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It's May... already?! How did that happen? I swear the time keeps flying by, but that just means we have to remember to take some time out to stop and enjoy ourselves. This month, that means you get to read Craftingmom's story, Lie of the Serpent. This contemporary crime mystery will hopefully keep you on the edge of your keyboard from start to finish! Lie of the Serpent Lie of the Serpent by Craftingmom Length: 70,591 Description: When Bryan finally finds the man he wants to be with forever, he thinks his life will be perfect. But it's taken time to convince not only Wyatt that he's sincere, but his own mother as well. Between Wyatt's anxiety to trust again after a brutal breakup with an ex, the ex still trying to wreck havoc in Wyatt's life, and Bryan's own mother's doubts, Bryan is over-stressed. So when Wyatt disappears days after their engagement, he's left devastated and confused. A Reader Said: I love all the books by this author and have read them all. This one was slightly different from her usual writings, but still a compelling read. I liked the storyline in this one because even when you find out who is the bad guy, you still can't see how the good guys are going to work it out in time. The bad guy isn't unexpected, but the lengths they go to are. As always a well written and thought out story from an imaginative author. ~ Caz Pedroso Don't forget to come back on the Discussion Day, Monday May 28th, to share your thoughts!!

“What? Humans don’t bond.” Captain jerked back, and I whimpered at the loss of his touch. “Who cares about that in this moment? Put your hand back on Kohen right now,” Aparoe ordered. His hand was even warmer than before and shaking slightly. Or was I shaking? I couldn’t tell. But I could breathe, and the pounding in my head and ache all over my body I’d felt for the last few days started to ease. “It looks like he’s just having a panic attack. He’s had them before.” “Has he?” Lak

Did you have a chance to read these short stories featured in Cris Kane's fantastical tale, X-Dream Makeover this month? While there is a common thread in all 4 chapters, they do standalone quite well, so I hope a lot of people got a chance to read at least one of the four. Did you have a favorite character? Makeover? Make sure you share your thoughts below in the comments, but first, as always, I grilled the author to find out a little more about him and his writing! If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do? Nap. What's your favorite room in your house? Do you plot or write there? The bedroom. That's also where my computer is located, so I guess the phrase "that's where the magic happens" actually applies in this case. The stories I've posted here are unusual for me in that I haven't outlined them in advance. I've come up with a premise and let the writing process tell me where it needs to go. That said, once things start to fall into place and a structure reveals itself, I end up jotting down lots of notes for events and details that should fall later in the story, if only so I don't forget them. What’s the best part of being an author? As many have said before me, I like having written more than I enjoy the actual work of writing. That said, my favorite part of the process is the moment when a particular phrase or sentence pops into my head or flows out of my fingers and surprises me. Something that perfectly fits the precise situation. Something that could ONLY work at that exact point in the specific context of the set of characters and circumstance I've put in place. Some realization that I would never have come to if I hadn't been writing this particular story. I don't feel like I can take much credit for such brainstorms, but I do feel lucky that I'm the first person who gets to enjoy them at the moment of conception. I hope they eventually give the reader a similar amount of pleasure. What kind of research did you do for X-Dream Makeover? Location? Theme? Character? The most helpful "research" for this series of stories has been my visits to San Francisco over the years. I don't live there, but have been there enough that I have a general lay of the land that I figure my sense of geography won't be glaringly off the mark. Otherwise, this group of stories didn't require a lot of intense research. Despite the fantastical nature of the transformations, I did try to treat the situations as realistically as I could, exploring the potential drawbacks that might come about if Mr. Lee's various potions and devices actually existed. The line in the first chapter, “So what is it you wish to have that your money cannot buy you?” feels particularly… sinister. Sort of in a ‘Beware, go no further, danger, danger’ vibe that directly contradicts the modern Mr. Lee we see at first. Did you deliberately merge these two natures of his character or did it develop organically as you wrote? From the very beginning, I wanted to paint Mr. Lee as enigmatic, leaving his origin and even his age intentionally vague. He might seem like a stereotypical "old Asian wise man" but he knows more than he's letting on. He's clearly putting on an act to some degree, speaking in a stilted manner and purposely coming across as less worldly than he actually is. From the get-go, I have him hiding a Whopper Jr. and a Mello Yello from his customer. I like that he's fundamentally a benevolent person, but with a sly sense of humor that he hides behind his created persona. Perhaps the key descriptor in that first chapter is "When you've been doing something as long as Mr. Lee, it becomes inevitable that you start to fuck around with the clientele, just to keep it interesting for yourself." I enjoyed taking his point of view, as someone who had been doing this a long time and had seen many situations, so little surprised him. He knows the pitfalls of his clients' requests because he's seen how wishes have backfired on people in the past who haven't thought things through. He also wants to stay under the radar, so it's to his benefit to discourage ill-advised transformations. Each chapter has a very different tale with insightful lessons the characters learn about themselves. What message do you think the story has, beyond ‘be careful what you wish for’? We all have things we would change about ourselves if we could, so there's a definite wish-fulfillment aspect to these stories. I would hope the stories also convey that sometimes what we think is a flaw could actually be a strength, or that often what we want to change about ourselves isn't actually what's causing our problems. In the end, hopefully the characters end up with a better understanding of their true selves. Nobody goes through an encounter with Mr. Lee without being changed, although probably not in the way they anticipated. Do you plan to write more stories for the people Mr. Lee helps? He's such a fun character to write that I would definitely go back to using him if the proper story presented itself. It helps to have an established character who we know can do fantastical things, rather than having to come up with a brand new story device every time you want to bring about a magical transformation. I did write one additional chapter, titled "Where'd He Go?", which I consciously did not post as part of this series. I like it, but it's a bit darker and more cynical than the other four chapters, which I feel have a more consistent tone that allows them to hang together as a coherent group. That standalone chapter can be read here, along with some other transformation tales I've written over the years: https://www.gayspiralstories.com/newStory/show/2320 What other projects are you working on that you might like to share with us? I'm attempting to motivate myself to write a screenplay, so I haven't been too productive lately on the fiction front. I do have one story pretty well mapped out that could find its way to GA someday if I somehow find the time to write it. All of my stories seem to have an element of the fantastical, although it doesn't reveal itself immediately in this one.

Thank you! I still think this needs to be longer, I just never have the time to write more for it.

Oooh, just what could the null field do to him? I am so surprised you're the only one who mentioned that!! I loooove to try and hide little breadcrumbs in the story that only make sense later on. Those "Oh, wait, AHA!" moments are fun as a reader for me too.

You are very intuitive. Get out of my brain! Or maybe he needs someone who thinks of him first? Like the captain has been trying to do.... Awww, from you who does wicked and twisted so well, that is the ultimate compliment! <3 Probably put a wrinkle in that whole scenario. LOL

Oh, definitely shocking truth coming! I'm glad someone picked up on the PTSD-tones of the breakdown Kohen is going though, and not just a seesaw of emotional behaviors. Yes, he's been recovering and adjusting to freedom, but nothing is ever only a forward battle. He needs help, for sure. Remember, there are all sorts of aliens out there and all sorts of bonding. What happens with Lakshou for his patients isn't the same as for all other races. I do so love reading that it was unexpected! I thought I was trickling in little clues. More about it to come next week, of course.

I love reading all the comments and how you guys think about this story. Thank you, everyone, for reading!! And it really helps me some weeks to decide just which questions should be answered. As for the Trepharo, you'll get to see its form "later". *goes to look up salt hungry creature*

Story views tells you how many times people have caught a link with your title somewhere/somehow and thought it sounded interesting enough to click on it to explore further versus people who click on your chapters because they follow the story. The read counts on chapters being accurate is important because it is good to know how many people "try" your story with the first chapter compared to continued read counts. And while the story views is not a totally accurate count, as I can think of a lot of times I click on a story to bounce around chapters as an admin, it does give you a general gist of things if you're exploring what kinds of content catch the attention of readers. Certain lengths of titles? Tags used? Categories? Blurb information and length? If you're interested in trying to explore the way your story details can help your story catch the eye of readers (a tenet of marketing, and often an idea of what kind of content sells or garners more feedback for future writing), the story views is important to be separate from just counting up the number of times people click on the chapters. Overall, the way our story views and chapter view counts are counted is a simple way of letting those authors who care to put in the work to learn more about readers' preferences.

“Null field engaged. All vulnerable areas of the ship have been sealed off. We’re going to start hunting on the level Kohen is on, as well as his quarters, and the level where the other rescues are sequestered. I’ve sent three teams, but with the null field, he’ll be aware that we’ve discovered his presence on board.” Deke’s methodical report reassured me, but I couldn’t relax. Not until they had him. It. They had no real gender characteristics when they were in their true forms but the bod

How did you add the chapter? That's vital information that must be shared for us to have any hope of helping but people continually forget to give us all the information we need to look into problems. Did you add the chapter to your story and publish immediately? Post-date? Add it unpublished and then use the drop menu to publish it? Use a computer, a tablet, a phone? What browser? Did anything happen differently from times before when the chapter saved? The more you share, the more we might be able to figure out what happened to prevent your story from announcing in the recent updates list.

That chapter you mention from Unwilling is from 2015, so it would be unrelated to anything happening now. I just went through the first 3 pages of stories and looked at the stories with multiple chapters posting relatively consistently over at least the last few months to a year plus, and there's no consistent drop in page views per chapter that I can see. Just an fyi that a quick look at the current stories doesn't seem to show a big issue. I'm sure when the techs have time, they will look into the back end of the system to see if there's anything that jumps out at them that could be a bug.

Did you catch Monday's blog featuring Sara Alva's coming of age short story, No Strings? If you're a fan of her 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 except because it tells you a lot about the story. Yes, it gives away a bit of the "BIG EVENT" but the true insights you get are into the characters. Sara has a knack for bringing them to life in amazing ways, with so little information shared about the actual characters. Instead, we learn about them as they're facing whatever trials and tribulations stand in their way... even a best friend who is making you her reluctant wingman in a bid to get her laid. To read more, click here.

“So you’ll tell Captain?” I took a deep breath and blew it away, trying to stay calm so Lakshou wouldn’t sense my emotions. I’d open that box I’d used before, the one that helped me survive my years in my cell, and stuffed all the things I couldn’t afford to think about inside it. Including how much I wanted to talk to Captain myself. But it was best that I didn’t. We hadn’t spent much time together before, so even though we lived just down the corridor from each other, it would seem o

Oh, those tumultuous days of teenage angst, as the high school years are winding down and graduation looms--real life is coming. How do they bridge the gap between child and adult? Well... Yeah, so it's not necessarily a complicated question. But then again, for some, it's not that easy either. Check out this great short story by Sara Alva, that just so happens to be our featured Classic Author story this month. No Strings by Sara Alva Length: 11,010 Description: Josh's friend has made an important life decision. Given the opportunity, will he make the same one? Some Readers Said: Really cute tale with some interesting switches, role reversals and a clever take on strings attached. Thoroughly enjoyed it. ~ Bill W The story is powerful and impactful without the length, something I hadn't expect Sara to be able to grasp immediately since her last story was technically a multi-part story. ~ JT Oh. My. God. I am literally the slowest person on earth. I FINALLY GET WHY BRENNAN TIED THEIR SHOELACES TOGETHER LOL, I think I read it too fast the first time around. OH GOD SO ADORABLE *dies* ~ Luc Rosen If you want to spread the word about Sara Alva'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!

There's minimalist... and there's not showing the true vision in your head because you already see it. I try to make sure you're more of the former and less of the latter, @Myr. And fix this, this, this, that, those, these, and all this too. I will admit to loving to revise based on others' edits of my work, but I hate revising on my own because I will take FOREVER and tweak every line. Then I still have to find the typos and errors. It's much easier to trade beta/editing with fellow author/editors and move forward in a more timely fashion because they identify the true issues and edits needed and less of the perfectionist tweaks.

Sardella cocked her head sideways. “Ahh. You are part of this crew?” I dithered, not quite sure how to answer that. Captain kept saying I was part of the group of rescues, but I was working on the ship, unlike the rest of them. “Sort of.” She didn’t move and kept staring at me, so I kept talking. “I was on the station where the crew found everyone. But I can be helpful to the crew, so Captain lets me help out.” “You were there?” Her voice dropped even deeper on the last word, and her h

These sorts of questions are best addressed in separate help requests so that it's clear you're asking separate questions so they aren't missed and you don't receive answers, or sent to me via PM since I am the staff member who oversees the Stories area, or by you reading the FAQ topics for authors which has the answers already lined out. You also asked this question yesterday in a comment on a blog about a completely different subject, and it was answered with a link to the faq as well. The Stories system faq has a list of topics which is topped by #1: How do I post a story? and #2: How do I add a chapter to an existing story? which has all the information authors need. However, as you have not posted your first story per the site's posting guidelines and need to make changes to it before you add any chapters, I have put your story into the moderation queue and will be sending you a PM with a list of fixes you need to make and how to do them so you can hopefully get on track and learn how to post stories as an author on GA.

If we're going to talk about vehicles and war... Roald Dahl was a RAF pilot during WWII and was even appointed to the US as an attache during the pre-American involvement in the fight. I highly doubt his journey across the Atlantic would've been as adventurous as James's... he took a ship, not a peach, as he couldn't fly anymore due to blackouts (he had a fair few number of crashes during the war that nearly killed him!). The voices in his head telling him all those fantastic, yet dark, stories probably had a lot to do with all that.

I thought this might be an interesting topic... what do you know about authors? Share a tidbit about one of your favorite authors other readers might not know! So, as a kid, I was a HUGE fan of Hans Christian Andersen. I had a book of his fairy tales. In fact, The Princess and the Pea is the first story I can remember reading to myself at 4. But... did you know that Hans Christian Andersen was apparently bisexual and expressed romantic feelings in letters to both men and women during his lifetime? And that it's believed The Little Mermaid (NOT the Disney film) was based on a love letter he wrote to another gentleman? Let's have a remake!

“You should know that you can’t secure any door against the captain of a ship.” I jolted awake, but I didn’t move. I’d become a master of that in my cell, observing without showing any signs that I knew someone else was there. Those few times the aliens had come to my cell had been a nearly overwhelming relief—that I wasn’t alone in that sea of white. That there was something beyond those four walls, beyond the silence in my own mind that often consumed me. But right now I could us

Happy April! This year is moving right along, isn't it? Well let's take a moment to read a story that might seem too good to be true... but yes, it just might make the characters' dreams come true! Part of a series, let's start at the beginning with X-Dream Makeover by Cris Kane! X-Dream Makeover by Cris Kane Length: 40,362 Description: A mysterious shop in San Francisco's Chinatown draws customers who wish to transform their lives. A Reader Said: If you want to make changes in yourself, Mr. Lee is glad to help. These four stories have Mr. Lee and his unusual shop in common. Each story can stand alone, but I think reading them in order gives the reader a clearer picture of what is happening. These were easy to read and very enjoyable! Yet in spite of being lots of fun to read, the message I got was "be careful what you wish for." ~JeffreyL Remember to read the story and come back on the last Monday of the month, April 30th, to share your thoughts!

Okay, okay, blanket comment back to everyone. I know, I am SO mean. They were getting close, FINALLY, and I derailed it. But remember, Kohen's interpersonal skills are poor unless he's 'scripted' by forces outside of himself, and Captain's an honorable man with heavy responsibilities. Allowing them to come together without qualms wouldn't be realistic. I absolutely hate miscommunication being the driving force behind the story conflict, however, so never fear that I'll let this linger beyond reason. Hope that reassures everyone, lol. @Headstall @dughlas @JeffreyL @deville @Sweetlion @drpaladin @Normischell

“I knew I was asking too much of you. If you’re scared, Kohen, you don’t have to help us. I know asking you to spend time with the other people we rescued and more of the crew was asking a lot. You’ve been in isolation for years. I am so sorry.” “What?” I lifted my face from the perfect spot against his neck, shaking my head. “I don’t want to spend time with them, but I’m not scared. Not of that.” “Then what’s wrong?” Captain’s hands stilled, but he kept them on my back. “You’re sh

Do you read fanfiction? There are a lot of readers who enjoy it, and a lot of writers who write it, including Myr. It's a small, but growing group on GA. So this month I thought I'd feature a Harry Potter fanfiction featuring Sirius Black and Remus Lupin--Nocturnal Emissions by Julie L Hayes. Did you have a chance to read it? Make sure you share your thoughts below, but first enjoy this interview with Julie! Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Definitely! More vegetables than fruits, although I do love avocadoes and coffee (Did you know coffee is a fruit? It is!) Have you ever gone out in public, realized your clothing was inside out/backwards, and just didn’t care? I have to confess I have, especially if it’s almost the end of the work day. If it’s still early in the day, I’ll fix it, though. But after a few hours, if no one else noticed, I’m not gonna sweat it. What’s one thing most people on GA don’t know about you? I suspect most people on GA don’t know that I’m back in college, working on my associate’s degree, and will be going for my bachelor’s after that, with a major in history. What’s the best part of being an author? No question about it, it’s the writing. Telling the story, getting to know your characters, and putting everything down on paper (even if it is digital now lol) What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story? So many to choose from! I think that first it would be Tuscany, because I’m dying to go there. What drew you to writing fanfiction in general? I have to confess my two daughters got me started. I didn’t even know it existed before they introduced it to me. And they were writing it and having such fun, that I decided I wanted to write it too. What made you decide to write Harry Potter fanfiction specifically? I read the books at the same time my kids kid, and was still very much into that world my daughters introduced me to fanfiction. Al first, I confess that I wasn’t familiar with yaoi or m/m themes, but once I became interested, it became a foregone conclusion that I would write it. Although my first pairing wasn’t what you might think it was. In fact, I wanted to do something different, so I chose Sirius/Severus. But once I started shipping Remus and Sirius, I could never go back. What’s your favorite line or scene in the story? My favorite scene is when Remus comes to Sirius’ rescue in Chapter Six, his Prince Charming. Don't forget to share your thoughts below!