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Renee Stevens

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Blog Entries posted by Renee Stevens

  1. Renee Stevens
    Who's ready for a new set of prompts to get the wheels turning? Sometimes an author hits a road block that they just can't seem to make their way through. The weekly prompts are a great starting point to jump start some new ideas. Whether you're looking to just do a quick flash piece or maybe you want to do a bit longer story, why not give them a try! A couple of things to remember: Prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Do to the high number of collections containing only a few "chapters" we have set a limit of five collections per author, any more than this requires prior Admin approval.
     
    Prompt 394 – Creative
    Tag – List of words
    Use the following words in a story – roses, dinner reservations, a broken toilet, a wet towel, and an owl.
     
    Prompt 395 – Creative
    Tag – Romantic Dinner?
    You have come home to a surprise. Your home is clean, your favorite meal is sitting on the table, candles are lit, soft music is playing, and your favorite flowers are sitting in a vase by the kitchen sink. This would be very romantic, but you aren’t dating and you aren’t sure how someone got in your home. Is this a romantic surprise or are you being stalked?
     
    This week I decided to feature the prompt response of an author we haven't featured for a while. Enjoy this prompt response to Prompt #392 by K.C.:
     

    Read the rest here.
  2. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I hope everyone had a great weekend! Just a reminder that there's less than a month left to get your Spring Anthology entries in to the Anthology Proof team (23 days to be exact)! Now lets take a quick look at what happened this week in the GA News Blog!
     
    Have you read Pierced by JVaughn? If not, now's your chance as on Monday, Cia announced that Pierced was this month's CSR Book Club choice. The discussion day will take place on Feb 23rd, but since it's just under 20,000 words, you should have plenty of time to get it read before the discussion takes place!
     
    Wednesday is always a great day for the blog, but especially when it's the first one of the month, because that means it's time for a new Ask An Author feature from Dark! This past Wednesday was no exception and as always, we had some great questions for the authors. Curious as to which authors and what they were asked? To find that out, you'll just have to go check out the blog post!
     
    Not only did Friday bring us the regular two new prompts from comicfan, but it also highlighted the newest poetry prompt courtesy of AC Benus! Not only that, but we featured a past prompt response from comicfan and a past poetry prompt response from Irritable1. Friday was a very busy day and a great way to start the weekend.
     
    Unlike most weeks, the blog didn't end on Friday. Cia had been teasing members via status updates about an upcoming contest. Have you heard of "International Flirt Week"? Many people probably haven't, but it exists and we're having an International Flirt Week Contest! For more details, check out Saturday's blog entry!!
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    Everything's Jake by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Global Explorer II by David McLeod
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    The Strange Life of Jonas Marks by comicfan
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Cosmic Inception by Cia
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Runner-Up by FrenchCanadian
     
    Lonely At The Top by Sasha Distan; Book 10 of American Songbook
     
    Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews
     
    London and Love by carringtonrj
     
    Sanctuary by Sasha Distan
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  3. Renee Stevens
    Hope everyone has had a great week so far and is looking forward to the weekend. What better way to start it off than with brand new prompts! If you've been feeling stuck, or maybe just want to do something a little different, maybe one of these prompts will jumpstart a new idea. A couple of things to remember: Prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Do to the high number of collections containing only a few "chapters" we have set a limit of five collections per author, any more than this requires prior Admin approval.
     
    Prompt 392 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “What the hell are you watching?”
     
    Prompt 393 – Creative
    Tag – The gifts
    The first package arrived a week ago. Since then you have gotten a gift a day for nine days now. What did you get and who is sending you the gifts?
     
    We also have the next Poetry prompt!
     
    Poetry Prompt #6
    Write your own set of four-lined Elegy stanzas. The theme is 'Remember,' and I encourage all of you to submit your work to Irri for the spring anthology. Keep the rhyme pattern a-b-b-a, use as many stanzas as you like, but maintain a consistent 8-syllable line. Play with it; your poem does not have to be about death or loss, just remembrance. For more information on this type of poetry, visit the thread!
     
    Now for the featured prompt responses, this week we'll feature a past poetry response, plus a response from last week's prompts!
     
    This week I decided to feature a prompt response from the prompt guru himself. Here's comicfan's response to prompt #391:
     

    To read the rest, click here.
     
    For the poetry prompt response, I decided to feature Irritable1's response to Poetry Prompt #5:
     

    To review, go here!
  4. Renee Stevens

    Ask An Author #24

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    It's hard to believe it's already February, but not only is it a new month, but it's also the first Wednesday of the month. That means it's time for the "Ask An Author" feature provided to us by Dark! Don't forget, PM Dark if you have a question you'd like to ask your favorite author!


    Ask an Author #24


     
    Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!
     
    In AtA #23, we had questions for authors Mark Arbour, Thomas Nealy, and Thorn Wilde.
     
    In AtA #24, we hear from authors Andrew Q. Gordon, Andy78, and Sasha Distan.
     
    For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
     
    This will be the fourth question in AtA posed for Signature Author Andrew Q. Gordon. Though he may not be as active on GA as he once was, AQG remains popular, and is gaining new followers every day, through GA or the internet publishers he’s graced with his time and efforts. His most recent release A Closed Door is likewise through new Wayward Ink Publishing, which, if I’m not mistaken, Q helped get started. And don’t forget that Q continues to add to the story begun in Second Shot, one of the first stories Q posted to GA and still one of the most-liked. At Q’s website, you can find out more about how busy his life has gotten chasing the toddler Lil’ Q has become.
     
    To Andrew Q. Gordon: Has fatherhood and formal marriage encouraged you to re-think the balance in your life between work/career and your personal life as a father/husband? And if so in what ways?

    Marriage hasn't really changed my life that much - and where it has, it's all been for the better. As far as we were concerned, we'd been acting like we were married for at least 16 years when we 'formally' tied the knot. All those balancing issues were there and dealth with before - at least where marriage is concerned.  

    Fatherhood, on the other hand, created/creates a huge shift in focus. I do a much better job of being out on time - not that I didn't want to see Mike, but if I got home at 630 vs 730 didn't matter so much because we'd have the rest of the evening. Now, getting home at 730 means instead of two hours to see 'lil q I get one. In the past I would take people's weekends to get extra time off later - (court is open saturdays and holiday in DC so we cover those days on a rotating schedule) Now I give away my days where I can to have that time. Weekends require more planning, becuase we want to do things with her. We also need to plan more in general. So it absolutely required a rethinking of my priorities and activities.  
    Andy78 first graced GA by the name Andy 021278 in 2011. In 2013, he became a Promising Author, and then in 2014 became a Signature Author. He has also been a long-time helper behind the scenes, like working on the blog and a being part of the forum moderation team. One of our many Brits, Andy loves to cook and helped me discover the reality show Masterchef in its overseas guises (I can’t help but love Gordon Ramsey). Andy is also a long-time devotee of our Friday Weekly Prompts. You’ll find some real gems in his collection and its sequel. As if that weren’t enough, Andy often submits to the anthologies, of which my favorite is From Beyond the Stars, because it’s told in a unique way via emails from the different characters.
     
    To Andy78: Do you take on multiple stories at once or do you like to take it one story at a time?

    When posting, I now try to limit myself to one story at a time, though I have about seven or eight others I'm working on. I used to quite happily flit between posting two or three stories at once, but because of constant changes in my work life I'm now in the mess of having two in process stories that haven't been updated in ages. I'm still writing chapters for them, so they will be finished at some point. Though from now on I'll only be posting a story once it's complete.  
    Today’s final author Sasha Distan was featured most recently in AtA #22 and is a fellow Brit. Self-described as a cowboy, writer, jeweler, chef, and “not-so-secret Redneck-type,” Sasha is married with 2 fat babies (he calls them “fancy goldfish”). You can find his published works on Lulu.com, if you’ve already devoured the 40 stories he’s posted to GA.
     
    To Sasha Distan: You have an ever increasing body of work on GA. How do you balance your work with so many open stories in progress at once?

    I cheat. Kidding. Sometimes I genuinely do work on three or four stories at once, and it's hard, but i just write whichever character is holding my brain to ransom on any particular day. Summer last year, for example, I was writing Unexpected Liaisons and Cowboy Summer and i simply had to not write any cowboy Summer for two weeks because Zupan wouldn't let me go. I have just finished writing and posting Wicked Boy, but Born Wolf was completed before I started posting it, which is why it looks like I'm doing two at once. Of course, this means I also work on other stuff while uploading which you guys don't see just yet. Whatever's going on, I'm always writing.  

    Oh Dark, I think the "coded" message in this question is "Are you going to write any more direct confusion chapters soon?", and the answer to that is "YES".  
    That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!
     
    See you next time, with authors Aditus, Nephylim, and Stephanie Danielson.
     
    Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
    Until next time!
    Dark
  5. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I hope everyone had a great weekend! Before we get to this week's wrap up, I'd like to look back at the poll from last week's. The winner for the next crossword topic is "Signature Authors". If you would like to send clues and answers, please feel free to PM them to Renee! Answers can consist of author names, story names, and character names. In the case of multiple clues with the same answer, I may choose to combine the clues and/or simply use one clue. Members have until March 1st to send me their clues and answers. Now, onto this week's wrap up!
     
    Monday was the CSR discussion for Joe the Welder by Robert Rex. He hung around the blog for a while to answer questions, so if you were wanting to know a little more, check it out, maybe the question you were thinking of was answered!
     
    Myr took over the blog on Tuesday with a poll to get everyone's opinion on some different features for reading stories on GA. If you haven't already done so, take this chance to have your voice heard and go vote!
     
    Wednesday I decided to write a short feature detailing what types of blog posts the members of GA can help out with. If you've been wondering how you can help, check out this blog post.
     
    Friday brought a couple of new prompts as well as a featured prompt response from craftingmom.
     
    Saturday, Cia joined us at the blog to bring us the Signature Author Background for February featuring Hold32 by CarlHoliday.
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    Do Over by dkstories *reposting*
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    The Right One by Dabeagle
     
    Life in a Northern Town by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Global Explorer II by David McLeod
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    Cosmic Inception by Cia
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Lonely At The Top by Sasha Distan; Book 10 of American Songbook
     
    London and Love by carringtonrj
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  6. Renee Stevens
    Happy Friday! I hope everybody is ready for a couple of new prompts!!! For those that don't already know, Comicfan supplies us with a couple of prompts every week to hopefully inspire ideas and simply get people writing. If one of the prompts catches your attention, write it and post it in GA Stories. To have your prompt response considered for the featured prompt response, don't forget to post a link in the thread for the prompt. A couple of things to remember: Prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Do to the high number of collections containing only a few "chapters" we have set a limit of five collections per author, any more than this requires prior Admin approval.
     
    Prompt 390 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following words in a story – beach towel, sock monkey, ceramic bowl, Swiss chocolate, and a turtle.
     
    Prompt 391 – Creative
    Tag – Toy Store
    You hadn’t noticed when the little toy store opened up but when your coworker showed up with a Marie Antoinette figure with a pop off head you had to find out where they got it. When you finally get the time to go you find a store unlike any have visited before. What is the toy store like?
     
    Last week we featured a very short prompt response, this week I thought we'd go for a little bit longer one with craftingmom's response to Prompt #388. Enjoy!
     

    To read the rest, go here!
  7. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I hope everybody had a great weekend. I can't believe it's Sunday already, which means it's time to look over the week and recap what was posted in the GA News Blog as well as what our promoted authors were up to. Before I get to that, I'd appreciate it if everyone would take just a minute to answer the poll questions. Also, don't forget tomorrow is the discussion day for the CSR book club!
     
    For our Featured Story, Timothy M. provided us with a review of JWolf's story "The English Year".
     
    Myr joined us on Tuesday to explain the need, and ask for, volunteers who read. Not just here, but everywhere. If you're interested, check out Tuesday's blog!
     
    Wednesday, we introduced a new occasional feature to the blog in the form of a crossword puzzle (hence the poll). Think you know your Mods & Admins? Now it's time to see. (Answers for the crossword are at the bottom of the Weekly Wrap Up!)
     
    Friday we had two new prompts to hopefully get the wheels turning, and for the featured prompt response, we featured Carlos Hazday's response to Prompt #386.
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    Life in a Northern Town by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Saturday Shorts by Renee Stevens
     
    Krista's Prompts by Krista
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    GFD 12: Blood Ties by Comicality; Book 12 of Gone From Daylight
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Lonely At The Top by Sasha Distan; Book 10 of American Songbook
     
    Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews
     
    Ladies' Man by Sasha Distan; Book 9 of American Songbook
     
    London and Love by carringtonrj
     
    Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
     

    Crossword Answers:
    Across: (2) Comicfan (4) Slytherin (6) AJ (7) TalonRider (8) MJ85
    Down: (1) ReneeStevens (2) Cia (3) Wildone (5) Graeme (6) Andy78 (8) Myr
  8. Renee Stevens
    Another Friday is here and with it comes your weekly dose of writing prompts! Don't forget, if you decide to tackle one of today's prompts, to post a link to it in the Prompt Forum! I check the threads for the previous weeks prompts when I'm looking for a prompt to feature. Also, please remember that flash fiction under 1K cannot be posted as it's own story and needs to be posted as part of a collection. Happy writing!
     
    Prompt 388 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “Snow? Again? How much more are they expecting?”
     
    Prompt 389 – Creative
    Tag – Do you want to build a snowman?
    You’ve just watched it snow for the past three days and feel like you have cabin fever. After shoveling your way out you realize there is no way your street will be cleared for at least a day or two. Stuck surrounded by feet of snow what do you do to help pass the time?
     
    Today I decided to feature a prompt response which shows that prompt responses don't have to be more than a handful of words to meet the criteria set in the designated prompt. Here is Carlos Hazday's response to Prompt #386:
  9. Renee Stevens
    Who's ready for a new set of prompts to get the wheels turning? Sometimes an author hits a road block that they just can't seem to make their way through. The weekly prompts are a great starting point to jump start some new ideas. Whether you're looking to just do a quick flash piece or maybe you want to do a bit longer story, why not give them a try!
     
    Prompt 384 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “Since when do I have to tell you everything?”
     
    Prompt 385 – Creative
    Tag – The Minor
    You have just finished the week from hell and just about crawl out of your car. You drag your work bag and some takeout food you picked up and schlep it toward your front door. As you reach for your keys you stop cold as you notice someone is curled up asleep on your front door step. It is obvious even from where you are standing that it is a child. Who is the minor and why are they sleeping on your door step?
     
    This week, I decided to feature Cole Matthew's response to Prompt #382, enjoy!
     

    Read the rest, here.
  10. Renee Stevens

    Featured Story: The English Year

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    Time to start a new week and with a new week comes a new featured story. Timothy M offered to do a review for the blog and chose the story "The English Year" by Promising Author: Jwolf. I hope you enjoy his review and if this sounds like something you'd like, then go read! Don't forget to leave Jwolf a review, or two, to let him know what you thought!



    The English Year


    by



    Jwolf


    Promising Author


     
    Reviewer: Timothy M.
    Status: In Process
    Do you like roller coasters? Are you OK with tearing your hair out in frustration over the main characters and their actions, because you’ve gotten completely involved in them and their story? Can you relate to the desperate efforts of a college student to stay on top of the intricate dance of status, academics, house mates, friends and foes, but in particular sex and love?
     
    If so, try reading The English Year by Jwolf.
     
    I’ll admit I was skeptical at first. The whole Frat Society maneuvering and scheming together with the heavy drinking and partying almost made me wash my hands of the main character and the whole story. But I hung on and by now I’m completely addicted, as are several other GA members. We anxiously await new chapters and plunge into the – often unexpected – twists and turns of each installment. Afterwards we divide into various camps and leave heated reviews on the chapters and argue about the content via posts in the story forum.
     
    The English Year tells the tale of Corbin, who is out, clever, fascinating, manipulative, loyal, promiscuous, and hides his insecurities behind an almost impenetrable façade of self-confidence and social pushiness. We meet him at the beginning of his third year at college, where he faces the daunting task of rebuilding the social status of his Frat House, after the failures of the previous year. He gets friendly with a British student on exchange (hence the name of the story), and a large part of the story revolves around Corbin’s efforts to work out his feelings about Pete, and whether they are mutual or not.
     
    But the inscrutable Brit isn’t the only guy Corbin is interested in, and this is where the story gets complicated. We participate in the roller coaster of emotions experienced by Corbin, and readers have been known to change sides more than once (I did). We also spend time yelling at Corbin, Pete, the other guy (who shall remain unnamed, so as not to spoil anything), Corbin’s house mates, other students, the College Dean, and most of all poor Jwolf. Though I guess he’s not quite blameless due to the number of cliff hangers and 180 degree turns he has subjected us to.
     
    Be warned that the story is not yet complete, and so far the end is not in sight, nor any indication of a HEA. There are several steamy hot sex scenes, and other features add to the impression that this tale is not for the innocent of mind and weak of heart.
     
    However, the story is compelling, and the writing is brilliant, creates vivid images and evokes both laughter and tears. Not only the main characters, but also the whole cast of people around them, have interesting and complex personalities, and Jwolf should be praised for daring to choose a 1st person POV character who is not always likable. I’ve wanted to slap some sense into Corbin on several occasions, lol. But no matter how much Corbin frustrates us and people around him, we cannot help admire his efforts to achieve his dreams of finding love and a secure place in the world.
     
    Don’t miss out on a great story, but give The English Year a try. Once you’ve caught up, join the discussion in the story forum. I promise you won’t regret it if you survive the experience of a gut-punching, heart-breaking, yet exhilarating and sometimes hilarious love story.


    Category: Fiction Genres: Comedy, Creative Non-Fic, Romance Tags: Young Adult, Autobiography, Gay, College, North America, Anal Rating: Mature


  11. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    This week has been a busy week, but before you take a look at what's happened in the blog, take a minute and take part in today's poll! I hope everyone is ready for another week to begin, and if you're not ready, well... I think it's going to start anyways so hopefully you'll be ready when it does .
     
    This week was Signature Week in the GA News Blog which meant Monday & Wednesday were all about Stellar's story Hidden Sunlight. On Monday, Yettie One provided us with a great review and then on Wednesday, Cia provided us with an interview with Stellar. Both days had some great content, so check them out and if you haven't already done so, you can still download the Signature Background!
     
    You might have noticed later on in the week the look of the site changed. Myr gave us more information regarding the upcoming theme changes in Tuesday's tech blog and let us know what we could expect. The old theme is back temporarily while a few bugs are worked out, but Tuesday's blog still provides some great info on what's coming and how you can help!
     
    Prompts are a great tool for both seasoned and newbie authors and once again comicfan didn't disappoint. We had two great prompts this week, but if you want to find out what was offered, check out Friday's blog. The featured prompt response was Valkyrie71's response to one of last week's prompts.
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    Life in a Northern Town by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Saturday Shorts by Renee Stevens
     
    Prompt Ramblings by Mann Ramblings
     
    Cosmic Inception by Cia
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Ladies' Man by Sasha Distan; Book 9 of American Songbook
     
    Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews
     
    London and Love by carringtonrj
     
    Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  12. Renee Stevens
    First off, thank you to all my readers for being so patient as I try to get story chapters out! It's been a struggle to write lately, though I'm not sure why, but I am still writing. I wanted to update everyone who follows my work on a couple things that are going on in regards to my stories, but especially the completed story, Joined by Blood.
     
    As of February 1st, I will be unpublishing Joined by Blood from GA Stories. It is NOT going away permanently, but I have been slowly working on some rewrites with the intent to send to publishers. If it is rejected, then I will self-publish the story. I am doing in depth rewrites which include changing a couple of scenes to make them more believable. Once the revisions are complete, the story will be republished. However, the story will NOT be available to the general public as the new version will be republished as a Premium story. For those currently reading the story, that gives you a couple of weeks to finish before it becomes unpublished. I didn't want to just jerk it away and leave anyone in the middle of the story.
     
    What does this all mean for Thwarted? I am still working on Thwarted, though the going has been slow. I'm hoping there won't be huge delays like this last one, and while I'm hoping to get back onto a weekly posting schedule, that might take a couple of weeks to happen. My focus just hasn't been there and I don't want to force the story because I don't want to risk ruining it. I'm hoping I can get onto a writing binge with Thwarted and stock pile a few chapters that can give material for a few weeks, so we'll see how that goes.
     
    Forging Trust.... I haven't forgotten it. I know where I want the story to go and I work on it a little bit here and a little bit there. I will be posting more, but I'm not sure when as I have decided NOT to post a chapter as soon as it's finished. I want to have a couple chapters of FT ready to go before I post anything. Forging Trust has had such huge delays, but it will be finished, I'm just sure when.
     
    I am going to do my absolute best to keep moving forward with everything that I've got started, but there will be delays, just hopefully not long ones. In about a month I expect the first edits from the publisher to come back for No More Hiding. Yep, that's right, No More Hiding has been accepted for publication. I've known about it since well before Christmas, but haven't said anything (except to a couple people) until things started to move forward, but cover design has begun and edits are scheduled to begin in just under a month. It's a bit nerve wracking and yet exciting at the same time. No More Hiding will remain right where it is on site, in Premium, just as it started out as. While obviously I'll have to focus on deadlines set by the publisher when they come up, I'll still be working on my other stuff as time allows.
     
    I'm hoping to have a Saturday Short posted later today and a new chapter of Thwarted in the next couple of days! Don't forget, if you're currently reading Joined by Blood, I'll be unpublishing it sometime on February 1st and it won't be back up until revisions are complete, and then it will be found in Premium.
  13. Renee Stevens
    Woohoo! It's Friday, which mean's not only is the weekend just around the corner but it's time for a couple of new prompts. I hope everybody has had a great week so far and that you have a great start to the weekend. What better way to start it than taking one of today's prompts and write a little bit of flash fiction. Don't forget, story's under 1,000 words have to be posted as part of a collection. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for next week!
     
    Prompt 386 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following words in a story – angry teenager, a bright pink balloon, an elephant, a pie, and a note.
     
    Prompt 387 – Creative
    Tag – New World
    You’ve been upset for months at work. There have been rumors of a gateway connecting your world to another, but you haven’t been able to confirm it and as a leading scientist in xenobiology you had hoped to be included. Finally, you have had enough and storm down to your boss’s office only to find as you open the door a whole new world before you. What happened and what is this new world like?
     
    It's always hard to choose a prompt to feature, and this week was no different. However, it must be done. This week I decided to feature a prompt that brought tears to my eyes, Valkyrie71's response to Prompt #385:
     

    So, who's the kid and what's he doing there? Read on to find out!
  14. Renee Stevens
    Monday is here again, but not only is it time for our Feature Story, it's also the start to our Signature Week! This month's Signature Author Background and the story we are highlighting for our Signature Week is "Leopard Skin Cover" by Graeme! If you haven't already done so, you still have plenty of time to download your backgrounds, there's one both with and without a calendar, depending on what you're wanting! Enjoy this review by Wildone!


    Leopard Skin Cover


    by



    Graeme


    Reviewer: Wildone
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 120,745
     
    Who likes a good murder mystery? A real who dunnit caper that will have you guessing from the first chapter or ‘murder’ and keep you guessing through every chapter until the final one where the big reveal is finally made.
     
    Graeme, our esteemed Signature Author, has just finished doing this to in his latest great story entitled Leopard Skin Cover. The only thing is, it isn’t a murder mystery but it is definitely a guessing game throughout.
     
    The setting is in Australia and the main characters are the members of the Victorian Football League (VFL) Lilydale Leopards Fooball Club. A league one step down from the more televised and watched and followed Australian Football League.
     
    This story can at times be a challenge, as with any sports team, there are a lot of players and thus a lot of issues and stories going on. The focal point though is that there is a gay player on the team that isn’t out to himself 100%, definitely out to his teammates or coaching staff, parents, or really anyone else that knows him. Oh, and he isn’t out to the readers either.
     
    If sports aren’t your thing, don’t worry. This has sports as a background but it is more about the characters. This is more about finding out who the gay player is in a cast of many. Graeme adds a list of all the players and suggestions have been made to group them into their houses to help with this, which greatly helps.
     
    The great thing about this story is that Graeme has a way of using our own assumptions to lead us down the path that we think is the correct one. Not saying he is misleading anyone, he is just giving you the fact and letting our curious minds to reason out what the best answer is. I have to admit, that after just finishing reading the last chapter of the story, I was soooooo wrong.
     
    To add some fun to the guessing game, Graeme started a forum thread where readers are asked to make 3 possible guesses to who they think is the player early on in the story. It is interesting to see how many assumptions we all make that turn out wrong. I was very wrong .
     
    If you want to keep yourself guessing and also finding yourself trying to get to the next chapter as quickly as possible to get more information, then this is the story for you!
    On a side note, and great news, Graeme has a sequel in the works for this fantastic story and will be out in a while.
  15. Renee Stevens

    Author Interview: Stellar

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    Have you downloaded January's Signature Background yet? If you haven't already done so, the month is only half over so there's still plenty of time! To go along with this month's background, we're happy to bring you today's interview with Stellar, courtesy of Cia. Enjoy!


    Interview: Stellar on "
    Hidden Sunlight"

     
    Single people often have more time to write. Are you single?
    I think the correct phrase would be 'terminally single.' Being an Aspie makes it difficult to meet and connect with people on a social level, let alone further than that. So, yes, very single. Do you have an ulterior motive here, question-asker?
     
    P.S. Let me add that having more spare time doesn't necessarily translate to getting more written.
     
    Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?
    I'm healthier than I used to be! I eat my fruits and most vegetables, though if you put kumara (New Zealand's native sweet potato) or parsnip in front of me ... yuck! No way.
     
    Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
    Sometimes, sometimes not! I'm inconsistent.
     
    What brought you to the Gay Authors?
    Comicality did. Before he joined GA, I was regular on his forums (up until roughly 2002) and within that community. Due to personal circumstances I fell out of touch with most people I knew there. Fast forward a few years later to GA's earlier days, and I discovered he was now hosted here, so I became an infrequent lurker. Then fast forward a lot more to 2010 when I decided I would stop lurking and make an account so I could comment. Then again to 2012 when I made the bigger step of posting the start of a new fiction I wanted to write—and that was when I became an author.
     
    Do you have any writing rituals?
    No rituals as such. I do need calm to get any writing done. It's mostly just having the correct environment so I can concentrate on what I'm doing. Sound in particular is a big distraction, so quiet is important.
     
    Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
    Balancing the desire for complicated flowery prose against letting the story tell itself in simple cleaner language. Often, less is more and I have to constantly fight that desire! Characterisation and scene-setting description has become much easier the more I do it, so making it all connect and not sound like I'm trying to be clever and riff Shakespeare is the main concern.
     
    What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
    Probably the toughest criticism given was not even on GA, and was to do with supposed plot implausibility near the end of Hidden Sunlight and my male protagonist being androgynous to the point where the commenter reduced his gender from 'him' to 'it.' That one was insulting, and I won't lie -- I was pretty annoyed reading it. The other criticisms have been mostly minor things to do with pacing and flow of the narrative.
     
    The best compliment, on the other hand, is difficult to choose. I have been given some beautiful praise by readers here; everything from being compared to some of science fiction's greatest authors through to phrasing such as: "This is the best thing I have read, online or offline, and I have been an avid reader for X years." That sort of tribute is humbling and often is what keeps me going when I'm feeling at my least motivated.
     
    How did you come up with the title for Hidden Sunlight?
    Well I want to be careful what I say here because the title is also the most important element of the plot, so telling precisely what it means in an explanation would be a spoiler. It is a metaphor that is partially literal; the 'hidden sunlight' is hidden because it is not visible to normal eyesight. However, it is not actually sunlight at all, and this is simply an artistic way that one of the characters (Mira) chooses to imagine it, since it appears like illumination to those special few who are capable of seeing it. In fact, he is the only character that uses the titular phrase, the others choosing different descriptions both verbally and mentally. Ultimately, it was a natural fit, and more poetic than using accurate scientific terminology, which would not only give away the plot by being obvious, but also be a mouthful and decidedly 'unsexy' as a title.
     
    Did the characters or the plot come to you first?
    Parts of both the two primary protagonists were around in my head before the writing began. Shay and Mira were the quickest to tell me how they wanted to be written. I'm just the messenger boy Konstantin was also in proto-form before writing began, as was the genesis for the then-unnamed character that eventually morphed into Hartley. They developed early on alongside the plot, so it was more or less in tandem.
     
    Your story has a lot of science involved in the plot, from the beginning til end. Do you have a background in that, or did you just do a lot of research?
    I have no true background in science, although my brother and I both studied computer science at university. While he went on to become a software programmer, I did not. I'm a very logical details-oriented sort of person, in part because my Aspergers has that influence on the way I think, and also because l have a keen interest in why the natural world does what it does. This means I tend to read a lot about such subjects just for leisure.
     
    So, while my own general knowledge can get a fair way, research is always required and I make very sure to do my homework. Certain parts of the plot have needed a lot of extra reading and sometimes for very small details that I simply wanted to be accurate. I have lost track of the number of times I've been awake at 3am reading about ethnic cuisine in Malaysia, Earth's projected demographic change 100 years in the future, particle physics, stellar spectroscopy, Russian firearms ... or whatever it may be. It got to the point where the ads on GA were suggesting hotels in Yakutsk for my next vacation simply because I'd spent so long looking at Siberia on Google maps.
     
    What was your favorite part of Hidden Sunlight?
    Call me a soppy romantic, but the first-kiss scene was emotionally satisfying to write. In fact, most of the scenes where the main pair gets to enjoy a few moments of happiness together were satisfying, because there is a lot of unhappiness in other parts of the plot.
     
    Also, the story's climax (the last couple of chapters) whilst an utter headache for me to bring together, was full of awesome moments for the main cast and I was very happy with it once it was done.
     
    What are your future projects?
    Currently I am working on Veil of Shadow, the sequel to Hidden Sunlight. I suppose I may as well say this here, as it isn't exactly a secret, but there will be a third book following this, to make a trilogy. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I have a few story ideas; one major one is more pure fantasy, another a more typical youth-drama type romance with less crazy world destroying antics. I'll decide closer to that time what I'm going to do.
  16. Renee Stevens

    Featured Story: Hidden Sunlight

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    What better way to start off a new week than to take a look at a story that you might have overlooked amongst the thousands in GA Stories. To start off Signature Week, Yettie One has provided us with a review of Hidden Sunlight by Stellar. If you haven't already done so, you can go and download this months Signature Background to go with the story. Enjoy!


    Hidden Sunlight


    by



    Stellar


    Signature Author


     
    Reviewer: Yettie One
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 175,938
     
    Hidden Sunlight. I guess in a way, I am kind of biased in writing this review, as I worked with the writer as a beta reader, and was thoroughly engrossed in the story, the overall idea and the vision that the writer created in his mind for his character and their world.
     
    The plot unfolds on a planet far from earth called Lucere. It’s central characters are a fourteen year old kid, who has awoken from a medically induced stasis to find the world he knew when he began his treatment has all but been destroyed; a mysterious, yet compelling companion that dotes on the protagonist of the story, a tough and wise Russian, and a wonderful mother figure who is like the Russian, a survivor of the devastation wrought on Lucere and a scientist looking for answers to the many problems they all face.
     
    There are strange and powerful beasts, ruthless outlaws, a devilish mercenary, a highly dangerous infection and an ongoing fight for survival as everything seems to be against this band of determined adventurers. This story will drag you through a tangle of close shaves, risky manoeuvres, edge of your seat moments of suspense, and mind blowing scientific detail. You’ll experience moments where you will find yourself howling like a banshee in celebration of timely victories, and have your guts ripped out in moments of heart-breaking trauma, and all of it in brilliant, Technicolor detail.
     
    It is this attention to detail that first drew me to the story and made me contact the writer. Soon, I found I would spend hours talking with Stellar about Lucere, and the mysterious power source that drives the central theme of the plot as it unfolds. His understanding of the concepts he is writing about, and the clarity in his mind of his characters and their world is breath taking, and for me this is the underlying success of Hidden Sunlight.
     
    Stellar lives and breathes his writing. His attention to the fine detail, the intricate web of dots that connect the puzzle together, and the multiple angles that he uses to approach the plot from give so much depth and flavour to the story. As a reader you are acutely aware of the emotion and mental attitude of each of the central characters, even the one that never speaks. Every chapter is carefully constructed to build the tension and just as you think you’ll find the answers, or find some resolution to the problems confronting the kids and their friends, the chapter abruptly ends, forcing you to keep reading as the desire for knowledge is never quite quenched.
     
    The action sequences of the book are explosive, dynamic and visceral. Frequently, I would find myself sitting on the edge of my bed, my foot quivering in the tension of the moment, my breath ragged and uneven. You live the adventure with these characters, and that is the crowning glory of this story for me. I was able to escape my reality and become immersed in the creation of the author, life breathed into the pages through his words, and excitement drooling out at me through my screen. From the beginning to the end, I have loved this story and its characters, especially the special one. If you want to know who I am talking about, I am afraid you will just have to head on over to the story and read it for yourself, but be assured, it will be one that you will remember and never regret taking the time to read. Hidden Sunlight is a wonderful gem of a story, one the author should be proud of producing, and one that you cannot afford to miss reading.


    Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi Tags: Gay, Off-Planet, Space, Coming of Age, Love, Future Rating: Mature


  17. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I hope everyone has had a great week so far. It's still hard to believe that we're in a new year, 2014 seemed to go by so quickly! It's been a busy week here in the blog and in case anyone missed a post throughout the weeks, it's time to take a brief look at what happened this past week.
     
    Cia joined us on Monday to announce the first CSR choice for the year. If you haven't already read Joe the Welder by Robert Rex, now's your chance. If you finish it by the 26th, you'll even be able to join in the discussion. (I'm sure you can join in even if you're not done yet, but you might end up with a few spoilers!)
     
    You asked and Myr answered. Or maybe that's Myr asked and you answered. Either way, Myr responded to the request for a look at the stats for the last year. It seemed like quite a few people were surprised at the numbers, they weren't quite what they were expecting. Want to know if your country is one of the top 15 visiting the site? Check out Myr's blog post!
     
    Wednesday brought us the first Ask An Author feature of the year. This month's edition included questions for Mark Arbour, Thomas Nealy, and Thorn Wilde. Curious as to what they were asked and what their answers were? Go read the blog post, and don't forget to send Dark your questions!
     
    Friday was prompt day once again! If your feeling blocked or just want a short break from your regular story, check out the prompts. Maybe one of them will spark an idea for you. This week I featured a previous response from Cole Matthews!
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    Do Over by dkstories *reposting*
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    Life in a Northern Town by Dabeagle
     
    Su Cuy'gar by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Saturday Shorts by Renee Stevens
     
    Cosmic Inception by Cia
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Poems by carringtonrj
     
    Ladies' Man by Sasha Distan; Book 9 of American Songbook
     
    Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews
     
    London and Love by carringtonrj
     
    Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  18. Renee Stevens

    Ask An Author #23

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    Hope everyone is having a great new year so far! Not only is it the first Wednesday of the month, but it's also the first one of 2015, which means it's time for this month's edition of Ask An Author. A big thank you goes out to Dark for continuing to provide us with this great feature. Remember, Dark can only provide the Ask An Author feature if members keep providing questions.


    Ask an Author #23


     
    We return to Ask an Author following December’s Special Edition (#22), in which we had questions for authors Comicality, Nephylim, Rob Colton, and Sasha Distan.
    In AtA #23, we hear from authors Mark Arbour, Thomas Nealy, and Thorn Wilde.
     
    For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
     
    Our first author has been featured on AtA twice before, and why not? Mark Arbour is one of the most prolific authors on GA, and remains one of the most popular. Although he may only have posted 20-something stories, those “few” stories have created some 5.5 million – yes, I said million – words, 20,000+ likes, and more than 200 followers. Ever since he joined GA in 2005, Mark has posted chapters more regularly than a heartbeat. There’s the CAP saga and the Bridgemont series, but Mark has also posted stand-alone stories, like 2011’s Sink the Bismarck. Find out what all the hubbub’s about and read Mark Arbour today.
     
    To Mark Arbour: How do you decide what historical events you are going to include in your stories? There are so many smaller yet significant events, what criteria do you use to decide which will fit your stories?

    I decide which events to put in based on how well they work with the story, unless the event is significant (like 9-11), in which case I work the story around it. I usually look at things in chronological order (Wiki is the best resource for that) and then pick and choose as I go. I learned a lesson when I wrote 1968, and that is that I'm writing a story with history in it, and not a historical story. In 1968, I let history write (and dominate) the story. Now I don't do that. On the other hand, 1968 was a year like that, where the world was in chaos wherever you looked.  
    American Author Thomas Nealy is next. A member since 2009, Thomas has posted two stories, the fanfic A Love Through Time featuring characters from Harry Potter and Twilight and the romantic original Lives and Trials of Jupiter. I love Cedric from Harry Potter and so, although I’ve never read Twilight, the fan-fic is quite humorous because Cedric takes the place of the vampire Edward. Just read around the typos to find the gem inside. Last time we heard from Thomas, he talked about Lives and Trials of Jupiter, which he refers to here again, but also hints at something new!
     
    To Thomas Nealy: How did you come up with so many ideas to keep it fresh and exciting? And do you plan to write more within the world of your series in the future, or is there new work we can expect?

    I'm an avid sifi and fantacy reader. So it was unaviodable that those things would infuance and find their way into my own stories. I belive that there is very little truely origanal ideas in writing now, we are all just tweaking and reusing the ideas of masters that have long come before us. Even out technology of today was inspired by by fiction. As for writing more in the Jupiter world, I would like to as there is more of the story to be told. However right now I am working on my Devia story which is proving to be harder then i thought it would be to write for.  
    Our last author, Promising Author Thorn Wilde, has also been interviewed for AtA before. When asked about the speech habits of his characters, Thorn replied that his characters’ traits are a reflection of himself. From this, it’s quite fitting that Thorn takes his pen name from one of his favorite authors: Oscar Wilde. But he’s also said he struggles when writing in his favorite genres, though Teddy makes that hard to believe. The sweetness of the story perfectly balances the horror. And then there’s Sleeping with Ghosts, written for Halloween 2013. Let go of your New Year’s Resolutions with the help of this charming ghost story.
     
    To Thorn Wilde: Have your stories been (or do your stories get) influenced by stories you've read?

    I should think so. I would have a hard time believing any writer who said this wasn't the case. Whether it's intentional or not, I think most writers will be influenced by what they read or watch. Sometimes it's a plot point, sometimes it's a character, and sometimes it's a style of writing. It's no secret that The Jacob & Marcus Tales were inspired by my watching The Thick of It, and a while back I read a fanfic where the main characters were Hollywood actors, and that inspired me to write Lavender & Gold (and is where I learnt most of the specifics of movie making).  
    That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!
     
    See you next time, with authors Q, Andy78, and Sasha Distan.
     
    Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
    Until next time!
    Dark
  19. Renee Stevens
    Hope everyone had a great new year. What better way to start it off than with brand new prompts! If you've been feeling stuck, or maybe just want to do something a little different, maybe one of these prompts will jumpstart a new idea. Don't forget, if under 1,000 words, prompt responses that are posted in GA Stories must be posted as part of a collection.
     
    Prompt 382 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following words in a story – a beach ball, a vacation ticket, a snow storm, a crying child, and a pair of broken glasses.
     
    Prompt 383 – Creative
    Tag – The New Year
    It is the last day of the year and you have some serious decisions to make. It seems every part of your life has been turned upside down the last few weeks and now it is time for you to take control. What plans do you want to put into action as you go into the new year? What changes will this have on the people closest to you?
     
    This week we also have the next Poetry Prompt to share!
     
    Poetry Prompt #5
     
    write your own set of five Couplets using the music provided
    . You have a choice of being serious or silly, it's up to you. If serious, write about how you hope to meet your goals and ambitions for the coming new year. If you are feeling silly and irrelevant, write about how lame this challenge is, or anything else you like. The point is, practice, practice, practice! Get a feel for letting rhyme come to you as you construct Couplets. For more information on Couplets, visit the thread! 
    This week I decided to feature one of the previous Prompt Responses by Totallyy:
     

    You can leave totally a review here.
  20. Renee Stevens
    I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve and a great start to 2015! I was in the prompt forum the other day, and I noticed some prompts over the last year didn't get any responses. Now, I know there could be a number of reasons for this, but I thought it might be nice to give some of them a second chance to be noticed! On the last day of the year, no less. So for this week's Wednesday post, that's what I'm doing! Here's a list of 10 prompts that for one reason or another, didn't receive any prompt responses. I've included links to each topic as well so you can post your prompt responses (or links to them) in the forums. Have fun!!
     
    Prompt #375 - Creative


    Every year you have a small get together of your friends near the holidays. Your place is all decorated, your food is ready, and you have dressed comfortably to entertain. After your first few guests have arrived and gotten comfortable, there is a knock at the door and you find someone you never expected to be standing on your door step. Who is your surprise guest?  

    Prompt #361 - Creative
     


    Every year the local county throws a fair. It is always a lot of food, crafts, and things to buy. This year a carnival has been added to the fair and the whole mood has changed. People seem to be attracted to the dark tents, loud noises, and wild rides. Is this just a new addition or has something sinister come to the local fair this year?  

    Prompt #359 - Creative
     


    The dog arrived in the middle of night with a note on his collar telling you to keep him and he will help you with your problems. You thought whoever left the dog had to be crazy. However, after a week the dog seemed to sense you needed things and for some odd reason would nearly drag you on your attempts to walk him right into the middle of some problem that ended up solving one you were having. What do you do with your mutt now?  

    Prompt #351 - Creative
     


    Your family believes it lives under a curse. They say everyone leads a charmed life until the fall in love for the first time and have their heart broken. You just had a very messy break up. Is there a curse and what happens?  

    Prompt #346 - Word List
     


    Use the following in a story – the beach, a blanket, a deer, a torn pair of shorts, and an ice cream cone.  

    Prompt #341 - Creative
     


    With the passing of your last relative, a collection of rings has been handed down to you. At first you look at the old rings and figure you might be able to sell them. As you begin going through them you notice there is something different about them. What is it?  

    Prompt #339 - Creative
     


    No one ever suspected the changes that would come to the world after such an epidemic. The original outbreaks occurred along the warmer waters. The whole thing spread from Georgia in the United States to Uruguay in South America, from Portugal in Europe to South Africa in Africa, and Southern China in Asia to the Northern parts of Australia, as quickly as it appeared there soon were deaths on grand scales. It took almost a third of the world’s total population in less than three months. It soon became like the history books about the black plague and people were bringing out their dead for massive cremations. It was only with the few scientists from all over the world sharing information that humanity survived and found a cure. In this new world borders aren’t what they once were. Life is looked at much differently now. What is the world like?  

    Prompt #337 - Creative
     


    Every year you see on television the announcement of the local fair. You say you are going to go every year, but something always comes up. This year you manage to make it and find out just what makes this fair so memorable. Tell us about it.  

    Prompt #326 - Creative
     


    Family get togethers were never your thing. However you found yourself without an excuse to miss this one. Once you are there however you are in for a major surprise. There is a big family announcement. What is it?  

    Prompt #302 - Creative
     


    You have been chosen to take part in one of the deep space missions to Mars. This mission is only possible by sending people up with their mates knowing they will be spending the next twenty years in deep space there and back with this person. Your are arrive at the training station in three months, giving you time to pack up and say your goodbyes to friends and family. There is only one problem for you though, what is it?
  21. Renee Stevens
    I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday and maybe you even got to read a few of the stories on the Christmas Reading List that was posted for the last couple of days. I've already got some ideas for things to do for next Christmas, but you'll have to wait to see what I've got in store. What you don't have to wait for is two new prompts to help get those fingers moving on the keys! Let's see what's in store for us today!
     
    Prompt 380 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “Sure, now you want me to make the decisions.”
     
    Prompt 381 – Challenge
    Tag – Uncomfortable situation
    Every writer has a time where they need to create a scene around something uncomfortable. This can be someone being fired, a death in the family, or breakup. Your challenge is to create such a scene and include as much detail as you can. What is the setting? What can we see or hear? Is the person sweating or can we smell antiseptic? Involve as many of the senses as you can in your scene and bring it to life.
     
    Now, let's see what story we should feature this week! I remembered reading one, I just had to find it, this week I'm featuring Jason Rimbaud's response to prompt #378:
     

    Want to read the rest? You can do so, here.
  22. Renee Stevens

    Featured Story: Gay Whales

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    Happy Monday! So, it's been a while since I've done a review for the blog, so I decided maybe it was time that I remedied that. While it's not a Christmas or holiday tale, the story I decided to review is one that is humorous, fun, and lighthearted; all things that a holiday should be. The story we're going to take a look at today is "Gay Whales" by Graeme. Hopefully if you decide to take a look at it, you'll enjoy it as much as I did!


    Gay Whales


    By



    Graeme


    Signature Author


    Reviewer: Renee Stevens
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 2,369
     
    First off, I have to say that Graeme is a very talented author, and he doesn’t disappoint with this short story. Many people might overlook this gem because of the title, but it is a little misleading. Don’t get me wrong, gay whales do play a part, but they are not the whole of the story.
     
    This story is centered around a group of friends, one of whom is Melanie. She is an environmental activist who holds meetings with her friends in an attempt to get them onboard with whatever her latest project is. The scene for the story is set during one such meeting in which another of the friends, Greg, jokingly asks if the meeting is to discuss ”Equal rights for unmarried, pregnant, aboriginal, gay whales”.
     
    For once, the meeting isn’t about what Melanie sees as an environment catastrophe, it is something that hits much closer to home. She's focused, instead, on the happiness of one of their best friends, Scott, who just happens to be absent from the meeting. Scott is a shy guy who has been obsessing over a local footballer, and the group of friends are determined to bring Scott and the object of his affection together.
     
    I don’t want to ruin the story for you; you’ll have to read to find out if the friends are successful in their plot to bring Scott and his crush, Dean, together. If you haven’t yet read anything by Graeme, then this would be a good story for you to start with. It’s short and has good flow. Graeme catches your attention early on and holds it throughout the story.
     
    I mean, how could he fail with a catchphrase such as “unmarried, pregnant, aboriginal, gay whales”?


    Category: Fiction Genres: Drama Tags: Sports, Friendship, Australia, No Sex, Light-Hearted Rating: Everyone


  23. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    First off, I want to give a big Thank You to Cia for handling the blog for me this week, much appreciated, but I'm back and we have a lot to look at. However, there's something that needs to be addressed before we look back at this week's postings. As many might remember, the authors here at Gay Authors reached a milestone of 100 Million words! To celebrate, we decided to run a couple of contests. Thank you to everyone who participated, but now it's time to announce the winners, you will be contacted very soon about your winnings. Congrats!!!




     



     
    Monday started Signature Week with Celethiel's review of Nick Cringle by Myr.
     
    Myr joined us here at the blog on Tuesday (though it was posted by Cia) to share this week's Tech Tuesday which was a mix of different topics.
     
    Cia managed to corner Myr and get him to answer a few questions for our Wednesday Interview feature to continue Signature Week.
     
    As always, Friday brought us two great new prompts and featured an older prompt response by Timothy M.
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    The Tull Unification: Nick Coronach by Dabeagle
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Hercules III by CarlHoliday
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    Ladies' Man by Sasha Distan; Book 9 of American Songbook
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  24. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Wow! It has been a big week here at Gay Authors! If you've been following the blog, you'll know that a lot of exciting things have been happening, but if you haven't been, now is your chance to get caught up. I think I'm going to go a little bit backward this week, so I hope everyone don't mind, but we had something really exciting happen this week and I just can't wait until the end of the look back to get to it!
     
    If you haven't been following the blog, I'd definitely suggest checking out Saturday's special post, but to give a short summary, we're running two contests. For the details to the contest, you'll have to visit the blog post, but the reason for the contests is a great one:
     




     

    CONGRATS!!!


     
    Continuing with our backwards look at the week, the 2014 Winter Anthology went live on Wednesday! There were some great stories, all centered around the theme of "Chain Reaction". If you haven't already done so, go check them out and don't forget to leave the authors a review to let them know what you thought of their work!
     
    On Tuesday, Myr and AJ both joined us here at the blog to talk about fixing the author listing. Not sure what author listing I'm talking about? The blog entry explains all of that, including how it was fixed.
     
    We started the week out with a great review by Timothy M of "Misunderstandings" by BigAKHorton. Quite a few comments and thanks to Timothy's review, this story was added to many people's reading lists. If it's not on yours, maybe this review will change your mind!
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines (except Poetry) are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd 2015 Poetry Anthology: Remember - Due April 15th (Poetry Anthology is exempt from the Anthology Proof Team) 2015 Summer Anthology: Road Trip - Due June 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Thermai Vignettes by David McLeod
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Jessie-101: Online Celebrity by Comicality
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Oh My! by Bill W *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Fall From Grace by Bill W *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Rejoice! by Bill W *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Rudolph's Tijuana X-mas by Mann Ramblings *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Mike's Pinball Life by comicfan *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Junction by Cia; Book 4 of A Maze For Three *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Fortitude by Cia
     
    Thanksgiving Forgiveness by comicfan
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    Maillard's by Cole Matthews *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Heart Brake by Sasha Distan *2014 Winter Anthology*
     
    Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews
     
    Ladies' Man by Sasha Distan; Book 9 of American Songbook
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  25. Renee Stevens
    Nope, you're not dreaming!!! While I'm sure most of you weren't expecting the anthology to go live for another day or two, I decided to go ahead and make it live a day early. If you've been looking for something new to read, here's your chance. Twelve brand new stories for you to enjoy, but don't forget to leave the authors a review to let them know what you thought. I could keep rambling on, but I think I've said all that needs said, so go ahead, you know you want to! Ready... Set... READ!!!




     
     
     


    Allah's Revenge
    Carlos Hazday

     

    “Are you sure about this?”
     
    “Completely certain. Even if there is an element of risk, we have to do it, Aitor. We can’t ignore a cry for help. Based on everything we’ve learned since leaving Canada, the danger is minimal. It has been over ten weeks since the original incident; we should be safe. The chances of him being sick and still alive are almost nonexistent.”
     
    “I trust you, Lars. Just trying to be careful, babe. For both of us.”
     
    “It’s the protective soldier in you, one of the many reasons why I love you. Go get your kill, that was a great shot; I’ll try to find our man.”
     
    “Fire off a round if you need me,” said Aitor by way of good bye.


    Break the Chain


    wolfwriter


     

    I went for my annual walk in the snow to the spot where I would say a prayer for my parents. It had been hard on me since they died five years ago, but I never forgot them. I prayed for them and also said a prayer of thanks for Stephan coming into my life. The past year had seen us as a couple, and I couldn’t be happier about it. As I walked back I got lost in my thoughts. I thought back to when I met Scott. God, three years ago at Christmas was that whole disaster. I am glad time has marched on and I am actually looking forward to Christmas this year. As the snow fell I couldn’t help but remember it was snowing the night I met Scott too.
     
    “Hey TJ, want to go to the club?” my work partner Mike asked as we walked out to our cars.
     
    “Which club?”
     
    “How about the new one that just opened, The Bear Cave?”



    Fall From Grace


    Bill W


     

    How did it happen? How did he go from being one of the most celebrated people in the kingdom to suffering the humiliation of an arrest, trial and conviction for just being who he was? Was it right? Was it fair? He'd been hailed as having made the most important individual contribution that helped his kingdom win the war, but now he was scorned and ridiculed for responding to an inborn, primal urge. Was this the way the kingdom repaid a hero?
     
    It had been a long and bloody war, one that the kingdom and its allies were on the verge of losing. The other side was more powerful and had better weapons, so the kingdom and those aligned with them needed an edge. In his determined and quiet manner, this man stepped forward and helped to come up with a way to decypher the intricately coded messages the other side was sending to communicate with each other. This singular accomplishment eventually helped to end the bloodshed and bring the war to a conclusion. His accomplishments were not only lauded, but he was also bestowed with many honors.



    Getting to the Happily Ever After


    jamessavik


     

    It’s funny how your life can change in an instant. One event can change everything that comes after.
     
    That moment arrived for Randy Austin Taylor, affectionately known as “Rat” to his friends at Denton Academy, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon during his fifth period Geometry class on May 16, 1978.
     
    He was summoned to the office by one of the girls who worked there. His anxiety was heightened by the way she spoke quietly to his teacher and looked at him sideways. That look spoke volumes.
     
    As he took the long walk to the office he tried to think of anything he might have done to merit the attention of Vice Principal Maxwell. His primary duty was to tend to disciplinary matters at the Academy which he did with gusto. A large paddle nicknamed Old Hickory with which he tended to such matters was prominently displayed in his office.



    Heart Brake


    Sasha Distan


     

    If not for Russell Brannigan’s brake cable, none of this may ever have happened. If that stupid kid had just taken his car to the shop when it started making a funny squealing noise upon applying pressure to the brakes, I would not be here, alone at midnight, sitting on the narrow footbridge over the dark swirling waters of the river, drinking what remains of a bottle of honey-whiskey I had previously been saving for something special. Because of Russell Brannigan, and his faulty brakes, I now sit dwelling on the worst events of my life.
    *
    I braked and pulled the Land Rover to a halt at the junction, waiting for the car in front of me to seize his moment, turn left across two lanes of traffic, and join the stream of commuters going home for the evening. I had timed my day badly, which I could have avoided, but I hated going into the city and had waited until the store was about to close before jumping into my car and heading out to get groceries. If I had been smarter, or if I hadn’t lost myself in the soothing motion of planing a piece of cedar into the arched curve of a chaise-lounge, I would have avoided rush hour and would not have spent the last hour in stop-start traffic, staring at the red taillights of the car in front.


    Junction


    Cia


     

    “So we just dump this out on the ground?” I could barely span the rectangle of scratchy grass. Moshe held two of them by the cords tying them into the rough shape, easily hefting one in each hand.
     
    “Well, you need to break the twine and break off flakes of the hay, spreading it out in a long line. That way the cattle can come eat all at the same time. And you might not want to take too long about it. They’re coming.”
     
    “They’re coming?” I squeaked. Those things were a lot bigger than I’d thought they’d be. And they had these wicked sharp horns on their wide heads.
     
    Miah laughed. “Relax, Lisco. They won’t hurt you. Unless they’re spooked, cattle are pretty gentle.”
     
    I could hear them coming, making those deep, low calls. They said nothing, but carried a lot like Moshe’s vibrations. I didn’t want to be standing anywhere between them and their food when they arrived, no matter what Miah said.



    Maillard's


    Cole Matthews


     

    “It smells like you’re burning that steak,” Ricky called out to his line cook Marc. “You need to char the other side dude.”
     
    “It’s not burning dumbass. It’s searing,” Marc barked, angry he’d been caught thinking about something else other than his job.
     
    Marcus Adamson was proud of his work. He’d been working at Maillard’s since he graduated from Gastronomique four years ago. He had started at the bottom, doing the cold prep and worked his way from the salad and appetizer stations, through sous prep to working the meat and fish stations on the line. On the nights his boss, Ricky Shannon, didn’t work, he would even expedite the line. Marcus loved his job and right now it was the only thing holding him together.
     
    The cook shifted the fillet with the tongs to char the side. He’d gotten caught up in his own thoughts about what he would do after work. When he had a home it wasn’t a problem. Since last Tuesday, it had. Losing his heart and bed messed him up. Marc had to quiet the voices somehow.



    Mike's Pinball Life


    comicfan


     

    “Twelve dead in freak chain reaction this morning. The fog was thicker than expected when the semi slammed on its brakes on Highway 14 this morning causing the twenty-two car accident. It took the police and rescue workers ….”
     
    “Turn off the TV, Mike. I don’t want to keep hearing about that awful disaster.”
     
    Mike turned off the television as his mother rushed by for the third time, sliding a bobby pin into her hair as she raced past on the way to her pocketbook and the front door.
     
    “I’ll be home late. Remember, there is a TV dinner in the freezer or money for a pizza by the phone. Eat something.” She slipped on her coat before giving Mike a peck on the cheek. “Try to call your friends, would you? I know this hasn’t been easy for you, but things can only get better.”



    Oh My!


    Bill W


     

    This all started when I was pledging one of the more popular fraternities, Phi Alpha Gamma. My name is Donovan Estes and I'd decided to do this because I wanted to take part in the total college experience. The pledge period culminated with what they called Greek Week. It was a period during which a bunch of different activities were held and all of the sororities and fraternities were expected to participate. Along with various social functions, it also included both the Greek Olympics and Greek Talent Show.
     
    "Estes, I'm signing you up for the talent show," the frat's pledge master announced. He'd obviously noted my athletic prowess and realized I didn't possess any.
     
    "Who am I doing it with?" I asked, since I wanted to know who I was being paired with.
     
    "No one," he responded. "The guys in the band will perform too, since each Greek chapter can enter two acts, but you'll be on your own. We need everyone else for the other activities or they're involved in setting up one of the other functions held during the week."



    Promise Stars


    aditus


    November 24th
     

    Max sat in his car, watching white flurries gliding down the windshield, melting into drops of water, only to freeze again on the cold metal. The lights of the streetlamps blurred as the snow came down harder and harder. He didn’t want to go outside, but when the cold crept up his legs, the dying snowflakes rapidly lost their fascination in favor of the promise of warmth at his apartment.
     
    That and Aristoteles and Plato are probably wondering where the heck their can opener is.
     
    Sighing, Max flipped up the collar of his pea coat, pulled a bright green scarf out of its pocket, and wrapped it around his neck several times. He grabbed a beanie and a pair of gloves from the passenger seat, put them on, and grimaced when he caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror. He really wasn’t the hat wearing kind of guy; he always looked like a dork. For a moment he thought about pulling it off his head again, but then - with such weather - who would see him?
     



    Proximate Cause


    Valkyrie71


     

    Elliot stirred, moving away from the bright sunshine streaming through the window. He opened his eyes, frowned, and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Eight a.m.
     
    “Shit!” He bounded out of bed and into the bathroom. He took a shower and dressed in record time. The only thing on his mind as he grabbed his briefcase and coat was getting to the office in time for his morning meeting.
     
    “Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Max poked his head out of the kitchen just as Elliot was about to open the door.
     
    “I’m late! The alarm never went off!”
     
    “You told me you didn’t need to be at the office until nine. I turned the alarm off so you could sleep in. I made breakfast. I thought we could eat together.”



    Rejoice!


    Bill W


     

    "I have some good news to share with all of you today," Duncan Fitzpatrick announced to his employees, whom he had unexpectedly called together. "My daughter-in-law has given birth to twin sons!"
     
    There were a lot of smiles, cheers and shouts of 'Congratulations', as the smile on Duncan's face widened. After allowing this spontaneous expression of happiness to continue for about a minute, Duncan signaled for everyone to quiet down, so he could speak again.
     
    "As you know, my wife and I have been blessed with a good life and a great deal of financial success. My car dealership has prospered, while many others have failed, and it has provided continued employment for all of you. However, not everything in our life has gone this well." Duncan paused briefly and scanned the faces before him, to see how they were reacting to his last statement.



    Rudolph's Tijuana X-mas


    Mann Ramblings


     

    It was Christmas Eve and I watched the snow collecting on my antlers and fur. It wasn't light and fluffy like a snow-globe or a favorite artist's holiday rendering, more like when we dumped the whole box of white glitter in the elves toilet. Who knew it would be such a mess? A fast, wet coating turned my glowing nose into a cheap lava lamp. Wonderful.]
     
    I shook off inside the main workshop, the clop of my hooves masked by the insane flurry around me. Hammers and soldering guns were making quick work of the last loads of toys needed for the holiday. The cacophony of industry echoed in the factory as the horde of workers struggled to keep up with the Christmas toy demand. The enormous red sleigh was the centerpiece of the workshop with an overflowing sack of gifts weighing down the rear end. The little toymakers were dumping more packages into it from an endless hand-off assembly line. I could imagine the seams bursting in mid-flight, spewing little Timmy's Tonka toys all over the northern continent.
     
    I looked at the eight reindeer strapped to the front of the sleigh and looked out the window. The snowfall was getting heavier. It was only a matter of time before a new bridle and harness would be added to the front. I wondered if there was time to sneak out without being seen.
     


    A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who has helped with the 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction


     
     
     

    2014 Winter Anthology Support Team


     
     
     

    Proof Team



    LJH



    Joann414



    Rec



    Andy78



    Valkyrie71



    Cia


     
     
     

    Anthology Banner Creation



    Cia


     
     
     

    Tech Support



    A.J.



    Myr


     
     
     

    Also, Thank You to all the participating authors and their teams! Great job everyone!


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