Cia

We slept hard, and my head was throbbing when I woke up. The emotional toll and the physical release on top of it left us unable to do more than stumble into bed. It was after noon when the buzzing of my phone woke me up. I had four messages, none of them were good, and the coffee was taking forever to brew. “What are you doing?” Kraig asked. I turned. “I thought you were still asleep.” “The smell woke me up. Is there enough for me?” Kraig yawned. “Of course.” I interrupted the brewing long

December is the end of the year, and I thought we could feature another end... Kuragari129's story, My Life Started at the End of the World. This is a story of how things can change, and all too often do, when teenagers are learning their way through life. Of course throwing in something like a rumor of the apocalypse really ups the drama! You'll have to read the story to find out what happens with Aidyn, Noah Skylar, and Greyson. My Life Started at the End of the World by Kuragari129 Length: 58,366 Description: Back in 2012 where people feared the doom of the world, Aidyn Scott must face his fears. Aidyn has strong feelings for a class mate, Noah Wesley. Skylar, Aidyn's little brother is just starting highschool and has began getting feelings for others. Specifically a new kid in town named Gresyon Payne, a blind boy whom he guides around the school. How will these four boys find their way through the "end of the world"? A Reader Said: This is very good, each character is developing and adding to the whole, with several distinct threads of storyline to keep moving forward. ~kagenokami This month's Discussion Day will take place on Monday, December 26th.

Thanks, Jeff! I figure, tigers really like the water so they can too.

I know, right? Lots of drama to come--not that there hasn't already been a lot.

Calm...? Mebbe. lol

Yeah, holidays... sorry! This week's was on time, though.

;)

“You know, I don’t remember you having a thing about being clean like this when we were younger,” Kraig said. He leaned against the counter while I started the shower. “Who said anything about getting clean?” I looked over my shoulder at him and grinned. “Besides, I like this shower. Two heads, great water pressure, and best of all, I get to be in here with my naked mate.” Kraig crossed his arms over his chest. “There is that. But maybe I need some incentive. Otherwise, I might just decide to

If you mean the interview, the blog will remain featured tomorrow, yes. But you can always visit the blog area or search 'CSR' in the Google menu, change it to 'blogs' (you can search various areas of the sites specifically rather than the whole site) and then it will pop up for all the blogs tagged with CSR (which is all of them).

The year is almost over, and the time has flown by! Did you find the time to read Comicality's contemporary story featuring one young man's journey as he experiences his first year at college. If you did, make sure you share your thoughts on Comsie's story, but first, everyone can enjoy his answers to the questions I posed in his interview! If you were an animal, what would you be? - You know, I'm not sure why, but I have always had a thing for panthers. Ever since I was little, the idea of a huge jungle cat, with all black fur and bright cat eyes...both beautiful and dangerous...I LOVE it! Hehehe! What do you like best in a story if you’re reading it? - Character interaction. Definitely. That's my number one allure to a story. Not just in relation to advancing the plot, but just a few golden (sometimes random) moments where the main characters get to truly bond with one another on a human level. A little fun, a little romance, a little humor, some emotional support, some backstory...I think that truly adds something special to what you're reading. I think that's what makes readers truly care about what's going on. They get to be a part of the adventure first hand, you know? I always try to leave my characters some space to just have some fun outside of the main plot in everything that I write. It can be endearing. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? - There's hardly any time during the day when I'm not writing. Hehehe! I've learned to appreciate a heavy dose of isolation each and every day, and I realize that I overdo it on occasion and have to make an effort to reconnect with my friends and family to make up for it. But outside of that, I'm a huge hog for movies and TV shows these days. The stories have gotten so complex that I can really get involved in what's going on and start bingeing myself silly. Video games too. So I can get really absorbed in a good story, no matter what the medium. I've also been learning more about cooking, which is new for me. Well, for the last year or two, anyway. And I've been enjoying that as well. Cooking is an art in itself. I hope to keep getting better at it. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? - Foreshadowing. Hands down. I like for my stories to be built up to a climax and a logical solution as I'm writing them, so foreshadowing is a must. You don't want to get to the end and have something just 'happen' for no reason, you know? You have to leave little breadcrumbs along the way. Unfortunately, I think people have seen sooooooo many movies and TV shows and read so many stories online, that they've become too savvy for foreshadowing to really be effective. They're 'hip to the game' at this point. So every time I write something, most people are already trying to jump TEN steps ahead of me to figure out the rest of the entire story before it's even written. It's extremely hard to beat people to the punch anymore, because nobody just sits back and enjoys the ride. There's a huge race to be the first one to say, "I CALLED IT!!!" With hours of analysis and hints and clues and speculations and fan theories...foreshadowing is a really difficult magic trick to pull off these days. Either your plot twists and endings came out of nowhere and don't make sense, or the story is seen as cliché and predictable. It's nearly impossible to find a Goldilocks type of middle ground between the two extremes. But it's just a challenge. Challenge is what it's all about, after all. So it makes things a LOT harder, but it's worth it when you can surprise a few people every now and then. Do you plot out your stories or just write as it comes to you? - I have to plot everything out in advance before I start writing. First for the story as a whole, then chapter by chapter, so I know where I'm going and have an idea of how to get there. So the stories are already finished in my mind, with a major arc covering it all. But there are story arcs to each chapter as well. There are certain events that I want to tackle every chapter, even if it's just a set up or solution to the chapter coming up or the one that just passed. So I have a blueprint, but there is a LOT of room for spontaneous ideas if I feel like adding them at a moment's notice. So I keep a structure in mind, but it's not carved in stone if I think of something better along the way. Is writing more of a flurry of inspiration or a daily wordcount you adhere to? - You know, I really try to stick to the word count discipline, but it doesn't always work. I definitely write every single night. I doubt I'd be able to sleep at all if I didn't. But I always write according to what I'm feeling at that particular moment, on that particular day. The reason I write SO many stories at once, is because they all have different themes, different moods, and different issues and emotions involved. I don't want to force myself to write something happy and cute when I'm having a really bad day. But I don't want to write something that's supposed to have some emotional weight and somber depth to it when I'm feeling silly and fun. Nor do I want to write something 'sexy' when I'm angry at the world and need to vent my frustrations. No matter what I'm feeling...I have a story that I can use to channel that emotion and it feels authentic and has a greater impact. I don't want to 'fake' it. Emotional involvement is what my stories are all about. It's the most important part of writing for me. So when people read something from me...I want it to feel real. Because it IS real. It's my therapy and my release, more often than not. Which is why I can't rush one story over the other, but I work on them all every single day. It's not just words for me, I want readers to feel it like I feel it. I hope that gets accomplished every now and then. Hehehe, when I'm being moody. Did the characters or the plot of Between the Lines come to you first? - The plot was the first thing that came to me with this story. The theme of it was something that I wanted to write about before, but never had an idea that I thought would really focus on the ideas I had in mind the way "Between The Lines" did. I wanted to create a story about someone who was finally getting the freedom of the college experience, embracing a new life for the first time, and has convinced himself that he's truly happy simply because he's experiencing something new and different. But he has nothing to compare this experience to. He hasn't really been exposed to what's out there, and just how amazing romance can be with someone who's more than just 'gay like me'. I wanted it to be a journey that displays the way time and experience expands our views on relationships altogether over time. I'm happy to say that I was proud of the way this one turned out. You use a character who is a writer. Did you model Eli’s writing style/inspiration after your own? - Definitely! I LOVE being able to write about writing! Hehehe! So the story was one of my early chances to really describe what it's like to have ideas in your head and developing the ability to translate those thoughts into words and what it feels like to be able to put them all down on paper. (Or on screen, in this case) I can remember my first semester of college when I took a creative writing class. Now, this was a film school, also full of actors, writers, etc...and I was SO nervous! I kept thinking, "These kids are going to be soooo much BETTER than me! They've been doing this all of their lives! This is what they want to do for a living! How can I possibly match up?" But I went in and did my own thing, and they embraced it. I made some really good friends in those classes. Even with teachers, who splattered my stories with red ink...but gave me good grades anyway because they liked what I wrote. So this story borrows heavily from my own college experience with creative writing in front of an audience. If it wasn't for those favorable reactions, there might not be a 'Comicality' today. Do you have a favorite scene in Between the Lines? - There's a moment in the computer lab where both Eli and Devon go to write and print out their work for the next class together that I thought was endearing. That scene was originally going to be much shorter, only be a random bumping into one another...but as I was writing it, these fictional characters just started having this really cool conversation all on their own. I refused to stand in the way of them getting to know each other better. Hehehe! So that scene ended up being one of my favorites in the whole series. There's something 'organic' and natural about it. I'm glad that it turned out as well as it did. It still makes me smile when I read over it again. Can you share a little of your future projects with us? - Well, writing wise, I think the biggest project that I've got in the works right now is a horror anthology called "Darkness Waits". It has four separate stories in it, and I was trying hard to get it done in time for Halloween, but I had two long months of weird life circumstances that took me away from the site, and I wasn't able to catch up to the momentum that I had going before. But, while gay themed, it's actual 'horror'. And it's a bit of a new challenge for me. So wish me luck, and I'll keep everybody informed as to when it's ready. Outside of that, I've been spending a LOT of time on ebooks, there's a "Billy Chase" animated series of shorts in the works, an audio book for "Gone From Daylight" that already has the first three chapters recorded, Imagine Magazine...the fans of the site have really been coming out to lend their incredible talents to the site as a whole in 2017, and I want to lend as much support as I can so I can be a part of it. I think readers will be surprised with what's coming in 2017! I'm excited about it! I hope everyone else will be too!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!!

“Why would a human werekin do this to me?” Kraig said. “I bet I know.” Park’s nostrils were flaring. “We’ve heard the jokes and the biased bullshit about human werekin, but I don’t think any of us in this streak know how bad it is. Ritch told me stories… he was given away, sold, to another man. “Before that, he was the lowest member of his streak. In the new group, he was even lower than that. He was a slave, a plaything. They could beat him, starve him, do anything they wanted. That’s the lif

I know, right? Those eyes... those shiny lifeless eyes! lol

Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it, and sorry it took so long to reply.

And so many questions, right? Anxiety takes so many forms, and that's just one of them. It definitely is a good benchmark for trust. Thanks for the review and sorry for the late reply!

Mann Ramblings' story, So Little Magic Left, was Monday's Signature Feature. Did you grab your copy of the signature banner so you can share your love for Mann's story? If not, you can do that here! Today we're featuring his chosen excerpt. Mann Ramblings says: I chose this scene because it sets the stage for a change in Rath and Shawn's roles, blurring them and sending them on a new direction. Want to read more? Check out the rest of the story here!

Happy Birthday, Mikie!

This month's feature is Mann Rambling's epic novel, So Little Magic Let. Not only did he write a story nominated for 2013's Best Hero/Villain in the Reader's Choice Awards here on GA, he made his own graphic and signature banner for this month's event. Quite the accomplished artist, isn't he?! So if you haven't read this novel, try it out now! ​Length: 111,444 Description: What do you do when you simply don't fit into your world? Shawn Martoni never did. A past of turmoil and misfortune kept a solid foothold from ever forming. But what if there was another world under our own? Someplace where all that's left of the creatures long since forgotten might live. Would Shawn find his place there or simply find another form of the underworld? His Favorite Reviews: Rob Colton says... “Wow. What took me so long to start reading this? I'm sucked right in already.” Gene63 says... “Holy crap...it's like the apocalypse!!!” Cannd says... “I think the ending was bitter-sweet for all of us. It always makes me laugh how I can wish away days for an update on a story like this!” Cole Matthews says... “There is a sad tear running down my cheek. Mann, I will miss this story, a tale well told.” Remember to check back on Wednesday to see what excerpt Mann chose to share with readers! Want to show your support and enjoyment of Mann's story? Download the banner below for your site signature!

I paced back and forth across the living room floor, but it wasn’t enough. My mind raced, and being trapped inside four walls was only making it worse. I picked up my phone and sent Park a text. That way if he and Kraig came back they would know where I was. It also reminded me that I needed to get Kraig a phone. We may not be parted that often, or very far, but he needed a way to get in touch with me if he needed me. Once I hit the grass in the backyard, I removed my shoes. The blades were coo

Yay! You picked up on the being alone/lonely/sensory aspect that contrasted with warmth, light, and not being alone with the fire once Myles meets Ben. I try to throw in little details and I absolutely love when readers pick up on them. Thanks so much, Arazon!

Bleak is exactly what I was going for! Post-apocalyptic fiction is a big draw for me too. Living off the land once the infrastructure has gone down will be very, very difficult. I didn't want to make it too easy for them. And the hows... that's tricky. I mean, they survived, but how will they find out what happened and why? I hope I can answer some of those questions in an expansion. Thanks, For the in-depth review, LitLover!

Ahh, thanks Defiance! I wondered if that aspect would get picked up on. Yet, there are ways to communicate, but will they think of them before something happens? The NWO would definitely need to come into play with an expansion.

So many things could've happened, and that's one of the best parts of this story. And it is so relatable because I think we've all had the fear of being alone at some point, lost in the darkness and quiet. Finding out he wasn't alone was a huge salvation, but there's still a lot more to learn about the others who survived along with Myles. Thanks for taking the time to review!

That's the true question, right? What was it? Why were they spared? Will they still die? I know someone who has selective mutism, so I know it's a complex condition, but I think the relief Ben felt had to come out somehow. Thanks for reviewing, Val, and I hope I'll keep further aspects of Ben's condition as real as possible for you!