Cia

“There is a very old saying in human culture,” Lakshou said. “One step forward and two steps back.” Aparoe tilted their head. “I haven’t heard that one.” They finished pulling out the supplements from their bag and putting the vials of powder on the small table in my quarters. “It is apt, though. Mentally and physically.” I’d been avoiding leaving my room for more than my shifts, and nothing tasted right. It was all too sweet, too spicy, too… textured. I scurried away from people. Pr

I've done it, but I'm far more likely to use a region close to me as a model for a fictional city or town than a real one. It is very important you get it right--especially from the tourist point of view if that's what you're using. It does drive me crazy when I come across authors who clearly didn't do their homework, like in 50 shades of crap when the author had the character go through a city south of the starting location on their way north to a different city or an eBook I once read that placed the city in a real town on the coast but put it in the wrong state entirely! They so clearly didn't even look at a map that it infuriates me. If you're going to take the lazy way out, don't use a real location!

Finally! The moment has come to release all the hidden stories featuring Forbidden Love! Make sure you leave a comment for all the hard work by these great GA authors to bring you a taste of the taboo! No Regrets - A Forbidden Love Story by BHopper 2 Their love was forbidden in the kingdom in which they lived in. They did it anyway with no regrets. Danger and Love by Timothy M When you’re courting danger, it’s important to have allies you can trust. Especially if you’re caught in the act. Bonefire by Dolores Esteban When the Master is not the man he should be. Off Limits by Defiance19 He's come home.... Verboten by Valkyrie "'Forbidden Love'. Your take on the topic was very... enlightening." I leaned closer to him, drawn by the invisible connection setting all my nerves on fire. "In a good way?" Bless Me, Father by Parker Owens The early mass leaves a man reflecting on his past. Sweetest Perfection by Puppilull When I see you across a room, all sweet and smooth, it's like an invitation to lick and even bite. The Girl Who Stole the Sun by Dodger Gold medal favourite Sun Song-Jung, is prepared to sacrifice Olympic glory for the chance to find love. If you subscribe to the newsletter, you also got a exclusive look at Comicality's submission, I Could Tell, before it's even posted on GA!

I was wrong about the paperwork. And meetings. And frowns from both Aparoe and Captain for doing something so dangerous. “What if you couldn’t stop it?” Captain asked. We were sitting in his new office, a tiny room near the control center of the ship. I shrugged. “I did. It didn’t fall or anything; it was still hovering. I just had to slow it down so it would stop moving.” “An entire shuttle. By yourself. With just your hands.” He was angry, I could tell. “What part of that was taking

This month we have a lot of focus on love, love, love! But sometimes that doesn't come in the form you think it does, especially when the world is an entirely different place. This month's feature combines moments both light and dark, so I hope you'll enjoy it and come back on Monday, February 26th to share your thoughts! All We Have Now by David AB Length: 42,836 Description: It has almost been a year since the world ended. The majority of the population died, came back as mindless and highly aggressive creatures and killed most of the rest. Cody is one of the last survivors. He is small, sensitive, innocent and about to starve to death. While he is desperately trying to find food, he gets attacked and then saved at the last second by Troy, who is a hardened brute. Cody hates him, but knows he is probably his only chance to survive the winter, so he sticks with him. A Reader Said: Lol so I didn't realize that was the final chapter. I've been waiting and waiting and just now read that was the end for "Part 1." Great story so far! I hope there is more on the way! ~ semaj565

But does that empathy come from a deeper well of wanting to protect people or from the desire not to be a tool for others? Protection or aversion to force? It's all about the nuances.

Or did the computer part of his brain make the analysis faster than the organic process of thought and decision making? Could he even know? Humans aren't the most self-reflecting out there. A lot of this definitely reflects on his mental processes and his emotional state. The entire chapter was an exercise in highlighting that aspect because his "self" has been very damaged and I wanted to share that in deliberate ways for readers to reflect on. You guys are doing great!! Right? Hey... I just saved your life, maybe I can get off the newbie scut job circuit? LOL Thank you! That's exactly how I want the characterization to come across. I want it all to feel real, believable because how he's thinking/acting/reacting fits with his personality and the hints of how he's changing all make you think... wow, I didn't expect that but I should have. Thanks again!

Thanks, Douw! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yes. He's willing to move among people, if only because of the nagging he's experiencing or is it a slow evolution of self beyond what he's been forced to become? LOL! Probably going to need to share his side of the story, yes. It's definitely going to bring him a lot of notoriety, I agree! Yes, it was time for him to get out and stop hiding from the universe. Whether or not that was a good idea remains to be seen, though I'm sure Luca appreciates he was there. And is he truly detached and honest as to the impetus of acting--saving a life being the focus versus a positive/negative analysis of doing so? Because while this might be first person which lets the readers know his thoughts... that doesn't mean he couldn't be lying to himself.

Oh... I dunno. He's not protective at all. I knew that section would resonate for readers in a variety of ways! Lots of nuances and ways to read it. Is it matter of fact sharing what happened? An exasperated 'fine, I guess I'll act if I have to'? Indifferent response with little emotional influence because he's so shut down...? Well, we'll see, won't we?

@drpaladin and @NoSkis Thanks for pointing that out. I keep fighting with Dragon over the name of my characters, because apparently it thinks it needs to be spelled its way and not mine. I sometimes miss the corrections. Grr!

*nods* It's in the site's Premium Section under the original title of "No Flash" since I didn't want to remove it completely but it has been published as an eBook as well.

“Are you sure, Cohen?” Captain stood in the corridor outside my door. I was dressed in a pair of loose pants and a short-sleeve shirt. The air outside my room was colder, so I shivered again. “Yes.” Okay, so maybe part of the shivers were from what I was about to do. I reached for the jacket that I’d been given that would identify me as part of the maintenance crew. I could put my strength to use. “You’ve met with Luca and Priella. You’ll be on their crew. I’ve been assured they’re bo

The CSR for the last 2 months were completely different from our usual format. Usually we feature a story, do an interview with the author, etc... but we had a few holiday blogs planned on the Mondays the CSR usually happens so we went with holiday stories--and we have a lot on GA! Did you read one over the last 2 months you loved? A feel-good holiday slice of sweetness? Or a bittersweet moment that resonated with you? Maybe it a new story released by the author this year or perhaps one of the flash fiction stories from the White Elephant Gift Prompt Game? Or an older story that caught your eye, perhaps from one of the many holiday-themed anthologies? Share your thoughts on a story in the comments below! Some holiday stories you might have missed: The Gift by Sam Wyer Lucky Kitty said: Oh my goodness! I lost it when Craagen gently squeezed Tligg's bobble! Glad I wasn't drinking coffee, I'd have a mess to clean up. Thanks for this sneak peek into elven culture. Santa and His Dirty Little Elf by Dahawk Okiegrad said: Loved it!! Made me smile and laugh and was a great way to start my day! An Advent Calendar by Aditus, Cole Matthews, and Valkyrie Timothy M said of "Christmas Spirit": Like a (reverse) Hans Christian Andersen tale. The innocent child rips the veil from their eyes and brings understanding. Mistletoe and Handgrenades by K.C. Kiltie69 said: I have a term I use when I'm blown away, I've used if only once or twice in GA Woof. . Loved it. So do you have a favorite holiday story on Gay Authors?

As Graeme said you need to be an author to post a story. Please read the FAQ carefully because it will help you learn how to post on GA as well as what can be posted and when it comes to being a new author on the site and explains the moderation queue. And, as always, authors are welcome can reach out to me via PM on my profile if you have questions.

Ashton is exiled to the middle of nowhere where nothing ever happens when his stepdad gets a promotion. Boring, small town life is not how he expected his senior year of high school to go. He's got plans though. His eighteenth birthday means the release of the trust his dad set up before he died. As soon as he gets his diploma, he's gonna split. Just him, his car, and his camera. He'll take pictures of everything, everywhere. Make a life on his terms and no one else's. Make a name for himself. He just has to make it through six more months... but then small town life takes a turn he never expected.

That is so frustrating! Sounds like they need to talk with the staff about not being mommies. It's something we say a lot at work (and I've always been the mean mom to push my kids to be independent and self-advocate anyway). Special needs students don't always need to get good grades or get a pass handed to them because that doesn't help them face the reality that they have to work harder than others just to keep up and always will. In my high needs SIS program this week, I had to verbally review a test with a group of 5 students, and we went off who knew the answer and agreement from the others, or we looked it up in the notes I took and provided each one to paste into their course notebooks as well as the unit study guide--but all the students who stayed in the class were allowed to take the test open book as well. But other times, when our SPED kids are taking measurement assessments, we offer no assistance because we have to know what they know--not just give them a pass or "lead" them to the right information.

I surreptitiously glanced at the people with Ss’merit. They were all aliens, not a human among them. I didn’t recognize all of them, but there were a few species I knew. Were they like me? I saw ports on one short alien with no hair, just a rigid crest running from his forehead and down his spine. They were. I was so fixated on the ports that I didn’t hear what Lakshou and Ss’merit were saying until Ss’merit abruptly turned and led the others off. I took a quick breath in and let it

Yes, yes I do. Edge does have a few different quirks with GA and social media, like Facebook, though, so when I don't use that I mostly use Chrome. I'm not fond of Firefox, it just feels very non-intuitive for me.

Using **** is against the rules (and always has been, that's not a new change). Fracking isn't a swear word unless you're a scifi geek

Did you catch Monday's blog where we featured Rec's story, Jake's Hand? You can also download an image there for your signature if you want to share your enjoyment of the story and promote it to fellow readers! If you haven't read it yet, maybe this excerpt will help you decide to put it on your list! Cia says: I picked this excerpt because it resonated with because I work with students. I know how many have to overcome the assumptions made about them, and how hard it can be to try and be a mentor at the same time you're a teacher. Also, this scene mentions a very obvious theme in the story in relation to the discrimination rampant in 1969 facing African American students in poorer areas, but that theme is echoed in far more ways through the story in very real and personal ways for Jake and Robbie. To read more, click here.

“You can’t stay here forever.” Lakshou stood outside my door. “I’m fine.” I retreated and let Lakshou come in. The door slid shut behind him. “No, you’re not. You need someone to speak to. You need to be out among people.” “Why?” I wrapped my arms around my chest. “That’s when I’m dangerous.” “We don’t believe you’re in danger. Captain says there’s no way for someone to get a signal through the ship’s shielding while we’re traveling anyway. We’re not due to stop for a ful

January is a new year, a fresh start, or maybe just another month in the calendar for you... but it's all about time. Jake's Hand is set in 1969, an era far removed from what you would find in the world today. Choices the characters make... well, you'll have to read the story to find out! Jake's Hand by Rec Length: 80,964 Description: Two college men who have volunteered to tutor black kids for the 1969 summer in the South grow more and more attracted to one another. But the summer ends before they realize the full extent of their love for one another, and they go separate ways—one to get married and have children, the other to join the military and go to Vietnam. Some Readers Said: charlieocho said: Ah, what luck to stumble upon this masterpiece! It will be difficult not to devour this story...a deep chord is struck already. LJH said: You are a brilliant writer. Hooked, hell yes from the first sentence. You build the story and you don't let up and that's a point, raising left index finger and stroking the air. You've given Jake a light, airy, adventurous nature, and Rob Ellis beautifully paints his story. But then again, you are passionate about giving your characters soul, your plot a life, and reinventing style. You have steered clear from the stereotypical gay meets gay scenario and made yours different and consuming, I love the way they meet and then reintroduce themselves. They click. You rock If you want to spread the word about Rec'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!

But would Kohen be able to handle that? He's full of self-loathing for how he used his body, so would he see anyone wanting him in a positive light right now? But if you're made to become capable of such things, to know that your mind and body were outside of your control and did those things, at the same time you're being conditioned to avoid all touch, even your own? What kind of mind-trip would that be? He's lucky he's not a completely broken mess incapable of any control over his reactions. Thanks, Gary! He has a kernel inside him, something that might help him heal now even when he has to face that his body and mind were taken hostage and used to do horrible things. He thought they were fake, tests to see if the touch deprivation conditioning was working... to now know they were real? Cruel, indeed! So much emotion, right? You have bits of Captain's with his refusal to allow Lakshou and Kohen to use his form of meditation, his refusal to allow Kohen to give into his fears, and the absolute horrific certainty on Kohen's part that he's just not safe and should be locked away for everyone else's protection. Thanks for commenting, glennish!

Ah, but how the conditioning would twist him mentally and physically, right? It would involve an insane amount of self-loathing to break him. And yeah, I wasn't too subtle about Captain's attitude toward that, was I? LOL! C'mon... you can't tell me people weren't wondering about it. You'll have to wait to see how much emotion the Captain is feeling... and just what those emotions are! LOL! Sorry for the limit, but I'm trying to move the story along and give a lot of info/action in each chapter. It definitely makes me have to think to keep the pace but not gloss over too much. I think Kohen is going to have a big struggle getting over how much guilt he feels. Jealous? No..... Hmm... feelings of responsibility, attraction, or a savior complex... so many options to be the root. We shall see.

Ahh, freedom. It's like he's had a taste, but is it better or worse now that he's stuck fearing that freedom was all an illusion? Yes!! There are definitely more questions than answers at this point. ooh, the Matrix. So instead of him thinking they were fake or real... the opposite is true. Hmm.... And did Lakshou back away because of Kohen's emotions... or someone else? Oh, you caught that, did you? The hardest thing to face is the possibility that your mind could have betrayed you, in my opinion. Definitely a lot left to discover in this story.