Renee Stevens

I'm so sorry Steve. I agree with drpaladin, words seem so inadequate. I knew things were looking grim, but had hoped maybe he rallied, which is why I'm just now seeing this. You know where I am if you need me.

Upcoming Anthology Due: October 31, 2021 Top Themes A Winding Path An Unconventional Gift Pot Luck Themes Pick Your Poison - Lockdown - Left Behind - Dire Monotony - Mutation is Progress - Blood Moon Birthday Presents - Falling for Fall - Elves or Elvis? - Life’s Past - The Woods Rings of Fire - Plateau Wolves - Rock - Men and Women - A Legend Retold Echoes - The Last Sentinel - Tomorrow - A Label - Surpassing - Twilight Falling There's your list of themes! You can check out the full list of rules and guidelines in the anthology forum, but take a look at this entry from last year! The Apostles Author: @Cole Matthews Theme: Shadows Jason Whitlock has a job to do. He needs to serve some papers, so he's traveling to a small island on Lake Superior to accomplish this task. Things pop up that make him start thinking about his life, who he really is, and what it means. Reader Comments: northie: What a fascinating character study contained within a story which drip-fed information only as and when the author wanted it to be known. chris191070: Thanks for a great story. It had plenty of twists to it Valkyrie: I found this story riveting. I love the slow reveal of information

Nope, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, you've got me to finish out the week, and the month. I'm not as good as Steve with the intro's, so let's just get right into it. We only had a couple of blogs this week, so since this will be a quick wrap up, I'll just do a quick reminder to start it out. If you're interested in writing for the next anthology, you have 3 months left to get your story written and to the proof team. The deadline for the fall anthology is October 31st and you have lots of themes to choose from. You can find the list of themes at the bottom of this blog post. For our first blog post of the week, Cia joined us with July's CSR Discussion. For our second and last post of the week, Steve reposted a couple of Comicfan's old prompts. Don't forget to let us know what your favorite Comicfan prompt was so that we can re-feature it in the future! Now, what were Myr's words of the day for this week! And which one did you find most interesting? lackluster puerile nemesis palpable waif vaticination reminisce Anthologies 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. ** I know we had a volunteer step up for the upcoming week review, but if there is anyone willing to help our Review Team out over the summer, it would be much appreciated!! ** Premium Updates: On Fire by Cia *Premium* Classic Updates: Bloom by Dabeagle Panic2: Draw Me by Dabeagle Stuff People Do by Ronyx The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis Signature Updates: Ancalagon by Cia Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens GFD: Children Of Sunset by Comicality; Book 0 of GFD: Children Of Sunset Northern Exposure by Mark Arbour; Book 8 of Bridgemont On Fire by Cia Prickly Prompts by Aditus Promptings from Valhalla by Valkyrie tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy Translation Trashbin by AC Benus; Book 7 of Verse Promising Updates: The Reluctant Consort by lilansui

Did Wayne call anyone else kiddo? He called me kiddo all the time! I even remember telling him "Wayne, I'm not a kid." He was like "I know that, you're a kiddo."

This is not a blog post that I thought I'd ever have to make, and it pains me greatly to write it now, so please bear with me. It is with a saddened heart that I must announce the passing of my dear friend, and fellow author, Wayne, aka @comicfan He's gone by many titles on GA over the years, though most of you may know him as the "prompt guru" who posted prompts every Friday to help get the writing juices flowing. Wayne was definitely one of a kind, and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Whether you'd known him for years, or barely met him, he would always have a kind word to say. Gay Authors will definitely not be the same without him. He was a friend to everyone and he touched many people with his words, whether just in passing or in his stories. He had the biggest heart of anyone I know. If you were having a rough time, he was there, and if you were part of his card list, you might get a postcard or a card in the mail, just letting you know you weren't alone and that he was thinking of you. I truly never met anyone like him, and I will forever miss my friend. For the remainder of the week, all staff blogs will be put on pause as we remember this wonderful person who left the world far to soon. Please feel free to share your memories of Wayne in the comments.

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner! First of all, I want to thank all of the authors who participated in the flash fiction challenge that we held in June! Unfortunately, there could only be 1 winner. And the winner, with the most votes, was.... kbois Congratulations!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We had a blast here at my house, celebrating our little mans 3rd birthday! To start you week off, we have this great review for you to check out. Enjoy! Trophy Cub Grumpy Bear Reviwer: Chris191070 Status: Complete Word Count: 78,733 This isn't your normal were-creature story, in fact the first few chapters contain quite disturbing content. If you find scenes of rape, violence and group sex disturbing then this isn't the story for you. But bearing that it mind, if you get past the first 7 or 8 chapters, you'll be OK. This story introduces us to Mike who is hoping to find his Mr Right on Bear Night, but that all goes wrong when he is kidnapped by a sadistic Lycan pack who imprison him and use him as their human sex slave. One night he's taken to a bar where he's used and abused by the lycans. This is where we learn he's Bear Kindred and he finds his Mr Right, only it's not that simple. What follows is a story that introduces us to were-bears, their history and the adventures it takes Gunnar to rescue his Cub. The secondary characters are a delight and add love and humor. As astone2292 says: In terms of the perspective of the were-creature genre, the author does his work to set his universe apart from others. Placing a stress of importance on kindred humans is both refreshing and welcome. This is the first story from this author and the first Book in the Were-bears in America. For those who love were-creature stories that contain a sliver of hope, this a great story. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Paranormal Tags: mature adult, were-creatures, adult, north america, anal, oral, rape, violent Rating: Mature

Wow, it's been a while since I've done one of these, let's see if I remember how! I'm going to get right to it before little fingers come help me (he's supposed to be sleeping, but that doesn't always happen). So let's get right into it! Before Cia could kick off the Classic Author Week, Myr jumped in on Sunday with a couple of blogs about updates to the site. Then for Monday and Wednesday, Cia brought us the Classic Author Features! Going back a day, on Tuesday I (Renee) shared with you the entries for the Pride Flash Fiction contest. If you haven't already done so, go take a look and then vote for your favorite in the poll on the blog! Then Friday, we had the Anthology Wrap Up. Lots of great stories this go around, so once again, if you haven't already, I'd strongly suggest you check them out. And finally, Myr finished of our week with another blog about changes coming to the site. If three blogs from Myr weren't enough for the week, we also had his "Word of the Day" blogs. What were this weeks words, well, lets see! Sunday - Reconcile Monday - Wifty Tuesday - Illustrious Wednesday - Ergogenic Thursday - Flapdoodle Friday - Distrait Saturday - Falsetto Anthologies 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 and @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. Premium Updates: On Fire by Cia *Premium* Classic Updates: Panic2: Draw Me by Dabeagle Stuff People Do by Ronyx The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis Signature Updates: Ancalagon by Cia Birds by Parker Owens Lorca's "Ode to Walt Whitman" by AC Benus Lucid Truth by Stellar Musings of a Mongoose by Cynus On Fire by Cia Only Prompts by Mikiesboy Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!)

So, has everyone read all the anthologies? If not, here's another chance to check them out! 2021 Spring Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support Myr Proof Team Rec Valkyrie Parker Owens Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

You're welcome! Thank you for participating!

We had a few takers! Check these stories out and then comeback here to the poll and vote for your favorite!

Yes, though as long as they post around then I'll include them. I know there's some issues with the post dating, and as long as the link was posted in the thread I'll include it. If it didn't publish for whatever reason, I'll go in and manually publish as long as the link is posted before the thread locks.

Happy Thursday, y'all! Hope you are all having a great week. First thing first, I missed an anthology entry for On The Road last week, so we'll start with that one and then go into the "Potluck" themes. Happy Reading!

Sorry all, a bit behind today, so I'm just gonna give you today's review! Famous Last by lomax61 Reviewer: Talo Segura Status: Complete Word Count: 92,849 This book, published in November 2020 is set in contemporary Britain during the pandemic, something which the author handles well. It has a very British tone with expressions such as, "Freezing his bollocks off..." and, yes it's the winter, the story takes place over a few months leading up to Christmas and the New Year. Mr Lomax (the author) has a narrative style which elaborates not only his characters' thoughts and emotions, but their expressions, "Welcome surprise melted away his pissed-off mood. When he read the words again, pleasure curled in his stomach and his heart rate sped up. Of its own volition, a smile pushed its way to the surface and fixed itself on his face. Looking into space, he fanned himself with the card." Some of the metaphors, which flow thick and fast, bypassed me, "I'll Jamie Lee Curtis him if he tries anything." I certainly liked our protagonist, Spencer, how he comforted himself and wrestled with his own insecurities. He is the sort of guy you would enjoy being with and perhaps sharing a laugh together, but he doesn't give anything of himself away, so was always just the person you met and you never felt anything more. When Spencer's dad starts asking about boyfriends and thinking Spencer must, like all gay men, hook up on Gumblr, which Spencer corrects him on, Grindr, it gets more hilarious still. "Your brother used to have a waiting list courtesy of his straight one, Tinkler.” “Tinder!” said Spencer, horrified at the thought of an app by the name his father supplied." That made me laugh, I think our author has a wicked sense of humour. “So what do you make of the Sugar Boys?” “Sugar Boys?” “Tate and Lyle.” Spencer had choked on his tonic water. He hadn’t made the connection to the sugar company." Nor did I until it was made clear and caused yet more humour, although I should add that in Britain Tate and Lyle is to sugar what Hoover is to vacuum cleaners. The descriptions conjure up the exact picture and even (for me) provide education, having never encountered "mocktails" before, well not the word to describe the drink, although eminently suitable as an epithet. "Five of them shared a table overlooking the seafront—Peony happily agreeing to join them—as the foul-weathered light show playing out over the English Channel occasionally dragged their attention away from conversation. His brother sat with his arm protectively around Peony the whole time as she sipped on her pomegranate mocktail..." Whilst swept along with the unrolling story, carried on the waves of clever conversation and sharp observation, one nevertheless feels at pain to discover any deeper emotional connection. The characters are very real, representative of the host of people we encounter in our lives, but we only get the gloss and hardly touch any depth. Take the quasi suicide evoked when Spenser first meets Marshall, it was nothing more than a pretence play in a superficial world which leaves you wondering if anyone is affected by anything. Don't read that wrong, it's immensely entertaining, well written, and easy to read, it simply throws up a whole question about the lives these people are living. Later, as the romance builds, things get notably more dramatic, it is a slow build up, but along the way somewhere, I think everyone starts rooting for Spencer. When the author tells us about Killian's brilliant piece for the magazine and his use of malapropisms, one of the examples quoted is simply hilarious, "a former Tory minister decrying the Chinese authorities for banning the people of Hong Kong from enjoying 'universal suffering’ like the rest of the civilised world." When Joe turns up at the Bangladeshi restaurant, looking the worst for wear, it becomes apparent that there is a deeper emotional drama running through the story. There is more to this tale than a simple budgeoning romance in the glamourous, but rather superficial world of lifestyle magazine publishing. It would be an aweful pun to say we reach the climax of the story in the middle of the book, I say this only because I have my reservations about the place of graphic sex scenes. Lines like, "I want you inside me." which come as a relief to our handsome and debonair Marshall, are somewhat cringe-worthy. Then the graphic detail, "...he gasped aloud when a new coat of cooling lube pressed into his entrance. ...switching to a couple of fingers to loosen him up, gently but firmly twisting and probing, before adding another, ...maintaining the eager kissing until Spencer felt ready to come unglued." For me, the author came a little unstuck himself by indulging in the quasi-porn which, although at least one reader found it "hot," I'm sure others skipped through. My point is not with the graphic nature of the scene, but rather with having virtually a whole chapter of sex. A bit too much! Mr Lomax himself told me what he expected from a review and I believe I have fulfilled all requirements, like Spencer, perhaps I should get the job? "People often think the reviews are simply a reviewer's personal opinion about a production, which, in fairness, is what they generally are. But a true theatre review is created to guide somebody who is considering seeing a play, to give them background; an outline of the plot, about the historical setting, cultural significance, and relevance, and about some of the characters. Criticism should form only a small part of the review and, in my opinion, be wholly substantiated." If I have to sum all this up, and I do, I would label it light entertainment in the very best tradition. The kind of book you can take on holiday or read on the way to work. The observation and characterisation is great, the dialogue spot on, and the descriptive narrative welĺ drawn. It is most definitely of our time, the twenty-twenties, and the handling of the global health crisis is perfect. Like the whole story, it is there in perfect measure, as is the the very ordinary British family and the totally believable working life of Spencer. There is glitz, glamour, and celebraties, drama and angst, but above all there is romance, because this is after all a romance novel. It is superbly done, what more could you want? Go read it, and enjoy yourself. Category: Fiction Genres: Romance Tags: mature adult, adult, urban, europe, anal, light-hearted, 20th century, christmas. Rating: Mature

Ready for a couple of new stories to read? It's time to post the first set of anthologies, which will consist of the theme "On The Road". We had two takers for this top theme, so we hope you enjoy! Happy reading and don't forget to leave the author a comment!

Upcoming Anthology Due: October 31, 2021 Top Themes A Winding Path An Unconventional Gift Pot Luck Themes Pick Your Poison - Lockdown - Left Behind - Dire Monotony - Mutation is Progress - Blood Moon Birthday Presents - Falling for Fall - Elves or Elvis? - Life’s Past - The Woods Rings of Fire - Plateau Wolves - Rock - Men and Women - A Legend Retold Echoes - The Last Sentinel - Tomorrow - A Label - Surpassing - Twilight Falling There's your list of themes! You can check out the full list of rules and guidelines in the anthology forum, but take a look at this entry from last year! The Seven7h Magpie Author: @lomax61 Theme: Shadows One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl and four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. I am sure many of you, like me, learned this children's nursery rhyme about magpies. According to an old superstition, the number of magpies seen predicts whether you will have good or bad luck. Something I came across subsequently, was the existence of many variations on this rhyme, some more sinister than the children’s version. One of those is incorporated into this short story about boyhood abuse. Reader Comments: chris191070: Well certainly not your normal fair. A great story using the nursery ryme that's make the sad story, mind blowing. 84Mags: It’s hauntingly wonderful. Imaginative, creative, and heart wrenching. Valkyrie: This story was captivating, chilling, creepy, and oh so good!

Okay, so here's more details for the flash fiction contest! Want the chance to win a 3 month subscription to Premium content? We're hosting a Pride month flash fiction contest! Just a reminder: All entries must abide by GA's content guidelines, which can be found here: Flash Length: 100 to 1000 words Poetry: Up to 3 poems Deadline: June 19th Subject: Stories must be new, never before posted, flash stories. After you write your story: Posting: Post your flash fiction in GA Stories, and post date it for June 21, 2021, 12:00 PM. I know this means that stories won't post all at the same time due to different time zones, but thats OK. I will do a blog post for the 22nd of June listing all of the entries. Next: Post the link to your flash fiction in the thread in Writer's Circle. Your story link MUST be posted in the thread prior to June 19th, 2021, 11:59 MST as the thread will automatically lock. If your story is not posted by that time it will not be included in the voting. Please DO NOT message me the link. Voting will be done via a poll, most likely in the blog post containing all the story links that will post on June 22nd. Voting will end on June 30th and the winner of the 3 month Premium will be announced in the wrap up on July 4, 2021. Happy Writing!

They will be posted in the next day or two. The due date will be the 19th, Authors will put their own entries into the system and post date them, and there will be a thread to post links in. I am trying to have the post ready for tomorrow.

Unfortunately yes, 1000 is a hard limit.

Want to write something short and sweet? Want the chance to win a 3 month subscription to Premium content? We're hosting a Pride month flash fiction contest! Flash Length: 100 to 1000 words Poetry: Up to 3 poems Deadline: June 19th Subject: Now all we need is the submission and voting details, which will be posted soon. Until then, get writing! You have until the 19th to write between 100 and 1000 words!

Upcoming Anthology Due: October 31, 2021 Top Themes A Winding Path An Unconventional Gift Pot Luck Themes Pick Your Poison - Lockdown - Left Behind - Dire Monotony - Mutation is Progress - Blood Moon Birthday Presents - Falling for Fall - Elves or Elvis? - Life’s Past - The Woods Rings of Fire - Plateau Wolves - Rock - Men and Women - A Legend Retold Echoes - The Last Sentinel - Tomorrow - A Label - Surpassing - Twilight Falling There's your list of themes! You can check out the full list of rules and guidelines in the anthology forum, but take a look at this entry from last year! Born Again Author: @Valkyrie Theme: Shadows Jeremiah is picked up by the police after being caught digging up a body in a cornfield in the middle of the night. His explanation leaves investigators with more questions than answers. Reader Comments: lomax61: Whether a person believes in the concept of reincarnation or not, this is nevertheless a beautiful tale filled with love and karma and closure. nix: It was creepy, it was scary, it was bittersweet. I love it so much! Ivor Slipper: That was indeed a thought provoking story. Anything is possible I guess.

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. To help you start your week off right, check out this review from Aditus! Sentinels C.T. Piatt Reviewer: Aditus Status: Complete Word Count: 8,475 I was immediately intrigued when I read: Father Allen is one of few priests whose duty it is to visit Heaven and hear the confessions of fallen angels. He gives absolution if he feels their regret is sincere. Without his absolution, the Fallen cannot go before God to ask for forgiveness. Without forgiveness, however, their souls are forever lost. A human priest is needed to save a fallen angel’s soul. Why? Because we know all about sin? Father Allen is once again called to Heaven, where he meets an angel unlike any he’s met before, as he refuses absolution. However, the archangels Gabriel and Michael insist he give absolution anyway. The priest refuses, even though he has to defy an archangel. “Not until he confesses and pleads." Dutiful, Father Allen tries to bring the Fallen to confess and regret his sin. When the angel still refuses to confess and plead, the priest asks Raphael for his sin. After the archangel reveals it to him, the priest becomes furious; he even goes so far as to spit at the Fallen. He is absolutely sure there is no point in waiting for a confession and offering absolution. Because of the gravity of the sin, the angel would never be received again into Heaven. It’s written in the Scriptures. Over time, their conversation becomes more and more personal. Once, the Fallen asks him, "Have you loved, Priest?" When the priest gives only a generic answer, he sends him away with, “Come back when you have loved.” The author works a lot with colors: white, black, grey, brown, blue, red. Fallen angels normally have black eyes, but this particular angel’s eyes are blue. Why? I had some guesses, but answer them for yourself. The condition of the Fallen and his cell changes throughout the story. Again, why? Does it represent his feelings? His mood? Another reason? At the end, I asked myself, who was the confessor? Who’s the sinner? As you can see, I had many questions and not all of them are answered. It made me think about the story again and again. For me, that signifies a good story. See for yourself, and tell me or, even better, the author if you agree. Category: Fiction Genres: Paranormal Tags: young adult, mature adult, angels, gay, no sex, serious, 20th century Rating: Everyone

Upcoming Anthologies Spring/Summer Due: May 31st, 2021 Top Themes On the Road Forbidden Pot Luck Themes But Wait; There’s More - Through a Glass Darkly - Of Gods and Monsters - It Takes All Kinds - Darkness Falls Boys of the Hills - You Wouldn’t Understand - On the Beach - Great Balls of Fire - Laughter, the Best Medicine Ozark Rumors - The Tracks - National Park - The Warmest Color - A Visitation - New Moon Turn Back Time - Chiaroscuro - Jump Ship - King of Eighteen - Up! Fall/Winter Due: October 31st, 2021 Top Themes A Winding Path An Unconventional Gift Pot Luck Themes Pick Your Poison - Lockdown - Left Behind - Dire Monotony - Mutation is Progress - Blood Moon Birthday Presents - Falling for Fall - Elves or Elvis? - Life’s Past - The Woods Rings of Fire - Plateau Wolves - Rock - Men and Women - A Legend Retold Echoes - The Last Sentinel - Tomorrow - A Label - Surpassing - Twilight Falling There's your list of themes! You can check out the full list of rules and guidelines in the anthology forum, but take a look at this entry from last year! Explosions Author: @Carlos Hazday Theme: Full Moon Countless stories have been told about the sinking of Atlantis. The island paradise first mentioned by Plato, has become a popular location in fiction and engendered countless expeditions to locate its remains. However, little has been written about the band of wolf lycan who lived there or what happened to them after the cataclysm. This is their tale. Reader Comments: Terry P: A very interesting telling of the Lost Atlantis Story. As usual your excellent story telling made this all the more enjoyable. Headstall: Interesting take on the Atlantis mystery/fable/legend, Carlos, and a good explanation for how your dolphin shifters came to be. JeffreyL: As a fan of mythology this story really appealed to me! It is a bit of a departure for you, but your ability to tell a tale shone through.

Sorry all, it was a crazy busy weekend! Since I'm running behind, let's just get straight into the review! The Cockney Canuck by Dodger Reviewer: Timothy M. Status: Incomplete Word Count: 883,024 How to review a story which was begun more than five years ago, is the third longest on GA, with 148 chapters, 222 devoted followers and, while incomplete, is still going strong? I admire Dodger immensely for persevering and holding us captive year after year, waiting to find out which new calamity will befall Robbie, the protagonist. He is the Cockney Canuck of the title, a London lad relocating to Canada, when his mother dies. He is portrayed realistically, with all the raging hormones, moody temper and stubborn behavior to be expected from a distraught, emotional teen. But Robbie also has a strong sense of right and wrong and how to annoy the idiots and bigots he encounters. His choices are not always smart, but somehow we understand why he reacts the way he does, and I think most readers have stayed loyal supporters of Robbie. This is a credit to Dodgers’ writing skills, because there’s plenty of ranting, hair tearing, yelling, and even crying from readers riding the CC rollercoaster. There are some dark spots (e.g. sexual abuse, violence, suicide thoughts) along the way, but mostly the distress we feel for Robbie is caused by the challenges of a gay teen trying to navigate in a small town community, where he is the new kid in school trying to make friends, as well as fit into his new family. Sometimes he is his own worst enemy, but other times we feel proud of him for his loyalty to his friends and the way he wants to comfort hurt people. Robbie needs and craves love, and mostly I think he has success in finding people capable of mutual caring. Why not join the Cockney Canuck Club and find out for yourself how Robbie’s story ends? We don’t know yet, but I have no doubt it will be epic. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance Tags: teen, bisexual, north america, coming of age, adopt, modern Rating: Mature

If you have any questions, send me a message or you can always comment on the blog or in the forum thread! Roll Call: if you have an anthology entry, comment below! If you want, you can even share your story name and description to make your readers drool in anticipation! ~2021 Spring/Summer Anthology~ Now, let's take a look at the themes and guidelines for the first anthology of 2021! The themes of the 2021 Anthology #1 are: Top Theme #1: On the Road Top Theme #2: Forbidden Potluck Themes: But Wait; There’s More Through a Glass Darkly Of Gods and Monsters It Takes All Kinds Darkness Falls Boys of the Hills You Wouldn’t Understand On the Beach Great Balls of Fire Laughter, the Best Medicine Ozark Rumors The Tracks National Park The Warmest Color A Visitation New Moon Turn Back Time Chiaroscuro Jump Ship King of Eighteen Up! Note: If you use a potluck theme, when posting to GA Stories, please include in the description: "Pot Luck Theme: [Insert Theme Here]" so that we can see what themes were used! Thank you! Feel free to interpret these themes in any way you want. The anthologies are not exclusive, but inclusive, so don't worry if you think your entry has only a tangential link to the theme. If you are inspired, then write a short story, poem or play, and submit it. Please read these submission guidelines carefully. You may address these themes in any style or genre you choose. Be as creative as you want to be with the themes. However, please note that this anthology is an anthology of short stories. By definition, a short story must stand alone and not require reading a prior story. It therefore cannot be a chapter in a serial. Who may participate Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. However, submission to GA Stories requires that you be a member here at GA so you can be assigned as the author. If you have author status (which is free and you can get after five posts in the GA forums), you can submit stories. Submission Guidelines Submission Date: May 31, 2021 Please Note: Submission date is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team. Proofreads should take no more than 72 hours once you have been paired with a proofreader, if you have not received your story back within 72 hours, please contact Renee Stevens via PM. If you send your stories in within the last 48 hours of the deadline, you have 48 hours after receiving it back to upload it in order for it to be included in the Anthology. Non-Poetry No Story Limit: Each story submitted must meet quality and editing guidelines and only one story can be under 1,000 words. Each story posted as its own submission Minimum Word Count Per Story: 1,000 Maximum Word Count Per Story: 25,000 Poetry Up to five poems Posted as a single submission (a collection) Each poem posted as its own chapter Submission Procedure *Please read carefully* Once your story is complete and has gone through your beta and editing team, please complete the following steps: Contact @Valkyrie via PM. Include in the PM the following information: Title, original editor, genre, synopsis, word count, and excerpt in the body of the PM. Attach your story file. You will be paired with an editor from the Anthology Proof Team who will perform a final proof for the anthology and return the file to you. *Please Note: The Anthology Proof Team is not meant to take the place of an author’s normal editing team so all entries MUST be edited prior to contacting Valkyrie* Once you receive your proofed file, complete your edits and submit your story into GA Stories, for help, please read How do I upload my anthology entry into GA Stories? Make sure the story is unpublished by clicking BOTH the publish sliders, one for the chapter and one for the story itself Select “Fiction” as the category. It will be moved to the correct category by the anthology team. Mark your story as COMPLETE. Only completed stories are allowed in the anthologies Description for Pot Luck stories - Please include "Pot Luck Theme: [Insert Theme Here]" in your description Please note that once you submit a story it will NOT show up in your list of stories until the anthology has gone live. Copy the URL for your story and provide Renee Stevens with the URL via the announcement thread so that your submission may be checked to ensure it has been submitted correctly and meets submission guidelines. This also ensures that it will get moved to the anthology category. Please give the URL to the STORY page, not the chapter page. *NEW* Each theme will have it's own category and forum thread. When providing the URL for your story please choose the link thread for the correct theme. Renee will not be responsible for posting it in the wrong category if it was not posted in the correct thread. [*]Please do a visual check of your story once it has been uploaded to ensure that it uploaded correctly. If it did not, contact Renee Stevens. IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT do ANYTHING with your story once it has been submitted to the anthology. We lock edits to anthologies, but we can only lock so much and trying to make ANY changes can cause issues with the system. If there is something with your story that absolutely needs fixed, added, etc, PLEASE contact Renee Stevens or another Admin prior to attempting anything. Thank you! Extensions Occasionally things happen that prevent an author from meeting the deadline. If you should find yourself in such a predicament, PM Renee Stevens, before the deadline (not the day of or after), and something may be able to be worked out. Please contact Renee only if you need an extension; requests will only be considered when requested by the author personally. However, if the same author is consistently asking for extra time, extensions may no longer be granted for that particular author. Deadlines exist for a reason. The Anthology Team needs time to prep the anthology to go live and extensions, while occasionally warranted due to unforeseeable circumstances, add to the already hectic workload. If you have NOT made arrangements with Renee prior to the deadline, your Anthology will not be included. Please do not send a message the day an anthology is due requesting an extension, these will not be granted. You are welcome to post your story on your own and include a story note stating that it was originally meant to be part of the anthology. Story Titles Please do not use the anthology themes or your GA Username as a title. Be as original as you can. In case of duplicate titles within the anthology, we will request that titles be changed. Unacceptable entries & Content Warnings Entries that are obviously unedited (containing many errors), are overly graphic, or which are deemed to have unacceptable content will be either declined outright, or changes may be requested as a condition of entry. For information on what is considered to be unacceptable, please see the Story Content Rules FAQ. If you still have questions, ask. Please include a Content Warning in the story notes if your story contains sensitive content. Examples of sensitive content: abuse, especially graphic/extreme abuse or child abuse, in-scene graphic violence, suicide attempts/themes, allowable incest, etc... if you're unsure that your story falls within this type of content please alert Valkyrie when you send the PM requesting the final proof. Previously posted stories (whether at GA or elsewhere) are not eligible for inclusion into the GA anthologies. Editing All entries MUST be edited prior to being sent to the Anthology Proof Team. If you need an editor, please visit the Writing Support Requests forum to request one. There are editors who prefer to edit only one shots, such as anthologies. Please make sure to state that your story is for the upcoming anthology. Also, please make sure to follow the guidelines when requesting an editor. If your story is clearly NOT edited, your story will be returned and the proof team is under no obligation to provide a proof read until it has been edited. Copyright As with all content in GA Stories, the rights remain with the individual authors. Your story will post with a simple 2021 copyright notice, using your GA user display name. If you have another preference (for example, a different name, or a Creative Commons license, or specific copyright wording you'd like to use), please include that with your submission. However, with this anthology, by submitting your story, you are giving GayAuthors.org first worldwide rights with 14 days exclusivity. What that means is you are giving GayAuthors.org permission to archive your story on its website, distribute it via RSS, kindle, iphone, ipad, eyeball…. And you agree not to publish it anywhere else for 2 weeks. If you later decide to post your story at another site, please mention at the beginning or end of the story that it was first published as part of the 2021 Gay Authors Anthology #1: [Insert Theme Here], and include a link back to GA if possible. If you have any questions, please contact Renee Stevens via PM or via the Anthology Blog or Forum.