Renee Stevens

I generally only pick one prompt from the previous week and share all the responses for that prompt. I don't do all the prompt responses for the week.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week and is ready for the weekend. To help start your weekend off on the right foot, we have a couple of new prompts for you. Don't forget that prompt responses under 1,000 words can be posted in GA Stories as long as they are part of a collection. And also, remember to share your prompt responses in the appropriate forum thread so that we can possibly share them next week! Prompt 564 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – a dress, a sewing machine, a basement, a radio, and a rose. Prompt 565 – Creative Tag – Meeting For weeks you’ve been talking to someone online. Tonight you plan to meet for the first time. What is your date like? We had one taker for Prompt #563: Oh, God! What should I do? by Timothy M “Oh, God! What should I do?" “Calm down, Tobias. It’s no big deal,” Mitch said. “But she’s real pretty and clever and…and there’s no way she’d want to go on a date with me!” Rob face-palmed himself while Jasper chuckled and Mitch sniggered. The four teens were in the showers after baseball practice, with Mitch and Tobias facing him and the redhead.

It's time for another author promo! If you'd like to promo your own work, take a look at the thread for guidelines and then PM me. For this month, our featured promo spot is for Valkyrie. There were three questions that Valkyrie had to answer for each story. The questions were What gave you the idea for this story? What was your favorite thing about writing this story? & Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Valkyrie Signature Author 30 stories · 975 reviews · 264,746 total words Vodka At Moonlight Description: Bradley and Allen move into a new house in the country. They love their idyllic, new life until their son meets a new friend. What gave you the idea for this story? I love Halloween and have wanted to write a story about the holiday for a while. I wove a lot of personal elements into this story—such as Allen being so afraid of spiders. The person he is based on is afraid of spiders, and so is my mom. I remember several times as a kid having friends freak out over the blood-curdling screams coming from the basement and looking at me like I’m insane when I nonchalantly reply, “Oh, my mom found a spider.” Zeke was inspired by my friend’s son, who as a toddler used to talk about the ‘man in the closet’. The title and ‘vodka’ were inspired by the name of a racehorse I saw when I visited Cole Matthews and his husband. I saw the name and immediately commented how it would make a great prompt or short story. I thought it fit this story well. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? I really enjoyed coming up with all the twists in the story. I was hoping to keep readers guessing, and I think I managed to do that. I was also pretty proud of Bradley’s name. He’s named after Boo Radley—and another person whose name also starts with Br-. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. I’ve had numerous requests for a continuation. I won’t guarantee when, but I do have some ideas for a sequel. The Hollow Hills Description: This story centers around The Hollow Hills - a horse farm in Vermont - and Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. Their relationship is anything but easy, with many obstacles standing in their way. When tragedy strikes, they need to learn how to redefine their lives and live with the after-effects. What gave you the idea for this story? This story has existed in some form since I was in high school. Josh first appeared in a story I wrote for my freshman English class. That story sparked the Hollow Hills universe, leading to the development of Alannah, Adam, Liam, and Roger, and eventually Galen. I’ve always wanted to write it, but had a lot of trouble narrowing down the storyline and finding an appropriate starting point. Now that I’ve gained more confidence as a writer, I felt ready to tackle such a daunting story. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? It’s still in progress and hasn’t been abandoned. I will admit to being very slow with posting chapters, but I want to remain as true to the story as possible and hope that the wait has been worth it. I would say my favorite thing so far has been the varied reactions of readers. These characters are near and dear to my heart, so seeing them from a different perspective has been eye-opening. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. There is a crossover between this story and my story Alex’s Legacy . Huge bonus points to anyone who can tell me what it is. Max's Garage Description: Elliot is living the good life, even though he hates his job. Then he meets Max, who helps him answer some tough questions he didn't have the courage to face. What gave you the idea for this story? I honestly don’t remember. It was written for The Backup Plan anthology, and was my first anthology submission to this site. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? Writing Max and getting to know him was very enjoyable. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much people like this story and the sequels. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Max and Elliot’s story continues in Lawyer or Mechanic? And Proximate Cause . Pete’s story was told in Exit to Redemption .

The following are the entries that I have uploaded into GA Stories for the April Fool's Day Short Story Contest. Authors: Please check that your story is listed and if it isn't, please PM me. I will be locking this topic so that no on accidentally comments in here. Chasing Jayce Downhearted Fool Me Once Fool's Gold Getting Caught Happy Birthday! Outwitted Served Cold Suffer No Fools The Real Me

Did you miss any of this week's blog posts? If so, never fear! Now that we're at the end of the week, it's time for a look back to see what happened. Did you miss any of our promoted authors' updates? Then you've come to the right place as all updates from Signature Authors, Classic Authors, and Promising Authors are including in our Weekly Wrap Up. So let's take a look at what you might have missed. February C S R Discussion Day: Harry Potter Fanfic By Myr Did you join in this month's CSR Discussion about Myr's Harry Potter Fanfic? Not only was this a chance to discuss the stories, but it was also a chance to find out a little more about our Lead Administrator and site creator, Myr. Ask An Author #47 One of our favorite features was back this week, in the form of Ask An Author. Curious as to which authors Dark featured this week? Wanna see if your question was answered? Make sure to check this out. And if you have a question that you'd like to ask an author, make sure to send them to Dark! Prompts #562 & #563 The prompts were a bit delayed this week, but I managed to get them posted. This week you get both a creative and a first line prompt. We didn't share any prompt responses from last week because nobody took up the challenge. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Signature Updates: April Musings by Valkyrie Mine! by Cia Sumeru by Dolores Esteban The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Promising Updates: Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Drifts by Puppilull; Book 3 of Hot and cold How I Met Him Here by carringtonrj Innocent Sacrifice by Sasha Distan; Book 8 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse Ripped by craftingmom Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

Sorry for the lateness of the prompts today. I completely spaced that it was prompt day and then a lot of things happened that kept me from posting them earlier (including forgetting to hit publish earlier). So here they are, and just remember, prompt responses can be posted in GA Stories, but if they are under 1,000 words, they have to be posted as part of a collection. Happy Writing!!! Prompt 562 – Creative Tag – The Children You thought you had your life all figured out. Then your best friend and his partner were killed in a plane crash. You get the call in the middle of the night, asking you to pick up the children. It seems they named you guardian of the kids. What do you do? Prompt 563 – Creative Tag – First Line Oh, God! What should I do? We had no responses to last week's prompts shared in the forum, so feel free to share any of your past prompt responses! Don't forget to share your responses to this week's prompts in the forum threads!

I can't believe it's already March. Not only that, but it's the first Wednesday of the month, which can only mean one thing. It's time for another Ask An Author feature provided to us by Dark. If you have questions you want to ask your favorite authors, but don't want to ask the questions yourself, you can always send your questions to Dark for inclusion in the Ask An Author feature. Ask an Author #47 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #46, we heard from authors Comicality, Mann Ramblings, Mikiesboy, and Parker Owens. Today in AtA #47 we hear again from authors Riley Jericho and SkinnyDragon, plus Craftingmom, and Roberto Zuniga. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had the pleasure of quizzing lady craftingmom (way back in AtA #34, fall of 2015). She had just finished Lie of the Serpent, a story revolving around protagonist Bryan finding his missing fiance. I, like many others, found myself fighting tears several times. Craftingmom does love a good tear-jerker! Since then, she’s been promoted to Promising Author and gifted us with more than half a dozen more stories. Currently she’s working on a sequel to “Guarding the Line” called Finding the Line[/url. While I haven’t read it (you know I’m not a big fan of teen romance), the reviews are intriguing. I think everyone has had that one crush you just wish you’d said something to, but what would have happened if you’d actually gathered the courage to do so? If you have read the original, this is the same story but from the opposite point of view, and it’s just beginning! you can flip back and forth between them or read all of Brady’s story first. But buyer beware! Craftingmom writes character-driven stories. You’ll certainly feel the drama as if you were the protagonist yourself. You can also catch her at her other sites; she’s really branched out over the past few years. Look for her pen name Taylor Ryan, if you want her M/M stuff. To Craftingmom: What sort of things do you do after dealing with the darkest parts of your stories? That's a tough question. I'm not really sure I do anything specific afterwards. I do go through a bunch of tissues while writing them. I think since I tend to do most of my writing between midnight and 4am, the fact that I get to crawl in bed with my husband and cuddle up with him helps too. Before bed, my girls also crawl into my bed and beg me to read to them. Mind you, they are 13 and 15, so the fact that my 'teens' still want to be with me and have me read to them is very comforting. One other thing my husband and I usually do is, when we are eating out, if any first responders come in to eat, we'll pay for their meals. (When 12 walked in at once, that was a little more overwhelming!) It's not something I do specifically because of the dark subject matter I write, but I do think about how these people help the kinds of souls that I write about, and it's a small way of thanking them for their service. Back with us again is Author Riley Jericho, most well-known due to his epic saga An English Teen, Circumcised in the USA. Riley flirted with us for four years before finally completing his saga last fall (Sept 2016). He writes to us from all the way over there in Manchester, UK. Although a quiet, private person, Riley is quite friendly, do don’t hesitate to swing by his profile and say, wish him a belated birthday (Jan), or poke him about writing us something new, not that I’m one to talk. Still, who knows what random comment or thought will lead to the next big story? To Riley Jericho: How do you feel about your stories being so popular and well received here on GA? I'm a Brit. It's genetically impossible for us to accept compliments, so that's a tough question! The truth is, I value every chapter read, and drink in each review, answering them methodically. I love hearing what people think and it also feeds me with many new ideas. Some of my least-proud moments here on GA have been the times I've disappointed readers. I think you know what I mean, and even though my reasons and situation were very real when I disappeared for a long while, I'm also very sorry for doing that—and thanks to all who sent hugs and kept looking out for me. So in answer to your question, it astounds me that most of my readers still stuck around! And yes, I'm extremely grateful my stories are well received. That said, I've learned the lesson that you have to write because you want to. Sometimes there will be lean times when it comes to how well readers respond. It's only when the story is important to you, do you keep writing. Author Roberto Zuniga is the better half of Albertonothlit, who you might remember appearing in this blog once or twice. In addition to writing, Roberto is an amazing artist and has created book cover art for his husband. Mexico certainly has its challenges when you’re gay, but these two almost make it seem like a fairy tale. An interesting tidbit for those Star Wars fans out there: Roberto’s birthday is Star Wars Day! (May the 4th) Now you’ll always remember. According to his friends, this is one sweet man, and he can also write a mean story. Roberto has several stories that are in progress, but I think the hidden gem in his collection is Bred for War. In this story, there are two countries at war. They’ve been at war so long that their entire economy has slowly become only about the war. What will happen when two soldier-boys from opposite sides meet? They’ve been raised from birth to believe their enemy is “evil.” It’s a devilish conundrum for the main characters and the world Roberto has created makes my inner sci-fi geek purr. To Roberto Zuniga: First, congrats on your husband being promoted to Promising Author! So, when it comes to writing, have you two collaborated on projects or bounced ideas off each other? Not really. Carlos is very secretive when it comes to his writing, I think it's basically a matter of wanting everything to be perfect before he shares it with anyone, including me. I have been lucky enough to get to read many of his works before everyone else (LOL) and I've also encouraged him to carry on and publish. Take Earthshatter for instance -his new novel published by DSP-, I loved him so much I wouldn't stop bothering until he accepted to publish it LOL. Something I do have to say is I love his finished products and drawing for those projects. Regarding my writing, pfffff! I'm so messy! Ideas can flow through my mind sometimes, scenarios, particular characters. Sometimes I share some of my ideas or tell him I feel conflicted about this or that character, but he usually advises to work it the way I feel I should. We do read each other's work and encourage each other to keep on writing, since we both enjoy it so much. Author skinnydragon comes back to finish up our blog for the day. Skinny is the author behind https://www.gayauthors.org/story/skinnydragon/18weeksoftwoey]18 Weeks of Twoey and has recently begun a sequel that is generating a lot of attention. Unfortunately, Skinny received bad news at the end of 2016. Send him some love and well-wishes. I feel blessed to have been able to be on the periphery of his life the last couple years. I hope that he is able to maintain the strength of body and mind long enough to see his bucket-list completed. Headstall I think said it best: “I just want you to know, though we've never met in person, you have impacted me from the first interaction. You are one of the bright lights in my life, skinny … I wish I could hug you for real... I really do.” To skinnydragon: What motivates you to write? For example, do you hope to publish or is it simply a creative or artistic outlet? That’s a good question. It is an artistic outlet, in a way. I certainly never intend to publish - ever. I am not a writer, which should be pretty plain to any reader. I’m an artist. I was challenged by a mentor/writer, when younger, to write a back story for a few things I painted. In doing so, I discovered it helped improve everything I subsequently drew. Now I do it all the time and they have become the germs for a few story ideas. Some stories may even get written and make the journey from my laptop to GA. 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! I’ll see you next time, with authors JackBinimbul, mikiesboy, palantir, and WolfM! I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope everyone has had a great week. Don't forget that March 1st is the deadline for the April Fools Short Story Contest! I've only gotten a handful of entries so far, but there is still time to get your story in for a chance to win Premium Content. Also, don't forget not to tell anyone which story is yours. And another reminder, join us tomorrow for the CSR Discussion Day on Myr's Harry Potter Fan-Fic. This week was Signature Week and our Signature Author that we shined the spotlight on is Mark Arbour and his novel Odyssey. To learn more about his story and decide if it's for you, and support Mark by downloading the signature banner for your signature, check out the Signature Author Feature and the Signature Author Excerpt. And to end the week, we offered a couple of new prompts for you to try out and showcased a couple of last weeks prompt responses. A huge thank you to Cia for posting the prompts when I was out of town and snowed in on Friday. Contests 2017 April Fool's Day Short Story Contest - Due March 1st, 2017 *Guidelines* Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Signature Updates: April Musings by Valkyrie Mine! by Cia The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Promising Updates: A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Ripped by craftingmom The Watcher by Headstall Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

I hope everyone has had a great week. In case you missed anything in the various GA staff blogs, this is your opportunity for a brief overview. If you see something that interests you, feel free to go back and take a look. And if you're worried about having missed any of the promoted authors' story updates? Well, we're including those for you as well! Secret Admirer Special Review A little over a year ago, we held the Secret Admirer Short Story contest. Now it's time to take a look as some reviews, provided by our wonderful review team. If you haven't already read the stories, here's your chance to get a glimpse of what you've missed out on! New Author Advice #2 It was time to hear from a couple more authors on what advice they'd give to new authors, or authors considering writing for the first time. Don't forget, if you have some advice you'd like to share, PM Renee! Prompts #558 & #559 That's right, your two new prompts for the week, as well as a couple featured from last week. Don't forget, if you tackle one of these prompts to share a link in the prompt thread! Contests 2017 April Fool's Day Short Story Contest - Due March 1st, 2017 *Guidelines* Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Signature Updates: April Musings by Valkyrie Black Widow by Mark Arbour; Book 16 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) GFD 12: Blood Ties by Comicality; Book 12 of Gone From Daylight Mine! by Cia Musings of a Mongoose by Cynus Taryn's Song by Comicality; Book 1 of Gone From Daylight Spin-offs Temporary Dads by Graeme The Best Year by Krista The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Promising Updates: A Half-Ounce of Gold by AC Benus; Book 3 of The XXX Series Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Give Me Back My Prompts by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of GA Prompts Headstall's Reflections by Headstall How I Met Him Here by carringtonrj Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse The Gay Experience by AC Benus Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Hopefully you'll find something in this weeks prompts to spark an idea and get you writing! Prompt 558 – Creative Tag – First Line What do you mean, you’re pregnant? Prompt 559 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – Pine tree, toy soldier, a book, a full moon, and a blanket. Last week we had three takers on Prompt #557. Let's take a look. Portal Stones Don't Just 'Go Missing' by Sasha Distan “And then I hid it somewhere he won’t find it,” the Demon Del Deorion finished with a smug grin. Across the uneven and beer spattered surface of the wooden table, the Prince of hell smiled at him, arching one perfect eyebrow. Deorion had always thought Nassau to be unfairly pretty, even when he’d been stripped of his powers and his feathers and banished from the world below. Not that the smoke flavoured demon would ever do anything about it, after all being consort to the Wind gave him rather special privileges. And then I hid it somewhere he won't find it by Ivor Slipper “And then I hid it somewhere he won’t find it.” “What? You must be joking Jayden! Man, where did you hide it?” “I’m not gonna tell you, Corey – just in case he starts beating on you about it.” “Jeeze Jayden, I know we’ve pulled some stunts in our time but this could be one of the greatest ever – if we live to tell anyone!” Prompt #557 by Hudson Bartholomew And then I hid it somewhere he won’t find it. Except I wanted him to find it. I wanted him to find it, and use it on me, and turn me inside out with it. It was the single most terrifying thing I have ever wanted. My relationship with Daniel has always been simple, sweet vanilla and I’ve never had a problem with that. It’s all I’ve ever known and it’s always been satisfying. But I know there’s other stuff out there, stuff that is risqué, kinky even. And I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it, what it would feel like to dabble in the more exotic flavors.

Remember, if you have advice for new authors, send me a PM. I can't continue the feature without the help of our site authors!

Have you thought about writing your first story, but it seems a little daunting? Don't worry, every new author has been there at one point or another. Thankfully, you're part of a great community that has plenty of authors willing to share their knowledge, and/or what they wished they'd known when they first started. If you're thinking that you've heard that before, it's because you have, but that's the best intro to this feature. Back in December we first introduced the "New Author Advice" feature and it seemed to be well received. So let's take a look at what advice our site authors have this time. Building Readership & Criticism Mikiesboy Ok... building readership... read others work, comment/review, be active in forums, say hello to people be friendly. That's what I did. Works from my experience. It can't be a one way street. And reply to people who comment. They took the time to read your work, you should do the same in return. Criticism? Well that can be hard to take, depending on how it's written and the kind of person you are. If you're unsure, ask the person who commented what they mean. I've not experienced any sort of mean-spirited criticism on GA. Most people are pretty helpful and thoughtful. At least the ones I've met. You can also use the Your Status thing to advertise .. but I don't personally. Feedback Carlos Hazday Encourage readers to give you honest feedback. Reviews pointing out what they liked are great, but the ones where they tell you what they didn't like are even better in my opinion. If you want to make your stories the best they can be, knowing what didn't work for readers is a priority. If you react badly to criticism, you may miss out on great advice, your writing may suffer, and in the end you could end up losing readers when your style stagnates. Before You Start Jamessavik First, read a lot. Read a lot of different authors, different genres and different styles. Read with an eye towards not just the plot but, the craft in which the story is developed. You will see that some authors do a great job in this respect while others- not so much. Second- Start with short stories. They can teach you a great deal. Unlike a novel, you can't wander around for a 40,000 words to make a point. Short stories require a certain discipline to do them well. You have to balance things very carefully with an economy of words while providing characterization and description while advancing a plot. Don't expect to master this over a few weekends. It's more art than science. In fact it's a lot like golf. When you are in the zone, you can do great things. If not, you bogey every hole. Finally- before you embark on a novel, learn how to plan it out. We all make the mistake of sitting down at a blank page on the computer, write a great beginning and then hit a wall. There are numerous GREAT but INCOMPLETE novels on the web. Unfortunately several of them are my own. Know where you are going because, if you don't, your chances of getting there are slim. If you're a current or experienced author and have some advice for newbie authors, send me a PM with your advice and be featured in a future "New Author Advice" feature. If you're a new author, or even an existing author, what questions would you ask your fellow authors? PM me your questions regarding writing and if there is enough interest, we'll start a new feature where I post your questions for the various site authors to give their opinion. You can choose to remain anonymous if you'd like.

One year ago, the thirteen stories written for the Secret Admirer Contest posted in time for Valentine’s Day. Like the regular GA Anthologies, the contest let authors try their hand at short stories within a common theme. But in this case readers could vote for the story they liked best - all without knowing who the author was. After the contest there was a guessing game about who wrote each story. Half the stories were so well disguised no one was able to pinpoint the author. Three stories were distinct enough that the authors (Cole, AC Benus and Thorn Wilde) were recognized by four people each. Perhaps the reviews below will give you the answer why. The Valentine's Day stories were very different; some made readers cry and others made them laugh. The genres ranged from Romance (naturally) over Drama to Mystery and even Historical. Why not explore or revisit the stories as a prelude to this year’s holiday? There is something for every taste whether you feel happy or sad. Don’t forget to leave a like and comment for the authors so they know how you felt about their stories and as an incentive to keep writing. If you're not sure where to start, the reviews below may inspire you to choose a story. Valentine’s Day 2016 Secret Admirer Contest Cupid Central by Aditus Reviewer: Timothy M. Word count: 3,961 Of all the wonderful Secret Admirer Contest stories last year, this one was probably the most light-hearted and fun. Did you know Cupids have arrows of different colors depending on the situation? Or that missing a shot can have dire consequences, not only for the humans involved, but also the hapless Cupid who bungled the job. The management at Cupid Central assigns punishment for tardiness as well as sloppy jobs, but also rewards good work. If you want to know how, you’ll need to read the story. I was chuckling most of the time, and I’ve asked Aditus to lend me a couple of his angels to help out in my A.I. story. But most of all, I hope we’ll get more Cupid Central stories, because the concept is delightful, the dialogue is funny, and the characters are vividly portrayed. Jager by Cole Matthews Reviewer: Aditus Word Count: 3,332 This is the story of Adam and Glenn, ‘the dynamic duo, in love and in charge for more than forty years, always having each other’s back.’ They share a life of genuine affection and care: from the beginning, when it took great courage to be together as gay men, to overcoming a severe loss, raising their son and having a grandchild. Now that old age has finally caught up with them and joints are stiff, and hips hurt, Glenn fears Adam is slowly losing his sanity. Why else would he talk to people who aren’t there or suddenly drag Jager, the old rocking horse Glenn’s grandparents gave him when he was a kid, from the garage into the house? They are only ‘two old queens on their last leg in the journey of life. No one is there. They only have each other.’ Right? So, what is Adam doing? If I had to associate one word with Jager, it would be trust─trust to follow through with the words they might have had promised to each other in the past: to have and to hold/from this day forward/for better, for worse/for richer, for poorer/in sickness and in health/to love and to cherish/till death do us part. Jager won first place in the Secret Admirer Contest for a reason. Make sure you have tissues ready. And then there is this brilliant twist Cole invented, but you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out what it is. Lupercalia by Puppilull Reviewer: Cia Word Count: 7,169 Valentine’s Day usually makes you think of love, sweets, and romantic nights… but Puppilull’s story, Lupercalia, is set in the most unlikely of places for this: a prison. An ancient prison in Rome, actually. The story revolves around a tortured prisoner sentenced to die by the emperor in the annual Lupercalia celebrations. Varius is warned about him, but he can’t see why the prisoner might be a danger to him or any of the other guards. But as the days leading up to the Lupercalia pass by, Varius finds out more about him, and his reason for being imprisoned, than he likes to know about those condemned to die. Varius questions the dictates of his life and the strictures put upon him as a soldier of the Roman empire, and it’s nearly impossible to accept the prisoner's fate, even though he remains steadfast in the convictions that led to his death sentence. Love and compassion should never be forbidden. Their tragic romance might be doomed, but don’t let that keep you from reading Puppilull’s tribute to love in all its bittersweet glory. There’s always a chance… if you’re brave enough to face the potential pain in pursuit of love. Making Sense of Secret Gifts by Timothy M Reviewer: LitLover Word Count: 12,488 Timothy M’s submission to the Secret Admirer contest was a story about a very private man, named Colin, who starts receiving some very public attention, in the form of gifts left on his desk by a secret admirer. The gifts are thoughtful, and some, such as a carving of his cat, give the impression the benefactor knows Colin fairly well. Colin is a caring, if lonely, man who has been hurt in his past. In order to alleviate some of his loneliness he gives up his weekends to volunteer in a group home. Colin’s partner in crime is Sol, his sneaky cat, who can coax a smile out of the most sullen teenager. The more I read about Colin the more fiercely I found myself hoping he would find someone to care about him as much as he cares for others. This sweet, but introverted man is unsure of what to make of the mysterious packages. A part of him is flattered someone would put so much thought and effort into these gifts, but his discomfort is almost palpable when he starts to become the center of attention in the office. It takes him a great deal of courage to leave a message for his admirer, and ultimately decide to meet him/her in person. I’m not going to give away the identity of the secret admirer because it would spoil the fun of reading the story, and trying to puzzle out the mystery for yourself. All I can tell you is you will be more than satisfied with the answer. Nobody’s Valentine by Thorn Wilde Reviewer: Puppilull Word Count: 4,664 So it’s that time of year again. Hearts everywhere and everyone acting so lovey-dovey it’s making the air turn pink. Or red. But what if your reality doesn’t fit in? What if your life has taken a completely unforeseen turn, leaving you feeling disappointed, lonely and perhaps even despairing? A story of a Secret Admirer that deals with these less written about sides to this thing we call love can be such a relief. If that story is friggin’ well written as well, things are looking up. Thorn Wilde has provided us with a story of Mike who is fighting an uneven battle to get over the boyfriend who dumped him. When that infamous date rolls around, he finds the sadness flares up and seeks ways to deal with it. One remedy turns out to be the one to lead him on his way. But where will it take him? This is a truly bittersweet story telling us life isn’t always a bed of roses. I think it’s important to not lose sight of that. It’s actually somehow comforting to know bad stuff will happen, but you will be OK. A bit scarred perhaps, but OK. Sunshine by AC Benus Reviewer: Timothy M. Word count: 9,480 Writing a Valentine’s Day story filled with sadness, loss, longing and even anger, and naming it Sunshine, is the kind of chutzpah few people can get away with. But AC Benus has the unique ability to pluck at our heartstrings and fill our guts with dread, holding the story on the precipice of anticipation, yet letting us hope for a miracle. Will the two characters make the right choice? Will their innate goodness break through like a ray of sunshine? Will it become a Valentine’s Day to remember for the triumph of love and kindness or for the loss of innocence and trust? Go read the story, and afterwards go hug someone you care about and tell them they matter. The Cupid Complex by Valkyrie Reviewer: spikey582 Word Count: 5,127 In this little treat from last year’s Secret Admirer Contest, Valkyrie takes us through one year in the life of Gabriel as he searches for that special someone. He doesn't always have the best of luck in his search, but he is a romantic at heart with a penchant for holiday decorating. A Valentine’s Day misstep leads to a humiliating situation, and some accompanying depression that he battles throughout his journey for the relationship his heart desires. Dealing with obvious hurt, Gabriel plays the “hook-up” game, hesitant to really put himself out there. As the year progresses, some new friendships are forged, but everything in relationship territory remains starkly “casual.” Yet, as the next Valentine’s Day approaches, Gabriel discovers gifts and notes being left on his doorstep. Whose admiration has Gabriel drawn? Will Cupid’s arrow strike after all? This was the kind of story that left me smiling in one instant, and frowning and frustrated the next. Valkyrie packs quite a lot into such a short tale. I found myself feeling Gabriel’s sorrow and rooting for him to finally be with someone he truly deserves. Join Gabriel through this fun little tale, as he realizes life is full of surprises, which are often much closer than we think. The Lady in the Flames by jfalkon Reviewer: Lisa Word Count: 7,711 Imagine driving past the scene of a car accident and noticing one of the drivers slumped over the steering wheel. What would you do? There was already rubbernecking on the road, so you know someone must have called 911. Would you just drive on by, assuming the driver would be taken care of? Or would you stop and try to get him out of the car? What if you had the day off from work because you lied and told your boss you were home sick? What if, by helping this person, you were ‘found out’ and you were fired because you lied to your boss about being sick? Our protagonist James has a lot on his mind as he ponders these questions. Of course being morally sound, he saves the driver’s life and pulls him out of the car before the big chunk of metal explodes into a ball of flames. On the news, the flames in the background make him look like a woman, so he thinks he’s pretty much off the hook of being found out. I found this fast-paced story captivating, and I was riveted from the first line. It didn’t hurt that the characters were very relatable also. What I liked best about it, however, were the beautiful words jfalcon used toward the end of the story to describe a moment of passion. I would highly recommend reading The Lady in the Flames if you haven’t already, and if you have, why not pick it up again and enjoy it a second time around? These are by no means all of the stories from the Secret Admirer Contest; there are more wonderful stories for you to take a look at. You can read all of the Secret Admirer Contest stories here. And don't forget the upcoming April Fool's Day Short Story Contest. You still have time to submit a story. Entry deadline is March 1st, 2017.

I hope everyone had a great week! Since it was such a busy week this week, I think today I'm going to get right into the Wrap Up for the week. Have you read the various Harry Potter Fan-Fic by Myr? If not, now's your chance as on Monday, Cia announced that Myr's Harry Potter Fan-Fic is this month's CSR Book Club choice. The discussion day will take place on Feb 27th, but with the numerous stories, you should have plenty of time to get something read before the discussion takes place! Myr took Tuesday over this week to discuss another new aspect of the upcoming site update. According to the post, members will be able to decide how they want to view the stories they are reading. Want to find out more about this new feature? Check out Myr's blog post. For Wednesday, we took a look at our currently posting premium story, Negative Splits by Cia. Based on the comments, members are already enjoying her story. If you haven't started reading it yet, and you want to, Wednesday's blog contains all the information you need about premium subscriptions. Thursday we announced that GA's newest Promising Author is Caz Pedroso. If you haven't already done so, stop by and offer your congratulations to Caz. You can also find a link to all of Caz's stories. Not only did Friday bring us the regular two new prompts from comicfan, but it was also a chance for authors to share some of their various past prompt responses. Contests 2017 April Fool's Day Short Story Contest - Due March 1st, 2017 *Guidelines* Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Signature Updates: HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont Mine! by Cia Temporary Dads by Graeme The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Promising Updates: A Half-Ounce of Gold by AC Benus; Book 3 of The XXX Series A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Buy One, Get Two and Three... by Caz Pedroso Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Give Me Back My Prompts by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of GA Prompts Headstall's Reflections by Headstall How I Met Him Here by carringtonrj Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall The Tower, and other pieces by AC Benus Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Hopefully you'll find something in this weeks prompts to spark an idea and get you writing! Prompt 556 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – a hammer, a lasso, boots, a silver bracelet, and a gun. Prompt 557 – Creative Tag – First Line And then I hid it somewhere he won’t find it. And since we had no takers for last week's prompts, feel free to share one of your past prompt responses!

Please join the Author Promotion Team in congratulating Caz Pedroso as GA's newest promoted author! Caz has been a member of GA for just over three years and during that time, she has written sixteen stories to share with the members here at GA. Her most recently finished novel, The Mouse that Roared, is Book 5 of her popular series, Unison Island. If you want to read more from Caz, you can find her poetry, prompt responses, and so much more by visiting her author page (plus you can check out her snazzy new banner). Please join us in congratulating Caz on her well deserved promotion.

Gay Authors has always managed to remain free to its members, one of the ways that it has managed to do so is through its 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. There are many great stories to be found in the Premium section. With the ending of Studly Ranch Hands, it was time to start posting a new premium story. Now, every Saturday, you get a chapter of Negative Splits, a contemporary story written by Cia. To learn a little more, check out the info below, and if it sounds like something that you might enjoy, here's the links for you to purchase Premium Content. Negative Splits Cia *Currently Posting* Kyp had enough smothering to last him a lifetime. He overcame so much to graduate high school. Now that he's finally at college, he's finding that the start is harder than he thought. He has a roommate for the first time in his life, and people who would like to be his friends if he'll let them in. Kyp wants to be independent, but circumstances beyond his control will teach him that sometimes the second half of the race is the hardest part. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance Tags: Disability, College, North America, Coming of Age, Modern Rating: Mature Words: Currently Posting Negative Splits Excerpt: “You don’t have to come up.” Kyp hefted the bag higher on his shoulder and picked up his new coffee pot. “Sure we do. Do you think we’re just going to sit here in the hot car while you go back and forth?” Kyp’s dad picked up a bag with Kyp’s exercise equipment. “Or are you embarrassed to be seen with your parents?” There were a lot of other parents on campus, since students were all filtering in before classes started. Kyp had explored campus a few times over the summer, learning how not to get lost, and today was finally move in day at the dorms. “I don’t want you to get hurt lugging my stuff around.” “We’ll make a few trips. It’s not like there aren’t a ton of people here doing the same thing.” Kyp’s mom picked up a laundry basket full of clean towels and sheets she’d insisted he’d need. At least they were all from his bedroom and bathroom at the house; his mom wanted to go pick up some to coordinate his dorm room, but he’d pointed out he had no idea how his roommate was going to decorate his side. The concept of sharing a room was fucking weird. By the time Kyp was really old enough to remember growing up, both his sisters had left home. Most of the time it was just him and his parents, so he had his own room and bathroom. Kyp was used to a lot of privacy, and that was going to end as soon as Gibson Sheppard, his new roomie, showed up. Of course, he could’ve stayed home instead of choosing to live in the dorms, but he’d had about as much of his mom coddling as he could stand over the last year. Maybe sharing a room would show him what it’d be like having a sibling close to his own age. A lot of his friends growing up said they were jealous of him, telling him that wishing for a brother or sister to share with was nothing more than a pain in the ass. His mom had quit work to stay home with him when he came along late in their life, ferrying him around so he could do every sport and club. He’d had all the attention he could want—more attention, in fact. He’d had to work hard to get to this day, and he was going to be independent, even if his mom had teared up on their way back to the school, yet again, about not being there to take care of him. He’d reassured her over and over that he’d be fine, and they were only a half hour away, but it seemed like the third time she sent a kid off to college was not charmed. The wait for the elevator took nearly ten minutes, but they were able to squeeze in with a girl towing two suitcases behind her. She got off on the floor below his. “Coed dorms.” His mom shook her head. “In my day, girls at least had their own buildings.” “Not like it really matters to me,” Kyp said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back.

I hope everyone is ready for the new week to begin. But before that, we have to wrap up the last week. A quick reminder for all site authors. You have less than a month to get your April Fool's Day short story in if you want to be part of the contest. Entries are due March 1st and don't forget not to share anything about your story outside of your team. Now, let's recap the last week! C S R Discussion Day: The Pledge By Mikiesboy We started the week and ended the month with the CSR Discussion Day. From the looks of it, a lot of people read The Pledge and we had a great turnout. If you wanted to know more about Mikiesboy and/or the story, check out the brief interview and the remarks from other readers! Ask An Author #46 What better way to start out a new month than the Ask An Author feature provided to us by Dark. This month featured authors Comicality, Mann Ramblings, Mikiesboy, and Parker Owens. Curious as to what they were asked and what their answers were? Here's your chance to find out if you missed it earlier. And don't forget to send Dark some questions for your favorite authors. Prompts #554 & #555 Last, but not least, we finished the week off with a couple of new prompts. Both of them this week were creative, and hopefully they'll spark an idea and help you get writing. As always, we featured some responses from last week. Contests 2017 April Fool's Day Short Story Contest - Due March 1st, 2017 *Guidelines* Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Signature Updates: Belovéd by Don H Dribbles by Cia Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Left Without Words by Comicality Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia Temporary Dads by Graeme The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Promising Updates: A Half-Ounce of Gold by AC Benus; Book 3 of The XXX Series A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Drifts by Puppilull; Book 3 of Hot and cold Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Headstall's Reflections by Headstall How I Met Him Here by carringtonrj Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Hopefully you'll find something in this weeks prompts to spark an idea and get you writing! Prompt 554 – Creative Tag – The Tree After watching the tree arrive in Times Square, you and your mate decide you want a real one this year. Are your tree wishes a big hit or a total diaster. Prompt 555 – Creative Tag – Company Death You’ve been hired to help kill off the zombies. The country has seen the dead rising and attacking the living constantly. The company has hired and trained a group of 100 to exterminate the zombies. You lead a team of three. What is your team like? And now lets look at last weeks responses to Prompt #553 Our Tune by Ivor Slipper I’d got into the habit pretty soon after he left. I know living in New York there were plenty of other options for how to spend the evening after work. I could have gone to the movies or the theatre but those would still have meant sitting in the dark on my own –without him. I could have gone to a restaurant I suppose – but a table for one? That’s a real loser situation, sitting on your own and reading a book in a restaurant! So instead I’d started going to bars. I spread my custom around; different locations on different evenings. After all there are lots of bars in New York. I didn’t even bother whether or not they were gay bars. It wasn’t as if I was looking to pick someone up; after all these years I wasn’t ready for a replacement or even a one night stand – as yet. What I needed was not be sitting alone in the apartment watching some dumb program on the TV. At least in a bar I might get into a small talk conversation with the guy sitting on the next stool or I could half listen to the conversations of others as they washed around me. Then when I decided I’d had enough to drink for the night, which after the couple of months that had passed was getting harder and harder to decide, I’d stagger out into the night and hopefully find a taxi to take me back to what had once been home but was now just an empty shell of an apartment. Baby by JohnAR “My back hurts,” he moaned, slowly sitting down on the comfortable chair; an ‘old man’ chair he wouldn’t have wanted to be seen in dead – if it hadn’t been for his ‘special’ circumstances. “Shall I bring you some herbal tea?” Warren asked caringly. “Who do you think I am?” Prime barked back, losing steam immediately, holding his belly nearly apologetically. “Actually yes.” “No problem … ah … Sir,” Warren answered in confusion and was off to the kitchen. “Everything is okay, the baby is healthy, Prime,” Leo packed the little electronic equipment he had used to examine the ever-growing belly.

It's time for the first Ask An Author of 2017! Typically this would have been posted in January, but there were a few hiccups, so you're getting it now. Better late than never! If you have a question that you'd like to ask a specific author, but don't want to do the actual asking, then send your question to Dark! I hope you enjoy this edition of Ask An Author, and a big THANK YOU to Dark for continuing to provide these. Ask an Author #46 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #45, we heard from authors albertnothlit, Nephylim, Riley Jericho, and skinnydragon. Today in AtA #46 we hear from authors Comicality, Mann Ramblings, Mikiesboy, and Parker Owens. Signature Author and founding member Comicality start us off once again in today’s blog. Comsie has an enviable success, continuing to churn out story after story without fail. He’s more reliable than many cell phones. We’re at over a hundred stories right now, go ahead and ask him what his secret is. Better yet, stop by his forum. Comsie can often be found refusing to give spoilers and discussing plot arcs. His most recent story is Release Me, a story with only 600-ish reviews, quite low by Comsie standards. Perhaps it’s the holiday season or perhaps the zombies, or maybe the teenagers are throwing folks off. You’ll never know unless you give it a try! You know Comsie won’t let you down. To Comicality: Are you planning to offer Cody (#NKIS) a spinoff, a story of his own? Actually, there have been some requests to get a peek into Cody and Sean's relationship from interested readers, as well as the relationship with his sister, Ronnie, and his foster parents who took them in. However, there aren't any big plans for Cody to have a solo series just yet. That's not to say 'never', but I don't have any plans for it so far. Mostly because I'm enjoying having a little bit of mystery to Cody's character right now. As long as everybody gets to see him from an outsider's point of view, I get to reveal little bits and pieces of Cody's personality and his past as he becomes more comfortable, and (dare I say it) a bit more vulnerable about offering it up. I think it makes for good storytelling. But, like I said, I never say never. And folks are definitely interested in seeing a Cody story. So who knows? It might just pop up somewhere out of nowhere. Maybe my muse will put me in a chokehold and tell me to do it some time in the future. Hehehe! Another Signature Author in today’s blog is Mann Ramblings. At 12 stories and half a million words since 2012, Mann has definitely overcome his nerves about posting his thoughts online for everyone to see. Recently, Mann has become a published author and you can check out more of his work on Amazon. He also has something of a wacky sense of humor, for those of you new to his style. His most recent story on GA is the second half of Innocence and Carnality. This is the continuing story of Nathan and Rother, a somewhat historical, somewhat sci-fi tale with that guy we’ve all learned to dislike as more and more of his character has been revealed. What’s next for these two? Before you venture into this one, you’ll definitely want to read Part One first. To Mann Ramblings: What has been your most difficult character or story to write and why? And also, will we see a sequel to So Little Magic? I think Kenrick from So Little Magic Left was one of the hardest because of his complexity. I had to hide his true nature, show his gentile qualities while allowing his sadistic side to surface, and make his obsession with Shawn almost romantic at times even though we know how bad the whole situation could be. On top of all that, I needed him to sound real enough for people to hate and not turn into some caricature or cartoon. He received a nomination for best villain that year, so I feel like I managed it fairly well. One of the things I loved about SLML, (after all the work and frustration when I couldn't touch it for months at a time) was that it felt complete when I typed "The End" and hadn't planned on extending the story. I say that, but I can't say the possibility of a sequel is zero. You never know when inspiration strikes. I still have a lot of love in me for this story. Canadian author Mikiesboy joins us in today’s blog. Although he calls himself a poet, Timmy has several items written in prose now. Much of his work (prose and poetry) is gritty and achingly close to real life, but they’re also wonderful and full of characters you can’t help but love. Take The Pledge, for example. It’s an intriguing twist on the standard vampire-master & servant story. There are so many ways to interpret this story and the dissenting opinions are just as interesting to me as the story itself. You may be familiar with After the Past, a story about how one thing can change a person’s whole life forever. For me it was a real tear-jerker but there’s no denying that Timmy can write a character that sticks with you long after the last word is read. To Mikiesboy: Since you have expressed yourself in both poetry and fiction, have you ever considered or would you ever consider writing a story focused around a poet? Are there any connecting factors between your poetry and your fiction? Ummm, never thought about writing about a story focused around a poet. Interesting idea. I'll mull that over. Are there connecting factors between my poetry and fiction? I'd have to say no, not really. My non-fiction yes, somewhat. Poetry is my way of sorting out my feelings and my world. I suppose I might apply some of that to my fictional characters but it's nothing I plan for. Author Parker Owens makes his blog debut today as we finish things up. Besides posting his stories and poetry, Parker is also posts pictures of his beautiful garden from this past summer. Most people know Parker from his story A to Z. It’s certainly a dark tale; it gets darker and darker and every time you think things couldn’t possibly get worse, something even more awful happens. But eventually rock-bottom is reached and things start to look up for our main character. It’s fascinating to see how Andy views the world and finds his own way to happiness. Most recently there’s Predator Prey, a story that I think is even darker than A to Z. At this point in the story, it’s hard to see where things are going but Parker keeps a lively discussion going in the forums. I’m still hoping for a happily ever after, but I’m also the kind of person who can’t help but root for the anti-hero. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Parker has in store for us. To Parker Owens: One of the things I pick up on when reading your stories and poems, is your love for math and science. What got you interested in these subjects in the first place? It's funny to get this question because I came to love math and science much later in life than many do. I was not a particularly good math or science student in grade school or high school. College and university changed that; I had one extraordinarily gifted math professor in a calculus course I had to take as a required general education credit. He showed those of us in the 8:00 AM class that mathematics was both interesting and comprehensible to mere mortals like ourselves. He gave me the confidence to try for a math teaching job. My transformation into a math nerd soon followed. I find that simple, genuine encouragement is often the spark that ignites the fires of creativity and intelligence. This is one reason I find GA to be such a wonderful community, as I have found the same degree of welcome and encouragement to exist here. Because it’s the perfect tie-in for today’s blog, I have a bonus for you: another question for Parker! You have graced us with some wonderful stories. But in a few, there have been brutally long and brutally describe periods before the protagonist is saved or redeemed. 'AtoZ' and 'Predator' immediately come to mind. My question is, how does such depth of depravity even get into your thinking? Writing for Predator Prey, and especially for the predator character, was a real struggle. I spent a lot of time trying to write in the point of view for such an unappealing individual, that I tied myself in knots several times. The result was shorter, more condensed chapters. I could not face extended contact with him or his business. Afterwards, I would want to write something gentler and brighter. But the question of whether such a character can experience change kept drawing me back. Can he be redeemed or find a new and better direction? That's a critical question to me. The search for that answer kept me going on with the draft, rather than discarding it. 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! I’ll see you next time, with authors Craftingmom and Roberto Zuniga joining Riley Jericho and SkinnyDragon! I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

I hope everyone has had a great week this past week. Just a quick reminder that you only have a little over a month left to get your April Fool's Day short stories in if you want to be a part of the contest. Make sure to read through the guidelines if you're planning to participate! Also, don't forget to join us for the CSR Discussion day of The Pledge by Mikiesboy. It's only about 10,000 words, so if you haven't already read it, you still have time! Now, lets see what you might have missed this week. We started out our week with Aditus' wonderful review of Joined by Blood by Renee Stevens (hehe). I'm a little biased when it comes to this story, but other readers sure seemed to have enjoyed it. It's part of GA Premium, so maybe Aditus' review is the little push you were looking for to purchase a premium subscription. Check out the review, and feel free to jump into the discussion! Myr took Tuesday over this week to discuss another new aspect of the upcoming site update. According to the post, members will be able to set their own activity streams based on their own guidelines. Want to find out more about this new feature? Check out Myr's blog post. Wednesday was a bit of a writing tip with Cia's popular Grammar Rodeo feature. We're up to number ten and this one was all about sentence structure. If you find yourself re-reading what you wrote and thinking something sounds off, then maybe this is the perfect post for you. We ended the week with a new set of weekly prompts for you to try your hand at. There were a lot of responses to the previous weeks prompts and so there are a lot of snippets that you can look over. Maybe you'll find one that will lead you to a new favorite author. Contests 2017 April Fool's Day Short Story Contest - Due March 1st, 2017 *Guidelines* Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2017 Spring Anthology: Jagged Edges / Unintended Consequences - Due April 30th, 2017 2017 Fall Anthology: The Fall Out / Secret Spaces - Due November 15th, 2017 Premium Updates: Negative Splits by Cia *Premium* Signature Updates: Black Widow by Mark Arbour; Book 16 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia Temporary Dads by Graeme The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Veil of Shadow by Stellar; Book 2 of unnamed Promising Updates: Confide/ant by Sasha Distan Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Give Me Back My Prompts by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of GA Prompts Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

Happy Friday, Y'all!!!!! Hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend, I know I am! To help start your weekend off right, it's time for some new prompts. Hopefully one of these great prompts will inspire you, and don't forget to share your responses (at least a link) so that they can possibly be featured next week. Also, as always, remember that prompt responses under 1K have to be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 552 – Creative Tag – End of the world Due to a lack of humanity, the world was a lot less forgiving. New strains of diseases, ones thought to have been eradicated, have come back stronger and with no vaccine. People everywhere are dying. How are you going to survive the end of the world. Prompt 553 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – a dvd, a blanket, library card, a book, and a dagger. Last weeks Prompt #550 had a lot of responses, lets take a look. Prompts 2017 by Cazpedroso “There is no way I’m wearing that!” Dereck snapped. Chris looked at the costume he was holding then back at his furious looking partner. “Why not?” “I’ll look like an idiot. That’s why not!” “But, it’s couples costume night. We’re supposed to either dress in matching costume or as a famous couple. If you don’t like this what about, Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dee? They’d be less revealing if that’s the problem.” The End of the Big K by jamessavik "There is no way I’m wearing that!" The comm crackled, "Come on Bobby, you have to. There's too much damage. Most of the ship is open to vacuum." "I can't. I've got claustrophobia. I'll go nuts in there." "Look- you've got to do it. Containment is breaking down on the #3 Fusion plant. We lose that and this wreck will become a mini supernova. You've got to get out of there." A Ripping Yarn by northie “There is no way I'm wearing that!” Geoff stared in disbelief at the sartorial monstrosity Helen was offering him. She laughed at him although with some sympathy. “Geoff, what else are you gonna wear for the gig this evening?” He backed away from her slightly, still unable to take his eyes off … it. Unrequited by Sasha Distan “There is no way I’m wearing that!” “Why not?” Max snorted at his best friend, and turned away. “Because it’s two sizes too small, and it’s blue.” Prompt #550 by Hunter Bartholomew “There is no way I’m wearing that!” “Why not?” “Because!” Marcus waved at the contraption as if the gesture was explanation enough. “What?” Andy flipped the black cotton vest back and forth, inspecting it for defects. “What’s wrong with it?” Prompt #550 by Greg_A “There is no way I’m wearing that!” I growled, glaring at Alex. “Why not?” Alex asked with a grin on his face letting me know he knew perfectly well why not. “I know you normally like blue, but I thought you’d look good in green. Well, green and black.” “The color is not the point,” I hissed with my teeth clenched. “I’m not wearing that thing!” “Why?” Alex asked again, his voice getting a little defensive. “What’s wrong with it?” Plan by JohnAR “There is no way I’m wearing that!” The wind carried the protesting voice up to his terrace. She cried in his arms. He might be Fate, but he couldn’t make the world silent to comfort his goddess. Even if her child had died. “Come on, you’re not in Alabama. This is Greece. Speedos are normal here.”

I hope everyone has had a great month so far. It's been a while since we had a Grammar Rodeo from Cia, but it's back! Thank you, Cia for providing us with another great writing tip! The Structure of a Sentence Okay, so maybe this seems intuitive. After all, we all write sentences every day, right? But sometimes the visual we’re trying to get across doesn’t work because of the way the sentence has been written. A lot of the time, this can be chalked up to dangling modifiers. What are dangling modifiers? I bet you’ll realize you intuitively know what I mean once we get to the examples, even if you didn’t know you knew! So, dangling modifiers are words or phrases, usually offset by commas, that are supposed to explain more/better describe the subject of the sentence but don’t because the sentence structure either places the subject in the wrong place to work with the modifier or doesn’t have a subject at all. These can be dangling participles or gerunds, but that’s a little more exact than I want to go in for this lesson. We’ll come back to that though! Let’s try a few examples to show just how modifiers work, how they can go wrong, and how easily they can be fixed. Example: Having come to the same conclusion, the project temporarily halted. Having come to the same conclusion is our modifier, but the subject of this sentence is ‘the project’. Can the project come to the same conclusion? No. So the modifier is dangling because the true subject is missing from the sentence. Rephrased: Having come to the same conclusion, the contractor temporarily halted the project. The contractor can come to the same conclusion, so he can halt the project. Example: Without knowing what his job was, it was hard to pick the right outfit. “It” didn’t know his job? That doesn’t make sense. In this case, the surrounding information might make it clear who/what ‘it’ refers to, but that doesn’t prevent this sentence from having a dangling modifier. Rephrased: Without knowing what his job was, Jacob found it hard to pick the right outfit. Jacob didn’t know what his job was, so he could find it hard to pick the outfit. ​Example: Long and boring, the author must revise their manuscript. Is the author long and boring? No. In this case, the subject of the modifier is a ‘misplaced modifier’ because the manuscript is what is long and boring, not the author. Rephrased: Long and boring, the manuscript must be revised by the author. This phrase properly describes what is long and boring, which could not be the author as a person (we don’t usually call a person long, lol). So, basically when you have a modifier in the sentence, you want to make sure it takes place in the sentence close to the subject. If you’re unsure if you’ve structured the sentence properly to avoid a dangling or misplaced modifier, ask yourself, “Was the (subject) (dangling modifier)”? If you have it wrong, the question will usually show how your sentence doesn’t make sense. Was the project coming to the same conclusion? Was it not knowing what his job was? Was the author long and boring?

Well, unfortunately even our favorite stories have to end sometime. That seemed like a natural stopping point as the story had run its course and I didn't want to drag it on. I suppose I could have done a couple more chapters on how things were going Maybe that's something to look at during the revision, we'll have to see. So glad you enjoyed it, Gary. I hope you enjoy it just as much if you do decide to go back and re-read. Thank you again for such a great review, Adi. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and yes, sometimes I wonder if I should have kept it going, but it just felt like I would be dragging it out. We'll see what happens with the revision, maybe I'll decide to extend it.

LOL. There were a few rants by various readers throughout the story. I went back and re-read some of the previous reviews and I had to chuckle from time to time at readers' reactions to some of the things the characters did. But, it's definitely than not getting any reactions at all!