matter at what time of the day… it triggers something or it doesn’t. Thinking it over (or like I usually call it: dreaming it up) and developing it into a story theme is mostly an evening- and nighttime job, mostly when hearing classical music so I can concentrate. It is purely an inexplicable artistic process of free association from the trigger to the story theme. And from the central theme I start researching and writing the actual story. Q: What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? A: I like to go to Nijmegen, a city in the Netherlands. Although I wasn’t born there that is where my roots are emotionally. It’s the city where I discovered my homosexuality and made my first (and partly pretty extreme) experiences. On top of that: it is not a metropole; we don’t have them in the Netherlands. But for Dutch conditions it is a big city with a population of about ¼ of a million and all the associated big city problems. But it is easy for research, because the size makes the scale of problems manageable to research and transparent. Besides, I have my contacts there to find information. Q: Was there anything particularly challenging about twisting an old fairytale in The Little Prince That Turned into a Beggar? A: This question made me laugh. Your question proves to me the disguise was letter-perfect. Your assumption is very nice, but it is just the other way around. I didn’t turn an old fairytale into The Little Prince That Turned into a Beggar. It was just the other way around. The challenging and tricky part was to take a real 21st century sad story of a real-existing boy, who struggles with his homosexuality and his being non-binary and who receives no support from his family but is only greeted with rejection and condemnation. Since I promised him to keep him out of the spotlights, I turned the story into an innocent-looking fairytale by mixing in the well-known and well-proven fairytale ingredients, like the cruel king, the good fairy and of course the prince on the white horse. But if you read it again with this knowledge you might discover the true, heart wrenching story underneath it, including the time in prostitution. Because it is everything but an innocent fairytale. On the other hand: most fairytales aren’t very innocent. They are all based on archetypes representing good and bad, often in very extreme and violent forms. Q: Is there any particular line or scene you love the best in the story? A: That’s another hard question. I can’t really choose. There are two scenes in Dance over the Thunderclouds (another fictionalized story of a real life story, by the way) and they are on a kind of shared first position. One of them is the scene with Rebel, the therapy dog, which shows the intimate emotional connection of trust between dog and man (Rebel was modelled after my own Golden Retriever). The other is the haunting final scene of building up the harrowing tension of Dominic’s dance, which leads to the climax of his death. To be honest: it took me days and nights to write it but for myself I’m really satisfied with the result. And reader’s comments share this point of view. And in The Unwanted I really like the scene is which the grandfather sings a jolk, the traditional Sami chant, and then explains its meaning to the boys. Q: Can you share a little of your current or future work with readers? A: About current work I prefer not to share too much, since the first 5 chapters of Maddog & The Pope are already up and running. Chapter 6 is in the process of final editing (together with my marvelous editor Luca E), but since everyone takes a break with the holidays, I assume it will be up shortly after New Years Day with the other chapters following after that. Just let the reader read and enjoy the story. About future work…I’m working on two stories simultaneously. One is camouflaged as a thriller but it isn’t. It is about the dark side of the gay world, the dark side of the human mind into the extremes, about homeless kids and corruption in the police force, all intertwined by an igniting and blossoming love affair between a middle-aged detective and a young boy. The second one is rather fluid at the moment, but it is for the biggest part situated in the circus world. And being a psychological writer you can expect that they as well will be largely based on emotions and thoughts and not on sex on itself. But both will take some time to finish so don’t expect them to be on line very soon. Maybe I’ll dream up some short story to fill the gap.