Renee Stevens

Thank you for the comment! I've been in a writing slump for a while, but may still revisit this one in the future.

Hard to believe that it's already August! Seems like this year has gone so fast. To start this week off right, we have a review from Puppilull. Enjoy! Little Ms. Who Pmsingtiger Reviewer: Puppilull Status: Complete Word Count: 71,016 Meeting the person of your dreams and then falling in love. A story as old as mankind. But when the person you meet isn’t who you think they are, thing can get complicated. Really complicated. Add a psycho bitch and a small town which may or may not be open-minded enough to handle the diversity of real life, and you have a potent brew capable of setting your mind and heart at work. What would you do if the person you desired was not who you expected beneath the clothes? I have thought about this question a lot while reading this story, and while I would like to firmly say “I fall in love with a person, not a gender” I’m not at all sure this would be the case. A possibly hurtful thing to say, I fear, but a sincere attempt to be honest and intended to invite a discussion, not disagreement. To me, attraction and love are complicated matters, not fit for blanket statements. But that might be my own comfortable position as a mainstream person talking. So this story effectively points out the gray areas of life. To be truthful, those are the ones most interesting to read about. “Little miss who” doesn’t shy away from drama, as it is filled with heartbreak and infuriating small-mindedness. The characters are well written and come alive as actual people, so expect them to make mistakes and face the consequences. Rest assured though. Pmsingtiger manages to bring matters to a fever-pitch without going over the top. Throughout, it remains believable and not overstated for effect. To balance these more angsty parts, there is also loyalty and unrelenting friendship. It’s a story of taking a leap of faith and learning to trust, opening your heart and realizing just how deeply you are loved. Keeping an open mind and heart can show you the world. Will you be ready? Category: Fiction Genres: Drama, Romance Tags: mature adult, adult, gay, north america, anal, transgender Rating: Mature

Yay! It's a good feeling to have something on the list again!

Devon fled Wyoming as soon as he turned eighteen, leaving behind his high school love, Levi. After six years, Devon returns to his hometown. Not much has changed, except that Levi is no longer in the closet. He’s also single and living his dream—managing the local wild horse population. Both of them are interested in picking up where they left off, but Devon is no more ready to reveal his orientation than he was as a teenager. No one is going to shove Levi back in the closet—not even Devon. For a relationship to work, they’ll have to put the past behind them and find the courage to face the future as who they really are—a couple in love.

Congratulations, northie!

i think a lot of us are guilty of neglecting our self-care from time to time. i know i am as well. In the past, my self-care included writing, sewing, going fishing and/or camping, relaxing with a book, etc. Unfortunately, i haven't done any of that lately. i haven't sewn for pure enjoyment in over a year, i haven't been fishing or camping since 2017, i honestly couldnt say the last time i relaxed with a book, and i haven't really written in probably two years. But that's okay, it is what it is, and hopefully eventually i'll be able to get back to doing some of that stuff. For now, i just focus on caring for Baby J and making sure he has what he needs. Great post, miss molly!

Well, that's it for the spring anthology! We had a lot of great stories and we hope that everyone enjoyed them. Make sure to thank the authors by leaving a comment and/or review! So, let's take a final look at all the stories. Twin Stars Cia Reminiscing About the Future Altimexis Voyageur Parker Owens Himmelszelt (Canopy of Heaven) Aditus Finding Joy AC Benus Perseverance Valkyrie Bullying Starts in the Home Altimexis Misentrope Puppilull Where There is a Will Timothy M. Blackmail in the Night northie Gone Fishing Headstall Dead Ringer Defiance19 Black & Blue Thorn Wilde A Hell of a Mess Aditus Flashpoint CassieQ The Visitor Rigby Taylor 2018 Fall Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support Myr Proof Team Cia Rec Valkyrie Parker Owens Thorn Wilde Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

That wasn't very nice, Carlos, lol.

Who is ready for the last round of the anthology entries? Well, wait no more! If you haven't already checked out the previous sets, I've included the links below! Happy reading!!! In The Stars & Snapped Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Twin Stars Cia Perseverance Valkyrie Bullying Starts in the Home Altimexis Misentrope Puppilull

Hey All! Sorry about the lack of anthologies last week, but it's a new week and time for a new set for your reading enjoyment. We'll get right into them! And if you missed any of the first two sets, I've included the links below! In The Stars & Snapped Set 1 Set 2 Reminiscing About the Future Altimexis Where There is a Will Timothy M. Blackmail in the Night northie Gone Fishing Headstall

Congratulations, tim! Very well deserved!

Congrats, tim!

Sorry for the lateness of this review (but not too late). I hope you all enjoy this review of Levko by @Mikiesboy Levko mikiesboy Reviewer: Cole Matthews Status: Complete Word Count: 7,166 Short stories can convey as much of a impact as a novel if done well. In fact, sometimes they can even do it better. Think of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery or Edgar Allan Poe’s A Telltale Heart, gripping tales that are quite brief. Within the confines of a few words, the writer must craft characters, a storyline, place, time, events, and a theme which will hopefully carry a reader into another space. Because of the brevity of the form, words need to carry more weight and power and because of it, the writer must consider the economy of words. Mikiesboy’s story Levko is a great example of a story which conveys so much more than its length would suggest. To begin with, we are shown, and not told, that Lev is a rent boy. Jon, Lev’s aptly named john, immediately asserts his dominance over the young man. He tells him to smoke a joint, and at first Lev refuses. But, the older man takes charge and we begin to experience the fear and powerlessness the main character feels. Lev has a man at home, and he’s not a good one. Charlie uses him and calls him by the name ‘Garbage’ taking whatever money the young man earns. There is no inner dialogue about how worthless Lev must feel to endure such a man. The man isn’t much of a character at all, except as a kind of projection it seems Lev feels he deserves. During his time with his john, Lev begins to find a role for himself. He also begins to experience feelings he finds indescribable, so instead the writer portrays the scene. Think of how this shows two powerful ideas. First, Lev is in an uncomfortable position, but seemingly far more comfortable than with his ‘man’ Charlie. Second, while his john is his master in this role play, he offers the young man more choices, more power over his own body and mind than it appears he’s ever had before. This comes to a head soon enough. After a brutal exchange with Charlie, the young man finally decides to leave the abusive man. Again, the reader can feel how lost he is, and he finally makes moves to find his favorite john. Lev calls him and they meet and now we see through the older man’s eyes what Lev had endured at Charlie’s hand. He’s medically treated and only then know how bad that beatingreally was, and yet we have no details about the assault. The use of imagery is also used to end the piece. From the time he climbed into the car at the beginning to falling in love with his Jon, we get this description. They sat quietly together for a few minutes. Lev broke the peaceful silence. “Would you open the drapes please, Jon? I’m tired of the dark.” Jon smiled, rose and strode across the room to the window; he pulled back the heavy brocade drapes and flooded the room with light. This story is a great example of how using fewer words can be more impactful. Each word should be chosen to convey something more about the story, the character, and the theme. Levko is a story that uses words sparingly, yet it does so effectively making every line count. Category: Fiction Genres: Drama Tags: mature adult, adult, north america, anal, fighting, abuse Rating: Mature

Sorry for the little bit of a delay today! But here it is, your next set of Anthology stories. If you missed last week, we published four stories in Set 1 and we'll post another four today! Since we have quite a few more for snapped, I'll only be including one for In the Stars. In The Stars & Snapped Set 1 Voyageur Parker Owens Dead Ringer Defiance19 Black & Blue Thorn Wilde A Hell of a Mess Aditus

Well, it's that time again! Have you been looking for something to read? Wondering when the anthologies would start to go live? Well, wait no more! Today we have 4 stories for you to enjoy, and each week I will make another set live. Enjoy!!! And don't forget to leave the authors feedback in the form of comments and reviews! Himmelszelt (Canopy of Heaven) Aditus Finding Joy AC Benus Flashpoint CassieQ The Visitor Rigby Taylor

Yes, Sir. Hard to believe, but he is over ten months. Glad to finally be getting some answers, and hopefully those are the only answers i need. Had to switch doctors again, as i saw a doctor here in town when i couldnt get into the other one, and then when the doctor here in town requested my records, the other doctor cancelled my future appointment since i'd seen someone not in his practice. Somehow it was my fault he wasn't available.

Thank you, tim! Even on the occasional bad days, all it takes is a smile or laugh from the little guy to make it better. Hope you are doing well! Xoxo

Thanks, Reader! Things definitely seem to be going a bit smoother lately. Hope you are doing well!

Wow, how the time flies. It's hard to believe that Baby J is just under 2 months shy of celebrating his first birthday! He is so active and is crawling, pulling himself up, and walking along the couch (or anywhere else as long as he has something or someone to hold onto!) We have baby gates all over the house, and so far they seem to be keeping the little guy mostly contained. And we now adapt whatever we're having for meals so that the little man can eat it too, with his 4 little teeth! Being a new mom is more than I ever expected, and so worth it. Especially when he gives me his big grin, or like the other night when I wasn't feeling good and Baby J just snuggled with me. Or he says mama or dada (the very occasional mommy and daddy). Of course, he has his grumpy boy moments, but they're usually only when he's tired or not feeling well. Luckily major meltdowns are few and far between. He's even been on his first major roadtrip. 17 Hour drive (one way) to meet his uncle, aunt, and cousins (we broke it up into 3 shorter days rather than 2 long ones to make it easier on him). Of course, everyone loved him, but Baby J really took to my brother. If my brother was home, Baby J was on his lap, or otherwise in the very near vicinity. As you can probably tell, life has been busy. We're lucky that Baby J hasnt really been sick much, primarily only having the flu at one point and a short lasting stomach bug another one. I've been sick a little more, but D has been great about helping out around the house, especially when I'm not at my best. We may have finally got a few answers to everything that has been going on with me. Vitamin D deficiency counts for a lot of my issues, and most of what isnt caused by that are most likely caused by a stomach/esophagus sphincter hernia. Which basically means that the above named sphincter, that connects the esophogus and stomach, is loose and allows for reocurring reflux. Not great news, but it's mostly controllable with diet and reflux meds (though I'm not on a daily med for it at this point). Surgery isnt suggested to fix the issue unless it gets much worse than it is, as it would require a major surgery. So that's what's been going on here. Not much writing going on, as I simply cant seem to find the time and or ambition, but hopefully that will return in time. There have definitely been some ups and downs, but overall I cant complain too much. Hopefully I'll be able to return to GA on a more full time basis in the near future (is that a little optimistic considering Baby J is nearly a toddler?) But I have a great team to help with my GA duties, and I owe a huge thank you to all of them! Not going to name names, just in case I forget one, but Thank you, all of the help is greatly appreciated! Until next time! Cheers Renee

Happy Birthday, Myr!

Wow. It's been a while since I've done one of these, but Steve is away for the weekend and asked if I could take care of it. Of course! Between not feeling the greatest the last couple of days and not having done it in a while, let's hope I remember how! So, let's take a look at what we had this week. And don't forget to check out Myr's post about the recent update! Anthologies 2019 Fall Anthology: Fall From Grace - Due November 15th 2019 Fall Anthology: Raincheck - Due November 15th Blog Opportunities Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) Story Recommendations: Open to all GA authors & readers. PM your recommendation and why you recommend it to a Site Admin. Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Story Recommendations: Open to all GA authors & readers. PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Questions & Answers: Open to all GA authors, readers, and editors. Visit the thread and PM @Renee Stevens to participate. Reader Recommended: Recommend a completed Poem/Story/Series for a short blurb at the end of the Weekly Wrap Up and PM @wildone to share your favourite stories. Classic Updates: A Mourning Storm by Ronyx Nathan and the Chav Prince by Mike Arram Panic! by Dabeagle Rich Boy: Growing Pains by dkstories The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 3 by Bill W Signature Updates: Adrift by Mann Ramblings Aria Graice by Nephylim Denied by Cia Double Take by Comicality GFD: Dark Web by Comicality Lonely Pride by Cynus Love Looked at Me and Laughed and other poems by AC Benus; Book 11 of Verse Lyrical Laments by Headstall Prickly Prompts by aditus Zero to Hero, a Guide by AC Benus Promising Updates: Georgetown: Goodnight, My Angel by Carlos Hazday Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso Keep Quiet by albertnothlit **Reader Recommended** Recommended by @Brayon Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

Well, I completely forgot that I needed 3 different Wednesday posts for this month. So the dilemma happened early in the morning as I wondered, what can I post for the day? Well... Since today is the last day to send in your anthology entries to the proof team, I decided, why not take a look back at the anthologies for last year! Notice, that I mentioned today is the last day? Yep, make sure you have your anthologies sent to @Valkyrie by the end of the day today if you want them included in the anthology! So, what were the Anthologies from last year? It Was Supposed to be a One-Night Stand JayT An Accidental Clarity Menzoberranzen No Escape Puppilull Feeling Blue Timothy M. Life's Decisions northie Touch CassieQ Ace Valkyrie Disco Camping jfalkon The Sphinx CarlHoliday Tomorrow Carlos Hazday One Little Snowflake Bhopper2 The Death, Life and Suicide of Tommy Crouch by Tarek Donohue Mikiesboy Lifting the Veil Headstall Jealousy CassieQ Culled Parker Owens Leading the Way Puppilull A Bad Way to Wake Up WET Part 2 Myr Superhero Surprise Cia A Taste of Amnesia AC Benus A Place To Live northie Martin Pop, Fixer Comicfan Wounded Comicality A Tempest in a Teapot Myr Igneous Valkyrie Castle Dark Cole Matthews A Bad Way to Wake Up WET Part 1 Myr Wow! That's a lot of stories! But hey, now's a great time to read them if you didn't read them when they were first released! Get yourself in the reading mindset for the upcoming release of the 2019 Spring Anthology. Happy Reading! And again, don't forget: Anthology entries are due TODAY!!!!!

For today's review, we have a review from Puppilull on @comicfan's story The Strange Life of Jonas Marks. If you haven't already started reading the CSR story for May, here is the review to whet your appetite. Don't forget to check out Cia's interview with comicfan at the end of the month and maybe ask your own questions. The Strange Life of Jonas Marks comicfan Reviewer: Puppilull Starus: Complete Word Count: 57,189 Some jobs require a bit more of you. Though I bet you’ve never had a job quite like the one Jonas Marks manages to snag for himself: assistant in the hub of an operation that traverses the entire universe and possibly quite a few other realms. Jonas Marks’ quite ordinary life gets overturned when he is tossed out of his home by his father. Why? Oh, he happens to be gay and that is unacceptable to his useless excuse of a father. So, within days of graduating, our hero finds himself on the streets, with no home, no job and no way to support himself. Thankfully, he has a great friend who invites him to stay with her and her family. Job hunting turns out to be difficult, but then he gets the chance he’s been waiting for. The name for his new place of work, the Fantasy Office in the fancy department store Kroger’s, should perhaps set off a few alarm bells. Adding to this, his new boss, Mr. Openseter, is somewhat scaly. However, no one else seems to notice. However, beggars can’t be choosers. Reassured by the fact that the rest of the staff seem to accept Openseter’s unusual appearance, Jonas rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. He gets busy fulfilling other people’s fantasies and desires for rare items as well as unusual partners, one more magical than the next. Many items are things I certainly wished were real. A bowl automatically filling with pudding or a ring that takes you where you want to go? A talking sword…? Or the most coveted by us readers – a fantastic cleaning device. This story can at times come across as an acid dream, but just as you think it’s going too far and your suspension of disbelief is threatening to rip at the seams, comicfan reigns us back in and puts a relatable and quite down to earth spin on events once more. He captures Jonas’ feelings of loneliness and insecurity but also shows us how he is surrounded by people who care for him and love him. Being mistreated by his father has given Jonas the ability to remain open and not judge. Maybe that’s why he can see all people and creatures for who they are and not be misled by appearance or misdirection. A capability that comes in handy when he meets his more exotic clients. Also, something worth thinking about after reading. How prepared are you to look past the exterior of others? Of course, there is a love story snuck into this wonderful weirdness. But I’ll let you all discover that little gem all on your own. I promise you won’t feel blue about it. Or well, when I think about it… Category: Fiction Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi Tags: young adult, aliens, magic, gay, alternate earth, friendship Rating: Everyone

So.... just out of curiosity, how's everyone liking the "Author Guess Who" feature?

Well, it's time for another Author Guess WHO! You'll have a couple of weeks to guess the author. Good luck! Sorry about the lack of extra formatting. Posting using my phone again. What is one thing that most GA members might not know about you? Something unimportant maybe, but people ask me about it again and again: I have two colors in my irises. What prompted you to write your first story? There was a particular story percolating in my head that needed to be told and read. As soon I had figured out how to begin, I couldn’t stop. Is there a genre that you haven’t written for that you would consider trying later on? I’d love to write a mystery murder story and send the readers on a wild goose chase. What do you like most about publishing on GA? I love the interaction with readers and other authors. Do you have any unique writing habits or rituals to help you get into a writing mood? I don’t know about unique but I do have some habits. I might play a round of Candy Crush before I start. Sometimes I read something entirely different genre- or style-wise as I intend to write because contrasts get my mind working. How has your writing style evolved over time? I hope the telling became showing and my dialogues got better. Do you have a significant other? Yes. Do you have any pets? Yes. Do you post multi-chapter stories as you write? Do you wait until you’ve finished writing the entire story? Or is it something in between? I post as I write. I wish I could wait but I’m too eager to learn what you guys think about my newest baby. What is your favorite television show? Elementary. What is your favorite movie? Oh man. This is slightly embarrassing. Thinking about how many times I watched it, it has to be Love Actually. Do you write poetry? Prose? Or both? I write both. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be? Had fictional been an option this would have been so much easier. I’m not one to hero worship...hmm At the moment, Eleanor Roosevelt. What would you say is your greatest accomplishment? For me personally: I learned to walk. Again. In general, I make people yell at me and thereby think. Happy Guessing!