Renee Stevens

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Last week we did a post on Constructive Criticism. I received so many great responses, I decided it was better to break it up and do two posts rather than the single one that I originally had planned. Today, we're looking at the final five author's answers to the question: What is constructive criticism? Enjoy! So there you have it, the final five! Now, I have a question for all of you! Do you have a question you would like to put to all the authors, site wide? Maybe you have a question you'd like to put to all the readers, or the editors? Maybe even the beta readers! I'm always looking for new ideas for blog articles. If you have an idea for a question for me to pose to the site members, send me a PM!

I hope everyone has had a great week. It's almost time for another week to start, but before that happens, let's take a look at what happened this week in the GA News Blog. We started out Monday by looking at "Imprint" by Hermit in the Cave. We had a wonderful review provided to us by Faxity and based upon some of the comments, "Imprint" has been added to many members' reading lists! Check out the review and see if maybe you should be adding it to yours! Tuesday was our Premium Tuesday post and this week we took a look at Ice Fairy 3. Just a reminder that this will be the last Premium Tuesday for a while and Tuesdays will be becoming our Tech Tuesdays until after the forum and story upgrades are complete. If you want to review a Premium Story for once the Premium Tuesday posts start up again, please contact Renee Stevens to see which stories are still available. Ever wanted to know what authors considered to be constructive criticism? Check out our Wednesday Post, which just happens to be Part 1 of a 2 part post, the second part of which will post next week. These posts are all about authors' definition of constructive criticism! Friday brought two new prompts for you to try. Not only is there a new "First Line" prompt, but there's a prompt with the tag of "All Alone". For our featured prompt response this week we featured Cia's prompt response to Prompt #370. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT* 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd ***NEW READING*** In Premium: The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church By our Signature Authors: Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W Finding Alex by Nephylim HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont Fortitude by Cia A prompt a week by comicfan By our Promising Authors: Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews Runner-Up by FrenchCanadian Vintage by carringtonrj The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Six Billion Credit Rent Boy by Sasha Distan Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Yay! We're at the end of the week and that means it's time for two new prompt responses! I hope everyone has had a great week so far. Maybe you're just wanting to write a quick little tale, or maybe you just need something to get the writing juices flowing. Either way, hopefully one of these two prompts will call out to you! Don't forget to share your responses in the Prompt Forum! Prompt 372 – Creative Tag – First Line “Wait. You want me to do what now?” Prompt 373 – Creative Tag – All Alone You and your partner have been so busy lately that you have spent nearly no time alone. You are surprised when you find yourself being taken out on rowboat to the middle of the lake. Now that you are all alone together one of you feels the need to finally spill the beans. What is this conversation and how does your time alone on the lake end? This week I decided to feature someone who hasn't done a prompt response in a while, but decided to do a response to Prompt #370, hope you enjoy this response by Cia: That's the full prompt response, but if you'd like to leave her a review, you can do so here.

Many authors welcome criticism, providing it is constructive, but... What is constructive criticism? The definition can vary from person to person, so rather than just one author giving their definition, I thought it would be a good idea to get multiple perspectives. I put the question out to all authors site wide and got eleven great responses. With so many great responses, I've decided to do a part 1 and a part 2. Here's part 1, enjoy! So there's the first 6, next week you'll get the other 5!

Premium Tuesday is a great day to look at some of the stories available in the Premium section of Gay Authors. Today we're looking at Stephanie L Danielson's story Ice Fairy 3. I'd also like to note that after today, we'll be taking a bit of a break from the Premium Tuesday posts, but they'll return after after the forum updates have been completed. Don't worry, we'll still have a Tuesday post. Until Premium Tuesday returns, Myr will be taking over Tuesday's for Tech Tuesday! Now, let's take a look at Ice Fairy 3! Ice Fairy 3 by Stephanie L Danielson After Sam's win at the Olympics; things are good, right? Wrong! Rife with jealousy over how his lover is now a celebrity, and more angry with how his time is eaten up; Brett is feeling insecure about everything. Will their plans hold up and will their love survive? Series: Ice Fairy Words: 54,757 Chapters: 22 Category Fiction Genres Romance, Drama Tags Gay, Adult, Sports, Parents, Psychology, Mature Adult Rating Mature Want to read "Ice Fairy 3"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a Premium Subscription! Premium Content $8.10 $8.10 Monthly Premium Content - 3 Months $24.00 $24.00 Every 3 months Premium Content - 6 Months $47.00 $47.00 Every 6 months Premium Content - 1 Year $93.00 $93.00 Annually

One of the great things about starting a new week is bringing attention to a story that might go unnoticed amongst the nearly 3500 stories posted on Gay Authors. This week, faxity has supplied us with a review of an in process story called "Imprint", written by Hermit in the Cave. Feel free to share your thoughts as well, and if you aren't already reading it, maybe faxity's review will make you want to start! Enjoy! Imprint by Hermit in the Cave Author Reviewer: faxity Status: In Progress Words: 149,685 ‘Imprint’ is a fantasy story that will teach you the meaning of the word ‘mystery’. From the very beginning, nothing is revealed and yet everything is hinted at, drawing you ever onwards into a world that’s as enigmatic as it is intriguing. Each chapter will make you re-evaluate what you think you know, and you may be left staring at the screen in awe when you figure something new out. It’s on chapter 18 as of 9/16/14, and almost everything I ‘know’ about the story is either a supposition or an assumption. The author carefully leaves tidbits of information for the reader to find, like highly addictive chocolate chips, and they’re easy enough to miss that finding one gives a genuine sense of accomplishment. Each ‘tidbit’ is like one dot on a ‘Connect the Dots’ drawing, but the dots are spaced far enough apart that the picture could be anything. Your imagination will draw the lines, but just when it’s starting to resemble one thing, you’ll find another tidbit that makes it look like something else entirely. This amazing world that Hermit in the Cave has created is defined by the characters. They seem to jump out of your screen and pull you into their world with them, and you’ll be drawn along through their trials and triumphs. A list of the characters would be a spoiler (refer to where I said nothing is revealed XD), so I’ll only describe the first character to be met, a man named Frost. He’s quiet, and he can’t handle too much human interaction. He lives in a small apartment, and he works at a bookstore where he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. Like all the other characters, his past is as murky as his future, but he’ll quickly earn your love and a place in your heart. Far from seeming pathetic, as you’d expect, Frost’s inability to function near people is endearing. The secrets surrounding Frost only become more mysterious when he meets a familiar stranger, and you’ll find yourself craving the next tidbit of information as they interact. Frost’s story isn’t the only one in ‘Imprint’, and you’ll find the story isn’t so quiet and peaceful after all when you read on. If you’ve ever read a mystery book before, then you have a pretty good idea of what ‘Imprint’ isn’t. It’s unconventional, but not so different as to be jarring. It will pull you out of your comfort zone just enough to make you realize how much nicer it is out here. There’s no wondering who the murderer is, no imagining how they got away with it. ‘Imprint’ isn’t a story about a mystery; it’s a mystery about a story, and the story beneath the mystery is a thing of dreams. It’s an amazing romance, seamlessly woven out of multiple plots, that will demonstrate just how much love can endure, and how many different forms love can take. Oh, if you don’t have a good idea of the plot by now, don’t worry. I don’t either. Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance Tags: Alternate Earth, Violent, Love, Suspense, Dark, Serious Rating: Mature

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and is refreshed and ready for the start of a new week. Don't forget the deadline for the 2014 Winter Anthology is coming up fast, I look forward to seeing what everyone is working on! Now, let's see what happened this week in the GA News Blog. This week was Signature Week here at the blog and we took a closer look at "Save or Sacrifice" by Comicality. Not only did we give a couple more chances to download the Signature Background for the month but on Monday, Cole Matthews provided us with a great review meant to entice readers. We didn't stop there, because on Wednesday, Cia did an interview with Comsie. She asked a lot of great questions and if you're curious to learn a little more about Comsie, go take a look. If you've been thinking about whether or not to get a Premium Subscription, our Premium Tuesday is a great way to find out some of what's available in Premium. This week's featured Premium story was Displacement by Dkstories. There's also links to make it easier if you decide you do want to become a Premium member! What better way to start the weekend than with a couple of new prompts from the prompt guru. This week Comicfan gave us a list of words and a prompt with the tag "the proposition". If either of those call out to you, take a gamble and maybe your prompt response will be featured next week just like Stephanie L Danielson's was this week. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd ***NEW READING*** In Premium: The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church By our Signature Authors: Dribbles by Cia Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus Line of Sight by Renee Stevens Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards More Than A Pact by Renee Stevens Thwarted by Renee Stevens My One True Weakness by Comicality The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) By our Promising Authors: Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicles Vintage by carringtonrj The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews Six Billion Credit Rent Boy by Sasha Distan Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan The English Year by Jwolf Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Glad you enjoyed the chapter Timothy. As to what is allowed, it's entirely up to the author. When I started "Line of Sight" I decided that I would not deviate from each chapter starting with a first line prompt. When I could no longer find suitable first line prompts for each chapter, the story would hopefully be at a place where it was feasible to bring it to an end. Luckily, Line of Sight hit such a spot where it's feasible to end this part of their story. I do have some ideas for what can happen for them next, so this won't be the last we see of Tony, Brad, Jake, Paul, and Jamie. Thanks for the review!

“Can I talk to you?” “Sure.” I stepped back and let Tony in before crouching down so I was eye level with Jake. “Why don’t you go play in your room while I talk to Mr. Tony?” “Okay, Daddy!” I watched as Jake ran down the hall and turned back to Tony. He’d already taken off his coat and set it aside. It had only been a couple days since we’d taken our relationship to the next level, and I’d seen him when I’d dropped Jake off and picked him up, but I’d missed him. “Everything okay?” I st

Thirty-five years old and still alone, Paul's surprised to hear from his college buddy Mac. Sure, they've kept in touch through the years, but something is different this time. What makes this birthday so much more special to Mac?

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone has had a great week so far. To help you finish off your week and get a great start on your weekend, we have two new prompts from the prompt guru, Comicfan! We'd love to see what you come up with, so don't forget to share your prompt responses in the Prompt Forum, you never know, your response might be shared next week! Prompt 370 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following in a story – turkey, gift, flowers, blue sweater, and a pen. Prompt 371 - Creative Tag – The Proposition Life hasn’t gone too smoothly lately. Your job has been cutting back on both the hours and the work force. Your bills stay constant and things are just barely being met. Then you got sick and missed a month’s work while tests were run and you spent time in the hospital. With everything you saved gone it is getting desperate. That is when a proposition comes across the desk to you. Basically to the world outside you would be kept. A house, a car, and everything else, only you become the eye candy and the cook, but you can forget love and sleeping with them. You are just a cover. Do you go for it or possibly lose it all? There were three great prompt responses from last weeks prompt responses, but this week I decided to feature Stephanie L Danielson's response to Prompt #369: To read the rest, click here.

ROFL @ your lack of hesitation. I think a lot of people didn't really see any of this coming, but I think if you think back to some of the stuff with Jackie in earlier chapters, you should be able to see some of the signs, but I promise things should become more clear in upcoming chapters. I look forward to seeing what you think of how Brent handles things. Thanks for the review!!!

LOL, it's okay hon, you can use that word to describe Jackie, we won't tell anyone. Besides, it seems everyone else is agreeing with you. You are right that there are very few words that can accurately describe the way she is behaving. The near future is definitely not looking too promising for Mark. I can also understand your concern about not telling Trey and agree to a point. Mark can confide in him what happened, but perhaps not the venom Jackie spewed about Mark choosing him over his family. It's bad enough Gary and Diane had to hear it. Thanks for the review!!!

LOL. Jackie being a bitch seems to be the consensus amongst my readers. I think once some of the upcoming chapters are out, things will hopefully start making even more sense. As for the father, he's just a complete ass. Gary is so much better. Thanks for the review ninecila!

It would appear so. His biological family seems to be turning into a couple of nutcases. Thanks for the review DDK!

Thank you for the review Robert! I'm glad that the emotions came through as that is something I always worry about, especially in these short chapters. As for Brent... I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when that comes up. Trey's response... I can only imagine how he's going to react when he finds out what has happened.

Thank you for the review Geemeedee! There are definitely still lots of questions that need answers for, but they are coming. I'm not sure Mark could handle much more at this point, with as cruel as Jackie is being, but he is strong, and he does have Diane and Gary there. Only time, and upcoming chapters, will answer the remaining questions. I look forward to seeing what you think!

Thank you for the review Morgana! It was cruel and it's interesting to see peoples thoughts on why Jackie is behaving as she is. I don't think you're alone in wanting to hit her, and I'd love to know what you think of the upcoming chapters!

I had it ready to go and had decided if I hit a certain point I'd go ahead and post. I hit that point, so I posted. This was a hard chapter, but not everything was unexpected. I think Mark's Dad has pretty much lived up to expectations. It's going to be interesting to see what happens from this point forward, I'm curious to see what you think about what's coming up! As for Jackie... just wait until you find out what's coming up Thanks for the review!!!

“You bastard!” Mark pushed past Jackie and threw himself at his dad. He followed David down to the floor and started swinging, using the weight of his body to keep his dad on the floor. “Daddy!” Mark barely heard Jackie’s screech, but he sure as hell felt her weight landing on his back. He ignored her as he landed punch after punch. His father struggled beneath him but couldn’t evade his fists and Mark felt a vague sense of satisfaction as blood spurted from the man’s nose. Jackie’s weigh

Comicality has been a member of Gay Authors since the beginning, and this week we get to find out a little more about him. If you haven't already downloaded your Signature Background for November, you still have plenty of time. Now, I'm sure you stopped by the blog today to read about Comsie, so let's get to it! Thank you to Cia and Comsie for the interview! Interview: Comicality on Save or Sacrifice Who do you like best, Jerry or Tom? Jerry! All the way! LOL! If you're talking 'cat and mouse', I felt bad for Tom, but Jerry had the most fun! Even if he was being a jerk, at least he got to laugh about it! What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? Hehehe, right now? Black boxer briefs, and that's it. With a robe on the back of my chair in case I have to move around outside of my room. So...yeah. There's a picture to put in people's heads when they read my stuff from here on out! LOL! Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? I wouldn't call it 'making my bed'. I straighten up the pillows and pull the sheets up. But it's hardly something that would pass military inspection. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla! All the way! What brought you to the site? Myriddian! He saved me from nonexistence by being kind enough to offer me a place to stay. Do your characters try to make like bunnies and create ever more convoluted plots for you? Or do you have to coax them out of your characters? I have to admit that my characters bully me into doing whatever they want to do most of the time. I always have a plan in mind, but once I start writing, the characters develop themselves and eventually start telling me where the story will go from there. So I get suckered into becoming a reporter instead of a creator after a while. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Dean Lidster and Jaxsper Finn. They were some of the first authors that I ever wrote to from Nifty, and they both answered me! Going to their sites and seeing what was actually possible with writing stories, I can credit them with being the first people to ever inspire me to start writing my own stuff. And Savoir Faire too, as well as a few others! Name one entity that you feel supported you in your writing endeavors outside of family members. I think that was mostly the support that I got from the Shack forum. They are the ones who made it all worthwhile. Especially when "Billy Chase" became a weekly series, and people went to the Library to discuss the events of the story amongst each other. They were really 'reading' and absorbing what was going on. That was the biggest inspiration for me. So my thanks go out to all of them. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? I'm always trying to do something new. That's the most challenging part for me. I want to write a story or create something that has NEVER been done before! And that's nearly impossible these days. But I keep trying. I keep thinking that there's got to be ONE tiny little corner of love and affection in a story that hasn't been explored yet! So that challenges me. Trying to find a new angle. Trying to improve on what I've done already. I always want to do better. I'm self critical in a major way, so I always want to reach the next level and make something that people will like and respond to. ::Fingers Crossed:: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? Wow....I can't even remember the harshest criticism that I've had since I started writing. I can honestly admit that I've had some really hurtful things hurled my way or said about me in public that have nearly brought me to tears, though. Just cruel and unnecessary comments from people who had no conscience at all about what they were doing. One that I remember, in particular, was 'Encyclopedia Dramatica'. Which is a site dedicated to hurting feelings and making fun of people. But their twisted views on me and my site and what I was trying to do...I can honestly say that they stick out as one of the most hurtful things that has ever been said about me. So congrats to them. I hope their proud of themselves for making me feel like shit while trying to help THEIR kids feel better and more accepting of who they are. Hope they got a big laugh out of it at my expense. But at the end of the day, my site has helped teens come out to their parents and friends. It's prevented suicides from happening. It has helped people realize that love still exists beyond the age of 18...and many adults have found love and companionship on my site well into their 40's. Teens as young as 13 find the stories and find strength where they couldn't find it elsewhere. And Encyclopedia Dramatica? I looked it up just now to add a link...and it's not there anymore. I think there's a bare bones copy of it, if you want to read it. But the Shack is still thriving...and they aren't. So to hell with them and their insults. I'm still going strong. As for the best compliment...I don't think there is one. ANYBODY, from 15 to 50, who writes to me and lets me know that they read and enjoy the stories? I am SUPER appreciative! Honored and blessed! ANY word of positive feedback is enough to make me giggle for the rest of the day! It's all I ask. If there is someone out there who enjoys what I do...and they take the time to tell me so? I am TOTALLY in your debt! Thank you!!! And I love you all! Because most people don't say anything at all. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Ty, who does the "Storm" series has always been a favorite of mine. And guys who started out on the Shack, LemonFresh and TurtleBoy, have impressed me with their work a lot. Also Elias Scott, with his story, "Knots". I am WAAAAY behind on my reading, but I've seen some real talent and ambition in the new generation of writers these days! And when I get more time to read stuff, I'll be letting each and every one of them know how much I appreciate their genius. Because I'm super excited by the kind of stuff that new writers are writing these days! When did you first consider yourself a writer? Hehehe, never. It's never happened. Not even now. I love doing it. But a writer? Eh....not yet. I've still got a lot of bugs to work out of my system. Do you have any writing rituals? Music. I can't write without music. I think I spend more time making playlists for the 'mood' I want for each writing session than I do on the session itself. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published? Not yet. I definitely have my days when I just have something on my mind or an emotion that I need to get rid of or off my chest...and I'll write stuff that I have no plans to ever release, I just wanted to write it out. But as far as stories that I haven't been able to publish? Not yet. If I believe in the finished product...I ALWAYS put it out there. If people hate it or have issues with it, I can always take it back. But at least I forced them to think about the concept. At least they were forced to be aware of it. After that...they have to make a conscious choice to be close-minded or open-minded. And they have to be aware of that choice. So whatever they decide...it's all on their conscience. I can live with that. How many books/stories have you written? Which is your favorite? Oh God! I have no idea!!! LOL! but if I had to choose one hat I was most in tune with...it would be "Gone From Daylight". It's a vampire story, but I think there is more of my real life and personal views on life than any other story on the site. So it's gotta be "GFD"! How did you come up with the title? Hehehe, which title? Did the characters or the plot come to you first? Characters first. always. I'm heavily character oriented. The story? I come up with a vague theme or idea to work with, but until I have the characters straight, I can't figure out what the story is going to be about. If your story were made into a movie, who do you picture playing each characters part? Hehehe, No idea!!! I could fill up 50 pages on this question alone! Believe me! What sort of coffee would your characters order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare? My characters are pretty young. Hehehe, prolly just 'coffee'. um...large. What was your favorite part of the story? I've got certain scenes that I really cherish in the stories. Moments that stand out to me. But I don't know if I have a favorite. They're all my favorite when I'm in the midst of writing that particular scene. Can you share a little of your current work with us? Hehehe, NOPE! Because I'm always writing, but if I mention a story, folks mob me with requests to 'hurry up', and God forbid it doesn't come out on the date I mentioned. I get BULLIED over stuff like that! So I keep my mouth shut, and just release stuff as soon as I can. People don't know how to be NICE to me when it comes to hours and HOURS of my free time!!! What are your future projects? I'm working a lot on ebooks at the moment! That includes "GFD: Persona", "Boys Of Widow Lake: Depths Of Devotion", and "GFD: Nightfall"! Also, I have been putting a LOT of work into re-writing the story "Always", which I hope to have available for Christmas! As for stuff on the site, like I said...I'm not saying anything because people get mean and hate me when I do. So...new stuff is coming as fast as I can type it out! I'm always on the job, so you'll see new stuff soon!

For those who are new to the GA News Blog, Tuesday's are the day when I share a little information about one of our Premium Stories. While Gay Authors is free to it's members, it's not free to run. One of the ways GA keeps the site running is by the help from members who purchase a Premium Subscription. What do you get when you purchase a Premium Subscription? You get access to the select few stories that are not available to the regular membership. One such story is "Displacement" by dkstories. Displacement by Dkstories He was just another Average Joe. Then he was displaced, not just from his home, his school, or his country, but from the earth itself. Now he has to survive strange lizards, hostile humans, and becoming something more than just average. Words: 156,572 Chapters: 30 Category Fiction Genres Sci-Fi, Fantasy Tags Anal, Gay, Mutants, Aliens, Young Adult, Teen Rating Mature Want to read "Displacement"? Or maybe you want to check out more of what's in the Premium Section? It's easy, just purchase a Premium Subscription! Premium Content $8.10 $8.10 Monthly Premium Content - 3 Months $24.00 $24.00 Every 3 months Premium Content - 6 Months $47.00 $47.00 Every 6 months Premium Content - 1 Year $93.00 $93.00 Annually

It's time to take a closer look at the story that was used for this month's Signature Background. If you haven't already, go download the background before the month is over! This month's feature is "Save or Sacrifice" by one of the first author's to be hosted on Gay Authors, having joined all the way back in 2003. Yep, that's right, "Save or Sacrifice" was written by none other than Comicality. Save or Sacrifice By Comicality Signature Author Reviewer: Cole Matthews Status: Complete Word Count: 44,301 Imagine this scenario. A closeted teenaged boy named Cory is an active member of his high school’s gay and lesbian support group. He’s been through all the initial emotions of discovering his sexuality. He has even formulated the steps other gay and lesbian students take towards exploring and engaging that part of their emotional lives. Cory is quite adept and experienced with meeting and having fun exercising his newly accepted sexual awareness. A new boy enters the picture. His name is Ben, and Cory is paired with him as a kind of guide. Quickly they become best friends, inseparable. The two of them build on the connection they’ve found in each other. Their bond is strong. That’s when it starts to go awry. Ben meets another teen, Chandler, and the two of them begin seeing each other, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with Cory joining in on the fun. This scenario Comicality has created appears like many teen stories, until a moral dilemma arises. This is a dilemma Cory can’t resolve, or at least doesn’t want to face. ‘Save or Sacrifice’ is the struggle we all face, one way or another, when negotiating the waters of love, betrayal, lust, and what we really want in our lives. Which is more important, passion or friendship? Is forgiveness possible when a wrong hurts another so deeply? What do we believe about the foundation of a relationship, whether it is that of a friend or a lover? Fortunately, Comicality also gives these characters, and the reader, a mentor whose own experience gives us some of his wisdom. This kindly teacher tries to explain to Cory what he thinks may help when considering all affairs of the heart. For me this advice is the thesis of the entire story. “But in reality, when you take away all the longing, and the sexual attraction, and the sleepless nights, and whole infatuated frenzy of being with them every second of the day…it’s what you’ve got LEFTOVER that really counts. Sometimes, what’s leftover is enough to be in love.” And with that idea, Comicality pushes the characters, and the reader, to mull this idea. We are trapped by the moral question of what constitutes the basis of love and what truly endures within a deep friendship. From time to time as you read the tale, you may want to lash out and scream they don’t get it. Friendship and romantic love can exist side by side, nurturing one another. Comicality doesn’t let you get away that easily. He delves deeper and challenges the characters to solve their central predicament. There are no easy paths or less painful answers. Resolution will only come when the heart is completely exposed, examined and rendered vulnerable. Reading this story is an emotional experience that forces you to consider what matters. Don’t be afraid to dive into this pool. It’s an exploration you’ll find worthwhile. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama Tags: Teen, Modern Rating: Mature

I hope everyone had a great week this past week. A lot of stuff going on this week and there were quite a lot of story updates as well. That's always a good thing as it just means more reading material for all the readers here at GA! Let's see what happened this week in the GA News Blog, shall we? We started the week out by announcing this months CSR story! Have you read "Tears of the Neko" by Craftingmom? If not, you have an entire month to read it before it's time for the discussion day! Our Premium Tuesday story for this week was ~The Life of Him~ by SidLove! Not only do you get to hear a little bit about this Premium Content story, but there's also some great information on how to sign up for Premium Content. Wednesday we took a look at reviewing stories for the blog. We're always looking for new stories to feature, but this week we also talked about needing some Premium Content Subscribers who are willing to review some of the Premium Content. There's lots of information in the Wednesday Blog on what we're looking for in a blog review and how to go about reviewing a story for the blog. If you've thought about it, check it out! There were a lot of Prompt choices this week. Not only did we have the two prompt choices from Comicfan, but we also had Poetry Prompt #3! Something for everyone! For the featured prompt response, we actually did two of the past poetry prompt responses, one set by Aditus and one set by Dolores Esteban. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd ***NEW READING*** In Premium: The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church By our Signature Authors: Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Belovéd by Don H A prompt a week by comicfan The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles Fortitude by Cia Thwarted by Renee Stevens GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban Finding Alex by Nephylim Veil of Shadow by Stellar; Book 2 of unnamed Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W Line of Sight by Renee Stevens By our Promising Authors: Runner-Up by FrenchCanadian The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes by layla Vintage by carringtonrj Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews Six Billion Credit Rent Boy by Sasha Distan Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicles Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan Queer Shakespeare by carringtonrj Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Oh c'mon, would I do that? Okay, yeah, I probably would. Though I had considered having Jake interrupt BEFORE they moved it to the bedroom, so see, I was actually a nice author. As to what's going to happen next... Well, you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for the review, Lisa!