Renee Stevens

Thanks for the review Lisa! I am really liking what I know of Shawn's dad and just wish that more parents were like him. As for the family drama, yes, that is a part of why it is coming in now, but that's not all of it. As far as the distance, it is only about 2 hours for Jordan to get to Denver, but it is on Brian's way and will save Brian from having to drive the extra 2 hours to Jordan's and then backtrack for 2 hours (maybe a little less). Either way, I wanted to showcase that Jordan's family is important to him and glad that comes through. As for Shawn, yes, I agree that he's being paranoid a bit, but I can't really blame him for wondering the things he has. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapter and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thank you for the review Stephen! Lots of questions, but I promise most of the answers will be coming up really soon. As for Shawn's father, I think you pegged him perfectly. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story and hope that it continues to hold your interest as we go further into the relationship between Shawn and Jordan.

Sorry for the late reply, but as I just posted Ch. 8, guess you will find out very very soon! Hope you enjoy!

“Everything okay?” Colin looked at them worriedly when they walked out on the deck. “Yep, everything is fine.” Shawn was beaming from ear to ear and Jordan was glad he had been able to make Shawn so happy. The reason for the trip really sucked, but at least something good was going to come of it. He was a bit apprehensive about Shawn meeting some of his family, but had known that it was only a matter of time. At least this way it would be a short meeting and then Brian could grill Shawn in

Happy Birthday Tom!!! Hope it was a great one!

Thanks for commenting Houdinii! As long as we have the reviews, we can use them, but we have to have them first!

Thank you Daddydavek! Thank you Sam! Thanks Steve! I think I might have a new "title"... though I also like the one Myr gave me as Crazy Mountain Lady. hehe. As for the hubby, he had to work and I had to go to a wedding in Utah so I only got to see him for a couple hours this evening. But he did have dinner waiting for me Thank you John! Thank you Jammi! Thanks for the welcome, hehe. My dad said he feels old, cause I'm his youngest, lol. Aww... Thank you Cia! Let's never find out, because I don't know what I'd do either! And honestly, I don't know if anyone could keep either of us "in line" but that's half the fun, right? Thank you Kim! That reminds me of the phone message I had from my nieces. Though my mom only let them sing the first verse because she didn't wanna fill up my voicemail, LOL. You didn't miss it Mark! This one showed up when there was still 14 minutes of my b-day left! Thank you! http://www.gayauthors.org/forums//public/style_emoticons/default/hug.gif

Thanks Cassie! LOL. Thank you Bill! And why would that be a bad thing? Thank you Stu! Thanks MJ!

Thank you Tom! Thanks Andy! Though I must say in my opinion, my hubby is already hot Thank you Mark! Thanks KC! Love the puppy dog pic! Thank you Sharon!

It's time to climb into the time machine and take a trip to the.... PAST! Today we're going to look at a little gem I found that should call out to both Authors AND Readers. It was taken from a May 2004 Newsletter. Enjoy and as always, share your thoughts about it. The Gay Authors Newsletter - May 2004 Waiting for the next chapter ... By Jevic Nothing is more frustrating than reading a great story and suddenly find yourself hanging with nothing left to read. Sure there's the promise of the next chapter coming soon ... but, I WANT IT NOW! Confession time ... we've all been frustrated. That's one of the reasons I forewarn readers on my own site about suggested stories that are "on going." Some people just can't stand the wait! They come back and check for a new chapter sometimes as often as twice a day. But they still wait. The "check backs" dwindle down to maybe once a week and finally stop completely. In the case of Nifty, with newly posted stories listed at the top, it's easy enough to check. When the next chapter is finally posted, the reader has probably read a dozen or more stories and has completely forgotten the plot. They have to go back and re-read several chapters to bring themselves back up to speed. Some readers do not realize what all is involved in the writing process. And no one knows what personal issues the author has to deal with ... class, work, family, friends, etc. The number of things that can "interfere" with completing another chapter are like the grains of sand on the beach … uncountable. And then there's the writer's most dreaded enemy ... writer's block. And it's made even worse by all the emails asking, requesting and downright demanding another chapter. Writer's want and need feedback for each chapter they post. But readers need another chapter posted too. There are pros and cons to posting a chapter once it's finished. The pros include immediate feedback. The cons include the pressure to write another chapter. As an avid reader and a writer that tends to write in spurts ... I find the whole thing frustrating and amusing at the same time. When I posted my first story I already had 12 chapters completed. I started posting on Nifty once a week. The reasoning behind my madness was that I would have 12 weeks to finish the story, plus, I would get immediate feedback on my work. Readers would be happy because a new chapter would be coming out on a regular basis and I would be happy because I would be getting immediate feedback. It worked great until I finished chapter 18 with one day to spare. It was posted the next day after a valiant effort by my editors. But now I had a throng of avid fans expecting the final chapter in one week and I hadn't even started on it! The pressure was enormous. I felt I would let my fans down if I didn't finish the chapter. At the same time I was struggling with the emotions of bringing a story to a close. I'd never experienced that before and it was awful. Something wonderful was happening and I didn't want it to end! The last chapter was posted on time. My fans were happy and so was I. I had nothing but good feelings about the job I had done. But now I find myself writing 3 different stories at the same time. Each chapter is posted as soon as it is finished. Sometimes it's months between postings. Does it bother me? You betcha. Does it bother my readers and fans? Probably. But no one has said an unkind word. I'm just getting encouragement. The purpose of this article is for readers and writers alike to try to understand both sides of the equation. For a reader who hasn't seen a post in months, the frustration grows and grows until they actually get pissed. For an author that's having issues with getting the next chapter out ... the pressure can be debilitating. If you're a reader, try to understand things from the writer's point of view. Creativity can't be rushed. It just has to happen. And writers, think about all those fans that can't wait for another chapter of your masterpiece. You write for feedback. And once you start the posting process, keep you readers in mind. If you're stumped, this is the right website to be. There are people here that you can turn to for help, support and even a shoulder to cry on.

For our Tip Thursday we are bringing you an awesome tip from Cia. Have you ever been writing a Fantasy story and worried that you might be writing something that will turn your readers off to your story? Cia writes this time as a reader, about what keeps her interested in a fantasy story. Enjoy! Fantasy – From a Reader’s POV So, this is coming from me, as a reader. Recently I’ve read a few fantasy stories. One was a modern fantasy, one is a futuristic alien fiction, and two were pure fantasy. Now, I like to read modern fantasy the most, and comparing the stories I read in close succession led me to understand why that is. In my opinion, modern fantasy almost lets authors make their twist into the fantastical more overt and dramatic. They don’t have to explain car travel, or cell phones, or refrigerators to the reader which leaves them greater room to explain the person that can telekinetically move a parked car or blow up a refrigerator. For many other readers, the tease that the mundane existence can be so easily become fantastical is a huge draw as well. The attraction for many to fantasy stories is that they are so divorced for reality, which makes a great reader escape. However, there are many authors who take that too far. The reader is usually dropped into a completely new world, quite often into a very dramatic scene for that first chapter hook. Most of the time that requires a lot of detail, all of which has to be explained and then retained by the reader. Quite often, being immersed in a whole new culture can be very stimulating and that keeps me reading. There are times, however, when it’s just too much. For me, that most often occurs when the author has created a completely foreign setting and includes too many characters with too many names all at once. It can be incredibly confusing if a story has a large cast of characters and, even worse, they go by titles, names, and/or nicknames all at once. Having to remember three or four identities per character and what each of those names/titles mean is very taxing. It is simply easier to follow if you have a human character that publicly goes by the name of say, Timothy, but his best friend call him Tim. Or, you have an alien leader that only goes by his title but his family uses his name. In those instances, especially when you have a large cast of characters, that can better tell us who is speaking and highlight those relationships as well as reducing confusion. That isn’t as important in a modern fantasy story since we have less detail to try to understand at the same time, but it is vital, in my opinion, for a pure fantasy. For me, the true test of a fantasy is how quickly I can sink into the world as I become immersed in the story AND understand its nuances. Trading off the fantasy world for fantasy elements in the world we know makes that easier for me, which results in a better reading experience. I still enjoy fantasy stories, but as a whole, I’ve found that finding ones that are truly well written are getting fewer and farther in between.

“Hey Jordan.” Carl poked his head in the doorway. “Are you busy?” “Nope, come on in.” Jordan straightened the stack of papers on his desk before slipping them into one of the drawers and locking it. “I’m just getting ready to head out.” “I was just wondering if you wanted to join us at Jerry’s tonight.” Carl stepped into Jordan’s office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Sorry, wish I could, but I’m kind of busy tonight.” Jordan leaned back in his chair and smiled

First off, hope everyone who celebrates it is having a wonderful Independence Day! One of the great things about working on the blog has been that I have read so many new stories and new authors. Promising Author: Wrathofmagneto has been around for a little while, but I had never read his work. I'd heard a lot of good things and finally had a chance to check out two stories by him, "Captivated" and "Consequences". I wasn't disappointed and I hope you won't be either! Comicfan was in much the same boat when I asked him to help me out by writing a review on an Author story. He asked around for a suggested story and was pointed towards a story by Author: TMcCallahan called "Dust & Ash". Hope you enjoy these reviews and take a moment to check out the stories! “ Captivated” & “Consequences” By Wrathofmagneto Reviewed By: Renee Stevens Status: Complete Word Count: 4,089 & 4,889 Well, it's that time of the week again, and since I didn't have any reviews in reserve, I thought I'd scroll down the list of Promising Stories to see what would catch my eye. I’d heard good things about WrathofMagneto so pulled up his page and the description on “Consequences” looked interesting, and since I've never read Magneto's work, I thought I'd give it a try. I was a little unsure because in the story notes it says that it is a sequel to an earlier anthology entry. Then after reading Consequences, I just had to go read “Captivated” to find out what I had missed! So because of that, you get a two for one deal! The two stories follow Justin and Tyler through their first meeting, which happens when Tyler gives Justin a ride home after finding him standing in the pouring rain. Things develop between the two, and while Tyler knows what Justin goes through at school after having been outed, he doesn’t know the whole story of what Justin’s life is like. When push comes to shove, Justin has to make a decision, but he’s not the only one who has to live with the consequences. These two stories are heart wrenching as they really allow you to feel for Justin and there were multiple times I wished I could just reach out and hug him. Captivated is from Tyler’s viewpoint, while Consequences is told from Justin’s viewpoint and is honestly the more agonizing in my opinion. While they could easily be read separately, it’s definitely beneficial to read both stories in order to get the full scope of what has gone on and what has led Justin to the decisions that he has made. There were a few minor editing mistakes, but they didn’t really detract from the story and I continued on despite of them. I wanted to know what happened to these two characters. It deals with some of the darker sides of human nature but also does have a few lighthearted moments that make you smile. After reading these two, I am sure I will be checking out more by this author in the near future! Dust & Ash By TMcCallahan Reviewer: Comicfan Status: In Progress Every once in a while I take a look through the stories going on and something will catch my eye. Other times I will talk to different people on the site and find out what they are reading and enjoying. It is through that means I came to find Dust and Ash. The story begins with Ash in bed. Ash is a hedonistic man who enjoys sex and his own sexuality. Male or female he has fun, but he leans a bit more toward taking a man to bed for his pleasure. Add into this picture the fact that Ash is basically sex walking. He is described as having “the face of a fallen angel, just wickedly innocent and sexy all at once”. To go with that face he has a body of sin and he knows the affect he has on everyone he encounters. Ashley Redvers is the lead singer of a group called the Boys of Summer, which is a wedding band that he is the lead singer of. Problems for the band begin because the drummer has rolled his truck and is seriously hurt, forcing the band to find a replacement. Enter Dustin, one ultra blonde match hottie. He too has a body to die for and when he arrives it is with as much hair care and skin care products as any person might ever need. For Ash one look at Dustin and it is over. The pull is immediate and the tale has barely begun. The problem is Ash will admit to being bi but gay? He won’t even come out to his fellow bandmates or family as being bisexual, but Dustin refuses to be a summer fling or hidden affair. What will this do to Ash? How will he handle the tension that even Jared, the one member of the band who knows all about Ash, cannot stand to watch after one afternoon. The author of this tale continues to weave an incredible tale that only gets better with each new chapter posted. Presently he is eight chapters in. All I can tell you is if you are in for an interesting read, one that is well crafted with fully realized characters and a plot that isn’t a total rehash of the same old stories, give Dust and Ash a try. If you enjoy it, leave him a review and feel free to click that like button for him. Note to Authors: Remember, we can only feature reviews if we have them. We are completely out of ALL reviews at the moment... Hosted, Promising, and Author. I won't be around much this week, so please PM Trebs if you are willing to volunteer to write a review for the blog! Thanks!!!

So it's Friday again, the last day of the work week for many. What better way to start the weekend off than with a couple of new prompts from Comicfan! I think both of these could prove to be quite interesting and look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! Don't forget to share your responses in the Writing Prompt Forum! Prompt 148 – Creative Cue – First Line “How in the hell did you think that would be a good idea?” Prompt 149 – Creative Cue – List of Words Use the following words in a story: Starry sky, bottle of champagne, Zombie, a ticket, and a deer. For our prompt response today, we are going to feature a response by Labrador to Prompt #146: In a few paragraphs give a description of character you are creating. However you are forbidden from actually giving straight facts on the character. While the following isn't very long, Labrador did a wonderful job in doing as the prompt asked! Don't take my word for it, take a look for yourself! So, what did you think?! Why not give this weeks prompts a look and maybe you'll find your response featured next week!

Have you read a story and thought how wonderful it was and then wondered why more people hadn’t read and reviewed it? Have you wondered how to get the story noticed? Well, why not write a review for the Blog! The blog is a great way to get your favorite stories noticed and help out the authors whose work you enjoy. As many of you know, on Monday’s we feature a Hosted Author’s story on the GA News Blog. We have featured quite a few stories by Hosted Authors but we are always looking for more. Is there a Hosted Author that you follow religiously? Maybe there’s a certain story that you find yourself going back to re-read over and over again. Why not tell us about it and bring it to the attention of more members? We know that there are many more Authors on site which is why on Wednesday’s we feature two more reviews. Wednesday’s are slated to bring member’s eyes to the many wonderful Promising Authors and Authors/Poets on GA. Like with Hosted Authors we look to you, the readers, to bring the stories to our attention. Whether you are reading a story for the first time, or are re-reading it because you just love it that much, tell us about it. Write up a review and we’ll put it into the blog and bring everyone else’s attention to that story as well! Last, but certainly not least, we have our Blast from the Past Saturday’s. On Saturday’s we feature either a review on a Pre-2009 Anthology story, or we take a look back at a past newsletter. There are many gems to be found in the older Anthologies, and we like to just take a minute to get members to take a look at some of the earlier works that sometimes might get overlooked. Now, in order to bring you the reviews weekly in the GA News Blog, we look to the readers to write up reviews and send them in. Without the reviews, we can’t feature them. If you are interested in writing a review for the blog, please PM Trebs or Renee Stevens and let us know what story you would like to review and we can let you know if it's already been done. We look forward to hearing from you!!!

Also: From their size it looks like they are getting old enough to where we started to wean them. We usually ground kitten food in a blender and mixed it with water (you can add a bit of the supplemental milk) and do the dipping their mouths in it as well. You can even get a little bit on your finger and gently open their mouths and put it right on their tongue and tilt their head up a little bit to help them to swallow it. It might take a bit of time, but this always worked for us.

Hey Cassie~ Growing up we took care of a few different litters of baby baby kittens. If one of them is currently eating soft food, then you might want to try seeing if they will take the cat milk out of a saucer. You can dip their nose and mouth in it briefly to encourage them and they may lick the milk off their nose and then start on the saucer. If this don't work as well, then when you are trying to bottle feed them, hold them so that one index finger rests on their throat and rub gently up and down from the bottom of their jaw down their throat. It will encourage them to suckle. Some kittens have a hard time taking to a bottle nipple after feeding from their mother. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, if I can't answer them, I may be able to get ahold of my grandma who has raised A LOT of little critters. Hugs ~Renee

“Will it harm him to open the tank?” Malik stared at the man inside the tank, his nude body floating in some sort of purplish fluid with tubes attached to multiple parts of his body. He saw the buttons on a small panel attached to the tank, but didn’t dare push anything until he knew what would happen to the man inside. “I don’t know, Malik.” Malik looked over to where Tala was looking through papers strewn about the floor. He had been scouting for a new safe house for the humans under his

Nick had agreed to spend 2 years in a Cryo-tank. 40 Years later and nothing has changed for him, but he wakes up to a world he doesn't even recognize.

So, last week we featured Part one of a two Part interview that K.C. conducted on the subject of publishing. Last week it was his interview of AnytaSunday and this week, I am going to feature his interview of Nephylim. Enjoy! Interviewee: Nephylim Interviewer: K.C. Your story “The Unfairness of Life” is set to be published 2012 by Romance First Publisher, how did you feel when you found out that a publisher wanted your story? It was actually released early in January. How did I feel? I don’t think there’s any way to describe it. Funnily enough, it wasn’t all excitement. The first feeling was panic. Then I felt sick. Then I cried. Then I was scared. I didn’t want to tell anyone in case it wasn’t real. I think the primary feeling was… it can’t be real. Something is bound to go wrong. It’s never actually going to happen after all this time. Going the traditional publishing route, do you mind me asking how many rejections you got before you got before you finally got that acceptance letter? I have no idea. I’d have spurts. I’d send out lots of letters and emails, get rejected (when they bothered to answer at all) and lose confidence for another decade. When I got the email from Romance First I was, at first too scared to open it and then I sat and stared at it for about a minute before it even sank in. How did you decide what publisher you wanted to submit your story to? Rush. She has been badgering me to put my work into various competitions and anthologies, because she knew I wouldn’t have the courage to go for a whole book. She told me that a friend was setting up her own publishing company and was looking for submissions, so I sent it. I didn’t really expect anything to come of it, I was just fed up of her constant nagging Had you ever considered self-publishing if the traditional route had not worked for you? Not before this, no. For one thing I don’t have the necessary skills. I would like here to point out that my first book, Enigma, was published by my good friend Red Haircrow. He has set up his own indie company and offered to do it for me. That was the beginning of my journey into publishing and, without him, I certainly wouldn’t have had the courage to send a manuscript to strangers. He designed the cover, around my own original art and was hard on me with the editing, which I needed. He’s been inspirational with regard to publicity and the prospects for self-publicity out there. I’m terrible at it; he’s not. Publicity is the main thing that a publishing company/literary agent, can offer, and it has been pointed out to me by more than one person, since I started to get my name known in writing circles, that there is a vast source of publicity available to anyone who is able to use the net. I am told (although not entirely sure I believe) that anyone who is reasonably technology capable can publish and I’ve seen for myself that it’s possible, if you’re prepared to put in the time and effort, to widely publicise your work. The benefits are that you get to keep all the income you make The detriments are that you don’t have access to some major distributors who don’t accept self -publishers, but only publishing companies and, of course, you have to work really hard at it. Also you don’t get the benefit of a professional editor… who incidentally is the cruellest being on the face of the earth. Mine ripped my poor story to shreds. Some things we fought over, most I accepted as being absolutely right. I suppose it depends on how much time and effort you want to put in yourself, rather than relying on others. Having a publisher takes a lot of stress out of it. This was all after the even though. Prior to getting published I would never have considered doing it. Do you have any words of advice to any new writers starting to venture into the world of publishing? Look at all the options. If the big publishers won’t publish look for small ones, who are new and therefore looking to build up their author base and book catalogue. Don’t turn your nose up at self-publication. There are a LOT of benefits once you start looking into it, especially if you want to keep control of your work and all the revenue. If you do go down this route make sure the work is edited to within an inch of its life. There is nothing that’s going to turn potential purchasers or publishers off more than bad spelling and grammar. It seems as if ebooks are the way to go. If you’re going to self publish look at e publishing. It doesn’t bring in as much per book but you sell a lot more. People are more prepared to take a chance on spending a few pounds on an ebook by a new writer, than a paperback. Also, if you have a bank of ebooks it will make it easier to get a publisher to notice you. Research the specialities of the publishers and chose one that kind of fits your work. There’s no point sending a highly erotic story to a children’s publisher, or a contemporary romance to a sci fi publisher. Set up a blog and join any writing groups etc. you can. Many of the larger publishers ask for a CV before they’ll look at you. It’s like the vicious circle you get with employment. No one will give you experience unless you show you’ve already got some. I guess preparation and research is the key. My parting words would be… Have faith in yourself and your work. If you don’t how can you expect anyone else to. And never, ever give up. I applaud both of these ladies on their publications. They did it and so can you, just remember to keep your head up. It’s hard work, but the accomplishment is well worth it. Good luck and I look forward to seeing more announcements that another GA writer has be published.

So, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day and that everyone is enjoying the newly released Anthology Stories. If you haven’t, why not check them out, as well as our Featured Story for this week. The Hosted Author we are going to feature today is widely known for his many stories, not the least of these is his over 100 chapter story, Circumnavigation. He is known to leave his readers hanging on the edge of a cliff as they wait anxiously for the next chapter. Our story review today is on “Ben” by Hosted Author, and King of Cliffhangers, C James! Enjoy! Ben By C James Reviewer: Renee Stevens Status: Complete Word Count: 5,171 I decided to take a look at one of C James’s shorter worked entitled “Ben”. I know there are many who have read his longer story, Circumnavigation, but personally I like to check out shorter stories before delving into longer works. It tends to give me good insight as to whether or not I will enjoy serial stories by the author. “Ben” is actually a spinoff story of the popular story, “Circumnavigation” and I was a bit worried that I might not be able to follow it since I have yet to read Circumnavigation. I was ecstatic to realize that C James did an awesome job on making the story of Ben stand alone. I was amazed that it didn’t have more reviews than what it does. This story follows Ben as he moved to a new school towards the end of the school year. He’s worried about making friends to spend the summer with, but he has managed to befriend a young lady named Lisa, who’s in one of her classes. Having Lisa as a friend proves to be challenging as she has taken it upon herself to play matchmaker. Fortunately for Ben, or may unfortunately for him, things don’t always work out as Lisa hopes. I really enjoyed this little short and I think it will give anyone who reads it a brief showcase of C James’s talent as an author. It certainly sucked me in and has made me want to check out more written by the talented C James. If you haven’t already checked the story out, whether or not you are a follower of Circumnavigation, I strongly suggest that you give it a look. Though I will admit, that in what apparently is typical C James fashion, he leaves you wondering what is going to happen next. After reading it, why not leave C James a review to let him know what you think. You never know, it may draw you in like it did me and prompt you to check out some of his other works!

Thanks for the review Carrington!! I'm happy to hear that my writing on shape-shifters is convincing!! I'm sure if you ask my husband or many others that they'd probably tell you I must be part owl because I tend to sleep during the day and stay up all hours of the night. This story was originally supposed to be a longer story, but since I have yet to find the time to write it, I decided to do a short. I may still eventually turn this into a longer story, but that would probably be a long time in the future. And thanks for the vote of confidence, I don't see myself signing any multi-million dollar contract any time soon, but it's nice to hear that you think I would be capable of that!!! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!!

Thanks for the review Yettie . I debated for a bit on how to end this story and what choices he would have. No matter what he was to choose, his life has already been changed forever. I'm glad that you enjoyed the story and happy to hear you liked him being a Tiger. I tend to do more with wolves, but wanted to do something a little bit different (for me). Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review Bill! Unfortunately, no, the refuge isn't run by Betty White and Bob Barker, lol. Though that would definitely be interesting! I wanted to do something a little bit different, and just started thinking about what would happen if a shifter was captured while in animal form. What might happen to them if they were found out. So this was the idea I came up with! Glad that you enjoyed it!

I definitely agree with the other reviewer! I know you planned it as a one-shot, but I would love to see more of this storyline! I really enjoyed the story,but now I just keep wondering what is going to happen with those two! Did Lisa actually succeed this time? I wanna know more! lol.