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Renee Stevens

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Blog Entries posted by Renee Stevens

  1. 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. 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 358 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following in a story – fall leaves, rain storm, blue jeans, kitten, and a pizza
     
    Prompt 359 – Creative
    Tag – The Mutt
    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?
     
    Normally this would be the part where I'd share a response from the last set of prompt responses, this week however, we have a little something extra to share. AC Benus and Irritable1 started doing poetry prompts a month ago. Just a couple of days ago, AC Benus posted Poetry Prompt #2!
     
    Poetry Prompt #2:
    Write two Haiku. One inspired by a sight you witnessed outdoors, in a secluded patch of nature (either in your yard, a city park, or the great untamed wilderness). And a second one inspired by an urban sight (something that catches your eye on the street), or that happens indoors. You must be true to the form and include a seasonal word within both poems, but remember, words like 'surfboard' and 'bug spray' speak of summer just as much as 'frog' and 'cicada' do. Think outside the box and just use a sight that speaks to the season in the part of the world you are right now.
     
    To be a true Haiku, do not use words or concepts like "I," "my," "mine," etc. Stick to plain scene painting, for if the sight moved you, it has the potential to move others too.
     
    Before you write your Haiku's, you might want to check out all the background information shared in the Prompt Thread!
     
    Now, lets look at some Prompt Responses! This week I've decided to share Aditus' response to Prompt #356:
     

    Also, since we're adding Poetry Prompt #2, I decided to feature a response from Poetry Prompt #1: Tanka. Here is Rano's Tanka poem:
     

    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW.
  2. Renee Stevens

    Ask An Author #21

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    It's hard to believe that it's already October, and with the start of a new month, it's also time for the newest Ask An Author monthly feature, provided by Dark! Do you have a favorite author on-site? Have you had a question that you've been wanting to ask them, but haven't? If so, send it to Dark and you might just see it in an upcoming Ask An Author feature!!


    Ask an Author #21


     
    Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!
     
    In AtA #20, we had questions for authors Aditus, Celethiel, and TetRefine.
     
    In AtA #21, we hear from authors comicfan, K.C., and reddirtwriter.
     
    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 today is Comicfan, a member of the Forum Moderation Team. Comicfan (perhaps so named due to his love of Peanuts?) and I have been members for about the same amount of time but you might be most familiar with him as the instigator of Friday’s prompts, evil creature that he is. In case you didn’t know, as a New York-er, Comicfan equates sarcasm with love ... when he’s not cursing at the craziness that amounts for island living, that is. It’s been a busy summer for Comicfan, a summer of new beginnings at a wedding and of goodbyes, specifically making room in the old noggin for some new memories by excising the old. While still cranking away at his multi-chapter story, The Strange Life of Jonas Marks, Comicfan has gifted the September Anthology (Scars) with two new stories! Both have about 4k words, with Fang and Claw falling in the werewolf/supernatural genre and crossing over into the crime drama genre and Body and Soul a more modern drama. Have you checked them out yet? While you’re at it, take a look at the other anthology offerings.


    To Comicfan: Where do you get your inspiration for the prompts you come up with? Do you ever have a response in mind when you come up with them?  

    Prompts come from a number of places. There are ideas for stories that I don't have time to write, conversations overheard, times spent people watching, and sometimes suggestions made to me by other members, like the bacon prompt by AJ. People have requested picture prompts, first line, and lists of words which is why they appear so often. Mainly I try to create something that will give people an idea they can make their own. I love seeing what people do with the ideas. Some create great little gems to read and others have turned them into multi chaptered tales. That is the great thing about the prompts, they are as unique as the author who takes up the challenge.  
    Also joining GA around the same time as Comicfan and myself is recently-promoted K.C. As of April 2014, K.C. has joined the ranks of our Signature Authors. Congrats, K.C.! You may be asking yourself “Why him?” and I’d tell you, but it’s best you find out for yourself by reading one of the tons of stories he’s posted. Many of you have already sampled Pour Me Another and Great Balls of Fire, two winners from 2013’s Reader’s Choice Awards, but he has actually written some stories not for the anthologies. I think I still like best Chasing the Shadows, written way back when in 2011, but there’s also A Grim Fairy Tale, a short story about my favorite holiday: Halloween!


    To K.C.: What was it like to get promoted from Promising Author to Signature Author?  

    I'm always amazed that people actually read my stories! LOL Winning awards or getting promotions for something that I do because I love it, is incredible. I remember looking at the Hosted/Signature Authors & Promising Authors with stars in my eyes when I first joined GA. I aspired to reach that point and now to be rubbing elbows among them is unbelievable.  

    My writing has improved as I've learned so much over the years with help from many GA members with beta readers, editing, and readers encouragement that it has pushed me to keep trying harder with every new project I take on. Reaching this point doesn't mean I get to slack off and enjoy, now the real work begins 'cause people are watching and will know if I screw it up!  
    Today we finish up with author reddirtwriter. He’s a bit of a food connoisseur and you can check out some of his favorite new recipes by venturing over to the blog he started about a year ago in May of 2013. (You can also find out his super-secret name!) reddirtwriter has led an eclectic life, migrating from the southwest to the Midwest (crazy man to stay there, lol) and having held quite a few jobs has accumulated some serious story fodder. In the short time he’s been churning out good stories, reddirtwriter has also become published through not one but three different publishers and has also self-published. Find out where on his blog. I think he’s most well-known on GA from his story Wrangler Butts, a story that was no doubt influenced by the time he spent as a ranch hand. I like it because, well, come on, cowboys! There’s nothing quite like a good butt in a tight-fitting pair of jeans, and these guys have attitude to match.


    To reddirtwriter: What was your first story and what inspired you to write it?  

    My first story was Wrangler Butts. It's a western romance between two graduate students in an Agricultural college. Why did I write it? I grew up in a pretty rural setting and like the whole ranch and cowboy thing. Unfortunately, most of the stories in those settings had the characters sounding and acting like morons. I didn't like their versions of the people I'd known, so Wrangler Butts was born. It now has two sequals and a fourth in the works.  
    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!
     
    Coming next time: Stay tuned for the Ask an Author #22, an ultra-special installment with 2 questions each for 4 different authors: comicality, Nephylim, Rob Colton, and Sasha Distan. Can you believe I’ve been compiling these for almost two years now?
     
    Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
    Until next time!
    Dark
  3. Renee Stevens
    Want to help support Gay Authors? One way to do that is to purchase a Premium Subscription. As a Thank You, there are a fair number of stories available for Premium Subscribers to read. Each week, I'm featuring one of the Premium stories in the GA News blog. This week, I'm featuring the story "The Cassini Mission" by Rob Colton.
     


    The Cassini Mission


    by



    Rob Colton

     

    Former Union Navy scientist, Dr. Aron Adler is ordered on a rescue mission to an outer rim research colony located on an uninhabited planet. He reports to the USC



    Cassini along with two other scientists and a Union Marines unit. Dishonorably discharged for failure to obey orders, the Cassini crew shuns Aron. He finds comfort in



    the arms and bed of Marine Corporal Kane Robertson. At the colony it becomes apparent all is not what it seems. Once again, Aron must decide: follow orders or his heart.


     

    Series:
    Galactic Conspiracies


    Words: 37,575



    Chapters: 10


     

    Category



    Fiction


     

    Genres

    Sci-Fi, Romance, Adventure

     

    Tags

    Future, Love, Anal, Space, Aliens, Military

     

    Rating



    Mature


     

    Want to read "The Cassini Mission"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
    Premium Subscription!

     



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    $8.10
    $8.10 Monthly




    Premium Content - 3 Months
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    $24.00 Every 3 months




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    $47.00
    $47.00 Every 6 months




    Premium Content - 1 Year
    $93.00
    $93.00 Annually

  4. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Well, another week has gone by and the time has come to take a look at what's happened in the GA News Blog this past week. Before we do that, I seem to recall promising an announcement of the 2015 Anthology Themes. A big thank you to the team who helped narrow down the choices as well as to everyone who voted. We have some great themes for next year and they are:


    2015 Anthology Themes



    Spring Anthology: Full Circle



    Summer Anthology: Road Trip



    Fall Anthology: Blurred Edges



    Winter Anthology: Blackout



    Poetry Anthology: Remember


     
    To start off our week, we featured a review of Judas Tree by Author: AC Benus. Timothy M. thoroughly enjoyed reading the first story in the series of novellas and brought us a great review for the first story in the series. Based on the comments, he wasn't the only one who enjoyed the story by AC Benus. If you haven't already read Judas Tree, check out Monday's post and see if maybe the story might be for you. If you have read it, feel free to stop by and leave your own comment as to what you thought of the story!
     
    It's always great to bring attention to our Premium Stories since they are one of the ways in which GA is funded. On Tuesday we featured a story by Cia called Burden of Secrets. It's a great story and so worth the price of a premium membership. If you don't believe me, just go check out the comments on Tuesday's posts.
     
    Myr joined us on Wednesday to bring us his monthly Tech feature. This month he talked about the testing of the new forum software and some of the new features, one of which is the way the new software will recognize top contributors. There is a lot of great information in these monthly features and as the release of the new forum software gets closer, we'll have a lot more of them. Curious as to what's coming? Go check out the blog post!
     
    Friday brought us a couple of new prompts from the Prompt Guru. This week he decided to give us a "First Line" prompt and a creative prompt with the tag of "The Party". It should be interesting to see what people come up with. Some members have already taken these prompts and ran with them. We also featured Rook Lee's prompt response to last week's Prompt #355.
     
    Normally Friday would have been the end of the week for the blog, but this week we had a Saturday post. In another break from the norm, our CSR Discussion Day took place on the last Saturday of the month instead of on a Monday. This month we had a live Q & A with Dark regarding their story "The Phantom." There were lots of great questions asked and answered so stop by to see what Dark had to say as the interviewee instead of the interviewer!
     
    Anthology Announcements:


    ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens *COMPLETE*
     
    Do Over by dkstories *reposting*
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Finding Alex by Nephylim
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    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
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Kiss Of An Angel by Comicality
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Lay Your Prompts On Me by Sasha Distan; Book 2 of GA Prompts
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicles
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    Curse of the Fallen by JMH; Book 2 of Fallen
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!
  5. Renee Stevens
    Wow. It’s hard to believe that No More Hiding has finished posting in Premium. I first started writing about Phillip and Vance all the way back in 2009. I completed it and ran it by a few of my friends and, after a bunch of corrections, submitted it to a publisher in February of 2010.
     
    In April 2010, I heard back that it was being rejected. It was probably the nicest rejection letter I could have gotten. Not only did the publisher tell me they liked the characters and the storyline, they told me exactly what it was that was keeping them from accepting No More Hiding for publication.
     
    It took nearly a year before I really decided to sit back down and start to work on the story again with the help of Sara Alva (at that time known as KingdombytheSea). I didn’t understand what the publisher was talking about, but I was lucky that Sara did and was willing to help me. Unfortunately, we only made it through about five chapters of the rewrite before the story stalled. Entirely my fault as I started struggling with the chapters. I can’t say enough about how much Sara helped me in those early chapters.
     
    Fast forward nearly three years when I was asked about doing a story for Premium. I had a couple options, and at first I tried to work on a story called Rough Stock Wranglers. I got a few chapters into the revision before realizing that it needed a lot more work than what I could accomplish in the time frame I had to complete it. So I turned my attention once more to No More Hiding.
     
    It’s been a lot of work. I’ve changed some plot aspects, added some scenes, and some chapters were nearly complete rewrites. I was incredibly lucky to have Cia and AJ who stuck with me through its entirety and once again, not only has it finished posting in Premium, but it is once again in the hands of a publisher. A different one this time and hopefully by the end of October I’ll have an answer as to whether or not they’ll accept it for publication. If they don’t, then it looks like I’ll be self-publishing it, just like I did with Challenging Fate!
     
    A huge Thank You to all those who have been reading and commenting on the story as it posts! I've enjoyed reading all of your thoughts and thank you for sticking with me through the story, I know at times it has been a bit of a tough read!
     
    So, what's next?
     
    It’s hard to imagine that it’s been a 5 year journey with No More Hiding. Now I need to work on Rough Stock Wranglers, which, ironically enough, will have also become a 5 year journey once it’s done considering it was my 2010 NaNoWriMo story.
     
    (I will also be working on finishing "Thwarted", "Line of Sight", and "Forging Trust".)
  6. Renee Stevens

    Writing Prompts #356 & #357

    By Renee Stevens,


    Prompts
    It's Friday again!!! I hope that everyone has had a great week so far. It's that time again for two new prompts, supplied as always by our prompt guru, Comicfan! *Reminder: Authors are more than welcome to post their Prompt Responses in GA Stories, but please remember that flash pieces under 1k must be posted in collections, not as individual stories.*
     
    Prompt 356 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “Since when do I have to tell you everything?”
     
    Prompt 357 – Creative
    Tag – The Party
    You have been part of a group who meet and discuss things online for the past five years. They have decided to get together and have a huge party. What is it like and where is it held?
     
    This week I decided to feature Rook Lee's response to Prompt #355:
     

    To read the rest, click here!
  7. Renee Stevens
    For those who are new to the GA News Blog, Tuesday's are the day when I share a little information about one of our Premium Stories. While Gay Authors is free to it's members, it's not free to run. One of the ways GA keeps the site running is by the help from members who purchase a Premium Subscription. What do you get when you purchase a Premium Subscription? You get access to the select few stories that are not available to the regular membership. One such story is "Burden of Secrets" by Cia.
     




    Burden of Secrets


    by




    Cia

     

    They both have secrets they want to hide. Chris isn't out and his break-up with a waitress at the restaurant his father owns, and he's interning at, results



    in a lot of pain for someone else. He has to take care of Niel as much as he has to hide how much he wants him. There's something about him that draws



    Chris in. But Niel's hiding too, from some very bad ... people. Will he have the courage to tell Chris everything and will Chris still want him afterward?


     

    Words: 25,443



    Chapters: 5


     

    Category



    Fiction


     

    Genres

    Romance, Fantasy, Drama

     

    Tags

    Modern, Coming Out, Adult, Magic, Young Adult

     

    Rating



    Mature


     

    Want to read "Burden of Secrets"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
    Premium Subscription!

     



    Premium Content
    $8.10
    $8.10 Monthly




    Premium Content - 3 Months
    $24.00
    $24.00 Every 3 months




    Premium Content - 6 Months
    $47.00
    $47.00 Every 6 months




    Premium Content - 1 Year
    $93.00
    $93.00 Annually

  8. Renee Stevens

    Author Interview: Mark Arbour

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    Our featured story for the September Signature Background is "9.11" by Mark Arbour. As I'm sure many can imagine, writing about the events of September 11, 2001 couldn't have been easy. Not only do we get to learn a little about Mark Arbour in today's interview by Cia, but we also get to hear from him on what it was like to actually write about the events of 9.11.


    Interview: Mark Arbour on "
    9.11"

     
    Personal:
     
    Single people work more. Are you single?
     

    I would like to see your empirical evidence to support that statement, which is my way of saying that’s bullshit: single people do not work more. And no, I’m not single.  
    Chocolate or Vanilla?
     

    I like chocolate, but really light chocolate. There’s an ice cream shop near my house that makes awesome chocolate shakes: I have them use about a third the chocolate syrup they normally use.  
    What brought you to the site?
     

    Dom Luka. I fell in love with his writing, and when he made the migration to GA, I went with him. I came over at about the same time as Sharon and Vic. I miss Vic.  
    Writing in General:
     
    Do your characters try to make like bunnies and create ever more convoluted plots for you? Or do you have to coax them out of your characters?
     

    My characters write the stories for me. It’s like I put them in a place, give them a premise, and then turn them loose. They do the rest.  
    If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
     

    I can’t answer that question by naming one person, because this whole writing thing has been an evolution. The writer who originally inspired me was John Walsh, who wrote "Fraternity Memoirs". I loved his story, and how vivid his characters were. The author who encouraged me the most (and still does) is Adam Phillips. I love his mind. Then there’s Dom Luka: his writing is not only awesome, it’s also a challenge, to see if I can even get close to building stories like he does.  
    Name one entity that you feel most supported you in your writing endeavors.
     

    That’s easy: my team. If they quit, I’d probably stop writing.  
    When did you first consider yourself a writer?
     

    When I first published "Chronicles of an Academic Predator" here on GA, it started to get some real traction with lots of ‘views,’ and that made me think I could actually do this, that I could write. But I didn’t really think of myself as an author until I got promoted to Promising status. After that, I felt like I was part of the GA writer’s guild (there isn’t one, but there should be).  
    Story Specific:
     
    Tackling the 9-11 attacks is a pretty big challenge. How did you approach it?
     

    After I finished "Millennium", which ended at the beginning of 2000, I could just feel this event looming. To be honest, I took awhile (2 stories) before I got there, and I was probably avoiding it. But it was such a pivotal point in our history, that I knew I had to deal with it, and I was determined to try to do it justice.  
    How did you do that?
     

    Two things: research and story structure. I read three books on 9-11, including one on the architecture of the twin towers, in addition to countless web pages. I found that Wikipedia was a very reliable source, but I could only come to that conclusion after looking at a bunch of other stuff too. The other part was how I set up the story. The first part shows the characters blithely going along, doing what they do, mostly getting into petty arguments with each other, or screwing up their relationships. The attacks are next, and there really isn’t a character that isn’t devastated by them. The latter part shows them dealing with the aftermath, and the grief. I drew on my own experiences, where those attacks changed things for me, and changed how I looked at things. The little bullshit just didn’t matter as much after watching those towers collapse.  
    Writing a story like this must be emotionally draining. Is this the toughest one you’ve written?
     

    It’s very draining. There were times when I’d write a chapter and find myself wiping tears out of my eyes as I did. As for the toughest story, I think it’s a toss-up between this one and "1968". "1968" was pretty dark, and while this story certainly isn’t a happy tale, it has some bright points you can hang your psyche on.  
    You’ve written one story since you finished 9.11, and you’re working on another one. What are your future plans for the CAP series?
     

    The story after "9.11", "Flux", was largely about the characters recovering from the attacks and trying to move forward with their lives. The current story, "Streak", is focused on two of the characters that are closeted athletes: one is a football player; the other is a figure skater. I think that "Streak" could be considered a continuation of "Flux", but the story after this will be different. I’ve got some ideas, and some new characters to bring into the mix with that one.
  9. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    WOW! What a week! Hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for a new week to begin. I know I am, since I'll be gone all week! Before I forget, I've got a little reminder before I get to the Weekly Wrap Up!
     
    Reminder: SonoLuminus has decided to participate in Light the Night, a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has dedicated her walk, and even named her team, in memory of Robert (aka Trebs) who passed away on August 7th after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. To learn more about Light the Night and how you can help support SonoLuminus, please visit the lounge topic.
     
    Now, let's see what happened this past week!
     
    We started out our week with review day for our September Signature Background featured story, "9.11" by Mark Arbour! We did things a little different this week considering the sheer nature of not only the story itself, but the series itself. The CAP Saga is enormous with many reviews, so instead of asking one author to review the story, Cia pulled a few reviews from the story itself. Hope you enjoyed seeing what some of the other readers thought, feel free to stop by and share your own thoughts as well!
     
    Tuesday was Premium day where we featured "The Experiment" by Cia. Premium Content Subscriptions help to maintain the site and keep the majority of content free. If you've thought about subscribing, check out Tuesday's post and see just one of the stories you would gain access to!
     
    Mark Arbour has been a member of GA for over nine years. On Wednesday we got to learn a little more about not only him and his thoughts on writing in general, but what it was like for him personally as he wrote his story "9.11". As many would guess, it had to be an emotional undertaking, right? Want to know Mark's thoughts? Go check out the interview Cia did, it's there, just waiting for you!
     
    To finish off the week we brought you the weekly... Oh, wait, that's right, there were no prompts this week. Why you may ask? Because instead of prompts, we released eighteen, that's right, EIGHTEEN, brand new stories for you to check out. On Thursday, the 2014 Fall Anthology: Scars was made live. There's something for everyone: Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror, Adventure, Historical, Creative Non-Fic, and Poetry! Don't forget to leave the Authors a review to let them know what you think of their hard work!!
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team* 2015 Anthology Theme Voting is Now Open - Make sure to stop by the topic and register your votes for what you would like to tackle writing or reading over the next year. We have some really great choices to choose from thanks to our Anthology Theme Selection Authors who whittled down 162 suggestions to 20 Quarterly themes and 5 Poetry themes. You have until September 21st to vote, so VOTE NOW!!!

    ***NEW READING***
     
    In Premium:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus
     
    What's in a Prompt by Andy78; Book 3 of GA Prompt Stories
     
    "Waiting Outside The Lines" by Comicality
     
    Standing In Shadows by Krista
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Stitching Our Memories Together by Bill W *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    S.C.A.R.S. 2094 by Bill W *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Festering Wounds by Bill W *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Fang and Claw by comicfan *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Family Tree by Renee Stevens *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Body and Soul by comicfan *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Bridging the Chasm by Cia; Book 3 of A Maze For Three *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    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
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    Lost Inside by Cia, Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Line of Sight by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Curse of the Fallen by JMH; Book 2 of Fallen
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    Into the Fire by Cole Matthews *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    Bright Thunder by Sasha Distan *2014 Fall Anthology: Scars*
     
    The Art Of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    Lay Your Prompts On Me by Sasha Distan; Book 2 of GA Prompts
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  10. Renee Stevens
    I know a lot of people have been looking forward to the release of the Fall Anthology. Luckily, the wait is over! Eighteen stories have now been released for your enjoyment. I hope you find something you enjoy and don't forget to leave the author's a review to let them know what you think of their work! Also, after you've read through all the entries, don't forget to go and vote for next years themes! Thank you to all the Authors and their teams, the Anthology Proof Team for giving the stories a final polish, AJ for his Tech help, and Cia for the Anthology banner!




     
     
     


    Body and Soul
    comicfan

     

    I finally left him. Who would have thought I would have the courage to do it? I sure as hell didn’t, but I did it, even if it meant I had to leave in a goddamn ambulance. I mean, when you have a roof over your head and are mainly left alone, you can handle a lot.
     
    “Please, just lie still, sir. I know you are in pain, but we have to get this IV in, and then we can adjust the breathing tube. Nancy, please let Dr. Avold know he is awake.”
     
    I hear them run around me like ants trying to patch me up. They seem to think the scars they see are the worst. They should only know the truth.
     
    “I want the dose high to begin with. He has massive injuries, and I don’t want him to wake up. We are going to have to induce a coma to give his body time to heal.”
     



    Bridging the Chasm
    Cia

     

    Miah glanced over his shoulder at me, eyebrows drawn down in a scowl. “You can put me down now.”
     
    “No.” I smiled at him.
     
    “Don’t you think you should help Lisco pack your stuff?” he asked.
     
    I shook my head. “No. He’s faster than me anyway. Better I stay out of the way. Besides, I like you in my arms.” I did. Miah was solid but no challenge for my strength. I almost wished he hadn’t gotten the hover chair to move around in until his hands healed. If we’d known how scared he was, and that the pilltock juice from the plants in the dome would affect him, we’d never have set up the mock chase. Trying to bond with a human was a lot more complicated than I’d thought it would be—who knew some of them didn’t like being hunted?


    Bright Thunder
    Sasha Distan

     

    Seth DaCosta put his head back and opened his mouth to taste the rain. To him, one of the best things about living in south Florida was the region’s propensity to dispense thunder, lightning, and copious quantities of rain with delicious predictability. All afternoon the rising wind had been chopping up the sea, making the waves fun, dangerous and challenging. Visitors and tourists stayed well out of the water, but Seth was not alone out there in the breakers with his favourite red and white surfboard and his cropped wetsuit. Locals and morons were the only ones who liked to surf in storms, and as the next big wave began rolling in, Seth jumped up onto his board to a crack of thunder like the smashing of marble headstones. He cheered in delight, and rode the wave all the way to the beach.
     
    Out of the sea, the rain started coming down in buckets, and Seth unzipped his suit and rolled it down to his hips before planting his surfboard in the sand and simply standing there being bathed by the warm rain.



    Emergence
    Valkyrie71

     

    I retched as I approached the dilapidated house. I wondered why we were even here. With a stench this bad, the police should have called the coroner, not paramedics.
     
    Kevin grimaced and handed me a bottle of Vicks VapoRub. I was glad I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. A policeman ran out of the house and threw up on the lawn. A fireman followed and shook his head. “You boys better get suited up before coming in here. It’s pretty bad.”
     
    ‘Pretty bad’ didn’t even come close.
     
    The mailman had called the police after noticing an increase in the pervasive smell that surrounded the place around the same time the mail started accumulating. The occupant was a known hoarder with a belligerent past with local authorities.
     
    Kevin and I donned white protective suits along with air masks and the VapoRub.



    Family Tree
    Renee Stevens

     

    “Maybe we should have waited until next weekend.” Ean slung the backpack over his shoulder and shut the truck door.
     
    “We’ll be fine.” Tyler adjusted the shoulder holster he’d donned as soon as he’d gotten out of the truck.
     
    “Somehow, the fact that you borrowed your dad’s pistol doesn’t reassure me.” Ean shook his head and watched Tyler check the chamber and the safety before sliding the pistol into the holster. “Neither does the fact you haven’t been up here in years. We’ll be lucky if we don’t end up lost.”
     
    “Have a little faith.” Tyler chuckled. “I may not have been here in years, but this is where I spent a lot of my childhood. As for the pistol, you never know. It’s always better to be prepared, especially since I remember my dad finding signs of a mountain lion just across from camp one year. We weren’t allowed to go climb on the rocks across from camp after that. Well, not without an adult at least.”



    Fang and Claw
    comicfan

     

    Bill sat quietly in the corner watching the three men sitting at a table at the other end of the bar. He hated that he had to come across the country to deal with this, but when the council made its decision, that was final. He had barely crawled home from the last mission they had sent him out on, only to turn around and be sent here. However, even he had to admit the murders had to stop. The only problem was, he knew one of the two men before him was the possible killer, and the third was making him want to go over and blow his own cover.
     
    “Want another?” The barmaid glanced at him, her eyebrow cocked as she wiped down his end of the bar.
     
    “Just make it a soda. I have to drive later.” Bill turned on the charm as she watched. He smiled, winked, and slipped a few more dollars across for her tip. He’d been nursing the same beer for nearly an hour.



    Festering Wounds
    Bill W

     

    My name is Bob Ross and I'll be retiring as a teacher when the school year ends. In preparation for this, I began removing the personal items from my classroom that I had collected over the years and took them home. As I stored them in my den, I spotted several dusty, old journals sitting forgotten on one of the shelves. In them were recorded my memories of the classes I'd taught over the years. Like any educator, we tend to take notice of the good students, as well as those we've had problems with. We also remember the students that should have done better and those we could have done more to help.
     
    Instinctively, I grabbed one of the journals from the shelf and began to reminisce about the various students I'd taught over the years. Regrettably, far too many had struggled with issues at home, so I found myself thinking about a few of them now. The issues I'm talking about not only affected their educational achievement, but they also left a mark on the lives of these students in general.



    In Sickness and in Health
    aditus

     

    He sat beside her bed, holding her hand. She was thin, too thin. Her skin was yellow, as were the whites of her eyes, a telltale sign of liver failure. Sometimes she would fall asleep for several minutes, and then, when she woke, she had this faraway look, as if seeing something nobody else in the room could see.
     
    She was forty years old and dying. According to her doctors it would happen in the next few days. Nothing could be done; the cancer had come back.
     


    ***


    I hadn’t seen him for almost two years when I met him again at the post office a week ago. We hadn’t parted exactly on good terms back then. Sometimes I talk without thinking.
     

    He was looking good. When he saw me he came right over, his hand outstretched to take mine in a firm grip, a smile on his face. I expected the usual ‘How are you?’ ‘I’m fine’ talk, a little awkward at first maybe because of the things that had happened between us. I never expected it to turn out like it did.



    Into the Fire
    Cole Matthews

     

    “What do the four H’s represent?” the tall man at the front of the group asked.
     
    “I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
    My heart to greater loyalty,
    My hands to larger service,
    and my health to better living,
    for my family, my club, my community, and my country.” The group chanted in unison.
     
    Delbert chuckled as he heard his buddy Orv add, “and for hot dames.” He was always making a joke. Sometimes they were even funny but Del always had to laugh at him. Always.



    Lawyer or Mechanic?
    Valkyrie71

     

    Elliot jumped when he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and squeeze him tightly, narrowly missing the open cabinet door.
     
    “Hey, hun.”
     
    Elliot spun around and smacked Max on his chest. “You scared the shit out of me! I have enough scars from whacking my head on the hood of my car when Pete used to sneak up on me. I don’t need to add any more!”
     
    He rubbed the back of his head. Max replaced Elliot’s hand with his own and drew him close, kissing his forehead.
     
    “Sorry, babe. I thought you heard me come in,” Max said, chagrined.



    Primal Instinct
    Valkyrie71

     

    The man crouched low to the damp earth and touched the small indentation. The track was fresh, only minutes old. He rose and continued down the path that was invisible to those less observant. His bare feet made no noise as he stealthily walked forward, trailing his hands along the occasional broken piece of vegetation marking his quarry’s path. He heard a twig snap and stopped, listening intently. After a brief period of silence, he slowly crept forward to a small stand of shrubs and peered through them. He held his spear close, ready to fly at a moment’s notice. He held his breath as he spied the small deer he’d been tracking for hours. The little animal was at a bad angle; if he threw his spear now, he would surely miss. He waited with the patience of a skilled hunter as the creature grazed in the small clearing. The animal turned toward him, providing the perfect opportunity for the hunter to strike. The spear sailed noiselessly through the air and found its mark unerringly. The little deer staggered forward and collapsed.
     
    The man was upon the deer in seconds, eviscerating it with a sharpened stone and eating the warm liver and kidneys before other predators could scent the kill and drive him off. The deer was lean, but there was enough meat to last for days. He proceeded to expertly butcher the animal, then stopped abruptly. The ambient noise of the forest had changed.



    Ripped
    Foster

     
     
     

    My self torn meant



    Torment



    Towering



    Abyss



    My view from inward



    Outward



    On the top



    Of the bottom


     
     
     


    S.C.A.R.S. 2094
    Bill W

     

    The Severe Climate Awareness and Relocation Services unit, S.C.A.R.S. for short, was founded in 2043 and charged with relocating individuals and families living in areas that were most affected by the rising sea level. Those working for the agency were assigned to assist the communities that were becoming inundated with salt water and where the homes and businesses were slowly being reclaimed by nature. This meant there were regional offices situated all along the east coast, west coast, Gulf coast and Mississippi River Delta to assist the residents in those areas that could no longer stay where they were.
     
    The water level had risen 4.5 feet (1.5 m) over the past century, so the oceans currently covered vast swaths of land along the rivers that emptied into them, as well as much of the former coastline. Unfortunately, many of the affected areas were the same locations that had attracted a great deal of residential and commercial development over the past 200 years. Some had even become home to popular tourist attractions, but now these areas were either partially or totally uninhabitable. Due to the ever increasing amount of land and structures that were being overtaken by the rising sea level, they could no longer function in their previous capacity.



    Scars Upon The Mountain
    DynoReads

     

    Fields of Lava
     
    Gray dust and smoke darkened the skies. No animal remained on the mountain to be troubled by the hot, harsh air. The lucky ones had fled down the slope and found refuge nearby. A few tree skeletons clung stubbornly to the hillside. The smoldering remains of once proud trees testified to the destructive force of the volcanic eruption.
     
    Weeks passed. Cooling rivers of lava slowly turned to stone. Beneath the surface, the heat and pressure created sparkling stones; unseen treasure prized by greedy and careless men.
     
    Above, the wind playfully stirred up volcanic ash and dust. Small, gray eddies danced across the rock, uncaring of the heat or the fragility of the rocky crust. Tired of the game, the gusts changed directions and the suspended particles slowly drifted down. The beginnings of fertile soil are laid…
     



    Stitching Our Memories Together
    Bill W

     

    I met Stone the summer before entering fourth grade. My family had just purchased a house in another neighborhood, which was on the other side of town from where we used to live. I didn't want to move and was devastated that I would have to leave all of my friends and classmates behind. It was one of the worst nightmares that someone my age would ever have to go through.
     
    Almost as soon as the movers finished taking the last items out of the moving van and had placed everything in the house, I sneaked out to the backyard so I could sulk. At the moment I didn't want to be in the house around my parents, because they were happy and I wasn't. They were scurrying around the place getting everything organized and commenting about how wonderful the new house was, but I didn't think it was so great. I liked our old house much better and missed my friends, so none of this seemed wonderful to me.
     
    As I moved farther away from the house, I tried to remember if I'd closed the sliding patio door that led from the family room. I was in such a hurry to get out of there that I couldn't recall if I'd shut it on the way outside.



    The Crow's Fist
    Celethiel

     
     
     

    To settle a score

    Command me strip
    Blood on the floor
    I taste the whip

     
    You hurt me so
    For what you shun
    Much to my woe
    I cannot run


    Tough Love
    joann414

     

    Curt slid his key into the lock and turned the knob, pushing at the door with his knee. “Trey, I’m home. I did a little Christmas shopping today and bought homemade chili down at Mamie’s Diner for dinner tonight. Trey?” Frowning, Curt kicked the door shut, dropping his shopping bags carelessly onto the rug in the den before carrying the bag that contained the container of chili into the kitchen. Depositing it onto the counter, he searched the counter and front of the refrigerator for a note from Trey, his boyfriend of three years.
     
    Feeling concerned, he pulled his cellphone from his coat pocket and dialed Micky, his friend and Trey’s therapist. “Hey, bud. Did Trey have an appointment with you this evening?”
     
    “It’s Friday, Curt. You know I see him on Thursday evenings so he doesn’t miss any work. Why? What’s up?”
     
    Curt, feeling a little overprotective sighed before speaking into the phone. “I’m a little worried. It’s not like him not to leave a note if he goes somewhere after work. I’d told him I was going to the mall when I got off and would be home by seven. It’s a little after that now and he’s not here.”



    Vivid
    Yettie One

     

    I am not quite sure how I want to be remembered.
     
    The most vivid recollection I can call on was that constant smell of cordite which hung in the air after the bombardments began. It was so thick you could almost taste it. And then there was the noise. More than anything, that noise shook my soul. It was a constant attack on every sense a man had stuck in them miserable trenches. The mud, the rain, the fear of death… I could live with those, process them, accept them, deal with them, but that incessant concussion of blast after blast ripping through the ground, the tremors reaching into the very fibres of my muscles, the dust raining down in a fine sheen that made the light seem blurry and left a film of grit in the mouth and just below the nose. It was that eternal shaking that troubled me most. Night after night, day after day.
     
    And when it stopped….
  11. Renee Stevens

    Premium Tuesday: The Experiment

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    Gay Authors has always managed to remain free to it's members, one of the ways that it has managed to do so is through it's Premium Subscribers. Members choose to help support the site and keep it going by purchasing Premium Content which consists of a number of stories that are only available on the site by purchasing Premium Content. There are many great stories to be found in the Premium section, one of which is "The Experiment" by Cia.
     


    The Experiment


    by




    Cia

     
     
     

    Ryker thought he volunteered for an experiment that would help his government in a war against an alien planet.



    He didn't know he would become the experiment, or that he'd end up on a planet full of aliens that killed humans on sight.



    He wasn't exactly human anymore though.


     
     
     

    Series:
    Saving Caeorleia


    Words: 94,841



    Chapters: 34


     
     
     

    Category



    Fiction


     
     
     

    Genres

    Fantasy, Drama

     
     
     

    Tags

    Future, Anal, Off-Planet, Aliens, Medical

     
     
     

    Rating



    Mature


     
     
     

    Want to read "The Experiment"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
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  12. Renee Stevens
    I hope everyone has had a great week so far and are now looking forward to the weekend! Who's ready to do some writing? To help you get started, Comicfan has supplied two new prompts!! Don't forget to share your responses in the prompt forum and maybe you'll be featured next week!
     
    Prompt 352 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “I can’t believe you asked him that!”
     
    Prompt 353 – Creative
    Tag – The Anniversary
    It has been a year since the accident stole your partner away. What is life like a year later?
     
    Also, for those who didn't notice, Irritable1 and AC Benus have joined together to bring you Poetry Prompt 1 - !Tanka!. Not sure what "Tanka" is? Check out the actual prompt in the prompt forum to learn more about it and maybe even join those who have posted their response to the first Poetry Prompt!
     
    For this week I decided to feature Joann414's response to Prompt #350. I hope you get a chuckle out of it, I know I did:
     

    Want to read the rest? Click here!
  13. Renee Stevens

    Ask An Author #20

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    I can't believe how quickly this year seems to be going. It's already the beginning of September and since it's also the first Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our monthly feature, Ask An Author. This great feature is provided to us every month by Dark, to help keep it going, don't forget to PM Dark your questions for your favorite authors!


    Ask an Author #20


     
    Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!
     
    In AtA #19, we had questions for authors Layla, lilansui, and Thorn WIlde.
     
    In AtA #20, we hear from authors Aditus, Celethiel, TetRefine.
     
    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 today is Aditus, who makes this look easy. Many of you know my feelings about vampires, but have you read From the Ashes Springs New Life? You’d think Halloween + vampire = horror, but I found this entry for W_L’s Halloween collection deliciously fun. Aditus is also one of the writers of Gaia Town. For those of you not in the know, Gaia Town is a story written in a round-robin style, with all authors contributing to the plot and characters. If you want to know more, check out the forum here: Gaia Town. Aditus reads everything, so watch out!
     
    To Aditus: Since English isn't your first language, do you brainstorm for a story in German or in English?


    When I get an idea for a story, I see pictures in my mind, in other words, I use one of the most basic languages that exists. If I explore the idea further, brainstorm, I always do that in English. It isn't a conscious decision, I do it involuntarily. It's also the reason why lately I have more problems writing a story in German than in English. For poems, though, I still prefer German. When I start writing, and don't know a word, I paraphrase, looking it up would interrupt my thought process. Later I read everything aloud, change what sounds wrong, look up words or expressions, and hope Lisa and Zombie won't ever resign their job.  
    Up next is artist and Author Celethiel. From Montana, he writes both prose and poetry, and he likes to draw. Talk about a triple threat! Plus, if you’ve ever visited his blog, you’ll see examples of the bracelets he’s made. Celethiel is one of our more prolific poets, all organized by theme. I think my favorite collection is The Elementals. Maybe I like them because they’re “dark.” Then again, there’s just something so stirring about them and I love the build-up toward a climax. If you like vampires and the teen genre, you’ll definitely want to check out A Crimson Frost. Maybe if enough of us poke him, Celethiel will finish it. Oh! And random tidbit: Celethiel shares a birthday with my sister.
     
    To Celethiel: Have your stories been (or do your stories get) influenced by stories you've read?


    My stories have been influenced by lots of things, books I've read, movies I've watched, my life, my dreams, history it's self. You can see a lot of the influences of movies like the 1963 movie the Raven, and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (cheesy movie, you don't want to watch it), both of which i watched as a child. You may also see some influence of Tolkien and David Eddings in it as well. Although most of these are in the aesthetics and technic of what I writing, rather than plot. Possibly though some of the greatest influence on my writing, at least consciously, came from James V. Smith, who actually wrote a book on the subject. On my poetry... I'd tell you i get my inspiration from emotions, politics, war, while i got idea of poetic quatranes from the Mayans. It was an attempt on my part to create my own poetic style, which may have been more or less successful. So as you can see there are a lot of things that really go into the things I write.  
    Last but not least, is Author TetRefine. Although he’s only been with GA since 2009, TetRefine’s one of those guys that you wonder how you lived without. 2014 is going to be an exciting and challenging year for Tet as he finishes college and decides what his next steps are going to be. He’s already got one thing many of us are still looking for: a loving, supportive partner of several years. Plus, we’ve finally convinced him to write for us! Go take a look at The Gauntlet, a story about a college lacrosse player. Like Tet, main character Mark has a lot to come to grips with in his life. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a happy ending.
     
    To TetRefine: What do you like the most about your writing process? Which part you find it most challenging?


    The part I like most about my own personal writing process is exploring how gay men reconcile their masculinity with their homosexuality. One of the things that bothers me in gay fiction is how authors often portray a "straight-acting" closeted character's coming out as neat and orderly. He meets a out-and-proud boy, they stay secret for a while, and eventually the "straight-acting" guy comes out and its happily ever after. I just don't think that it's that simple or easy in real life. I think the struggles that guys like that go through can be harsh and painful, and don't always have a happy ending. I like exploring what I see as a more realistic view of people like that when I create each chapter.  
    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!
     
    Coming next time: Comicfan, K.C., and Reddirtwriter.
     
    Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
    Until next time!
    Dark
  14. Renee Stevens

    Premium Tuesday: Social Skills

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    It's time for another look into the Premium Section of Gay Authors. As most people know, the Premium Section is our way of saying Thank You to those who help support Gay Authors by purchasing a Premium Subscription. There are quite a few stories that have either only posted in Premium or have been moved to Premium for one reason or another. This week, we are showcasing "Social Skills" by Sara Alva.
     


    Social Skills


    by



    Sara Alva

     

    Connor Owens is a violinist, a college freshman, and an extreme introvert . . . but when he reluctantly takes a job



    tutoring for the athletic department, he meets someone who just might be the ticket out of his self-imposed prison.


     

    Words: 108,812



    Chapters: 28


     

    Category



    Fiction


     

    Genres

    Romance

     

    Tags

    Modern, Coming of Age, First Time, Gay, Music, Young Adult

     

    Rating



    Mature


     

    Want to read "Social Skills"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
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  15. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Hope everyone had a great week and for many, hope you are having a wonderful extended weekend!
     
    Reminder: SonoLuminus has decided to participate in Light the Night, a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has dedicated her walk, and even named her team, in memory of Robert (aka Trebs) who passed away on August 7th after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. To learn more about Light the Night and how you can help support SonoLuminus, please visit the lounge topic.
     
    For those who read this month's CSR choice, In The Depths of Despair, the discussion was held on Monday. Cia interviewed InTheMindOfSunshine for the blog feature and then later on in the evening, InTheMindOfSunshine joined us here at the blog for a live Q & A.
     
    For our Premium Tuesday story, we took a look at "Comfort Only" by RCMills. "Comfort Only" is just one of the many stories that are available to Premium Subscribers. If you want access to even more great stories, and want to help support GA at the same time, check out Tuesday's post to see how!
     
    On Wednesday, Myr joined us in the blog for his monthly Tech blog. This month he gave us another look into what's coming with the upcoming upgrades. There are definitely some changes on the horizons when it comes to the way we will be reviewing and commenting on stories. Check out Myr's Tech Blog if you want to know more!
     
    Our Prompt Me brought two new prompts to help spark some ideas. For the featured prompt response I featured Krista's response to Prompt #349. If you do decide to take on one of the prompts, don't forget to share it in the forum and maybe yours will be featured in a future Friday blog!
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W
     
    Hercules III by CarlHoliday
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    Krista's Prompts by Krista
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    By our Classic Authors:
     
    The Kandric Saga by Kyle Aarons
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    The Art Of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    The English Year by Jwolf
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  16. Renee Stevens
    Hope everyone has had a great week so far. To start your weekend off right, we're bringing you two new prompts supplied by our resident prompt guru, Comicfan. Don't forget to share your prompt responses in the Prompt Forum , you might just find yours being shared next week! Enjoy!
     
    Prompt 350 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following in a story – farmer, bluebells, a toad, a pond, and a book.
     
    Prompt 351 – Creative
    Tag – The Curse
    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?
     
    This week I decided to feature Krista's response to Prompt #349, Enjoy!
     

    To read the rest, click here...
  17. Renee Stevens
    I hope that everyone had a great start to the week! It's time to take a look at yet another of the offerings to GA's Premium Subscribers! While the majority of content on Gay Authors is free and will remain so, Premium Subscriptions are available as a way for members to help support the site and keep it open. To say "Thank You" for the support, GA offers stories that are only available to Premium Subscribers. One such story is "Comfort Only" by RCMills.



    Comfort Only


    by



    RCMills

     

    Leaving college is a time of many changes. Find a home, a job, a next step in life... Some people have it all planned out, others just fall into what they get.



    Kenneth knows how to make things happen, but will he get a chance to...


     

    Words: 53,833



    Chapters: 7


     

    Category



    Fiction


     

    Genres

    Drama

     

    Tags

    Psychology, College, Anal, Oral, Modern

     

    Rating



    Mature


     


    Want to read "Comfort Only"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
    Premium Subscription!

     



    Premium Content
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    $24.00 Every 3 months




    Premium Content - 6 Months
    $47.00
    $47.00 Every 6 months




    Premium Content - 1 Year
    $93.00
    $93.00 Annually

  18. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Before we get started on this weeks weekly wrap up, I have a reminder and an announcement that I'd like to start out with.
     
    Reminder: SonoLuminus has decided to participate in Light the Night, a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has dedicated her walk, and even named her team, in memory of Robert (aka Trebs) who passed away on August 7th after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. To learn more about Light the Night and how you can help support SonoLuminus, please visit the lounge topic.
     
    Announcement: Tomorrow (August 24th) is the August CSR Discussion on InTheMindOfSunshine's story "In The Depths of Despair". InTheMindOfSunshine will be available for a live chat, here on the blog, from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. Central Time to answer any questions that readers might have. If you can't make it during that time frame, please feel free to post your questions at any time throughout the day.
     
    Now, let's see what happened this week in the Gay Authors News Blog!
     
    There are many stories on Gay Authors, and for the start of Signature Week and our Monday Feature, Joann414 provided us with a review of "The Game" by Nephylim. If you like fantasy and drama, then this story might just be for you. Perhaps reading Jo Ann's review just might help you decide if this is one story that you need to add to your reading list.
     
    Premium Tuesday's are a great way to find out what stories are hiding away in the Premium section of Gay Authors. This week we featured "Rising Star", the second story in the "Waiting for the Sign" series by Dkstories. If you've thought about purchasing a Premium Content subscription, checking out the Premium Tuesday posts are a great way to find out what stories you'll be gaining access to.
     
    Interviews are a great way to continue Signature Week and this week was no exception. Cia provided us with a great interview that she did with Nephylim about her story "The Game", but she doesn't talk just about "The Game". If you want to find out what else Nephylim talks about, like her next projects, check out Wednesday's post.
     
    We ended the week with two new prompts from the Prompt Guru, Comicfan. One of the prompts was a first line prompt, which can always prove to be interesting an the other has the tag "the toy". Did you have a favorite toy as a child? Do you remember everything about it? This prompt may just be for you, so check it out! There were no responses to last week's prompts, so this week I shared a prompt that Comicfan did this week in response to a previous prompt.
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    Krista's Prompts by Krista
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Untouchable by Comicality
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    Lost Inside by Cia, Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Geeks by CassieQ
     
    Standing In Shadows by Krista
     
    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)
     
    Dream Lover - Extended by Comicality
     
    Forging Trust by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    Lay Your Prompts On Me by Sasha Distan; Book 2 of GA Prompts
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    The Art Of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  19. Renee Stevens
    I hope everyone has had a great week up until this point and that everyone has a wonderful weekend as well. Friday has once again graced us with it's presence and with it we have two more prompts from the prompt guru, Comicfan. As always, we're also sharing a previous prompt response. Don't forget, if either of these prompts trigger a response from you, share it in the prompt forum and maybe you'll see yours featured next week!
     
    Prompt 348 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “Can you give me one reason why I should believe you?”
     
    Prompt 349 – Challenge
    Tag – The Toy
    Here is the challenge. Remember your favorite toy as a child? Think about it. What did it smell like? Feel like? Look like? Describe it in as much detail as you can without giving the name of it away. Use as many senses as you can.
     
    I didn't see any takes on last week's prompt, so instead, I decided to pick one that's just been written since last Friday. Here's Comicfan's take on prompt #344:

    To read the rest of the story, click here.
  20. Renee Stevens

    Author Interview: Nephylim

    By Renee Stevens,


    Author Interviews
    Our featured story this month for the August Signature Background is "The Game" by Nephylim. If you haven't already downloaded your background, the month is only half over and you still have plenty of time! We started out Signature Week with a great review that Jo Ann did, and now it's time to hear from the author herself. Hopefully you enjoy this interview that Cia did with Nephylim.


    Interview: Nephylim on "
    The Game"

     
    Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?
     

    Absolutely!!! I LOVE fruits and vegetables. There’s not much from the fruit and veg shelf I won’t eat. For many years I was vegetarian, and I still only occasionally eat meat, so fruit and veg are my forte.  

    My favourite fruit is watermelon, and my favourite veg are carrots and swedes mashed.  
    Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
     

    Totally don’t see the point.  
    Chocolate or Vanilla?
     

    In everything but sex it’s vanilla all the way. I LOVE the taste and smell of vanilla and I have vanilla candles burning right now.  
    Do your characters try to make like bunnies and create ever more convoluted plots for you? Or do you have to coax them out of your characters?
     

    I never have to tease storylines out of my characters. They throw them at me from every direction constantly. Even when I’m not writing their story.  
    Name one entity you feel supported you in your writing endeavors outside of family members.
     

    Gay Authors. I came to the site by absolute chance years ago when I was very tentatively beginning to explore the possibility of sharing my stories with others. I was scared stiff and even more scared when I put my first posts on the forum. Somehow, it was like touching a lighted paper to a firework and my world literally exploded. Suddenly people were reading my stories and commenting. They were taking to my characters like the real people they are in my head, and not only that they were talking to me, sharing all kinds of things.  

    I’m not the most…er…vanilla person. I have more kinks than brain cells, but I was absolutely accepted for who and what I am and that gave me more confidence than anything else in my life – confidence to write, to share my writing and to be myself.  
    Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
     

    Not in the writing process itself. Writing has always been my therapy, my stress release, my salvation. Recently, I’ve been struggling a lot. I’ve moved house and it’s taken a lot out of me and for the first time in my life I’m finding it hard to write. It’s not like writers block because I have plenty to say. It’s purely the energy levels. I’m really struggling to write this interview. I just want to close down the computer and sleep. Maybe that’s what I should do until I catch up with my energy. I’m just a very driven person and find it hard to rest when there are things to do.  
    Do you have any writing rituals?
     

    None at all. I sit down wherever I am and write. If I’m not at my laptop I write longhand and type it in later. I write with whatever pen comes first to my hand on the tatty reporter’s notebook I have in my bag all the time.  
    How many books/stories have you written? Which is your favorite?
     

    Dozens. I have about 40 on GA and six or seven published books/anthologies. I’ve also written a twelve book series with Steph Danielson which is in the process of being posted on GA.  

    I find it really hard to choose my favourite story, but I can say that by far and away my favourite character is Silver. Silver appears in the Enigma books. There are five books altogether of which two are available on GA. They have been taken out of publication for a short while to be properly edited and overhauled. When they come back they will bring book III with them.  

    Silver is amazing and I’m totally in love with him.  
    Did the characters or the plot for The Game come to you first?
     

    The characters always come first. Daniel started telling me his story in the bathroom. The face in the mirror was mine at the time – yeah, I’ve had a colourful past as far as my hair at least is concerned.  

    It took me a while before I realized what was going on. I had no idea it was all part of a game until Daniel suddenly informed me he was actually someone else altogether.  
    If The Game was made into a movie, who do you picture playing the main character’s part?
     

    Robert Sheehan  
    What was your favorite part of The Game?
     

    The end. I had absolutely no idea what was coming. I was as much in the dark as everyone else playing The Game. Not even Daniel knew what he had to do until it happened. It was a real shock. I actually cried my eyes out for a while.  
    Can you share a little of your current work with us?
     

    My next release will be ‘Project X’ with Wayward Ink. This story actually made its debut on GA in Premium section some years ago. A good friend, Andrew Q Gordon, who now works with Wayward Ink suggested I submit and put in more than a good word for me, for which I am forever grateful. So far, at least, it appears that working with Wayward Ink is going to be an immensely pleasurable experience. I’m having the best time with everyone. The cover of Project X is a real piece of art and I’m so excited about its release at the end of the month.  

    As soon as I have the final cover image I’ll give you all a little peep.  
    What are your future projects?
     

    I have my second book with Featherweight Publishing – Memories of Forgotten Love – coming out in the next couple of months. This is a young adult work about a boy called Noah, who wakes after being in a coma for six months with no memory of anything at all from before that moment he woke.  

    Gradually, with the help of the people who tell him they’re his family and friends, especially Luke, who was probably his best friend, Noah gradually comes back to life – until a chance change of doctors accidentally reveals a huge secret – everyone thinks Noah’s injury was no accident, but the result of a failed suicide attempt.  

    Right from the start, the idea of suicide doesn’t sit right with Noah. He admits to having no memory of who he was but he’s damn sure the person he is would never do anything like that and can’t see any reason why things would have been so different then.  

    Luke isn’t being much help because not only does he believe that Noah tried to kill himself, he’s convinced it was Luke’s fault.  

    Gradually, as his friendship with Luke falls apart for no reason Noah can see, and his confusion about just about everything in his life deepens, Noah’s memories of ‘the accident’ return bringing with them a sickening revelation. Noah didn’t fall. Nor did he jump. Noah was pushed.  

    I also have a story in an anthology Stranded coming out with Wayward Ink in mid October.  
    And finally, my favorite question: What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)?
     

    I bet your hoping for leather and chains huh? Unfortunately, I find it difficult to get comfortable to type in those things and I tend to slob when I’m in front of a screen. At the moment (5pm and sat in front of the laptop and TV in my new house, surrounded by purring and grumbling animals) I’m wearing my pyjamas. Black cotton trousers and a pink and grey striped sleeveless t-shirt. I have no makeup, my hair’s a mess and I have chipped black nail varnish on my nails. All in all, not a pretty picture.
  21. Renee Stevens

    Premium Tuesday: Rising Star

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    Tuesday is a great day to look over what is available in our Premium Section as a thank you to those who help support the site and keep it running. One of the stories available to subscribers is the "Rising Star", the second story in the "Waiting for the Sign" series by Dkstories.


    Rising Star


    by



    Dkstories

     

    Shane Krendall is 19 years old and has been telling his parents he's been going to college, but he's really been trying to land a role in Hollywood.



    Will he be Hollywood's next rising star?


     

    Series:
    Waiting for the Sign


    Words: 96,436



    Chapters: 20


     

    Category



    Fiction


     

    Genres

    Romance, Drama

     

    Tags

    Modern, Celebrity, Young Adult

     

    Rating



    Teen


     

    Want to read "Rising Star"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a
    Premium Subscription!

     



    Premium Content
    $8.10
    $8.10 Monthly




    Premium Content - 3 Months
    $24.00
    $24.00 Every 3 months




    Premium Content - 6 Months
    $47.00
    $47.00 Every 6 months




    Premium Content - 1 Year
    $93.00
    $93.00 Annually

  22. Renee Stevens

    Featured Story: The Game

    By Renee Stevens,


    Featured Stories
    It's Signature Week here in the Gay Authors News Blog. The week, our featured story is "The Game" by Nephylim. If you haven't already done so, you can download your Signature Background for the story either with or without the calendar. I hope you enjoy this review by Jo Ann and don't forget to check back on Wednesday for an interview with Nephylim!



    The Game


    by




    Nephylim


    Signature Author


     
    Reviewer: Joann414
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 56,034
     
    When we think of games lots of things come to mind. There's board games, sports games. puzzle games, video games, card games and of course mind games. Well, Nephylim's game is one that will surprise you, puzzle you, tax your mind, and frankly, scare the hell out of you.
     
    When I told Cia that I would do this review I looked at the length of the story and decided I could easily knock it out in two or three days, reading it at my leisure. That wasn't the case. Once I started reading about Daniel, his best friend Annie, along with a host of other characters I couldn't stop. I tried to leave a review for each chapter but I think I missed a couple because I wanted to read on and see what was going to happen in the next part.
     
    The Game is a story with human players and eventually human pawns that may face death in the end if they are the key player. Daniel, the main character is the end player and the opposing team will stop at nothing to win even if it means removing Daniel's memory or maybe even killing him.
     
    "The only rule of the game is to win and either side will stop at nothing to achieve it." That's quite the understatement. Such a calm description from an author that takes you on a ride through hell and back.
     
    After the opposing team kidnaps Daniel, Simon and Annie, Daniel's best friend are doing everything they can to find him. Annie and Daniel even have a psychic connection, but Annie is unable to use this to find him since the opposing team has erased Daniel's memory and there's nothing for her to see so that they can find him. When Daniel tries to remember, it causes pain that he can hardly withstand.
     
    "It feels cold, stingingly cold, as it is carrying slivers of ice through my body." Professor Bowen who works with the opposing side administers quite the injection to cause this kind of reaction by Daniel. I could almost feel his pain as I read the words.
     
    Although Daniel is released to somewhat of a halfway house, Professor Bowen still makes his visits to be sure that his memory stays blank.
     
    The caretakes, Lily and Shaun begin to realize something is not right but are afraid not to administer the meds that they are instructed to give Daniel everyday.
    Both Shaun and Lily begin to feel for Daniel on a personal level.
     
    Daniel is put through so much that he doesn't even remember who he is or what he looks like. ...because the face in the mirror is surely the face of a woman and I am...I am...not...am.. (Yeah, kinda scary wondering if you are a man or woman, but after checking out other body parts it's plain that he is indeed a man.
     
    How far does trust go even with your own players? When do you get to the point of saying to hell with the game, I want to find my friend? Simon thinks never, Annie is ready now.
     
    As you read this story, every character serves a major purpose. There's really not a "cameo" as they call it in the movies. You, as the reader wonder who he or she is and what they are going to do. Are they a good guy or bad guy? Can Daniel trust anyone but himself and Annie? You'll have to read and find out. The Game is a story not to be missed.
     
    One of the things that impressed me in the writing of this story was the author's ability to go from soothingly beautiful descriptions to something that made you go, "Oh my god!" My favorite was in one of her descriptions of her main character, Daniel.
     
    "a face that would make angels cry" Now, that's how you describe a character! Wish I'd wrote that.
     
    In all seriousness, I was a little vague purposely because this is one of those stories that you look at and say, "I don't think I'll like that." Well, as the saying goes,' Don't judge a book by it's cover'. It's fantastic and I didn't want to give away too many juicy and exciting details. I want you to have to figure it out like I did as I read the story.
     
    End note. When I read this story, I couldn't help but leave reviews because it deserved them. As I said above, I read it all in one sitting. Well, to give this author a much deserved plug, she responded to all of the reviews on the same day. Thanks, Nephylim.


    Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Drama Tags: No Sex, Under 18, Mind Control, Psychology, Medical, Young Adult Rating: Everyone


  23. Renee Stevens

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Renee Stevens,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Being as there was no weekly wrap up last week, we'll be looking back at the last two weeks in this edition of the blog.
     
    On Monday, the 4th of August, and the first Monday of the month, Cia announced this month's choice for the CSR Book Club. Her choice for August is, In The Depths of Despair by InTheMindOfSunshine. The discussion day will take place on the 25th, so there's still time to read it if you haven't already done so!
     
    On the following Tuesday, we had our weekly Premium Tuesday post which featured Challenging Fate. If you'd like to purchase a Premium Subscription but aren't sure how, our Premium Tuesday posts are a great resource to help point you in the right direction as well as give you an idea of some of the stories available.
     
    On Wednesday, which just so happened to be the first Wednesday of the month, we had our monthly Ask An Author feature. This is a wonderful feature provided to us by Dark. This month there were questions provided to Layla, lilansui, and Thorn Wilde. If your curious as to what questions they were asked, as well as their answers, drop by and check it out!
     
    Thursday brought some devastating news as we found out about the death of a long-time member, Admin, Friend, and all around great guy. Robert (aka Trebs) passed away after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. One thing is clear from the many comments left on Thursday's blog post, Robert touched many lives here on Gay Authors and he will be greatly missed.
     
    Myr's post on Friday helped to drive home the true depth of loss that the community has suffered. Myr talked about his friend, and about the qualities that made Robert stand out from the crowd and made him such a unique person. Robert was a truly special person and because of that, we ran Myr's post through the weekend and through Monday, as a tribute to the man who (to quote Myr) was a large part of the glue that kept us together.
     
    We returned to the regular blog schedule on Tuesday, with the Premium Tuesday posting of "Chosen of Honorus" by Andrew Q Gordon. Once again, there is a lot of information in the Premium Tuesday post that members should check out, especially if they are considering purchasing a premium subscription.
     
    On Wednesday, we posted an article on how to Interview for the Blog. If you've ever thought about interviewing your favorite authors, hopefully that entry will help you figure out where to start.
     
    Thursday was something a little bit different. We were approached by SonoLuminus who told us she was participating in a fundraising walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of Robert. She asked if it would be possible to post about the fundraiser on Gay Authors. We gave her our full support and she wrote up this blog/forum post for us to share. There was also a Memorial Service for Robert being held on Thursday, so it seemed fitting to do the Thursday blog as a Tribute to Trebs. If you'd like to know more about the Light The Night fundraising walk, and how you can join other GA members in donating or joining the walk, then please visit the blog post!
     
    Friday saw the return of the Prompts. This week, prompters have the choice between a list of words and a prompt with the tag of "silver shoes". As always, we featured a previous prompt response, and this week we featured Cole Matthews response to Prompt #344.
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors:
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    Thwarted by Renee Stevens
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Veil of Shadow by Stellar; Book 2 of unnamed
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    Lost Inside by Cia, Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    The Strange Life of Jonas Marks by comicfan
     
    Thermai Vignettes by David McLeod
     
    Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Finding Alex by Nephylim
     
    By our Promising Authors:
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    The Art Of Being Gay by Cole Matthews
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    Queer Shakespeare by carringtonrj
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  24. Renee Stevens
    Who's ready for the weekend to get here? To help you start it out on the right foot, we're bringing you two new prompts from the prompt guru, Comicfan. If you're interested in checking out some of the older prompts that Comicfan has supplied, you can check them out and share your responses in the Prompt Forum! Hopefully one of this weeks prompts will inspire you!
     
    Prompt 346 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following in story – the beach, a blanket, a deer, a torn pair of shorts, and an ice cream cone.
     
    Prompt 347 – Creative
    Tag – Silver Shoes
    You are shopping with friends when you come to this old junk store. As you wander around you find a pair of silver shoes and your friend jokes “Hey, just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.” You just shake your head remembering the film and know they are wrong cause Dorothy’s slippers are ruby. However something possesses you to put them on and the next thing you know you are facing a tall man made out of straw. What just happened?
     
    This week I decided to share Cole Matthews response to Prompt #344, enjoy:
     

    To read the rest, click here.
  25. Renee Stevens

    Tribute To Trebs

    By Renee Stevens,


    Memorial
    In Memory


     



     
    Last week, on August 7, we were all stunned and devastated at the news that Robert (aka Trebs) had lost his battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Anyone who knew Robert knew what a truly genuine and caring person he was. He was always willing to help, always willing to lend an ear, and just always willing to be there if someone needed him. We were all certainly better off for having known him.
     
    Earlier this week, we were approached by a GA Member who wanted to ask if it would be possible to publicly share something they had planned, in memory of Robert. After hearing the details, we asked SonoLuminus to write up a blog entry as well as post in The Lounge. Here is what SonoLuminus had to say:
     
    As you know, we all suffered a great loss last week with the passing of Robert, aka Trebs after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. As a longtime friend of his, I wanted to do something in memory of him, so my husband and I have decided to participate in Light The Night, which is a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We will be walking in Greensboro, North Carolina on Sept. 27th. If anyone would like to contribute, either by donating or by joining the team and walking with us, it would be greatly appreciated. Robert was a caring person who was always helping others, and I feel this would be an appropriate way to honor him.
     
    Here is a link to the Triad (Greensboro) chapter:
    http://pages.lightth....org/nc/Triad14
     
    Here is a direct link to our team page, Team Purple, named for Robert's favorite color:
    http://pages.lightth...ad14/TeamPurple
     
    This link goes directly to my personal page:
    http://pages.lightth...ad14/MGianzanti
     
    Donations made through the links go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There is also a link at the bottom of the team page for anyone interested in joining the team as a walker. As of now, it is only the two of us, but I'm planning on trying to recruit a few more. If anyone has any questions, feel free to message me.
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