Cia

Oh dear, indeed!

Your questions are very, very relevant to the way the story goes. I hope chapter 15 answers some of your questions. Thanks for reading, Gary.

Wouldn't that be nice! Remember, though, these guys don't look 'normal' so just running off for a bit would be problematic.

It was hard to imagine, because you were right, lol!

Roaring took over for the shout. When I burst through the door, knocking it off the top hinge so it slammed into the wall at a crooked angle, Kraig was crouched on the bed. His eyes were glowing, but there was no recognition in them. I stared in shock. The marks on his neck and face were rippling as his muscles writhed under his skin, almost like something was trying to get out. Lydia gasped. “Keep her back,” I told Henry. Kraig was crouching on the bed, lowering himself. I prepared myself fo

Have a great day, Bill!

Monday we featured Renee Steven's story, Reece's Choice, with a few of her favorite reviews. There's also a signature graphic you can download if you want to share your love of her story. Didn't see it? Don't worry you can still get it here. Renee says... I chose this scene because it's honestly my favorite scene in the entire story. I've actually had the spider thing happen to me, except I didn't have anyone else there at the time. I love putting some of my personal experiences into stories, and this was on that I was just waiting to use and I loved the way it turned out. Want to read more? Check it out here!

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked. “We haven’t been apart since I found you.” “I’ll be with my parents.” Kraig sounded confident, but he was tapping his claws against his leg. “You go be the alpha.” “Do I have to?” Clearly I was having a much harder time with the impending separation than Kraig was. My face heated. Kraig snickered. “I won’t tell anyone you just whined like a five-year-old.” “Thanks.” I glanced over my shoulder. His parents didn’t live that far away, but Kraig was

:hug: to everyone!!!

to everyone who has taken the time to wish me a happy birthday today! I've had a lazy morning, and it's been wonderful!!

Usually Renee's the one who posts the blog, not the person being featured, but if you didn't know, she's also one of our Signature Authors! This month we're featuring her story, Reece's Choice. Inspired by one of the prompts, this morphed into a longer story for readers to enjoy. Length: 25,461 Description: When confronted with his family’s bigotry, Reece is faced with the first of many choices. He can continue to tolerate the caustic atmosphere or he can walk away and finally focus on making himself happy. His cousin’s friend Dave unintentionally becomes the catalyst that forces Reece to make a choice. He can only hope it's the right one. Reviews: Valkyrie says... I really enjoyed this story. It was a nice, feel-good story that was a nice contrast to some of the darker stories I've been reading lately. Aditus says... Wonderful story, Renee! It was just the right dose of love and drama. I really enjoyed this. Skinnydragon says... Thanks Renee for a wonderful story. I'm happy it ended here. Maybe there can be future adventures the boys will get into, but it's certainly not necessary. The title actually says it all. Reece's choice. He made a good one! Cannd says... I enjoyed this alot. I loved these two characters. I would have loved an epilogue to know if they made it past the first year, but I guess it is a more realistic view of a new relationship that has all the signs of being right. They have high hopes and time will tell. I guess the hope for a definite success can't be helped by some of us romantics though. It had a nice ending and it seems like Dave's parents will help make up for his shitty parents. They seem to have a good chance. Thanks. Remember to check back on Wednesday to see what excerpt Renee Stevens chose to share with readers! Want to show your support and enjoyment of Renee's story? Download the banner above for your site signature!

Happy Birthday, Caz!!

FYI, the notifications for reviews and stuff will be different when we update the site/Stories to separate some of those options.

Definitely seeing a lot of the outcome without any information on the whys and hows. More will come on that soon, though!

Yes! I definitely wanted that sense of family, which I think is on the return considering now they ARE family too. The doctor's objectives... now that is the real question! More on that is coming up soon.

Vengeance is a powerful motivator, but I hope they can all remember it's not just a need for revenge for the harm done but to prevent further harm. We'll see as they learn more. Thanks for reading, Puppilull!

Yep, I did. It's been fixed, but thanks! *nods* Short updates in a story can make it very hard to follow/remember. I've had readers who wait for several chapters to post before reading before. Whatever works for you to enjoy my stories works for me.

Lots left unresolved, yes, but that just means more for next week, lol. Darn name swaps! I have the hardest time with that in this story for some reason. Thanks for telling me, Lux.

Check out this good news featured by GA about one of our very own authors! Click banner to learn more

The front door opened behind me. I’d been so focused on Ritch, assessing the danger he posed to the streak and my mate, that I didn’t even hear Kraig moving around in the house. He was pale, his expression stricken. He had to have heard Ritch. I half-turned, refusing to turn my back on Ritch even with Park at his back. Kraig clutched the door like it was holding him up. “I know. I know what happened to Danny.” Pain and fear spread through the air, the acrid odors coming from Kraig. I rus

Thanks, Defiance! It can be so hard trying to move the plot along each chapter, and I know it's better reading more than one week in a go. Still, at least you know there is always more on Wednesdays. Deke is definitely about to be tested. Thanks for the review!

That's how I keep you coming back even with the frustration of reading only 1k.

You're remembering right, and you picked up on a ton of the clues!! Great reading. Thanks for the review too! It's even better than a like.

One of everyone's favorite blogs, back again!! It's the first Wednesday of the month, which can only mean one thing. It's time for another Ask An Author feature provided to us by Dark. If you have questions you want to ask your favorite authors, but don't want to ask the questions yourself, you can always send your questions to Dark for inclusion in the Ask An Author feature. Ask an Author #41 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #40, we had questions for authors Cole Matthews, M.A. Church, Riley Jericho, and Carlos Hazday In AtA #41 we hear from authors Headstall, Mikiesboy, Sammy Blue, and Sasha Distan. Promising Author and Canadian Headstall kicks off the blog this week. If I understand the story correctly, this author name comes from a particular piece of tack (for horses, oh ye whose minds went elsewhere… ). Not as spry as he used to be, Headstall has had some recent health setbacks, but there are many glad to see his return. Hopefully, the words will start flowing once more with the grace and fluidity that readers have become used to. In the two years Headstall has been with us, he has posted almost a dozen stories, most of them the multi-chapter kind. He’s also a poet; you can see his responses to the weekly prompts among his collection of works, as well as Headstall’s Reflections, a collection of random musings about life, the universe, and everything. Or, you know, a blog of sorts. If you’ve enjoyed this author’s work, have you tried Morningstar: The Malaise? This is Headstall’s first story about werewolves, and in his version, the pack is dying out due to a mysterious … malaise. The main characters must find a way to not only save the pack, but themselves. Is there a way to be happy together given the desperate need the pack has for more matings and pups? I leave you with these words from editor Timothy M: “Being a sifter is complicated, even without the malaise, and sorting out your feelings is difficult, especially when they are new ….” To Headstall: How did it feel to have your first story take off the way it has? When I first posted, I didn't know what to expect, from the readers or myself. The response was immediate and somewhat overwhelming, and I honestly expected the support would die down quickly. But it didn't, and to this day I'm still surprised, and now I feel honored and encouraged to improve with every single sentence I write. It's given me the confidence to try new things, like my songs, poetry, an anthology story and a story contest. I've written two other stories posted as serials since the debut of "Cards on the Table," and that is because of the support I received initially, and continually. I'm not quite sure why it took off the way it did, but I am thankful for it everyday, and I feel I owe the readers and GA my very best effort every time I touch the keyboard. Cheers. A big welcome to Author Mikiesboy, making his first appearance in this blog – but not the last, I assure you! He calls himself an ”abecedarian poet.” You’ll have to ask him what it means. Another Canadian, Mikiesboy hails from Ontario and is a big fan of fellow Canadian Headstall. I have learned to stay away from his GA gallery, because just looking at all that wonderful food makes me hungry, lol. Michael is one lucky guy. Read more about their real-life love story in Michael and Me. I’m not sure about that tomato soup cake, though, dunno if I’m adventurous enough to try it. This past April, Mikiesboy tried his hand at NaPoWriMo, which is the poet’s version of writing one whole story in only a month. It’s a daunting task, no matter how you look at it. Mikiesboy is very upfront with his past and you can see some of that in his written works. They’re gritty and real and will make you rethink parts of your own life. Having a huge sweet tooth, however, I find that my favorite story remains Dessert. David gets a second chance at finding love with a man from his past. They meet by chance, eat and talk, and some of his inner musings and realizations will give you a punch to the gut. Of course the sex scene is pretty hot, too! To Mikiesboy: What inspired the characters you've created? Do people you know make you think of them, or is it situations you encounter? I've been inspired by situations and people I know. I guess it depends which characters you mean. In my latest story Tait's experience is partly based on my mental health struggles, and some abuse I suffered when I was much younger, but once I know the character I can figure out how he'll react or act. Two of my characters came to me when I was using a prompt, but Faris and James, have a few traits borrowed from me and my husband. So I guess I'd have to say that my characters are one part imagination, one part experience, and a dash or more of me. Youngster and Author Sammy Blue writes from Braunschweig, Germany. Recently, Sammy decided to translate one of his German stories into English. In the forums, Sammy explains some of the finer details making their way into his stories to give us non-Germans a better understanding of the culture belonging to his characters. It’s nice to have that background to ask questions about without the author feeling the need to write it all in the story itself. Sci-Fi writers are well-known for this. High Fantasy, too, can get bogged down with the details, not that you or I would ever do that, of course! LOL. But Sammy is perhaps best known for his work with Gemini. This is a story about teenage Josh and his crazy public school life. With 25 chapters now, we’ve really seen Josh grow into himself. And Jacob? That boy is amazing. To Sammy Blue: Do you have a character that you've put more of yourself into than any others, and what qualities do you see yourself as sharing with that character? Not particularly, at least not in Gemini. That might change with future stories, though. However, I do share some sort of connection with all of my major characters. The reason is simple, really. When I am writing, I am usually using one of two methods, mostly even both in combination. The first is to 'envision' the scene I am writing, almost like a movie. If I'm unsure about something, I even 'replay' it a number of times with small changes to see what fits. This also helps me to narrate in a realistic way. The other I mostly use when I write thoughts or some of the conversations. I try to really get into the 'skin' of the character I'm writing, to feel their feelings and think their thoughts. It takes some time to get psyched up enough for that, but it's usually worth it. Anyway, because I do this, I do have a pretty good understanding of what my characters feel, and I guess that is what I 'put' into them, and the connection I share with them. Today’s 4th and final author is Author Sasha Distan. We last saw Sasha in ATA #36, about six months ago. Next month it will be a year since Sasha's profile was active, which makes the last status post more ironic: Apparently I’ve been offline long enough for my avatar picture to vanish… But for those of you who need your Sasha fix, you should know that I horded one last question and answer. I, too, have my fingers crossed that Sasha will soon return with more of that British snark we’ve come to enjoy, as well as a conclusion to Sanctuary, the fantasy story where the persecuted find hope and, perhaps, love. To Sasha Distan: How do you keep all of your storylines from bleeding together when you have more than one story going at a time? I have a great filing system! My brain is a very compartmentalized place, and a bit like the filing system on my laptop, I'm very good at keeping the separate part of my life, and separate parts of my stories, very much apart from each other. Characters who exist in different worlds don't even talk, so for example I'd never have problems with Kurt and Tahryn having a chat and exchanging plot lines with Oli and Boris. The characters who do live in the same world, Kieran, Robin, Bay, Issac, and Zupan for example, are generally so self obsessed (or romantically obsessed) that they don't tend to interfere with each other. Generally writing two stories at once doesn't cause me many issues, but three or four can be more problematic. That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat! See you next time, with authors AQG, Nephylim, SkinnyDragon, and W_L. I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

So many clues, so many questions... so not gonna tell! You do make a lot of great points, though. Thanks for reading, Puppilull!