Renee Stevens

Thank you, LBO! So glad you enjoyed the story and I love it when I hear that it was one of the first stories you read. Especially as this was the first story I posted after becoming a Signature author. I agree with you spikey. While I do enjoy vampire stories, sometimes I have a hard time with how authors portray them and I tried to remember all those things I didn't like when I wrote Joined by Blood. Reading at work? Naughty, naughty, Mann. LOL. I'm definitely glad that Joined by Blood isn't one that you classify as a "crash and burn" vampire story.

Thank you for such a wonderful review, Aditus! I really enjoyed writing this and am glad that everyone enjoyed reading it as well. I think my favorite part of this story was when I was posting it. Readers were threatening to kidnap my characters, primarily Vik and Dante and the culprits were primarily Frostina and Lugh. Outside of the reviews, it was great to see the story have such an impact on my readers. In some ways, I miss Vik, Dante, and Damian. But, I am getting a chance to revisit them as I revisit them and revise the original story in the hopes of publishing it. But don't worry, Joined by Blood will always have a home on GA.

Well, it's the start of another week, and to help start it off right we're going to share a wonderful review that Aditus was kind enough to share with us. This week's featured story is Joined by Blood by...me. Thank you, Aditus, for such an awesome review. Joined by Blood is just one story that can be found in our Premium section. Don't have Premium? You can get it here. You can also try to win a Premium subscription by entering the April Fool's Day Short Story Contest. Hope you enjoy the review! Joined by Blood Renee Stevens Reviewer: Aditus Status: Complete Word Count: 79,234 As suggested by Timothy M., I’m going with an old favorite of mine this time: Joined by Blood, which can be found in the premium section. Those who know me are probably rolling their eyes when they read ‘vampire’, but hey, a story full of hot, fanged guys–I could never resist those! The story starts with Damian locked up in a cell and shackled to a wall. He never believed in vampires until they kidnapped him and his baby sister. Ever the big brother, all his thoughts are on escaping so he can save Rebecca. Then he learns she actually instigated their abduction to become a vampire herself, and, on top of that, Damian was the price she readily paid to reach her goal. His world crumbles. Still reeling from the revelation, Damian thinks he is losing what is left of his sanity when he hears a voice in his head asking him about his injuries. Shortly after, several men defeat his jailers and free him from his prison. But alas, they are vampires too. Just a few days ago, Damian didn’t know vampires existed beyond fiction; now he learns there are in fact different kinds: those who still have their soul, like the clan who saved him, and those who don’t, like the group his sister joined. Even then, Damian won’t believe Rebecca is beyond saving. He is fiercely determined to find a way to get his sister back, even though everyone tells him it is impossible. Soon, Damian finds himself plunged into a war between good and evil. Throw in a sexy vampire prince, a brooding second-in-command from the tall, dark, and handsome variety, a prophecy, love, betrayal, and family issues, and you have the perfect mix for a nice weekend. (In my humble opinion.) When I first started reading Joined by Blood, I couldn’t wait for Renee to post the next chapter. She wove some evil cliffhangers into her tale of twists and turns, which, even though they no longer matter as the story is complete, still spur the reader on. If you plan on reading the story, make sure you have enough time and there aren’t any trivial things like work, family, pets, or friends that are going to distract you. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance, Paranormal Tags: vampire, gay, modern Rating: Mature

And you have been a great help, so Thank you!!! Like the others who have replied, all the links I've clicked on have worked, so it is very possible that it is because of the browser you are using. No thanks needed, you and the rest of the GA staff definitely deserve to be recognized once in a while. Thank you again! And we're glad to have you on board!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week. It's been a busy week here at Gay Authors, but before I get into the weekly wrap up I wanted to post a reminder of sorts. With the recent staff changes, I wanted to take a minute to mention the various teams and the staff they're made up of. This list can also be found in the Help & Announcements forum. A huge thank you goes out to the site staff, all of who are volunteers, for donating their time to keep GA running smoothly. Site Administrators Myr - Administration Team Leader Cia - GA Stories Lead Renee Stevens - Anthology/Blog Coordinator, Promotion Team Lead, Review Team Lead wildone - Moderation Team Leader TalonRider - Moderation Team Deputy Lead Site Moderation Team wildone - Team Lead TalonRider - Team Deputy Lead Graeme Slytherin Gene Splicer PHD Reader1810 drpaladin Mikie Dayne Mora Author Promotion Team Renee Stevens - Team Lead Myr Mann Ramblings Graeme Cole Matthews Review Team Renee Stevens - Team Lead aditus Timothy M. Puppilull LitLover spikey582 Lisa Now, let's take a look at what happened in the various GA news blogs this past week. For signature week, we started out the week with the announcement of our featured Signature Author. This month we focused on Cynus and his story From the Cup of the Worthless. If you want to learn more about the story, you can find the description, reader reviews, and a small banner in Monday's post; and an excerpt in the Wednesday blog. If you're looking for some inspiration, then check out the Friday prompts. While you're there, take a minute and check out the featured prompt responses that we chose to share this week. If neither of the new prompts spark an idea, you can always check out the past prompts in the prompt forum. With well over 500 prompts, you should find something to inspire your muse. Are you thinking about doing the upcoming 2017 Spring Anthology? Have you already started? Stop by the monthly Anthology Discussion Day and share your progress with other authors that are in the same position as you. 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 Promising Updates: 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 Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan Walls by Carlos Hazday; Book 6 of CJ

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 jump start a new idea. A reminder: Prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 550 – Creative Tag – First Line There is no way I’m wearing that! Prompt 551 – Creative Tag – Holiday Picture Every year you and your partner create an awesomely cute picture for you holiday cards. What did you do this year? Now, let's take a look at the two responses that Prompt #548 received! Duty by JohnAR Gideon, Sariah, Porter, Spencer and Marta had fallen asleep; finally. Them ranging from two to seven years old, it was quite a feat to convince them to go to bed Sunday night, after church and lots of play. His wife had audibly closed her book – ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ – and turned off her little reading light. He had put his pad aside – it wasn’t appropriate to work too much on such a sacred day – and darkened the room completely. He pulled the cover up to his chin. It wasn’t really necessary in their cozy bedroom despite the cold wind of November outside, but for some reason he felt the need for weight on his body. Prompt #548 by Hudson Bartholomew Gusts of cold wind rattled the window pane and the blowing snow made it impossible to see the few yards from my front window to my driveway. I used to love snow storms. I’d turn the fireplace on, make some hot chocolate, and curl up on the sofa under a blanket to watch the world turn white. Now it just felt cold. I guess that happens when you don’t have someone holding you to keep you warm.

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! To start your week off, Puppilull was kind enough to provide us with a review of Sasha Distan's series "Best Circle of Hell". Based on the comments, this is a series that many at GA enjoy. Go check out Puppilull's review and if you feel up to it, share your own thoughts regarding the stories. We try to give authors the opportunity to get their work noticed among the over four thousand stories that can be found on site. One of the ways we do this is the Author Promo. This week, William King had the opportunity to share a couple of stories with you as well as answer a few questions about different aspect of the stories he chose. Have you been having trouble writing lately? Or maybe you're wanting to try your hand at penning a story for the first time. Our weekly writing prompts might be just what you need. While you're there, you can check out what some other site authors did for last weeks Prompt #456. 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: Studly Ranch Hands by Renee Stevens *Premium* COMPLETE Signature Updates: Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Jessie-101: Online Celebrity by Comicality Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia 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 The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 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 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! 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 548 – Word List Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – Cold wind, blue sweater, bald man, postcard, and a gift. Prompt 549 – Creative Tag – Superhero You’ve been tasked to create a superhero for today’s average person. Your creation will be made into a movie. What is your superhero about? What is their message and what powers do they have? And our featured prompt responses from Prompt #546 Mistaken Identity by Sasha Distan “Just slowly rub it in, why don’t you!” Ewan laughed heartily, and slapped his friend’s shoulder. The other guys in the common room had fallen about in similar fits of giggles, and Jim was becoming so red in the face it was a wonder he was still able to draw breath. “Oh dude, your face.” “Shut up,” Craig whined, shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “You guys are horrid.” “We weren’t the ones flirting with the new teacher,” Jim pointed out, having regained full control of his lungs. “I was not flirting!” Craig huffed. Dean by JohnAR “Just slowly rub it in!” Stiller moaned. “You’ve declined his ‘invitations’ at least four times,” Carl added with a smirk. It wasn’t often he had the upper hand versus a US Army General and beta. “Our alpha is not showing up, either. You couldn’t expect this dean not to want to talk with the pack who has a love affair with vampires – on his campus,” he continued stating the obvious. “Done with gloating, enforcer?” Stiller barked. There were limits. “Sure,” Carl answered, not so sure. Maybe that taught Stiller he was an enforcer, a potential alpha, and not a little secretary.

Who's ready for another Author Promo? This month we are taking a look at William King. William was asked to pick up to three stories and answer the three questions: 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. If you would like to do an author promo for the blog, please check out the blog feature opportunities thread. William King Author 6 stories · 116 reviews · 109,393 total words I'll Kiss You in the Rain Description: Alex and Matty have been best friends like forever, but all that changes the day that Matty says he's gay! What gave you the idea for this story? The idea for the story of Matty and Alex's relationship came from the first chapter originally just a short story about two best friends who reveal to each other that they are gay. As the novel builds and introduces other characters, we meet Jake, an older guy who hits on Alex. There are other things going on in the background concerning Alex's group of school friends, but the main storyline is the interplay between Alex, Jake, and Matty. The book poses, but never resolves, the question as to whether or not three people can love each other and live together as a 'ménage à trois'. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? All my stories contain elements of personal experience, I don't think they would be real if they did not. The most extraordinary thing about writing this book, in fact any of my books, is the character development, the way in which the characters take on a life of their own and live. I have confined the story limits by giving attention and detail to the three principle characters, but if that were not the case, any of the characters could be developed, but of course that would tell a different story. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. You are told that any story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Broadly speaking this is true, but I tend to blur the edges of this concept, because this story is a cameo from the lives of Alex, Jake, and Matty. It could quite easily continue to tell what happens later between the three of them, the end is purposely left open, a sequel is always possible. This is interesting for me as a writer because it allows me to step back, it gives time for reflection, and that freedom lets the theme for the possible subsequent novel emerge. The continuation of the story presents itself, I don't need to invent it, it's there saying 'write me!' Rompecabezas Description: Amidst the drama and choas of a journey interrupted by dreams and different realities, is a quest to find the one person who can deliver the means to discover the answer which will allow all the pieces of the puzzle to reveal the whole. What gave you the idea for this story? A paragraph written by a friend on Facebook inspired the story which is why it is set in Mexico, although that fact is not specifically stated until the end. It's not your usual type of story, although it is strangely enough a romance. Nevertheless, as one reader commented, "it borders on the surreal." Reality, dreams, past and present are blurred at the edges and interwoven into the narration of a journey. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? It presented an enormous challenge to me as a writer, how to progress the story so as to encompass three different threads - the journey through a hot dessert landscape, the other reality of the Palace and it's gardens, the boy Demitri from the narrator's past. To do this in such a way so as not to lose the reader completely, but to allow them to guess at what was going on. What were all the pieces that would fit together to reveal the puzzle. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. In chapter 7 the narrator arrives at La Terraza Sobre el Mar (The Terrace Over the Sea), it's the chapter title. This is a real location, when I was describing it I was remembering the Café Hafa in Tangier. I relocated it from Morocco to Mexico! Here's the description from Wikipedia: "Café Hafa is a cafe in Tangier, Morocco, located along the cliff top overlooking the Bay of Tangier. Opened in 1921, the cafe has retained its 1920s style of decor and through the years has been visited by numerous writers and singers, from Paul Bowles and William S. Burroughs, to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The cafe is known for its mint tea, a Tangier special brew. With its simplicity, with its dominance over the Strait of Gibraltar, with its plastic chairs, its tables with tablecloths, with its blue walls, with its trees that grow without concern to none and with charm to which no one can resist, the Café Hafa has built its glory, its history and its reputation that crossed borders and have inspired numerous international writers." I wouldn't presume to class myself as an 'international writer', but it did inspire me.

We hope everyone is having a great New Year so far! It's time for our first review of the year, and this time Puppilull was kind enough to provide us with a Review of the "Best Circle of Hell" series by Sasha Distan. If you haven't already read the series, then hopefully Puppilull's review will have you adding it to your "list". If you have read them, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Happy Reading! Best Circle of Hell Sasha Distan Reviewer: Puppilull Status: Incomplete Word Count: 135,355 Like so often before, my choice of story to review this time is perhaps not for everyone. Sasha Distan’s The Best Circle of Hell stories are seven stories, six complete and one under way, all centered around a group of demons, including the Prince of Hell. Yes, that’s right. Demons. And these are real demons who go out and do demonic stuff. I won’t try to sugarcoat this. At times, these stories get rough. Gory, twisted and violent. Consent isn’t always at the top of the list for these guys. Also, there is a fair amount of explicit sex. So the warnings are real and should be read carefully. The various stories each center around one or a few demons, who all go through that longing we all share. Longing for someone who is the right fit just for them. When you have eternity to do all that longing, the feeling seems to grow. With special powers at your command, boredom or perhaps a sense of having no purpose can make you do all kinds of twisted things. And then something or rather someone happens. Sometimes as an accident, sometimes as the answer to a prayer and demonic existence is not the same anymore. Even if, as I said, the way they express their affection is not exactly mainstream. Then why read these stories? Won’t they just make you nauseous or depressed? Angry perhaps? No, not at all. For even though the demons sometimes have a quite, let’s say unique way to approach other beings, they are really just like us. Even though I hope you keep the number of slayings to an absolute minimum. And of course, it’s not all gore and guts. The Best Circle of Hell stories are filled with warmth (not surprising as they spend a great deal of time in Hell… ), friendship, loyalty and if I may be so bold even love. Maybe not the kind most of us go for, but love based on the most profound understanding and acceptance, on finding someone who lets you be you, even if that is a horned demon with hooves or a shapeshifting snake with seductive scales. Along the way, we get to know the inhabitants of Hell rather well and get to experience the curious sensation of rooting for beings who do pretty bad things. The characters are just that well written and believable, even given the subject matter. So, can we learn from these demons? Perhaps that it’s never too late. Perhaps that a friend is someone to listen to, even if he has an irritating habit of using his empathic abilities to take over your inner voiceover. Perhaps that if we open our eyes and truly see the being in front of us, we might be surprised at what we find. It could be just who we are looking for. Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Romance Tags: Demons, Abuse, Rape, Violent, Adult, Anal Rating: Mature

Yep, I'm back with the wrap up! A huge thank you to the rest of the Admin team for helping to cover the blogs while I had to take care of family issues. As I'm sure many have noticed, GA no longer has a chatroom for members to hang out. Unfortunately, for the time being, this isn't going to change. If you want to know more about why chat is gone, you can check out Myr's chat topic, which explains what happened and why the chatroom is not feasible at the moment. To start our week, and new year, off right, Cia announced the first CSR story for the year. You still have plenty of time to read The Pledge by Mikiesboy before the January 30th discussion day. Myr was next up in the blog with his post about another new aspect of the upcoming software upgrade. To learn more about the Leaderboard and what it entails, make sure to check out Myr's blog post. We were back on Friday with our first prompts of the year. There were a couple of great options this week, so make sure to check them out. Since there were no takers on the New Years prompts, I didn't feature a specific prompt response and instead asked authors to pick their favorite of their prompt responses and share it. Finally, to end the week with a bang, we announced the upcoming April Fool's Day Short Story Contest. Make sure to read the guidelines carefully to ensure that you're able to participate. 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: Studly Ranch Hands by Renee Stevens *Premium* Signature Updates: 319 Winesap Lane by CarlHoliday 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 Miles To Go by Comicality Mine! by Cia Release Me by Comicality Safehaven by Comicality Studly Ranch Hands by Renee Stevens Temporary Dads by Graeme 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 Give Me Back My Prompts by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of GA Prompts Headstall's Reflections by Headstall 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

Provided pictures are not copyrighted, and adhere to our content guidelines, you are more than welcome to start your own Picture Prompt series in the prompt forum. However, please remember, that any picture you upload for a prompt will use your gallery space and CAN NOT be deleted from your gallery or it will not appear in the prompt topic. If you choose to host the picture off the site, the above still applies and you have to ensure that the website address for the picture does not change. Also, authors who choose to respond to any picture prompts may link back to the picture in their chapter notes, but pictures CAN NOT be added to Stories content. Unless something drastic changes, I have no plans to do future picture prompts.

We haven't done picture prompts for a while, for a couple of reasons. 1: comicfan is without a computer which makes uploading the photos difficult 2: Pictures are generally posted using a image link, and if the photo that the link is to gets deleted, whether on purpose or accidentally, it makes it a broken link and no one can see the picture to do the prompt.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a good first week of the new year, and it's now time for the first prompts of the year! Don't forget to share your responses in the thread so that we can possibly share it next week. Please remember that prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection if you're posting in GA Stories. Prompt 546 – First Line Tag – First Line Just slowly rub it in! Prompt 547 – Creative Tag – The Trip You’ve been pinching pennies and doing all you could to save money for the last year. Now the time has come to relax. Where do you go for your hard earned trip? We didn't have any responses to last week's prompts, so for this week, I'm going to ask authors to look back over the prompts they have written and share their favorite one.

I just was in the middle of fixing that for you Headstall. Sorry about that. We have a thing that compiles all the stories from the past week, but if an author posts a chapter to a story after midnight on Sunday and before we pull the list, then it replaces the one in our list.

Well, I can't believe that it's already the last prompts of 2016! Rather than do our regularly scheduled prompts, I thought that we should do some kind of special prompt edition. I wracked my brain for a couple of ideas, and in the end, Cia and I banded together and came up with a couple of End of Year / New Year prompts for you to try your hand at. We look forward to seeing your responses!!!! Special Prompt: End of Year #1 Tags: New Years Resolution The clock strikes midnight and the ball drops in Time Square. I look at the people around me, laughing and drinking, and wonder if, like me, they make New Years Resolutions. Do they keep them? This past year, I accomplished some of mine, but others were utter failures. This year, things will be different. Where I have failed in the past, I'll succeed in the future. Now, I just have to decide what this years resolutions are. Special Prompt: End of Year #2 Tags: The Envelope A random envelope appeared on my plate. I looked around, but I couldn't see anyone else with one. I sat and opened it. "I've been waiting for this chance to accomplish last year's resolution, so please meet me on the patio at 11:59". It wasn't signed. A secret admirer? Should I meet them... or not? For today, lets take a look at the prompt prompt responses for Prompt #544: MetaPrompts: Lure by JohnAR “It’s time to bury the hatchet,” a husky voice whispered hopefully, in its best baritone. “Unlikely,” a female soprano answered in a way that made Brian was nervous. It must have been the accent. He couldn’t even really see the girl behind the glass; his wolf ears could pick up every word, though; and his wolf instinct got roused: available female. It made him even more fidgety. Rob on a Mission. A Nelson POV Chapter by Timothy M. “It’s time to bury the hatchet.” Rob’s voice was low but firm. Jasper gave me a small jab with his elbow, and we shared a quick grin. The blond Perry brothers had marched straight up to Ryan, who tried to look unconcerned as he sipped his morning coffee. The café had its usual crowd of early Monday morning coffee-buyers, but since there had been no baseball game over the weekend, none of the players were present. However, Rob knew Ryan would be there, because his dad dropped him off early every morning on his way to work. Eric had been convinced by Rob that they needed to take the initiative. Now that Chris was gone from the team, Rob wanted everyone else to move on and forget the fight. Truth over Drinks by Jamessavik "It's time to bury the hatchet." Colt looked stunned and said, "Maybe in that rat bastard's head." Jerry said, "Oh come on Colt. I know he's a rival but.." "Rival? You don't know what Frank did to me do you?" "I know it goes back a long way." Colt sighed and said, "Frank cost me..."

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!! And a huge Thank you to Steve for doing the wrap up!

As some know, I've been asked many times if we can redo past anthology themes. Since normally we don't use the same themes more than once, it was decided to do a special anthology using all of the Pre-2016 anthology themes, which we decided to call: Rewind. Authors could choose any past theme they wanted and write a 5,000 - 25,000 word story. Six authors took up the challenge and we now have a twelve story anthology for you, just in time for Christmas. Which seems fitting since there are a couple of Christmas stories in there! All authors who participated in the anthology were entered into a drawing as part of the author incentives. The winner gets to choose which prize they would like: 1 Month Premium Membership 1 Month Ad Space - This can be used for a GA story, a published story, or your story collection $5 Credit to the GA ebook store And the winner is Headstall (Pm me with your prize choice) On top of author incentives, we want to encourage readers to read and review the anthology entries. For each story a reader reviews, they will get one entry into the drawing. Reviews need to be more than just a "great story" or "I liked this". Share your thoughts with the author and you could win one of the following prizes: 1 Month Premium Membership $5 Credit to the GA ebook store If you'd like to better your chances, write me a blog review (200-500 words) on your favorite story from the anthology and I'll give you an extra 2 entries! Readers will have until January 6th to review stories and/or write a blog review. The winner will be announced in the Weekly Wrap Up on January 8th. Now, let's see what the authors came up with! (The original theme name has been included in italics) Bill's Christmas Gift comicfan Christmas Boxed In: A Christmas Story Headstall Blizzard / Christmas Daddy Issues Sasha Distan Friends & Enemies Faeries Anonymous Valkyrie Fairy Tales Family Matters Sasha Distan I'd Never Do That Finding Refuge Headstall Scars Maelstrom Valkyrie Blizzard Stepping Through the Mirror Headstall Living In The Shadows / Fairy Tales The Legend of Treehaven Woods Valkyrie Legend Trade Deals Sasha Distan A Night To Remember Voli Me Tangere aditus Fairy Tales / Ending & Beginnings Waiter. Waiter Cazpedroso A Night To Remember 2016 Special Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support AJ Proof Team Cia Rec Valkyrie craftingmom Parker Owens Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

Here is a list of anthologies included. If your name/story does not appear, please contact Cia and Renee. Bill's Christmas Gift comicfan Boxed In: A Christmas Story Headstall Daddy Issues Sasha Distan Faeries Anonymous Valkyrie Family Matters Sasha Distan Finding Refuge Headstall Maelstrom Valkyrie Stepping Through the Mirror Headstall The Legend of Treehaven Woods Valkyrie Trade Deals Sasha Distan Voli Me Tangere aditus Waiter. Waiter Cazpedroso

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. Today we've got both Aditus, who is going to tell how he started out, and Graeme who is going to share a little advice on planning out your story. Hope this helps! Starting Out Aditus I can tell how I did it. I read a lot of stories and comments first, to get a feel of GA. Then I answered a prompt or two. The response was amazing and I felt motivated. Next I tried the anthologies. I think short stories are a good start for a new author, you get to know people and some of them even might offer help. Multi chapter stories need a lot of time, energy and motivation. If the author doesn't finish them, readers get disappointed and might not read another story of the same author. Another beautiful thing about GA is that people are always willing to support you. Find an editor, and/or a beta reader and all will be well. Planning Graeme Every writer is a new author at some point in time, so what do I know now that I wished I'd known when I started? There is a lot more than can fit into one blog entry, so I'll concentrate on one part of writing only, and that's planning. The two best pieces of advice I received in this area are related. They are: Know how you want the story to end. It doesn't have to be in detail, but does the boy get the boy? Does the team win the competition? Does the homophobe turn over a new leaf, or does he remain a villain to the end? Always keep in mind what's going to happen in the next chapter when you're writing the current one. Both of these recommendations have the same purpose: to keep the writing direction focused. All too often a new author writes themselves into a corner. They want something to happen, but what they've written stops that from happening. By keeping in mind what's going to happen in the future (either the short-term future for the next chapter, or the longer-term future for the end of the story), an author is aided to keep the story moving in the direction they want. This doesn't prevent an author from writing themselves into a corner, but it helps reduce the risk. It also helps stop the where-does-the-story-go-now syndrome, where an author writes until they run out of ideas, without finishing what they started. It's okay if you don't follow this advice, because some authors don't. There are many authors who start with a situation, and then write until the ending presents itself. Stephen King, for example, has said that he doesn't know how a story will end when he starts. However, authors that do this are usually experienced, with a full toolbox of options and techniques to allow them to progress a story to a satisfactory conclusion. That's not something that comes easily to most writers, so please at least consider having an ending in mind when you start. It's also okay if you change your mind during the writing. While some authors will write the ending of a story first, and then write towards that ending, others will have a general concept in mind for the ending, or even multiple options with the decision as to which ending they go for not being known until closer to the ending. This happened to me with my Leopards Leap novel. Right up to the last few chapters, I didn't know exactly what was going to happen to one of the main characters. I had a number of options that I had to choose from, each with their pros and cons. That persisted right up until I had no choice but to make a decision and write up one of the options. Another way of looking at this approach is to view the writing of a story as a journey. You start at one point and you look to where you want to go. That may lead directly to the final destination, or it may be to a significant point in the story, a bridge or a fork in the road. Once you've set your sights on that destination, you then put your head down and start walking the road towards where you want to go, looking up from time-to-time to make sure you don't lose your way. The more often you look up, the less likely you are to wander off the path...but there's nothing wrong with a short side trek to see that beautiful waterfall off to the side as long as you return to the path afterwards. In short, know where you're going with your story. The better you understand where you want to go, both in the short-term and the long-term, the less chance you'll lose your way. Good luck, and have fun finding your way to the ending you want!

I'm sorry to hear that, Tiger. You're in my thoughts.

I can't believe it's already time for our December Ask An Author feature! This year just seems to have flown by and now it's almost over. The next Ask An Author will be the start of a new year! 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 #45 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #44, the blog was all about Dayne Mora. Today, we go back to our regular programming. In AtA #45 we hear from authors albertnothlit, Nephylim, Riley Jericho, and skinnydragon. Today’s first author is no stranger to this blog. Promoted to Promising Author status back in May 2016, Albert has had a busy year filled with stories, moving, and winning a silver medal in 2016’s FAPA President's awards (you may have seen that announcement back in August). Not one but two books were picked up and published by DSP Pulications, an off-shoot of Dreamspinner Press. Check out his website for more info. He’s also publishing a new story here on GA called Life Seed with 36 chapters between January and September. Like much of his other work, Life Seed is sci-fi. Albert writes powerful and intriguing characters in some utterly bizarre and yet fascinating settings. I’m dying – dying! – waiting to find out what new twist is coming up next, but sometimes life gives you a kick in the pants and it takes awhile to recover. Send some warm wishes his way and let’s hope we see Albert back again in the new year. To albertnothlit: Do you prefer to publish chapter by chapter and see where the story flows in response to readers, or do you complete most or all of a story before posting? In an ideal world, I usually prefer to have the entire story written out, edited, and proofread, before I publish it. That was the case with the very first stories I published here on GA, and it allowed me time to really look at reader feedback and figure out which things needed attention and which things I had done correctly, having the entire big picture of the completed story. Alas, nowadays I no longer work like that because life has gotten in the way. Since I don't have as much time anymore, what I will do is capture the essence of a story by writing a few chapters on my own before posting for the first time. Then, I will write the story chapter by chapter, as fast as time and my job will allow, while simultaneously working with editors or beta readers to polish chapters before they see the light of day. I would say both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. Writing week by week is a great way for new ideas to flourish, and take the story in unexpected directions. I have found that by writing in this way, creativity is maximized because you have so much more time to think about the story, even if it's just on the back of your mind while you're doing other things. I will very often be surprised with the direction the story has taken after having been constantly writing it for more than, say, three months, which is entirely different from simply sitting down and finishing an entire novella or short story in one week. I enjoy both ways of working, but nowadays I write in little batches, read feedback, and carry on! Another oldtimer (to this blog and to GA) is vampire, fallen angel, and Author Nephylim. At one time, Nephy was a Promising Author and then Signature Author (back then we called them “Hosted” Authors). Like myself and Andy, real life has taken Nephy away from GA more than she might wish. With GA since 2009, Nephy has posted some 50 different stories and poems. She has been an inspiration to many, including myself, and it’s been said by many that she’s as nice in person as she is to chat with online. There were a few meet-ups for those GA authors living or willing to travel in Europe, and Nephylim was one of them, traveling at least twice from her home in Wales. She may not be as active on the site anymore, but we still get her stories! She finished posting her latest, My Brother Daniel, just this past summer, and that was quite the ordeal, from the sound of it. Like many of her stories, Daniel, Sara, and Rayn help us readers learn and deal with some tough topics that are not for everyone, but this classy lady makes all the drama and heart-ache worthwhile. To Nephylim: I know you deal a lot with issues of gender fluidity. Does this stem from your background in anyway? And do you think by having more stories involving people who don't fit the same mold that others are used to seeing, that perhaps they'll gain greater acceptance in the so-called normal world? I'm absolutely on a crusade to make sure every single young person can find a character to relate to. There are more out there than I thought mostly, I have to say, in young adult/new adult books. My next goal is to get them out of the LGBT niche and into the mainstream. I'm only one person but I think people are beginning to get the message because I've been banging on about it for a long time. I very much hope there are others out there doing the same thing. My characters are always out of the ordinary in one way or another. Recently I've been writing a lot about mental health issues which is in the realm of personal experience, and I suspect I will continue to have elements of that in my work. I like to worked with flawed characters, to show that not only perfect people deserve their own story and their Happy Ever After. As for gender fluidity - all I will say is that I have experience of elements of that in my own life. I've never met anyone quite as fluid as Ari, for example, but most of the trans/gender fluid people I know are pretty comfortable in their own skins and therefore easy to be around and to talk to We were just talking about this guy, not too long ago: Riley Jericho, author of An English Teen, Circumcised in the USA, the longest single story on GA. Although the story is now complete, interest is still strong, as you’ve seen with all the questions for the author. Now we can only wonder what Riley will write for us next! To Riley Jericho: Regarding An English Teen Circumcised in the U.S.A.: Circumcision, especially of teen boys, is an usual topic. Why did you choose it as the focus of your story? Lol! Well there certainly hasn't been much competition for the theme, that's for sure! There's a lot of cultural perspectives that play into circumcision as well, and, let's face it, not everyone is comfortable with the theme. Concluding things today is everyone’s favorite classical music-loving reptile, Author skinnydragon. This cool Canadian concluded his young adult story Toph’s Empty Year in November and has now gifted us with The Valedictorian. This new story is also young adult, with two teens in love dealing with life apart at different colleges. It’s a dilemma which plagues many high school seniors and college kids, so there’s a great opportunity here to ponder the “what ifs” that Skinny is bringing out in his story. And, in case you missed it, this story is something of a sequel to 18 Weeks of Twoey. So, if you were in love with those characters, then this story should charm you as well. To skinnydragon: You seem really good at describing your characters as being at the center of a network of friends and relationships. Do you conceive of these webs first, or do they grow organically as you write your story? In Twoey, David’s gang and the relationships among its members were pretty much worked out first, as the axis around which the story could build. Other webs, such as Matty’s little nebula of boys, grew organically. On the other hand, in Toph, the friends Nico and Austin, were originals. I thought more would develop from them, but it didn’t happen, even though their ghosts sort of followed Toph to New Glory. All the friends and relationships in New Glory grew as the story did - except for Gary. 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 Comicality, Mann Ramblings, mikiesboy, and Parker Owens! I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

To help you finish off your week right (or should that be write? ) it's time for a couple of prompts. Once again, we're featuring a couple of prompts that for one reason or another, didn't receive any prompt responses. I've included links to each topic as well so you can post your prompt responses (or links to them) in the forums. Have fun!! Prompt 509 – Creative Tag – The Tire Your were called away for a business trip to the middle of nowhere. On the way home you blew a tire. When you go for your spare you remember you were going to get it fixed, but you forgot. You call the auto club and they send out a repair truck to help you. When it arrives you find yourself facing someone from your past. Who is it and what happens? Prompt 511 - Creative Tag - The Child The neighborhood has gone strangely quiet since the new neighbors moved in down the street. Even the nosey lady across the street has stopped talking and seems to keep her blinds closed now. You have no idea why everyone is acting so odd ‘til you meet the neighbors child. What is so odd about this child? We had two takers last time we did a second chance prompt post. Both are for Prompt #502 TLA1 (MW8) by JohnAR “Where the hell is that road?” the cop shouted into the mobile phone. “Half a mile on your right,” the voice on the phone on speaker informed him politely. “We were there …,” Carla, sitting in the front next to the cop who drove their vehicle stated doubtingly. She looked up from her files that stated ‘IRS – confidential’ prominently, her face even paler than usually. “Yep,” the fat guy in the back in a black jacket with the yellow letters ‘ATF’ confirmed; his nose moved as if he smelled a rat. Only the forth passenger, in his stereotypical black suit, starched white shirt and impeccable red tie, didn’t comment on their frustration of not finding their way to ‘White Wolf Holdings Inc.’ easily. He removed a non-existent crumb from his trousers – most likely a relic of the ATF guy’s bag of candy – and continued to observe his surroundings. Brotherhood by Carlos Hazday The sun feels good beating on my shoulders while the wind keeps us cool as we cruise up US Highway 27 headed to Orlando. The radio’s off; the unmistakable sound of the Harley-Davidson exhaust my soundtrack. Riding without a shirt or helmet might not be considered smart by some people but fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke. I’m an exhibitionist at heart plus I know I look good half-naked. And a brain bucket dulls my enjoyment of what the biker experience should be: freedom. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to governmental intrusion, the old line about letting riders decide should be the law of the land. I stayed in Wilton Manors two extra days as I’d promised the kid. His blood work proved negative for any STDs as I’d sworn it would be and he was elated with the results. So much so, he wanted a repeat performance of Friday night, offering to let me bareback him now he knew I was safe. I declined. Don’t want him to get any ideas.

Thank you, Tim. It will, eventually. Just hope in a good way.

Thank you, Timothy. I'll get through it, I always do. Just hoping for good outcomes with the heavier stuff. It's the not knowing that is really getting to me.