Renee Stevens

I hope everyone has had a great week so far and are now looking forward to the weekend! Who's ready to do some writing? To help you get started, Comicfan has supplied two new prompts!! Don't forget to share your responses in the prompt forum and maybe you'll be featured next week! Prompt 352 – Creative Tag – First Line “I can’t believe you asked him that!” Prompt 353 – Creative Tag – The Anniversary It has been a year since the accident stole your partner away. What is life like a year later? Also, for those who didn't notice, Irritable1 and AC Benus have joined together to bring you Poetry Prompt 1 - !Tanka!. Not sure what "Tanka" is? Check out the actual prompt in the prompt forum to learn more about it and maybe even join those who have posted their response to the first Poetry Prompt! For this week I decided to feature Joann414's response to Prompt #350. I hope you get a chuckle out of it, I know I did: Want to read the rest? Click here!

“I’m so sorry, Mark.” Diane rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. Gary gently guided them inside and shut the door before squeezing clasping Mark’s shoulder in one of his large hands. Mark was stunned and could do nothing else but return the embrace. He was even more shocked at the sudden tightness in his throat. He wasn’t even aware he was crying until Diane pulled back and reached up to wipe his tears away. “Mom, Dad? What are you doing here?” Trey sounded just as shocked an

I can't believe how quickly this year seems to be going. It's already the beginning of September and since it's also the first Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our monthly feature, Ask An Author. This great feature is provided to us every month by Dark, to help keep it going, don't forget to PM Dark your questions for your favorite authors! Ask an Author #20 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #19, we had questions for authors Layla, lilansui, and Thorn WIlde. In AtA #20, we hear from authors Aditus, Celethiel, TetRefine. 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 is Aditus, who makes this look easy. Many of you know my feelings about vampires, but have you read From the Ashes Springs New Life? You’d think Halloween + vampire = horror, but I found this entry for W_L’s Halloween collection deliciously fun. Aditus is also one of the writers of Gaia Town. For those of you not in the know, Gaia Town is a story written in a round-robin style, with all authors contributing to the plot and characters. If you want to know more, check out the forum here: Gaia Town. Aditus reads everything, so watch out! To Aditus: Since English isn't your first language, do you brainstorm for a story in German or in English? When I get an idea for a story, I see pictures in my mind, in other words, I use one of the most basic languages that exists. If I explore the idea further, brainstorm, I always do that in English. It isn't a conscious decision, I do it involuntarily. It's also the reason why lately I have more problems writing a story in German than in English. For poems, though, I still prefer German. When I start writing, and don't know a word, I paraphrase, looking it up would interrupt my thought process. Later I read everything aloud, change what sounds wrong, look up words or expressions, and hope Lisa and Zombie won't ever resign their job. Up next is artist and Author Celethiel. From Montana, he writes both prose and poetry, and he likes to draw. Talk about a triple threat! Plus, if you’ve ever visited his blog, you’ll see examples of the bracelets he’s made. Celethiel is one of our more prolific poets, all organized by theme. I think my favorite collection is The Elementals. Maybe I like them because they’re “dark.” Then again, there’s just something so stirring about them and I love the build-up toward a climax. If you like vampires and the teen genre, you’ll definitely want to check out A Crimson Frost. Maybe if enough of us poke him, Celethiel will finish it. Oh! And random tidbit: Celethiel shares a birthday with my sister. To Celethiel: Have your stories been (or do your stories get) influenced by stories you've read? My stories have been influenced by lots of things, books I've read, movies I've watched, my life, my dreams, history it's self. You can see a lot of the influences of movies like the 1963 movie the Raven, and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (cheesy movie, you don't want to watch it), both of which i watched as a child. You may also see some influence of Tolkien and David Eddings in it as well. Although most of these are in the aesthetics and technic of what I writing, rather than plot. Possibly though some of the greatest influence on my writing, at least consciously, came from James V. Smith, who actually wrote a book on the subject. On my poetry... I'd tell you i get my inspiration from emotions, politics, war, while i got idea of poetic quatranes from the Mayans. It was an attempt on my part to create my own poetic style, which may have been more or less successful. So as you can see there are a lot of things that really go into the things I write. Last but not least, is Author TetRefine. Although he’s only been with GA since 2009, TetRefine’s one of those guys that you wonder how you lived without. 2014 is going to be an exciting and challenging year for Tet as he finishes college and decides what his next steps are going to be. He’s already got one thing many of us are still looking for: a loving, supportive partner of several years. Plus, we’ve finally convinced him to write for us! Go take a look at The Gauntlet, a story about a college lacrosse player. Like Tet, main character Mark has a lot to come to grips with in his life. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a happy ending. To TetRefine: What do you like the most about your writing process? Which part you find it most challenging? The part I like most about my own personal writing process is exploring how gay men reconcile their masculinity with their homosexuality. One of the things that bothers me in gay fiction is how authors often portray a "straight-acting" closeted character's coming out as neat and orderly. He meets a out-and-proud boy, they stay secret for a while, and eventually the "straight-acting" guy comes out and its happily ever after. I just don't think that it's that simple or easy in real life. I think the struggles that guys like that go through can be harsh and painful, and don't always have a happy ending. I like exploring what I see as a more realistic view of people like that when I create each chapter. 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! Coming next time: Comicfan, K.C., and Reddirtwriter. Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark). Until next time! Dark

Thank you Daithi. I really wanted to show with this story that Jerry is more than just a klutz and can be the one who takes care of Chris when the situation warrants it. I debated having Jerry be the one who had the episode, but then decided that I liked the idea of having their roles switched around a bit. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you Mike. I wish I could say that it was all straight from my imagination or from doing research, but unfortunately, everything that happened after the episode (ie. Chris' thoughts upon waking, the ride to the hospital, the tests, etc) were things that I actually had to experience. It was certainly not fun and my husband was a mess, similar to Jerry. It was definitely a challenge to turn my own experience into a Jerry & Chris tale, and I did change aspects of it, but much of it was my experience.

Thank you Stephen.

Yep, the boys are back, just a bit different from normal. It was time for everyone to see Jerry actually step up and show that he can be more than a klutz when he has to be. I love working with the guys and we may just see more of them in the future. Thanks for the review Wayne, glad you enjoyed the story!

Thank you Cassie. I've always liked Jerry and Chris and the little looks into their lives. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for the review! Sorry about the delay in replying.

It's time for another look into the Premium Section of Gay Authors. As most people know, the Premium Section is our way of saying Thank You to those who help support Gay Authors by purchasing a Premium Subscription. There are quite a few stories that have either only posted in Premium or have been moved to Premium for one reason or another. This week, we are showcasing "Social Skills" by Sara Alva. Social Skills by Sara Alva Connor Owens is a violinist, a college freshman, and an extreme introvert . . . but when he reluctantly takes a job tutoring for the athletic department, he meets someone who just might be the ticket out of his self-imposed prison. Words: 108,812 Chapters: 28 Category Fiction Genres Romance Tags Modern, Coming of Age, First Time, Gay, Music, Young Adult Rating Mature Want to read "Social Skills"? 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

Hope everyone had a great week and for many, hope you are having a wonderful extended weekend! Reminder: SonoLuminus has decided to participate in Light the Night, a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has dedicated her walk, and even named her team, in memory of Robert (aka Trebs) who passed away on August 7th after a long battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. To learn more about Light the Night and how you can help support SonoLuminus, please visit the lounge topic. For those who read this month's CSR choice, In The Depths of Despair, the discussion was held on Monday. Cia interviewed InTheMindOfSunshine for the blog feature and then later on in the evening, InTheMindOfSunshine joined us here at the blog for a live Q & A. For our Premium Tuesday story, we took a look at "Comfort Only" by RCMills. "Comfort Only" is just one of the many stories that are available to Premium Subscribers. If you want access to even more great stories, and want to help support GA at the same time, check out Tuesday's post to see how! On Wednesday, Myr joined us in the blog for his monthly Tech blog. This month he gave us another look into what's coming with the upcoming upgrades. There are definitely some changes on the horizons when it comes to the way we will be reviewing and commenting on stories. Check out Myr's Tech Blog if you want to know more! Our Prompt Me brought two new prompts to help spark some ideas. For the featured prompt response I featured Krista's response to Prompt #349. If you do decide to take on one of the prompts, don't forget to share it in the forum and maybe yours will be featured in a future Friday blog! Anthology Announcements: 2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team* 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team* NEW READING In Premium: No More Hiding by Renee Stevens By our Signature Authors: Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus A prompt a week by comicfan Global Explorer by David McLeod Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W Hercules III by CarlHoliday Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales Thwarted by Renee Stevens Krista's Prompts by Krista Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban By our Classic Authors: The Kandric Saga by Kyle Aarons By our Promising Authors: Vintage by carringtonrj The Art Of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan Sole Scion by JMH; The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales The English Year by Jwolf Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!

Hope everyone has had a great week so far. To start your weekend off right, we're bringing you two new prompts supplied by our resident prompt guru, Comicfan. Don't forget to share your prompt responses in the Prompt Forum , you might just find yours being shared next week! Enjoy! Prompt 350 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following in a story – farmer, bluebells, a toad, a pond, and a book. Prompt 351 – Creative Tag – The Curse Your family believes it lives under a curse. They say everyone leads a charmed life until the fall in love for the first time and have their heart broken. You just had a very messy break up. Is there a curse and what happens? This week I decided to feature Krista's response to Prompt #349, Enjoy! To read the rest, click here...

Thank you for the review Lisa! It is definitely a scary thing when people we care about are deployed to places where we know they can be hurt. We don't want to let them go, but there's little choice in the matter. I'm sure all of them are just counting the days until he comes home, just as Trey's parents and Mark will be.

Thank you for the review, and the compliment, DDK! It's sometimes tough to get the emotions right, but I've tried my best and I'm glad that you feel like I've succeeded.

Thank you for the review Suvitar. It was a sad chapter, but unfortunately, it had to be done. Though I'm sure if Mark, Diane, and Gary could think of a way to prevent Trey from going, they would. I've watched friends deploy and it was hard, I can't even imagine how it was for their families.

Wow, with all the "Don't kill Trey" requests y'all are gonna start to give me a complex, make me think I'm evil or something. Yes, they definitely need a new computer, that's for sure, and if they're anything like my parents (which technologically they're identical) then they're going to need Mark's help desperately. LOL. Glad you're still enjoying the story and thanks for the review! And yep, I'm back!

There's just something I like about Mark and Trey, though sometimes I think I've made them too good to be true. Then I realize that in the short amount of time they have together, they really don't have a lot of time for petty crap to cause issues. It's usually later that issues rear their ugly head, at least in all the relationships I've seen. Thanks for the review DDK!

Well dang, another request for Trey's safety. Hmmmm *thinks about my plans for Trey* We'll just have to see what I come up with. I debated about Mark's offer but then he smacked me upside the head. Told me he was doing it whether I wrote it in or not, so I may as well let the readers know about it. And yes, my characters speak to me. No, I'm not crazy.... Well, maybe just a little bit. Thanks for the review Suvitar!

Thanks for the review LadyDe! Yes, they are definitely going to need each other, though if I told you more than that then I'd be giving away things that will come later in the story and we can't have that. As for your request... would I do something like that?

It was just a little, teensy bit, X rated, lol. Glad you enjoyed the chapter Yettie and thanks for reviewing!

LOL, nah, not slow, just a little... ummm... distracted, yeah, that's it! Glad you enjoyed the chapter Lisa and yes they are. Thanks for the review!!

Of course, can't have a Part XXX and not have it be just a little bit XXX rated, lol. Besides, I thought it was time for the guys to get a little bit of luvins in, even though they are still at Trey's parents, lol. Thanks for the review DDK!

Thanks for the review Headstall. It does suck for them and it's certainly got to be tearing Trey apart to have to leave when Mark needs him. It will be good for him to know that even though he can't be there, his parents will be. I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story!!

Thank you for the review Arey! I'm glad you're a fan of the stories and I'd love to know what types of inconsistencies you've seen in the chapters. If you'd like, feel free to PM me or you can even email me at renee@gayauthors.org! As far as Gary and Diane, they are Trey's parents. They were present for a few chapters and we left them just a couple of chapters ago. Thanks again for the review and I hope to hear from you again!

Thank you Suvitar! I had the same thought as you, how could it be Mark's fault, but then it clicked. People who are grieving don't always think rationally and right now, Jackie just needs someone to blame. Mark is there, plus, who knows exactly what their father said to her when he called. As for Diane and Gary, I have to admit that the idea for them showing up came to me from some of my own recent experience. When my husband's grandmother passed away, my parents showed up at the services and so did my aunt and my grandma. My husband couldn't believe it and asked me later why they'd come, they didn't really know her. He knows my family loves him to pieces, but he couldn't comprehend that they were there solely in support of him. While it's a bit different in the story, considering it's Mark's mom, I wanted to show that same level of support and acceptance.

Thank you Rachel, glad you enjoyed it!