Renee Stevens

I have a soft spot for Line of Sight myself. Eventually, I do plan to bring these characters back, but I have a couple of other projects that I need to finish up first. As far as the environment that works best for me, I can't have distractions. I write at my absolute best when it's quiet, except for music. When I really need to get into a writing groove, I'll turn the TV to a music station, but outside of the music, I need no distractions. That's why I do my best writing either late at night, or early in the morning. There's not as much temptation to sign on and chat, lol. Deadlines can do one of two things for me. Either I get complete writer's block, or I can't stop until it's finished, there really isn't an in between for me. A perfect example of this is that I had a deadline for a 15K - 50K novella. I had like 4 months to get it done, and yet I sat down and pounded out a 30K story in less than a week. The anthologies, if I get an idea, most the times it tends to happen the day before the deadline and I spent the night writing. A lot of my anthologies have been written in a single night when an idea suddenly jumped out at me. Then there are other anthologies, that I get an idea for, and yet I can't put the words to paper (or computer).

Thanks for joining us Cole! I'm glad that you enjoy my characters. Honestly, I think I just have a very good imagination and try to put myself in my characters shoes. There are honestly times that I'll write a scene, and my characters will become so real to me that I'll dream about the scenes and then go back and tweak things accordingly. Great question!

Discussion day! Woohoo! I'll be on and off throughout the day, but I'm hoping to be able to do a blog chat at 6 PM my time (8:00 EST), which will go until probably 8. So, out of the three stories, which was your favorite?

HAPPY EASTER! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week. For those celebrating Easter, what are your plans for today? I'm hoping to go fishing for the first time this year! The Weekly Wrap Ups are a great time to take a look back and see what you may have missed this week in the GA New's Blog. We also tend to throw in a few reminders here and there. This reminder is that the CSR Discussion Day for Renee Stevens' (hehe, that's me) short stories will happen tomorrow, March 28th! Hope to see lots of you there! Featured Story: Premium Stories - We started off the week by taking a look at some of the Premium stories that can be found on GA. We took a look at Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews and Desolation Angels by layla. These are just two of the awesome stories that can be found in Premium, but there are so many more. Author Promo: Cia - This week, Cia took me up the blog promo opportunity. She wanted to show her progression when it comes to her writing. To do this, she shared a variety of stories, ranging from when she first started writing on GA to the present. Prompt Me! #486 & #487 - We added two brand new prompts again this week, but we also added AC Benus' new prompt series, the O.Henry Prompts. Curious as to what they are? Check out the blog post. For our featured prompt responses, I featured the prompt responses to Prompt #484. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Summer Anthology: Wicked Games - Due May 26th, 2016 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: The Best Year by Krista Leopards Leap by Graeme; Book 3 of The Lilydale Leopards From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase My Brother Daniel by Nephylim The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday Promising Updates: Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Promptings from Valhalla - 2016 Edition by Valkyrie Aditus' prompts and circumstances by aditus ...And All Shall Fade To Black by layla Treading Water by Headstall Falling Apart by craftingmom One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus My Twentieth Year by AC Benus Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Who's ready for a couple of new prompts? Can't believe it's already the last Prompt Me for March. This year just seems to be flying by. Remember, if your prompt response is less than 1,000 words, it can be posted in GA Stories as long as it's part of a collection. Now, let's see what comicfan has for you this week. Prompt 486 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story : tulips, broken mirror, torn jeans, cup of coffee, and an apple. Prompt 487 – Creative Tag – The Doctor You haven’t been feeling well lately, so you went to see your doctor. After sending you for tests he calls and tells you he needs to see you immediately. What did your doctor have to tell you? ~~~~~~~~~ Now, for our featured prompt response, let's take a look at the offerings from Prompt #484 Continue>> Continue>> Continue>>

It's time for another author promo! If you'd like to promo your own work, take a look at the thread for guidelines and then PM me. For this month, our featured promo spot is for Cia. There were three questions that Cia had to answer for each story. The questions were What gave you the idea for this story? What was your favorite thing about writing this story? & Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. As a Signature Author, Cia also had the option of picking one of her published stories that could be found on Amazon. Hope you enjoy this look into Cia's work. Cia Signature Author 55 stories * 1957 reviews * 1,249,873 total words The Price of Honor Description: One man wakes to find himself alone...and not where he expected to be. Who is the strange man that appears..and why is he...blue? Follow the story of Cale and Bel'loc as they find out where their honor will take them, and what they will pay to keep it. Oh, The Price of Honor… written so, so long ago. I honestly can’t remember how the idea came to me, but I just knew I wanted to explore new worlds and aliens. The best part of writing this was ‘The End.’ Before I joined GA, I’d never really focused on what I could do writing down the weird things in my head. Now, my skills back then were horrible (I use this story to show that everyone starts somewhere and even writing geeks like me can have a time when they’d forgotten all the lessons they learned in school and had to relearn them) but I told a story that I still really thinks has merit today. One thing you might not know from reading the description is that there’s a short prequel written after the story was completed titled, “The Lords Sacrifice”. Coupled in Synchronicity Description: Synchronicity acted in mysterious ways in my life, it always had. Scientists had been trying to decipher the magic of the planet since we landed; there seemed to be no guided intention to the events that happened, no sentient design, but still … things happened, important things, that could not be accidents. This is one of my favorite short stories, and I’ve a longer novel planned that just has to be written. I got the idea for the plot while I was doing some research into philosophy. It’s in the title, but the theme of ‘Synchronicity’ is part of Jung’s theory that nothing is truly coincidental and seemingly random events are actually connected. Researching this was actually my favorite part; I’m a ginormous geek as anyone who has worked with me on a story knows. I think I probably spent twice as much time coming up with the concept than I did writing it, lol. A fun fact not many people realize in the story… the planet, Synchronicity, is sentient! The Experiment Description: In the distant future, humans wage war against the alien planet Caeorleia, with no tactic off-limits if it will help the humans get their hands on Caeorleia’s resources. Ask Ryker. He thought he volunteered for a simple experiment that would help his government in the war. He didn't realize sadistic doctors would turn him into the experiment—by injecting him with blood from a captured Caeorleian, Seral Iorflas. Nor did Ryker realize he’d be sent to sabotage a planet full of the very beings his world is battling, beings who kill humans on sight. But then, thanks to the experiment that irrevocably changed him, he isn’t exactly human any longer—and with each passing day, as his blood bond with Seral strengthens, he’s less and less sure as to whose side he's on. The Experiment actually started off as a prompt response, if I remember correctly. Before this was published, it existed as a free story that morphed into a novel, and that’s how I’ve continued to write the rest of the books in the series before I submit them to Dreamspinner Press for publication. You can still find the stories in GA’s Premium section if you don’t like to buy eBooks. My favorite part of writing The Experiment was coming up with the alien stuff, like the fizzy seeds in the mae fruit and the trees that glow when they absorb energy from other living things. I didn’t share this in the description, but most of the time the planet is so warm that Caeorleians go about in short cloth wraps around their hips… or naked!

Most welcome, Cole

It has been quite a long time since we've looked at Premium Stories. Gay Authors has always managed to remain free to it's members, one of the ways that it has managed to do so is through it's Premium Subscribers. Members choose to help support the site and keep it going by purchasing Premium Content which consists of a number of stories that are only available on the site by purchasing Premium. 1 Month ~ $8.10 3 Months ~ $24.00 6 Months ~ $47.00 12 Months ~ $93.00 Barbed Wire Heart Cole Matthews Description: What is the Barbed Wire Heart? Someone is responsible for the death of an innocent. They need to be brought to justice, but how? Join the hunt as those touched by the tragedy struggle to deal with life while the truth is obscured. Flamingo136 said: Cole, thank you so much for this story.....just to think, it all started with a prompt response on Loring Lane. I guess it just proves that no man is a island.....so many connections....and I wonder where it might lead to next......Again, I really enjoyed this tale..5STARS !!!!!! Valkyrie said: It was my pleasure to beta read this story, Cole. I'm going to miss it! I just adore Ben and Rush. They make such a nice couple. I hope we get to read more about them at some point...hint hint Great job on your first murder mystery. I look forward to your next one! Desolation Angels layla Description: Dare gets lost in the music playing inside his head, so lost that the rest of the world melts away. Will giving up the music give Dare a chance at a so called 'normal' life and the love of the bandmate he adores, or will it cost him everything, including himself. ShadowDancer said: I really loved reading your story, once started could not stop till finished, thank you for writing such a heart feeling story and posting it so all could read it Carrie76 said: Seriously though, this story is so well written and has such a nice flow to it. I truly hope you get to publish it one day. I would be very proud to buy this book. I love the band you created and the relationships too. Hopefully there will be more one day soon. So there you have it, just a couple of the stories that can be found in Premium! You can also find stories by: M.A. Church, Nephylim, Rob Colton, Renee Stevens, wolfwriter, Mann Ramblings, Cia, Lugh, and more!!!!

I hope everyone had had a great week! For this week, let's get right into the wrap up! March Signature Feature: Damphir By Nephylim: It was Signature Week this week and we started out with a quick look at Damphir by Nephylim. Check out what some readers had to say, and there's also a banner in there if you'd like to show your support for Nephylim. March Signature Excerpt: Damphir By Nephylim: We continued the week by actually giving you a look inside of Damphir with an excerpt. Based on some of the comments, a lot of people have already read it, or are planning to. What about you? Have you read Damphir? Prompt Me! #484 & #485: We finished the week off with new prompts provided to us by Comicfan. It sounds to me like some people are planning on joining the two prompts for this week into one response! For this week's feature, we featured all the responses from Prompt #482. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Summer Anthology: Wicked Games - Due May 26th, 2016 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 Waiting Outside The Lines by Comicality The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia The Best Year by Krista My Brother Daniel by Nephylim Classic Updates: Grip by Topher_Lydon Promising Updates: ...And All Shall Fade To Black by layla Cards on the Table by Headstall Treading Water by Headstall Falling Apart by craftingmom One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus My Twentieth Year by AC Benus Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Also, in line with what Valkyrie already said, if you want to be considered for the featured prompt spot, you must post a link to your prompt response in the forum thread for that prompt.

Hope everyone is having a great week! Did you remember to wear green yesterday? If not, did you get pinched a bunch? If you're wanting a break from what you're currently working on, or you're blocked, or maybe you want to start writing for the first time, then we have the perfect solution for you. Writing Prompts! Don't forget, prompt responses under 1,000 words need to be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 484 -Creative Tag – First Line “Did anyone survive the accident?“ Prompt 485 – Creative Tag – The Accident It was a late night and you were driving home from work. You go to stop at the light, but your brakes fail, and slip through uncommon traffic and crash into the woods. What happened to you and what was the cause? For this week, I decided to share both of the responses to Prompt #482 Continue >> Continue >>

Back in June 2015, my book No More Hiding was published by Dreamspinner Press. I realized that I'd never done my single blog post about the publication. Even if you read it in Premium, there are a couple extra scenes from that which is posted in Premium, plus this is your chance to have a copy for on your eBook reader. If you'd like to be able to have it on multiple platforms (epub, mobi, pdf, etc) then I'd suggest the Dreamspinner Press site. Dreamspinner Press Barnes & Noble All Romance Amazon Kobo Blurb Phillip Jorgensen tried to live the straight life and ended up divorced. But he wouldn’t trade his two kids, Jacob and Samantha, for the world. His ex-wife has kidnapped them and he's been searching for them for six long years. But he’s not giving up—never, not for anything. His twin brother has encouraged him to start living again, but how is he going to find romance with all his baggage? When he meets Vance Pierce at the new gym, Phillip sees a chance to find some happiness. Phillip has to explain the whole sordid mess to Vance and pray that he understands that he’ll never stop looking for his children. That’s easier said than done. Telling Vance might be risky. Is their connection strong enough to convince Vance to stay? Or will he think that Phillip is too damaged to love? This is Phillip's chance at the life he never thought he could have. But is it possible? Excerpt Phillip was still trying to figure out where to start when Vance leaned forward, one hand resting on the driver’s headrest, and closed the distance between them. He paused, just inches away, but must have seen what he was looking for. He pressed his lips to Phillip’s. Phillip groaned. He wanted more and tried to turn in his seat to reach for Vance. But he growled in frustration as the damn steering wheel dug into his side and prevented him from moving closer. The kiss was brief and left Phillip wanting more when Vance pulled back. “I’ve wanted to do that since the day I met you.” “Why didn’t you?” Phillip didn’t know what else to say. He’d thought about it, more than once, and wouldn’t have pushed Vance away. Vance shrugged and moved back to his side of the truck. “Didn’t want to spook you. Something about you told me to proceed with caution. Nothing specific, just a lot of little things.” “Like what?” “Mainly, you’d never really talk about yourself. I tried a couple of times to steer the conversation into more personal territory.” Vance stared out the front window. “You’d always change the subject or move on to the next machine, yet you were fine as long as it was just light flirting.” “Yeah, about that.” Phillip cleared his throat. “I’d like to give it a shot.” He glanced at Vance, surprised to see his pale eyes focused on him. “If you’re still interested.” Follow Me! Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Another week has ended and it's time to look back and see what happened in the blogs. Before we get to that though, just a reminder that if you're somewhere that practices Daylight Savings, it's time to spring your clocks forward by an hour. If you forgot, don't feel bad, I completely spaced it until the time on my computer jumped forward an hour! Now, time for the wrap up! March C S R Feature: Short Stories By Renee Stevens - This month's CSR Feature is a collections of short stories by Renee Stevens (wait, that's me ) You have three stories to choose from and the discussion will take place on March 28th. You can read one of them or all of them, but we look forward to seeing you on discussion day. 2016 Spring Anthology - Crossing The Line * Now Live * - That's right, we made the spring anthology live on Wednesday. If you're looking for something to read and haven't already done so, check them out. There's nine brand new stories for you to sink your teeth in, and as always, leave the authors a review and let them know what you think of their work. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Summer Anthology: Wicked Games - Due May 26th, 2016 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: The Best Year by Krista Rotting Apples by Comicality From the Cup of the Worthless by Cynus Worthy by Cia *2016 Spring Anthology* Full Disclosure by Renee Stevens *2016 Spring Anthology* Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia Remembering Tim by CarlHoliday The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings Classic Updates: Things We Lost by Dabeagle A Bad Day to be WET by Myr *2016 Spring Anthology* Promising Updates: ...And All Shall Fade To Black by layla The Epicure by Cole Matthews *2016 Spring Anthology* Obsession by Valkyrie *2016 Spring Anthology* Guarding the Line by craftingmom *2016 Spring Anthology* Zaidu by aditus *2016 Spring Anthology* Promptings from Valhalla - 2016 Edition by Valkyrie Treading Water by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus My Twentieth Year by AC Benus Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and I don't see Landon backing down either. The power exchange could be a powerful tool to have at his disposal, we'll just have to wait and see what happens!

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it and we'll have to see what the future anthologies bring!

Thanks for the review, Adi! I can see the same thing, but one could hope that Landon's confidence could overcome it. I figured someone would question why Landon let Dom go on his own, but at the same time, Landon couldn't be sure that there was any nefarious things behind it. We'll have to see if we learn more in the future.

Thanks, Gary! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and we'll see how far we can take this story using future anthologies (and whether or not I can come up with story lines for future anthologies). I'm not sure how long it would end up being by the time the series would be done, but all we can do is see.

Thanks for the review, Eminent. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I enjoy vampires and werewolves too, I just don't do as much with them as I'd like. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with some ideas to continue this in future anthologies.

LOL, Craftingmom. Thanks for the review and we'll have to see, though thank you for the subtle (or not so subtle) hint. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks, LitLover! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm definitely going to see about continuing this. How many other stories would be in this series is unknown, but I'm at least considering doing a couple more. I'll just have to see if the stories come to me.

Thanks, Mann! I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scene, and I tried to make sure everything read as smooth as possible. I'll just have to see if I can make an anthology serial work with the upcoming themes and whether or not I can come up with the ideas needed to continue it.

Thanks, Lisa! I was hoping that no one would be too upset with me for ending it there, but I liked leaving this one open for the readers, at least for now. I like your scenario, and if I decide to continue this in future anthologies, then you'll get to see if you're right!

Thank you, Val! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and we'll see if I turn this into a big of anthology series. I'll just have to see how it works out

Thank you to all the authors and their teams!!! Hope everyone enjoys the stories

Thanks, Cia! I know, I thought about writing more, but that did seem to be a good stopping place, and it leaves it for me to continue later on if I want (just have to make sure any future ones can stand on their own). Besides, like you said, Landon is so confident, how could he lose? Right?