Renee Stevens

Who's ready for a couple of new prompts? Don't forget the deadline to get your stories to the Anthology Proof Team is today! This month has just flown by it seems like. 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. Prompt 480 – Creative Tag – First Line “I just have a simple question. Who the hell is asleep in your bed?” Prompt 481 – Creative Tag – The Dance You bought a ticket from the local fire department for a fund raiser. One of the prizes was dance lessons from the local dance class. You find yourself in class paired with the stunning teacher. What happens at your dance lessons? Today's featured prompt response is Jamessavik's response to Prompt 478: Read the rest, here.

It's the start of a new week, which means it's time to take a look at another story that can be found on the site. This week, we're taking a look at Team Building by EBWilson. Thank you to Timothy for this review. If you'd like to review one of your favorite stories on site, then send me a PM! Team Building by EBWilson Reviewed By: Timothy M. Status: Complete Word Count: 241,035 You know those good-looking, conceited, clever, shallow yuppies we all love to hate when they breeze into our lives and either ignore us or take our attraction and admiration for granted. If you read Team Building you’ll meet a prime specimen in the shape of Neil who drives his boss at the bank, as well as us readers, crazy with his self-assured, flippant and egoistic behavior. But it’s also funny to be privy to his disparaging and brutally honest evaluation of himself and people around him. Neil starts out perfectly happy with his lonely, but money-and-sex-filled existence. However, the story description ‘What happens when a pathologically single guy meets the man of his dreams?’ makes it clear that he’s in for a major wake-up call when he encounters hunky, handsome Kevin whose life style couldn’t be more different to Neil’s. Not to mention the fact the rugged Scot is the father of a precocious six-year-old girl. At first, there are no indications Neil and Kevin could ever become seriously attracted to each other, in fact I spent a lot of time laughing about their initial disastrous clash featuring a luggage cart. But this is only the beginning of a long torturous path filled with obstacles. However, Neil’s boss is determined to make him into a team player and forces him to attend a team building course featuring Kevin as one of the instructors. But Neil also meets several other people who have crucial roles to play in the slow maturing process we witness as the story unfolds. I think every single reader managed to have a crush on Peter, but I can’t tell you why without spoiling the story. There were several unexpected developments, some of which scared me and made me Ted (EBWilson) is a master of cliff hangers and plot twists, and Team Building has more embarrassing ‘bad timing’ moments than any other story I can recall reading on GA. But no matter how much hair tearing and swearing the story caused, we kept hoping (and begging) for a happy end. Because that’s another of Ted’s admirable skills as an author: He manages to make us feel sympathy and understanding for Neil, even when he’s at his worst or in denial. In fact, ‘denial’ may be the main thing Neil and Kevin ‘Bloody’ Ross have in common. Get on the Team Building train, I promise you won’t regret it, it’s frustratingly fun. And don’t forget to pay a visit to the story discussion forum (beware spoilers) to join the Peter fan club, the Neil shakers, or the Ross Ranters. Ted will love to hear what you think of his story – and so would I. Category: Fiction Genres: Comedy, Romance Tags: Young Adult, Workplace, Anal, BDSM, Casual, Oral Rating: Mature

I'm going to try, but we'll see how it turns out

No no no, not the last minute!!!!!

I hope everyone has had a great week and an even better weekend. Before we get into this week's wrap up, I'd just like to do a quick reminder that Spring Anthology entries are do to the proof team in only 5 days!!! Hopefully we'll have a few more come in before the deadline, otherwise I might have to try and write one and we don't want that!!! LOL. Now, lets take a look at what happened in the GA News Blogs this week! For our Monday Featured Story, Timothy M provided us with a review for Trouble Plus Trouble by Palantir! For our Wednesday post, Cia provided us with another grammar rodeo! I think I definitely need to take a look at these, since I made a few typos in the introduction to the post. Oops! The prompts finally were back after a bit of a hiatus. Not only did we have two new story prompts for you, but we also had the new poetry prompt as well. For our featured response, we shared a poetry response from Aditus! Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Spring Anthology: Crossing the Line - Due February 26th, 2016 *Only 5 Days Left* 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: The Degan Paradox by Rob Colton; Book 3 of Galactic Conspiracies *Premium* Signature Updates: The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings GFD 12: Blood Ties by Comicality; Book 12 of Gone From Daylight Classic Updates: Things We Lost by Dabeagle Promising Updates: One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus My Twentieth Year by AC Benus A Fool's Thoughts by aditus Headstall's Reflections by Headstall ...And All Shall Fade To Black by Layla Falling Apart by craftingmom Holding Back by Thorn Wilde Gay Metal by carringtonrj Treading Water by Headstall Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Who's missed the weekly prompts? It's been a few weeks since we posted some new prompts to help spark some ideas, but they're back. Not only do we have two new prompts for you, but for those that missed it, we also have the new poetry prompt for you! Don't forget that anything under 1000 words needs to be in a collection and that authors are allowed 5 different collections without Admin approval. Prompt 478 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story – roses, bacon, a frog, balloons, and new sneakers. Prompt 479 – Creative Tag – Wishes You and two of your close friends joke about what would make the perfect date. Each of you list five things that are absolutely necessary to make the perfect person. You read the list of items and wish you could find one person who encompassed them all. The following day the three of you go for coffee and spot someone who seems to be created out of your list of requirements from the night before. Who is this mystery person and is he there to fulfill your wishes or make your lives a nightmare? Poetry Prompt 18 – Rubaiyat write one four-lined Khayyám-style Rubaiyat on the theme of 'your muse' (with or without references to drink and pretty boys ). In addition, write one multi-stanza Interlocking Rubaiyat based on the sights and feelings stirred in you by watching Ambrose Bierce's short story, . Use the consistent line lengths you think are best for the individual poems, and follow the basic rhyme patterns for the two types of Rubaiyat. For our featured prompt response today, I'm using Aditus' response to Poetry Prompt #17: You can read the rest, here.

Ever wonder what the correct word to use is? Cia has written a blog entry to help show which word should be used in different instances. It's been a while since we had a Grammar Rodeo, but I find these posts to be rather informative and we hope you do too. Commonly Misused Words When writing, most authors know there are homophones to watch out for, and we all know the big ones like your/you’re/yore and there/their/they’re. But there are a lot of words that are harder to figure out because they’re not as common. Affect/Effect I know I’ve written this one up before, but I see it misused a lot. An affect is a verb and an effect is a noun. The way I remember it is affect = action word. If something is affecting something else, an action is occurring. Effect is the result of an action. Examples: I want this scene to affect my readers in a meaningful way. The effect of the scene was devastating. Me vs I Using I or me can be confusing for some, usually when used with another noun (usually another person). The difference in use is whether or not the pronoun is being used as the subject or object of the verb. I could explain the difference if you don’t automatically know the difference between subjects and objects in a sentence… or I could just remind you of the easy cheat: Take the other noun out of the sentence. Examples: Chase and me went to the store vs Chase and I went to the store. Take out ‘Chase and’ Me went to the store vs I went to the store. Easier to figure out. Can you send the files to Patrick and I? vs Can you send the files to Patrick and me? Can you send the files to I? vs Can you send the files to me? Peak vs Peek vs Pique Most people know peak vs peek, but I often see them used equally as often instead of pique because authors don’t know that’s a whole other spelling. Peak means a pointy point, like a mountain, peek means to take a quick look, and pique means to stimulate or be irritated. Examples: We climbed to the peak. She took a peek at the cake before the party. She left the party in a fit of pique, upset at the gossip circulating among the guests. Lose vs Loose Really, these words aren’t anywhere close to each other in meaning, but you see authors not knowing the difference all the time. Lose means to fail to keep/maintain or cease to have while loose means not tight, not in possession, lacking in restraint, ect…. These sentences are almost exactly the same but mean totally different things. Examples: Lose the ball means to get rid of it/not be able to find the ball. Loose the ball means to let the ball go, like if you threw it. Then vs Than I have a simple trick to help remember which should be used and when. First, what do they mean? Then indicates time and than compares items. Memory Trick Then = Time such as We went to the store then the park. Than = Compare such as The kids liked the trip to the park better than the store. Compliment vs Complement Another example where the words sound the same and are spelled very close… yet the meaning is completely different. You can use the letters to help remember here too. Complement means to complete or enhance something. Compliment means an expression of praise or the action of praising someone. Examples: Her scarf complemented her dress. He complimented her choice of scarf. Farther vs Further Yet again, similar but not the same. Both farther and further are often used as if they’re interchangeable, but in reality, there is a difference in the shades of meaning in the words that both mean ‘a great distance’. Unfortunately, I don’t have any tricks for this one, you just have to remember. Farther is used to indicate a physical distance and further is used to indicate a figurative distance. Examples: We went farther than any other team in the race. Nothing he said could further from the truth. What other words do you commonly see misused?

Time to take a look at another story that can be found in GA Stories. This week, we're taking a look at Trouble Plus Trouble by Palantir. Thank you Timothy for the review. Don't forget, if you've read a story that you'd like to see featured, contact Renee Stevens. Trouble Plus Trouble by Palantir Reviewer: Timothy M. Status: Complete Word Count: 170,574 Trouble Plus Trouble was quite a challenge the first time I read it. I could see myself in Peter, a serious, introvert bookworm with no siblings or close friends. Being teased (or ‘stirred’ as Palantir calls it) isn’t something he’s used to or understands, and like him I had a hard time coping with even friendly teasing as a kid and teen. And many of us know the pain associated with the crueler versions of pranks and joking, and the loneliness of being different and disliked. Luckily, I had my own version of Andy, the boy who enters Peter’s life and changes it completely. Although I have to say Andy is a unique person, clever and caring behind all the brash words and crazy fooling around. He is the perfect friend for Peter, who in turn reaches out to Matthew, another fairly new boy in school. Andy’s best friend Marty is the fourth important person in this slowly enlarging circle of friends who are on the swim team together. They spend a lot of time ‘stirring’ each other, and while it made me cringe at first, just as Peter does, I gradually got used to it and even appreciated the fun and the good intentions. I also had no problem doing the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ necessary for accepting the antics in the changing room, which some readers, as well as the author himself, said would never happen in real life. But who cares, because the end justifies the means, right? As the story unfolds we learn there is a ‘method to the madness’ of Andy, Marty and some of the other guys Peter gets involved with. We also soon realize Peter himself is an intelligent, kind boy, who does his best to help his friends in return, e.g. with school work. Another great feature of this story are the helpful, understanding adults, in the shape of parents with a sense of humor ( yes, they do exist) and nice teachers, including the coach of the swim team. Almost every single character in the story is portrayed in a realistic manner, so we forget the author is creating an ideal world, where good triumphs over evil, jocks can do ‘gay stuff’ playfully, and friendship and love are driving forces. If you’ve never read any of Palantir’s stories Trouble is a good place to start. Palantir has a style all of his own, easily recognizable by the bantering dialogue, the casual approach to nudity and friendly sex, the disdain for bullies, and the way he makes you laugh at the absurd images forming in your mind as you read. The only problem is you get so caught up in the story and wanting to know what happens next that you forget to review. At least that’s what happened to me, but I plan to go back and make up for it, apart from reviewing and recommending the story here. Hope to see y’all there.

December 25th Sorry, Val... It's been fixed

It's been a rather busy week here at Gay Authors. I think we'll get right to it. Monday started the February Signature Author feature for Bill W of his story Butterflies Fly Free. You can see some of the reviews from the story and if it sounds good to you, then you can check out the excerpt that was posted on Wednesday! Voting for the Secret Admirer Short Story contest ended on Thursday and we started the Secret Admirer Guess Who game prior to the Secret Admirer Winners & Reveal on Friday. Congratulations to Cole Matthews, Graeme, and Thorn Wilde. There were so many great stories for the contest and you can still read them even though voting has concluded. Once again, someone compiled the stats for us on the voting for the Secret Admirer Contest. Here's what they came up with: Secret Admirer Guessing Game Stats By the Secret Nerd Most correct guesses Slytherin had 5 correct answers out of 13 guesses AC Benus had 3 correct answers out of 10 guesses Aditus had 3 correct answers out of 9 guesses The rest got from 0 to 2 correct answers out of 1 to 12 guesses. Graeme got all 12 guesses wrong except one; including his own story, which he attributed to Valkyrie. Stories with most author names suggested Two's Company by J.HunterDunn got 6 guesses on 6 names, none correct Making Sense of Secret Gifts by Timothy M. got 6 guesses on 5 names, none correct Take a Chance by Robert Rex got 7 guesses on 5 names, one correct A Gift For the Quiet One by Comicfan got 6 guesses on 5 names, two correct At the other end the story which most people agreed on: Lupercalia by Puppilull had 7 guesses on 2 names (W_L and AC Benus), neither correct. Six stories had four author names suggested, and the last two had three names. Seven stories had someone guess their author Jager by Cole Matthews (4) Nobody's Valentine by Thorn Wilde (4) Sunshine by AC Benus (4 - if Lisa’s first instinctive guess is included) Cupid Central by Aditus (3) The Cupid Complex by Valkyrie (3) A Gift For the Quiet One by Comicfan (2) Take a Chance by Robert Rex (1) In the Secret Santa contest no one guessed the stories by Cole and Valkyrie, but more than one reader guessed the entries by Thorn Wilde, AC Benus and Aditus. Maybe because they have distinctive writing styles? Six stories had no one guess their author Last Run to Mosul by W_L Lupercalia by Puppilull Making Sense of Secret Gifts by Timothy M. The Lady in the Flames by jfalkon Two's Company by J.HunterDunn Who Is It? by Graeme In the Secret Santa contest no one guessed the stories by jfalkon and Timothy M. either. Perhaps they have indistinct writing styles (or in jfalcon’s case not many readers seem to know his 24 stories !). Authors with most stories attributed Graeme 6, none correct J.HunterDunn 6, none correct Robert Rex 5, including the correct one (by one reader) Valkyrie 5, including the correct one (by three readers) AC Benus 5, including the correct one (by three or four readers, if you count Lisa’s guess) Aditus, Cole Matthews, Comicfan, Puppilull all had 4 stories attributed to them. No one had Puppilull correct, the rest were guessed by two or more readers. In comparison the same statistic for the previous contest (not done at the time): Authors with most stories attributed (Secret Santa) Cole Matthews 7, none correct ! J.HunterDunn 5, including the right one (by three readers) Timothy M. 5, none correct AC Benus, Graeme, Headstall, Johnathan Colourfield, Litlover, Thorn Wilde all had 4 stories attributed to them. At least one reader guessed the right one for each of them, and three readers guessed AC Benus and Thorn Wilde. If you compare the two contests Thorn Wilde got four stories attributed in Santa but only two in Admirer, and in both contests several readers knew the correct story. Puppilull got two stories attributed to her in Santa and four in Admirer, none of them correct. She seems an expert in misleading readers together with jfalkon and Timothy M. and the authors below. Cole had seven stories attributed to him in Santa, none of them correct, but in Admirer four readers had the correct story out of the four attributed to him, so that’s an improvement, right? J.HunterDunn and Graeme consistently get several stories attributed to them, and in Admirer no one got it right. Did they get better at misleading us, or did we get worse at guessing? Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Spring Anthology: Crossing the Line - Due February 26th, 2016 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: The Degan Paradox by Rob Colton; Book 3 of Galactic Conspiracies *Premium* Signature Updates: My Brother Daniel by Nephylim The Best Year by Krista GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban New Kid In School by Comicality Remembering Tim by CarlHoliday The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings Kiss Of An Angel by Comicality A Gift For the Quiet One by Comicfan *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Who Is It? by Graeme *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Classic Updates: Things We Lost by Dabeagle Promising Updates: Headstall's Reflections by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus My Twentieth Year by AC Benus A Fool's Thoughts by aditus ...And All Shall Fade To Black by Layla Cards on the Table by Headstall Treading Water by Headstall The Cupid Complex by Valkyrie *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Cupid Central by Aditus *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Jager by Cole Matthews *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Nobody's Valentine by Thorn Wilde *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Sunshine by AC Benus *Secret Admirer Contest Entry* Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 C Lard 2 C Sugar 2 C Zucchini (shredded) 3 t. Vanilla 3 t. Cinnamon 1 t. Salt 1 t. Baking Soda 1/4 t. Baking Powder 3 C Flour Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Mix together eggs, sugar, lard, and vanilla Mix in cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder Add in zucchini and mix well Thoroughly mix in flour and pour into loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray Bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes. Makes two loaves.

It's the first Wednesday of the month again (can you believe it's already February?!) which means that it's time for our monthly Ask An Author feature. A big thank you to Dark for their continued contribution to the blog with one of our most popular features. Don't forget, if you have a question you'd like Dark to cover, send a PM! Also, a reminder, the Secret Admirer Short Story contest is tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST! Ask an Author #36 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #35, we had questions for authors Aditus, and Mark Arbour. In AtA #36, we hear from authors Bill W, Robert Rex, and Sasha Distan. For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual. Our first author today inducts Signature Author Bill W into this blog series. Now Bill has been around awhile, since 2003 actually. Say hello, as Bill often has a different perspective than us younger folk who are still trying to figure things out. He’s graced us with 60-something titles, including a few poems. What with the new GA Stories transfer in 2010-2011 (has it been 5 years already? ), I don’t remember what the earliest of his stories is, but Bill is perhaps best known for his Castaway Hotel series. The first of those is the Grand Reopening, aka Castaway Hotel #1. The Castaway Hotel is an orphanage of sorts, with a jumble of different personalities and backgrounds all trying to get along in life. With Bill’s long interest in politics, it’s interesting to see how that flavoring changes over the course of the different story collections. His most recent story is Tempered by Fate, Sword of Kings #3, and with only a few chapters left, catch up quick to learn Kieran’s fate! To Bill W: Who is your favourite character from The Castway Hotel and why? Wow! That's a really tough question, since I'd built an empathy for and felt close to each of the boys. If I had to pick just one, it probably would have to be Ricky. Not only was he the first, but he's a fun loving little imp, even now that he's grown (although some might question if he ever grew up!) Ricky came from a horrible background, but he never lost his upbeat view of life. He always found a way to make me smile and did some really touching things, but his pranks got the entire family going. Danny would be a close second, and he was actually the second 'new' family member, but now that he's moved back home and is taking over for Josh, he is someone I've come to admire. He also came from a rough situation, but he buckled down and did well academically and now he's using his position to help others in similar circumstances. If it was who I felt the worst for and would have wanted to help out the most, it would have been Kevin. He seemed to go through one relationship crisis after another, as well as a health scare, so I'm glad everything worked out for him and he ended up doing well. Next up is also new to the blog: Author Robert Rex. Now in his sixties like Bill, Robert is unstoppable! Robert has been a welcoming voice to new members since his own arrival about a year and a half ago, and he survived another birthday back in November. He’s also from New Orleans and it’s no surprise to me that his interests include food/cooking. Hard to pass up that Cajun cooking down there. Of the three stories Robert has posted here on GA, his most recent is Lion's Lair, which has generated quite the buzz across the community. Congrats, Robert! If you’ve yet to visit, Lion’s Lair is a mature story involving two very down-to-earth (but sexy!) men named Ryan and Clayton. As we’re told in the first chapter, there’s no such thing as an “ex” marine, and Ryan has his work cut out for him adjusting to life in a chair. The story is told in alternating first person, which is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s still a popular format, and the POV of each character is engaging and unique. Fall in love with someone new and go check it out! To Robert Rex: What is the first thing you decide when you're going to create a new character? I probably work ass-backwards on this, but I'm most comfortable when the characters are created based on the story theme/plot. (I like to think my writing tells a story--so the character's definition is driven by the plot/story requirements.). I've only once created a character, then built a plot. And introducing a new character in a story is ALWAYS plot driven for me. As a result, the story defines the character's sex, emotions, and physical description (in that order). The emotional makeup of the character is the real driver, beyond sex. You’ve met him before, Sasha Distan returns to complete our author interviews today. Now, we haven’t seen Sasha in awhile, but at almost 12000 likes, I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping he comes write for us again soon! Sasha describes himself as “part wolf and part African Hunting Dog” but prefers to lick and say hello rather than bite. This youngish Brit is known for his stories involving shape shifters of various kinds, but he’s written other things as well, such as his series American Songbook beginning with Great-Granddaddy's Gun. That one’s a short story revolving around, you guessed it, an old twelve-gauge shotgun. One of my favorites is Six Billion Credit Rent Boy, a sci-fi gem of a tale about … a kitten? Well, no, not literally, but find out more for yourself! To Sasha Distan: Are you a group of writers rather than an individual? No. I am just one person, ten fingers, ten toes, and one laptop. My brain might be more than one person, but that's not really in my control. I find this question kind of funny, because for those who know me personally, I have a history of not playing well with others. I lead well, I delegate well, but I'm not so much what you might call a team player. this partly because I have no tact, and I've never been shy about telling people exactly how and why they are wrong. books which are co-authored always confuse me, because I admire other people for their ability to combine their creative outputs, but I don't understand how they can do it. That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat! See you next time, with authors albertnothlit, Carlos Hazday, and Julie Hayes and MA Church! I’m always in the market for new questions! Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

If you are planning to participate in the Secret Admirer Short Story Contest, please check the formatting guidelines that have been added to the contest blog entry. I've had to fix formatting in at least half the stories that have been sent in so far. In the future, stories will be returned if they're not properly formatted and will not be uploaded until the author has fixed the formatting issues.

Thanks for the review, Suvitar! I've lived, and known many people who live, with migraines. Sometimes it's so bad you can't even function and all you can do is lay in bed and hope it goes away. Glad you enjoyed the story.

Before we get started on this weeks Weekly Wrap Up, I wanted to remind everything that the deadline for the Secret Admirer Short Story Contest is descending on us! If you're an author and want to participate, the deadline for submissions is February 4th by 2:00 PM EST. For those who have already sent in their story, I'm working on getting them uploaded and will send you a PM as soon as your story is uploaded. Also, if you'd like to do an Author Promo for the blog, take a look at the thread and then PM me. Now, let's see what happened in the blog this week! Monday started out with the CSR Discussion day for The Life of Seeon by Comicfan. When Wednesday came around, we had an author promo for Mann Ramblings where we he answered questions about a few of his stories. Finally, for Friday, we had a couple of new prompts from Comicfan and featured a poetry response by Mikiesboy. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team** 2016 Spring Anthology: Crossing the Line - Due February 26th, 2016 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: The Degan Paradox by Rob Colton; Book 3 of Galactic Conspiracies *Premium* Signature Updates: Thwarted by Renee Stevens The Best Year by Krista The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings No Flash by Cia Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings My Brother Daniel by Nephylim Classic Updates: Things We Lost by Dabeagle Promising Updates: My Twentieth Year by AC Benus ...And All Shall Fade To Black by layla Aditus' prompts and circumstances by aditus Holding Back by Thorn Wilde Falling Apart by craftingmom Treading Water by Headstall One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my writing lately. I was curious to see how I've changed and grown as an author over the years. The best way for me to figure that out, was to look at my earlier works, primarily Eternity. Eternity was only the second novel I ever wrote, and the first M/M novel. Looking back at it now, I can't help but cringe. There are so many things with it that I'd change if I was rewriting it now. Back then, I didn't know any different. I've been considering revising and ebooking it, but if I do, it's going to need a major overhaul. Things I didn't know then, but that I know now. POV Shifts: While shifts between different characters POV's aren't a bad thing, they have to be done right. Typically, the best way I've found to do it is that different chapters can come from different points of view. In Eternity, I didn't stick to that. In just one 3,500 word chapter, there are 6 POV shifts. Yes, they are at least broken up as separate sections, but still... SIX!!! I another chapter, this one just under 3K, there are five POV shifts Names in dialogue: Have you ever said the person's name you're speaking to, every time you're speaking to them? In 4 consecutive Dialogue lines (different characters speaking each time) there is the mention of the other person's name, spoken in EVERY ONE In another spot, 6 consecutive dialogue paragraphs, the other person's name is spoken all 6 times!!! I've only just started looking back at it, but it's amazing to me the things I see now that I did wrong back then. It's interesting to look between Eternity and current works, such as Reece's Choice and No More Hiding, and see the difference. Have you ever looked back at your previous works? If so, what were your thoughts?

“You there?” Trey sounded tired. “Sorry, sorry.” Mark breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m here. I just couldn’t believe it when I heard your voice. How are you feeling?” “Like shit.” Trey chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “I bet. Hopefully they have you on some good pain killers.” Mark wanted to ask how badly he was hurt, but would save that for when he talked to Gary or Diane. Obviously they’d made it there, since Trey was using Gary’s phone. “Yeah.” Trey was quiet for a moment and then c

Who's ready for a couple of new prompts? Can't believe it's already the end of January. This month has just flown by it seems like. 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 476 – Creative Tag – First Line “Quick, call an ambulance!” Prompt 477 – Creative Tag – Sleeper Things had never been perfect for you growing up. Your parents always were attentive, but somehow never seemed to be there either. Unfortunately, as you were about to graduate from college you found out why. Your parents were sleeper agents and have now been activated. What sort of agents are they and what will their activation mean for you and your future? We didn't have any takers for last week's prompts, but here's a poetry prompt #17 response from Mikiesboy: Read the rest, here.

Looks like it's time for another Author Promo! This month we're taking a look at Signature Author, Mann Ramblings. For his author promo, Mann was asked to pick three stories and answer the same three questions for each story. As a Signature Author, Mann also had the option of picking one of his published stories that could be found on Amazon. Hope you enjoy this look into Mann's work. Mann Ramblings Signature Author 11 stories * 1209 reviews * 442,572 total words A Sense of Family Description: Matthew has lost the most important person in his world. Why is this the moment when his estranged mother decides to walk back into his life? Why can't this be a happy moment? What gave you the idea for this story? I wanted to write something contemporary and dramatic. The most emotional thing that sprang to mind was a dealing with family drama at a funeral. The muse struck so hard, I had to set aside the current novel I was working on until I got it onto the page. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? Building a surrogate family around the main character to replace the family he lost. Building believable relationships between each cast member was the biggest challenge. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. At the time this story was written, I had never actually attended a funeral. We hadn't had a death in my family since I was a child, (and only the adults went because it was in New York) or it was from a long lost relative we didn't keep in touch with. The reviews tell me I did a decent job of projecting my own sense of how the characters would react given the circumstances. I'm quite proud of this piece. So Little Magic Left Description: What do you do when you simply don't fit into your world? Shawn Martoni never did. A past of turmoil and misfortune kept a solid foothold from ever forming. But what if there was another world under our own? Someplace where all that's left of the creatures long since forgotten might live. Would Shawn find his place there or simply find another form of the underworld? What gave you the idea for this story? This story was based off the GA Friday prompt, The Beast. When I needed to start a new story, I let Layla choose between four possible storylines. This was the one she chose, so I had her beta read along with MJ85. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? This was my longest and most complex story to date. Plotting the storyline and making it come to life was an absolute joy. Making all the threads come together at the climax is something I'll always remember. The reviews made me smile for days. Sometimes I re-read them. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Every character has some fractured relationship with at least one other member of the cast and the most fun is keeping the readers guessing what comes next. There are more than a few surprises to be had. The Luxorian Fugitive Description: Sergeant Liam Jacks has made a life for himself on the cargo vessel the Santa Claus to escape the memories on civil unrest on Alpha Centauri. Life should be simple enough, but one mysterious passenger can unravel the quiet in ways he hadn't imagined. What gave you the idea for this story? This was my second novel length story and the comic geek in me wanted to go sci-fi. I have a fascination with geisha imagery and made Hadrian into a blend of geisha and gladiator with a little para-human ability mixed in. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? The action scenes! My attempt to get the pacing right had me acting out the key sequences so they made sense. Thankfully, no video exists of said activity. So quit asking... Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. My favorite part of Luxorian, and part of which I'm happiest, is there are two stories running alongside each other and interwoven throughout the entire novel. Even so, they manage to work as one story with the connections between them.

Thanks for the review, DDK. I thought about writing more on this chapter, but that gives me the perfect content for the next chapter and I'd rather split it than have made everyone wait even longer.

I know, I know... it has been pointed out to me that I might be a tad bit evil. Though, I am interested in knowing what the punishment would be for a third one, lol. Thanks for the review, Gary!

LOL... I'm glad you enjoyed the time jump... as least maybe. I really didn't want to do a day by day of the time Trey is gone. No sense in drawing things out any longer than necessary, right? Thanks for the review, Gary!

Sorry you were queasy, but I can't guarantee no more roller coasters. We'll just have to see how it progresses. Don't worry, more information is forthcoming, so hopefully you'll enjoy the rest of the story. And everyone knows, I don't do torture . Thanks for the review, Gary!

You didn't really think I'd kill him off, did you? More info will be coming in the upcoming chapters, so hopefully all your questions will get answered. Thanks for the review, Lisa!

Well, I don't know, how bumpy should I make it? LOL. I've got plans, so we'll just have to see how they all work out. Thanks for the review, LadyDe!