Cia

Huzzah for the shit stirring spoon!!! (and truthfully, for the snarky little whiny wench that brought the crap to your other boss and hopefully also got told where to stick her assumption you'd do her work too!)

Thanks Nephy! We'll have fun dancing together. Until my hip and your back go out, then we can go sit on the sidelines. I'll have to line up some eye candy to keep us occupied! Thanks Andy!! Yep, Alicia is my real name. It's said with the spanish pronunciation - if said correctly - which is where 'Cia' comes from. There's another part my family added on when I was a baby but I don't admit to what it was, or answer to it anymore, LOL!

I'm doing a happy dance! Today I've had my first ebook published! Woo hoo! An expanded version of Pricolici is now available for purchase. I've added a copy of the cover here, since it's so good, and clicking on it will take you to the story details! Happy Reading!! Or if you just want to cut to the chase, click here for the Amazon link!

Darn it! Cooper kept trying to change his name at first, LOL! I'll fix that, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this story. Thanks Lisa!

You know what though? It's a hugely popular genre, especially here on GA. Making your own stand out in a genre that is so popular can be difficult but it can be done. Since just about every twist known to man has been written, a lot of authors of teen stories tend to really focus on their characters. How relatable, endearing, amusing, ect ... they are, will keep readers coming back. The great thing about GA is the amount of feedback you can get, as well as the advice and examples to follow from fellow authors. Make sure you guys are checking the forums for topics you'd like to comment on, creating topics for your stories and interacting with your readers. That's been the most valuable resource I've found on GA myself.

Welcome Barry!!

Really? Wow! I hope next months go well for you!!

"La petite morte. Suffer the ravages daily!" Owen smirks as he reads my luggage sticker. Our first kiss, even one that amazing, had to end sometime. I am still snuggled in his arms though, the place I've wanted to be for a long time now. I grin. "Well they say to put something distinctive on your luggage so you know it’s yours." "That'll do it." His laugh turns into a yawn. It is past late, almost early morning. "Sorry. You must be exhausted, mate, and you have to work in a few hours." His t

Feedback varies from reader to reader. Authors also take criticism in different manners. Giving honest reviews that help authors hinges on how they are given and received. That has always been a cornerstone of the debate on how to review and/or critique here at GA. There will never been an agreement between the various platforms, imo. The interesting dynamic on GA that often is not found on other sites is that direct connection in this community style. I've posted and participated as both an author and a reader on other sites and this one is definitely unique. Sometimes that is a beneficial relationship, other times there is friction based on the manner of the interactions occuring beyond the reading and then reviewing of a story. Since we, as authors, cannot keep those readers who choose to be abrasive silent before they leave at least one review, we can choose how we react to them. Not everyone will be doing it deliberately, so it is important to be able to read reviews with the reminder that this is someone's reaction to your story, for good or bad. While it can be difficult to be objective when someone is insulting your hard work, it is important to remember that is just their opinion. Especially on GA, it should be kept in mind that the reader's judgement can, and likely is, highly subjective because of the close contact between readers and authors. When push comes to shove, if you disagree because you feel the reviewer is being a troll, or just don't feel their review is worth your time to respond to it, don't. Put it from your mind and move on. If it really bothers you and it is occuring here on GA, simply ask that member not to review your work any longer as you view it as harassment. Save the pm/review/forum posts where you do so.Then, if they don't comply, contact a staff member.

Hmm... quite raunchy in spots, LOL. I like the chapter, and the mix of the emotional issues that LM has, along with Ogre. I also liked that you have Ogre another side, 'Steve the artist' and let us know a little about why he might freak out. Parental expectations, even when they aren't from overly-machismo'ed dads, can be difficult to buck.

Happy Birthday hun!

Whoops! Day late. Bad Cia, bad! I hope you had a lovely birthday Steve!!

I like this but... seriously, did your stomach drop on the but? LOL. You have good characters, an obvious source of angst, and you gave us a good bit of history. I found the timeline a little disjointed, not quite sure what age they were when ... I thought perhaps they were teenagers and then adults in the different sections, but I'm still not sure. One tip, when you say 'Okay, Mom' the word 'mom' is being used as a name, so it has to be capitalized. If you have someone saying "I'm telling your mom." then you're describing that person and the word is lowercase. Where you go from here is really open. I'd like to see a 2nd story arc, beyond the drama between Will and Harvey liking each other and not admitting it, or their sexuality. Coming out/of age stories are popular, but you really need to create vivid and relatable characters to keep readers coming back for more when they can so easily read the same plot line in a dozen other stories. Or, you can make it your own and change things up. Just keep writing and sharing!

Welcome Jimmy! Good start to your story!

Well thank you! If you're confused about the site in general, check out the Site Help tab. We have a whole list of 'help' topics, including a great one by Myr that teaches readers all about GA. Stories and how to make it work for you with searches. My pm box is always open for questions as well.

I know I said it before, but thank you! (I also said I'd reply days ago, oops! Sorry!!) I'm really glad you enjoyed this. I did want it to feel 'complete' in a way, so that if my readers on my blog chose the option of starting a new story each week, or continuing one for the duration of a month, I could go either way with this. I've not yet done so, but I do plan to use the weekly prompts to continue the story. I hope that the next chapter is equally as strong. The elements you mention, the descriptions interspersed throughout the story, along with the emotional climx, were exactly the elements I focused on. You really do pick up on things! Thank you. It's gratifying to know that what I am trying to accomplish is actually working. As for the pacing ... well, I had 1k. Can't dawdle with that few words available. This actually was 1k on the dot (without GA Stories additions for the submission fields added) LOL. I used every word that I could. Again, thank you so much for reading and for the lovely review. It made my day when I first read it and again when I've come to reply to it.

Happy Birthday Daddydavek!

ALL politics on the site belong in the Soapbox. That has always been the rule. There is a place for things, and that is the place for it. The 'contentious' rule is beside the point.

It all depends on the dynamic you have with your beta, and how you work with them. Dark's examples are wonderful, and definitely highlight the kind of feedback that can help an author see the story from outside eyes. His beta offers concise opinions, backs them up and then offers suggestions. I love that approach. I enjoy doing beta work. I did a partial chapter read this morning with comments, just to find out the authors decided to just let me read it for now, and let me do an initial beta after the first chapter. My comments might still apply to sections, if they're not edited, so I saved them anyway. I did get to have a rousing conversation with one of the authors about different aspects of the story that I read that could easily translate into upcoming scenes and ideas that I had on where it could go, but hadn't yet. I still consider that doing beta work, even if it's not showing up on any file. A few of the people I talk to offer the same to me. I think any relationship between the author and the beta relies on their ability to converse honestly and openly about the stories. However you do that - whether it is before, after, or during writing - it can only help. Even if I don't agree with my betas on parts of a story, I do love to hear their input on scenes, or possible scenes, as sometimes it simply cements my own ideas based on explaining my thoughts. They push me creatively and my stories are the beneficiaries of that relationship.

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.

You are the sunshine of my dark, lonely nighttime bright my desire I snort and glance at the computer. Where is he? I know I'm going a little crazy. Hell, I’m writing poetry, the last thing anyone would expect me to do. Maybe it's the fact that my inspiration isn't someone I know in real life. My sunshine is someone I've never even met. I scowl. What face to face we do have is late at night for me, early morning for him. We started talking after I noticed some book reviews he'd written tha

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.