Cia

Today we're featuring an interview with Cynus as for the April CSR featuring his stories in his Rumours of War series. Did you check out one of his stories? What did you think? Enjoy this interview and then share your thoughts on his story and his writing. Cynus will be popping in today to talk, so have at it! Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? No. Definitely not. I don’t even sleep in a traditional bed. I lived in South Korea for nearly two years and I developed a taste for sleeping on the floor on a futon-type mattress. If I make my bed at all, all I do is fold it all together so that I have a bit of extra space, but otherwise I tend to leave it alone. Chocolate or Vanilla? I like mixing them both together. There’s nothing like mixing a creamy milk chocolate with the strong sweetness of pure vanilla – unless you’re talking ice cream, in which case chocolate ice cream is gross. Did you like to write in school? That depends on what you mean by “in school”. I hated homework in nearly every class, unless I was writing a paper. I enjoyed writing essays and I’ve always loved creative writing, but if I had to do any writing beyond that it didn’t get done. Daily journals were never my specialty, and neither were any assignments where I had to write about myself. I was so firmly withdrawn from the world that I hated anything that required me to show who I really was to the world. I’ve gotten over that now, at least for the most part. What brought you to Gayauthors? I’ve been hosted at AwesomeDude since the end of October, 2013. I’ve learned a lot from the community there, and certainly had my fair share of exposure through AwesomeDude, but I’ve always been a bit of a wanderer. I prefer to spread out, meet new people, and try new things. GayAuthors was the logical choice as to where to spread to next, considering the professional level of the site, and I’m glad that I decided to start posting here as well. I enjoy all of the sites that are hosting me right now, but they all have their differences, and I appreciate that difference. I love the way the review system works here at GayAuthors, and how easy it is to connect with the other members of the site. The people have all been friendly, or at least professional, and it’s easy to get along with everyone here. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I like to converse with other people; if I’m not writing or working then you’ll likely find me at a coffee shop with one of my friends or chatting with someone online. The whole world is a conversation waiting to be had, and I love talking with people from all walks of life. My circle of friends includes all sorts of unique individuals, and my life is enriched because of the diversity that surrounds me. I’m a very boring person, so I do the best I can to make sure that I listen well to keep the interesting people around me. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? The areas in which I can improve seem to be infinite, though there are some things I’ve focused on more than others. I’m still struggling with showing emotion rather than telling it, and I don’t know that I’ll ever get that down. Getting description to flow naturally rather than become an info dump is difficult as well, and the same goes with setting when you’re writing fantasy. How can you show off a world of your own creation without telling the reader about the world? I’m still trying to figure out the best answer to that question. Do you have any writing rituals? There’s nothing that I do every single time. I like to have background noise, and so I’ll usually have music or a movie/television show playing while I’m writing, unless I’m somewhere busy. I enjoy writing in public with other people around, and I think it’s probably because having those people around me helps me see genuine human interaction that I can use to better influence my characters, much like having a model for painting. If I really want to get work done I’ll go to a busy restaurant to write during their lunch or dinner hour. If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing the series, as I saw this was your first story, what would it be? Oh, the number of things I would tell myself! That list is probably endless, so I’ll just try to sum it up as best I can. I’ve learned so much over the past eighteen months, but I think there is one lesson that outshines the rest, and it’s definitely something that I wish I had known before I started writing Rumors of War. I would tell myself to not be so hasty in posting, because every good story deserves a good revision to polish it off and really make it shine. I started posting Rumors of War at AwesomeDude in December of 2013 when only War On Earth was finished, and I remember begging Mike to start posting before it was finished, because I was getting high off of the feedback I had received off of the two short stories that I had posted previously. But I wish I would have waited, worked with my editor, and polished it until I could see my reflection in it. I’ve heard it said that your first novel is never as good as you want it to be, but I can say that I’m still pleased with it. It was the first time I had managed to accomplish something that large in my life, and I learned a great deal from it. I don’t think I’d trade that experience for anything in the world. Did something inspire you to write a story with such a sweeping theme of good and evil? I come from a Christian background and even spent some time in missionary service, which made it easy for me to play with theology in Rumors of War, but my goal was never to push any ideology of good or evil. Rumors of War is less about the moral struggle of the angels vs. demons conflict and more about a family squabble, but I think saying anymore would spoil some of the surprise for those who haven’t read it yet but still intend to. How long did it take you to write the series? The first 50,000 words were written over the course of November, 2013 as part of National Novel Writer’s Month. The rest of the story was written from December 2013 to March 2014. When I had the motivation of NaNoWriMo behind me it was easy to write, but after that was gone it started to drag. As soon as it was completed I found my stride, and I’ve written a lot since then. I know how to pace myself appropriately and get the results I want, at least most of the time. What was your favorite part of the series? When I write it’s all about the characters. I love character development, and I love the way certain characters interact with each other. I’d say there is a piece of me in every character I write, but sometimes there is a character or two that has a bit more of me than normal, and those characters normally make an impact from the moment they enter the story. One of my favorite parts is when Keith, who is a telepath, shows up at Marc’s doorstep and addresses Damien. “Now, for you first lesson, I’m going to teach you how to avoid projecting your nasty thoughts. I would appreciate it if you weren’t broadcasting your fantasies about Dae’Marca to the whole psychic neighborhood. We don’t all think of him that way.” Keith is probably the character who carries the most of me in him, and throughout the series he has a lot of moments I’m fond of, though I think that one is still my favorite. What are your future projects? I have more future projects planned than I know what to do with, and some past projects that might sneak back in and demand to be worked on again. I think that it will be safer to talk about my current projects than the future ones, as those have a chance of seeing the light of day sometime soon! I recently submitted a novel to a publisher, and while I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be accepted I know that the statistics are against me, and I’m already preparing for the possibility that the publisher will reject it. It’s book one of a projected seven book series, and I’ll be working on the rest of the series while I wait to hear back from them. What I do with them in the case of rejection is still up in the air, but sharing them with the online community isn’t off the table yet. While that project is underway I have a few more projects that will be shared with all of the sites that I’m hosted at, including one that should start posting in May titled “Navigator”. It’s the story of Silas Drake, a homeless teen who has been traveling the country with his dog Adelaide as his only constant companion. The story begins when he is dropped off in a small Colorado town by an amateur band he’s been traveling with for the last few weeks, but shortly after they leave he has a run in with an unexpected person from his past. It’s been really fun to write and I’m excited to see what you all think about it when it starts. Thank you for the interview, Cynus!

This sounds like a new type of digitally rewarded geocaching. Fun! (And it's always great to beat the hubby, even if you're not competitive. They get so mad!!)

I can honestly say I've never been involved with a move that didn't involve some sort of screw up, large or not-quite-so-large-but-still-damned-difficult. In the grand scheme, a few more days will be annoying as hell, but make that first night in your new place all the better.

Mebbe!

“This evening we have accepted an invitation for the family at a concert at the Royal Pavilion. A… friend of the family sponsored our visit for your brother’s celebration,” my mother said. She dabbed her napkin in the corners of her mouth, though she’s barely touched her pastry, and gestured for a maid to take it away. The waste incensed me. “I am hosting Teddy right now, as you said I could during Michael’s parties; it would be rude to exclude him from a family function.” I’d use any excuse t

Way to go!! You might have received a lot of encouragement from everyone, but you pulled yourself up by your boot straps and that's damn hard. You should be proud of yourself!

Teddy is getting bolder! He's important to Will, and now he knows that instead of just wishing for it to be true. As for what they'll find... well, that'll just have to wait, lol.

I don't know so much about non-replenishable, but breakable? Certainly. Their power comes from the mind, and that can be a very fragile thing, especially in the wake of violence and violation. I agree on Teddy's need for Will, though Will's need is just as great, even if he doesn't act like it. Thanks for the review, LitLover!

Sorry for the insanely late reply, Valkyrie! Experimenting... hmmm, might come in handy!

Being a parent means you get all sorts of funny stories, especially about private parts because it makes so many people uncomfortable or anxious. Plus you have to consider discretion and what is and isn't appropriate and understandable for different ages. Still, it can result in hilarious concepts in their minds. My son had the oddest one about testicles at the age of 3-4. Son asked his dad one day, in the shower, "What are testicles for?" Dad said, "They're for helping mommies having babies when you're a grown up." Son bent over and eyeballed his testicle (he only has one from a birth defect issue) and said, "I hope mine's a boy!" Dad snorted and said, "They're not eggs or anything! You can have more than one kid, boys or girls." Son makes an 'Oh, okay' face and drops the subject. Yes. Sex ed talks with the very young--always amusing! Of course, a teenage friend of the family, my oldest stepsister, and I convinced my (18 months older than me) sister that when she hit puberty she'd stop growing completely the day she started her first cycle. Considering she hadn't even hit five feet yet--she was devastated. So gullible, and she was 10!!

I've come across misogynist cops before, but only one took it past attitude. One was very rude to my sister, and me, when she was pulled over as a teen because 'her muffler was hanging down too low'. He made her get out of the car, in a skirt, and get down on her hands and knees on the wet ground to 'look at it'. Small town being what it was, though, there was no recourse but to be polite to his face and then hate on him later.

Andy78 is the featured Signature Author this week, and as always, we have a great interview where he can share just a little bit more about himself with site members. I decided to change up the questions, so we have a few new ones this time to go with some of my favorites. Andy actually said, "Thank god you didn't ask the what are you wearing question." Maybe if I had, Andy would've been sharing A LOT about himself. Single people often have more time to write. Are you single? Nope. I’ve been with my partner for sixteen going on seventeen years (that makes me feel so old lol). Have you ever gone out in public, realized your shirt is on backwards, and just don’t care? Once – thankfully it was nowhere fancy, just the local pub. By the time one of my friends pointed it out to me, I was far too drunk to care. Did you like to write in school? I did. It was mostly essays though, I was never one for writing prose. What brought you to the Gayauthors? I was reading Ghostryder’s Kombat Kids over on Nifty and there was link over to GA. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Reading for the most part – anything I can get my hands on really (I’ve even been known to read Jane Austen). The other thing I really enjoy doing is baking – cakes and breads mainly. I also like to experiment a lot in the kitchen. My most recent act of bravery was with baking peanut butter bread – it was not nice. What’s the first thing you do when you start to write a story? I plan out the universe it takes place in. Who my characters are, what the country is like, the religion, their folklore, their laws, those kind of things. I tend not to worry about the timeline so much at the outset – I find the story dictates the timeline rather than the other way round. If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? Don’t adopt plot bunnies lol In all seriousness, never start posting anything until it’s finished. Life ‘n stuff happens. If you have a complete story written, you can postdate the chapters and not have to worry about the unexpected. Did something inspire you to write a story with magic for The Back-up Plan anthology? I had the TV on in the background just for some noise (I can never concentrate without background noise) and I had the SyFy channel on, when an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer came on. The episode revolved around a student who had brought his brother back from the dead and was building him a girlfriend in a Frankenstein-esque way. I’d never been a fan of the Frankenstein genre, but the idea of creating someone with magic suddenly came to me. How long did it take you to write Magic in the Air? It took just over nine weeks to write the story. Then it went through about two weeks’ worth of editing and beta reading (which added about 1400 words to the story). What was your favorite part of the story? The scene at the start with Angus performing the incantation. That was probably the scene that I spent the longest amount of time fussing over, and I also needed to research the various plants and weeds that flourish in the highlands. Do you have any stories in the pipeline you haven’t posted yet? There’s two that I’m seriously writing. One is an old story I wrote that never really came to anything so is going through a major rewrite (it’s up to about 50k, but is a long way from being ready). The other is a Star Trek-esque sci-fi that I think will end up as a collection of short stories rather than a novel. There’s also a couple that I’m just toying with. One has some potential, and the other one just won’t leave me alone. They are annoying little plot bunnies that I adopted a couple of years ago but haven’t had the heart to fricassee.

“Their excesses are appalling!” I shouted the second my door was firmly shut. Forced to sit among my family and their so-called social equals, I’d watched as they ate and drank what I now knew had been bought with my worth. I’d barely been able to control my rage, but that fire was turning to despair. Teddy reached out, and I fell into his arms. I needed him. “Don’t think about them; they’ll never get the chance to hand you over.” “Us, Teddy.” I looked into his eyes, unable to look away. “The

There is a time and place for everything, and family should be first. Don't feel bad about loving them.

This month the Signature Background feature was Andy78's Magic in the Air. Have you seen the background yet or downloaded your copy? Man in kilt... YEAH! Have you read the story yet? Here's my review, just in case you need a little extra incentive. Magic in the Air by Andy78 Signature Author Reviewer: Cia Status: Complete Length: 5,039 Well I think I’m long overdue to review this story! I can’t believe I missed it in the anthologies last year. Magic in the Air was written for the 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan. And boy what a backup plan the main character, Angus, has when he asks his so-not-ready-to-be-pry-open-the-closet boyfriend of two years, Jason, to the school formal, only to be shot down. Pretty sure that sent their relationship on the skids. But Jason is the only other gay guy in his school that Angus knows, so he resorts to an old family trait: magic. Specifically, Angus conjures up the ideal guy for him. He has to dig up some family heirlooms; both sides of his family have been magical—even to the point of influencing well-known magical events in history—and he has a lot of tools at his disposal, including a magical amulet and the family Book of Shadows. But does he have the huge amount power he needs? Even he’s not sure, since he’s never flexed his magical muscles like the spell would need. Does it work? Can Angus conjure up his dream man? Or is the result of tampering with magic more of a nightmare? Did he ever have control of the spell, or does it take on a life of its own? Well, I’m not going to tell you! You’ll have to read the story to find that out. Andy’s writing has great flow, and there is a twist at the end that I really enjoyed. I’m not a big fan of teen fiction, but Magic in the Air has just enough emotional drama to make the characters feel realistic without being so dramatic it feels tediously juvenile. I definitely appreciated that, because teens do have a lot of hormones and craziness going on, but there's a line that just feels unbelievable if the author crosses it. And while my visual, or mental, appreciation for men usually goes for someone a bit older—you can NOT go wrong with a guy in a kilt! At just over five thousand words, this is a good little bite of a story—just enough to satisfy, but quick to read—so why haven’t you read it yet?

Isn't it interesting how language--and writing--is constantly evolving? I've found that chat/text speak even creeps into writing at times; with the changing technology, there are a lot of stories that incorporate online or phone text communications. I don't believe in writing OMG in plot/story narration, instead of 'Oh my god', but I've seen it used appropriately in dialogue or narration that relates to a message. The difficulty with all this is that, just like any other language, it is constantly evolving and growing with the different generations of 'speakers'. Though, I've found that seems to be a much smaller number of years between each evolution with the constantly changing technology than in the past with non-electronic driven language. These are good sources to find out what people are saying if you're not sure of the acronym "language". http://pc.net/slang/ http://chatslang.com/terms/parents(good for writing/reading chatspeak in teen stories)

Well hey, that's not at all specific!

That's freaking hilarious. I can remember wearing the huge pants all the time, but girls paired them guy boxers and a baby doll shirt, so there wasn't quite so much skin showing if they fell down--like they always did!

Welcome oat327! If you have any questions about posting, check out the faq "New Author Help: How to Post a Story" which can be found through the Help tab in the red menu bar. Or my PM box is always open.

How much time on a weekly basis, or even monthly, do you spend--not just your actual writing---but on the mechanics of writing? Just browsing a writing website or style guide can be fun if you're a geek like me, and I often reference them when I have a rule I'm not sure of when I'm editing. But the rules of writing aren't the only things to think about; there are all sorts of ways to refine your writing that have nothing to do with proper nouns or proper use of possessive punctuation/formats! But these things, like creating characters or story hooks, how to create a plot arc, what makes up a believable villain... those aren't things most authors just look up on a whim. So why not have them come to you? I WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend Writer's Digest to everyone who writes, even if they don't aim to ever publish. Today's inbox article about How to Introduce Your Hero is fascinating and shares some really great examples that made me think of the way I start a story and bring my characters alive for readers. Check it out, and when you're done, sign up for their newsletter. It comes right to your inbox, and it's totally free! **I am not associated with Writer's Digest in any way, other than being a fan!

Whoops! I was using copy/paste with my titles and sections off my Word file to the topic in the future blog post forum and mixed up those titles with their proper information sections. The information was sound at least. This just goes to show why editing--many times at each step of a writing process--is so important! (And why more than one set of eyes is vital as well) According to Chicago Manual of Style (my style guide of choice as it is a common US epublishing standard) this situation is handled in a mixture of styles. Section 7.8 covers plural proper nouns and Section 7.16 and 7.17 cover possessive s. Plural surnames ending in s: With a surname that ends in s that is plural, you do add es. Example: The Joneses bought a new car. Possessive plural surnames with words that end with the s sound: When you have a surname ending in a plural es, as it is already ending with the additional s sound, you use just the apostrophe and no additional s to indicate possession. Example: The Joneses' new car is red. Possessive surnames ending in s: When you have a surname that isn't plural, but ends in s, you would use 's to indicate possession. Example: Mr. Jones's drive to work in the new car was quiet. Their reasoning is twofold. Most people say the additional 's' sound when they say a word that ends with possessive s, even when the style was to simply use the apostrophe, and it then looks more consistent with other possessive s words. The exception for surnames that are plural ending in the apostrophe alone is that you say the additional 's' sound for the es (as in Jones becoming Joneses) and you do not verbally add another s when you're indicating possession. Try reading the examples aloud and you'll note that most actual speech habits do fall in line with that reasoning. Just because it's the style guide, however, doesn't mean that I'm saying you have to use these formats or that your way is 'wrong' if you don't use it. In 2014 CMoS allowed for both styles as acceptable. In 2015 they've now moved to state 's is the only accepted format. Obviously, editing styles change over time and adapting isn't an easy process. In my Saving Caeorleia series, I refused to use 's for my 2014 eBook release as I learned the apostrophe and no s style growing up, and prefer it, and CMoS allowed for both. This year's release, I had to fight to again not use 's, even though it was now the only accepted format, because it would then make the editing appear inconsistent and 'wrong' in my first book versus the second. My publisher agreed for that reason, but any new works outside of that series will have to adhere to the new 's rule instead. Knowing the rules is good for just that reason; sometimes there are exceptions that are acceptable if you know how to argue your case.

“What?” I asked him. “You’ve never done it to me, but you have….” He trailed off, biting his lip. All the color had drained out of his face, and now I knew why. We didn’t talk about that—ever. It was a rule between us. I could only imagine how scared people would be if they knew I could manipulate them and their behavior. Just a little, but if Schvesla’s machine amplified powers…. I couldn’t be sure that’s what they meant, though. What if they were fishing? Chester and Bart had not shown us an

1) Stay hydrated 2) If you're coughing or worried about a respiratory cold spreading, wear a mask 3. Stay hydrated 4. Wash your hands, a lot 5. Stay hydrated 6. Rest 7. Water, tea with honey, juice, etc... thins mucous 8. Hot shower or bath with eucalyptus or peppermint essential oils help headaches, body aches, and congestion Feel better!

This month I thought I'd feature something a little different--and I hear there are some real twists to this author's stories, too! Depending on your reading speed, check out Books 1, 2 or 3 of the series: Rumors of War by Cynus Book 1: War on Earth Length: 33,600 Description: Damien has just been uprooted from his childhood home and is about to start a new life. Little does he know that a war between angels and demons spanning thousands of years is about to be brought to his doorstep. Book 2: War of Hell Length: 46,573 Description: Damien awakes in a hospital room surrounded by family and friends when an unexpected visitor arrives to tell him his life is in danger. He enters an alien environment and is left to question who is friend and who is foe. Book 3: War in Heaven Length: 33,961 Description: After being betrayed by Lucifel and Shatan, Damien follows Lumial's lead and decides to take the battle to heaven. The CSR Discussion day will take place on the last Monday of the month, April 27th, but April is a long month so you have 4 full weeks from today to read!

I put my fear of clown dolls down to my friend scaring the crap out of me while watching IT when we were 8. Childhood fears can be insidious--even if, as adults, we know they're not logical.