Renee Stevens

Thanks for the review, DDK! You are right. Half the time my hubby won't tell me when something is wrong because he thinks/feels that he should handle it himself.

Thanks, Robert! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story thus far. You are right, pain can certainly make you do things that are out of character!

“I need a fuckin shower.” Trey swung his leg off the couch and sat up from where he’d been leaning again Mark. He grabbed his walker and levered himself up off the couch. “Do we have anything to keep the bandages on my leg dry?” “Yeah. I got some garbage can liners that we can tape over your leg.” Mark stood and hurried to the kitchen. “Do you just need one? Or two?” “One is fine. The cuts on my left leg are superficial, my right leg took the brunt of the damage.” Mark heard the thump of the

Thank you Steve, for putting into words what the rest of us couldn't. I still don't have the words to say what I'm feeling. My heart goes out to all the victims and their families.

Hope everyone has had a great week and weekend! We're going to get right up into the wrap up this week, and guess what, we're even going to go backwards! Have you been looking for something new to read? Something short maybe? With the release of the 2016 Summer Anthology, you have 8 brand new stories to check out. If you check Thursday's blog entry, you'll find links to all of them. Don't forget to leave the authors a review to let them know how much you appreciate their work. Before that, we were already getting in the anthology spirit. We've been looking at ways to help improve the anthologies. We took the opportunity on Wednesday to let everyone know what The Future of Gay Authors Anthologies looks like. If you've ever considered writing for an anthology, you might want to check this post out. There is something having to do with readers too! Do you play in the last post wins threads? Have you ever wondered who the other winners were? Maybe you wonder when it started? If any of these pertain to you, then Tuesday's blog is for you. TalonRider joined us on the blog to share some of the history of Last Post Wins on it's 9th anniversary! The exciting week started out with the June CSR announcement. Have you read Things We Lost by Dabeagle? If you have, then you're ahead of the game! If you haven't, then you still have time! The discussion day for Things We Lost will take place on June 27th, so make sure to check in and share your thoughts with other readers. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2016 Fall Anthology: Blindsided / The Forgotten - Due October 28, 2016 All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 Premium Updates: Journey's End by M.A. Church; Book 2 of The Harvest *Premium* Signature Updates: Wiki Games - The Music Business by Dolores Esteban *Summer Anthology* Witch Your Tongue, Demon! by Cynus *Summer Anthology* Gillette by Cole Matthews *Summer Anthology* Black Widow by Mark Arbour; Book 16 of (CAP) From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Mine! by Cia Thwarted by Renee Stevens Third Shift by Cole Matthews Promising Updates: Falling Apart by craftingmom Bewitched by Valkyrie *Summer Anthology* Adam by aditus *Summer Anthology* Life Seed by albertnothlit Aditus' prompts and circumstances by aditus Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Definitely not what he ever expected to happen. Now it's time to see how and if he's able to move past it.

You are most welcome, Valkyrie. I couldn't do it without my team though, and the banner was all Mann

Attention all GA Members! Put your pen and paper down and put on those reading glasses, if you have them. It's time to do some reading, as the 2016 Summer Anthology is now live for your enjoyment! We had seven authors take up the challenge of the Wicked Games theme and there are eight new stories and poems for you to go through. Don't forget, if you like a story, leave the author a comment to show them your appreciation. Now, without further ado, here's what we have for you. Adam aditus The crackling fire is a surprise. He can feel its warmth and smell the woody fragrance of smoke. This is the afterlife? Curious, he opens his eyes, when pain erupts inside him, burns his innards, and brings back the agony and despair he thought he had escaped. Hell! He had known he was dying, so when the dark figure stepped out of the shadows, he wasn’t surprised. Black robes rustled as the Reaper stopped beside his cot, looked down at him, and finally took Adam’s wrist to suck what was left of his wretched life out of him. As he passed, words that had haunted him for so long echoed in his mind: ‘In the end, you have to do penance for your mother’s mating with the devil by burning beside her in the eternal fire.’ Continue>> Angel and Imp: Mission Impossible Timothy M. “I cannot believe we got another Gay Boy!” Imp rolled his eyes and retorted, “I can’t belief ya complain ‘bout it.” “But he is the twelfth one in a row!” Angel’s voice matched the pout on the cute face. “And?” “Don’t you get annoyed by the similar assignments? Or being stuck with each other?” Imp couldn’t help the small growl escaping as he conjured up more black pillows and sprawled on them in a deliberately bored manner. He was sick of Angel whining. Continue>> Bewitched Valkyrie "What sort of wicked game are you playing on me?” I murmured into my lover’s neck, kissing him just below his ear. His cheek muscles flexed beneath my hand, lifting into a smile that never failed to send shivers coursing through my body. “’Tis no game, my love.” “You have enchanted me as sure as any warlock.” He frowned and paused, leaving me feeling delightfully full, but aching for movement. “Don’t say such things, even in jest. If anyone heard—” Continue>> Gillette Cole Matthews Terry looked around frantically; his stringy black hair whipped around, stinging his left cheek. He’d looked in the barn and behind the hayshed. Before that, the twelve-year-old boy had searched along the creek in the pasture where they usually looked for tiny black minnows to use for fishing. The pond in the field across the road was the only place he hadn’t looked. Why were they doing this to him—again? Terry swallowed back the hot sting of his tears and the hard lump of resentment. This was just like last year. After the first couple of days, they would ditch him and go off without him. Last year he’d said something to his aunt. She put things right, but it wasn’t worth it. The other boys barely concealed their contempt of him. Continue>> Letter From Tom The Eminent MGK Prologue: Tom could smell the distinctive odor of blood as he coughed. He had failed to defend his love for Tim and to reduce the pain; he had done the last thing he would do. He believed ‘A person has learned much who has learned how to die.’ So he had consumed the poison he’d bought for the rats in his dorm room. Letter from Tom Hey Tim, I know you’ll want to kill me the moment you hear my name. I will spare you the trouble by opening the wound you have inflicted on my heart and draining every drop of life out of it. When one takes his last breath, he sees the life he has lived and starts to think clearly. I am at that stage right now. Continue>> Love is a Wicked Game The Eminent MGK Yearning for some care, Is what I do all the time. Wishing for a simple love, For that was all I could do. Continue>> Wiki Games - The Music Business Dolores Esteban October 14, 2013, France For Vincent Corey This is only the beginning; he has worked with prestigious clientele and started a shop in Newport Beach. Continue>> Witch Your Tongue, Demon! Cynus The conjurer Druella lit the final black candle and set it on the edge of the circle. She inspected the runes, scribed in white chalk, one final time before turning to the ancient tome in her hands. The leather-bound book held many dark secrets which had aided her quest for power over life and death, though lately a thorn had pierced her side and nearly driven her mad. Several miles away lived a powerful witch, Priscilla the Wise. They had met in battle several times, and though Druella had youth and talent on her side, she remained no match for Priscilla’s experience. But she’d come across a beautiful summoning spell several days ago, as if fortune had finally smiled upon her. The wind had turned a page in the same tome she now held, and the moonlight struck the words in just the right way to reveal the name of a powerful demon she could summon for aid. Continue>> 2016 Spring Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support AJ Proof Team Cia Rec Valkyrie Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

I hope you like it. Normally I don't give anything away in reviews, but I will say that for this part of their story, Jackie won't be making another appearance. IF I do like I want and eventually come back to these guys, maybe we can find out more about her, but we'll have to see. As for Marc, he is definitely ready, now just have to see how everything goes now that Trey is home.

Mean? Me? I know, I was excited for him to get there too. But hopefully it will have been worth the wait!

A cliff? Moi? You must be thinking of someone else

I know, I felt so bad that I left it for so long. Hopefully I handled things well, I look forward to seeing what you say on the final couple of chapters.

Of course I had to stop there, lol. I wouldn't be me if I didn't. And yes, I know it's sad to see it end, but I can't leave these guys with an unfinished story and I need a break from worrying about how to finish it. However, I will say, that in the distant future, I hope to come back to these two.

Mark’s feet were frozen to the ground. All the waiting. All the worry. And now Trey was in front of him and he couldn’t move. He watched as someone else helped Trey out of the shuttle bus, watched Trey fit the crutches under his arm, and watched as Trey looked around, his gaze finally landing on Mark. Trey smiled, and then winced as he tried to move forward. It was that grimace, that visual of pain, that got Mark moving. He grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and rushed over to where Trey wait

I hope everyone had a great weekend. As we get ready to start a new week, it's time to take a look back at what happened this past week in the GA News Blog. There was a lot of great things going on, and if you haven't already checked out the past week's post, now is the chance for you to get a glimpse and maybe go read up on the posts you missed. And we're going backwards this week! Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team 2016 Fall Anthology: Blindsided - New Info Coming Soon 2016 Winter Anthology: The Forgotten - New Info Coming Soon All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 Premium Updates: Journey's End by M.A. Church; Book 2 of The Harvest *Premium* Signature Updates: Third Shift by Cole Matthews Leopards Leap by Graeme; Book 3 of The Lilydale Leopards The Best Year by Krista Miles To Go by Comicality Thwarted by Renee Stevens From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings Mine! by Cia Songs of the Mongoose Tribe by Cynus Promising Updates: My Twentieth Year by AC Benus The Tower, and other pieces by AC Benus Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Falling Apart by craftingmom Life Seed by albertnothlit Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

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 504 – Creative Tag – First Line “You’re giving me a headache! “ Prompt 505 – Challenge Tag -Sense Denied Tell a story, but your character is blind. Bring your world to life focusing on the other four senses. We didn't have any takers on the prompts from last week, so let's look at the responses to Prompt #501:

Mark lifted Matthew out of his car seat and started up the stairs to his old apartment. He’d already been on the road when Brent called him to tell him it was safe to bring Matthew back. If it hadn’t been, Brent would have met him somewhere to pick up his son while Mark headed to the base to pick up Trey. He couldn’t believe Trey was coming home. Brent had helped him get things at the house ready, and had even helped him drop his truck off at the airport. He just hoped nobody outside of Gary and

I'm back! Did you miss me? A huge thank you to AJ, Cia, Steve, and Slytherin for helping cover me while I was gone. It was much appreciated. Speaking of being back, Ask An Author is returning to start the month off right! Ask An Author is one of our most popular blog features, and I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Dark for supplying us month after month. Now, lets see what Dark has for us this month! Ask an Author #39 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #38, we had questions for authors Andrew Q Gordon, Sammy Blue, and Valkyrie. In AtA #39, we hear from authors Billy Martin, Dayne Mora, and the return of Mark Arbour. Our first author today calls the Appalachian Mountains of the U.S. home. With two stories and two poetry collections, Billy Martin is more than the simply country boy we knew way back in 2011. He’s well-versed in current events and many of you have debated with him over politics, so perhaps some of that will shine through in the new story he’s working on now that Trials & Tribulations is completed. Can’t forget about The Field of Love, either. According to Billy, these two stories will eventually merge into one storyline. I have always wondered how close Andy Collins (and friends) is to the reality of Billy’s life … and now we’ve got an insight into Sammy. I confess that when I first saw the title, I flashed instantly to the Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams.” The fact that Billy’s story is also about baseball hooked me, even though I’m not generally a fan of teenage dramas. For now, I’ll wait on that update notification and continue rolling my eyes at the back-stabbing and politicking of small towns. To Billy Martin: What has been your favourite character you have written? Not that I have a lot of characters to choose from, but I would have to say that Roger, Andy's best friend from Trials and Tribulations is my favorite. If I'm allowed, in future chapters I will give him more depth and explore why he is such a good friend to Andy. I think we all need a best friend like Roger in our lives to help us off the floor when life knocks us down and celebrate the awesome experiences that will come our way as well. Don't get me wrong, I love Andy and Joey, not to mention the Judge, but there's nothing like a rock solid friend. I have a friend like that and he has always been there for me just like Roger has for Andy and I guess I've molded Roger after my very own best friend. Dayne Mora is today’s next author, though some of you may know him from the additional job he’s picked up: Chat Moderator. Dayne and I have a few things in common; we’re both American high school teachers, though I don’t have half the essays to read that he does, and we both have fur-babies. Of course, Dayne has a hubby to share the babies with. We both also enjoy Publix and Weird Al. I recently saw Weird Al on TV … I was visiting my mom and she was watching “Celebrity Name Game” and told me that Weird Al was a really good player – apparently he’s on the show a lot… The things you don’t know about your favorite celebrities, eh? But back to Dayne… Did you know that "Efrain and Cory" has a new name? It’s now called Wolf like Me and I hear there’s a sequel … looks pointedly at Dayne … If you haven’t yet read about these two college kids yet, the interactions between the friends are well worth it. There’s angst of course, but also humor, and the dialogue is so engaging you eat up the chapters before you realize it. To Dayne Mora: What do you like to write the most and what made you take the leap into posting stories here on GA? I love writing humor. It doesn't matter what genre or mode I'm working in, I can't stop the giggles from seeping in. I mean, I can try to keep a straight face, but it doesn't last long enough to justify the effort. It's so bad that my poor professors had to deal with my odd sense of humor. And lets not even talk about my lesson plans (when I actually write them, that is). Defiance19 sent me a message back in December recommending GA if I wanted to cast a wider net, and I joined pretty much immediately. And now let’s welcome back Signature Author Mark Arbour. It’s been over 10 years since Mark ventured onto what is now called GA and he’s still one of our most popular authors. Could it be his writing style? The myriads of different characters? The dynamics of the forums? The weekly updates? CAP is now 16 books long, a family dynasty as long-lasting as any soap opera, and Bridgemont is on book 7. Each of these series has its own fanatic supporters, and that doesn’t include the other things Mark gets involved with on the site. And although this article is now coming out after Mark’s birthday, he won’t hold it against you for some belated tidings. After all, when you’re as old as he is, each year is a triumph, right? With Black Widow now carrying the CAP series into the current century, eventually Mark will have to write about Obama … dunno if that’s good for an old guy’s blood pressure or heart, so, c’mon, folks, for the sake of Mark’s heart, let’s not add onto those 24,000 likes, okay? We don’t want him to keel over early. Like that word play, Mark? Now let’s get to the next chapter in Granger’s legacy and nobody’ll get hurt! To Mark Arbour: You are an accurate story-teller of historical events, which I've assumed from reading many of your stories. Your characters are also very believable, with or without their having sex. Question: If you could ask one of your historical people a question, what would you want to know and why? I'm going to change this question, and I'm going to make it two people. That seems fair, since I have two series. In the Bridgemont Series, the key character is George Granger. If I could ask George anything, I'd ask him who he considered his one true love to be. George is not a one-partner kind of guy, and much like the 17th/18th century society that he lives in, he's very hierarchical. He tends to array his lovers in pyramid format. At the end of the day, I'd want to know who ended up on top, so to speak. For the CAP Series, I'd tap into the father of the series, JP Crampton. I'd ask JP what decision/thing in his life he would have changed? He tends to bury his guilt and spend much too much time on self-recrimination, but at the end of the day, when he looks back, I would be curious about where he thought he'd made his biggest mistake. And I doubt that it would be the most obvious one. Now, as a little bonus, how about a bit from yours truly? Like the last question I answered in this blog, I’ve received a variety of questions all wondering similar things… To Dark: Is there a story behind how you chose "Dark" as a nom de plume? Sadly, no. It was a combination of things. I felt that I had outgrown my childhood nickname and was still struggling with my personal identity, and I was joining a bunch of different sites with different names, hoping that one would stick. I did sort of like part of one I was using to role-play with, so when I came to GA, I tried it and voila! No one had taken it, and thus “Dark” was born! It’s hard to think of myself as something else now, so I know it was the right choice. That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat! See you next time, with authors Cole Mathews, MA Church, and Riley Jericho. I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

I have to agree with what the other two have said. Write what you want to write. If you write what you're not feeling, that's going to come through the story.

So this week, I had to set up the prompts from comicfan a little early, because I'll be out of town. (Ha! I'm not even here and yet I'm still doing the prompts, go me!). I'll be featuring the responses to Prompt #500 today, but if you did the prompt and it's not posted here, it's nothing against you, it's just that it wasn't up before I set up the blog post. Feel free to share them in the comments if you'd like. Don't forget, that if you post your prompt responses in GA stories, anything under 1,000 words cannot be posted by itself and must be done as part of a collection. Now, let's look at the prompts! Prompt 502 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story : a cop, a statue, a ship, a pink ribbon, a bag of candy. Prompt 503 – Creative Tag – The Exhibit You were told by your lover that you had a date Saturday morning and you were to dress up. When the time comes you find yourself dragged to see local museum to see an exhibit of your favorite eork. What was the exhibit on and what happened? Now, lets look at the responses from our 500th prompt!

Note: I (Renee) will be going out of town starting either today (25th) or tomorrow (26th). The anthology deadline for sending to the proof team is tomorrow. If you haven't already sent your story in, then you will need to include both Cia and me in the PM to pair you with a member of the proof team. This way, if it is received after I leave, Cia will be able to get you set up. Thanks!!! Gay Authors has always managed to remain free to it's members, one of the ways that it has managed to do so is through it's Premium Subscribers. Members choose to help support the site and keep it going by purchasing Premium Content which consists of a number of stories that are only available on the site by purchasing Premium. There are many great stories to be found in the Premium section. Today, we are going to look at A Chance At Love by wolfwriter. A Chance At Love wolfwriter Can the star quarterback come to terms with being gay and what that will mean for him in the years to come? Max is a seventeen year old football player who has been struggling with his sexual identity. He has never had any true interest in girls but has dated them off and on to see if he can connect with any of them. Unfortunately,he has not found anyone that he connected with until Jason transferred to Max's school. Category: Fiction Genres: Romance Tags: Teen, Young Adult, Sports, Friendship, Gay, Under 18 Rating: Mature Words: 50,185 A Chance At Love Excerpt: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the star athlete dating the head cheerleader? Well, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. I should know, I’m the starting quarterback for the El Paso High Tigers and I’ve been dating Chloe since the beginning of our junior year. I guess I should probably introduce myself. My name is Max Thompson Jr. Every morning I get up and look in the mirror to see a guy with dark brown hair, light hazel eyes, and a set of six pack abs. My looks have gotten me many girlfriends in the past, but I just have not found anyone that I can connect with on a deeper level. I know as teenagers, we should be having fun. After all, you only live once… But I can’t help but feel there is something missing in all of my relationships, including my relationship with Chloe. I know that every time one of my previous relationships ended, Chloe was always there. I was always hoping that she would be the one that I would be able to stick with. But I have come to the conclusion that I need to end things with her. I don’t want to hurt her any more than necessary, but I know it needs to be done. Chloe would be anyone’s ideal girlfriend; she is about five foot seven with blond hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately, there isn’t that deep connection I’m looking for and I have decided that until I find the person that completes me, I’m not going to be dating anyone.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready to start the new week. To help your week get started off right, we have a new featured story for you to take a look at. Whether you read or write, you most likely know Headstall and not only does Headstall write, but he reads and reviews a lot of other authors' work. Today it's Headstall's turn in the limelight, with this review of Song and Dance provided to us by LitLover. Hope you enjoy! Song and Dance Headstall Reviewer: LitLover Status: Complete Word Count: 39,098 Song and Dance is a companion story to Headstall’s, Cards on the Table. If you haven’t read up to Chapter 17 of CotT, this review will contain spoilers. Headstall, or Gary as many of his readers know him, is a self-proclaimed romantic, and one of the things I love is that the men in his stories unabashedly embrace their own romantic sides. SaD’s Chet and Arron are perfect examples of these types of men. Song and Dance is a story about two men learning to trust hearts that have gotten them hurt in the past, and taking a leap of faith. As the title says, life is a song and dance… it’s a matter of finding the right partner. SaD evoked many emotions from the readers. There were tears, and heartache, but there was also laughter, and happiness as we watched both men grow and heal. A few times there was even yelling at my screen (I still think Ian needed a kick in the behind), but mostly, there was romance as Chet and Arron moved away from their pasts, and figured out what it meant to be loved. In the first chapter of SaD we catch up with Chet, Kendall’s new friend from Cards on the Table. Chet hasn’t had much luck with relationships, and is extremely lonely. Kendall, who’s been lovingly dubbed ‘Saint Kendall’ by many, doesn’t like the fact that his friend is alone, and wants to help him meet someone. Kendall and his reluctant partner Michael conspire to have Chet meet Michael’s co-worker Arron. Arron, a police officer, is just as lonely as Chet, and has had his own misfortunes in love. Kendall’s plans are derailed when Chet and Arron meet on their own and realize their friends are trying to set them up on a blind date. The rest of the story follows these two men as they learn about love, commitment, trust… and plotting revenge on interfering friends. If you are the least bit romantic, I encourage you to read Song and Dance. I know it’s on my “to read again and again” list. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance Tags: Mature Adult, Adult, Gay, Anal, Oral Rating: Mature

Well, it's the end of the week and it's time to take a look at what happened in the various GA blogs this week. A quick reminder, if you're wanting to participate in the summer anthology, the deadline to get your submissions to the proof team is this coming Thursday. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for the theme "Wicked Games". Also, I'm trying out a new format for the weekly wrap up, so let me know what you think! Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Summer Anthology: Wicked Games - Due May 26th, 2016 **This Thursday!!!** 2016 Fall Anthology: Blindsided - Due August 26th, 2016 2016 Winter Anthology: The Forgotten - Due November 26th, 2016 All Pre-2016 Anthology Themes - Due December 14, 2016 Premium Updates: Journey's End by M.A. Church; Book 2 of The Harvest *Premium* Signature Updates: Leopards Leap by Graeme; Book 3 of The Lilydale Leopards The Best Year by Krista Black Widow by Mark Arbour; Book 16 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Third Shift by Cole Matthews From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings Mine! by Cia Written by Comicality The G.M.Os by Carl Holiday, Book 3 of Hercules III Waiting Outside The Lines by Comicality Promising Updates: Falling Apart by craftingmom Promptings from Valhalla - 2016 Edition by Valkyrie Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Scraps from a Diary by AC Benus Morningstar: The Malaise by Headstall My Twentieth Year by AC Benus Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

When I originally wrote up the Prompt Me blog, I have to say I was a little bummed that no one took up the Special Prompt that I gave for Friday the 13th. Then, later last night, Valkyrie saved the day when she posted one, so I just had to include it! On another note, did anyone else notice that we've reached 500 prompts?! In celebration of that, I decided to share ALL prompt responses that have been written in the last week. Enjoy! Prompt 500 -Creative Tag - First Line “What took you so long?” Prompt 501 – Creative Tag – The Surprise You have a major birthday coming up and you don’t want to celebrate. However, every day leading up to your birthday you have found a little surprise at your job. What were the surprises and who was giving them to you? Now, let's take a look at who wrote a prompt response last week!

Well that sucks! What ingredients can't you get?