Renee Stevens

Thank you Johnathan Thank you Bill. From the sounds of it at the moment, it does not sound as though it was caught early as we had hoped. We will know more after all of the results. I am trying to stay strong and positive, but it is not easy and honestly, at times, the staying strong seems to be an impossible task. Thank you DDK. Thank you NotNoNever. I agree that my family needs to be my focus, especially as I'm sure that through the coming months my brother will need us as never before. The members here at GA have been awesome and I appreciate the understanding as I'm not sure when I will be back for good. Thank you podium. We will hopefully find out no later than middle of next week what type and stage it is, but it's sounding pretty possible that it's at least stage 3. As for staying strong, I am trying.

Thank you Krista... I'll be around a little bit, but not as much as usual. Thank you Wayne. Don't know what I would have done without you to talk to over the last couple of days. Thank you just doesn't seem enough. Thank you Lilansui. I appreciate it and I am trying. Thank you Rj. Thank you KC. Thank you Breeze. Thank you Andy. Thank you Mike. We are hoping for the same. Thank you Cassie.

As I’m sure many have seen, I have temporarily turned my Anthology duties over to Cia. So, if anyone who is planning to participate in the upcoming Anthologies, please contact her for any help you may require. Now, onto the reasoning behind the changes. My family received some not so good news yesterday and honestly, I am not doing so great with it. My oldest brother was diagnosed with lymphoma. We do not know all the details yet and the not knowing making it even scarier. He will be going in for a full biopsy on Tuesday and has an appointment with the oncologist on the 12th to learn the results as far as type, severity, treatment plan, etc. Originally, when we first heard it sounded like they caught it really early, but now we are not so sure. I found out tonight, via my mom, that a few months ago he had an enlarged lymph node in his neck and didn’t go get it checked out. So there is no telling if that is related to now or not. That’s really all the information we have right now. He is determined to make it through this and has a wonderful support group consisting of family, friends, coworkers, etc. With everything going on, my focus is completely shot and as such, I don’t want what I do at GA to be anything less than the best I can make it. Right now I can’t do that. Also, with the exception of Challenging Fate, my GA Premium Story, my stories will be on hold. I know it has been a while since I posted anything on Forging Trust, but I have been working on it. My work on it for the moment will be non-existent as I will be working on a different project geared towards helping my brother and his family. Once that project is done and my focus has returned, I will once again work on updating my stories. Thank you to everyone for the kind thoughts I have already received and please keep my brother, his wife, and their three kids in your thoughts.

Today's blog is some thoughts and insights into one of our long time members through a conversation with one of our older members. Check out this conversation about writing, GA, FSO and more with Colinian and Yettie One.

First off, sorry about the lateness of today's post! Makes me extra glad that it will still have all day tomorrow to be up! Since it's review day, we're bringing you a review of Promising Author Jack Frost's story "The Comfort of a Blanket" reviewed by Comicfan! The Comfort of a Blanket by Jack Frost Reviewer: Comicfan Status: Complete Word Count: 7,217 As someone who has written a number of short stories I know how hard it is draw the line and attempt to stay within a tightly woven tale. Jack not only writes an interesting take on a young man just figuring out who he is, he also does so while writing it as a historical piece. Welcome to the world of the 1600s in Canada. The town is ruled by the French and the church is an all powerful presence. Into this setting we encounter three young men from the upper reaches of society. Nicolas Lapointe is the main character of this tale. It is from his position as a spoiled young man that we are taken through what is just a short period of his life but a pivotal one. Through the course of primarily one day we are shown around a provincial town that is slowly becoming something more as the simple wooden structures are upgraded and fortified in case of attack. The day shows Nicolas from the time he gets up in the morning, his schooling, his trek through is home area, and his friendship with Michel. Then he keeps encountering Julien Boucher who is from an even richer family. What happens when the two young men begin to act on the sparks that both seem to feel? What repercussions could this have for both of them, when the church rules everything? Read on and find out for yourself and discover the comfort found beneath a blanket.

Maki waited years to learn what dragon spirit the fates had gifted him with. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go exactly as he'd always planned.

I was supposed to go shopping but decided against the early hour shopping trip, for multiple reasons besides still being extremely stiff and sore. Y'all could have been like my sister-in-law that lives in Wisconsin. Her and her sisters took all the kids in a limo to do Black Friday shopping. Kids could stay in the car if sleeping or too tired or just wanted to watch TV. A little extravagant in my opinion, but I guess whatever works.

What a week! So, how did everyone like the new weekly schedule for the blog? I have to say that it was nice to have things up for more than a day so that even more members were able to see and respond to the blogs. This week, we're starting out with a review of a Promising Author. Johnathan Colourfield was kind enough to provide us with this review of a story by Formosa! Hope you enjoy it and perhaps even take this opportunity to check the story out for yourself! Wintery Wanderland by Formosa Reviewer: Johnathan Colourfield Status: Complete Word Count: 3,722 The very opening of the story makes the reader worry. Two tipsy teenagers in the wood. This doesn’t bode well for the story. It starts the reader off on a judgmental point of view. However, Formosa effectively tackles this idea through the use of the abundant imagery in the snow. Sadly, there are one or two editing issues within the story however this does not detract from how much of an effective story this is. This story was a masterpiece in terms of its suspense. It even plays with the reader, with one of the two characters suggesting they are going to encounter a polar bear that escaped from the zoo. If this isn’t teasing the reader, I don’t know what is. This playful nature that Formosa uses is effective, because it should undermine the rest of the suspense within the story but instead it plays off the readers carnal emotion: fear. This fear is intensified through particularly the setting. My favourite section, came in a very simple section where the two characters are having a small talk: He puckered his lips, on which flakes fell and seemed to instantly melt. “You were smooched, too?” I asked, wanting to know. Wanting to do the same. This is a small snippet from a beautiful story. It is not your typical gay love story, in fact you are not even sure if the second character is gay because the attraction is never directly stated. This shows that Formosa is a master in implicature – implying information for the reader to read how he or she likes. This is an excellent use of the technique and recommend this to any authors! This is also a masterclass in identity. This story never identifies either of the character and yet we feel like we know them well. The premise is simple, one character likes the other and never knows if it will be reciprocated. Although, towards the end of the story we get the feeling that it will someday develop. Just wish Formosa had taken these characters that little bit further! As a reader, I’m dying to know more! Well done!

Here at the blog we've talked about leaving feedback for Authors. With that in mind, I asked Hosted Author: C James if he would be willing to write something up for the blog to tell everyone why he thinks feedback is important. I hope you enjoy what he had to say and keep it in mind the next time you read a story here at GA! Feedback: Why Authors Need You Authors differ, but most need feedback. I mean ‘need’ quite literally. It’s not an ego thing, it is a need. The reasons vary from author to author, but in general, it lets us know how we’re doing, and how the story is coming across. We cannot see the story as you do when it’s in progress. The art of writing is in conveying the story, so without feedback, we don’t know if there are problems such as what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t. So, what is feedback? Feedback is your opinion. Feedback can, and sometimes does, include mixed and even negative opinions. It can take the form of a forum post, a review, a PM, or an e-mail. Is clicking on ‘like’ feedback? Not really, for it does not impart a reason. Some authors may prefer criticism be sent privately, others (me, for one) are fine with it being public; check with an author if in doubt. dkstories often said, “Feedback is an author’s lifeblood.” No truer words have ever been said. Over the last few years, feedback has diminished on this site and others. As this site’s author advocate, I’ve heard many times from authors lamenting this fact, and how it erodes their motivation to keep going. Some longtime authors are no longer with us for this very reason. Many more have given up after barely getting started. Some have told me that, “No news is good news” or “Authors write to be read, all that counts is readership.” They are mistaken, at least in regards to most authors. When I began posting here at GA, I did so in order to learn how to write. I have learned more from feedback than through any other means. Feedback is my primary motive for publicly posting; if it goes away, so does my motive to post. I’m not alone in this; other authors on this site have contacted me about this issue. Writing is a compulsion. Sharing the results of writing, however, is a choice. It requires work, and work requires a motivation or it does not get done. So get involved. If you’re reading a story, find some other way to let them know what you think about their plot, or characters, or writing in general. All you have to do is click on the chapter review link at the end of each chapter! Another method, if you’re a GA member (And if not, why not? It’s free and easy!) is to give the author’s forum or story topic a try as well. The forum (or topic) is not limited the way reviews are; a discussion can happen in a forum, that can’t in reviews, including other readers as well as the author. Also, the forums can be downright fun. So if you read here on GA, give it a try. Recognize the author's effort and share your thoughts. Please.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all you ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves, etc... So, being as it's Wednesday again, it's time for two more reviews featuring some of our great stories at Gay Authors. Today, Jonathan Colourfield gives a great review on Promising Author: Dolores Esteban's "Absolute Zero". Following that up is my own review of Author: Mann Ramblings story "A Sense of Family". Enjoy. Absolute Zero (22 Hours from Now) By Dolores Esteban Reviewer: Johnathan Colourfield Status: Complete Word Count: 13,376 Oh Dolores. This story comes with a Da Vinci Code feel throughout and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was amazed. If you are a fan of the mystery story, then this is most certainly a story for you. Based around a recently published author named Jonathan (no resemblance to me at all) and around his family and friends and co workers and an evil figure called X who plans to kill many people if Jonathan doesn’t play his or her game. This story depends highly on the ‘Tarot’ card images. This is an excellent plot device employed by Delores, simply because of my own fascination with Tarot. It drew me and I simply couldn’t stop reading and there are very few stories that do that to me. To use such a thing in a plot device is absolute genius, but what was even more genius was the use of the meaning of the cards, to bring elements of the story together. I can’t tell anymore without giving away the plot, but be afraid of X. What I enjoy particularly about this short story is 2 things. The first, is that every character is shelled out. Every single one, you can ‘feel’ in the room with you when you are reading the story. My particular favourite is Giorigio. We meet Giorigio in one of the very first scenes in the story, who I fell in love with as soon as I ‘saw’ him. I wasn’t expecting Dolores to use the character in the way he was used, but damn that was a very well written character. The second (and more interesting) thing I found with this story was the characterization of X. X’s dialogue within the emails in the story is exquisite. The breaking of the rules of general grammar fascinates me completely. For example, in the story ‘I’m expecting your answer until 04:00am’, for this to make sense vocally, one has to rephrase to something like ‘I am expecting your answer at (or by) 4am’. As a student of language, I really got the nuance that there wasn’t something quite right about the character of X, even through the very little that he or she says. The big thing with this story was the revelation of who X exactly is. I was surprised by it; I was not expecting it but it still, after reflection pleased me as a reader. This story was cleverly written and well executed. I would recommend it to any reader. A Sense of Family By Mann Ramblings Reviewer: Renee Stevens Status: Complete Word Count: 7,594 In looking for a new story, one description really caught my attention. It sounded like it could be really interesting, though just from those few words I also knew that it was going to be a tearjerker. I decided to give it a try. The story was “A Sense of Family” written by Mann Ramblings. I had never read his work before, but after this short story, I can definitely say that I will be reading more by this very talented author. From the first sentence the reader is dropped right in the middle of the drama. This story follows the main character Matthew and to a lesser extent his two great friends, Ben and Jerry. “A Sense of Family” starts out with an absolutely horrible car wreck in which Matthew loses his husband, who is also his best friend. The story follows Matthew as he attempts to deal with his grief, or rather, as he attempts to not deal with it. It doesn’t get any easier for him as the death of his husband has also brought back into his life the one person he had not expected to see. His Mother. The two of them have a history and the question that is on everyone’s mind, including Matthew’s is, “Why is she here.” Mann Ramblings shows us just a peek of his talent as an author. This story is one of those that immediately dragged me into it and if there were any errors, the paled in comparison to the strength of the plot and the writing. You can feel the characters emotions and a couple times I felt myself tearing up. If you’re looking for an awesome short story to read and haven’t already read this, I strong recommend it.

When Yettie One approached Trebs and I about doing some interviews for the blog, we were ecstatic These interviews will run once a month. So, rather than write a lengthy intro, we'll just let Yettie One tell you about it himself! Interview with NaperVic by Yettie One As part of a community of people I got really curious about what brought people to the world of GA, what the enjoy to read, and what kind of people they are. So when I volunteered to help the GA Blog with a new idea to chat to people and discover what it is about GA that makes the site tick for them, I discovered a whole load of wonderful people that really do make the world go round. This series is going to introduce you to a few of them. People you may or may not have heard of on the site. People you may have chatted to or whose stories you may have read. Hopefully, these brief glimpses into their mind will give us all insite to who we are and the people that surround us. To everyone that has helped support me to put this series together, thanks for your help, and if you are one of the ones that gets a private message from me in your inbox asking for info in the future, I look forward to getting to know you more, and telling others about who you are. This series is called the Pulse Behind the GA Crowd, as I kind of think that GA is a body all on its own, and we, the members, readers, writers, and community as a whole are its pulse. This week we meet NaperVic NaperVic joined GA when Domluka moved over here back in early 2005. Dom had a 1500+ person Yahoo group at the time, and we were experiencing growing/moderation pains. During that period, Dom was releasing new chapters of The Lo(n)g Way, The Ordinary Us, and Dessert Dropping (good times they were). Sometimes the discussions got pretty heated, it was becoming too much of a headache for Dom to moderate, and the listserv format wasn’t conducive to the types of discussions that were taking place on the group. dkstories helped convince us to move our discussion over to a dedicated author forum on GA, so many of Dom’s fans joined GA. If I remember my history correctly, Domaholics was the first author forum on GA. The rest you can say is history. I asked NaperVic to tell me his favourite feature to the GA Site, and he kept me sat there for about an hour as he pondered the pro’s and con’s between the Forum and the Chat room, so eventually I caved in and accepted both as his answer. Discussion Forums - I loved/love to be able to dissect and discuss some of my favourite, in progress stories with fellow fans. Looking back on some of the threads, it was crazy how deep some people looked at story lines, characters, etc. The thread isn’t there anymore, but I still remember this one in particular from Rigel, titled “The Passive Protagonist” where he laid out how he thought Domluka’s main characters were all passive. It was quite eye opening at the time. Chat room - I enjoy the community aspect of GA Chat. I like being able to get to know likeminded gay and gay friendly people who I probably wouldn’t ordinarily interact with in real life. There are people I’ve been chatting with for years, some who are no longer active and new people I’ve met in just the last couple of months. It was interesting to chat to NaperVic about his favourite stories. He is a loyal Domluka fan, listing his top 5 favourite stories as works by Domluka. Top of that list is The Long Way Home which NaperVic found in 2004 and describes himself as being hooked, hook, line and sinker, to coin a fisherman’s phrase. The other stories he loves include, In the Fish Bowl, Dessert Dropping, Dreams of Humanity and The Ordinary Us all works by DomLuka. There are so many great authors on GA, NaperVic said, but I’d probably list my top five as Domluka, dkstories, Percxyz, JFinn and Christopher Patrick Lydon. NaperVic is a flambouant wonderful character here on GA. He is always making people laugh, seems to always be in a good mood, fell in love with Tom Cruise when he stared in films like Risky Business or Top Gun, not the Tom Cruise we see jumping around on Oprah’s sofa he is quick to point out. He’s a dog man and adores his Mina his pup who cuddles up with him when they nap on the floor or chases him down the street when he goes for a run. He likes brown eyes on a man, and would put Happiness over love as he believes you can have love but still be unhappy. He invited me over for Lou Malnati’s Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza and a Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dinner, but since the British Government have grounded my concord I sadly had to decline. I asked NaperVic about the positive effects of GA on his life, and he warmly and fondly spoke about friendship after friendship that he had forged, developed and now cherishes right here on GA. “My eFriends are as important to me as my real time friends,” he discloses with a cheeky smile. I ended off my time with NaperVic by asking him if there was one thing that he would change about GA what it would be, and he immediately pointed his finger at the Soap Box. Even now, with all the disclaimers and warnings, people still carry grudges out of the Soapbox into regular GA. GA is a story site, so I’m not really sure what benefits having the Soapbox provides for GA’s primary goals. It seems to cause more bad feelings and I’m bothered by the fact that authors or members have left due to something Soapbox related. I had an amazing time finding about this wonderful and supremely unique man. It is clearly obvious that he loves his time and place here on GA and is a lively and respected member of our community. My genuine thanks go out to him, and if you have never said hello, just pop him a message and say hi, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Renee here again. I tried to find links for all the members that NaperVic said about but couldn't seem to find them all. If you can locate any of the missing links then please let me know and I will include them. Also, Yettie One's interviews are scheduled to debut on the last Tuesday of each month. I hope you are looking as forward to the next one as I am!

Being Monday, it's the start of yet another week. What better way to start the week than to feature a story by one of GA's earliest authors, Comicality! Hope you enjoy this review and if you do, then go check the story out yourself and leave Comsie a review! Of The Flesh By Comicality Reviewer: Renee Stevens Status: Complete Word Count: 7,869 So, “Of The Flesh” by Comicality. Comicality, or Comsie as he is also known, has been with Gay Authors since the beginning. He was one of the very first authors and is one of the beginning few who are still writing. Right now, he has a hundred and five stories on the site. It can be a daunting task to try and figure out where to start, but luckily for me, I had a friend who suggested this story to me when I said I was looking for a short story by Comicality to read. “Of The Flesh” follows a college student who is obsessed with porn. He spends virtually all of his free time searching the internet for that perfect “boy”. He just knows that if he just keeps going, only a few more clicks, that he will find what he is looking for. He finally finds that perfect “boy” in the form of Jonas Wicke. Or rather, he finds Jonas’s website. The only damper on his exuberance is the fact that the site clearly states that Jonas has passed away. What follows is certainly an adventure as our main character is taken on a journey that he never expected. The strength of the story telling for this short story is astounding and showcases Comsie’s skill at creating a story that calls to its readers. I wasn’t sure exactly where the story was going, but I found myself unable to stop reading, wondering exactly where Comsie was taking me. The ending was certainly not what I was expecting, but it’s definitely not something I’ll forget anytime soon. If you haven’t already read this, or you were as daunted as I was by the many choices, start with “Of The Flesh.” It is certainly worth the read! Also, don't forget that we can't feature a story if we don't have a review for it. With that in mind, we turn to the GA membership to help. If there's a story by a Hosted, Promising, Poet, or Author that you've read that you would like to see showcased on the blog then let us know and write up a review for it!

With so many stories on site, it can be next to impossible to decide what to read next. The Author Showcase can help you do that with it's reviews of both Promising Author's and Authors. Today, our guest reviewer Fozzie Bear returns with a review of Promising Author: WrathofMagneto's story "Three Hundred Years." We also have a review by Zombie of Author: podga's story "All That Matters." If the stories sound like something you might like to read, check them out and then leave the authors a review! Now, onto the reviews! Three Hundred Years by Wrathofmagneto Reviewer: Fozzie Bear Status: Complete Word Count: 7,529 Wocka, Wocka, Wocka. Fozzie Bear is here to do a review of yet another author on the site. Ahh, it being October it is time to find a nice scary tale. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Bear enjoys being scared. Back in 2008 Wrathofmagneto wrote this tale for the Anthology with the theme Anniversary. Wowzers. This little tale starts off right in the middle of some action. Tommy is a seasoned professional who is at the top of his game. The work he does isn’t something you find being done at the corner office, for Tommy is a hunter. The game he goes after isn’t deer, bears, or anything so mundane because the creatures he hunts are Vampires, Werewolves, and Demons. Oh My. Tommy’s tale begins right in the middle of a fight as a werewolf is attempting to get in and kill him. Between rapid fire action, bits and pieces of Tommy’s life is given out. When the first battle is over the werewolf is killed and Tommy heads out to go home. However, Tommy soon takes a new job. He has been hired by Father Donald Jackson, a rather well connected priest, who wants Tommy to stop a demon who is prophesied to end the world after he has lived on it for three hundred years. Father Jackson has found that the demon is expected to be here in their little corner of the world. Oh, and Tommy has just four days to stop it before the anniversary of its arrival on Earth arrives. Wocka, Wocka. What is the world to do? Will Tommy be able to stop the demon? Will he go it alone or take along his hunter in training, Jonathan, who is also his boyfriend? Wocka, Wocka. Real end of the world stuff here gentle readers. Naturally if you want to know how it ends … read it. Also, if you enjoyed it remember to leave Wrathofmagneto a little love in the way of a review. Fozzie Bear signing off. Wocka, Wocka. All That Matters by podga Reviewer: Zombie Status: Complete Word Count: 8,000 If you're looking for a thrill ride with evil villains closing on the muscular hero as he desperately attempts to escape their clutches with his wounded lover in a damaged helicopter running low on fuel .... well, pick another story But if you're looking for a well written romance then I recommend this short story from podga, as well as his longer stories. The plot is very simple - gay guy fancies apparently "straight" married family guy, they get together, but the relationship seems destined to go nowhere. Not much there really, but by using a non-linear narrative and with his "ear" for dialogue podga has produced another very enjoyable read. I suspect he's one of those sneaky writers who, when he hears a good line in conversation, slyly scribbles it down for later use. Or maybe he just gets into the characters and let's them speak. Refreshingly, the two lovers are both adult, one mid 40s the other late 30s. The first person narrator opens up to his emotions, fears and insecurities and with self-deprecating humour adds to the reading pleasure. The story flows so well that I could almost hear the narrator reading it "out loud" in my head. Maybe you're getting the message that I like podga's writing I think you will too. Hope you enjoyed these two reviews and if you have read a story that you'd like to see in the blog, we'd love to hear about it via a review! If you would like to write a review of a word you've read, let us know.

Jordan yawned and tightened his grip on the warm body he was spooned against. He smiled as he snuggled closer to Shawn’s warm back. He had missed waking up with someone he cared about nestled in the safety of his arms. Even Shawn’s gentle snoring didn’t bother him; he actually had enjoyed being lulled into sleep by the soft sounds. The scent of Shawn’s shampoo teased his senses, prompting him to bury his face in Shawn’s hair and breathe deeply. Just the scent was enough to bring back the me

Maybe I need to clarify a bit... I have seen NEW authors pull stories or quit writing because of reviews that are NOT constructive criticism. I'm not saying that all criticism must be sent via PM, but if you're going to only tell an author how awful their story is or nit pick ever little detail in the story, then what is the purpose? In my opinion, these are not reviews and may only succeed in making newer authors second guess even posting here to begin with. Oh, and do let me point out that I have received critical PM's, and know of quite of few other authors on site who have received the same.

Is it just me or does it seem like Friday's just never end? I mean really, you get looking so forward to the weekend and there is just this one little hurdle in your path, Friday. Last day of work (for the lucky ones), last day of school, and just anything else that ends on Friday and gives a two day break. Well, to help it be a little easier to make it over that hurdle, we've got two new prompts for you from our Prompt Guru: Comicfan. Why not take a minute and try one of them out? Just think, by the time you're done you're that much closer to Friday being over. Oh, and don't forget to share it in the Writing Prompt Forum! Prompt 168 – Creative Tag – First Line “Now why on earth would I do that?” Prompt 169 – Creative Tag – The Truth People always say they want to hear the truth. A scientist who had been working a truth serum has had enough. One day the scientist asks his assistant why they are late. They reply “I’m not really sure,” and turn away from him. Feeling totally fed up he returns to the lab and opens the untested air born version of his truth serum. It spreads across the world like wild fire. Now no one can lie. Is this a blessing or a curse? Now that you've seen the new prompts, it's time to take a look at a prompt response. Today we're going to highlight a response to one of the GA 10th Anniversary Prompts. The Prompt was: Anniversaries are always something special and unusual. What makes the one you are attending that way? The author of the story we are going to show you is none other than Lugh! Intrigued? And why wouldn't you be? To read the rest, check it out HERE and afterwards, you can always leave Lugh a review. He doesn't bite... Well, maybe just a little .

Today we're bringing you another piece that has been written by Dark about how to work with your beta reader. He was even kind enough to share some of the suggestions made by his beta readers and his fixes or his reasoning. Enjoy! Working with your Beta Reader by Dark When I first came to GA, I had no beta. After getting to know some of the folks here, advertising, and doing some snooping around, I started working with some folks as betas. So, now that I have a beta, what do I do with him/her? Working with a beta can be a very personal experience because stories/novellas/etc. are an author’s baby. That’s our work! and we don’t always like it when someone tells us it sucks. Authors, like other artists, can be pretty dramatic -- oh no! I got an awful review, so I must suck as an author, let me go hide in RL and never write again! LOL. I’m sure you know people (or yourself) who has reacted like that. The trick is to be able to step away from the “Augh, you’re attacking my baby!” reaction and get something useful out of it, because if you’re not learning or improving, then what’s the use? I found the beta for my Secrets Can Kill (SCK) Anthology from some comments he sent me on previous stories and chatting with him on GA Chat. Since I was still feeling the sting from a recent bad-beta experience and because I was still working on SCK, I sent this prospective beta something else I was working on. A few days later I received back a word document with what looked like a thousand little red boxes scrunched on the right-hand margin with the word “unnecessary” typed inside. My eyes did this: O_O 103 comments later, I knew that I had found something special. That story went on to earn some amazing reviews from our GA readers. The self-satisfaction I felt cannot be described. You may be wondering how I went from all those red boxes and my first reaction (which was OMG I suck!) to the finished product. Below you will find a handful of before-beta work, the beta’s comment(s) and the after-beta product. From Waylon's Crossing Before: Finding the access ways was a learned skill, one that had consumed a centuries of Bryce's life. Now he could slip from one world to the other with almost as much ease as demonkind. Beta’s comments: Initially you capitalised [demonkind]. I prefer it not as humankind is never capitalised and what’s the difference. After: Finding the access ways was a learned skill, one that had consumed centuries of Bryce's life. Now he could slip from one world to the other with almost as much ease as demonkind. My reasoning: continuity! I had to go back and make sure that I wrote the same thing everywhere throughout the story instead of switching back and forth between Demonkind and demonkind. I agreed with my beta here. Before: The little half-unicorn still reeked of the magic he'd summoned, more felt than smelled, like static picked up by rubbing socked feet over carpet. Touch him and Bryce received a jolt. Beta’s comment: I know exactly what you were trying to say but I don’t think you were saying it very clearly. After: He gave the little half-unicorn a sideways glance and rubbed his arms. The remnants of magic clinging to Jacen made all the hairs stand up on Bryce’s body. It was a ticklish sensation like static picked up by rubbing socked feet over carpet. What made Bryce nervous was wondering when and how that static would discharge. My reasoning: This second version more clearly brings out the wariness of the character that I wanted to convey. From Ashton's Place: Before: The water in the lake was low at this time of year, so even though Ashton rolled up his pants-legs, his feet stayed dry. Beta’s comments: This is unnecessary. The reason his feet don’t get wet is because they don’t reach the water. if you want to leave it in, I’d suggest … year, so Ashton’s rolled up pants stayed dry. The ‘legs’ part is unnecessary … which other part of the pants is likely to be down there? J After: The water in the lake was low at this time of year, but he rolled up the bottoms of his trousers anyway; My reasoning: says what I want without being wordy. Before: His books were all gone, including the brand-new copy of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" that he’d received for his birthday. He stared at the empty shelf for long minutes. Beta’s comment: It might seem superfluous, but describe his reason for this long look … is it wonder, amazement, curiosity, surprise, shock, bafflement etc? After: His books were all gone, including the brand-new copy of Sherlock Holmes’ "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" that he’d received for his birthday. He stared at the empty shelves, wracking his brain for the reason behind this latest punishment. He couldn’t think of anything, but he knew he was always disappointing his parents. My reasoning: This explains why Ashton is staring at his bookshelf without being repetitive (stuff was missing). The phrase allows the reader to empathize with the reader and alludes to Ashton’s relationship with his parents. Before: Screaming, Ashton scrambled up the steps, ignoring the damage he was inflicting to himself. He ran outside and straight into the lake only to find himself standing on the dock before he’d even really begun to drown. He was clean and dry and fell to his knees, staring down at the water which showed no reflection. Beta’s comments: I get that this is another spatial shift, but I think this one is unnecessary, and a shift too far. I’d cut it to … He ran outside and onto the dock. Looking down he could see he was clean and dry. Confused, he fell to his knees, and stared over the edge into the water. Water which also showed no reflection. After: Screaming, Ashton scrambled up the steps, ignoring the damage he was inflicting to himself. He ran out to the dock. No blood met his eyes when he lifted his hands; he was clean and dry. Falling to his knees, he stared down at the water and his missing reflection. My reasoning: I agree with my beta on this; I’ve already described what happens when Ashton gets too far from the house. Changing it up better connects the previous scene and what will follow. Instead of distancing the reader from the action, the reader has a chance to reconnect with the main character. My style is to be less explicit, so I use imagery to try and create the confusion Ashton is feeling. Working with a beta can be one of the most rewarding experiences as an author. Not only do they tell you what needs improvement, but the right beta will also encourage you and boost your ego by telling you what you’re doing right. I had a general idea of what I wanted in my beta and in my comments. For example, I wanted someone who was tough. I wanted more than “I liked it.” I wanted to know if my work had the desired effect and I did not want to pull teeth to get that feedback. I wanted someone who wasn’t afraid to tell me something sucked and how to fix it. You may want something different, but you’ll never know unless you try. Good luck!

You had me wondering through the entire story just who it was sending the flowers. I really enjoyed the way you wrapped it up in the end. Great job hon, though why I would expect any less I don't know . You always manage to pull me into your stories, no matter how long or short

First off, i want to apologize to everyone who is reading Forging Trust. I never planned to have this long of a delay between postings and it's driving me nuts. I have some of Chapter 9 written (part of it is handwritten at this point) but things have been so hectic lately. Also, there's something off on the current chapter. I thought maybe it was just me, but I sent it to Cia to look at it and she agrees that there's something in it that needs fixed. I am working on it, I just didn't want anyone to think that I had forgotten this story. I haven't and I'm constantly thinking about where I want the story to go, it's just getting it written that's proving to be a bit difficult. Thank you again to everyone who had read and/or commented on the story and I promise that I will get something posted just as soon as I can! Hugs to All ~Renee

I hope you all enjoyed last weeks 10 Year Anniversary Edition of the blog, but now it is on to a new week and the start of GA's 11th year! To start us off we're taking a look back at a story written for the 2007 Winter Anthology: Worth Fighting For. I hope you enjoy Dark's review of "Red's Rescue" written by Lugh. Enjoy and if you decide to check out the story, why not leave him a review! Red's Rescue By Lugh Review by Dark Status: Complete Word Count: 10,042 This is a story by one of our more prolific writers. It’s almost overwhelming visiting Lugh’s story page because there are so many to choose from! But I found this particular story perusing the anthology list. Red’s Rescue was written for the 2007 anthology Worth Fighting For. It’s one of only a few that have an actual description and yes, I knew that Lugh’s been a member of GA for a long time, but to see how active he was even 5 years ago surprised me. I wanted to see if his writing was just as captivating then as now. Although the beginning leads the reader to believe that the main character Ayreon is only in town to have fun, it is later revealed that he’s there for a specific purpose. His father trains boys to serve a secretive assassin’s guild. It was a little worrisome that Ayreon never noticed any of this happening as he was growing up. At any rate, I loved the set-up and descriptions as Ayreon plays the games masquerading as trials for entry into the city’s guilds. One of the things I liked best is how Ayreon is not perfect. He does well in some things and doesn’t fare so well in others. There’s something mysterious lurking behind the storyline that intrigued me from the start. Ayreon is sweetly innocent but not naïve. The plot takes a short detour into training, which brings to mind that training sequence you always get in sports movies and it catapults the plot to Ayreon’s first mission. Here is where the plot answers the question of why Ayreon? There were so many ways for the story to end that I didn’t know which one to root for. I loved how it kept me guessing. Lugh does a fabulous job of bringing the reader along from beginning to end. The font is kind of in-your-face, but that probably happened during the transfer from efiction to GAstories. The mysteries are expertly woven into the plot and the end leaves the reader wishing for more. Here’s a story that I would love to see expanded into a novella someday. Readers who love fantasy will love this hidden gem about what’s really worth fighting for. And it gives a whole new meaning to the war of the roses. Hope you enjoyed this review as much as I did, and if you've read a story by any author here at GA that you want to bring attention to, then let us know! We're more than happy for any reviews that come our way and if the story hasn't already been reviewed for the blog, then we can feature it on an upcoming Monday or Wednesday.

First off, I would like to wish GA a happy 10th Anniversary and a special thanks to Myr for creating GayAuthors.org in the first place! I just happen to be one of those crazy straight women (or as Myr calls me: Crazy Mountain Lady) that Myr mentioned in his interview, but I am so glad to have a place to post my stories where I know they are enjoyed. As most everyone should know by now, we released the 2012 Fall Anthology: Friends and Enemies just a few short days ago. I hope everyone has enjoyed them and has finished them because now you have even more stories to read and review!! For your reading pleasure, GayAuthors.org 10th Anniversary Special Anthology: Secrets Can Kill has now gone live to celebrate Gay Author's ten year anniversary. Writing another story on top of everything else, plus the other anthologies, can be tricky but we have 4 entries ranging from horror to fantasy. Thank you to the authors participating! A Legend is the Key by Cia Remember my Heart by Dark The Game by Dolores Esteban The Symmetry of Life: To See, To Know, To Be Human by W_L Don't forget to leave a review (or two!!) to let the Authors know how much you enjoy their hard work. Enjoy the stories and once again, HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY GayAuthors.org!

It's Monday again, and not just any Monday! Today starts the Gay Authors 10th Anniversary Week here on the blog. We will be changing it up a bit from the normal blog entries, so we hope that you enjoy the content just as much as we have enjoyed putting it all together. To start us off, Cia has written up a review of a story written by the man who started it all. I hope you enjoy this look at "Terran Confederation - Jermiah" written by none other than Myr! Terran Confederation - Jeremiah by Myr Reviewer: Cia Status: Complete Word Count: 7,834 2010-2 Anthology Entry I'm not exactly an impartial reviewer of this story, as I beta read it for Myr back when he first posted it as part of the 2010 anthology 'Out of This World'. A science fiction story set in space, revolving around young teenage officers and cadets, this story can appeal to many. The lead character, Jeremiah - or Jerry to his friends in private - has been trained as a soldier since he was born with active psi powers. That's right, this story doesn't just involve space and soldiers, but paranormal psi powers as well. They usually don't show up until adolescent years, but Jerry is a very special case. He's finally been pulled from the ultra secret base he was raised at that, a place full of hidden military secrets that not even the conspiracy theorists believe. The powers that be decided that it was time for Jerry to move into the world and mingle with other soldiers his own age in an experiment on a different aspect they believe his psi powers work within. To that end Jerry ends up collecting a few friends and junior military members as part of his group. They have a few exciting happenings as their involvement deepens, which culminates in an explosive climax. No, not the kind between the sheets though, so get your minds out of the gutter. To tell you more would be spoiling. A single aspect of this story left me dissatisfied as I read it, however. It is simply too short. Fortunately, I have heard that this is part of a larger series where the individual stories will be linked together and expanded to create a flowing timeline where we get to see all manner of psionic powers coming into play. While we wait for that, make sure you check out Psionic Corp-No Return featuring another special young man, Mike Valdius. Don't forget to leave reviews as well, maybe if he gets enough readers asking for more we can get Myr moving to finish off these stories and linking them together!

Thanks for the review! You're right in that there's not a lot of descriptions for everyone else, that's primarily because they are not major players throughout the story. As for Richard, he is meant to be a bit vague at this point. We learn more and more about him as the story continues.

I can understand why you would feel that way. All I can say without giving away the rest of the story is that there are reasons that Richard speaks the way he does sometimes and even more reasons for some of the more "old-fashioned" concepts. Thanks for the review.

So glad that you enjoyed the story SacredLove. It definitely ran the gamut of emotions and I'm so glad that the story moved you as it did! Thanks for the review!