Cia

Oh, great job, Puppilull! You set a great tone with the early area of the scene, giving me the feeling of an early 1600-1700s puritanical society, very "The Scarlet Letter" in vibe. I love the hope at the end to wash away the sadness, too! You did a great job, giving us backstory, a beginning/middle/and end that hints at a happy future.

Good job, Dolores! I love space pirates and multi-system wars in space too. I could see a lot of political and military intrigue going forward if you expanded this.

Oh, devastation! Where did it go? Was it ever there? Are things even worse than they thought? This is definitely a story you could expand--there are so many directions it could go. Great job!

Funny, I have a post-apoc story where Earth gets hit with a beam of gamma radiation from a near-Earth supernova. I love this genre. You did a good job creating a feeling of heat and desolation with the oncoming storm creating danger.

I want to know about the blisters. It was odd you had those, which makes me wonder what significance they are to the storyline. Great flash piece, with a lot of drama included in a short scene.

That seems to be an issue I have. I make a lot of open-ended flash pieces that can be expanded. Good way to handle plot bunnies, I guess, lol. Thank you, Ron! I'm sure my character did know more about the champion process, but that word count really hampered me for sharing it. Definitely something fun that could be added if I expand it.

Yes! Clearly there is a LOT going on behind the scenes, factors at odds and the potential for a lot of drama. I wanted to invoke the feeling of a big, omg, what's going to happen so much crazy since it's a well-known theme that people could extrapolate a future plot. It's one of the ways of making flash fiction work. Either invoke a large sense of time in the backstory (without writing it) or invoke a future plot they can easily imagine. Mebbe! Only your imagination (or mine, if I continue it) will know! "Hard" work. *snickers* Well, there's a moral element to it, of course, but that's just another aspect I wanted to add to create a multi-layered future plot for readers to imagine. Will he or won't he? I didn't want to go with the expected route and have the item rather than the person. This was a fun bit of fluff to write, so thanks for the inspiration!

I opened the front door and found a champion. I stared, shocked, but then I remembered I had a hardhat and hammer from the last time I had to do some remodeling. It wouldn’t be much, but I might be able to make it work. “I am your champion in the games,” he announced. Like I didn’t understand what his presence meant. Well, they didn’t make the champions so they’d be smart. “Come in,” I said. The champion stepped inside my door, closing it behind him. I’d bribed my way into the pool to

He's definitely got that growly "I will protect you" vibe, lol! Well if I told you that, you'd know too much! Thank you, Lux!! Yeah, I liked bringing the story back together, even if Deke isn't the POV character. He and Park are a lot a like (hence the best friends) and they're definitely a bit hotheaded.

Oh, that's so nice! Thank you! I didn't mind not winning, but I'm glad you liked the story.

Thank you! The Queer Scifi group on FB's yearly event is such a challenge, not only because of the short limit of 300 words but the fact that it has to be 1) speculative fiction and 2) involve an LGBT character in some way. Of course, I don't HAVE to write a romance, but it's so much more fun to do that--even when it's a bittersweet ending like this one. I went with a different story (that didn't win) but I totally spaced posting this one.

“I’ll get the vectori.” Battle raged around the tent. Explosions and screams couldn’t mask the barely controlled chaos inside. I was overwhelmed by the sight and sounds of men and aliens bleeding red and white. Men groaned and screamed, and the doctors and nurses snapped information and traded tools as they struggled to patch up humans and Ta’An so they could live another day. Taloo was quiet. Taloo, my blood-bonded partner, had taken a shot meant for me. Our link was all that kept him

I was right. Mom wanted that guy out of his cell and somewhere more comfortable as he healed. Deke wouldn’t let him anywhere near Kraig, and I didn’t want him anywhere near Ritch. Thankfully, Christian stepped up and offered his guest room—and a twenty-four hour guard. It was hard to think past my desire to kill Trein for his trespass against our streak. Against all werekin. Deke was calmer than me. He updated the alphas and the convocation was going ahead that evening as soon as every

Not the most feminine of women myself. Don't like short hair, couldn't hide my rack if I wanted to, basically ever, but I don't do my nails as anything but bare and short, I rarely do make up, my favorite color is green, and to some people it's a 'gasp, such a girl!' reaction when I mention doing a face mask and moisturizer treatment. I always competed with the guys growing up, and I'm proudly bisexual, though married to a man. My 13 yo daughter lives in hoodies and flannels, but she also loves her skinny jeans and wearing my boots with 3 1/2 inch heels too. She just cut her hair to a short boy 'emo' cut, she wears size 10 earring gauges, and loved throwing discus and shot put in track, usually practicing with the guys (made it to districts her very first year on the team this spring!) and we've had some talks about sexuality and self-expression with regards to her personal feelings. So nope, you're not alone. I don't identify as non-binary because I don't consider any of my behavior to be feminine or masculine, necessarily... I'm just me. I wear what I want, do what I want, hang out with who I'm most comfortable with, and have the benefit of being able to ogle men and women alike. Labels, even ones that defy 'traditional labels' don't really apply to me. I think we'd all be happier if we just lived our lives without worrying about anything but being who we are without any preconceived notions to live up to or reject.

It only took me 2 months, LOL!

Okay, you've had two months to read Caz Pedroso's Unison Island series. Did you like it? Maybe leave a few comments? Well here's your chance to share your thoughts and talk about your favorite parts of the stories. First, enjoy this interview I did with Caz! What’s the hardest thing for you, as an author, and what do you love best about writing? The hardest thing is finding time. Trying to balance my volunteer work, my family, my housework, and my writing. Then, of course, I would like to find some time for myself in there somewhere 😊 What brought you to GA and made you decide to post stories here? You did, Cia. I read one of your stories on kindle (by recommendation after I finished another story) and then found the Wednesday Briefs group through your blog and decided to join in. That led me here. (Very cool, I actually didn't know that was the path!!) Unison Island is set in an ‘exotic’ locale, but is there a real place would you love to visit to research for a story? Maybe Discworld by Terry Pratchett. It's the first one to come to mind. That world is so fantastic, I could spend years exploring it. If you have thirty minutes of spare time, and you’re not writing, what do you like to do? Housework!!!! Not really LOL, I read. I always have a lot of books/stories on my To Be Read list. Okay, I have to ask this one… just how could the witches make just their island rotate different from the rest of the planet to get a constant equinox? A good friend said to me once, when I was moaning about something I wanted to write not being possible, ‘Anything, is possible if you make it magic’. I try to keep things at least slightly realistic, but I do like to use the magic angle to create the world I want. Including controlling the weather, think of it like a dome or force-field being over the island and inside the dome is weather controlled. Out of the creatures you created (witches, vampires, weres, etc…) for Unison island, which is your favorite? I really don’t have a favorite. I created each race as I wanted them. Taking the bits of myth and legend I wanted and making up the rest. So, they’re all my favorites. How did you plan out the series? Did you figure out all the information you share in Welcome to Unison Island before you started, or did that evolve as you wrote and you shared it with readers later? Book one was written as I went. And book two was written, finished and published, before book was one finished. The rest of the stories were planned out a bit better. But, the information I needed readers to know couldn’t really be incorporated so late in the series. So, that led to me writing the introduction so things would make a bit more sense. With witches and other creatures, how did you decide which holidays and other ‘special days’ of the year based on their alternate history? I didn’t. I just write different pieces when I have time, and if that time coincides with a holiday – Christmas, Easter, etc. Then that gets added in as well. Do you have a favorite character in the series? I love Jamie from book one. He loves to play pranks, but still takes his job very seriously. He’s also loyal and fiercely protective of his friends and family. Would you ever go back to the series, maybe write flash pieces for secondary characters readers really liked? There may be a few things on my To Be Written list…but, I’m not saying 😉 I am also trying to re-edit when I have time, but something always seems to come up.

Let's keep the prompt love going with some new inspiration this week from prompt guru, Comicfan, and have fun with these two options! What could a pink umbrella and a classic car have in common? Or are you more inclined to roam the wilds of space in a desperate expedition? Read on, figure it out, and share your story with readers! Prompt 580 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – swimsuit, pink umbrella, a gumball, a classic car, and a cell phone. Prompt 581 – Creative Tag – The Ship You have been chosen to take part in a very exclusive expedition into space. Years of ignoring the climate change and massive over population has brought the earth to the brink of collapse and the world is sending some of its best and brightest into space in hopes of finding a new home. The ship trained for the trip. The trip is expected to take a minimum of forty years. Who do you take as your mate and what is the training like? Let's see... today's prompt features responses to Prompt #579 "How can you be so sure?" Want to know how Eric answers that question? Read more here!

Sure. I like to keep the newsletter features and challenges simple, so flash fiction pieces fit the bill, but I don't want to do the same thing every time. I have a variety of games and challenges I've searched up to use for author fun, and I'm always open to ideas from members too. Just shoot me a PM if you (or anyone else) has a specific idea.

How do you write flash fiction? Well, there’s really only one requirement: Keep it short! How short depends on the game, or prompt, or you… but the difference is you write the story planning to make it as concise as possible without sacrificing the image and scene you’re trying to convey. It’s a challenge to write something that pulls in readers without having a lot of time to do backstory or a long adventure. So why do people like writing flash fiction? For me, it’s a different kind of challenge from my usual novels. It reminds me to not repeat words or visuals, which I struggle with. I asked several other authors who are playing with the Pick Two noun game why they like writing flash fiction, and here’s what they had to say: Dolores Esteban says: I think it's an interesting feature to get your creative juices flowing. Aditus says: Flash fiction: no lengthy introduction, no elaborate plot line, no sophisticated ending. Just quick and dirty. What's not to like? Lyssa says: I`d like to write this, because it is fun, keeps my brain busy and I never did something like this in English and I really cherish a new challenge Puppilull says: When I go through patches where my brain isn’t cooperating and the flow just isn’t there, it feels good to write something, anything. Lately, I’ve also tried to challenge myself to write shorter pieces, so I have to work on being to the point. Flash fiction is the thing for that. Mikiesboy says: I like to write flash fiction because it's a challenge. You have to measure what you're saying, and select words carefully. Where i used to post, they often had ultra short fiction challenges - a story in 20 words… those were fun!! Anything like this, forces you to think and step out of your comfort zone! Valkyrie says: I like to write flash fiction because I find it helps me get my mojo back when I'm stuck in a rut. It's also fun to see where the story leads. I never plan out flash pieces, but rather let the characters drive the action. I will also sometimes use flash pieces to work on a particular skill. Such as working on writing in third person, descriptions of characters or settings, or technical exercises such as writing in first person without using the pronoun "I". I never know where flash pieces will take me, and sometimes they lead to longer works. BHopper2 says: Most of the flash fiction I've written has not be published. It's little stories I've written about my Role-playing Characters over the years. I do it for a couple of reasons. 1. To fill in the gaps of what my Characters do "off-stage." 2. For practice, in getting my writing skills better. 3. I love it. So far on GA, I've only done two flash stories from prompts, this game, and a little intro to my main story. I hope to publish more soon. Want to check out some of these authors’ flash fiction? We have a Writing Prompts forum dedicated to the site prompts which are shared weekly. There’s always something new to enjoy in there! If you want to try your hand at writing some flash, give it a shot. There’s a ton of prompts to choose from, or keep an eye out for more games coming in the future like the past Grid & Dice Game and the current Pick Two noun game. Players in those games have their stories in site newsletter features

We left Kraig and Ritch with Mom. Deke drowned out their objections with a fierce growled order to stay put, and I followed him out the door. “Stay here,” I said to the guard. If there were intruders, the house needed protection, but I had to guard Deke’s back. The scent of blood, a sharp coppery tang with salty overtones laced the air when we approached the building that had held the captives. Myles was dead, and Jackie beside him. She was gasping for air, holding her arm as blood dripped

Yes, it is the undercover Cia, yet again donning the mask of Renee to bring you this week's happenings on GA. I've actually done all this week's blogs while Renee enjoys a few well-earned days off. Did you miss something vital happening on the site? A favorite story update? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Another way to get the news is to sign up and have it delivered straight to your inbox with Gay Author's weekly newsletter which goes out every Sunday. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Classic Updates: Reggie's Journal by Ronyx Signature Updates: April Musings by Valkyrie Mine! by Cia The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Promising Updates: Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Choices by LitLover Cozy Contemplations by Headstall Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Ripped by craftingmom Slocked Affections by AC Benus timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

Cia... Undercover!

Writing Prompts from Cia... wait... no... Of course these are from our prompt guru, Comicfan! I'm just filling in for Renee, but I swear I thought it was Thursday so these are just a smidge late. Sorry about that. I hope you will have fun writing something for these prompts, though, and for first-timers, remember all responses under 1k must be posted as part of a 'collection' of short stories/flash fiction/poetry. More info on that in the FAQ through the Help tab you need it. Prompt 578 – Creative Tag – list of words Use the following words in a story – woods, a crow, a pair of glasses, a new ball, and a cookie. Prompt 579 - Creative Tag – First Line How can you be so sure? And this older prompt has garnered some newer responses, so I thought I'd feature them all

Oh, how the wizard ages... 40! Where did the time go?

Utter agony? I love the way you phrased that. Um... meat in my coffee? No thanks! I'll take my froufrou Keurig single cup caramel cappuccino steaming hot each morning.