Cia

Naming a blog is pretty simple or it can be witty or complicated. I'm the simple type. My personal blog, rarely used, is just 'Stuff from Cia'. Others go for more creative titles. That's really up to you and what type of vibe you want for your blog. The settings are all relatively generic and not very customizable on GA, though. The information on that is in the FAQ General Site Help: Site Blogs through the Help tab in the red menu bar.

I've never had a bad reaction to medicine, but a lot of people forget that, in their wisdom, doctors spend maybe a few hours A YEAR with you/reviewing your information. That's if you have a chronic condition. You spend all your time in your body. They may have the medical knowledge, but you're the only person who can truly say how you feel. If something doesn't seem right, and a doctor won't listen to you, get a new one. You're paying them, so you hold the cards!

No one is adding any inappropriate images or linking to sites that contain questionable content, so this topic isn't much different from the gay experiences topic or talking about first times. As long as those strictures are followed, then this is information only, and not over the line. Besides, how many people probably wish they knew more about how to ensure they were comfortable AND safe when it comes to things like lube before they had experience using them? It's not the traditional sex ed guides really talk about it. And while I will not advocate teens having sex before they're emotionally and physically mature, having this information available where they can learn about it isn't the same thing as using it.

By the way, some words of caution to those new to using lube! Different kinds work best for different things. It's not unlike finding any other kind of personal product like shampoos or body washes. Water based lubes are the most versatile, but can dry quickly or become tacky and can't be used in the water. Silicone lube is great in the water as it doesn't wash away like water-based lubes can, and it works with rubber toys, but it's not good with low-grade silicone toys as it can eat away at the material. Oil-based lubes can break down rubber toys, but is fine with metal or glass. Honestly, just like anything to do with sex, it's all about experimenting with what works best... but make sure you're doing at least some research beforehand so you don't have any embarrassing or potentially painful oopsies!

Lube is used to enhance many things during sexual activity, and it's not just limited to gay sex, either. lol I can't the number of different kinds I've used over the years: baby oil, KY, Adam & Eve, Astroglide, Gun Oil (yes, this is a lube, not actual gun oil), generic shop brands when picking up other things... but I prefer two Yours & Mine by KY for couples, and, if you have the $, Swiss Navy silicone lube (and basically any of their high end line) is amazing.

Please remember not to let this conversation turn political. As for me personally, well my dad is a southern redneck living in the Pacific NW for 30 years, and he STILL acts like a Neanderthal. I see very little reason that the south will be changing anytime soon.

Roof and roofs/rooves vs hoof and hoofs/hooves is just another example where English proves that root words mean nothing when it comes to irregular plurals. A good portion of the changes come from popular usage, which is why rooves has become roofs, but there's really no rhyme nor reason to why some words fall out of use and others don't. You either change with the times or fight them kicking and screaming.

I don't have a problem translating broken English, but I think in part that's due to growing up with people who have different accents compared to the region I grew up in, plus I used to work with ventilator patients and you get very used to understanding speech that isn't quite right, body language, and just using plain ole intuition in a situation.

“First, we need a report.” I flourished a bit of paper from the supply of finely crafted sheets my parents had insisted I use. “What should we do it on?” “Well you already told the king your impressions of the concert hall, but we didn’t write them up. Plus we could sneak out by saying we’re going to enhance the memory of the concert and get a sense for the acoustics when the building is empty.” I grinned at Teddy. “You’re good at that. Maybe you should write the report.” “Hey! Who says I wan

This month I featured Dianjin's Frozen Heart. This story features two boys who have a lot to overcome in their lives... and it's just possible they might be able to help each do that. Did you find the time to enjoy their journey this month? What did you think? We won't be doing any chat time, since unfortunately Dianjin is sans internet for today, but please remember to share your thoughts about Max and Aaron's story. Single people often have more time to write. Are you single? As I wrote Frozen Heart I actually had a boyfriend, but since we weren’t living together I still had lots of time to write What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? Shorts and a t-shirt! Though I have to admit I was topless a few minutes ago Have you ever gone out in public, realized your shirt is on backwards, and just don’t care? Yes and no, Once I noticed in the metro so it was out of the question to fix it on the spot, another day I was just too lazy to do it. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Video games, reading, watching a few TV shows (Doctor Who first and foremost) What brought you to GA? I was looking for erotic gay stories one boring afternoon. Where do you get your ideas? All around me, books I read, games I play, even a few moments from my day to day life are in there. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Let me be honest, I’m not a native English speaker, and sometimes I get carried away with my sentences, you see in French we tend to have very looooooooooooooooooooooooong sentences. I really have to force myself to not make run-ons. Is your writing process a daily word count goal or more of a burst of inspiration writing flurry? Depends, for Frozen Heart I set myself a goal of a chapter per day, and to achieve that I start thinking about the chapter early in the day, outline and stuff, but can get to writing it at noon, or very late at night. For my new story A Companion for all Time it’s more of a come and go thing, two days ago I wrote at least 3000 words, though I had not touched it for two weeks. If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? Make an outline, plan, setting page or something. When I started writing I just thought of things and wrote them down, and soon I was overwhelmed, my very first story went too far too fast, with big ugly holes in the middle, reason why I put it on hold for now (I have some ideas for it actually, but I’m thinking of scrapping all of it for now). Now I have a sepearte document that is always open when I write with character description, things that I did and have to do, ideas, setting, stuff like that. I’m always updating it. Did something specific inspire you to write Frozen Heart? My boyfriend, Maximilian is heavily inspired by some of his struggles, of course I really magnified it (don’t worry in real life he’s not like that at all). I wanted to do something deeper than just a simple gay story, I don’t know if that came through well or not I noticed you have several AHA moments. Do you have a favorite readers picked up on? I don’t really know ^^’ I just enjoying writing the story, all of it, though if I had to pick a favorite moment it would be the end of chapter 9, I had been planning that one for a while Do you identify with Max or Aaron, and how so? A little of both, as said before Max is inspired after my boyfriend (a bit), but he has somethings that are me, and Aaron would be the sort of person I would like to have as a best friend! How long did it take you to write Frozen Heart? I didn’t count I’d say about a month or so, maybe more, probably more. If your story were made into a movie, who do you picture playing each character’s part? I have no idea on that one I’d say someone that fit their physical description as best as possible, and for Max a really, really shy person What are your future projects? Finishing A companion for all Time, and continuing Max and Aaron’s journey in Golden Heart, then taking another look at French Touch.

I saw this today and thought it was cool.

Great discussion, guys!!!

Wildman and his friends could care less about the city. No Name and his friends were useless. I fumed the entire way through the tunnel. “It’s all on us, Teddy. No one else is going to help stop the king, at least not before he’s sucked every speck of our abilities from us. What are we going to do?” Teddy shrugged. “Sneak into the king’s palace, find Schvesla’s machine and shut it down, and then find a key so we can sneak out of the secret tunnel to the theater.” I stopped. “You make it sound

From the reader viewpoint, it does matter to me. If an author doesn't post for a very long time, I'll lose track of the story and be less inclined to want to re-read to continue if they pick back up again. It has to be a spectacular story to prompt me to do that. From an author standpoint, I can definitely say it matters both as to the giddiness of the fan, the quality and popularity of the story itself, and the length of time between posts. I've lost readers before due to that very thing.

Happy GA Anniversary. And at least you know, with me, I welcome every speck of feedback in return that I'm willing to give out.

View it as added assurance you won't act the same way in the future?

Our July feature for the Signature Author Background is "Crosscurrents" by Adam Phillips. If you're a fan of Adam's story, I hope you'll like the background featuring the moment in the story where Andy and Matt's relationship takes a turn. Haven't read the story yet? Never fear, we have a lot of incentive to get you excited. Download your background, check out Tyler's review from Monday's blog, and then read this interview with Adam... then get started! Author Interview: Adam Phillips on Crosscurrents Single people often have more time to write. Are you single? No. I'm married and have a 8-year-old son and a 4-year old son. On top of that, I write nonfiction stuff for a living now, in addition to a part-time gig as an adjunct math professor at a local juco and chasing after one other income stream. The money's great, and the diversity appeals to my ADHD. But time gets precious. So the best time for narrative-writing for me is before everyone gets up or after everyone's gone to bed. Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Absolutely. My wife's a doctor, and she'll put me in Food Detention if I don't. Also, I have kids watching. What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? Jeans and a polo shirt with a couple of holes in it. Yeah, I know. Boring, huh? That's the nice thing about being self-employed. Lots of "dress-like-you-want" days. Have you ever gone out in public, realized your shirt is on backwards, and just don’t care? Seriously? Who does this? What brought you to the site? I love good writing, and for all kinds of Freudian and autobiographical reasons, I guess, I gravitate toward coming-of-age stories. I'd discovered the Nifty site some time before this one, but the quality is so variable there, it's kind of hit-or-miss for the reader. I wanted to find a place that was a little more selective, and I knew it had to be out there if I could locate it, so I Googled "Gay Stories," and Gay Authors was one of the first five hits that came up. With a name like "Gay Authors," I figured the writing mattered to the folks who ran the place. So I jumped in as a reader. And I haven't been disappointed. What books have most influenced you? As a writer of gay/bi narrative? Let me see: Jamie O'Neill's At Swim, Two Boys. Masterful, beautiful, devastating writing. Jim Grimsley's Dream Boy. The stylistic minimalism packs an incredible punch in this sexual-awakening tragedy. J. G. Hayes's A Map of the Harbor Islands. Joe Hayes is all about pain and redemption, and his characters are endearing and unforgettable. Also, he tends to like the happy ending, and while I don’t require that, it’s nice. A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I know it's the butt of all kinds of jokes and object of all kinds of scorn, but that's because too many high school teachers make kids read it. It's not a book for high school kids. Only a few of them have the stuff at that age to see what the author's up to. Still, it's a memorable story of the innocence of youth and the darkness of the human heart. And the writing's rich and vivid. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 1) I'm a gym rat and a sports enthusiast. I play in an old guy's soccer league (I'm 35); I enjoy getting out and tossing the ball around with the neighborhood kids; I'll get into a pickup basketball game at my gym; and I coach my older son's soccer team. So there's that. Oh, and over the last couple of years I've taken up boxing. There's a real art to it that involves the whole body and mind; it's not just about pounding people's faces until they crumple. 2) I read. Voraciously. Especially fiction, philosophy, math & science, and politics. 3) I like to watch good TV and good movies. 4) I listen to music. Of all kinds. And I'm a halfway decent pianist. 5) I grill outdoors in the summer and avoid the kitchen in all other seasons. I like having friends and loved ones over—with their kids or without--for a summer meal. The guys can hang out in the back yard, drink beer, and shoot the breeze with me while I’m attending to the manly art of searing flesh, and when it’s time to eat, the bonhomie is soul-restoring. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? My only real mentor for the kind of writing I've done on Gay Authors was my first editor. He's a guy who edits scripts for TV and movies for a living. He saw some early posted chapters of Crosscurrents that he liked enough to ask if I'd be interested in his help. I've learned so much from him. Just in terms of how to write a story people want to read, the stories of Dom Luka at this site have taught me a lot about how to set up a scene, how to tell what you need to and show most all of the rest, how to transition scenes skillfully and with style. How to make your characters live and breathe, and how to make them memorable. Dom feels in his bones, I think, how the narrative formula of western civilization is best executed to brilliant effect, and he turns that formula into art in his stories. Each novel of his has a story to tell. That may seem so obvious as to not need mentioning; don’t all stories tell stories? Well, not always, as you discover when you survey the landscape. But with him, there’s a start, a rise, a high point, and a coast down to a smooth landing, whether the landing is upbeat or more bittersweet. When you finish one of Dom’s novels, you feel as though you’ve read a story. And his genius is that he doesn’t just paint by the numbers; he takes that long-honored template and puts freshness into it. Where do you get your ideas? Well, my only large work here is Crosscurrents. My ideas there came from my life experience. I also have one short-short at Gay Authors, The Confrontation, and one short story, Brushfire, in progress here. I have ideas sketched out, or in some cases, partially written, for 12 more works of various sizes. And, as is the case with the smaller stories I have at Gay Authors, the ideas for each of the 12 came from my own inner reactions to something I’ve experienced in my everyday world. Not always anything that has to do with me. It’s common for me to notice something out there as I'm walking through my day and be so struck by it that I’m mentally off-to-the-races, taking that thing I saw, asking “what if…” and starting to tell myself a story in answer to the “what if.” Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? I always have to watch out for dialogue. So many writers are abysmal with dialogue. I try to imagine the scene in my head and think about the way the character in question would say it. Then I just transcribe what he said. That said, it’s not the easiest part of writing. I'm also tempted with lack of restraint, which I absolutely hate. Rewrites frequently involve ratcheting a scene back a notch so I'm not sledgehammering the reader with it. What’s the best part of being an author? Well, if we're not talking about the money I make doing nonfiction writing for hire, I guess it's connecting emotionally through my narrative writing with so many readers who’ve written me telling me how deeply they’ve been moved by the story. Many of those readers have had a crosscurrent experience of their own in their pasts, and it’s been humbling to have so many of them share the details with me. Did something specific inspire you to write Crosscurrents? The story’s about me and my childhood best friend, actually, and I was at a place—when I started—where I feared that the realities of young-adulthood would end up unintentionally and gradually removing us from each other’s lives, until he was just “somebody that I used to know.” The heartbreak I felt as I was contemplating this caused me to start this story for him and for his eyes, as a sort of cri de coeur and as a way to Say It. And to move on. How much of the story is based on personal experience or is the story primarily research-based? Yeah, it’s all me. I’ve distorted to a minor degree some facts of history and geography and chronology; I took one “minor character” from real life and split that person into two “narrative characters,” and I did the reverse: I took two people from real life and combined them into one narrative character. I also changed the gender of one minor character because I felt that person needed the extra protection of anonymity that change might produce. And some of the characterization has been slicked-up a little bit for "publication" in order to make the appeal more immediate and to conform to the conventions of the genre. Beyond that, it’s all personal experience. There is no fictional narrative material in it. How did you come up with the title? I felt it was a perfect description of the way people who experience themselves as bisexual often feel: Pulled by strong currents in two different directions at the same time. How long did it take you to write this story? (Winces hard) Ten years. Yeah, I know. But I was busy living life, you know? I promise my upcoming stuff won’t be so slow. What was your favorite part of Crosscurrents? Writing about Andy’s and Matt’s estrangement after their high school beach encounter was excruciating for me. I wrote those three chapters (15-17) in one sitting, and when I finished, I was emotionally wasted. Drained. But as I looked at the writing, I realized it was quite strong there. Chapter 30 was also really gratifying to complete. It charts a pivotal turning point for Andy, and for the reader it releases a lot of the emotional tension that’s been generating for fifteen chapters. Can you share a little of your current work with us? By summer’s end, I want to have my little short story Brushfire finished. There will be between two and three chapters more. I have an unfinished five-chapter short story called Tumbleweed Connection languishing at Nifty. It's mostly erotica and not really narrative-centric. It's about a small-town West Texas assistant football coach and an 18-year-old on the team. I’m also planning on finishing this one up this summer. What are your future projects? Well, in addition to the above, I actually have ideas for 6 novels, 6 short stories, and a sonnet (!!!). I have no idea in what order I'll work on these. Here they are with their tentative titles and general summaries: One short story (“Remix”) and one novel (Not to Touch the Earth) each deal with a bisexual man who wakes up one day to alternate realities, realities that present him with important and potentially life-changing choices. Although the stories are completely unrelated, both have science-fictiony elements to them, but the sf is not the main thing in either case. That's just a vehicle for showcasing the protagonists’ conflicts and life paths. One (“The Tree”) is a short story that uses a minor para-natural situation to explore recognizable universal themes about love and life and the various distractions and temptations we face when we try to live with integrity. One book-length story (Small Town Boys) is a nostalgic/erotic piece of Americana, hometown values, and hometown boys. Imagine a sexy gay period-piece with a feel like that of Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. One novel (Rage) and one short story (“Solve”) are each about the scary and devastating consequences of rage; rage at self, and rage at others. Two short stories are pure erotica: One (“Piel Canela”) is about a casual encounter between two men who come out of completely separate orbits and collide. The other (“Spunk”) is an abstract three-part literary experiment focused on men and on, uhh...semen. One (“Gate”) is a short story dealing with deep, sustained, and unresolved longing. Two novels (It Happened Online and Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters) are tales of young men who meet up by chance, snap into place together as if they’d been fated to, and experience the way that plays out. One (Sculpt) is a sonnet on male beauty. Ok, I fell in love with the genre a while back and want to see if I can do one that honors the structural conventions of classic sonnets but feels completely contemporary. And one novel (Finding Home) is the frequently-requested sequel to Crosscurrents. It tells us The Rest of the Story between Matt and Andy.

He was bedraggled and dirty. And very hungry. Good thing I’d brought a large bag of cured meat, cheese, and a thick roll of bread. I figured, if he grew up in a city, he’d probably miss fresh break. It smelled amazing. Teddy’s stomach growled, and I pulled out a sandwich I’d made up for him from the supplies I’d filched from the kitchen after the servants had gone to bed. Wildman licked his fingers and stuck them in bag, picking up crumbs and sucking them off his fingers. I winced; his nails we

I knew the title would throw everyone off. Living with scars can be as damaging mentally as it is physically. Plus some of this technology is actually in the works.

I'm not sure, but that's okay! I'm glad you liked it.

The alien spores/mutation was a lot of fun to write and still fit in the context of an alien planet. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending! Thanks for the reviews, Tiggs!

I did try to do my research here.

I moved out of my family's house at 17 and was married at 19. I know some teens are fully capable of making good choices and being responsible when life hands them situations they have to man up for!

LOL. In case it fails?