Cia

Riveted... a great word! Thank you so much. I really do like this one too.

You're very welcome!

LOL! Maybe that's because when I write a short, I will get a whole idea of what could happen before/after, etc... but I can't show it. Maybe that's why they're such teasers.

My head pounded, and lights swam around me. A face coalesced in the darkness. “What did you do?” “Me?” Tinker pointed at his chest. “Nada, boy. Enjoy the Dragonfly.” The tethers holding me spread-eagle tightened, and I rose above the man I thought of as my father, arms and legs splayed as I swooped back and forth sickeningly. “No! Put me down.” Silence. I wanted to call for help, but I couldn’t. “You’re the weak link.” Link echoed around the vortex, waves of blood-red acid bouncing from the

How fast the year has already seemed to go! Hopefully you found the time to enjoy Mikiesboy's story, The Pledge. Or, if you've read it already, maybe you tried one of his newer stories like "After the Past". Or, if you're a fan of his work, you've already read his work... well this is your chance to share that love with fellow readers who might be new to his work. I've asked a few questions to kick things off, but don't be shy asking Mikiesboy what you want to know too! Have you ever gone out in public, realized your shirt is on backwards, and just don’t care? No. I’d never do that and if I did I’d be mortified! I’m paranoid and terrified of making a mistake. I am a perfectionist, with a capital P. Though obviously I make mistakes all the time… What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know? Most people know I love to cook, some know I went to cooking school, but my fav recipe is one of my Grandmother’s. It’s Sheppard’s Pie, simple, not fried and my fav comfort food. It actually won a local Sheppard’s Pie taste test! What do you like to do when you’re not writing? If I’m not writing, I can be found reading, cooking/baking, or snuggled up with my giant of a husband watching British TV shows! There’s a full-time job in there somewhere, too! What’s the best part of being an author? Oh, gosh I think listening to people’s opinions, especially about how a poem made them feel. It can be so different from what I felt when I wrote it. There’s no right or wrong, and that fascinates me. The other thing is learning, trying new things, stepping out of that comfort zone to write something new. Do you prefer to write one project at a time or do you bounce from story to story as inspiration strikes? I sort of bounce around until I feel ready to finish something. Sometimes there are things I just don’t want to write. For example, the abuse scenes in Out of His Mind. It took me some time to get that finished. Once I’d done it, I put all else aside and finished Tait’s story. It was time. Do you have any special tricks when you write to get you in the right frame of mind to jump into different time periods? Tricks? No. I try to read a lot about things I’ve not experienced myself. I watch shows about them if I can and I just try to imagine myself there. People are people no matter where they are, I think. They are affected by the things around them, but they don’t really change. The Pledge has both a medieval aspect and a paranormal one. Why did you decide to mix the themes? Oh, people have challenged me to write about zombies and vamps. So I did in me, Zombie and now vampires in The Pledge. But I didn’t want the same old thing. With The Pledge, I was interested in exploring in things I’d read in Anne Rice’s novels, the Vampire Chronicles series and in my research. Anne Rice talked about the origin of vampires, so I wanted mine to be old, to live through centuries. I wondered how they’d respond to changes that happened through the centuries they’d experience. I wanted to explore if they’d remain human in some ways, or if that old adage, power corrupts absolutely, would apply. So to make them old, I looked back to Elmet, which was a real place in the north of England, where West Yorkshire is now, between the 5th and 7th centuries. Elmet was just a framework; I’m sure it was nothing like I’ve written it. Can you sum up this story in one sentence? One? You don’t know me too well, LOL! The Pledge is a story of power, love and life immortal through the ages. There, how’s that? You tend to bounce around time periods, such as your recent story of After the Past which went in a completely different direction. Do you have a preferred time period to write? My last couple of stories have been bouncy for sure. I prefer to write in modern times, it’s a bit easier to do I think. There is often less research required, but I’d look at other time periods again if I’m inspired. It’s fun to delve into the past or to try and make the future realistic. Do you have any recent, current, or upcoming stories you think fans should read? Why would you recommend them? I think I’d recommend Levko. It’s pulled from my own experiences when I was a rent boy. I think it worked well and seemed to be well received. After The Past as well, I’m rather proud of that one. It’s my longest story and I think the effort I put in and the effort of my editor, AC Benus, really shows in the quality. I have two stories I’m actively writing, the first with the working title of Magic Beans should be fun and while modern, it’s not about humans. The other I’m hoping will work out into a longer novel. It’s called Changes and it’s about Don, a very active guy, who is married to Louis and how their lives change after a terrible accident, and how they go forward together. I’m really exploring their relationship, Louis’ feelings and fears, as well as their relationships with their families.

Well, if you're a research geek like me, you search out sites like this for "fun" when you're not writing, editing, or reading. http://grammar.about.com/od/terms/a/100-Key-Grammatical-Terms.htm

LOL! Annoy away, Gary. There will be more of that story on Saturday. It's very different from this one, though, since I do get to play with all the different paranormals, which I really like too. It gives me a lot of variety to play with.

That's debatable! They're strong personalities, skilled in their clans or they wouldn't have been chosen. Park definitely has his work cut out for him.

He's protective, but the clans are very insular. It's going to take a lot of work to bring such disparate personalities together because they're hunting for something they only have the vaguest of information on.

LOL! I'm sure Park is dreaming of those things, but I don't know if Ritch is quite ready to enjoy them... yet.

Thank you, guys! I recently said that writing is a skill, not just an art, and I firmly believe that. Basic grammar is something all kids are taught, but I found through high school and beyond that the finer details are often neglected. To some extent, we intuitively notice when things are off as we read or write, but we might not know why we know. Someone spouts off terms like appositives, gerunds, perfect aspect, or subjunctive mood and many of us go... huh? So, if you're uncertain of terms, or have a grammar rule you'd love explained in easy-to-understand terms, let me know. I like to share things I've come across, but I want to make sure they're helpful to the members here too.

I squared my shoulders and crossed my arms. Ritch stood beside the car with his door open. Christian slammed his door as he got out. We were at the edge of the clan property, sort of a neutral zone. It still grated on me to have so many outsiders in our territory. The sooner we got going the better. We had representatives of six different clans. A wolf, bear, horse, panther, a buffalo, and a gator. The buffalo and horse clans weren’t predators, but they were both strong and capable in defense.

And IE's replacement, Edge, has a ton of issues with a lot of websites including GA too. Definitely better off using Chrome for Firefox when on GA.

Kyp had enough smothering to last him a lifetime. He overcame so much to graduate high school. Now that he's finally at college, he's finding that the start is harder than he thought. He has a roommate for the first time in his life, and people who would like to be his friends if he'll let them in. Kyp wants to be independent, but circumstances beyond his control will teach him that sometimes the second half of the race is the hardest part.

That 1k is a real bear, isn't it? The dynamic between Park and Ritch is very different from Deke and Kraig, even though both Ritch and Kraig have been victimized, but things can easily change when they're facing the wider world. And don't worry, the action won't be missing in this second half of the story.

I felt we needed to follow the action, and since I am nothing if not creative, I decided a switch in POV would be good. I could've started a new story, but I felt it best to just keep going in this one, since the only real change is who the main characters are. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the new angle the story goes in!

Well, I think I might 'choke' a bit too at that line. LOL

I think Park is a tad... direct. Then again, maybe he was just trying to put Ritch at ease. Hmmm....

I thought we really needed to move beyond the character POV we already have, and I always wanted to see more from Park. I hope you'll like this half of the story too.

I aim to please! I couldn't resist that moment. Thanks for the review.

Cynus's story "From the Cup of the Worthless" was Monday's Signature Feature. Did you grab your copy of the signature banner so you can share your love for Cynus's story? If not, you can do that here! Today we're featuring his chosen excerpt. Cynus says: I chose this excerpt from chapter 10 for a number of reasons. It not only offers a view at the high stakes involved in this organized crime story, but it also shows a number of different connections between the characters, most importantly the connections between Nobuyuki and Viktor, between Nobuyuki and Masahiro (Nobuyuki's father), and the connection between Masahiro and Daisuke (Masahiro's second-in-command). It also offers a view of things to come, but without spoiling the ending, as this scene comes from just before the midpoint in the novel. Want to read more? Check out the rest of the story here!

I smacked my head against the head rest once Ritch was inside. I shouldn’t have touched him, not even to pat his back. It only made the want and desire to touch him in other places that much worse. Ritch was such an odd mix of vulnerable and strong male that it was hard to remember why I needed to stay focused. The first time I’d met him was only a brief contact, with him as one of several werekin moving between clans. I’d been out of my head with grief over the loss of my brother, and I’d b

January brings a peak in the season's weather, hot or cold, and either way it's a good time to stay inside and read! To help you find great stories on the site by another one of our Signature authors, this month we're featuring Cynus' story, "From the Cup of the Worthless". Length: 150,127 Description: In the world of organized crime, your crime family is all you can count on. Nobuyuki Sato is no exception, and as he tries to navigate the political climate of his new city, his Yakuza family is there to support him. But then Nobuyuki meets Viktor Karimov, son of the Chief of Police, he begins to question if there might be more to life than crime. Love, intrigue, and drama abound. Cynus's Favorite Reviews: Valkyrie says: Great beginning. I'm hooked! You've woven a rich tapestry of cultures in a realistic, futuristic setting. I'm very interested to see how the sons of such diametrically opposed backgrounds develop their relationship. I don't think Nobu is only interested in Viktor to gain his father's favor, but I can see betrayal in their future. I'll hang on for what I'm sure is going to be a bumpy ride! drpaladin says: All those double entendres from Nobu during the phone call were marvelous. Nobu is a really clever boy. So did he know what he was doing there or was that his subconcious feelings for Victor coming out into the open? We have two boys who hide what the are to keep their respective father's approval. Both the same, but with mirror opposite situations. Victor has a brother who would accept him and protect him from anything, but Nobu doesn't have that. There is so much potential here and I can't wait to see what happens. RobV says: Loving this so far. It's amazing how your stories are all so wildly different. The way you craft a whole new world every time, with new characters that aren't rehashes of any of your old ones, is very impressive. And it's always original and intriguing. Keep it up! Mikiesboy says: Cy, you are the mad weaver! So many associations, lots of intrigue, plots and plans. Not sure which way is up or who I can trust. Really well done my friend! tim xo Onim says: Wow...perfect ending (beginning) to an awesome story!! You've evoked every emotion...laughter, tears, smiles, groans, shocks, intrigue, excitement, sex and most of all Love...and we absolutely adored every written word!!! I'm just hoping this is just a book 1 to a series.. and we can look forward to more from the brothers and more from you!! It's been a great following this tale...and we thank you for sharing your talent with us!!! Remember to check back on Wednesday to see what excerpt Cynus chose to share with readers! Want to show your support and enjoyment of Cynus's story? Download the banner below for your site signature!

I shoved another shirt in the spare bag. We really needed to stop at a store somewhere so Ritch could run in and grab some clothes. He couldn’t wear mine forever, though I liked seeing him in my clothes. I hadn’t been even remotely subtle about my interest and need to protect Ritch. That was probably why Deke had accepted him, even while he was on edge after just mating Kraig. With everything going on, though, it wasn’t the time to say anything to Ritch. He’d been abused, used in the worst way

Happy Birthday, Krista!!