Cia

Owen met Cooper online and they became friends but that's as far as things could go. Then Cooper disappears and Owen is awakened to pounding on his door in the middle of the night.

I know, right? It really was entertaining!

What? Cia is posting the blog? That's right! Straight from reading a Promising Story, to reviewing it, to posting the blog. I don't know how Trebs and Renee and all their helpers keep doing this! So readers, help us out! We constantly need volunteers to help review stories for our Authors, Promising Authors, and Hosted Authors for our weekly features. We know we have great readers on this site, the numbers Trebs posted last week for the reviews in GA. Stories was staggering. All it takes is one little pm to Renee or Trebs to find out what to do if you're not sure. So, since we know you're enjoying the stories on here, grab your courage (and keyboard) with both hands and write a review! Now, without further ado, on to this week's reviews!! When I Fall Asleep By Razor Status: Complete Word Count: 7,145 Review by: Cia So, it’s been a very long time since I joined GA and read my way through the Hosted and Promising. Back then I was always looking for the novel, and tended to avoid reading the short stories, which was a real shame because there are some great ones. This review is for an old anthology story, written and posted before I joined GA. Now, anyone I’ve talked to knows that I don’t normally like to read teen stories. The graphic nature that some authors use tends to put me off. But this coming of age story by Razor was perfect for me in terms of that content. In it we follow the growing up of a pair of friends, two boys who meet in the first grade and find out that they’re a lot alike. But the pains and perils of getting older can sometimes outweigh all the good things teens know about their friends and sometimes, when they don’t know any better, they make the wrong choices. Those can spiral beyond their control, but eventually, kids grow up because of the things they experience. This story doesn’t end in the usual unhappy way for the main character, which was a twist I wasn’t expecting. Since I’m a sucker for a happy ending, I find that in my mind, I’m still wondering about what else could happen afterward for both boys. I love stories that make me feel that way. The writing flow was smooth and since I'm a mom of a young boy I was alternately amused, and horrified, and then reminding myself to put a better lock on the doors in my house in the next few years, LOL! All in all, a good entertaining story that left me with a smile. Rexer by Zolia Lily Status: Complete Word Count: 13,332 Review by: Andy021278 This is a lovely story written by Zolia Lily that I came across back in January. It’s her only story currently available, and looking back now, I can’t actually remember why I started reading it; but I’m glad I did. The two main characters are Paul Rexer and Jake Preston, who are co-workers. The story starts out with the two of them seemingly having bumped into each other quite by accident in the street; they have lunch, and they unexpectedly hit it off. Lunch leads to dinner, and then they spend the night at Jake’s apartment. All good so far, except it seems that Jake may well be a stalker. After their night of passion, Paul picks up a telephone message from Jake’s mum asking him to “let us know about Rex, ok? None of us can wait to meet him.” Paul now starts wondering just how casual that meeting outside his favourite coffee shop, on his regular Saturday morning stop really was. Had Jake already told his parents that they were having a relationship? Jake is the quiet, cute, unassuming guy at work, who makes plans, and lists and worries about the tiniest of details; hardly surprising since he has OCD. Surely, Jake couldn’t have engineered their little lunch time meeting, could he? Paul begins seeing quiet little Jake as a male version of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, so he hightails it from Jake’s apartment, whilst his stalker is still asleep in bed. The next day at work, everything seems all right, that is until Paul accidentally receives some personal correspondence in the office mail that is addressed to Jake; except it also has Paul’s name on it as well. Just why is Jake having personal mail sent to him with both his and Paul’s name on it? Though what will happen when Paul has it out with his bunny-boiling stalker? Just how much of a stalker is Jake? Is he really as scary as all the mounting evidence suggests? You’ll have to read to find out. The story is beautifully crafted overall and she has created a wonderful and believable character in Jake; most likely a result of her familiarity with OCD. My only criticism of the story is a purely technical point in that there are issues with the punctuation of speech tags; but certainly, it does not detract in any way from what is a very enjoyable read. *** I hope you enjoyed these reviews. Remember, our authors don't get paid, so leave them a comment or two in appreciation for their stories!

But... But... My characters like chicken! Seriously, while I don't think wearing his mother's clothes would necessarily be a 'mental issue' if it was simply the fashion he was going for, not the fact that they're his dead mother's clothes specifically, the description of the movie you gave is quite disturbing.

So this is complete now? Hmm... very interesting! I'm so glad they managed to get the money needed, that was really cool. I am wondering a lot about this community person that is supposed to be helping them after the challenge to raise the money. Now, about that conflict with the cute guys also volunteering. Poor Ben is going to be surrounded by temptation for a while. I am interested in seeing where you go with your next story. Very well done on this first one! Oh, don't forget to edit the story to set it to complete, if you plan to start a new one you can also use the series field and add a series title to this, and then to Charity Volunteering, to link the two.

A good chapter and I like the view of the costumes you shared. I could really imagine how heavy that bunny costume would be wet! But I have the same feeling from the last chapter of when is the story going to move along. I happen to believe that stories have an arc and each chapter is a stop along that and should further the story. You do have the storm coming in and the warning about closing up, so I can see an end to all the carnival scenes in sight, but I still am 'looking' for it, you know?

Ooh... boy, did it get personal there for a bit. I like the center's philosophy too, which is a good idea for any teenager. Not that I would have thought it was good then, but most of those kids aren't going there for sex, they're there to get support. Usually that's not part of the equation.

OH good lords, what's next? This is humorous, but I've never been a fan of humiliation, even the funny sort so it's sort of making me wonder if I should read on. And while this is great, and I am glad there are several chapters in a row for me to read, I wonder when the story is going to move along. I didn't think the bulk of the entire story was going to be at this one event, but maybe it is.

Lmao! I love how they bilked the crowd for the group. Like your main character, I had a hard time keeping who was who straight in that chapter, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

HI Jake. There are a few steps to become an author here on GA, yes, but you can find tips for that under the Site Help tab. If you're talking writing ability and the readiness of your story, we have the Writer and Editor's Corners with lots of great places for tips and advice for getting a story to the point you're ready to post it. Good luck and welcome to GA!

LMAO. Omg, that was creepy. And the fact that in the end, I'm still super confused but not all that worried about not knowing just how sane Andrew is. You crafted an excellent mystery that had me constantly guessing, that was masterfully done. Great job. I did have a question about your writing style. I noticed, since we just had a conversation in chat about these yesterday, that you almost never use contractions in your writing. Is that deliberate? It felt somewhat stilted in parts, especially in one paragraph that had 'I had' as the beginning of several sentences. I know it would work well in formal styled writing, but this was a modern mystery, so it was a tad formal for the story itself, imo. It didn't detract from it, just a question of style I had. There was one point though, that I was confused. I thought the whole support of the 'demon' theory was that Gordon's house wasn't broken into, yet his bathroom mirror was broken, but it could have been Vivian. It might have just been a typo, but when Andrew goes back to Gordon's for the first time after he talks to Jerry, Gordon says that 'Vivian broke his bathroom window' instead of mirror. Anyway, those few things aside, I really enjoyed this story Dolores. Thanks for sharing it!

I loved the story. I agree with Dee that the story had an absolutely enthralling emotional flare that kept it moving and the reading imperative. I am glad this novella was completed before I read it. Dee and Gus' characters, as well as the supporting family and friends, made the story. Your setting, such an 'old world' feel with the eastern culture influences set in a futuristic martian society was an interesting dichotomy. Still, I wish that the medical treatment of the 'bacta' versus the nanites hadn't been an issue. That is my only dissatisfaction in what is otherwise an excellent story that I truly enjoyed reading.

So the dad has been paying off docs to remove Dee from Gus' memories? That's what I get. Great intrique, lovely emotion. Now... a bit of a slip up. Why is the treatement nanites all of a sudden? You said they were using them in the past but they were not ideal and the medical professionals switched to bacteria treatments that broke down and were absorbed on their own. He has 'bacta' treatments periodically, but in this chapter you keep saying they are giving him nanite treatments.

Say what? Gus is dying???!!! Too much need to read on to leave a long review, however, the different versions of all their names in this chapter made it harder for me to keep up with the conversation and who was saying what. I gradually caught on, but it was a bit of a struggle that pulled me slightly from the story flow.

Awww, that was such a sweet scene there at the end, believe and trust and all that. But Gus has been though a lot in recent months. I wonder if he has it in him to trust. It won't be smooth sailing, I'll bet. Then, of course, we still have the whole father issue to deal with. On to Ch. 4!

I did not expect Gus and Dee to have anything to do with each other! That was a great twist. It seems like perhaps the manager might have known that they were something to each other though, since he believes that Gus wrote Dee's hit song, and the bit where Dee thinks how he was only left with a few haunting melodies (perhaps the one he always plays?) means that is true.When Gus cries for all the pain to stop really hit me too, since I've felt that before. I really like this story, with the slightly foreign feel. On to chapter 3!

Ooh, I decided to take a break this morning, and only have 2 browsers with tasks going on, and check this out. I quickly logged out of the other browser and left just this story. I love the concept of the 'bacta' treatments, and the slight bits of technology you slipped into this chapter. I'm all ready intriqued with the main characters and wondering where you will take this story. Since I love 'rock/music/band' type stories and fantasy/sci-fi this is right up my alley!

You know, this story creeped me out quite a bit during the first read of it, and that hasn't changed. You're just so good at evoking the darker sides of a story and the emotions as I read. When Meri touches Marc and 'tastes his bitterness' in the first parts of this, yikers!!

I'm going to take the last word and close the topic. I think what needs to be said, has been. I do want to remind all members that the report feature is available if anyone feels threatened or abused on the site if they cannot resolve the issue with the other member(s). GA is meant to be inclusive to everyone and I hope we can continue to welcome anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of the site.

I like Stormy Glenn's stories. They're totally predictable and very formulaic, but I like them anyway! They're almost all novellas, so it's a good hour or two read for me with no complicated plot and guaranteed alpha/omega type couple with plenty of sex and happy ending. Oh, and if it is done RIGHT, I like mpreg. Something about reading about a guy suffering from that crap pleases the sadist in me!

Hmm... there really isn't a place where any one 'crowd' congregates on the site. You might find some older members more likely to participate in the Soapbox, yet they are active in the Sports Forum as well. Then you have someone like me (bi-woman married to a man) that is mostly focused on the writing aspects of the site and popping into chat whenever I can. Then you find some teens might be in the teen forum and the games and humor, but we also have a few that are political active too, and a few that are active writers. The thing I like about GA is that it tends to be a huge polyglot of personalities. That being said, chat is an environment of its own, depending on the members in there and the conversations occuring. I've felt excluded at times, and I'm an admin and a member of 3 years! A single experience shouldn't deter you from trying again to find aspects of the site you like, and I really would encourage you to attempt to chat again sometime, The_Round_One. If you don't feel comfortable in there at just any time, keep an eye out for a time when a moderator or admin is in there. If you feel attacked for any reason, click on their name in the active user's box and send them a private convo in chat. Or, copy the conversation and pm a staff member with your time zone so we can investigate the problem. We attempt to prevent any issues that make any member feel unwelcome.

No idea! I thought it was in there, but I couldn't easily find it, so I decided to add another one in the Reader Help topic titled 'Tips and Tricks'.

Wonderful article and a big thank you to Comsie for sharing his thoughts and experiences as an author and a member of GA. In a practical matter, NotNoNever is right. If you only have one place where your stories are safe, they are not safe! I back up to both my computers, a separate drive, and I do have my stories posted on a few websites. Now, if you have stories here on GA that are more current than other versions you might have saved, or you don't have them saved at all, I have a tip that will make it easy for you to save your story. When you click on your story title in the story listings, it comes up with the story description and the chapter listing. At the top, next to the author icon/name is a small printer icon. If you click on that it brings up the entire story in one webpage and you can do a 'select all/copy/save' on your story in one fell swoop.

The likes amounts are the basis for our determining the moderation and peer review queues. So I don't see them going anyplace soon. I'll talk to Myr about increasing the # of likes members can use in a day.

The author failed in the first few pages of the book. She obviously didn't take the time to even look at a map of the area she used as a setting for her story. She had the female lead leave Vancouver, WA to go to Seattle, WA going THROUGH Portland, OR. Considering Seattle is north of Vancouver and Portland is directly south, it would make no sense at all. I put the book down after that. There is a basic level of research I believe any author who uses a real city/state/place as the setting should do, and she couldn't be bothered to do that at all. That's flat out lazy and shows a lack of respect when it comes to presenting a story, which bothers me when I see it. Especially in a published author. If the book hadn't been a loan I didn't pay a dime for I'd have been pissed off. I guess you could say I'm not a fan. LOL Oh, and yes, there are 3 books. Since I didn't even get close to finishing the first, I haven't read the 2nd and 3rd obviously. My mother in law liked them all though.