Cia

Did you read this month's CSR story? I love a good country story, as I grew up on and around farms, horses, cattle, sheep, and can spot who wears their boots in the saddle versus who wears their boots to be fancy (and yes, we did make fun of those visitors at fair!). I love asking what's something personal about you that people might be surprised to know and getting all sorts of answers to my interview questions to share with GA members about our authors, and getting to read more about a fellow country soul! Read on to find out more about @Griz and his story, Spring and a Ring! Make sure you share your comments below. 🤠 Chocolate or Vanilla? Hmmm.....Chocolate, I think. Vanilla is integral to good chocolate, so really, I get both with each and every bite. What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? Wojtowa, Poland. It's a small village now, but before WWII, was larger and very much like Lewistown, Montana: an agricultural railroad town. The Nazis reduced the town to mostly rubble, but my remaining Polish relatives and many, many others restored it as much as possible. I have this idea for a story about my (young) great-great-great uncle on a boat out of Gdansk, Poland, bound for the States. He and another traveling immigrant meet, a young Dane from Copenhagen, when the boat stops there on the way West. The end might be predictable, but the details will focus on both Denmark's big city and Poland's little village, and the challenges in a new country the two young men are truly not prepared for. I want at least two weeks in Wojtowa to research around 100 years of history and geography. What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know? I was born and raised in Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana. I returned here after years away for college and working for a larger international company which focuses on farm commodity shipping and receiving. The folks here have no idea I write gay romance stories (with some nookie included, of course), and the readers of the stories have no idea I'm a real farmer with a real farm and real livestock. No, really. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? As with many aspects of Life, one thing leads to another, and then returns home. I take my horse out and ride around the property, checking the fences. I get most of my story ideas, including dialogue, on horseback. Generally, a ride results in stuff for a story, and the stories seem to include horses (and nookie). Same happens if I'm cooking; I get an idea while standing at the stove, and write stuff down. Sometimes in the margins of cookbooks. If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? Write everything down when ideas come to mind. They might not be used, but it's a good bank of ideas for plot, characters and dialogue. Some of them will never come back to mind, once forgotten. How did you come up with the title? I was trying to think of a title that conveys personal and professional growth. Spring is the beginning of agricultural growth, and traditionally, a ring is the beginning of personal and interpersonal growth. This is a traditional community, and the seven or nine other gay farm guys we know give each other rings (or if it's necessary to be discreet) or nicer wrist watches, when we want to have physical connection with each other by proxy. Screw the 'patriarchal heteronormative' drivel we hear when we are in bigger cities and folks see our rings; farm boys are not hung up on labels from the very people who insist we should not live by labels. One of these days, I'll work on a story about our own tribe's selective, near-militant hypocrisy. It'll depend on which acre my horse takes me for checking the fences, I guess. Do you relate more to one character or the other, Sal or Tim? I relate more to Tim, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, behaviorally and physically. I am 6'5", 235 pounds and furry. Due to a badly-timed investment in equipment a few years ago, I wound up in Tim's boots-----in bankruptcy. It took a long time to dig out of the nightmare, and I didn't have my own Sal del Vecchio to save my sorry butt. Sal, though, is a re-named (straight) friend in real life, and in real Walpole, Massachusetts, who said he'd try to find me a rich sugar daddy. That's its own can of worms I'd rather leave unopened, although.....I'd like my own version of Sal. Not that he needs to resemble the character, but just be a good man, smaller than myself, who likes horses, cows and crops, and thinks snow is the very best crop a Montana farmer can grow. (I love cold weather and snow. And the best candy in the world is heated maple syrup with a little cinnamon added, then drizzled in a snowbank, which is Winter thing only.) Did something specific inspire you to use the setting for Spring and a Ring? Well, yeah, actually; Sal's farm and log house, which in real life is my property and house, and my favorite little town, Winnett, Montana. My property and its precise location is the setting for another agro love story, "Harvard Comes To Montana". Longer than "Spring And A Ring", and not yet complete. My farm has been in our family for five generations, and my veterinarian nephew and his boyfriend will take it into the sixth and beyond. I'm solidly planted here, just like the wheat, oats, rye and Black Angus and Scottish Highlander cattle I grow. Do you have a favorite line or scene in the story? Those were my nephew's boyfriend's idea, when he read the story as I was working on it. That guy is the funniest, most romantic, knuckle-dragging redneck I've ever met. I told him I want to collaborate on a full story with him sometime. I hope sincerely that will happen. Can you share any of your current or future story you’re working on with readers? I kinda already did, or a specific story: "Harvard Comes To Montana". High school graduate farm boy, sixth generation on Polish immigrant family farm, meets visiting Harvard professor. Twelve years apart in age. They have a lot to teach each other about challenges, compromises, family, career and (of course) love. Oh-----and food. Seems to be a regular topic in stories I write. Everything 'food' I've written about is stuff I've actually prepared. It's on nifty.org, and once I get the next chapter written, I'll publish the whole thing on GA, too. One of my readers is a professor at Barnard College. I am, he says, his 'personal favorite gay mushy-trashy novel author'. That's an honor, as far as I'm concerned. There's another one-chapter short story on nifty.org: "On Eggs And Kinsey". I want to submit that to GA, as well. Just need to get my lazy butt in gear.

Josh has been watching the hockey game too! Mostly because I woke up at our normal 4 AM time... then went back to sleep until 6 but he couldn't. I do all our taxes online (it's a mix of business/personal) so it takes me a few hours each year, but overall it isn't bad. Unfortunately, we live in a state without income tax, but Josh works in a state that does, so we pay a large amount while they only give us back about half of it. So rude!! Their residents don't have to pay our sales tax. Grrr. I've also taught both of my kids how to efile their taxes (this year was my son's first time) and that's simple enough my daughter actually does hers on her phone, LOL. Can you imagine? I remember doing them just on paper before switching to computer. 🤪 My dad comes up for a visit with his retirement & part-time income for me to do his taxes each year. It takes him 3 hours round-trip to drive and only 30 minutes for me to do his taxes, but he won't learn how to do them on his own. 👴

Yeah, I use rhyme all the time for daily life. Mnemonics are so helpful. I always felt free verse, despite being a relatively open way to provide imagery for readers, was like short fiction. And I struggle with short fiction. Gotta add details!

Did you catch Monday's blog featuring Mark's story, The Yacht Club, from last year's Secret Author contest? There will be another one of those coming up later this year, so I hope you will both enjoy this story (if you missed it) and the upcoming event this summer. Make sure you check out this excerpt and the story if you want to remember that fun or read it now! As always, like, comment, and review! Want to read more? Click here.

If you meant me @Bill W it was my reaction to the original blog. I used the laughing haha emoji, not the angry bomb. Sarcasm is so hard to convey online I gotta use the those but it's even more subtle. I have gotten far crankier in my 40s though. LOL

This month I thought I'd feature a romantic... or is it? cruise story by @Mark Arbour. This was part of the Secret Author contest in 2024, which I hope readers enjoyed, but if you missed it, check it out now!! Length: 10,473 Description: Two daddies and two twinks go on a cruise. Devon and his boyfriend Roger plan a cruise to get away and enjoy some time together. While boarding they meet Keller, who is traveling with his estranged boyfriend Jason. While on board they discover the true strengths and weaknesses of their relationships. A reader said: Yacht Club is a compelling, well-writtem short story. Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon, you will be drawn into the dual love stories of our 4 main characters, rooting for them as they discover what they mean to each other. A great read. ~ Doha If you want to spread the word about Mark Arbour'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!

Look in your screenshot next to the tab for Step One where it says Step 2, 3, 4. You must complete all the steps properly before you can save. Click on those tabs to switch to those pages to fill in the story submission metadata. Also, please make sure you check out all the FAQs for authors. You should have been directed to them when you purchased (free) Author status but you can always find them in the FAQ through the Help tab. There is a step by step guide to posting a story, how to add a chapter, formatting tips, content rules, info on the moderation queue, etc ... that we really recommend all new authors read. https://gayauthors.org/help/ https://gayauthors.org/faq/authors/author-questions/

People did notice I put a ha ha on the actual blog post right? Not a bomb face? And that a sarcastic response from me is a humorous response? This is why I don't try to be funny in my blog posts.

My 4th graders were learning alliteration last week and, man, was it hard for them!! Acrostic poems are always fun for them.

All authors are directed to send me a PM if they have been waiting longer than 24 hours. The help forum is for technical questions, not personal moderation. We tend to keep that private, even if it's just something like story and chapter approvals.

FYI... SEAHAWKS all the WAY!!

It's February, and thoughts turn to the changing of the seasons, Valentine's Day, love, and romance! So, here we go with a short story featuring love in a little tale that you might have missed! Please give it a read, like, comment, or review and come back for the interview on the Discussion day at the end of the month. Spring and a Ring by @Griz Length: 8,231 Description: Two young farmers in rural central Montana meet as Winter turns to Spring, and everything frozen begins to thaw and prepares to bloom. A reader said: A lovely, tranquil low-angst story about two men in Montana combining their lives. Some nice passages about food give a unique spin to the tale. ~andy cannon Don't forget to come back to comment on the Discussion day, Monday, February 23rd!

Using uncategorized as the selected fandom and naming/crediting the fandom/original works in your description like you did absolutely works.

I also love turtles. I have a bunch of them on the windowsill by my desk in my classroom. A mix of toys, stone carvings, and 3D prints. My fav ocean animals are killer whales though my kids tend to give me turtles.

I usually try to add a link to the announcement (First Monday of the month) which always has a link to the story and @ mentions of their names. In the future I'll make sure to try not to forget. Also if you click on an author or member's avatar by their name in the comments/posts it takes you to their profile, and that will always have a link to their stories or other site activity.

Welcome to our first 2026 CSR Discussion day, and our first twofer! I thought, why not give you an extra treat. First, I gave you all a SHORT story because I know you're busy recovering from the holidays, and we all just need a short, sweet treat. Second, you get two interviews for one blog! Learn all about these co-authors and how they both answer the same questions. Hmm, wonder how that turned out? Read on! And don't forget to comment below. First up, chris191070: Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Yes, to both. My favorite fruit would have to be bananas or plums. My favourite vegetable is Asparagus If you were an animal, what would you be? An Eagle, you have the freedom to fly and explore. What’s something about you that would surprise people? I hate horror films, but I am quite happy to read some horror stories. What brought you to GA? I was after a site that provided proper gay fiction. That provided stories that were not just about the sex. If you had to pick your favorite book or story you’ve ever read, what is it and why? The Harry Potter Series. It conjured up all sorts of things that you wish you could do yourself, especially flying on broomsticks or using a spell to shut people up. What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? Australia How did your story collaboration come into being? What is the best part? Hardest challenge? We had collaborated before this story and enjoyed working together. The best part is me having weird ideas and Ben transforming them into something readable. I don't think we have hit a hard challenge just yet, we have always agreed on where we want the story to go. Where did the idea for Raven’s Secret Crush come from? My weird imagination, after watching something on television. Do you have a favorite line or scene in the story? A tense silence hung in the air. Deep down, Raven wished his older brother would be more honest with himself and others. He'd idolized him back when they were kids, but had he ever seen the real Altair behind all of the walls he'd built around himself? Can you tell readers anything about your current or upcoming work? Me and Ben have just started posting our latest collaboration - The Fantastic Eight and Their February Surprise. It brings together some of the characters we have featured in our previous collaborations. Now for Bendtedwreath! Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Ben: Yes. My favorite vegetables are squash and pumpkin. My favorite fruits are kiwi and blackberries. If you were an animal, what would you be? Ben: I’d likely be a red panda, as I’m solitary, shy, and mostly nocturnal. My favorite animal, however, is the sea turtle. What’s something about you that would surprise people? Ben: Though I’m fairly straight-laced, my friends are not. I am very punctual, but none of my other friends are. What brought you to GA? Ben: A friend who was my roommate at the time. If you had to pick your favorite book or story you’ve ever read, what is it and why? Ben: That’s a difficult choice. The Dresden Files perhaps. What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? Ben: I’d have to learn Japanese to then head over to Japan and retrieve more details about Yokai. How did your story collab come into being? What is the best part? Hardest challenge? Ben: I reached out to Chris for one collaboration, and we had fun with it and continued from there. Where did the idea for Raven’s Secret Crush come from? Ben: We were given a genre from a prompt event, Romance/Contemporary Romance. Chris then brought up a “jock x nerd” theme with characters that weren’t too stereotypically “jockish” or “nerdish.”Then, we went on from there. Do you have a favorite line or scene in the story? Ben: Mine is "I've been busting my butt to collect every OneSlice comic book ever released. I've got 110 out of 113. Not that I'm obsessed or anything." because OneSlice is a play on OnePiece, and I’ve a friend that enjoys the series so much that they read the manga before watching the episodes just to note the differences in the colors used. Can you tell readers anything about your current or upcoming work? Ben: We began posting a collab story that is five chapters long to not only tie all our collab characters together, but to give them an ending of sorts. I’ve also been personally working on a long-chaptered vampire and incubus-themed story which I’ve asked many GA members for help with over the past year and a half that I hope to finish so that I can begin sharing that one, as well.

Creative minds respond to direction? Instead of flow and choice? We provide options that will appeal to the most, not the least, when it comes to events. If you want a specific direction, look up the word(s) and pick one definition and use that whole phrase or one particular meaning. Google image search the theme words to inspire a specific scene to create your setting or character(s). As we (GA team) want as many authors to be inspired in as many ways they need/want to encourage participation in writing events, we will not be limiting inspiration by narrowing the themes, ways to interpret them, or how authors choose to use them while writing. If an author can't decide what to do or is stumped by the broad themes for inspiration, one idea might be to use the discussion topic or personal blog to politely ask what other authors do to gain inspiration or use the themes. I'm sure there are many, many ideas already being thought up by the active authors on the site or readers who are wondering what their favorite authors will come up with!

Did you catch Monday's feature of Mann Rambling's story, Ones and Zeros? It was part of an anthology featuring all sorts of disasters, but it certainly wasn't! What did you think of the story? If you didn't read it back in 2013, or I haven't intrigued you with it yet, check out the excerpt below! Want to read more? Click here!

This month we are featuring both an older story and an older anthology! @Mann Ramblings posted Ones and Zeros to the 2013 Recipe for Disaster Anthology. Check it out and some of the other stories if you are looking for a great read or some inspiration to write your own anthology submission for this year's later event. Length: 9,015 Description: In the future, all para-humans are 2nd class citizens under constant control and supervision. Poll's sponsor is a securities specialist, specifically the man responsible for designing all tech the maintains the balance of human superiority. Poll accepts his world, he's well treated, until the disappearance of his twin brother Costa shatters his world view and forces him to decide where he stands. A reader said: What a great story Mann. A personal disaster leading to a worlwide one, I could see everything in my head like a movie. Seeing how this world worked something like this had to happen some day. A well written and constructed story which interpreted disaster as it should be, inexorable. Wow. @Aditus If you want to spread the word about Mann Ramblings' 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!

In just 58 days the sun will set after 7 PM. The northern hemisphere gains between 2-3 minutes of sun each and every day after Dec. 21st. My vampire butt mourns this and enjoys my Pacific NW clouds and rain (and I have an unhealthy ugh knowledge of when it all comes back). I thought I'd pass it along for those who miss the jazz and sparkle of our evil overlord, the ball of gas hovering in the sky like the ultimate Christmas light.

Well, no great announcements about 2026 from me... Except the start of CSR! I thought I'd do something a little fun, a twofer! That's right, this month's feature was written by 2 GA Authors! That means double the fun on the Discussion day. Raven's Secret Crush by @BendtedWreath and @chris191070 Length: 5,301 Description: Raven Bran always feels stuck behind his brother, in basketball, at school, and even with friends. But when he meets someone who truly understands him, everything starts to look different. Sometimes, the right person is all it takes to finally feel seen. A reader said: Well done indeed, @BendtedWreath and @chris191070. I would like to give this story six stars, but the system will only let me assign five stars. This story is put together well and easily enjoyed. I recommend it. ~ ReaderPaul Don't forget to come back to comment on the Discussion day, Monday, January 26th!

Please forgive my tardiness, I lost track of the days of the week! The bliss of holiday vacation. My darkest days? Next week, when I go back to work with all the kiddos who also wish we were still on vacation!! So what did you think of this month's story feature? Share your thoughts on that and the interview with Jack below! Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla. Unless we’re not talking about ice cream here…? What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know? I hold a Master’s degree in Physics, though I’ve drifted far from that field professionally. On a less academic note, I am an enthusiastic Karaoke singer. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I love to travel, write songs, and—far too rarely—contemplate the universe. This year I published an AI-assisted music album, and last year I indulged my physics background by uploading a personal “Theory of Everything” paper online. It keeps the other side of my brain active! What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? Japan. What brought you to the GA? I discovered GA ages ago as a reader hunting for good shifter stories, and the site is a goldmine for them. When I finally took the plunge into writing, it felt like the natural home for my work. I do write erotica as well, though I usually reserve the explicit stuff for Nifty or my Patreon (Bob and the Biker being the exception). You’ve added a variety of stories in different sub-genres to GA. Do you have a favorite one to write? Definitely (Dark) Fantasy. What inspired you to write Darkest Days? It was early December here in Munich. A radio segment about the local “Perchtenlauf” (a traditional alpine parade) sparked my interest. That sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole regarding the “Wild Hunt,” and I just had to write about it. Fun fact: some of the icy imagery is a nod to Hemingway’s A Day’s Wait. I’m certainly not comparing my prose to his, but the atmosphere of that story has stuck with me for decades. Do you have a favorite line or scene in the story? Not a favorite, but there is one line that sticks out: “…you mustn’t leave your washing hanging or the Wild Hunt could get caught up in it.” It’s a specific bit of local folklore here in Bavaria. It’s practically an inside joke that shouldn't be in a serious story, but I couldn't resist including it. What other mythic lore have you considered writing into a story in the future? The list is endless. I’ve been brewing an epic with strong religious themes featuring a Biblical figure who is famous in name, but whose actual story is quite obscure. I also dream of writing a Roman history epic with wolf-shifters, though the sheer volume of research required is daunting! Greek gods are also top of the list. Can you share something about your current or upcoming work with readers? I’ve resumed Hungry for Gains—it deserves a proper ending. I’m also prepping the second Lightbringer book (Histoire de Noir series) and work on redrafting/editing BigPaws for Amazon publication (likely under a new pen name to keep it separate from my Jack Poignet erotica titles). As for something brand new: I’m planning a mash-up of Arthurian legend, The Ring of the Nibelung, and other myths and legends. Think swords, dragons, and lots of action. It is loosely based on an AI narrated (no-one wants to hear a German accent, right?) short story I did for a rather under-utilized YouTube channel I run–or rather don’t really run. I’ve figured I can’t do everything at once. Shocking, right?

@CCinPS You can also create a reading Story Collection (FAQ in link below) and turn on your chapter reading progress option (Profile Settings e.g. image) to know 1) which story/stories you are reading and 2) what chapter you read last.

I can speak to this. I do 2 main blog features for authors each month. One is the CSR, or Can't Stop Reading blogs, where I promote a story for people to read and hopefully comment on and feature an author interview for another comment/Discussion day. This requires the author to 1) have completed a story recently and 2) be active on the site so they are available to answer interview questions. It rotates between all the different types of authors on the site. The second Signature/Classic Author feature is a benefit for authors who have been on the site longer, worked to improve their writing, and have been promoted. It's also my attempt to bring older stories to the forefront for readers who may not have been around when they were posted versus our current postings. We also have multiple features available to any author on the site for the blogs, such as the Ask An Author and Author Guess Who which just requires authors to reach out to astone2292. We have a review team that does a story review each month... but I can't remember who is heading that up at the moment. If authors wish to become Promising or Signature authors, they can also reach out to Graeme in regards to the team reviewing the criteria on becoming a promoted author. One of the main things I've told to authors who have contacted me about the best way to gain readers or make the most out of their time at GA has always been you get out what you put into it here. We always want to feature those who wish to feature themselves, but sometimes authors have to let us know. Also, occasionally there's a bit of a line because there's a lot of authors and only so many blog features. Hopefully this clears up some of the features, goals behind them, and options for authors to be included. This is some of feedback we were looking for. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!