Renee Stevens

Welcome to another Monday! While Monday's might be the start of your work week, there is also a bright spot, at least on THIS Monday. Today we have a review from Cole Matthews on Valkyrie's in progress story, The Hollow Hills. Just a reminder, if you'd like to bring some attention to a story that you're reading, you are more than welcome to write a blog review for it! We do have a review team, but we also welcome reviews from members outside of the review team. If you're interested in reviewing a story for the blog, please message @Timothy M. to sign up for an available review slot. The Hollow Hills Valkyrie Reviewer: Cole Matthews Status: In Process Word Count: 86,114 Writers dream in stories. We fantasize about scenes, conjure characters to people them, and fill their fictional lives with events and emotions. That’s what a writer does to create a truth of their own. Readers indulge in a writer’s fancy, digging deeply into the words and images conveyed. A reader interprets a writer’s words and the characters come alive. At least that’s what happens when reading a story like “The Hollow Hills” by Valkyrie. This is Valkyrie’s introduction of the story to the reader. This story centers around The Hollow Hills - a horse farm in Vermont - and Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. Their relationship is anything but easy, with many obstacles standing in their way. When tragedy strikes, they need to learn how to redefine their lives and live with the after-effects. The story seems pretty straight-forward. It’s not. Galen and Josh both have rich personal histories. Each man’s past affects their actions and reactions. These characters are steeped in pain, happiness, love, and fear, and they struggle to make their lives better. Surrounding these men are other characters, both loving and deeply flawed. They provide the kind of contour and texture that makes both men feel like people we know. In fact, I can identify with these guys personally. They are that real. The story is called “The Hollow Hills,” which is the setting for this drama. However, Valkyrie has managed to make this horse farm another actor in the story. The ranch is the place where Galen and Josh meet and interact, but those interactions take on a greater meaning as the farm becomes a protector. The horses too, are integral parts of the story as both men learn to heal with their help. So far, I’ve only described the setting, the story outline, and the theme. The story is so much more, so let’s take a look. Here is an excerpt from the first chapter, from Galen’s perspective. Galen’s past is still part of him. He’s struggling with the loss of his partner, Jamie, and yet he’s not alone. The man has a cousin, Liam, who is there for him like a brother. Jamie left him therefore Galen is dealing with waves of self-doubt and a crisis of confidence. He’s determined to move on though. Then, Galen meets Josh, and feels a striking attraction. Josh has a boyfriend, but that doesn’t prevent Galen from experiencing an interest in him. And vice versa. In chapter four, we begin to see the world through Josh’s eyes. Let’s take a peek. Josh also has a past filled with love and disappointment that he carries with him. His boyfriend, Roger, is a person he believes is good for him. The thrill of being around Galen is tempered by his love for his partner. Josh’s housemate at the ranch is Alannah, who can’t stand Roger. She’s a warm, no-nonsense woman, and something makes her view their relationship critically. What could that be the reason? You’ll have to read the story to find out. “The Hollow Hills” is written in first person from Galen and Josh’s perspectives. It’s set in modern times and I would characterize it as a novel. It contains some very disturbing content, so if you avoid stories with violence or depression, this isn’t the book for you. Valkyrie is finishing the last couple of chapters so it will be complete shortly. If you want a moving, emotional story you can sink your teeth into, you will enjoy “The Hollow Hills.” It’s worth the wild ride. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance Tags: adult, rape, animals Rating: Mature

Just as a precaution.... if your story has NOT gone up yet, will you please message me. I want to make absolutely sure I got them all moved.

Who's ready for some more anthology stories? Did you like and comment on the 4 posted last week? In case you missed them, you can check out the first set in last week's blog post. So whose wonderful stories do we have for you this week? Well, let's take a little looksie, shall we? The Death, Life and Suicide of Tommy Crouch by Tarek Donohue Mikiesboy Lifting the Veil Headstall Jealousy CassieQ Martin Pop, Fixer Comicfan Wounded Comicality So there you go, this week's round of stories! Don't forget to like and comment after you're finished reading.

Can you believe it's already December? Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you. Cia has been super busy, but luckily for me, she'd already chosen the December CSR, and now it's my turn to help her out! Hopefully in between all your holiday activities, you'll be able to find time to read this story, set in 1948! The discussion day will finish out the year here in the blogs, and will be on December 31st! If you haven't read anything by Geron Kees yet, now is a great time to start! Hope you enjoy and we look forward to seeing you on New Years Eve to discuss The House of Storms. The House of Storms by Geron Kees Length: 56,882 Description: It's 1948. Teens Frank and Joe Dane, sons of nationally famous private detective Ben Dane, are enjoying their summer vacation. But then their dad asks them to come along on a little trip up the coast, to a tourist town where strange things have been happening...and the boys are off on a mysterious case with two friends in tow. Events take an immediate turn for the worse as it soon becomes obvious that someone is out to stop the investigation...someone willing to use any means at his disposal to win! An homage to the Hardy Boys adventures that some of us read as kids, except that in this one, the boys are...um, well...you'll see. A reader said: Didn't know anything about the Hardy Boys - maybe they never made it across the pond. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this story that moved along at a rapid and, at times, very tense pace but also with an amazing amount of detail. Indeed it is a magical story! ~Ivor Slipper Don't forget this month's Discussion Day will be Monday, December 31st.

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Hope you've come to do some reading! As decided via the poll, we're going to try a new way of posting the anthologies this go around. Might be a good thing as we have a pretty good sized anthology this time as well. At first glance, it looks like the anthologies will post in four sets. We're starting with the first set this week and then will post a set every week until they're all posted. Hopefully this new way of posting will garner a bit more feedback for all of the awesome authors who participated in this anthology. Each set will contain stories from both topics. I'll try my best to go in the order received, but please bear with me if they post out of order. Thanks all, and enjoy reading. Don't forget to leave all these great authors some feedback! Tomorrow Carlos Hazday One Little Snowflake Bhopper2 A Taste of Amnesia AC Benus A Place To Live northie So there you go! The first four stories of the 2018 Fall Anthology. Happy Reading!!!!

*whispers* Hey, Poets! I've also added something for you in the Round 2 questions Hope to hear from you!

Since it looks like my previous topics got archived, here's the new topic with information on various blog opportunities. Q&A Feature: I hope to include our community more in future blog posts. With that in mind here are some questions (this post will be updated with each new round): Authors: Round 1: Have you experienced writer's block? If so, what helped you get past it? Round 2: Do you use an outline? Why or why not? Poets: Round 2: What do you find is the most difficult part about writing poetry? Readers: Round 1: When reading, what is one thing that will make you stop reading a story? Round 2: What is your favorite trope? What draws you to it? Editors: Round 1: What would be your number one tip that authors should do BEFORE sending their story to their editor? Round 2: What is your biggest pet peeve when editing? And why does it bug you so much? Round 1: PM me your answers. In the subject line, please use: writer's block answer, stop reading answer, or tip from editor. Round 2: PM me your answers. In the subject line, please use: Outline answer, Favorite Trope answer, Poetry Difficulty, or Pet Peeve answer. Deadline: December 5, 2018 Guess the Author Feature For kind of a fun blog feature, plus another chance for authors to get themselves out there.... I'll be doing a "Guess Who" blog feature. Authors will answer a few interview questions, and the community will try to guess who it is... Then in the weekly wrap up, we'll reveal the author, along with a link to up to two stories on GA that the author would like to promote. PM me if interested and I'll send you the list of questions. A sample question might be: What prompted you to write your first story? (With this question, you wouldn't be able to give the story name)

Glad you all enjoyed it! As long as I keep getting answers to my questions, I'll keep this feature going (Well, and as long as I can keep coming up with questions to ask!)

Hey All!!! Hope everyone is doing well. So, this week we're going to start one of our new features. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the Author Guess Who, but we'll start that one after the new year (new year, new feature!). This week, we're going to take a look at the Q & A questions I asked. These features are for Authors, Readers, and Editors, so something for everyone! Let's take a look at the questions and answers. Authors: Have you experienced writer's block? If so, what helped you get past it? @Mikiesboy - Yeah I"ve experienced it. What to do? After moaning and whining? Just try to wait it out. Keep reading, do some editing. Try to write a prompt response. But mostly listen to those who know me best. Who say, you will write again. They have always been right. @CassieQ - Yes, many times and there are usually three solutions I found that worked for me. First one, is leave the current project and work on something else, if you can. If you are a one story at a time type of person, maybe try a prompt or some free writing. Then come back to where you were stuck. Usually giving a difficult to write scene some time and space, then coming back to it helps get unstuck. Secondly, skip the scene and write something else in the story. Usually jumping ahead will help. Sometimes, it will even help me see what needs to happen in the previous scene, which will resolve the block. Thirdly, try to take a good hard look at what is keeping you from writing. This is my least favorite, but if I absolutely cannot get past a point and nothing else helps, then I am usually doing something wrong. If I’m bored with the scene, I need to spice it up. If I can’t get a character to act a certain way, then it is probably not in his character to act that way, and I’ll have to find a way around it. My worst writer’s block was somewhere in the NTS series, when I was trying to get one of my characters, Jordan, to act extremely out of character and it just wasn’t working and I couldn’t get past it. I ended up going back and cutting thousands of words out, which really sucked, but once I did that and let Jordan act like Jordan, the words came again. Readers: When reading, what is one thing that will make you stop reading a story? @blake_logan - When something happens in a story that makes it impossible to continue suspending disbelief I stop reading. For example, one thing I can't get past is zombies. I don't have a problem reading about vampires, sorcerers, shape-shifters, etc., but as soon as a zombie shuffles into a scene, I find another story. Inappropriate use of computer jargon is another example of something that can be enough of a disconnect to cause me to stop reading (you can't back-trace an IP address from a damaged SIM card in a burner phone to locate someone). A close second is when the narrator of a story starts describing themselves in the first couple of paragraphs of a story. "But first, I should probably tell you about myself..." is the kiss of death. @Thorn Wilde - A story that is poorly written. I mean grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. The odd typo is fine, it happens, it can get past editors and beta readers. But if I feel like a writer just couldn't be bothered to check their work to create a good product for their readers, then I probably won't bother reading it. @Timothy M. - Mouthwash. I hate mouthwash because it's a commercial scam based on the hoax of halitosis. I first heard about the latter in the British QI program with Stephen Fry. He said halitosis is a fictional problem invented by Listerine who was the first company to sell mouthwash. Every time anyone writes a story where using mouthwash is promoted as a good hygiene thing, they are buying into this lie and perpetuating it. from an Australian Dental Journal paper from 2008: "Whilst many of these products [mouthwash] may have been shown to be effective in penetrating oral microbial biofilms in vitro and reducing oral bacterial load, it would be wise to restrict their use to short-term therapeutic situations if needed. ... There may well be a reason for the use of alcohol-containing mouthrinses, but only for a particular situation and for a limited and controlled period of time. ... mouthwash use should be restricted to adults for short durations and specific, clearly defined reasons." Bad breath is best 'cured' by good dental hygiene, cutting down on food giving you smelly breath, brushing your teeth and tongue. Mints or sugar free chewing gum can help momentarily and certainly taste nicer - or so I'm told by the few people I've talked to since I haven't tried mouthwash. @mollyhousemouse - my biggest turn offs are grammar, and word usage. there are just too many opportunities to have an editor, or beta reader give your story the once over. i understand that we have many fine authors for whom English isn't their first language, and that's OK, great in fact! what better way to become familiar with the language, it's idioms, and idiosyncrasies than to write short stories. but please, check your ego, and ask someone to look it over. Editors: What would be your number one tip that authors should do BEFORE sending their story to their editor? @Timothy M. - If you have a blind spot for a specific error which your editor has pointed out several times in previous chapters / stories, then you'll probably lessen his or her irritation if you check your text for this before sending it. @Thorn Wilde - Don't send your first draft. Check your work to the best of your ability, and send it to your editor when you feel you have done everything you can do on your own. This not only makes the job a bit easier for the editor, but it helps you become a better writer as well. Want to keep this feature going? Check out the Round 2 questions! I've only received a couple of responses to the questions (mostly the Author question). Make sure to get your answers in before December 5th! I look forward to hearing from you!

Anthologies can be found under the stories tab, if you click on the "categories" on the right side of the screen. https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/category/ As for the fall anthology, no, it hasn't been posted yet. Stories will be posted, a few at a time, over a timeline of a few weeks.

It was a crazy night with shopping at Walmart, and then this morning I was otherwise distracted when Baby J decided to roll of the couch in the few seconds I went I to the kitchen. He's fine, but I was in a definite panic and so everything else slipped completely out of my mind.

Sorry all, I completely spaced the prompts this morning. So without further ado, here they are! Prompt 720 – Creative Tag – Family Dinner Everyone has taken turns holding a family dinner, except you. Unfortunately, your luck has run out and everyone is coming to your house not only for dinner, but for the holiday dinner. What do you do? Prompt 721 – Creative Tag – List of words Use the following in a story – a turkey, a balloon, a green coat, a shattered lamp, and a water bottle. Feel free to share your last week's prompt responses in the comments!

Oh, and I Believe in Santa Claus by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers

A couple of mine.... Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks Nine Little Reindeer & Ding-a-Ling the Christmas Bell by Conway Twitty (I actually like his entire Christmas album

I’m thankful for my family. Baby J is the biggest blessing we could ask for. We we do a food drive for the local food bank as part of our light show. We started it last year and hoping this year will be even more of a success.

Geez, I must be losing my touch as once again I just about forgot about the blog! So, before I head off to bed, here are this weeks prompts. Hopefully they spark some ideas for you! Prompt 718 – Creative Tag – Embarrassing Interview You finally have the interview of your dreams. Before it begins you rush to the bathroom, take care of business, wash up, and barely walk back into the waiting room when your name is called. As you head into the interview you hear the other three applicants begin to laugh. Part way through your interview you glace down only to see a long piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe. As you blush in mortification you look down only to see your fly isn’t completely closed either. What happens with the rest of your interview? Prompt 719 – Creative Tag – First Line “Your turn is coming and then we will see!” Did you write a prompt last week? Share a link in the comments!

Well, hello there. Nice of you to come see exactly what a blog info dump entails! Hopefully you'll find it quite informative. I've got a few things to cover, so let's get right into it! First off, thank you to everyone who voted in the anthology poll. There were a total of 42 votes, and spacing out the anthology stories was the clear winner with half the total votes (21). The other half was divided between posting all at once (6), and didn't care either way (15). We'll be giving this way of posting a shot with this upcoming anthology. Now, when am I going to start posting all these stories you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! Speaking of the anthology, don't forget that the deadline is tomorrow!!! Yep, that's right, it's here and you only have another day to get your stories sent to @Valkyrie for her to pair you up with a member of the proof team. Once you receive your stories back, you'll need to fix anything that needs fixing and get it uploaded to GA stories pronto! From what I'm seeing, we're going to have a great group of stories. Next up on today's agenda, blog features! Yep, that's right! Have you checked out the new features that I'm offering in the GA Blog? First up, we have the Guess the Author feature. I've already got some great content from our site authors, and this feature will start at the beginning of the year. New year, new feature, great idea, huh? If you're an author that wants to participate, just PM me and I'll send you all the info! If you've already done that, then you just need to get those answers in to me (if you haven't already done so) and then sit back and wait for your turn to come up. Won't it be fun to sit and watch people trying to guess that it's you, and guess wrong? Another new feature, is the Q & A feature! We have three different ones. One each for Authors, Editors, and Readers! No matter what category you fall into, there's something for you. The first Q & A questions are expired for new responses, but there's a new one. Go check it out and get those next answers to me by December 5th! Let's see, anything else I need to cover? I think that's about it, but I'll also drop this little tid-bit, in case you missed it. @Cia has a new newsletter game planned for all y'all, which she'll unveil sometime after the anthology deadline is past. I know what it is, and I won't spoil the surprise, but I will tell you this much....It's a doozy of a challenge and I can't wait to see who undertakes it! Well, that's it for today! Have a great day and don't forget to join in on all the various opportunities. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you to everyone who messaged your answers for the first Q & A! New questions up top!!!!

Who's ready for another story review? You're in luck then, as Puppilull has prepared one for lomax61's Twelve Gays of Christmas! Before we get to the review though, we would really like if a member of the community would be willing to provide a review for the December slot. The review team is working on a special treat for everyone and if someone could sign up, that would be awesome! If you're interested in getting one of your favorite stories some attention, send a message to @Timothy M. Now, onto the review! Twelve Gays of Christmas lomax61 Reviewer: Puppilull Status: Complete Word Count: 53,556 I can’t believe it! It’s that time of year already. The holiday season, where all shall twinkle along with the tinsel and stars, all happy and cozy, fa-la-laing in joyous harmony as fluffy snowflakes gently blanket the world outside. Except not all Christmases live up to those standards. When your husband has left you, for a woman no less, your circle of friends is falling apart and nothing seems to be going the way you planned – what do you do? You get on with it, of course! What else? Trevor is not about to let a deserting husband, friends away in far off places, breakup of his best friend, and death of another dear friend stop him from celebrating Christmas as they have been for the past years. The plans will go ahead or he’ll be forced to admit defeat. And he is not defeated. Sticking to their plans, the remaining gang with a few add-ons departs to a remote location in Scotland for the holidays. Off they go, this motley crew of old friends, new acquaintances taking the places of others, among them Trevor’s ex and Mary, the new woman. Yes, his rival will be joining them for the celebrations. Does this sound like an excellent idea? No, I didn’t think so either… Of course, there are arguments already from the get go, when Mary turns out to be a bit demanding to put it mildly. But in the midst of all the drama, the son of the landlord shows up. Enter the delicious Rudy. Trevor is instantly smitten, but what will Rudy think? And what is lurking in his not so distant past? Twelve Gays of Christmas is a fun but heartfelt read. You get the Christmas feel and also the romance to warm your cold evenings. The characters are well written, both the ones you root for and the ones you mostly want to hit over the head with a snow shovel. I found the villains also have some redeeming traits, even if I was pretty much alone in feeling sympathy for the Supervillain of the story (read to see who that is…). This keeps them from being cardboard cut outs and instead are people you can somehow understand. Most of all it’s a nice read, perfect for an evening in with some tea, a warm blanket and a crackling fire. It will set you in the right mood for Christmas. And perhaps add a slight longing for just a little more romance and drama in your own life… So unwrap this story as your own special Christmas treat. You are worth it! Category: Fiction Genres: Romance Tags: mature adult, gay, rural, anal, serious, celebrity, modern, christmas Rating: Mature

Better late than never! This is an open ended feature which will continue as long as I have content for it (so far, at one a year, I have enough for a year), so feel free to PM me if you want to get a spot in the queue

Are you looking for yet another writing opportunity here at Gay Authors? Luckily for you, we offer weekly writing opportunities for you. And if you don't know what to write, or just need that little push to get started, then the Writing Prompts are for you! Also, while talking about writing opportunities, don't forget that the deadline for the Fall Anthology is fast approaching. Make sure to send your stories to @Valkyrie no later than the 15th. Now, let's look at this week's prompts! Prompt 716 – Creative Tag – The Lie It is a beautiful day and you call out of work saying you are sick. Deciding you will enjoy the day you head out to the city and take the train. Going down the stairs to the track, you are struck from behind and fall down the stairs, slamming your shoulder, breaking your collar bone. The accident is caught on camera and is shown on the local news. How do you explain when it is shown all over? Prompt 717 – Creative Tag – Vampire You’ve been reading everything you can get your hands on about vampires. You read about sparkly vampires, white chalky vampires, ugly vampires, and seductive ones. None of them seem to fit the creature you seen last week or again last night. What is the vampire like? So, did you take advantage of the writing opportunity last week? Don't forget to share your prompt responses in the comments!

Thanks, molly!!!

Hi, hi, y'all! For those that missed Wednesday's post, I'm back!!!! Not even a week back, and I already almost forgot a blog post, and then just as I was about done, the server was down. Luckily it came back up and I was able to post! I'm out of practice. After today though, @wildone will continue to do the weekly wrap up for a little while longer while I get settled back into the saddle. Speaking of the server, the size of some threads are negatively impacting the memory on our dedicated server which, in turn, affects the site performance. As such, in the near future we will be archiving certain threads in the Forum Games and Humor and Chat. The threads will still be visible, but they will not be able to be added to or searched. New threads can be created to replace the ones that are being archived, but you won't be able to reply to the old threads. We trust you understand why this technical task is necessary. You can read @Myr's post here! Before we get into the wrap up for the week, I have a reminder for everyone, as well as a couple of new things. Don't forget that your anthologies are due in to the proof team no later than November 15th! Regarding the anthologies, we're contemplating a new posting schedule for the anthologies to give the anthology a lot more exposure. I have a poll up, but it's not going to be up very long and will close this Friday. Make sure to get your vote in, by visiting the forum thread. There's also a couple of new blog opportunities, not just for authors, but for editors and readers too! First off, if you're an author you can join in on Guess the Author! If you are an author, an editor, or a reader, make sure to check out the other upcoming blog opportunities. We also have our themes for next year, which was announced on Wednesday, but they are: 2019 Spring Anthology Due: May 15, 2019 In the Stars Snapped 2019 Fall Anthology Due: November 15, 2019 Fall From Grace Raincheck As you can see, I've been busy coming up with new ideas. If you have an idea for a blog feature, I'd love to hear it. I can't guarantee I can use all of them, but I'm always looking for new content for the blog. Now, on to the wrap up! Anthologies 2018 Fall Anthology: Fight Back - Due Nov 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Good Intentions - Due Nov 15th 2019 Spring Anthology: In the Stars - Due May 15th 2019 Spring Anthology: Snapped - Due May 15th Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) Story Recommendations: Open to all GA authors & readers. PM your recommendation and why you recommend it to a Site Admin. Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Story Recommendations: Open to all GA authors & readers. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Questions & Answers: Open to all GA authors, readers, and editors. Visit the thread and PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Premium Updates: Harbinger by Cia *Premium* Classic Updates: Conversations With Myself by Altimexis Trek or Treat by Altimexis Signature Updates: A prompt a week by comicfan Adrift by Mann Ramblings Aria Graice by Nephylim Canes by CarlHoliday Denied by Cia Halloween on the Cul-de-Sac by comicfan Irreverent Tales by AC Benus Mojo by AC Benus One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews Promising Updates: Delicious by Mikiesboy Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso Innocent Sacrifice by Sasha Distan; Book 8 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Only Prompts by Mikiesboy The Church and the Tradesman by Dodger ***Check out this GA Classic*** I’ No More by Luc 2006 Winter Anthology Poem Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Anyone else want to sign up? Just PM me!!!! And to all those who have already signed up, Thank You! Don't forget to get your answers in to secure your spot in the queue. Authors will be posted in the order they are received.

Happy Friday, y'all! Hope you all have had an awesome week. Are you ready for this week's prompts from @comicfan? Have a wonderful weekend! Prompt 714 – Creative Tag – List of words Use the following words in a story – a purple umbrella, a bagel, a crumpled newspaper, a seagull, and a garbage can. Prompt 715 – Creative Tag – First Line “What the hell is that?” Did you write a prompt last week? Share the link for it below!