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Awesome!! @Headstall @Valkyrie @Puppilull Thanks for letting us know!

Carl, I told you I would reach out to her after you left me a message on my profile, and I did that right after I replied to your message. She replied Thursday morning and said she would get in touch with you. Have you been checked your junk folder to make sure her email didn't get filtered there? I will reach out again and see if there are other options.

Laws do vary state to state, so unless you are smart enough to know your local laws or know where the story took place, it's impossible to say with certainty if that's a legit claim... Okay, we all know it's ridiculous. That's like me going on a tour of the dairy at Tillamook, going into the tasty, tasty, tasty ice cream area with my hidden spoon and then suing after getting hurt when I keel over from getting a massive ice cream headache because they should have searched me and taken away any and all tasting apparatus before allowing me near the frozen treats. 😱🤣

@Reader1810 LOL! I have to be careful not to let my blunt nature offend, though, since not everyone is ready for my *ahem* brand of commentary. I really like that we are all here to learn for the most part. Case in point... my first story, The Price of Honor? 😵 Sooooo bad. I've improved in large part because I listened to the editors I was fortunate to work with, and I'm a huge geek who loves to read editing/writing books. But I keep that first story largely unedited on GA so I can point it out and say, "Yes! I edited horribly in the beginning too. People still liked it, others didn't, some people gave me tips, others didn't, and through it all, I got better. Keep writing, and you will too!"

“Done, Captain.” “Please step outside.” Captain stood in the middle of his lounge. He waited for Deke and Luca to leave. “I’m sorry I’m kicking you out of your quarters.” Captain shook his head. “I’m sorry I’m locking you in them. I really don’t think this is necessary, Kohen.” He didn’t have the memories I did. The fear I could hurt him only grew stronger the closer we came to the central planets. “You don’t know that. Don’t make me watch it happen.” I didn’t want to

This month I thought we'd try something a little different. Instead of a single story, I picked two of Mark Arbour's shorter works (instead of his epic series, sorry to his fans!) from his anthologies. I hope you're in the mood for a trip into the past, something Mark does all too well, with his stories from the Carpe Diem and the I'd Never Do That anthologies. Furlough War's End by Mark Arbour Furlough Length: 4,853 Description: Two wounded men meet in Paris during World War I. One is wounded on the outside, both are wounded on the inside. Will their accidental meeting help heal both of them? A Reader Said: I found this beautiful story very touching. I think the war setting added a tension and immediacy to the encounter between the two men, causing me to feel compassion for them quite deeply. Thank you ~ DonR2D2 War's End Length: 6,287 Description: World War I is coming to an end, but for two men, both former soldiers, peace means a return to their separate homes and their separate lives. A Reader Said: Stop! Read Mark's story Furlough before reading this story which is more than an epilogue! This is a fitting finish to Furlough and is a fast and scintillating read! As always with Mark's stories, there is a bit of sex, a lot of love and much thought. ~ Daddydavek Don't forget to come back on the Discussion Day, Monday June 25th, to share your thoughts!!

This link to the subscription page, if anyone else who isn't a subscriber needs it: http://gayauthors.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8586b6deff96506015dc71fc4&id=269eaacf64 Yes, the "Prove you're a human" recaptcha page brings up a pop up where it tells you to identify all boxes in the image that have such and such type of image in them, (such as a bridge, or car, or sign) or to press the skip button if none of the boxes have those image. That brings up another pop up boxed image to select areas with some type of image and verify that you're a human. Once you select all boxes with the type of image, click the 'verify' box, it checks the recaptcha box with a green arrow and says, "I am not a robot" and the option to press on the 'Subscribe to List' gray button becomes available. However... if you're already subscribed to the list, you don't have to do the full sign up like a new subscriber. You just need to update your subscriber information. Once you've completed all those steps in the last paragraph, it'll tell you that you're already subscribed and give you a link that tells you to update your account, BUT that has to be done via an email that is automatically sent to the email account on file from that point. And apparently you didn't get that far. This GDPR update email was sent out directly to everyone on the list several weeks back with a button link to update your settings, and I think that avoids the whole 'prove you're not a robot' thing. Not 100% sure on how that works for our subscribers as a step-by-step process, since I'm the list owner. I am going to send out a targeted GDPR campaign to just your email with that update your settings link, and hopefully that will help you. If not, you may have to ask for someone in person to assist you with the recaptcha since that is part of the whole compliance thing, and not an option we picked out just for the fun of it. Sorry!

If the newsletter doesn't appear in your inbox next week, please update this post and we'll look into it more. It definitely is something we want to make sure doesn't become an ongoing problem.

Upside, a link is always posted to our Facebook and Twitter feeds at the same time the newsletter is sent out via email, so you can follow us there and not miss out on this week's.

Well, I didn't change anything in the way the newsletter was sent this week to the way it was sent last week in terms of our new subscriber list based on GDPR. And mailchimp shows that it was sent, but that you haven't opened or clicked it, of course. But you're not on the list of bounced emails either, so it went to your email. @Valkyrie @Headstall If you're using Outlook to handle Hotmail, live, etc..., are you aware it has a 'gray mail' filter that categorizes mail that isn't exactly junk but isn't traditional email from senders on your contact list either? It's actually geared toward site/newsletter sign ups. But some people don't have the newsletter category visible in their inbox area, so they can't find the emails. You need to do a few things to check this. Step 1. Open Outlook (I use the online browser version, you can also use the app/desktop download) Step 2. Go to the settings (cog wheel in upper right on online version) Step 3. Click on the Options link. Step 4. Click on the 'Categories' link in the Layout area in the left sidebar. Step 5. Check if you're filtering newsletters without having the "Show in folder pane" box checked. If it's unchecked, then check that box. That should show the newsletter category in your folder area by the inbox, junk, etc... and anything that is automatically filtered as a newsletter will appear in that area. Or you can uncheck the filter box and have Outlook stop filtering emails it believes are newsletters. I've added a screenshot to show the areas I mean.

@Headstall I can confirm it was sent out to you via Mailchimp as well. Have you checked your junk folder?

@Valkyrie I can confirm the newsletter went out to your email via Mailchimp but it shows no activity on your part for this week's newsletter, so you haven't opened or clicked it yet. Did you check your spam folder to see if it was filtered out this week?

“Fuck, Kohen, you ask some scary questions.” Captain had returned to his quarters, and Deke was with him. Neither one of them could seem to settle, and the space wasn’t big enough for one of them to pace, much less both of them. I curled into the corner of the couch, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Hey.” Captain sank down beside me. He put his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it up and down my arm. “We’re not mad at you. If anythi

Since members stated not having enough time to write was an issue for not participating in quarterly anthologies, but still wanted four themes total to write about each year, there are dual themes for each of the anthology events that happen in 2018. That means two different anthology categories are made live at the same time. Sure, we could just post links to the anthology categories in the announcement, but why do two different links to the anthology categories alone instead of just one link to the already existing blog post that explains what the anthologies are, thanks all the people who put in hard work to help make them happen on the site, and lists all the stories with links? Besides, those links to the categories would visually appear just like the link to the blog post would. To avoid downgrading the site's content rating, we don't want to duplicate content on the site, so it doesn't make sense to post the identical information in the announcement, so that's why just the link to the blog was added to bring more attention to the event as a whole. And hopefully more attention will translate to the next anthology, since it doesn't seem like having six months to write for one or both themes really helped increase the number of authors who had the time/inclination to enter a story in the event. Also, as with most websites, the title of a blog post is the link to the content itself. You don't have to click on the banner, then the blog post's title. All you have to do is click on the blog title in the announcement, just like you click on the title of a story or the title of a forum topic, etc... If you pay attention, you'll note that the old style of underlined/different colored link titles has changed and it's more common to see embedded text links that change color when you scroll over them to indicate they are a link. That is a drawback to those using touchscreens or adaptive technology, I agree, but we don't control the format the links now appear as on the forums as that is an IP Board feature.

I'm uncertain as to what announcement you mean as to the "on our story entry pages". Was this something posted previously when the blog first went live? As for the announcement posted on the 27th that appears all over the site, other than the text "In case you missed it" has links. Anytime there's a link placed somewhere like a post, blog, or announcement, that makes that sort of snapshot of the post/blog/ the link goes to, which includes the image banner, the title of the topic, a preview of the reactions, and the number of comments. The banner, title of the post/topic/blog, and even things like the comments are all links you can click on. When you click on the link in the announcement Myr shared, that goes to the blog announcement for the anthology, and the title of all the stories included in the anthology featured in that blog are links. And, of course, the anthologies can all be reached anytime through the categories link in the Browse options on the Stories page.

Welcome to the end of May... how did that happen? No, seriously! It's crazy how fast the year is flying by, and we're almost halfway done with 2018. And what does flying have to do with this month's author and featured story? Well, did you read Lie of the Serpent? Or you can check out my interview with Craftingmom. And don't forget to share your thoughts on her story below. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Of course, I've recently watched the Infinity Wars movie, so the Marvel superheroes and their powers are what's coming to mind. I think manipulation of time, like Dr. Strange, would be cool so I could fix things I feel I did wrong (but then you get into the whole question of how that change would affect future outcomes and all), but, still, I have regrets that would be nice to not have. Of course, a lot of my dreams involve flying, so maybe that's my subconscious telling me I'd prefer flying as my superpower! What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? A grey comfy nightgown and cozy slippers—it is 2 am, so yeah... What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? I'd love to go to Greece. Mythology was my specialty in my English minor and I'd like to eventually write something with a Greek or maybe Roman setting. It would be hard because there is so much out there involving the Greek and Roman gods, but maybe twist off of a minor myth. What brought you to the GA? I originally had started posting at AFF and Fiction Press with Tears of the Neko. Then I found GA in looking for stories, and tried posting Tears of the Neko here. The feedback/critiques I received here were (and have been) by far the most helpful and insightful. They helped me to revamp Tears by adding over 20k words from its original form. Comments and questions from readers have greatly helped me to advance my writing and grow as an author. And now I only post here! What’s the best part of being an author? Well, I've been writing since at least middle school (so over 30 years). Obviously, the 'old' stuff is mediocre at best, but even then the thrill of creating my own world and characters has been a driving factor in my writing. Of course, there's the tiny part of me that enjoys sharing my writing with others and hoping they like it. For the longest time (years—until college anyway), the only person who I ever allowed to read any of my fiction stories was my best friend, and she'd try to steal my spiral notebook while I was still writing. In college, I allowed a few more friends to read my stories. I would publish short stories and poetry in the school's literary journals, but never any of my longer works. I didn't put anything major out for the mass public to view until putting my young adult works on Amazon in 2013, and then Tears of the Neko on AFF in 2014—the start of my journey into writing m/m fiction. How did you come up with the title for Lie of the Serpent? Well, I think of a snake laying in wait to pounce and devour its prey. They're stealthy and slithery and can often hide in plain sight. So that's how I think of Bryan's mother. And of course she's lying to Bryan about Wyatt and how she feels about his relationship so.... Lie of the Serpent. Lie of the Serpent is actually based off of an idea of a story I wrote back in high school. The title then was The Sexton Keeps the Key, a line from an Emily Dickenson poem. While some basic plot elements are the same (the mom kidnapping and trying to kill her son's significant other and the disabled brother helps save them), Lie of the Serpent became so much more, as the original was not nearly as engaging, detailed, or planned. I kinda suck at coming up with titles. So sometimes when reading poetry or listening to music, I'll jot down a line or phrase that intrigues me and keep a list. Sometimes those help trigger me to think up more interesting titles... sometimes, not all the time... Is there anything you found particularly challenging when you wrote Lie of the Serpent? I find writing a hateful or abusive parent rather difficult, but they are out there as we see in the news all the time. There has to be some motivation behind their actions and detailing that can be challenging. Eddie was also difficult, because while he's complicit in Wyatt's captivity, he also wants what's best for his brother. The conflict his mother creates for him is difficult for him to reconcile because he wants to please both his mother and brother. Did you do any kind of research for it? A little research on the health problems Wyatt would be facing during his captivity and after his rescue. A lot of times readers will offer suggestions or ask questions that has me looking things up as well. What’s your favorite scene in the story? Probably Wyatt's rescue where Eddie brings Wyatt out to Bryan. Bryan and Eddie's utterly unconditional love for each other is what familial love should be, contrasted with their mother's selfish betrayal of her sons. If you could write a spinoff story for character(s) in this story, which one would you pick? Oh Eddie, definitely. While Bryan and Wyatt are whom I would consider the main protagonists, Eddie is a strong third and is definitely a dynamic, sympathetic character who deserves his own love interest.

There's a pop-up reply option with the text editor, but I don't think it's rolled out for all author groups. I'd have to check that for sure with Myr as to when/if it's going to be live, however. Really, it's less of an interaction area and more of a spot that is for an overall review of the story for potential readers written by fans who've already read the story. And, to be fair, if a reader really wants to comment in a place where the author can reply, they can simply do so on the last chapter in comments and save the review area for an overall "hey, I loved this so you might too, prospective reader" promo.

What I see when I look at your story history, what I saw is that you saved/published Chapter 4 on 5-9-18, then edited the chapter today. Typically, if you "edit" a post-dated or unpublished chapter, it screws up the announcing date/time, even if the chapter then shows updated 5-23. That probably means the "announcement" date would be for the original publication date of 5-9, which is why you wouldn't see them in the recent updates lists on the Forum/Stories pages. How did you make your chapter live? Did you edit the chapter or just use the drop menu to publish it? There may be a bug in the system regarding unpublished chapters announcing, but we'll have to test it to make sure. The more information we have on exactly what you did, the better. On another note, I noticed in your chapters that you have incorrect spacing between your paragraphs. You should have a single space between every paragraph, unless you're using a double space to indicate a scene break in a chapter. You have single spaced and then double spaced paragraphs mixed throughout your chapters randomly.

I curled up on the edge of the couch, my head on Captain’s thigh. I felt better when we were touching. He crafted messages that seemed completely normal, until he showed me the code he used with his contacts. Then I could decipher the hidden messages inside them requesting more information on the current council and political maneuvering among the military. “Hopefully these will yield results. They’ll go out as soon as we hit non-shielded space, before I approve Kekillill’s reports, just

Did you catch Monday's blog featuring Gabriel Morgan's sexy contemporary Texas story, Stonegate Stables? If you're a fan of his story, don't forget to download the signature graphic to share it through the month. If you haven't read the story yet, maybe this excerpt will help change your mind! I chose this short excerpt from chapter three because it's incredibly descriptive in a way that makes you desperately want to see what the characters are seeing, for one, and two, because it gives you so many ideas about what is going to happen next. You get a glimpse of Sean's day-to-day life and then, bam, a big moment hits. Those sorts of you'll know it when you see it, if you're ever lucky enough to have it happen to you, life's about to change because this person is just... them. But life doesn't always turn out how you think it will, and Stonegate Stables might be a contemporary story with a hefty dose of romance (and sex, lots and lots of sex) but the author didn't forget that either. So this excerpt might just not mean what you think it means... but to find out, you'll have to read it, and then read the story! To read more, click here.

All you have to do is look at the title to know there's going to be a lot of *coughs* fun going on in this story. Because where there are stables, there are horses, and where there are horses, there are guys dressed in tight pants who ride horses... and... I'll let your imagination take it from there. Or, you could just go read Gabriel Morgan's Stonegate Stables if you haven't already! Length: 221,486 Description: Against the backdrop of a horse stable in Texas, Sean deals with the lives and loves of his friends and neighbors as he pursues the biggest prize in show jumping and works to keep his own relationship strong and steady. A Reader Said: I think this is the sixth or seventh time I've read Stonegate Stables, stem to stern. Delighted to do so again here at GA, discovering some new (to me) authors and writing. Gabe, I love your style, your honesty, your ease with which you create both the characters and the relationships. Most of all I appreciate your sense of normalcy that each of these relationships expresses, the richness of being true to one's nature and being engaged and contributing to community in the here and now. You're a model for the greatness of being within all of us in these stories, and I thank you! ~ Sclyburn If you want to spread the word about Gabriel Morgan'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 doesn’t help when you provoke her,” Captain said. “She hates that the head of security has more say in the mission than she does as your second. She acts like I’m some newbie in the ranks, not a commander in my own right.” “She’s new.” “And that right there’s the problem.” Deke leaned forward. “This mission has always been different. The orders came down the pipeline instead of in person. You had to take this ship and a good third of the crew is new.” “They work fo

I love all the speculation!!! You guys are great, and you always have so many thoughts! @drpaladin and @Dr. John NYC Oh yeah, there is definitely more to come. We've had one attack for sure, and who knows what else has been going on and could be... definitely going to be tense as they get closer to the central planets. And, yes, Deke caught the Trepharo. Also remember, in chapter 22... this rescue mission is different from ones the Captain and his crew have taken on before. The order came down forcing Captain to take a bigger ship with some unfamiliar crew members along with his usual crew. So who can they trust? @glennish and @Butcher56 are right to question. @Puppilull It's kind of frustrating to me as the author too, lol. I am so limited in how much I can share because it all has to be from his point of view. We can't learn it until he does. Makes for a slow, loooong story. Ah well, all the better to enjoy each week, right? And we're getting into the action now! @Headstall Well you always know when another chapter will come, Gary, so I am glad I can provide more each week to enjoy! Thank you so much for reading, I know the word count makes it a frustrating story to follow. Same goes to you, @dughlas I've got you guys pictured in comfy recliners just chilled out until then, lol.

I flexed my feet, my toes scraping along Captain’s hairy legs. I could move again, but I didn’t want to. Even in those cloudy memories I had of before the station, and my cell, and the tests, I couldn’t remember feeling like this. Happy, warm, no pain, no fear, no hunger. Thirst didn’t torture me with every dry breath. The only thing I could smell was the spice of Captain’s skin and the thump of his heart beat slow under my ear where I’d tucked my head under his chin. His arms were wrapped a