Renee Stevens

Greedy? You? Never!!! Seriously though, I love having readers so invested in the story that they can't wait for the next chapter. It's amazing what people will do, and I know there are people out there that marry for money, perhaps Jackie is a little further than that, but it is possible. A bus hmmmm... *ponders ideas*

You'll get absolutely NO argument from me!!!

Thanks for the review, Gary! Brent is definitely a mess and in some ways not really thinking clearly. I agree that going to court could end up in disaster. Only time will tell how the entire situation will play out. As for Mark, hopefully things get better for him and Trey as well.

Thanks for the review, Lisa! I definitely agree with you on Jackie being a snake and that Brent is nothing like her. However, taking her to court for custody is a crapshoot. Custody cases such as this, at least that I've seen, isn't a jury trial, the decision is made solely by the judge. It's unfortunate, but there's no guarantee the judge would find in Brent's favor. I've seen people who fight for custody, where it's clear what is in the best interests of the kids, but the judge still goes in favor of the mom.

It was a big week here in the news blog. For those that missed it, we had 21 new stories posted as part of the Secret Santa Short Story Contest! We've only had a few votes come in so far, but don't worry, there's still plenty of time for you to get your vote in!!! Votes have to be in by 2:00 PM EST on the 23rd of December. There's lots of great stories, and picking a favorite might be hard, but you never know, the story you pick could have been written by one of your favorite authors. Monday and Tuesday were both posts for our Signature Author Week. This month's feature is Graeme's story, Heart of the Tree. On Monday we posted the banner and members' reviews of the story. Then on Tuesday, we posted an excerpt from the story! Friday brought us a couple of new prompts from the prompt guru. Hopefully one of them will inspire you to create! 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 By our Promoted Authors: *Note* Though they'll be a week late, the stories in the Secret Santa Contest will be added to the weekly wrap up next week after the reveal. The Degan Paradox by Rob Colton; Book 3 of Galactic Conspiracies *Premium* Cards on the Table by Headstall Headstall's Reflections by Headstall The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Aditus' prompts and circumstances by aditus Thwarted by Renee Stevens It Had to be Good! - Christmas at Famous-Barr 1929 by AC Benus No Flash by Cia The Holly and the Ivy by aditus My Brother Daniel by Nephylim Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings Holding Back by Thorn Wilde The G. M. Os. by CarlHoliday Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

It's time for the last Prompts of the year!!! Normally we'd have at least one more, but with the 25th falling on a Friday and the reveal for the Secret Santa Contest happening on the 25th, there won't be any prompts next week. Don't forget to send your votes to A.J. before December 23rd at 2:00 PM EST. Now, onto the prompts! Hopefully you'll find one of these prompts to your liking. Don't forget to share it in the prompt forum, and also, please remember that prompts under 1,000 words have to be placed in a collection. Let's see what we have this week. Prompt 466 - Creative Tag - First Line "He really wants that for his gift?" Prompt 467 -Creative Tag -The Cold Tonight was supposed to be a romantic date night that you have been planning for weeks. Instead, you have a cold that is knocking you out. How does your date night go? Today we're featuring Jamessavik's response to Prompt #464. Enjoy Read the rest.

I currently have 18 stories entered into the contest. Please check that your story is listed, if it is NOT, please PM me ASAP so that it can be fixed before voting goes live.

“So, what’s your plan?” Mark would do anything he could to help Brent. “At this point, I don’t trust Jackie any more than you do.” Brent kicked at a rock, stopped, and turned to face Mark. “You’re right. It’s entirely possible that I’ll give her what she wants, and she’ll take Matthew and run. I’m not planning on giving her that opportunity.” “How are you going to stop her? She’s his mom. You try to keep her from him and I don’t doubt she’ll bring the law into it.” Mark couldn’t believe what h

The deadline isn't over yet, but if you've already sent your story in, please check the list to ensure your story IS listed. If it is, you don't have to do anything. If it's NOT, please PM me. I have locked this thread to prevent anyone accidentally revealing which story is theirs. I will add new stories as I receive them and upload them. All I Want For Christmas Chrisis Eve Cruising For Love At Christmas Elves! From Santa Habibi Julebukking La Gracier Et La Paix (The Pardon and the Peace) Meeting Santa Mistletoe Balls My Very Own Secret Santa Myrthcottle’s Memories Operation Wonder Santa's Little Helper Seven Swans The Baker's Helper The Letter: A Christmas Tale The Modern Magi, or Miracle at the Angel Tree The Old Ways The Secret Santa Game Twenty-Three Days of Advent

Sorry Aditus! I looked at dates wrong, I'll go take a look and fix it, (plus a couple others that I probably didn't enter for the same reason. Edit to Add: Fixed!

This week was a busy week. Don't forget that the 15th at 2pm EST is the last chance to get your entries in for the Secret Santa Short Story Contest. Unfortunately, if they're not in by then, I can't include them in the voting that will start on the 16th. Good luck to all the entrants. On Monday, Cia announced the choices for the December CSR. This month is all about Christmas stories! On Wednesday we had this month's Ask An Author feature. To see what the authors were asked, and what their answers were, check it out. There were no prompts on Friday, due the Thursday release of the 2015 Winter Anthology: Blackout. There were eleven entries provided by ten authors. If you haven't already done so, go read and let the authors know what you thought. Saturday we had a reminder post for the Secret Santa Story Contest. 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 By our Promoted Authors: The Degan Paradox by Rob Colton; Book 3 of Galactic Conspiracies *Premium* Prying Ears by craftingmom *2015 Winter Anthology* The Light by Headstall *2015 Winter Anthology* The Embers by Cole Matthews *2015 Winter Anthology* Escape by Valkyrie *2015 Winter Anthology* Burning Bright by Renee Stevens *2015 Winter Anthology* 08:15 AM Redux by aditus *2015 Winter Anthology* Lights On! by aditus *2015 Winter Anthology* Falling by Cia *2015 Winter Anthology* Black Widow by Mark Arbour Headstall's Reflections by Headstall It Had to be Good! - Christmas at Famous-Barr 1929 by AC Benus No Flash by Cia The Holly and the Ivy by aditus Gay Metal by carringtonrj Sword of Kings: Tempered by Fate by Bill W; Book 3 of Sword of Kings Holding Back by Thorn Wilde Innocence & Carnality by Mann Ramblings Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Okay, Val, I have to say it, you are evil! Can't believe you left it there when I definitely wanted to find out more.

You already know most of my thoughts on this story, but one bears repeating... I still want more

A great lesson on what happens when you eavesdrop. Not only do you most likely not get the entire story, but it's entirely possibly you'll make rash decisions that are entirely wrong. I have to say, Colt was kinda funny when he got all flustered, but I really liked the way Ryan defended him to Trent. Nicely done.

I love how they're more than willing to help others, when they're trying to survive themselves. Great little story, Carlos.

Wow. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I was simply figuring it was a guy with amnesia, and it was, but I hadn't expected him being a ghost. You definitely got my attention with this one and kept it until the end. Nice job

Well done, Gary. You really captured my attention, and while I might have suspected, you kept me wondering on which way would prevail. It was great to see that, in the end, his bond to David was enough to keep him there.

Thanks, LadyDe! I really wanted a sense of realism to the migraines, so not only did I take from my own experience, but I also did some online searches to see how other people described theirs.

Thank you, Litlover! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and honestly, I couldn't have said it better myself, so I'm not even going to try.

Thank you, skinnydragon. I typically like to take my anthologies in a different direction, and this is one I can safely say had a barely there link to the theme, but it was there and was realistic. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks, Val! Sometimes just being there is the best way to show you care about someone. Of course, having the man you love on his knees with a ring box is another good way

Thank you, Roman!

Thank you, AC. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I debated on having the shower scene go further, but it just didn't fit who the characters were. I think I made the right call!

Thanks, Puppilull. I agree, grand gestures can be great, but they're not always needed.

Thank you, Gary! I definitely wanted to show how much these two meant to each other. It's an amazing feeling, despite the pain Bryce has to endure, to have someone there when you really need them. As for the ending, I debated on leaving it there, but it just felt right to me. I'm glad it worked and that you enjoyed it.