Renee Stevens

Time to start a new week and with a new week comes a new featured story. Louis offered to do a review for the blog and chose the story "Roommates" by Signature Author: Krista. I hope you enjoy his review and if this sounds like something you'd like, then go read! Don't forget to leave Krista a review, or two, to let her know what you thought! Roommates By Krista Reviewer: LJH Status: Complete Word Count: 72,846 The law of attraction. This is the name given to the belief that like attracts like. In The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne –www.thesecret.tv– also known as the “law of attraction, it is defined as ”the idea that because of our connection with a “universal energy force,” our thoughts and feelings have the ability to manipulate this energy force to our liking. ... our thoughts and feelings attract a corresponding energy to ourselves. If our thoughts are negative, we attract negative things. If our feelings are positive, we attract positive things...we all have the power to determine our own destiny. We can all create our own reality. Through fully and consistently applying the “law of attraction,” we can be who we want to be and have everything we want to have." Even to the extent that opposites attract. William Carlson and Brett are roommates. Complete opposites. QUOTE: "One thing about living with Brett, you never know what is waiting behind the door." William controls every aspect of his life, while Brett is a player. But that all stops when William is invited to his parents' wedding anniversary. He asks Brett to tag along and meet the family. William hasn't seen his parents in seven years, and as for his sister, Kathryn, the last time he heard, she was somewhere in Africa. During this visit, Brett will finally come to understand that William inherited his controlling nature from his controlling, uber-rich parents. Everything had to be done their way or not at all. But, this visit is also a way for William to come to understand each member of his own family, and a way to reintroduce himself as a gay man, pushed by Brett and Kat (who has by now returned from Africa). For many parents, the discovery of a child's homosexuality is a painful and traumatic experience. They are often the first to suspect but the last to know. They deal with fear, blame and guilt which they are unable to discuss with friends or other family members. Krista offers a lesson to reject the secrecy between parent and child. In life, children have the freedom to choose their friends, as Willam does, Brett is his best friend, loves surfing, loves the bright lights of night life, and is bisexual. QUOTE: Some days he’s straight, others he’s bi, and then gay. Children are given freedom to choose their own occupation, William is a workaholic. They are given the freedom to make and spend money as they wish, but William is ever cautious when it comes to finance, even going so far as to reject his father's offer to advance him cash to buy his own house. And lastly, children allow parents to know only what they want them to know. William is happy, shares an apartment with his roommate Brett, and has enough cash of his own, and is gay. His parents don't know anything of this. He controls his emotions, is not in a relationship and is not looking for one. Krista also embellishes the known ideology that family is the most important institution and it's primary role is the support of its members. William's mother believes in this ideology and welcomes her gay son with open arms, whilst her husband at first rejects the idea but comes to full acceptance after careful thought as to his role as a parent. The story is a social documentary of the times in which we live; William, the control buff always aware of his actions and their consequences, Brett, the easy going, live and let live best friend, who loves Redbull and Cheeto crumbs. Kat, William's sister who wants nothing more than to be free and on the way finds herself pregnant. The story sets itself as much against the expectations of the gay subculture as against the studied indifference of the culture. Does it really matter if William's parents know? Or is it a way for William to forge forward with his life? Is this the reason he cannot find a lover? Need a boyfriend? The wit and language of the story is free and Brett's dialogue is on point. I found myself falling in love with him, waiting for his next sentence. There are scenes, like the golf-course scene that left me rolling on the floor with laughter. Brett's wit is genius, and Krista's digging into William's mind, makes the story absolutely believable. I have found an author whom I can trust. An author who infuses her work with an important writing principle; she makes an unwritten promise that her characters will change, and she keeps to that promise. Every scene is vivid and shown to the extent that I was taken on a journey with these characters, characters whom I grew to love and respect. She hooks the reader from the very first paragraph. I was very interested, very fast. She oriented me in the first chapter. I knew where I was, I knew what was going on and who was involved. She never allows the reader to look back, doesn't confuse. She begins with the moment when her characters are about to make a change, and she doesn't let go. She creates situations that must be dealt with, all exciting, stimulating and absorbing. The stressors involved in Rooommates include the following: How will William reintroduce himself? Will he? How will Brett react to William's parents and will they accept him? Will Brett accept them? How will the parents react to Kat's pregnancy? Can William find love with someone other than Brett? All of these stressors require change. These lines (there are more) were by far, the most meaningful to me: QUOTES “You can’t ask a man for his number when he’s passing around the meat,” he said then winked, “you have to wait until he’s passing out the chocolate.” “Why did I become friends with you?” I asked rolling my eyes. “To get your head out of your fucking ass, Will." “I’m meeting billionaires in a few fucking hours,” he said turning to look at me, “I’ll be lucky if I don’t shit my pants.” "I don't feel as free as you do." "If you're unwilling to fix this, then you're just a damn distraction." "It would have rocked living here," Brett commented. "I'd slide down the stair railing at least five times a day." Brilliant lines, from a brilliant writer who deserves more than accolades. If you're interested in writing a review for the blog, please PM Renee Stevens.

It's been another very busy week in the Gay Authors News Blog! I hope everyone had a great week and a wonderful weekend, so let's recap what happened this past week. On Monday, we started out Signature Week with Lisa's review of "Into the Deep" by Signature Author: CassieQ. If you're looking for a new story and haven't already read "Into the Deep" you can check out the review and see if Cassie's story is for you! Since "Into the Deep" is a fantasy story, on Wednesday, Cassie joined us to share some of her tips on writing fantasy. She also encouraged everyone to share their own thoughts. There were a lot of great suggestions so, whether you're new to writing fantasy or have already done so, check it out and if you have any thoughts on what makes a fantasy story good, share them! Thursday we announced the promotion of Graeme, a long time author and staff member, to Signature Author. If you haven't already, stop by the blog entry and offer your congratulations to those already there! The 2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath is NOW LIVE!!! That's right, instead of posting our regular Friday edition of Prompt Me, the blog was hijacked to announce the release of the anthology. Fifteen brand new stories for you to read and enjoy. If you haven't already read them, what are you waiting for, and don't forget to leave the authors a review. Anthology Announcements: 2014 Poetry Anthology: A Storm is Coming - Due April 15th 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is June 5th* NEW READING In Premium this week: Boy Called Slave by Nephylim By our Classic Authors this week: A Ranger's Duty by Myr *2014 Spring Anthology* By our Signature Authors this week: Leopard Skin Cover by Graeme Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) The Price of Friendship by Graeme Changing Lanes by C James Enforcer by Rob Colton; Book 2 of Timber Pack Chronicles 0300 Book 3 by David McLeod In the Eye of the Storm by Bill W *2014 Spring Anthology* The Lake by Dolores Esteban *2014 Spring Anthology* Storm at the Twilight of the Gods by comicfan *2014 Spring Anthology* Miah's Maze by Cia *2014 Spring Anthology* So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Prometheus Wakens by David McLeod Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales Thwarted by Renee Stevens Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon Mrs. Benson by comicfan Standing In Shadows by Krista By our Promising Authors this week: MUSH! by Sasha Distan The Boy Who Was Summer by Sasha Distan; Book 6 of American Songbook *2014 Spring Anthology* The Vengeance of the Fey by Andy78 *2014 Spring Anthology* Wicked Boy by Sasha Distan; Book 6 of The Best Circle of Hell Stories Confounded: Part II by Andr0gene; Book 2 of Confounded Drawing a New Life by layla Guitars 2 by layla Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes by layla Born Wolf by Sasha Distan Remember.... Read, Write... and REVIEW!!!!!

I also had a lot of help when the blog editor kept removing formatting, which I really really appreciate. Cia is right, a big thank you needs to go out to everyone who is involved in these anthologies. So to all the Authors, betas, editors, proofers, and techies, Thank you so much!

LOL... We've talked about this, I'm just evil that way Thank you Louis! It took some trial and error to find something that really worked and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Yes, you read the title of this entry correctly. The 2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath is NOW LIVE!!!! What better way to end the week than with 15 brand new short stories for you to read and enjoy? I decided to do the announcement a bit different and include a brief snippet from the start of each story. Enjoy and thank you to everyone who participated!!! A Ranger's Duty Myr Ryn of Gryphon’s Reach, fourth son of Lord Silas, moved with purpose. The uniform of the King’s Rangers along with the proper salute showing his magical sigil, impossible to duplicate, gave any Ranger passage through the Guard positions. The inner sanctum of every base housed the Ranger Commanders as well as other servants to the King. The base at Land’s End was bigger than most, qualifying as its own fortress. As the largest Ranger stronghold outside the capital, it also held the Ranger General. Ryn, twenty-two winters old, was in his sixth year of serving the King’s Rangers. With his dark burgundy hair and emerald green eyes, he broke many hearts. The scar stretching from his left eye down to his jaw gave him a rugged look that his otherwise youthful appearance lacked. Keep Reading >> Cumulonimbus aditus Mark squinted through the rain, his fingers tapping the steering wheel in a rapid beat, willing the red light to turn green. Now! Now! Now! He briefly entertained the thought of how it would be if he could change the light with his 'secret superpowers', then he scoffed at himself. Yeah, right. When did I turn into a geek? Keep Reading >> David Ron One young man stood out from among the group, excited and animated. He threw his hands about as he talked and smiled, and laughed among his friends. I wondered if his liveliness extended into the bedroom. The thought had barely passed through my mind when he turned and surveyed the room. His gaze caught mine and went no further, imprisoning me with an intensity I had never experienced. It acquainted me with the impression that he was rooting around in my head. I attempted to repay the impact, but the sensation that any moment I would be found wanting and dismissed arrested me. I didn’t want to know how a dismissal by him would present itself. But ahead of me breaking eye contact, some undefined switch seemed to flip. The vibrancy of his eyes went out, his facial expressions became empty, and he was suddenly not the same person sitting in that chair. Keep Reading >> In the Eye of the Storm Bill W It was my first day as a junior in high school and I was excited about being back. I was an upperclassman now, so I was looking forward to having a great year. As I walked into my first period class, I realized that I had never seen this particular teacher before. She appeared to be only a few years older than me, so it was obvious I was going to have a recent college grad for English this year. Shortly after I sat down, the class got underway and the teacher began taking attendance. This was taking longer than it normally would have, because she was taking her time trying to match the faces to the names on the class list. Keep Reading >> Lying Up A Storm joann414 “I can’t, Mom. My plans have been made for over a week. Jim will get angry if I break our date. He said he’s got a surprise for me.” Petey turned to see Jim walk in the kitchen door, his mouth falling open, listening to the conversation. “No, Mom. I’ll call you when I’ve got a free weekend.” Petey shut his phone off, dreading what was coming. “Do you know another Jim or was I the subject of that conversation?” Jim leaned against the cabinet with his arms folded. He watched Petey nervously run his hands up and down the front of his jeans, putting off answering his question. Keep Reading >> Miah's Maze Cia “Seriously? That’s a real thing? You can pay someone to do that to you?” I gaped at him. “Something, not someone.” Keon gulped down half his beer and then belched. He gestured toward the hologram screen on the wall. “They even have advertisements for it.” “That’s ridiculous.” I smacked my glass down on the table. “How can shifters demean themselves like that?” Keon rolled his eyes. “You are such a rube, Nehemiah.” Keep Reading >> Storm at the Twilight of the Gods comicfan “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” That saying is nothing but accurate when you consider the two women who had demanded the appearance of so many of us. When Mother Nature and Gaia gathered the weather gods and goddesses from every pantheon the world has ever known, well let’s just say this isn’t going to be a social gathering in the local mead house. Gaia walked to the table and watched as the rest of the crowd slowly filled the space. No one could deny who or what she represented. Keep Reading >> Substance P Cole Matthews “So, give me a rundown on the trials,” the woman in the cream colored skirt and silk blouse asked as she crossed her long, shapely legs. “I heard they are going quite well and this could be a breakthrough for us.” “It’s early yet, but the mice seem to be responding favorably to the treatment. We weren’t sure it would be easy to measure the effectiveness but they seem to be sleeping more peacefully and they’re not as aggressive,” the man seated behind the desk said. Dr. Jason Hampton watched as his boss inspected her perfectly polished nails. Dr. Carol Littleton was a very together woman whose star was on the ascent at Luminair Labs. Keep Reading >> The Boy Who Was Summer Sasha Distan The end of summer was always a terrible thing, those first few specks of rain falling from a clear blue sky, the threat of encroaching clouds, the knowledge that the days were getting shorter, the nights longer, and the ground more squelchy. First rain can be a lovely thing, soft relief from the heat that bleeds into the beginning of autumn, a chance to stand outside in what feels like a shower, mouth open and upturned, t-shirt clinging to your skin. It rained the day he left me. Keep Reading >> The Lake Dolores Esteban After losing his job, Rick had fallen into a deep depression. His mental state only changed when he read an ad in a magazine. Rick saw his chance. He made a trip to Las Vegas and won 18,000 dollars, more than he had earned in the previous two years. Fortune had favored him. Rick was on a winning streak. He was looking out on the lake, his arm placed around Frank's shoulder. The midsummer night was quiet and warm. A few crickets were chirping. Rick looked at the full moon. "The moon is very big," he said. Keep Reading >> The River Ran Backwards Aaron Penrose At 3:45 in the morning on February 7, 1812, an earthquake struck the southern United States. It was the third in a series of immeasurably violent quakes and it was felt over an area of more than a million square miles. A million miles. Seems unthinkable, doesn’t it? To give you an idea of what kind of an earthquake we’re talking about, here, the historic 1906 earthquake that wiped out eighty percent of San Francisco radiated tremors for approximately six thousand square miles. The continent of North America is approximately nine million square miles. That means one-ninth of a whole continent felt the rage of this hellish thing that punched its way through the earth and, according to one man, “laughed in the face of God.” Keep Reading >> The Storm Singer TMcCallahan Past several small, dying suns and a glorious wasteland of broken stars, the tiny planet of Gadet orbited around three miniature suns. Gadet itself was no bigger than most moons, and the entire planet’s population was less than some major cities on other worlds. But the Gadetans didn’t allow their small size to keep them down. A quick-witted, sharp-tongued, and sometimes acerbic people, they made the most of what they had and weren’t afraid to offer a sarcastic turn of phrase if the teasing about their tiny planet went too far. Half the planet was covered in silvery waters somewhat like the element mercury. The rest of the planet was divided between mountains, forest, and plains. Travel on the planet was done mostly by airship or watership. Keep Reading >> The Vengeance of the Fey Andy78 My two brothers and I had been brought up on my grandmother’s fairy tales. I can remember the four of us sitting by the open fire on a cold winter’s night in her cottage, with a hot milk toddy each, and she would tell us stories that were long forgotten. I also remember on one occasion she invited us for dinner and we were not permitted to talk during the meal, she called it a “Dumb Supper”. Apparently, it was something she held every November 1st to remember those relatives who had died. Keep Reading >> Winter Storm wolfwriter Iowa in the middle of December is usually cold with snow on the ground, but this winter had been unusually mild so far. It had been cold, but not much of the ice and snow. TJ decided to head up to his family’s cabin in Charles City, Iowa. It was always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping and decorating. He had put in for the vacation time back in June because he knew that this time of year was difficult for him. Ever since his parents had died four years ago, he had had trouble handling the Christmas holidays. Keep Reading >> 2014 Spring Anthology Proof Readers LJH joann414 Zandra D rec Kitt Thorn Wilde CassieQ Lisa

Mark pressed a light kiss to Trey’s lips and slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him. It was still early, but Jackie was an early bird and he wanted to call and check in with her before the day really got going, since he’d kind of forgotten to call and let her know they’d made it. He grinned. He had known that there was something strong between him and Trey, but it was still nice to have it confirmed. The cuddling in bed afterwards hadn’t hurt either. Mark unplugged his phone from the

I wanted to do something a little bit different for the second part of Signature Week. This month, the story picked for the Signature Background was "Into the Deep" by CassieQ. If you haven't already done so, you can download your background, with or without the calendar, here. I decided to ask Cassie if she would be willing to share her views on writing fantasy, she was more than willing to write up a little something for us. Hope you enjoy it!! Tips for Writing Fantasy by CassieQ So as part of Signature Week, I was asked to write a little bit about how to write fantasy, since Into the Deep is a fantasy story. I think a lot of tips of writing fantasy apply to writing in general, but I will do the best I can to mention some things that I consider to be very specific to fantasy. (Kudos to my beta reader, Nathaniel, for adding some good ideas to the mix). Read and research. This is critical. If you are wanting to write fantasy, one of the first things to do is figure out what kind of fantasy you like. To do so you have to read fantasy. Lots of it. This gives you a good idea of what you like and don't like. For example, I don't like reading "high fantasy" type novels, therefore it is highly unlikely that I would ever write something that contained elves, fairies, dwarves, dragons, and the like. (Except maybe dragons. Dragons are cool). But I do like mythology, especially Greek mythology and for Into the Deep, I wanted to work with some of the things I read about in Greek mythology, especially the Sirens. This leads to research. Unless you are an expert in the type of fantasy you are going to write about, you will probably need to do at least some research. It is far easier to do research on something you find fun and interesting than in something you don't. Researching merpeople, Sirens and the such was fun. If I had to research dwarves, I would probably cry. Whose world are you using? Decide whether to create your own world or take on an existing world. Into the Deep belonged to ancient Greek, mythological hijinks included. There are also alternate realities, or completely different worlds, or worlds hidden within our world (Harry Potter, for example). If you decide to create your own world, decided what you are doing to involve; time/decade, technology level, political system, religion, whether magic exists or not, etc. The level of detail depends on how much immersion you create for your reader. Some writers create crazily detailed and vivid worlds for their characters. I tend more towards alternative realities that are very similar to our world. It's up to the writer. However, if you don't want to create a world with a whole lot of detail, make it at least believable and coherent enough that the reader won't stumble about inconsistencies. Bend the rules but don't break them. One of my favorite things about writing fantasy is the flexibility that it offers. For example, consider a mermaid. Could they exist on land? That was up to me. In some stories, merpeople are confined solely to the water. In the fable of the Little Mermaid, the mermaid was confined to the sea until a sea witch gave her legs to walk on land. In the movie Splash, the mermaid could exist on land, but would turn back into a mermaid if she came in contact with the water. So there are options. However, just because a story is a fantasy doesn't mean there aren't rules. Vampires can't walk in sunlight, werewolves can't keep from transforming, and regular men can't breathe underwater. If you break one of these rules, then you need to explain why this particular vampire can walk in the sun, why these werewolves can keep from transforming on the full moon and why a human being can fall in love with a merman. The better the reason, the more interesting the story. So those are my opinions on writing fantasy. Please feel free to share your own ideas, I know there are plenty of fantasy writers out there!

It's Signature Week here at the Gay Author's New's Blog. Each month we're doing a week where both the Monday and Wednesday posts are dedicated to whichever story has been chosen as that month's Signature Background. This months choice was "Into The Deep" by Signature Author: CassieQ. If you haven't already done so, you can download your copy of the background here. To start off Signature Week, Lisa did a wonderful review of "Into The Deep". I hope you enjoy it. Into The Deep by CassieQ Reviewer: Lisa Status: Complete Word Count: 7,672 When Renee asked me to do a review on CassieQ’s “Into the Deep”, I said sure! Why not? I had no idea what the story was about, but I’ve read a few stories of Cassie’s and I figured it would be good. And she didn’t disappoint. Cassie’s beautiful imagery and personification floated in the forefront of my mind as I pictured the main character, Toumas, waking up every morning ‘to the salt of the sea and the crash of its waves against his ears.’ As Toumas got ready for his day on the water, catching fish, for this is what Toumas was, a lonely fisherman, living in a little hut as his father and grandfather had before that, he heard the waves as ‘the sea sighed and sang to him’. One day Toumas threw out his net into the waters and when he hauled out the fish, he noticed a treasure among his catch. I cannot tell you about this treasure, for that would be a spoiler; you will have to read the story to find out what wound up in Toumas’ net. That night he went home, fried up some fish and cooked his treasure. Toumas spent the next day catching many fish, earning him good wages to buy fruits, breads, and wine to bring to his sister and sickly mother. Toumas arranged a husband for his sister and he frequently stopped by and did what he could to help his family. One night Toumas was attacked while he sat on the edge of a cliff, watching the sea. It was dark so he didn’t see who or what attacked him. He passed out and the next morning woke up in his little hut, not remembering anything that happened the night before. He vaguely remembered arms around him, helping him fend off the attack. Strangely though, he kept hearing the sea continuously calling his name. He decided to listen to these sea cries as he dove into the chilly waters, pushing himself farther and farther down, still hearing his named being called over and over again. Again he felt arms around him and someone or something breathing life back into his body. A stranger walked out of the water and Toumas got a good look at his savior: ‘His body was covered with healthy muscle under pale skin down to his torso before it melded into a gray film of scaled skin that shimmered with water droplets. He had a handsome face, with dark eyes and long dark hair that floated like a puddle of spilled ink around his head.’ Cassie continues with her beautiful descriptions of this sea creature known as Tyrrhenian. Toumas and Tyrrhenian embarked on a magical night together. The next day Toumas woke up outside his home. As he was about to walk through the door a woman caught his eye. When he rebuffed her, she turned into a huge black bird that he was sure was the one who attacked him a few nights ago. The bird swept down and started to attack Toumas. As he tried to defend himself, the battle between man and bird-woman continued until the bird flew off in defeat. The next day he heard the call of the sea yet again and dove right in, coming in contact with Tyrrhenian once more. In order for Toumas to be truly happy, he must redeem himself from that treasure he had consumed. Cassie weaves a captivating tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and most notably, love. Her beautiful words flow through this heartbreaking story. She is a master storyteller who engages her readers from the beginning to the end with wonderful descriptions, beautiful imagery, and inspiring fantasy while writing about these legends.

Hope everyone had a great week! For those who follow Daylight Savings Time, did you remember to Spring your clocks forward? Now, let's get to the Weekly Wrap Up! Cia took over the blog on Monday to announce the March CSR Book Club Selection! This month the Book Club will be reading Shepherd's Crook by K.C.! If you haven't already read this story, you'll have until March 31st to be ready to participate in the discussion. Wednesday we had this month's edition of Ask An Author provided to us by Dark! This month featured questions to Comicality, Stellar, and dkstories. As always, it was very informative, but since I don't want to ruin anything, you'll have to go read for yourself to see what all of these authors had to say! Cia took over the blog again on Thursday to announce GA's newest Signature Author, Stellar! If you haven't already, stop by to add in your Congratulations! Last, but certainly not least, we ended the week with two new prompts from Comicfan. This week featured a photo prompt and a prompt with the tag line of "Phone Call". Hopefully one or both of the prompts gave you some inspiration. This week I chose to share a response from Valkyrie71 to Prompt #307. Anthology Announcements: 2014 Poetry Anthology: A Storm is Coming - Due April 15th 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is June 5th* NEW READING In Premium this week: Boy Called Slave by Nephylim By our Signature Authors this week: Changing Lanes by C James Enforcer by Rob Colton; Book 2 of Timber Pack Chronicles Prometheus Wakens by David McLeod Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont Geeks by CassieQ The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase The Strange Life of Jonas Marks by comicfan Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales Thwarted by Renee Stevens Adverse Effects by Cia; Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia A prompt a week by comicfan Brushfire by Adam Phillips Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings Mrs. Benson by comicfan The Return of Blagden Asmodee by Dolores Esteban By our Promising Authors this week: MUSH! by Sasha Distan Curse of the Fallen by JMH - Book 2 of Fallen Runner-Up by FrenchCanadian Born Wolf by Sasha Distan Guitars 2 by layla Footsteps Of Giants by wrathofmagneto Wolf in the Rectory by Sasha Distan Remember.... Read, Write... and REVIEW!!!!!

I can't believe it's Friday already, and that means it's time for two new prompts from our prompt guru, Comicfan. I hope you enjoy them and that one of them will spark an idea! Prompt 308 – Creative Tag – Photo Prompt 309 – Creative Tag – Phone Call Your phone rings and you pick up it. There is only one problem, the conversation going on is one you remember happening ten years ago on the date of a terrible accident. As the conversation continues you suddenly feel very light headed and close your eyes. However, when you open them you find yourself still on the phone but now dressed as you were all those years ago. What do you do? This week was another tough week to pick a prompt to feature as there was so many good ones to choose from! I decided to go with a response to prompt #307 from Valkyrie71: To read the rest of this prompt, click here. If you want to read all the other prompt responses from last week, you can do so in the threads for Prompt 306 and Prompt 307. Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

The first Wednesday of the month, you know what that means! It's time for a visit from Dark with the ever popular, Ask an Author! Enjoy!!! Also, don't forget that today is the last day to get your stories sent to the Anthology Editing Team for inclusion in the 2014 Spring Anthology! Ask an Author #14 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #13, we had questions for authors Andrew Q Gordon, Layla, and Nephylim. In AtA #14, we hear from authors Comicality, Stellar, and dkstories. 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. Today’s first author is one of GA’s founding members: Comicality. Legend says that Myr was a big fan and dragged Comicality kicking and screaming to the fledgling teen fiction website. Truthfully, GA would not be what it is today without the support and fabulous writing of Comicality. If you have a premium account, go check out Comsie’s horror/sci-fi story Empty Corners. If you don’t have a premium account, well, you’re missing out. To Comicality: In your opinion, what is the best character you've ever come up with and why? Hmmm...honestly, if I had to choose one, I think I would pick 'Cyrus' from the story "Savage Moon". I really have a lot of fun writing for him because I can really take myself to a dark place when trying to bring out his view of the world. He can be really harsh, but in a pleasant way. It's the seduction of darkness that makes his character so much fun. To take things that are so socially unacceptable, so morally wrong, and almost make them seem like a 'good time', it's tricky, but I enjoy it. So Cyrus is one of my all time favorites. Because even though he might approach you with a smile and a warm brotherly hug...there's real danger present with him. He's the kind of guy that you know would have no problem ripping you to shreds if he felt the urge. here's nothing holding him back. No moral obligation at all. And that can be frightening. Next up today is Author Stellar, who proudly admits both his sexuality and the fact that he is one of our many “Aspies” here on GA. He says, “… my sexuality and my atypical 'condition' make me who I am, in a very big way. I'd be a much different person if they weren't present. My preference is that people know that there is a fundamental reason for things being the way that they are. It's all about understanding.” He’s also a computer guy and a New Zealander, and how can this man not be beautiful when he writes things like Hidden Sunlight? To Stellar: our story Hidden Sunlight is quite complex; did you set out to do that? Are there character outlines, or chronology? Or is it more a case of setting off writing and letting those things develop as it goes? Yes, the complexity was intentional. I have detailed ideas and notes for lots of things that make up the history of the world. Most of that will remain notes though and probably never see the light of day as far as anyone else is concerned. The broad plan I use for plotline is that I know where I am going and the major points to hit along the way, so the writing is more around rounding out the plot with plausible fact and appropriate detail. Today’s final author is dkstories, the writing name for GA Hosted Author dkstories. A new generation of GA members have been able to discover the joys of a dkstories story this year as Dan returned to us after a lengthy absence. Dan likes politics and sci-fi, two things you find plenty of in his stories. For example, in Dreams of Humanity, a simple premise becomes more and more complex with each chapter as the villains and behind-the-scenes politics are revealed. Knowing this, I had no qualms about sending him one heckuva question, as you can see… To dkstories: Historically, being gay has been considered a trait amongst the poor, lower class, artists, bohemians... only recently with the advent of gay rights have gays been more culturally accepted. In the m/m genre, a lot of gay stories seem to revolve around the main characters being on the more wealthy side. Do you think this is a reflection of our culture and a desire to be more rich, or is it easier to tell a story when the characters are not poor? Cinderella, Snow White, the legend of King Arthur, and a thousand other stories we grew up with all deal with main characters being on the wealthy side. There's a simple reason for this, and one that a lot of people don't like looking at directly. It also borders on the political. People write, and read, these types of stories because they are fantasy - something that we can dream about but only a very few of us will ever attain. Fewer than two percent of us are ever to a point where we are wealthy so being able to escape from the dolldrums of daily life and dream about what it's like to be rich is enjoyable. There's nothing wrong with this. As an avid reader myself, being able to escape into other worlds, other realities, or into being rich all help me to deal with the stresses of every day life. Since I also write I even get another avenue of escape. As a writer, wealthy characters are usually able to whisk someone off into the world of fantasy is a good tool to bring the reader along as well. Who doesn't dream about being able to take a private jet to Paris for a moonlit dinner on the river Seinne? Having wealth, these characters make it possible for other characters, and the reader, to fulfill their dreams in fantasy. The same is true of almost any book. So in the end, the answer to the question is: both. Wealthy characters allow the reader to fantasize about what it is like to be rich, and they allow the author more options in what the characters can do in the story. 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: CassieQ, James Savik, and Libby Drew. Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).

“Surely he understood why you got out.” Mark shook his head. He appreciated Trey’s anger on his behalf, but it wouldn’t do any good. His dad had made up his mind and nothing was going to change it. He didn’t think his mom was even going to be able to smooth it over this time. “He said—“ “I don’t care what he said!” Trey was obviously pissed. “To treat you that way just because you didn’t stay in the military, that’s wrong!” “He feels like I went against what he stands for.” Mark reach

Thanks for the review Suvitar! I'm glad that you enjoyed this story, it was definitely interesting to write. I wanted to do something a little different with this one but I was happy with the way it turned out.

It was a busy week this week. Don't forget that your anthology stories need to be to the Anthology Proof Team no later than March 5th! Now, lets get onto the look back at the week in the blog! On Wednesday, Myr popped into the blog to share another Tech Blog, which has now become a monthly blog feature and will appear on the last Wednesday of every month. This months edition had a few different offerings. He shared some stats, talked about some ongoing projects, and also talked about some stuff that is upcoming. If you missed this blog, I strongly suggest you check it out, it's quite informative! Thursday, A.J. joined us at the blog to bring us another special blog entry to congratulate Mann Ramblings on making the move from Promising Author to Signature Author. If you haven't already done so, stop on by to add your own congrats! Friday ended the week with two new prompts supplied by the prompt guru, Comicfan. This weeks prompt choices include a first line prompt and a creative prompt with the tag "The Good Deed". Check them out and share your prompt response in the prompt forum. You never know, yours might be the featured response next week, just like K.C.'s prompt was for this week! We had another special blog entry on Saturday. Since it's the 1st of the month, it was time to share this month's Signature Author Background. This month's choice was "Into the Deep" by CassieQ. Don't forget to visit the blog entry to get your background!! Anthology Announcements: 2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath - Due Mar 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is March 5th* 2014 Poetry Anthology: A Storm is Coming - Due April 15th 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is June 5th* NEW READING In Premium this week: Boy Called Slave by Nephylim By our Signature Authors this week: GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban Changing Lanes by C James Flux by Mark Arbour - Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) A prompt a week by comicfan 0300 Book 3 by David McLeod A Class By HImself by Comicality Lost Inside by Cia - Book 2 of Carthera Tales Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton 9.11 by Mark Arbour - Book 13 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings Pilots by David McLeod HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour - Book 7 of Bridgemont Married to the Enemy by Cia Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton - Book 1 of Timber Pack Chronicles Last Christmas by comicfan Prometheus Wakens by David McLeod By our Promising Authors this week: Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes by layla Prompting In The Dark by K.C. MUSH! by Sasha Distan Tangled Web by wrathofmagneto Eight Seconds by Sasha Distan The Crown Affair by Andy78 Born Wolf by Sasha Distan Curse of the Fallen by JMH - Book 2 of Fallen Remember.... Read, Write... and REVIEW!!!!!

Congrats Mann!!! Looks like the Signature Authors numbers in the Weekly Wrap Up are gonna rise again, lol!

I hope everyone has had a great week so far! 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 306 – Creative Tag – The Good Deed Feeling at loose ends with your time lately you have decided to donate your time to one of the local food banks. While you are there you find the opportunity to turn your good deed into something profitable for the food bank. What was your idea and what does it lead to? Prompt 307 – Creative Tag - First Line “Are you sure there is nothing that can be done?” This week, I was looking through the prompts and I decided to feature K.C.'s response to Prompt #304, enjoy. Click here to read the rest of his prompt. There's more responses in the thread and you can also check out the thread for prompt 305 for even more responses. Don't forget... Read, Write, and REVIEW

I hope everyone had a great week! It's been a busy week at the Gay Authors news blog, but first things first. Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2013 Gay Authors Reader's Choice Awards. I hope everyone got their votes in since voting ended yesterday and the polls are closed. On Monday we featured a review that Comicfan did on the story "Burden of Secrets" by Cia. "Burden of Secrets" is one of the many stories that can be found in the premium section. If you want more information on either this wonderful story or on the cost of a Premium membership, make sure to visit the Monday blog! Also, I'm always looking for new reviews of the blog. If you've read a story that you'd like to see featured in the blog, send me a PM! Many seemed to love the Wacky Wednesday post, in which some of GA's Promising Author's shared some of their best compliments and harshest criticisms. Not only that, but they shared how each of these affected them. This was only Part I of the Best/Worst blog post, with Part II featuring our Signature Author's scheduled for March 19th. Curious as to how some of the Promising Authors handle the criticism's they receive? Check out the blog post and see their answers for yourself. We had a couple extra blog posts this week, the first of which happened on Thursday. For those who hadn't already realized it, Rob Colton became a Signature Author at GA! If you haven't already done so, stop by the blog entry and congratulate Rob on his promotion!!! Friday ended the week with two new prompts supplied by the prompt guru, Comicfan. This weeks prompt choices include a list of words and one with the tag "dinner party". Check them out and share your prompt response in the prompt forum. You never know, yours might be the featured response next week, just like Fleeting Rainbow's prompt was for this week! We had another special blog entry on Saturday. For those who don't know, we have a great Beta/Editing program on Gay Authors headed by Louis (LJH) and Jo Ann (Joann414). They are looking for more editors willing to help authors out. If your interesting in joining the program as an editor, check out the blog entry to see what they're looking for and how to join! Anthology Announcements: 2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath - Due Mar 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is March 5th* 2014 Poetry Anthology: A Storm is Coming - Due April 15th 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is June 5th* NEW READING In Premium this week: Boy Called Slave by Nephylim Do Over by dkstories Book 1 of Do Over Series *reposting* By our Signature Authors this week: Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton, Book 1 of Timber Pack Chronicles Married to the Enemy by Cia A prompt a week by comicfan 0300 Book 3 by David McLeod Let the Music Play by C James 9.11 by Mark Arbour Book 13 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality Book 8 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon Standing In Shadows by Krista Thwarted by Renee Stevens Lost Inside by Cia Book 2 of Carthera Tales Jessie-101: Online Celebrity by Comicality Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton Flash Fiction - Second Shot - The Senior Year by Andrew_Q_Gordon Prometheus Wakens by David McLeod Last Christmas by comicfan By our Promising Authors this week: Prompting In The Dark by K.C. The Shunning by JMH Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes by layla Lay Your Prompts On Me by Sasha Distan Book 2 of GA Prompts Drunk Last Night by Sasha Distan Book 5 of American Songbook MUSH! by Sasha Distan Guitars 2 by layla Born Wolf by Sasha Distan So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings The Crown Affair by Andy78 (formerly known as Andy021278) Veil of Shadow by Stellar Book 2 of unnamed Remember.... Read, Write... and REVIEW!!!!!

Congrats Rob!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far! Did you get your votes in for the 2013 Readers Choice Awards? If not, you are almost out of time, so get your votes in before time runs out!!! What better way to end the week than with two new prompts from our prompt guru, Comicfan. Don't forget to share your responses in the prompt forum! Enjoy! Prompt 304 – Creative Tag – The Dinner Party Your loving partner called five minutes ago to announce that your quite evening together has suddenly become a dinner party of six. The simple salad and two chicken cutlets you had been planning to make won’t be enough for six guests that will be there in less than hour. Checking the freezer you find some shrimp, a piece of frozen cod, and three small cuts of steak. What do you do to create the perfect dinner party that your partner has told his guests you do all the time? Prompt 305 – List of Words Use the following words in a story – a gold crown, a broken cane, a sexy calendar, a new book, and a falcon. It was tough to decide which prompt response to feature from last week, there were so many good ones. In the end, I decided on a response to Prompt #303, from Fleeting Rainbows, enjoy: To read the rest of this response, click here. To read the rest of the responses to this prompt, visit the thread! Don't forget, Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

I've never had Humous. I think it's been interesting to hear what everyone's favorite comfort food is and thank you for sharing yours! I hope you're still enjoying the story!

Sorry Louis, but unfortunately it was necessary for the story. It's definitely a sad thing, but we have to trust that the guys can get through it. Thank you for the review!

Yes it is . Thanks for the review Louis and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Thank you Mikeymike! I agree that a lot of people have dated people like that, luckily there are also quite a few good ones out there. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Thank you Louis! I'm glad that you are enjoying my writing. It does make it very difficult to make the story move along, but I hope that I'm managing it fairly well. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the future chapters!

I agree that living with his sister could be both good and bad depending on how you look at it. I do think that having Jackie around, whether or not they're living together, will be a really good thing once Trey goes off on his deployment. As for not being entirely happy with this chapter, I'm not sure on why either, I think a lot of it is just that I am overly critical of my own work. As my betas and editors would tell you, I'm my own worst critic! Thank you for the review!!!