Renee Stevens

Thank you, Sly.

:hug: Thank you, Gary. I've been trying, but just feels like I'm slacking off, despite my best intentions. As far as the family stuff... most of it I'm trying to distance myself, but some of it there's no way to do that.

Thank you, Cassie.

Thank you, Reader. Sometimes I think just saying screw it would be easier, but it's just not in me to give up.

Thank you, Val. I'm hoping for an upswing soon too.

Thank you, AC.

So, as some might have noticed, I've been a bit distracted lately. The site news blog sometimes appears late, and/or I forget something that I'm supposed to include in the blog. Or maybe you have sent me a PM and it takes longer than usual for me to respond. And let's not talk about me being way behind in answering reviews for my premium story "Rough Stock Wranglers". Unfortunately, there's so much going on right now, that my mind is going a million miles an hour in so many different directions. I'm stressed and everything I'm involved in seems to be suffering from, not so much neglect, but a lack of focus. Before we get into what has been going on, I want to give everyone a heads up that my site participation will most likely be sporadic over the next couple of weeks. Because of that, I have asked Cia (who has agreed) to be a secondary contact for anything Anthology related. If you're sending in a story to be proofed by the proof team, have a question regarding the anthology, or anything else, please include both Cia and myself in your PM's. For anything else, if it requires an immediate response, one of the other mods/admins might be a better bet. If you absolutely need me, you can email me at renee@gayauthors.org. The email will forward to my personal email and I'll get that even if I'm not on site. So, what's got me so distracted? A number of things have just been adding up lately. Family As many who talk to me much knows, my relationship with my husband's family is strained (to say the least). That has gotten worse over the last year to where my husband has been all but disowned by his mother. I feel horrible, because I'm the reason. Not that I've told the hubby he can't see his family, but because they're trying to use me against him, and he's sticking by me. My husband is one of the most mellow people I know, but he'd finally had enough and blew up, in a spectacular way. For the most part, we've dealt with it, and it's stayed in the background. But there's been a few flare ups lately, and I just feel so bad for the hubby that he has to deal with it. He doesn't deserve any of it, but that doesn't stop them from berating him on a continuous basis. There's some other family drama with his family that, while ridiculous, we keep getting put right in the middle and for about the last month or so, I've been watching our niece's three year old little girl a couple times a week because nobody can act like the adults they're supposed to be. On another note with family, my dad has been sick for a couple of weeks. We finally found out what is going on, and that one of his kidney's is completely non-functional at this point, and the bad kidney keeps causing infections. Dad will be undergoing surgery in the next week or two to remove the kidney and we're waiting to find out if any of the cysts or lesions that have taken over that kidney are cancerous. We're crossing our fingers, but it's scary to think about. I'm a total Daddy's Girl and my mind is constantly wondering what's going to happen. Providing nothing is cancerous, the outlook is good as he only needs one kidney, but there's still all the what ifs and they're driving me completely batty. And the family stuff isn't over yet. Very recently, over Thanksgiving, there was a big blow up within my family. I'm not going to go into details on that, but while I wasn't directly involved, it does in a way affect me. There's a possibility that yesterday was the last time I'll see my nephew for a very long time. The not knowing hurts, and our family is in turmoil over what happened and the uncertainty of what is going to happen next. Fraud This one has just been a joy to deal with, let me tell you. Apparently, someone got ahold of our Verizon information and not only tried to add a new line to our account, but also purchased four iPhone 7's and charged them to our account, totaling about $3500. I never received any of the notifications about the phone purchases (which were done through bestbuy.com), but I did receive an email about the line being added. Since I knew neither myself nor my husband did it, it was clear that something was going on. There was a lot of dealing with Verizon's fraud department, who have been awesome through all of this, but then there was the police reports, going through our credit reports, doing the government identity theft stuff, and of course, setting up alerts with all of the credit reporting agencies. It's been a nightmare, but we thought we had everything taken care of. (By the way, never think that, lol). My husband's phone started acting up, and since he's eligible for an upgrade, we figured why not. Well, with all the fraud, our order was put on hold through the credit services portion of Verizon. They told us we just needed to go to a Verizon store so that they could verify our ID and then the order would be put through. If only it were as simple as that. What they failed to mention to us at the time, is it has to be a corporate Verizon store, not just an authorized retailer. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, except it's the middle of winter, the roads have started to get bad, and the nearest corporate Verizon store is 2 1/2 to 3 hours away (one-way). So this coming week, we have to drive a total of 6 hours just to get the hubby a new phone because his job has him out on the bad roads and he can't be without a phone. Miscellaneous There's been a lot of little things mixed in with all of the above, but it's all minor (until it adds up). Tires on the car were bad, but we were dealing with them, until we got a flat that couldn't be repaired and ended up replacing all 4 tires. My hubby decided it was a good idea to show a coworker how flexible his glasses are (they're the kind that can be twisted, bent, etc, without breaking) and wouldn't you know, they snapped in half. I'm having my own issues with my eyes, which just keep getting worse because I have issues wearing the contacts I'm supposed to (I have Kerataconus so have to wear hard contacts and they don't seem to work well for me), so they're changing my contacts again to one that requires a 1 1/2 hour fitting before they can even order them. They're expensive, but since they're considered medically necessary, I only have to pay like a $20 copay. Then of course, it's that time of year where the hubby and I are putting together our annual Christmas Light Show, which is actually fun when everything else is going right! If you're still reading, then let me say, thank you for taking the time to listen. I admit that I haven't been 100% on my game recently and I hope that will change soon, but until then, if I forget something, or don't include something I should have, I'm sorry. I in no way mean to slight anybody, but right now my focus just isn't there. And if you don't see me around the site much, now you know why. Hugs Renee P.S. I should note, that to those reading Studly Ranch Hands, don't worry, it will continue to post through its conclusion.

Well, it's the end of another week, which means it's time to take a look back at what has gone on in the various GA News Blogs. Don't forget that tomorrow is the discussion day for this month's CSR choice: Between the Lines by Comicality. If you haven't finished reading yet, you still have a little time. UPDATE: First let me apologize. I have a lot going on right now and I completely spaced that I was supposed to announce the Reader Incentive winner for the anthology. I'm happy to announce that, for the 17 stories in the current anthology, we had a total of 41 unique reviewers. Of those 41 reviewers, we had a total of 262 entries in the Reader Incentives drawing. I assigned each reviewer a number, and repeated that number however many times they reviewed, and the winner is.... ARAZON Arazon, please PM me with your choice between a $5 GA Ebook store credit, or a 1 month premium membership. Now, let's see what you might have missed this week: November Signature Feature & Excerpt: So Little Magic Left By Mann Ramblings Yep, this month Mann Ramblings is our author for the Signature Feature. If you haven't already read the story, this is your chance to take a peek and see if you want to read the whole thing. Plus, there's a nice little signature banner you can use! Happy Thanksgiving! I think that pretty much says it all, lol. We hope that everyone celebrating the holiday had a wonderful day. Writing Prompts #540 & #541 If you're looking for some inspiration, make sure to check out our Friday post. There were a couple of new prompts for you to take a shot at. Don't forget to share your prompt responses in the appropriate forum thread so that you might have a chance to be featured like Mikiesboy was this week. Anthology Discussion Day - November 2016 We finished off our week with the monthly Anthology Discussion Day. If you're writing for the anthology, considering it, or just curious as to what other authors are thinking regarding the special anthology, join in! Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 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* Classic Updates: Door Number Three by Ronyx 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 Mine! by Cia Temporary Dads by Graeme Thanksgiving Knight by Valkyrie The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 by Bill W; Book 11 of The Castaway Hotel Weightless by Cynus; Book 2 of Less is More Promising Updates: American Steel by Carlos Hazday Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Practically Perfect by AC Benus; Book 4 of Christmas at Famous-Barr Right Where We Live by AC Benus; Book 5 of Christmas at Famous-Barr Talking Turkey by Carlos Hazday Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan

And it's Friday, which not only means the end of most work weeks, but it also means it's time for a couple of new prompts! Did anyone brave the stores this morning? I didn't this year, partly because the hubby is working, but we didn't really need anything this year. Now, lets take a look at what we have in store for your prompts for this week. Prompt 540 – Creative Tag – The Lottery Your job does everything by lottery, saying it is more fair. They pull a ball with a name on it for work assignments, business trips, and office party planning. Guess whose name was just picked? What do you have to do? Prompt 541 – Creative Tag – The Diary You’ve just moved into your great aunt’s house. As you sort through her stuff you find her old Diary. You plan to dump it, but it falls off the pile and opens to a page all about you. What did she have to say? For this week, let's take a look at the newest O. Henry Prompt: O. Henry Short Story Prompt #3: Dogman - Mikiesboy Being polite did not help, so Sam pushed his way through the elbow-to-elbow crush of his fellow travelers to disembark the subway car, giving his backpack a good tug to free it too. Finally able to breathe, he drew in a lungful of air that was not populated by the fumes of a hundred types of perfume and cologne. “Thank god that’s over for two whole days!” Sam muttered, mainly to himself. He walked briskly down the platform looking for the Main Street exit. His thoughts of freedom were brief, as visions of his first chore once he walked through the apartment door entered his head. Akasha. That was the name of his partner’s fat, spoiled, mincing apricot teacup poodle. Akasha, by order of his partner Randolf, had to be walked as soon as Sam got in. ‘Because she’s been alone since we left in the morning, Sam.’ Randy would say—that made sense, but it was odd Randy was never home in time to walk his dog.

We just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone celebrating today a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope that wherever you are, and whoever you're spending it with, whether it be Friends or Family, that you have a wonderful day.

Sorry about that, AC. It automatically compiles for me now and I'm not sure why it didn't include it. Unless it was because it only pulls the last update, which was today.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and is refreshed and ready for the start of a new week. Don't forget the deadline for the 2016 Special Anthology is coming up fast, I look forward to seeing what everyone is working on! The guidelines for this anthology are a little different, so make sure you read the announcement carefully. Now, let's see what happened this week in the GA News Blog. Anthology Special Review: Nature's Wrath To start out the week, the review team decided to do a special review feature looking at the past anthology Nature's Wrath. If you haven't read the Nature's Wrath anthology, this review is your look into a few of the stories. Author Promo: Lilansui Sometimes it's great to take a look at multiple stories by a single author. Lilansui took us up on the offer for a blog featuring three of their works, all they had to do was pick the stories and answer a few questions. Curious as to what Lilansui picked? Go check it out and learn a little more about Lilansui's writing. Second Chance Prompts #502 & #507 Once again, we re-featured a couple of lonely prompts that never got a response. For our featured prompt, we opened up the comments for anyone to share one of their past prompt responses. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 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: Disastertastic by Cia *Premium* Studly Ranch Hands by Renee Stevens *Premium* Classic Updates: Door Number Three by Ronyx Signature Updates: 319 Winesap Lane by CarlHoliday Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia My Only Escape by Comicality Promptings from Valhalla - 2016 Edition by Valkyrie Temporary Dads by Graeme The Best Year by Krista Promising Updates: A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Practically Perfect by AC Benus American Steel by Carlos Hazday Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Travels by Carlos Hazday; Book 5 of CJ

I didn't talk to him much that I remember, but RIP Adam. (I merged the two threads so that no one who wishes to talk about Adam has to jump back and forth)

Brrrr... Anyone want some snow? I have plenty of it that I can give! First snowstorm of the year dropped at least 10 inches on us. Who else has gotten the white fluffy stuff? Anyway, now that the talk of weather is out of the way, it's time for the weekly prompts. Once again, we're taking a look back at two prompts which, for whatever reason, got overlooked. Don't forget to share your prompt responses in the threads. To make it easier, I've linked to both of the threads. Prompt 502 – Word List Use the following words in a story : a cop, a statue, a ship, a pink ribbon, a bag of candy. Prompt 507 - Creative Your life has been easy, but now you have to make a choice that will determine your whole future. You are having to choose between not only two dream jobs, but two very different partners. The first job pays well, and leaves you with one of the two people you love most, it is also in deep space and will keep you from seeing or really talking to anyone else for eight years. However, you will be paid approximately ten million dollars. The other job keeps you in the countryside, never far from anything, with other partner you love. The big drawback is you will paid $30,000 a year, but will be given a small home to live in for the length of the project. What do you choose? Did anyone do the last round of second chance prompts? I don't see any links in the two forum threads. So this week, I'm going to do things a little different. Everyone is welcome to comment and share a short excerpt, and link, for one of their past prompt responses.

Wow, it's been a while since we've done an author promo. This month we're taking a look at Lilansui. Lilansui was asked to pick 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. Also, I have an author who would like to share their author promo opportunity with other new authors. If you've only just started out, but have at least one completed story, send me a message with your story choice and the answers to the above questions. There are only two spots open for this shared author promo, so it will be first come, first serve. Now, let's take a look at what Lilansui has for us. Lilansui Author 22 stories · 848 reviews · 812,753 total words A Rescued Life Description: Stabbed and left for dead, Toshiro Shindo is at the end of the rope: no hope, no one to care, no reason to live. And then Jason rescues him, and shows him kindness and then love. When the man who stabbed him returns for him, Toshiro fights to keep the life Jason rescued. What gave you the idea for this story? We hatched Toshiro Shindo (the main character) with this really good friend of mine...sort of like what would a guy with nothing look like..hmm..thoughts??? From there, the story took life. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? Absolute freedom while writing this story. I didn't allow myself to let anything disturb the flow, in fact, I still seek out the sense of freedom I felt when writing Toshiro's story. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Toshiro is bad ass! He'll let nothing bring him down, as he's been down and doesn't want to be there again. A Healing Heart Description: Talin focuses on work, barely giving anything else attention. One encounter in his club's parking lot drags him out of his dull life. Dimitri has watched Talin for so long, when Talin storms into his workshop, Dimitri decides he won't stay in the sidelines any longer. He wants Talin for life. What gave you the idea for this story? This was a challenge to create a story of villains and characters living in the grey area. Neither good or bad, and what happens if you find yourself living in between unable to choose either one? No one in this story is good...they are all in different variations of bad, either some bad or extremely bad... What was your favorite thing about writing this story? How effortless it was to write love between Dimitri and Talin. It just existed, so there was no thought or effort, it showed up. I can't begin to explain how precious that is sometimes. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Talin can be pretty selfless, and Dimitri is a man who gives his all for the people he cares about. It's a darker story than most people like, but it does offer a good ending at the end. A Haunted Love Description: Kazuma and Hyde learn to fight for love and life, even when it means hurting others. What gave you the idea for this story? I got my heart broken. In fact, the ending of the story ended way better than I had initially imagined. This story is a short exploration of unrequited love and where it can lead some souls. For the Harus out there, as I've been one this year. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? Developing Hideki. He remains the most strange character I've ever made. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Love is not easy, it can be twisted, and dark, and lead you to do weird and terrible things.

The Anthology Review Did you miss the posting of the fall anthology? Maybe you saw it but were wondering: Exactly what is an anthology and why should I read it? Anthologies have themes, and contributions have to be self-contained short stories that incorporate that theme in some aspect. This is a chance for authors to be inspired to write something new, especially if they’re struggling with their current project, just need a break, or are trying out writing for the first time. The anthologies garner a lot of attention and are a great way for authors to gain new readers. If an author wants to expand their reader base, the anthologies can give new readers a short glimpse of the writer’s style. For readers there are also gains to be gotten from the anthologies—apart from getting a bunch of new stories all at once. It’s fun to see the different interpretations of the themes, both by familiar and new authors. Reading a short story can be a good introduction to a range of GA authors rather than trawling through the whole list of stories. Readers might read one story and be inspired to check out other works by the author—and maybe even find a new favorite author. To celebrate the release of the fall anthology, the review team wanted to showcase some of the past anthology entries. The team chose Nature’s Wrath—the first anthology from 2014—as the focus of our reviews. The River Ran Backwards by Aaron Penrose Reviewer: Renee Stevens Word Count: 11,979 The River Runs Backward is a very strong story with a great cast of supporting characters. The main character is River, and the story is told from his point of view. I sincerely enjoyed the entire story, but I think my favorite part was how River associated himself with the Mississippi River. Whether the author, Aaron Penrose, meant to do it or not, this story shows that one change in circumstance can be the catalyst for making things better. In The River Ran Backwards, that catalyst comes in the form of Matthew. River has no friends, he’s the target for bullying at his school, and he has some emotional/personality issues. River has lost hope of things ever getting better, especially when his parents explain to him that they are committing him to a mental institution. River is exceptionally smart, but he’s not crazy, or is he? He needs to escape the fate that his parents have outlined for him, but in doing so, he runs into Matthew. Matthew who stares at him, but never says anything. Matthew that awakens something in River that he’s never felt before. It is Matthew who changes the way River sees himself. Only time will tell if that change is for the better. I’d strongly recommend this story. This is the first—and only—story by Aaron that I have read, but the strength of the writing and the emotions that it invokes, ensure that it will not be the last. A Ranger’s Duty by Myr Reviewer: Timothy M. Word Count: 3,929 Some readers dislike when authors use an Anthology theme to test or introduce new story settings and characters which are reused in later anthologies. The Nature’s Wrath had at least two such stories, and I for one am glad Cia was inspired to start her Maze for Three series, and that Aditus continued the Four Perspective series. While short stories can be nice too, I often end up investing myself in characters which interest me and I long to know more. So the one thing worse than having a story continue via anthologies is not having that happening. A good example is Myr’s story A Ranger’s Duty, which quickly became a favorite of mine. I loved the world which was shown and hinted at, and the main character Ryn, who is a King’s Ranger. His duty leads him to venture into the path of a vicious snow storm, showing the wrath of nature at its deadliest. His mission is to rescue a caravan heading into danger and what he finds may chance his life forever. There’s magic and honor and an aching loneliness in Ryn, which calls to the reader. I desperately want to read more so I was pleased the story note said ‘This story will continue in a future Anthology and it exists in a larger world I am writing.’ Thus I keep hoping for an Anthology theme which inspires Myr to continue the tale. Maybe Blindsided or The Forgotten will do the trick, but otherwise Myr has lots of themes in the Special Anthology for 2016 to choose from. Please join me in begging for more after you've enjoyed reading the first installment of the story. The Storm Singer by TMcCallahan Reviewer: Aditus Word Count: 3,444 When I read the title The Storm Singer, I was immediately intrigued. It sounded mysterious and ominous to me, and I could hardly wait to get home and see what it was about. I then learned about the tiny planet Gadet, and its quick-witted, sharp-tongued, and sometimes acerbic people. As their planet is rich in the rare metal cacese and the gemstone caruni, the planet is wealthy. They only have one real problem—storms, but their scientists developed a warning system, so they thought they were in control again, until they are not. Hit simultaneously by a multitude of different storms for weeks, the people of Gadet are facing ultimate destruction when, seemingly out of nowhere, the storm singer appears in his jet-black starship and promises to save them—for a price. And drama unfolds. TMcCallahan describes everything so beautifully and with much detail, I thought I was there and I knew exactly how everyone ticked. The characters are designed to antagonize each other, and in the end, I kept mumbling nononono, not that it helped. This is a wonderful interpretation of the anthology’s theme Nature’s Wrath. It also helps that the Storm Singer is really hot, IMHO. Maybe it’s a little farfetched, but I understood ‘The Storm Singer’ as a fable. And the moral of the story is… Miah’s Maze by Cia Reviewer: Puppilull Word Count: 9,758 Have you ever felt like you want to let loose and just take a break from your life? Have you pondered the consequences of doing so? I bet you never imagined being hunted down by alien shifters would be one of them. For Miah, that’s what happens when he decides to throw caution to the wind and celebrate passing his final exams. On a future Earth, alien shifters have sought refuge and been allowed to stay, even though some wants them gone. To satisfy human thrill-seekers, someone has arranged for the opportunity to be hunted by the shifters. Hunted as prey. Not the kind of fun a responsible young man from the countryside should seek, now is it? Miah finds himself intrigued by the idea, even though he tries to deny it to himself. The aliens keep to themselves and cause no problems, as Miah sees it. Of course, he’s never met any as far as he can tell. He's too busy focusing on his studies and getting his degree. On his last day in the city he finally decides to act like an irresponsible college student, telling himself he should at least once in his life. Will he regret his decision when things take a turn? Maybe even for the worse? I guess you’ll find out when reading the story. Miah’s Maze is part one of a five-part story now turned e-book. A story of an unexpected and life-changing encounter, shaking Miah’s world completely. Could it be experiencing something you never wanted is exactly what you need? And can getting lost lead you to exactly where you’re supposed to be? These are by no means all of the stories from the Nature's Wrath anthology, there are many more wonderful stories for you to take a look at. You can read all of the Nature's Wrath stories here.

It's that time of the week again! In case you missed any of what's been going on this week, never fear, because we'll take a quick peek at everything that we looked at from Monday on. Are you worried you might have missed a story update from one of your favorite authors? We'll help you out there too with the story updates from all of GA's promoted authors. I'm not going to go in any particular order this week, because I want to start out with Thursday's post. In case you missed it, the 2016 Fall Anthology: Blindsided/The Forgotten has been released! There are seventeen brand new stories for you to sink your teeth into. Each anthology entry has it's own take on the theme, and with that kind of variety, there should be something everyone would enjoy. We've got both poetry and short stories for you, so go take a look. And don't forget to review what you read so that you get a chance at one of the reader prizes! And hey, once you're done reading all the anthology entries, you might want to go brush up on Between The Lines by Comicality since it's this month's CSR choice! If you haven't read it before, now is the time. And don't forget to come back and join us on the 28th for the discussion day! And finally, on Saturday, Myr decided to pop in and invite everyone to join us on our various social media accounts. And did you know that there will be a newsletter coming in the near future? Here's your chance to sign up for it and keep up to date on what's going on. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 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: Disastertastic by Cia *Premium* Studly Ranch Hands by Renee Stevens *Premium* Classic Updates: Door Number Three by Ronyx Signature Updates: 319 Winesap Lane by CarlHoliday Death Left Forgotten by Cia *2016 Fall Anthology* Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Kisses by CassieQ *2016 Fall Anthology* Lost and Found by Valkyrie *2016 Fall Anthology* Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia Stained by Cole Matthews *2016 Fall Anthology* Temporary Dads by Graeme The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Veil of Shadow by Stellar; Book 2 of unnamed Weightless by Cynus; Book 2 of Less is More Promising Updates: Apprentice by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of Ink Boys Dirty Pool by Headstall *2016 Fall Anthology* Drifts by Puppilull; Book 3 of Hot and cold Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Famous Bear and the Ivory Tower of Commerce by AC Benus; Book 2 of Christmas at Famous-Barr Finding the Line by craftingmom; Book 2 of The Line *2016 Fall Anthology* Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Khalid and Kalil by AC Benus *2016 Fall Anthology* Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Oliver by aditus; Book 3 of Sparkle *2016 Fall Anthology* Out of the Blue by Puppilull *2016 Fall Anthology* Practically Perfect by AC Benus; Book 4 of Christmas at Famous-Barr Tiger Winter by Sasha Distan Travels by Carlos Hazday; Book 5 of CJ

Hope everyone is ready for some new stories and poems! We had a great turnout for this anthology, and we have 17 new stories/poems for you to enjoy. If you checked out the "Double Check" post, you already know which authors and stories we have for you, but don't worry, I'll include them here as well! Before we get to that, we have a couple of things to take care of. In order to encourage authors to participate in the anthologies, we came up with some author incentives. All authors who participate in the anthology will be entered into a drawing. 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 Defiance19 (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 November 26th to review stories and/or write a blog review. The winner will be announced in the Weekly Wrap Up on November 27th. Now let's see what stories we have for you!!! A Blind Spirit Emi GS A Gift for Mom Emi GS Angel and Imp: Where Angels Fear to Tread Timothy M Death Left Forgotten Cia Dirty Pool Headstall Finding the Line craftingmom His Father's Son Defiance19 Khalid and Kalil AC Benus Kisses CassieQ Lost and Found Valkyrie Oliver aditus Out of the Blue Puppilull Poetry Saga FA2016 Emi GS Reality Dreaming William King Stained Cole Matthews The Coroner's Lament Defiance19 The Unforgettable and the Unexpected jfalkon 2016 Fall Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support AJ Proof Team Cia Rec Valkyrie craftingmom Parker Owens Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. If you're someplace that practices daylight savings, don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour. Just a reminder that there are open blog opportunities. If you'd like to see something of yours featured in the blog, then go check out the possibilities in the Blog Feature Opportunities thread. On the same note, if you have an idea for a blog feature, send me a PM and let me know. I can't guarantee it will be feasible, but I'm always looking for ideas for new content. With all that being said, let's take a look at what we had going on this week. October C S R Discussion: Wolf Like Me By Dayne Mora We started out our week talking about Dayne Mora's story Wolf Like Me for the CSR Discussion day. Have you read the story? If so, it's not too late to go back and share your thoughts. Ask An Author #44 Ask An Author is one of our most popular features, and this month's was a special edition featuring...Dayne Mora! If you want to keep this feature going, remember to send Dark your questions. Writing Prompts #538 & #539 Want to write for the first time? Maybe you need a break from your current story? Check out the weekly prompts provided to us by comicfan. Don't forget to share a link to your responses so that we can maybe feature your story. (Oh dang! I just realized I didn't put the prompts in the forum, DOH!) 2016 Fall Anthology: Blindsided / The Forgotten * Double Check * We're getting ready for the release of the 2016 fall anthology, but before we can do that, we need to make sure everyone is listed that should be. If you supplied a story for the anthology, go make sure your name is on the list. If it's not, PM me (Renee). Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 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* Classic Updates: Door Number Three by Ronyx Signature Updates: All Hallows Eve Adventure by Cia Blue Fire, Devil's Ire by Cynus Innocence & Carnality - Part Two by Mann Ramblings; Book 2 of I & C Mental Games by Bill W Mine! by Cia Safehaven by Comicality Temporary Dads by Graeme The Best Year by Krista Weightless by Cynus; Book 2 of Less is More Promising Updates: A Better Place by AC Benus; Book 1 of Christmas at Famous-Barr Apprentice by Sasha Distan; Book 4 of Ink Boys Fallen Pride by Sasha Distan; Book 7 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Man Flu by Sasha Distan Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Travels by Carlos Hazday; Book 5 of CJ

Sorry all, I never reveal when the anthology is going to go live because sometimes things change. All I can say is, soon. We have a great lineup of authors and stories, and I promise it will be worth the wait!

Hey authors! If you submitted a story to the anthology, please make sure it's listed below. If it's not, PM me! And hey, if you didn't submit a story for the anthology, then here's your chance for a sneak peek at what author's you will see when the anthology goes live. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Yes, the links for the stories are included, but alas, you'll still have to wait to read em because the stories haven't gone live yet A Blind Spirit Emi GS A Gift for Mom Emi GS Angel and Imp: Where Angels Fear to Tread Timothy M Death Left Forgotten Cia Dirty Pool Headstall Finding the Line craftingmom His Father's Son Defiance19 Khalid and Kalil AC Benus Kisses CassieQ Lost and Found Valkyrie Oliver aditus Out of the Blue Puppilull Poetry Saga FA2016 Emi GS Reality Dreaming William King Stained Cole Matthews The Coroner's Lament Defiance19 The Unforgettable and the Unexpected jfalkon

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 538 -Creative Tag – First Line “I need to find a way to make this right.” Prompt 539 – Creative Tag – Silence It began last night. Everything electronic stopped working. This was followed by every vehicle no longer working. Everyone began to panic, but that was nothing compared to the fact suddenly no one, not even the animals or insects could make a sound in your town. What happened and will the town forever be silenced. For this week, I decided to feature the responses from Prompt #536: Longing - Sasha Distan “It’s not like it’s a hard choice Devon. What’s more important, a sword or a new car?” I sighed, and leant back against my boyfriend. I hated it when he was being sensible. “I don’t want to pick. I’d rather have a burrito and blow job to be perfectly honest.” “Devon!” Jacob slapped my bicep in mock horror at my suggestion. “You’re so lewd!” He settled himself against the tree, and wrapped his arms more firmly around my abdomen, keeping me pinned. I didn’t mind, because even though it was the middle of the afternoon, we were perfectly alone at the edge of our favourite hayfield, and I could already feel the shape and warmth of Jacob’s arousal pressing against me through our clothes. “It’s such a nice sword though...” I mused gently. Cell - JohnAR “Hi, I’m Colt, can I buy you a beer?” He had been mentally practicing the line for more than 15 minutes; since he had spotted that tall hunk leaning against the wall next to the bar as coolly as only an obviously straight jock who had recently got laid could do, fiddling with his phone in quite a bored way. The T-Shirt with the local baseball team’s ‘Angels’-logo stretched nicely, displaying his inviting shoulders, pecs and flat belly. The jeans hung a bit low – as fashionable nowadays – revealing his American Eagle underwear. His hair was brutally cropped; but instead of looking like a convict that made him ruggedly handsome and nearly son-in-law-worthy; maybe the pronounced jawline and the boyish grin contributed to that effect.

Who's ready for this month's popular feature, Ask An Author. This month is all about Dayne Mora. A quick reminder: Dark can only continue this feature providing they have the content. Dark is running out of questions, and that's where you come in. Don't forget to send questions for your favorite author so that we can keep this feature going!!!! Ask an Author #44 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #43, we had questions for authors Mann Ramblings, Mikiesboy, Riley Jericho, and Wolfm. Before we begin, let me take a moment to say that for the first time in a really long while, I’m running low on questions to ask our dear authors. Got one? Send it my way! Now, it’s that time of year again! Some time ago I decided that to keep this blog series interesting, I’d do a special edition every once in a while. This is a blog number divisible by 11! In the past, other special editions have had extra authors and different question styles … This time, I decided to feature only one author: Dayne Mora. Dayne is an interesting person in a lot of ways, but was chosen this time around because she just lacks that certain something, that gene that allows us to know when to, well, to shut up. Dayne, you know I adore you, but we have this … thing, between us that we (and by “we” I mean “you”) can’t seem to stop. The rambling, rambling, rambling. Dayne says: “Yeah.......I can get a bit chatty. Teacher thing, I guess. But, captive audience AND I get to talk no stop? Bring it on!” Sure, you’re popular. You’re “unstoppable” in fact, even though you only have something like 200 people hanging on your every word and 30,000 people stopping in to read every time you post something, as if they like your writing or something. But can we, like, just … stop? So much writing! There aren’t enough hours in the day to edit it all. And it was question, question, question, everyone wanting to ask the amazing Dayne Mora a question! What’s a person to do? Besides roasting her a little, I decided to publish all my Dayne questions all in one go. For the few of you who don’t know who this “Dayne” person is, you might have seen her in chat, since she’s a moderator, there to smack you if you get out of line. Though only a member for not-quite a year, Dayne’s been writing for awhile. She’s also a Texan. Anyway, Dayne birthday is coming up next month, as is her anniversary here at GA. Dayne is in fact a high school teacher, English, or should I say was? For reasons that we won’t go into here, Dayne is stepping away from education for the next little while. Perhaps she’ll put that pseudonym to good use… Dayne says: "Dayne Mora" is based on the pseudonym that I was going to publish a tell-all memoir under. Couldn't remember if it was "Dana Moore" or "Mora Dane." Fun Fact--my real name is even more strange and pretentious, and takes up two lines on my social security card besides. Don’t forget the very understanding hubby, Dayne’s fur-babies, and her deep love for Publix (Dayne’s originally from Florida, which … Florida? to Texas? ). But Dayne’s also something of a comedian and a poet. Seriously, I about busted a gut reading the blog entry “Dayne vs fitbit or a conversation with my glorified pedometer.” In one word: shake-weight. Okay, that’s technically two words, but, hey, I only learned about the “shake-weight” thing in early October and it’s still funny to me. (I know, living under a rock, so sue me). And then of course there’s Wolf like Me. Readers know all about this story. It used to be called “Efrain and Cory.” It’s a little bit teen fiction, little bit drama, little bit tongue-in-cheek, and lots of really smooth, delightful dialogue. The sequel, Wild Card starts shortly after “Wolf…” and throws you into the deep end right away. With only 5 chapters but 55 reviews …! Readers are really loving this one. I don’t want to say too much, but you get to see more of Cory’s family and what with how the beginning’s going, there’s bound to be some surprises along the way. Now, let’s get down into the dirt with Dayne. To Dayne Mora: Dayne, you come up with some of the most interesting titles for your chapters, are they easy to come up with or do you have to wrack your brain before you say, "Aha!"? Sometimes I have to wrack my brain for ages. I put in placeholder titles, until something better occurs to me. "The Aphrodisiacal Properties of Intersectionality and Juxtaposition" had originally been called "Talk Nerdy to Me", while "Gagging For It" was "For Demonstration Purposes". Cute, I suppose, but it just didn't feel right. In case you can't tell, "Warming Up" was a placeholder that I kinda just left (as is "In Soviet Russia, Iceman Thaws You"). Titles like "Dame Esa Leche", "Indie Comes to Jesus" (these appear as subtitles on GA since I released the initial 14 chapters as 7, which funnily enough, let me work in more titles), and "To Die in Thy Lap" were total "Aha!" moments. Sometimes, the "Aha!" happened well after the fact. "BAM! GAY DRAMA!" popped into my head the day after I released "Indie Comes to Jesus" on Nifty. Many times, I'm trying to reference something specific within the chapter. "This Little Kitten Went to Market" of course refers to the gay bar they went, but also to the emcee there (I don't think anyone got that I named her "Miss Piggy"). "Cory Has a Posse" is a nod to Fueled by Ramen, the music label born in Gainesville, FL. I used to find their "Mr. Miyagi has a posse" stickers all over when I was at UF. Other times, I've known what I wanted to title the chapter forever. I had titles worked out for the first three chapters of Wild Card since chapter 18 of Wolf Like Me. Then there are the titles I had to come up with to pass muster on GA. "Eat a Dick, Texas" and "Dame Esa Leche" weren't the friendliest titles, so those became "Cory Arrives" and "Leche". My boys like to curse, so f-bombs litter a titles here and there. You'd think a mod would a little more angelic. Now, story titles are another deal all together, just ask my Literotica readers about the whimsical fuckery that was Wolfie Kitten Iceman Maddog. /whimper To Dayne Mora: Dayne How do you manage to keep your motivation to write a story with a lot of chapters? So, I think I've told readers this story before--Cory, Efrain, and Indie were originally characters I'd created for disparately different stories that I'd had swimming around in head. Cory and Indie (Leaf and Stone) come from a high fantasy series (or at least were products of my weird habit of choreographing elaborate anime-style transformation sequences while listening to EDM). Efrain (Angel) came from a YA story. Somewhere in all my yaoi and gay erotica reading, I got this scene in my head--two football players driving home after practice, and things get hot when one tells the other "I want to make you cry." Somehow, Leaf and Angel (although a few years older) fell into those roles, and the fantasy spiraled out of control. I became obsessed with them. And then, they set their sights on Stone (originally, both Efrain and Cory were sleeping with Indie). In order to get them out of my head, I started writing out the fantasies--the sex scenes in "Warming Up", "When Indie's Away", and "Mea Culpa" (I haven't published the last two on GA as they're non-canon and I wasn't sure if readers here wanted to see them). However, once I started writing out the sex scenes, other scenes emerged. Then, Cory decided he wanted a kitten, and things progressed from there. There's so much story between the three of them, and when other characters appeared, the story expanded. As they evolve, their world expands, and it's all I can do to put the words down. I still find it strange how THIS is the first story that I've managed to put into writing. THIS is the only story I've been able to write. But, the real answer is quite depressing. I thought I'd had rough spots as a teacher, but 2015-2016 burned me out. The school district I worked for pretty much fell apart during the 14-15 school year, and shit really hit the fan in 15-16. A lot of crap went down that eventually led to three administrators doing the work of six. I got saddled with preps I couldn't teach, and kids I couldn't handle, and as one of the top teachers in the district, they just assumed I'd be fine, even when I repeatedly insisted that I wasn't (I don't think it helped that I complained about being unqualified to teach AP, yet had a bunch of kids pass ). I already suffer from a host of mood and pain disorders, but those went into hyper-drive. I lost the drive to do much of anything. Hobbies like video games and knitting were abandoned, and I neglected housework. Hell, I even stopped dressing up for work, and I LOVE dressing up. I went from working 60-70 hour weeks, to just my contracted 37.5. I phoned it in last school year (which is really weird because I still out-performed the rest of the district--even my lazy IDGAF version kicks ass!). I'd finally allowed myself to recognize how much I kick ass as teacher, but it just..............went away..............all of it. The one thing, however, that got me through was writing Wolf Like Me. I'd come home, put on my pajamas, then sit with my laptop and write. I stopped bringing work home, and even wrote at work. And then, I started publishing it, and people reacted! Things took off here at GA, as I got to interact with readers and fellow writers. Through these interactions, I was finally getting the recognition for my efforts and feelings of accomplishment that I wasn't getting from my job. Getting readers hot, making them laugh and feel the all the feels, didn't make it easier to face that one class that always made me cry during my planning periods, or help me force myself out of bed and into my car, but it gave me something to look forward to when I got home. I'm taking at least a few years off from the classroom, possibly working up into higher ed, but I can't let go of the thrill of reader feedback To Dayne Mora: I have seen [Wolf like Me] posted on various other sites (Nifty and Literotica), and I'm curious how your fan response varies from site to site. Are the readers that different? Are they looking for different things? What are the pluses and minuses of the various sites? There are some variations between readers and reader responses between the sites I post to, most of which can be tied to the sites themselves. Nifty and Literotica are first and foremost erotic writing sites, so responses tend to focus on the erotic elements of ExC, while the romantic and comedic elements are a second thought. Nifty readers expect more sex acts in a given entry, but are okay with more "unpolished" writing (my initial drafts were hella rough). I could cut out all the back story and just post the sex and they'd be fine with it (but, what's the fun in that!). I get (sometimes explicit) requests for certain acts (some I have or will use) and effusive praise for my epic grammar skills. Strange how bad grammar could be such a boner-kill. Literotica, as the only non-LGBT centered site I post to, accounts for a greater part of my straight/bi female readership. LitE readers appreciate the romance and comedy more, but the more highly rated chapters still tend to be those with the most erotic content. Since readers are able to comment publicly, commentary is a little less explicit. I was posting ExC under a rather regrettable and silly yaoi-inspired title that turned off readers, but I'm hopeful that the recent change will attract more readers (even if the title doesn't stand out as much anymore). GA, as a site dedicated to LGBT writers that just happens to also host erotic stories, attracts readers who are there for the narrative and consider erotic content a bonus. It still amuses me that most GAresponses are about plot and character elements with an "oh yeah, and the sex was hot" thrown in (if it's mentioned at all!). And only GA readers have noticed that I try to keep character development consistent during erotic scenes, that there's a difference between how Cory and Efrain experience sex versus how Preston and Indie experience sex (and that it feels different depending on whose head you're in). Also, GA readers seem to handle the multiple narrative viewpoints and viewpoint shifts within the chapter. Or at least they complain about it less. I don't know if it's because I've gotten better at signalling the shifts, or if it's easier to follow narrative when you aren't trying to read and do arm cardio at the same time. Benefits and Drawbacks As there are significant differences between Nifty, LitE and GA, each provides it's own benefits and drawbacks. The Nifty site is low-maintenance and laidback -- no forum, no chat, no fancy images -- a kind of lawless no-man's land where anything goes. It's hard to sift through stories to find gold (a running theme in reader emails) and not another golden sh....nevermind. As ExC is my first attempt at writing extended fiction (well, any fiction, really) and my first erotic work, I had absolutely no confidence when I started out. Nifty was perfect for me because there was enough terrible fiction (Mikie knows what I'm talking about) that even my poor attempts would look good. Kinda like the novice erotic writer's version of the fat friend. However, I worry that ExC gets lost among the literary detritus. Plus, there's no metric for comparing stories, so feedback is limited to those bold enough to email. It was great at first when I worried about getting umpteen million comments about how bad I suck. Literotica is more organized, even if it is difficult to find and follow stories, and the rating system and view counts give me a good idea of my success. Stories in the Gay Male category tend to rate higher than other sections, so my ratings may be a little inflated, but I consider it a good thing that only a few of my chapters rate below 4.7. There's more commentary from readers, more feedback, but not really a way for me to comment back. And with the way the site is set up, my story gets lost within a week of posting, so I have to post often to keep myself at the top of the deck (this is also an issue on Nifty). It doesn't help either that LitE readers expect longer entries (my 4-6k word average is short by LitE standards). Although, that has challenged me to really expand moments within narrative. The GA platform is much more interactive and easier to navigate. Readers get notifications when I post, and there are various ways to stay in touch with readers between postings. I feel closer to GAreaders and authors than I do to those on other sites, and I'm on here so much that my psychiatrist actually warned me that I wasn't socializing enough with irl people. There isn't a rating system for individual chapters (and I'm not sure how much attention readers really pay to them anyways), but counting likes and followers is a good enough metric for me. The ability to comment on reader reviews allows me to validate and show appreciation, and since many readers are also writers whose works I enjoy, the commentary challenges me to grow as a writer. Of course, I do get a little "OMG! SEMPAI NOTICED ME!" when another author reviews my story (Here's a simple check: are you a GAauthor? are you interacting with me? If you answered "yes" to both questions, I am having a "sempai" moment). Sometimes I get nervous that I won't measure up to the other authors in the GAfamily, but that just pushes me to raise the bar. Thank the light for Thorn Wilde, or else I'd be a nervous wreck about posting! To Dayne Mora: One of the things I appreciate about Efrain and Corey [Wolf like Me] is that it is a fairly realistic story with three dimensional characters and true-to-life dialogue. I'm curious if parts of it are autobiographical, if characters are based on real people, and if so, where does reality begin and fiction end? My characters aren't so much based on real people as informed by them. I "collect" things from people around me from the typical writer/artist/creator stuff like ear hustlin', observation, reading, and way too much time daydreaming. The initial sparks of characters float around in my head with all those little scraps -- names, mannerisms, speech patterns, quirks, physical attributes, styles, desires, etc -- and pull in the things that make sense to them. Pieces of me also fall into the mix, but not to the point of being too autobiographical. There are traces of me in all four of the major characters (Preston's nicknames, Indie's defense mechanisms, Cory's shoe collecting, Efrain's competitive streak), and even the minor characters (JJ Teague's mismatched socks, Romero's gossiping). Yet, there's not enough of me in them that they are me. And not even I could tell you who is the most "me" and who is the least (my husband, as the person who knows me best, has some theories). There is one exception: Jameson. He's more a composite than an accretion, but at his core is a college boyfriend who pretty much destroyed what little sense of self-worth I actually had. Jameson's spark latched onto my memories of that bottom-feeder like a douchebag kindred spirit. I try to not let characters become too close to their real life inspirations, and I seriously doubt a certain cretinous scumbag engineer would recognize himself (Jameson is more attractive ), but he's close enough that I've been able to work out some lingering demons. That’s it for now! You can regularly find Dayne in chat, but her forums are usually hopping, too, and she’s open to receiving more emails and reviews. I’ll see you next time, with Ask the Author #45 and authors albertnothlit, Nephylim, Riley Jericho, and SkinnyDragon. I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

Argh! Thanks, Tim. It's been fixed as well.