Renee Stevens

Hey now, I'll have you know that I've never been a nosy sister... I don't think... well, not like Jackie anyways. I'm glad that the story is feeling realistic to you as that is something that I've strived to accomplish in these short chapters. Sometimes it can be quite the challenge! Hope you enjoy the rest!

Me? Cliffhanger? I'm just trying to keep the readers enticed and coming back for more . Don't worry, all your questions will be answered... Eventually

Thanks for the review! I think the only thing we can be grateful for at this point is that Trey was with Mark when he got the call. As to how it's going to affect them, only time (and more chapters) will tell.

Who? Moi? Never!!! *giggle* Sometimes dinner just isn't as important as other things, lol... And sometimes it's just as good cold or reheated While I'm sure Jackie is trying to make Mark's life easier, the pessimist in me see's it as another way for her to try and gain an extra measure of control over his life. Which is precisely why Mark needs to think about it long and hard. Thanks for the review Mr. Yettie!

Thank you LadeDe! Gary and Diane being there will definitely make it easier, though not easy, for Trey to do what he has to. Doubtless he'll still be worried about Mark,but at least he'll be able to leave knowing that Mark will have somebody with him.

I wish I could give Trey the credit for his parents showing up, but unfortunately, that's all on Gary and Diane. I'm sure part of it is just knowing how much it was tearing Trey up knowing he was going to have to leave, but the other part is exactly what they said, Mark is essentially already their son-in-law, which makes him family. He needs them, so they'll be there. I can't say too much about Jackie without giving some of the later stuff away, so that's something you'll have to wait and see later. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for the review!

I had to do something! As for Trey having just got off the phone with them... They had to get his address somehow, lol. Thanks for the review DDK!

Thanks for the review Lisa. You're probably right, it definitely is helpful that Mark has already been through what Trey is going through now and has probably mentally prepared himself for what he knew was coming (in terms of Trey's mindset). However, I couldn't just let Trey get completely away with it

Thank you DDK! That was kind of my thought too, that they had to be getting a bit stressed and it would seem weird if that stress didn't show itself in some small way. Plus, I felt that actually snapping at each other would, in a way, show their comfort level with each other. They can snap and know the other won't take it personally.

Your welcome Suvitar, and thank you for the review. Sorry about the delay in posting. I don't know as I'd call it a "fight" per se... more a case of "blowing off steam". LOL.

Thank you Gary. They really only had two choices, walk away from each other (which based on the intensity of the connection between them didn't seem likely) or do their best to give it a go. Neither one of them strikes me as the type to give up easily, so there was really only one answer to their dilemma .

Thank you for the review JT. I admit that the chapter does make it seem like a final goodbye, but in truth, that is the reality of when a loved one is being deployed and I wanted to really show that here. There is always the knowledge that it might be the last time you see them and while you hope for the best, you have to prepare yourself for the worst and you don't want to leave anything left unsaid.

Thank you Gary. Unfortunately, it was time for the guys to leave and head back. The time for Trey to leave is looming and the guys need to face it.

Thank you Gary! I'm glad to know that I've managed to hook you with this story. I hope that I'm able to keep you feeling that connection to the characters. I definitely know what you mean about that type of connection being indicative of having found the one meant for you. Now it's just a matter of seeing what the journey holds and how they weather it!

I guess the fact that I can bring out such strong emotions in my readers means that I have succeeded in making you care about the characters. That is something I always strive to do and I'm glad I've been able to do that with this story. I'm lucky that I still have both of my parents and don't know what I'd do if I lost either one of them, though I am sure I'd be devastated, and we're not estranged like Mark is with his parents. I do agree with you that he'll regret not having made up with his mom, the question is what other feelings are going to manifest because of the guilt and regret. Yes, Jackie with be there, and so will Brent, but he'll have his hands full with Jackie. Mark needs someone there for him, but like you said, Trey won't be there. He has to leave, he has no choice. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters and thanks for the review!

When I started this story, I knew SOME, but not all of what the guys would go through, and the name seemed fitting as it seemed like everything was set to try and keep them from being together. And yes, sometimes life really does suck. Now we just have to wait and see how the guys make it through this latest wrench. Thank you for the review, Gary!

I know the feeling. I suppose in some aspects you have to look at it as, at least Trey was with him when he got the news. It won't make it easier that Trey is gone during what is to follow, but at least he was there at the onset. Thank you for the review!

Mark couldn’t sleep. He tried, but there was just too much on his mind. Between his mother’s death and Trey’s leaving in the morning, he was restless. He scooted over in the bed and wrapped his arm around Trey, pulling him back against his chest. “You okay?” Trey’s voice was rough with sleep. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He hadn’t, he’d just wanted to hold him. “It’s okay”—Trey twisted until they were facing each other—“I’d rather spend time with you than sleep anyways. Now, answ

Our featured story for the September Signature Background is "9.11" by Mark Arbour. As I'm sure many can imagine, writing about the events of September 11, 2001 couldn't have been easy. Not only do we get to learn a little about Mark Arbour in today's interview by Cia, but we also get to hear from him on what it was like to actually write about the events of 9.11. Interview: Mark Arbour on " 9.11" Personal: Single people work more. Are you single? I would like to see your empirical evidence to support that statement, which is my way of saying that’s bullshit: single people do not work more. And no, I’m not single. Chocolate or Vanilla? I like chocolate, but really light chocolate. There’s an ice cream shop near my house that makes awesome chocolate shakes: I have them use about a third the chocolate syrup they normally use. What brought you to the site? Dom Luka. I fell in love with his writing, and when he made the migration to GA, I went with him. I came over at about the same time as Sharon and Vic. I miss Vic. Writing in General: 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? My characters write the stories for me. It’s like I put them in a place, give them a premise, and then turn them loose. They do the rest. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I can’t answer that question by naming one person, because this whole writing thing has been an evolution. The writer who originally inspired me was John Walsh, who wrote "Fraternity Memoirs". I loved his story, and how vivid his characters were. The author who encouraged me the most (and still does) is Adam Phillips. I love his mind. Then there’s Dom Luka: his writing is not only awesome, it’s also a challenge, to see if I can even get close to building stories like he does. Name one entity that you feel most supported you in your writing endeavors. That’s easy: my team. If they quit, I’d probably stop writing. When did you first consider yourself a writer? When I first published "Chronicles of an Academic Predator" here on GA, it started to get some real traction with lots of ‘views,’ and that made me think I could actually do this, that I could write. But I didn’t really think of myself as an author until I got promoted to Promising status. After that, I felt like I was part of the GA writer’s guild (there isn’t one, but there should be). Story Specific: Tackling the 9-11 attacks is a pretty big challenge. How did you approach it? After I finished "Millennium", which ended at the beginning of 2000, I could just feel this event looming. To be honest, I took awhile (2 stories) before I got there, and I was probably avoiding it. But it was such a pivotal point in our history, that I knew I had to deal with it, and I was determined to try to do it justice. How did you do that? Two things: research and story structure. I read three books on 9-11, including one on the architecture of the twin towers, in addition to countless web pages. I found that Wikipedia was a very reliable source, but I could only come to that conclusion after looking at a bunch of other stuff too. The other part was how I set up the story. The first part shows the characters blithely going along, doing what they do, mostly getting into petty arguments with each other, or screwing up their relationships. The attacks are next, and there really isn’t a character that isn’t devastated by them. The latter part shows them dealing with the aftermath, and the grief. I drew on my own experiences, where those attacks changed things for me, and changed how I looked at things. The little bullshit just didn’t matter as much after watching those towers collapse. Writing a story like this must be emotionally draining. Is this the toughest one you’ve written? It’s very draining. There were times when I’d write a chapter and find myself wiping tears out of my eyes as I did. As for the toughest story, I think it’s a toss-up between this one and "1968". "1968" was pretty dark, and while this story certainly isn’t a happy tale, it has some bright points you can hang your psyche on. You’ve written one story since you finished 9.11, and you’re working on another one. What are your future plans for the CAP series? The story after "9.11", "Flux", was largely about the characters recovering from the attacks and trying to move forward with their lives. The current story, "Streak", is focused on two of the characters that are closeted athletes: one is a football player; the other is a figure skater. I think that "Streak" could be considered a continuation of "Flux", but the story after this will be different. I’ve got some ideas, and some new characters to bring into the mix with that one.

Once I've gone through all the Premium Stories, I'll be going through them again, I'd like to have reviews for ALL the premium stories, if you'd like to review any of the premium stories for the Premium Tuesday posts, please let me know!!!

DOH!!! Thanks, going to fix it now!

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 Content. There are many great stories to be found in the Premium section, one of which is "The Experiment" by Cia. The Experiment by Cia Ryker thought he volunteered for an experiment that would help his government in a war against an alien planet. He didn't know he would become the experiment, or that he'd end up on a planet full of aliens that killed humans on sight. He wasn't exactly human anymore though. Series: Saving Caeorleia Words: 94,841 Chapters: 34 Category Fiction Genres Fantasy, Drama Tags Future, Anal, Off-Planet, Aliens, Medical Rating Mature Want to read "The Experiment"? 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

“Here we go again.” “What?” I looked over at Jamie. She shook her head and leaned down to kiss Jake. “Why don’t you go play in your room for a few minutes while I talk to your dad?” She smiled at our son. “I’ll come say bye before I leave.” “Okay.” Jake barely even glanced at me before disappearing down the hall to his bedroom, leaving me alone with his mother. Even Murray left the room. Traitors, the both of them. Dread settled in my gut as I watched Jake go and I turned to Jamie. “O

Trebs will never be forgotten. I miss talking to him and opening my email to find a funny picture he sent just to make me smile

Don't know about the "much deserved" but yes, I will be taking some time off. Lucky for me, you were willing to cover the weekly wrap up for me while I'm gone!