Renee Stevens

Thank you, Sir!!!

Hand gripping my elbow Guiding me through the throng Voice whispering over the din You’ve got this, babygirl I know you’ll make me proud Fingers tight around my wrist Every finger squeezing tight Voice cutting through the noise You’re ready for this, my girl I know you’ll make me proud The room is getting brighter The shadows fade away I suddenly feel lighter And step on through that doo

Thank you, Sir. i will be okay, Sir, just a lot going on in my mind right now. Mainly anger at myself.

I don’t expect you to understand The thoughts flitting through my head I don’t expect you to know The thoughts filling me with dread I don’t expect you to recognize The thoughts that make me cry I don’t expect you to acknowledge The thoughts that make me hide For you are not a mind reader You can’t know what’s deep inside For you are not a psychic You can’t see that which I choose to hide

You're welcome Gary. As for my trip.... just hoping I don't fall flat on my face!

Thank you, Sir, i'm glad one of us believes so. Just not feeling very strong right now.

Thank you, jp. i definitely need to find better ways to cope when my emotions get the best from me. Sometimes i think that maybe i'm not all that strong. xoxo

He definitely is, i won the Hubby lottery with Him. It's so hard to find the kind of hats i like, so when He found three of them, ALL in Pink Camo, He just bought em all. Right now, He is building a walkway to scare the kiddies on Halloween (after building me displays for GRL).

Thank you, moggy. Just need to make it through this week and hopefully most things will settle down.

i'm trying, tim, i really am. We even went for a drive yesterday to get away from everything and keep my mind off things, but when we got home, it was still there...waiting. (Though the drive wasn't a total wash, we went to a nature preserve and despite there being NO animals where we could see them Hubby did find me some new hats and when i couldn't pick one, He bought all three!)

Thank you, Def. I'm trying.

I wrote that late this morning/early afternoon, Sir. i've been on my Xanax for the past two days.

Thank you, Cassie.

A heavy weight on my shoulders A tenseness through my limbs Heart thudding in my chest Tears sneaking past my lids A lump in my throat And unable to catch my breath I must take action Need to do it now Release the tension Remove the weight Time to catch my breath And stop the tears Hope for numbness And to no longer care One thing will fix it all And it's just half of one little pill

If you've read the weekly wrap up, you now know that I will be attending the GRL (GayRomLit) Retreat this week. However, I just learned that while most of the retreat you have to be registered for, the Author signings are open to the public! So.... if you are in or around Denver this coming Thursday, from 10 am until 12 pm, come say hi! GRL is being held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center!

Well all, I hope you've had a great weekend! Thought I'd take a quick second to tell y'all that I'll see ya in a week (or a little over a week) as this girl is heading out for GRL (GayRomLit) as a Supporting Author this week. I won't be on GA much, if at all, so if you message me I most likely won't answer right away, and it might have to wait until I get back. I hope you all have a wonderful upcoming week and I'll see ya when I get back. Wish me luck (I'll need it!)!!!! While I'm gone, if you hold an Author title, take a second to go check out the first round of voting for next year's anthologies. You can find them here. Voting will end on October 25th, so make sure to get your vote in soon!!! Also, don't forget the Halloween Contest has gone live, so make sure you go read all 11 entries and then send your vote to @Reader1810. Now, let's see what happened this week in the various GA blogs! Contests 2017 Halloween Short Story Contest - Voting Open! 2018 Summer Novella Anthology - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Anthology Theme Selection - Part 1: Voting Open! Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Classic Updates: Brittle as a Bird by Ronyx Signature Updates: Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews Lyrical Laments by Headstall Mine! by Cia One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse Promptings from Valhalla by Valkyrie So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews Spirit of Fire by Stellar Promising Updates: Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Changes by Mikiesboy Cider Press by Parker Owens timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

Hope everyone has had a great week so far. It's time for this weeks writing prompts. If you're stuck, or you're considering writing for the first time, these might be perfect for you. Don't forget that stories under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 616 – Creative Tag – First Line “I would love to do that with someone I loved.” Prompt 617 – Creative Tag -List of words Use the following words in a story - a postcard, nail clipper, hospital bed, Broadway tickets, a rash. Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

You are most welcome

Hi Sam, The weekly wrap up in the blog always contains the contests (and now I include links as well), and other things such as the voting. Many times, these are also included in the newsletters.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far! With so much going on around Gay Authors, sometimes it's easy to miss when something new happens. Lately we have been adding some new clubs to the site, and moving appropriate forums into those clubs. Wondering where your favorite topic went? Check out clubs! Clubs allow us to put all the stuff that belongs together in one place. Writing Sci-Fiction? Then the Sci-Fi club has fellow sci-fi writers, resource links, inspiring images, etc. Want to talk to other non-genre specific authors, or request a beta/editor? Head to the Writer's Club! Are you an inspiring Poet, but not sure how to get started? Go meet up with your fellow Poets in the Poetry Writer's Club. These are just a few examples of what you can do with clubs. To help you find the clubs you want to join, I decided to do a quick blog post about all the available clubs at the time of this posting! The Writing Clubs! Everyday Life & Hobbies! Politics!

Want to recommend a story, but don't want to write a full blog review? Here's your chance to give your favorite author a shout out in the site blog!!!! Please send your response via PM. What story would you recommend to other readers? Please include a single paragraph about why you would recommend that story.

I'd like to do a blog post where site editors point out the most common errors they come across. If you'd like to participate, please send, via PM, me your response to the following question: What is the most common editing issue you come across? And, please give an example and the fix. (If you don't want your answer attributed to you and would prefer to be anonymous, include that info as well)

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian members. I hope you have a wonderful holiday! Now, it's time for a story review! Let's take a look at what we have for you on this Monday morning. Wicked Witch provided us with this great review on our newest Signature Author, Headstall. We hope you enjoy the review on Morningstar: The Malaise, and if you haven't already read it, hopefully this review will inspire you to do so. Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Reviewer : Wicked Witch Status : Complete Word Count : 227,645 When Kellar found out he was a wolf shifter, he was alone in the world. After every one of his kind he met refused to talk to him, he became an island. Estranged from all, Kellar retreated to his little piece of the world, and lived a lonely but peaceful existence. Then he met Tobyn, the first shifter who answered his questions. And the peaceful existence was subsumed in following the mystery of the malaise and finding love and somewhere to belong along the way. With a few surprises. Headstall’s recently completed Morningstar: The Malaise quickly became one of my favourite stories as I followed the journey of the characters. And such a journey it was! Headstall provided more than a few twists along the way as the characters and the world grew. Action, romance and adventure spread out ahead of Kellar and Tobyn. The Morningstar world is interesting and well thought out, however this story's shining light are the characters. They’re interesting, they have troubles and conflicts, they grow as people throughout the story. And just when you think their journey is complete, they prove to you that they have many more interesting things to show you, the reader. You get to follow them through ups and downs and heart stopping moments, and sweet happiness at times that makes you smile with them. I commend Headstall for managing to avoid many of the pitfalls of werewolf stories and provide an intrigue twist on the usual fare. If you enjoy the paranormal/supernatural, you’ll love this one. Or if you haven’t had a chance to get your toes wet in the realm of fantasy stories, here is a perfect place to start. Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mystery Tags: young adults, were creatures, gay, first time, anal, oral Rating: Mature

Hope you all have had a great weekend and are ready for the start of a new week! This past week was a full week here at Gay Authors, from an author promotion to the release of 11 new stories for you to read. Yep, that's right, the Halloween Contest has gone live, so make sure you go read all 11 entries and then send your vote to @Reader1810. Contests 2017 Halloween Short Story Contest - Voting Open! 2018 Summer Novella Anthology - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Anthology Theme Selection: Suggestions closed Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Classic Updates: Brittle as a Bird by Ronyx Signature Updates: Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews Lyrical Laments by Headstall Mine! by Cia Poetry by Renee by Renee Stevens Promptings from Valhalla by Valkyrie Rivers of the Dead by Cynus So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Promising Updates: Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Changes by Mikiesboy Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

Thank you, Sir. I've edited the chapter note as you suggested. And thank you, Sir, for all of your comments. Some days it is more of a struggle than others, but i haven't reached that point for a long time, and i know that i am NOT alone and need to lean on those that care before it actually gets that far. It is much easier to keep to center than it used to be. Thank you, jp! I did come through, a little bent, but not yet broken. There are so many people who love me, in one way or another, and i am very lucky. i try to remember that on the not so good days now and it helps me through.