Cia

Woohoo!! Can't wait to see what ideas come of that!

The glowing tree began to grow and lift above the ground. “W-what is that?” The snow was swirling around us, and I forgot my intention to ignore the ill-omen and refuse to speak to it or listen as it spoke to me. I was freezing to death, and this was magic I had never seen. The lights I’d gone toward, knowing all along they were not the lanterns swinging on the roof eaves of the townsfolk I’d never met and who would probably refuse to shelter me anyway, set the large clearing alight in swirls of

It's a visit from the Ghost of Blogs Past! We had a missed CSR Interview in October, so nope, that's not a typo in the blog title... Today you're getting the CSR Interview for Remijay's story, There Once was Love, featured in October and we're shifting Georgie DHainaut's twisted fairytale feature again to January so you have more time to read that bite-sized story! Feel free to refresh your memory on Remijay's story, or the feature, through the links above, check out the interview below, and share your thoughts in the comments! Have you ever gone out in public, realized your shirt is on backwards, and just don’t care? Yes I have. Most of the time, it's a whatever kind of thing. What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? The woods, in a small town. What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know? My characters are spontaneous, and wild, carefree individuals. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Watch a lot of TV, or work Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? The thinking process. There are so many characters, their challenges, their stories and backgrounds, how they think and react. What’s the first thing you do when you start to write a story? The most important part is figuring out who is the main character, and how to start their story. What do you think makes There Once Was Love stand out compared to other “similar” teen stories? The struggle, the emotion put into it. What the main character had to overcome, and deal with. I know that with other stories, revolving around teenagers, it's about the same. Or those characters had their own issues, and problems. Some even worse than my own. I envy some authors on GayAuthors. They write with so much details, and emotion. It's surprising. Do you identify with any character in particular in the story when you wrote it? Yes, when i write a story or even a chapter. i put myself in the characters shoes. It doesn't matter who the character is. They are all my children in a sense. Which part of the There Once Was Love is your favorite? It's a split between THE PARTY chapter and PROM NIGHT chapter. What would you like to share with readers about your current or upcoming work? Yes, I have a few in the works. That are currently being hosted on Gayauthors. I also have one book that I am writing. It isn't posted on any site yet. I kind of want to finish it before it's posted. But the books theme is, werewolves. It might also some magic involved. I hope when I do post it people will like it. And request for a sequel.

Merry Christmas!!

The clouds started to clear as soon as I came out, bringing more light to the lumpy terrain so I could easily avoid the pitfalls around the chopped off stumps and the baby trees. I went around the orchard and started my trek up the hill; it was the way toward the closest town. There, maybe the snowy owl with the black-flecked wings would go unnoticed. She flew on silent wings across my path, stopping on the stump of a fence ahead of me and to my right about two arm’s lengths away. “Go

Monday I mentioned how much I wanted to feature a story that brought up the family aspect of this time of year. Well you can't read far in this story without hitting on a touching family moment. Read on, I'm sure you'll be following the link to consume the entire story in moments! Want to read more? Click here

Misinformed? Moi? One, you'll note I said she was no ordinary owl, plus I never stated "breed". However, it is winter, and snowing, and snowy owls have females that are white with barred feathers on parts of their bodies and males are mostly white but can also have barred areas that are usually less complete than the females. Which is important. And... yes, that indicates there's more about her to come!

Believe it or not, I actually put this in the lineup back in September!! This morning at 6 AM I was frantically checking, thinking I forgot to put in one for this month then I saw I hadn't. LOL

Nostalgia, family, and the many generations coming together is often a theme around the holidays. I didn't want to feature another holiday story right now, though, since I'm sure readers can find plenty of those to enjoy! I wanted to bring those themes forward that are so common in a new way, so I searched and found this great short story by Carlos Hazday that pays homage to... the family car. Length: 3,249 Description: A 1929 Ford Model A Tudor, bought at the start of the Great Depression, is passed from father to son through four generations. Through the decades, Melvyn Ford is a silent witness to joy and sorrow. The car plays a role at family births, weddings, and deaths. A reader said: This is an absolutely wonderful story. Seeing something cherished and passed on through the generations of the family will bring a smile to your face. I may be biased towards Carlos' writing, but I highly recommend this story. ~ WolfM If you want to spread the word about Carlos Hazday'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!

The sound jolted me from sleep. I held my breath, my heart thudding against my chest as I stared up at the knotty pine of the roof above me. Silence and wind blowing in the trees, the odd creak of wood, then the whoosh of my trapped breath escaping me was all I heard. It couldn’t be out there. It must have been a sound my mind made up, a nightmare phantasm that sent sweat slicking my spine. Still… I pushed aside my cover, climbing off my pallet and inching toward the window. The freezing ai

A Wednesday Brief Holiday Short Story

Step back from the candy canes and cherry cordials, the chocolate coins and the Christmas cookies... otherwise the reality in this month's story review by @chris191070 might just take a bite out of you. The holidays can be a time when people are usually kinder to their fellow man, but what happens when being that good person means more than holding open a door or saying please or thank you? Finding Good Trouble by @Ronyx Reviewer: chris191070 Status: Complete Word Count: 72,532 This is a story that isn't an easy read. It challenges many topics that are happening in many countries, but particularly in the USA. It deals with racism and racial injustice. We follow Parker, a white boy, as he witnesses a fight at his school, which is just the start of things to come. What happens next is not easy reading as Parker witnesses and films Police brutality, against a black teen, Darius, who has done nothing wrong. This sets off a chain of events that Parker or Darius, could ever foresee happening. We discover racial injustice at the highest level. But you need to read this story to understand more. As with all @Ronyx stories he writes about hard hitting subjects, but I found this one particularly hard to read in places and was brought to tears in many places. Category: Fiction Genres: General Fiction Sub-genres: Drama Tags: young adult, gay, suburban, serious, modern, interracial, politics, high school Rating: Mature

“Are you sure you don’t want to be part of the new council?” I asked Garjah. I’d been sitting there quietly, lost in thought, but I couldn’t hold it in anymore. He shook his head. “No.” Garjah twisted in his chair; I was sitting on a wide cushioned seat in the corner, pillows piled around me. Bouncer was curled at my feet with his head in my lap. I stroked behind his ears, watching as Garjah went over videos on his comm. “It was never my intention to take over for the Kardoval. I love what

This is supposed to be a month of magic, and tall tales, and so why not a little story that reminds me of the old stories? Enjoy this short fiction by Georgie DHainaut in between all the holiday hustle and bustle, or just because if none of that is for you! The little Prince that turned into a Beggar by Georgie DHainaut Length: 4,664 Description: An”old” fairytale, but one with a true and modern background in many a real life A reader said: Very nice story. Long enough to allow the main character to come to life and concise enough to be a single session reading. Thanks for sharing…hope my fairy visits me soon. ~ Leo662 Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, December 26th!

My son's leopard gecko and my daughter's ball python are both crepuscular, and they technically don't rely on having UV light to stay healthy like other reptiles kept in captivity. We have automatic lighting systems set up for them to mimic a sunrise/sunset but keep it consistent rather than follow winter's early nights since that helps keep them in a healthy sleep pattern since they both tend to "burrow" in one of their hides during the day above their heat mats and below the lights on the warm sides of their tanks. They both also eat right about 8 PM when they're fed.

I sat back in awe as I watched Garjah once again navigate through the intricacies of the Galactic Council by cutting through it with his usual efficiency. He was scary in his ability to cut to the heart of a matter and get what he wanted done. By the time most people would still be trying to arrange a meeting, in the future at their convenience, of course with some of the Councilors, Garjah had the Aqnars on the comm and agreeing to come oversee the set up of their new planetary government.

Welcome to our November CSR Discussion day with GA's newest Signature author, Dodger! Did you have chance to congratulate him before? If not, you can do so here, plus share a thought about his featured story, A Soldier's Guide to Single Parenting, or my interview with him! Enjoy! What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? No fibbing? Okay. Only sweatpants and a t-shirt, which, like their owner, have seen better days. I just got up, and it's my day off, so I'm probably going to stay like this until it's time to walk the dog. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate, but it's a close call. What's something personal about you people might be surprised to know? I'm ambidextrous. What brought you to GA? Reading stories by Dom Luka and Comicality. I became a member straight away, but it was a couple of years before I started writing and interacting. What's one location you'd love to go to research for a story? Outer space. Not too far out, though; I think the International Space Station would be a great setting for gay fiction. Imagine an unexpected attraction between a Russian and an American astronaut living in close quarters in an environment where they are constantly watched and monitored from below. Zero gravity sex presents so many opportunities for a writer. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Finding the right time. I suppose it's the same for everyone, but my brain shuts down the moment I get tired. I can't come in from work and write, and I can never get up early enough to get much done in the mornings. Unfortunately, work gets in the way, but it pays the bills, so it has to come first. That and commas! If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? Be patient, and don't start posting a story until it's completed and the best it can be—writing is difficult enough without limiting your options and putting yourself under unnecessary pressure. Also, pay attention to the basics like grammar and sentence structure, and never rely totally on spell-checking programs. A Soldier's Guide to Single Parenting was a departure for you into a non-contemporary story at the time. What drew you to trying historical fiction as part of your setting/theme? I've always been interested in recent history, particularly the seventies and eighties. Most people probably wouldn't consider the eighties historic, but our attitudes and lives have changed enormously since then, thanks mainly to technological advances. I love technology, but it's fun writing about a time before cell phones, GPS, and the internet. It creates more opportunities for intrigue and surprise when the characters aren't all interconnected by wi-fi and mobile networks. They have to figure things out for themselves instead of just asking Siri or Googling something. Researching can also be enjoyable, but when you're writing about a period many of the readers have lived through, you have to get it right. Reading the story, I could both feel the fear David has and the utter confusion his dad is under trying to hold something together when he has no idea what he is doing. Readers described your writing as gritty and gut-wrenching. How did you craft such emotional scenes? Writing from Jeff's point of view wasn't easy. He's a narcissist, a bigot, and a homophobe, and these are usually the traits of my enemies. However, I think it's important to try to understand your adversaries, and writing this story helped me to come to terms with certain but far less dramatic incidents in my own life. Jeff is not a bad person but a product of his time. He believes he's doing the right thing when, as you point out, he has no clue. Under a tough exterior is a fragile man who turns to alcohol to cope with memories of the war and the loss of his wife. I felt sorry for him in the end, but he has some redeeming qualities, and Jeff's saving grace is his willingness to listen, ask difficult questions, and draw his own conclusions. Most people find this surprisingly difficult. Can you share anything about your current or upcoming work with readers? Now that the soap opera style Cockney Canuck is finally coming to an end, I have time to do other things. There are a couple of stories on hold that I want to finish posting, another historical drama set in wartime London, and a very Canadian story about a trucker. That should keep me busy, along with next year’s anthology and maybe even the secret author contest.

“I’m just the one they’re listening to. Your people have been working behind the scenes to stop the Kardoval for years.” Garjah stared down at the city streets. “Apparently little whispers joined by one big truth can create a wave not even the Kardoval can escape.” “What will the officers do to them?” I asked. My heart was still pounding, and I wasn’t sure if it was from all the running, the hill, or my fear that those people would get hurt because of something we’d done. “We can’t let them

Monday I featured CarlHoliday's story, and today it is my job to keep you interested with a tasty excerpt. Skinny dragon called Dreams Can Come True "tongue in cheek" which is an apt description for the novella-length tale. There are moments that make you snicker, some that make you aww, and others that may make you... well, read on to find out! Want to read more? Click here

Ah, November. The longest and shortest month... As far as seasonal changes go, the weather seems to settle in for a hearty change, and you're either stuck in rain, snow, or heat for days on end... yet that can suddenly change. Or maybe that's just my neck of the woods, world, whatever? The holidays are also coming but aren't here yet, but in a second they will be and you won't be prepared! Sometimes I feel like I'm endlessly chasing some goal or dream, wondering if I will ever get there, much like the character in @CarlHoliday story, Dreams Can Come True. Have you read it? Why not give it a try this month if you're in need of a break? Length: 18,007 Description: An unhappy dragon receives the unlikeliest of gifts and wishes the impossible dream. A powerful sorcerer wants more trouble than he needs, encounters a dragon, finds he’s stronger than he thought, and comes up with a solution to a couple of tricky problems. To complete the mix, we’ll throw in the shortest knight in the kingdom who desires to go on a quest for fame and fortune. A reader said: This was cute and clever and very tongue in cheek! ~ skinnydragon If you want to spread the word about CarlHoliday'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!

“And fear can do so much worse. As my bonded has said, and what you already saw, there is treason occurring at the highest reaches of the government. But I have not betrayed our people. What we have learned is that there is so much more we are all capable of. Our memories help us, yes, but if we start young we can train in other careers or find the memories hidden within for other paths. The Kardoval have hidden many secrets from the people to isolate our planet and remain in power because to le

What does that make the rest of us? LOL Then again, I did have a parent of one of my online 3rd grade students tell me there was no way I had children who were in high school, and I had to point out my older kiddo was actually working at my elementary school as a playground supervision paraeducator now to get her free online college degree through the union.

“The building that’s on fire,” Garjah broke in and said dryly. He wiped his face. “We didn’t see your mech, though.” “Oh.” Ases cleared his throat, paling. “Well, you got out so others probably did too, right? The damage probably isn’t that bad. My mech caught it on camera, so I sent him in, just in case, to make sure no one needed help.” I snorted. “And the Kardoval want to make you and me the bad guys.” “What?” Ases put on an outraged face and staggered back a few steps. His han

November and the months keep rolling by toward the end of 2022 already. Life is what happens when you're not really paying attention, and sometimes things change suddenly and then you have to try and make them work. Well, in this month's feature story we're going back in time and to the summer months to see how this newly single father handles all that life throws at him. I couldn't believe I hadn't already featured this story before, but now you can for this month's CSR. Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts at the end of the month! A Soldier's Guide to Single Parenting by @Dodger Length: 48,458 Description: After losing his wife to illness, a decorated war hero is determined to keep his family together, but his parenting skills are tested during the summer break by financial restraints, an increasing reliance on alcohol, and the discovery that his eldest son is gay. The story is set somewhere in North America in the not too distant past. Readers are invited to guess the exact year and place and there are subtle clues in each of the ten chapters. A reader said: Great story, well written. Emotional, eithical and moral isues raised and dealt with in a story with beautifully crafted characters in an engaging storyline. Highly recommended. ~ Canuk Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on Monday, November 28th!

“Go, go.” One of the rebels stopped and then turned to face the crowd of people in the room. “I’ll hold them off.” The hiss of weapons fire shocked me into motion, and I took off. Garjah stayed at my side, never straying more than a single step away. Without any idea of where I was going, I started down the first corridor after Bouncer’s rapidly retreating form. It seemed like he knew which way he wanted to go, and that direction was better than nothing. There was a loud thump, the bui