Lugh

current chapters are not eligible for consideration.... do not let this behavior influence your vote.

No, as stated it was done in 2006. I do believe you can contact him through his profile though.. try it. He might find he's still got people who love his writing... and decide to come back.

Don't you just love these? I do. This is from the third edition of the newsletter in December 2006. For those of you who don't know Vlista, or Vance, is one of our oldest Hosted Authors. He has been 'away' for a while and I miss him. So, here is a little insight into Vlista as an author and a person as well. Member Interview-Vlista GA: Hi Vance! Vance: Hi GA! How are you? GA: Great, how are you? Vance: Not too bad! GA: Ready to be interviewed? Vance: Yep I think so! I was so excited and now I’m just all nervous. GA: Lol! Don't worry; it's just like any other MSN chat, which hundreds of people will be reading. Vance: Okay GA: So, how did you get started writing? Vance: Well, I don't remember exactly I just remember always doing it. It was just always something I loved to do. GA: When did you start putting your stories online? Vance: I put Shane online the end of July in 2005, I posted it all at once, and I remember the day because I had to go to a party the next day and I didn't want to leave because I was getting fan mail and didn't want to wait all day to read more. GA: Fan mail so fast! Wow! Was that on Nifty? Vance: Yes, I was all set to post Tyler at another site about six months earlier, but I chickened out. So when I did Shane I just closed my eyes and hit send before I could back out. GA: I was sure I'd read Shane before it appeared on GA... Glad to see my memory was right for once, LoL. Was Tyler your first story? Vance: No I actually wrote Shane before I wrote Tyler. GA: I've heard a rumor that you don't begin posting a story until it is finished. Is that true for "Unbreakable Faith"? Vance: Yes, I wrote Unbreakable faith a year and a half ago. I broke my rule with Cameron when I got hosted at GA because I wanted to be posting something and it just solidified the fact that I don't want to post a story unless it's finished. GA: Does this mean that you are now writing, or have written, your next story to appear on GA? Vance: I am now writing it, I have a lot of stories that are half written but I couldn't really get into working on them, so I started a new one. GA: Any chance of some inside info? Maybe a title? <Hopeful look> Vance: Well you know me and my titles! Right now, it’s named 'Matt' after its main character. But once Sharon, my editor, reads it I'm sure we'll come up with a more suitable title. GA: I like your titles, so I'm not complaining! LoL! That sounds great! Many people have noticed some underlying themes in your stories: Overcoming adversity, and hope, and second chances. Did you set out with these as themes? Vance: That's just what I write about, I like to take bad situations and make things better. That's just what I always get inspiration for. It may sound weird but I don't sit and try to think up a story. They come on their own, hit at the strangest moments and I just write them. GA: Do you sometimes get "stuck" at a point in a story, and have to think about it before figuring out how to continue? Vance: No usually I have it all planned before I even start, most times a long sleepless night! Some stories I just fizzle out half way through like the inspiration just left which is why I have like 30 half written stories GA: Do you use written outlines, or do you just go by memory? Vance: I don't have an official outline, but I have a notebook I take with me most places when I'm in the middle of story because I'll be thinking about it and think 'ohh that's a perfect line for that character' or 'oh I need to remember to put in this scene' Because even though I have the basics down there's lots of little scenes that I come up with when I'm not at my computer. GA: That sounds like a great technique! Do you have any others that you could suggest for writers? Vance: Well one that I always use is having a list of characters. It's okay when you start out with two, but then you have their friends, and their families and it's way easier to look at a page with all the characters on it then to scroll back through the story trying to find what you named someone's father. GA: That is a great idea! Do you have any regrets with any of your stories, such as "Oh, I wish I had have done that differently"? Vance: I don't know if I regret anything I wrote into a story. But I can say that I didn't like the story Cameron, had I not already been posting it I never would have finished it. I haven't even gone back and read it since I finished it. GA: You didn't like Cameron? If anyone else said that, I think your fans would lynch them! LoL! I'm sure glad you posted it, because I liked it, a lot. What didn’t you like about it? Vance: I don't know, I was all into it for the first 10 chapters, then it just fizzled out. I lost interest and it was like homework getting a chapter written every week. I can't really pinpoint what I didn't like about it. GA: Which of your posted stories is your personal favorite? Vance: Shane with Unbreakable Faith coming in second. GA: Shane is definitely a classic; it is very well known on the 'net. I might be biased, though, because it is my favorite too. When you first posted it, did you have any idea that it would be such a hit? Vance: I had no idea at all. It was the first story I posted and I didn't even know if anyone would like my writing. It's funny though, because everyone says Shane is their favorite, but I got more fan mail for Tyler. GA: Vance, just between you, me, and the internet, what would you like to tell us about yourself and your life? Vance: That I am very happily, if not legally, married to the best guy in the world, I have wonderful cat, that can be seen in my profile and I have a job that I love most of the time. So basically I want to say that I have a pretty darn good life! GA: That is great! Is there anything else you would like to talk about, or be asked? Vance: Nope I can't think of anything. GA: Vance, thank you very much for doing this interview! interviewed by C James There ya go... hope you enjoyed it. So, now, go Read! Write! Review! and Happy Writing! btw... is winter screwing spring cause we're getting funky weather here....

Read the FAQ?

It's Friday! It's Friday! Whoot! Time for some jolly good reading. Our prompts this week are: Prompt 110 – Creative Cue – Creating Evil No one is just evil. They work from their own point of view. Your job is to create an “evil character” but you have to explain why they are that way. What happened to turn them into the person they are and why do they find that “evil” lifestyle so appealing? Prompt 111 – Creative Cue – The Quick Fix Everyone knows that there is no such thing as a quick fix, but to solve a problem people will hope to find a short cut. They have been selling this product to fix blemishes and you finally broke down and bought it. After using it for a while you’ve discovered it works but there are some extreme side effects. So now your skin is perfectly clear but what went wrong? ok this week's Prompt Showcase was a split vote, both were from Prompt #108 -- Use the following words in a short story: obituary, ice cream, red dress, fish, and apartment. Kudos both of you! Untitled by JamesSavik It was a cold, rainy Saturday morning when I heard. I slept late and finally got up around ten. I started breakfast and went downstairs for my paper. When I came back up the apartment was warm and had a friendly smell of sausage and biscuits cooking. While I waited for breakfast to finish, I opened the paper and began my usual scan as the biscuits finished cooking. My basketball teams lost. The economy sucked. Politicians were lying. Just another day until I hit the obituary page. Grief and memories swirled as I tried to wrap my head around a world with out Cheryl. I remembered the girl who loved ice cream and red dresses. I remembered the girl who loved to fish. I remembered my old friend who was just so cool that nothing else mattered. No pressure, no demands. Something precious was lost. Something that had been gone for a long time but death had finally slammed the door on. I burned my biscuits that morning. Valerie Woodward by Dolores Esteban 　It was a Saturday afternoon. I was sitting in my apartment, eating an ice cream and reading the newspaper. I gazed at the name in shock when I turned the page and saw the obituary. Valerie Woodward. Valerie Woodward had died? I read the death notice again. No doubt. The date of birth was correct. I remembered the date because I had invited her for dinner on her twenty-third birthday. That was twenty years ago. But I remembered the day in all detail. Valerie had accepted my invitation which had taken me by surprise. We had been working together for about six months and I had been into her from the moment she had been introduced to me. Valerie, however, had always ignored me. Whatever I had tried to attract her attention, it had never worked out. She brought a cake to the office on her birthday. We accidentally left the office together in the evening, and, without giving it a prior thought, I invited her for dinner. She accepted, to my very surprise. She asked me to pick her up at eight p.m. and so I did. I rang the bell and she opened the door. Her sight stunned me. More, it shocked me. She was wearing a short and low-cut red dress and her lips were painted dark red. I think I gazed at her with my mouth open. And Valerie gazed back at me. A moment or two passed, and then a frown crossed her face. "What do you want, Jordan?" she hissed at me. I swallowed. "Well, I invited you for dinner and you asked me to pick you up at eight p.m.," I said in a slightly indignant voice. She looked me up from head to toe. I felt totally confused and uneasy. What was wrong? I didn’t have a clue. "So why did you not come then?" she asked sullenly. "You see, I’ve other fish to fry." I gazed at her. I was feeling cold. What the hell was she talking about? "I’m right on time," I said slowly. She shook her head and shot me a dark look. "Look," she said, raising her left arm. She wore an expensive silver watch. I made a step forward and looked at her watch. It was twenty past nine. I looked up, feeling entirely puzzled. I met her dark look. Valerie lowered her arm and made a step back. She was about to close the door. I looked at my watch. It showed a quarter to eight. The scales finally fell from my eyes. My watch had stopped and I had not checked any other. I had dawdled away my time and I was totally late. I was about to apologize to Valerie when I heard a voice from the background. A half dressed man walked up the corridor. "Like I said, I’ve other fish to fry," Valerie hissed before she slammed the door in my face. I returned home. I was like in a state of shock as the truth dawned on me slowly. Did Valerie have a side job? Why had she accepted my invitation? Had she hoped to hook me up? Did she lack clients? Or what? We ignored each other at office the following weeks. And yet, I could not stop thinking about her. A month had passed when we finally talked with each other. Valerie admitted all. She worked as a call girl in the evenings. She was in need of money and she found her side job was an easy way to earn it. However, she had wanted to separate her official and her double life. She admitted that accepting my invitation had been a mistake. Valerie left the company two months later. I have never seen her again. But rumors had spread that she got involved more and more in the sex trade over the years. I don’t remember who spread the news. One of my co-workers, I guess. I have never seen her again. But I remember the day in all detail. I see her standing in the doorway in a short and low-cut red dress and with her full lips painted red. I looked at the death notice again. Valerie Woodward had died. I wondered what had happened. Only the names of her parents were listed. Had Valerie died all alone? I wondered if I should attend her funeral. But then I decided to refrain from it. We had had nothing in common. She had just entered my life for the briefest of time, for the glimpse of an eye. I had glimpsed at the true Valerie twenty years ago. I would keep this memory. But, for the rest, I would let her go. Keep your writing muscles flexed -- write a prompt today! And remember -- Read! Write! Review! Enjoy!

um, I've written happy stories.... all my vega-5 stories are happyish... and some of the others are, like Heritage Heretic.. there are happy stories out there... ok mine don't alway have couples in the beginning, but they are 'happy'.

You know we all love a bad boy. We all love them better in our stories. But can we write them? Today's tip talks about... Creating a Credible Villain by Renee Stevens When creating a villain for your story, there are many things that need to be considered. Villains are not ALL bad. While they will have mostly flaws, they most likely will also have something about them that is good. This could be anything. A serial killer could also be a devoted family man. Your villain could be the go-to guy of the neighborhood, the one who watches the neighbor’s dog while they’re on vacation. When creating your villain, you need to decide your villain’s depth of evilness. Some plots will require your villain to have more depth and loftier goals. If the goal is complete domination, then chances are your villain is going to have to be more complex, more evil. If the goal is to simply make everyone’s life miserable, your villain could be someone who is just a bully. A school bully who takes younger kids’ lunch money, or a corporate CEO who fires people for a single minor mistake. Make sure the degree of evilness is relevant to the plot of your story. Also, keep in mind, that the more demented your villain is, the more likely he will be to succeed in what he sets out to do. Another thing to think of is, unless of course your villain is a demon that from the time of birth was evil, or a robot that was created to destroy a world, chances are that there is something in their past that was the turning point for them. What was this point for them? Maybe they watched their parents or spouse be brutally murdered. Maybe they were bullied in their teenage years. Be creative, but make this turning point be something that is believable. Whatever this point is, it's going to be the driving force behind your villain. When creating your villain, you need to decide what the villain’s purpose is. What is his overall goal? Does he focus on people like your hero and just set out to thwart them? Or does he hatch plots and set forth to make his goals a reality while the hero’s job is to thwart him? Essentially, the question here is: who is trying to do the thwarting? Once you have all of this, you need to decide what the outcome is going to be. Is your villain going to be evil until the end, by rejecting redemption, or does he end up being redeemed somehow? There should always be a chance of redemption, so you need to think of that throughout the story, because you will need to plant things throughout the story that show he is redeemable, especially if you plan to redeem him. Otherwise, a villain just suddenly becoming a good guy, it’s not going to believable to your readers and may leave them feeling confused at the end of your story. Think also, about what fears and weaknesses your villain has. These are what is going to allow your hero to win in the end, if that is your ultimate goal. Even if you are going to have your villain win in the end, everyone has some sort of weakness. It might not even be something that the villain will readily admit to, but these are things that you can use throughout the story for the villain to overcome. If you are going to allow your hero to win in the end, then these are things that he will be able to exploit to ultimately win the day. In the end, how you create your villain is up to you, but the above guidelines will help to create a believable villain. A couple other things to keep in mind are: your villain doesn’t have to lose every battle, your villain may hold a view that others can sympathize with, and with the exception of demons and things like them, many villains will have some good qualities as well as bad. Your villain is going to drive the story as much, if not more than, your hero. Good luck with creating your villain!!! Happy reading, writing, and reviewing!

Y_B = you bastard mine tells its own story.

Here lately I've been asking a lot of people to write reviews. Not just people I interact with all the time, or even interact well with. I thought it was important to bring that up. I also thought it was important to bring up that in many instances, old news is put aside so new news can be brought to you the reader. And for that I would like to thank my reviewers... all of them. I also think it's important to point out that the blogs do not have a spellcheck function that I can find, so if you do find a misspelled word, please point it out. It seems there were a few yesterday and I got some very timid please don't kill me type remarks. I'm not. Just be honest. It's ok. I am human... sort of. Anyway... with all that said I would like to introduce today's two stories. More Than a Crush by Fleeting Rainbow was brought to my attention by Billy Brat who asked to write her review. I gladly agreed, and Social Skills by KingdombytheSea, one of our newer Promising Authors. She's been a little busy lately with a new house (did any of you see that orange living room?) and a new job (kinderhell) but I have it from a very confidential source there may be something coming our way soon. So lets send them both some encouragement and read! and review! More Than A Crush by Fleeting Rainbow reviewed by Billy Brat FleetingRainbows’ More Than A Crush is a wonderful novel. This completed story opens with Spencer Graves, the school’s senior genius and self-proclaimed nerd, being told to tutor Cameron Fisher, the school’s sophomore, blue eyes, blond hair, up and coming basketball star. The story centers on these two characters and how they, their families, and friends interact. Like so many high school stories, this one is fast paced and also filled with plenty of drama to keep you guessing, what’s next? I found the stereotyping by Spencer and by both Spencer’s and Cameron’s circle of friends intriguing enough to see how this author would deal with them. I liked how FleetingRainbows had the protagonists get their friends together in an attempt to shatter the stereotypes. I also loved how she was gentle in building their relationship and how she kept their love innocent through-out the entire story. It just goes to show that porn isn’t needed in a good gay love story. To be fair and balanced, there are mistakes that a good editor should have caught. Once or twice the wrong person is speaking and answering themselves, quotation marks are misplaced, and other small missed errors. However these minor mistakes are few and far between. And this reviewer was never confused about what was actually taking place in the scene. Therefore, it never distracted me from the flow of the story. Let us be honest, there’s not a story online that the same minor errors can’t be found. The one thing that did bother me through-out the story was the ease all the gay characters had with being themselves and how everyone was so accepting of their relationship, as far as it being a gay relationship. The story presents a seemingly utopian view of tolerance which comes across as unrealistic. Perhaps the story would benefit from a more balanced view. It isn’t just how the world sees gays, but how the boys see themselves. However, this is a minor complaint, as I would love to see a world as the one these boys grew up in. The author’s style kept me very interested in both Spencer and Cameron from the beginning. The story takes us through one entire school year and ends in way I won’t give away here. That part you will have to read for yourself. But, I will say we are left with the hope that there will be a sequel to this wonderful story of budding love. I recommend, More Than A Crush, to all, as a story to escape into a world without fear of being who you are and endless possibilities. If I was force to grade, More Than A Crush, and I am, I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Go have a look yourself and decide if you agree. Leave a review or two, and come back and let us know. Social Skills by KingdombytheSea reviewed by fmd I first got involved with KingdombytheSea’s story a few weeks after I began to actively search through GA after reading through all of dkstories’s novels. I was captivated by the main character, Connor Owens, a shy freshman in college who loves the violin from the beginning of the story. I personally connected with his introverted attitude towards social situations, maintaining friendships, and his love and passion towards music. I began to beta-read for her for Social Skills because I couldn’t stand waiting for chapters... and I enjoyed every chapter! Social Skills not only tells a love story that brings Connor to his highest of highs and lowest of lows, but also demonstrates the slow maturity stages he has towards coming to terms with the decisions he makes, the people he interacts with, and how he wants to live his life. As the story progresses, Connor experiences more and more social situations through his musical performances and slowly meets people who he never would have imagined could turn into friends or more. He constantly fights his own will to act against the plans for his future made by his overbearing parents. With that, of course, he also must find a way to hopefully have his parents accept who he is, a gay man. He meets a great group of friends through his orchestra partner, Rebecca, who becomes an emotional anchor and support. He eventually branches out and meets new friends outside of Rebecca’s social circle. The revelation Connor finds at home involves his sister, Melissa. Though he feels alienated from his family, he learns there is a chance for a sibling bond. And of course, Connor finds Jared, a football player and the unexpected love of his life. Conflicts arise when Jared becomes uncomfortable publicizing his homosexuality and it starts to drive the couple apart. I won’t divulge much more, or KBTS will kill me. The best part of this story is that it’s not just a love story. I finished reading Social Skills feeling proud of Connor - his successes in finding and accepting himself and being able to carry out his own life to his own accord while mending years of internal suffering simply made me cheer. It also gave me a drive to come out of my own shell a bit and find a love of my own. Connor would classify as what I call lucky - to have true friends and find true love is even more valuable than most treasures in life. I would definitely recommend Social Skills for those of you in similar coming of age situations, or if you’re like me and want to reminisce a bit. Best of all, it’s a completed story, which means no waiting for chapters needed! Go ahead and read the story - and be sure to post some reviews! As usual, if there is anyone you would like to see here, drop me a line and we will talk. Happy reading, writing, and reviewing!

herm... I've suggested in the past that this saga end with a nuclear explosion... I guess that wouldn't be historically accurate either. Guess I'll have to think of something just as fatal but not as inaccurate. SARS? Swine Flu? Mass hallucination and suicide Jones style? sighs... write something new? I'm soo going to get stoned for this.

Motivation. What makes a writer start writing and keep at it day after day? I asked Mark to write something for the blog, and that was the topic he chose. So, let's all take a peek inside Mark's head and see what he thinks... Chronicles of Chronicles: How I wrote “Chronicles of An Academic Predator” I’ve learned that when someone really hot, really charming, really bitchy, and/or really sinister asks you to do something, it’s usually a good idea to agree, especially if they have all of those traits. That’s why when Lugh asked me to write something for the newsletter, I agreed rather quickly. The big question on my mind was what to write about. I think that writing is a very personal thing, and that everyone has their own method and style. All I can really do is talk about how I got started, and what prompted me to start writing fiction. My first fictional story was “Chronicles of an Academic Predator,” which was published here in e-fiction back in September of 2008. I was thinking back to how that story started, and it really did entail quite a few coincidental events. The first and most important thing in the development of “Chronicles” was having a good support network. In those early days, there were two people who really coached me along. The first was Sharon. I’d known Sharon for quite a while, since we all made the big pilgrimage to GA back in 2005, following that gay writing genius, Domluka, to his new home. I was lucky to have the premiere editor as a friend, so I could impose upon her to read my efforts. Anyway, I had this idea for a story, knocked out a few chapters, and sent them to her for her feedback. She told me they didn’t suck, fixed my grammar and spelling errors, gave me some pointed advice, and suggested that I post them on e-fiction. The other player here was Adam Phillips. Adam and I have been e-friends for an e-ternity, having first met at John Walsh’s Fraternity Memoirs group. Adam is one of the smartest guys I know, and I knew that I couldn’t post a story until I got his feedback. He wasn’t nearly as pleasant as Sharon; he didn’t pull any punches, because, as he said it, we’d been friends too long. He pointed out that my characters weren’t resonating, that I wasn’t making them live, that they weren’t really all that likable. It was wonderful advice, and I learned something about myself as a writer. I learned that if I was going to write realistic characters, I had to find them attractive in some way, and I had to really be willing to dive into their brains. Without his candid feedback, “Chronicles” would have been crap. While I was lucky to have that kind of support to start out with, as I started writing I got a lot more feedback, and developed a team of people to help me out. How did that happen? It was actually pretty easy. I’d be writing about a place, or an era, that was interesting to someone, and if I needed their help and they were willing to volunteer the time, I pulled them into the team. So in addition to Sharon and Adam, I’ve got a guy on the team that’s a medical doctor (for all those soap-opera illnesses I use), a guy who’s great at details and keeps my stories consistent, a guy who knows about damn near every kind of kinky sex trick out there (no, that’s not Jeremy), a guy who handles the music and makes sure my language isn’t anachronistic (that’s Jeremy), and a man of the cloth, among others. There are also other people who are willing to devote some time and energy to helping me with specific topics. For example, there’s one lady who’s a figure skating expert, and has been helping me timeline a career for one of my characters, and another young man who recently graduated from the private school I sent some of my characters to. I’ve even got a couple of guys who are Hollywood insiders who can give me pointers on that world. It’s been an awesome experience! While it’s vital to have those kinds of people around, before I gave them anything to do, I had to have an idea, an inspiration, and I actually had to write something. When I think about my inspiration for “Chronicles”, I just about laugh my ass off. It was the movie “Hairspray”. A gay/bi story inspired by a musical: how cliché is that? Maybe it is, but I watched that movie a few times, and was really stunned at how far the United States had come as a nation regarding race relations. It wasn’t so long ago that African-Americans were being referred to as “Negroes” or “Coloreds” (or worse), and segregation was the norm. I liked the era, especially the cars and the music, so it seemed like an ideal setting for a story. Then I had to decide on a main character, and that’s when I started to develop JP Crampton. My inspiration for JP was actually at GA. I loved Quinn in Domluka’s “The Ordinary Us”, and decided that I wanted someone who was more introverted and quirky. I don’t think JP ended up being much like Quinn, but he is definitely quirky. Where did I get the last name: Crampton? I got that from a type of railroad engine (The Crampton locomotive). Any of you who have ever played Sid Meier’s Railroad games on the computer should recognize that one. Another big question was what kind of background he should come from, and more specifically, should he be rich or poor? That was actually pretty easy for me to decide. I needed to have a point of reference with him, so I tapped into a line on my family tree for a model, and decided that he should come from an upstanding family in a small Midwestern city. There were several advantages for me to take that approach. First of all, while I didn’t live that life I was close enough to it to be able to accurately describe it. More importantly, though, by having him be a wealthy man, it gave me a lot more flexibility to bring in historical references, especially fashions, trends, and cars. I mean, it’s hard to write a story about a poor guy and talk about the engine options for a ’63 Corvette Stingray. And finally, I wanted to be able to write more about him and his internal struggles with his homosexuality, and less about his external struggles, trying to make ends meet. Another consideration was point of view: I had to decide on whether to write the story in first or third person. Some people advocate third person as really the only real format, and that first person is somehow of a lower quality. I disagree with them. I think that if you really want to dive into a mind, and to try to effectively show how a character is thinking and feeling, then first person is a great way to go. And since that’s what I was planning to do, that’s what I went with. The final piece of the puzzle was the story itself. That actually turned out to be the easiest part of all. I started writing the story, and after the first few chapters, it really wrote itself. It was originally supposed to be this rather twisted story of a college professor who uses his position to seduce unsuspecting but subsequently willing college guys. That idea lasted for about two chapters. After that, the character (JP) took over. I found that I just had to jump into his mind and let him take me for a ride in his world. The challenge for me was finding and throwing interesting challenges at him, and then figuring out how he’d handle them. Since I was writing an historical story, that dovetailed perfectly with my strategy. I could pick period events and tailor them to happen to JP, and thus bring them into the story. Civil rights, the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination, all of those historical events make for a great story line. From that ill-planned beginning, the story spawned sequels, and has become GA’s longest serial, and currently comprises 11 completed and one current story with a total of almost 2,500,000 words. Thank you Mark! So, as usual, if you have an idea for a writing tip please feel free to send it in and we will see what comes up. Happy reading, writing, and reviewing!

Some stories are so good they need no introduction. That's how I feel about this one. So with no further hullabaloo I present -- It Stays in Vegas by Jack Scribe reviewed by Renee Stevens I have read all of Jack Scribes “Vegas” series and a couple of them I have read multiple times. The first story in the series, It Stays In Vegas, introduces many of the main characters that we see throughout the series. When Bob Harrington takes a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his sister’s engagement, he meets Drew Reichardt, the head concierge at Nero’s hotel. The two men hit it off and spend a memorable weekend together before Bob has to return to Los Angeles. They aren’t separated for long, as Bob returns to interview for a job opening at Nero’s. The only problem is, the man interviewing him wants something that Bob isn’t willing to give. He turn to Drew to help him out of sticky situation he finds himself in, that could end his career before it ever even starts. “It Stays In Vegas” follows Bob and Drew as they focus on their careers and their quickly blossoming relationship. Things are not always smooth sailing as there are issues that come up that need to be dealt with, many of them beyond their control. While the connection between Bob and Drew develops extremely quickly, it is no less heartwarming because of it. Throughout the story, Bob and Drew meet some new and interesting people who become a part of their close circle of friends. Friends that they can count on to have their back when they find themselves up against a wall. Jack Scribe weaved into this tale a few twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see what happened next. The story progresses along very nicely and there is always something happening that kept me involved and wanting to read on. Definitely a story that I would read again, along with the other stories in the series. Each story brings in new and interesting characters as well as adding new facets to the plot as the series progresses. On a grading system, I would probably give this story a 4.3 out of 5. Go have a look and decide if you agree. Leave a review or two, and come back and let us know. Happy reading, writing, and reviewing!

Greetings on this Superbowl Sunday from your friendly blogging team. This week has been a hoot! It started off by dragging out an old favorite by DomLuka: Desert Dropping You know, I really wish more of you would review these stories... make an author feel appreciated. Anyway, our reviewer really did just that. And got quite a bit of feedback. Good job! Of course that was just Monday, we still have a whole week to look back on. Tuesday was a peek at the psychology of the writer's muse, and Thursday brought a few ways to tackle that pesky problem of introducing the physical description of your character. Wednesday brought us two new stories to read and review (and you guys were still talking about Desert Dropping!). We were given Pitch Perfect by intune and Red Light by Robyn and as always, the invitation is open for you all to pitch your favorite into the ring. Bring em on baby! Friday, as always, presented two new writing prompts for those who want to try out their writing wings, who are in a slump, have writer's block, or who just want to flex their writing mucsles with something new. Percy wrote a really nice piece from the POV of an inanimate object. Go make sure you give him reader love (click the like button) in GAStories. And finally Blast from the Past. We discovered how much we've grown. This year is our 10th anniversery as a site. We've come a long way baby! Reader's Choice Awards -- Voting has started. I've gotten mine in have you? Please READ THE DIRECTIONS as they are VERY specific. If you do not follow them your vote will not be counted. If there are any questions POST THEM AS PER DIRECTIONS IN THE THREAD. Anthology Announcements -- Spring Anthology "It Wasn't Me" Due March 8. Poetry Anthology "Cracks in Time" Due April 17th Novella Anthology "Secrets Can Kill" Due June 30? FSO Announcements -- "Valentine" Anthology will be posting sometime this week on FSO . General Announcements -- Do you Tweet? Join GayAuthors on thier twitter account. Please remember our authors rely on your feedback so read and review. Not every chapter (although that would be sweet!) but at least every few on a longer piece, and at least once a story. Many of these announcments are also on our calendar. If you would like a heads up on things to come, please subscribe to it by clicking the follow button or just take the occasional look by clicking on "calendar on the menu bar. Don't forget about the writing prompts. We will be posting one next Friday... why not yours? GA Cleanup Please go through your old PMs, attachments, etc and reduce the clutter... honestly you do not need those "yes me too" messages from 2008. Also there are new guidelines for the storage in the gallery. Please abide by them. Many of you are over quota. Reduce and reuse space. Thank you. Special Announcement Myr is hosting an End of the World Party, December 20, 2012 at his house (or nearby venue to be announce depending on RSPVs) please contact him if you are interested. New Reading In Premium this week: Displacement DKStories By our Hosted Authors this week: Paternity Book 12 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Mark Arbour St. Vincent Book 5 of Bridgemont Mark Arbour Hypnotic Book 3 of Carthera Tales Cia By our Promising Authors this week: Aglanthol 3 - The Castle of Saelethiel (The Law Cannot Be Shaken) Dolores Esteban The Funny Thing Is JWolf Finding Danny Book 2 of 0300 David McLeod The Prompt You Say! Comicfan The Strange Life of Jonas Marks Comicfan Have an interesting week! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!!!!

This week Comicfan brings us two new prompts: Prompt 108 – Creative Cue – List of words Use the following words in a short story: obituary, ice cream, red dress, fish, and apartment. and Prompt 109 – Creative Cue – Poetry Write a poem about your favorite person. Try to descriptive and give life to the person you are writing about. The poem can take any from a series of haikus, to free form, to an established pattern. In response to Prompt #107.... Lifetime Guarantee by Percy “This one comes with a lifetime guarantee.” Those were the first words I heard as fingers removed me from my box and set me atop the glass display case. “Very nice.” A different hand picked me up, examined me, tested my weight, traced my dimensions. Finally, fingers removed my cap. “Do you have some paper? I’d like to try this one out.” I settled into the right hand, found a comfortable resting spot against the bottom joint of the index finger, and went to work. Even fresh from the factory, I knew exactly what to do. The hand guided my tip along the paper, quickly curving out two words, then lifted me so that we could examine the work critically. Blue lines, boldly written, not unattractive, but I could do better. “It’s heavier than I expected.” This came from the owner of the hand holding me. My tip re-engaged with the paper and we tried again, the same two words. This time there was a flare to the curves, a confidence about them. They looked elegant, commanding. I loved this person who spoke, loved the hand holding me and how naturally we worked together. “Is this a gift?” The question came from the first person, the one who’d taken me from the box. “A gift for myself. I made Vice President today.” We wrote as Vice President spoke. Two lengthy sentences, then those first two words written over and over. Oddly, I could read everything we wrote, except those two words Vice President liked most. The first started with a J, followed by a short wavy line, then a longer word started with “A” and longer squiggles after it. We looked at what we’d written. “I’ll take it,” Vice President said “Engraving is included with the purchase. Your name, perhaps?” “Yes, that would be perfect.” *************** The early years were good. Busy. Vice President and I were together morning to night. The work day started with a review of the daily schedule which I meticulously maintained in Vice President’s leather day planner. “10:30am - Meeting with lawyers” “6:00pm - Conference call with Tokyo” Once the schedule was done, we delved into the meat of the day. Meeting after meeting. Lots of note taking. We worked rapidly, smart and confident in our printed letters, our abbreviations. I functioned perfectly, always uniform in color, never streaking. No blotches. I took pride in the work we produced. When not working my resting place was an inside jacket pocket where I heard the steady thump, thump of Vice President’s heart. V.P. didn’t often work with me in the evenings. I hung in my pocket on the back of a chair or sometimes a closet while V.P. recounted our day to the other person in the house. I’d met this person once or twice. The hand that held me was larger, rougher. It jabbed my tip at the paper, swiping at it so that I left behind short, abrupt swipes of blue. I did my best, as always, but I preferred the elegant cursive of V.P. Every few months we would have an extraordinarily busy day. I always knew we’d be working extra hard when Vice President replaced my inner cartridge and we caught an early morning flight. At the other end of the flight would be a crowded conference room with interminable discussions that always culminated with us marking sheet after sheet of paper. We wrote V.P.’s favorite words, “J~~~ A~~~, Vice President.” It was on the first of these trips that I learned I had a name. I was “Closing Pen” and I had been acquired to sign “deals” and “transactions.” The others around the massive table in the room had their own “Closing Pen”, and I gathered the existence of these other Closing Pens is what had prompted my purchase in the first place. We Closing Pens were discreetly flashed by our owners, sometimes examined and tested by others. I know Vice President was introduced to counterparts of mine who had real gold and diamonds. I sometimes feared I was too drab and would be replaced. But, V.P. continued to be happy with me and over the years we left our marks on many an “Agreement of Merger” and “Certificate of Preferred Stock.” It wasn’t all work though. No, on the train ride home in the evening we would engage in another sort of writing. Fantastic tales populated with people and places far removed from the daily work life in which V.P. and I were engaged. These were my favorite times because I think they were also V.P.’s favorite times. Our writing was smooth, light and happy. It flowed. My only frustration was that our tales were only brief excerpts. They were scenes in a story that never had a beginning or an end. Our other work not related to the day’s business came on the morning train ride. This is when V.P. wrote letters. A new letter was composed daily and always addressed “Dear God” or sometimes just “God-” In time, I gathered we were praying or perhaps confessing. I disliked the morning writing. It was tortured work; our words were dark. Vice President’s hand gripped me too tightly, pressed too hard. V.P. hated our morning work too. I knew because our last mark was often an “X” over the entire letter, sometimes angry scratches of my tip obliterating the recently inked words. These train ride compositions, both the morning and the evening, were just between the two of us. They were shared with no one else. We were intimates. I vowed to always be there for Vice President, to so what I could to provide what human companions at work or home could not. I would not fail V.P. I came with a lifetime guarantee. I’m not sure when things started to change, but I’ve always blamed Phone for the chaos that interrupted the perfect life V.P. and I had. Phone arrived without warning, shoved into the pocket that was my home. Until Phone’s arrival, it was a comfortable, roomy home. The loose jacket would swing and I would brush up against the warm curve of V.P.’s body, just making the slightest tap, tap against the soft, malleable flesh over the heart. V.P. didn’t like the softness or the curves. I knew this from the morning letters to God. Still, I’d always been comfortable in the pocket until Phone arrived. Phone was squat and fat and loud. Okay, maybe fat isn’t a very politically correct term but try sharing a sleeping bag with someone six times your size and then tell me how correct you’d feel. Vice President ditched Phone after just a few months but then immediately replaced it with New Phone. New Phone was quieter and slimmer but still far too big to be sharing a pocket. Unlike myself, New Phone demanded attention with its constant vibrations. Vice President reached for New Phone at least as often as for me. In time, I came to accept New Phone. A new New Phone arrived every 1-2 years (no lifetime guarantee), but I declined to name each of them. My pocket companion was simply known to me as New Phone. We had nothing to do with each other but its presence continued to concern me. V.P. and I were working together less and less. Even during the long meetings we attended out of town, I was no longer the center of attention and there were far fewer pages to sign. The people with their own Closing Pens were also fewer because “only the banks and lawyers want original copies” and most parties to our deals were “willing to close on a scanned copy.” Instead of passing around pens for examination and admiration, ugly, bulky New Phone was handled, palmed, fingered and thumbed. Vice President became Senior Vice President and instead of taking notes in meetings, V.P. did most of the talking while others took notes. Sometimes an entire day would go by, or two, without V.P. and I working together at all. We still had our train dates, both the morning and evening, but even those weren’t going well. Much of the train ride was spent with V.P. tapping me against the paper. We didn’t get much work done. Vice President was alone in the evenings now. No one heard about our day. I participated only in fragments of Vice President’s life which itself seemed to be fragmenting. We made lists. Lists for moving to a new house, for doctor’s appointments, for starting a new job. I realized we didn’t write our two favorite words anymore and tried to remember the last time we’d signed the J~~~ A~~~~~. It was months ago, at the bottom of a sheet of paper with the words “Motion for Decree of Divorce” on the top. I spent days in my pocket home untouched but even that felt different. I was still near V.P.’s heart but the curve was less pronounced, less soft. For much of the time I had the pocket to myself. Phone was in constant use. I resented Phone. He was the cause of my loneliness. I’d been in the pocket for days, unused, when finally Vice President unclipped me, brought me into the light of day. Familiar fingers ran over me, much as they had that very first day. A sensitive index finger traced V.P.’s name tattooed onto my body. I waited to be uncapped, waited for V.P. to put me to work, but instead I was wrapped in paper and dropped into a box. Other items occupied the box, but I couldn’t see them. I only knew that I was far, far from Vice President. Phone had the pocket to himself. Nothing happened in the box. Not for years. The box moved once awhile, jostling those of us in it around. During one of the longer, more kinetic journeys, the tissue worked itself away and I found myself positioned next to Watch. Like me, Watch hated Phone. He, too, blamed Phone for his new life in the box. Like me, Watch had V.P.’s name tattooed on his body. We discussed whether this commonality between us, this name of V.P., was the reason for our expulsion from V.P.’s life. We both concluded that that line of reasoning made no sense. Phone had conquered us in a complete rout; Phone had won the battle and the war. The box remained closed for years and I wondered sometimes if I was finishing out my lifetime guarantee in a landfill. Yet, when the day came that the lid of the box opened, and I was lifted out, it was just like that first day we’d met over the glass counter. Vice President held me just like before I went into the box. The fingertips, the curve between index finger and thumb, all felt the same. A thumb popped my cap off and fingers helped me make a couple experimental swipes at a piece of paper. “Probably just needs a new cartridge.” This voice was new. I’d never heard it before. “Probably” Vice President agreed. Fingers traced my length, rubbing over the name engraved on my body. “It has your old name.” “Yes,” V.P. tapped me decisively on the paper. “I miss writing with a pen sometimes.” I got a new cartridge a few days later, and then it was just like old times. No, that’s not accurate. We’re creating some new times together. V.P. takes me to work, but doesn’t use me there too often. I figured out he’s not V.P. anymore though. He’s COO, Chief Operating Officer. I can’t read his new name any more easily than his old one. Now it’s R~~~ E~~~~~~. He doesn’t wear jackets too often either. I guess Phone found another pocket. Sometimes I’m clipped to a shirt pocket, laying smoothly on a firm, flat chest, listening again to the thump, thump of Vice President’s heart. Much of the work day is spent with me resting on his desk watching him write with a keyboard. Even though I’m not as busy as before, I like the fact that I’m within arm’s reach when he needs me. We do most of our best work on the weekends. He’s writing quite a lot these days, just like he use to on the train in the evenings. Today’s tales have a beginning, a middle and an end, and I can tell he’s taking them seriously. I’m fascinated by the stories and always disappointed when he lays me down for the day. We write in the sunroom while his friend is painting. Once in a while his friend asks what the story is about and he’ll read our words right off the page. The stories aren’t just between the two of us anymore, but I think it’s better that way. By my estimate, we go back 18 years now but the precise time doesn’t really matter. After all, I come with a lifetime guarantee. Enjoy the prompts! We would love to see your writing prompt response here next time.

While poking around in the forums the other day I found myself in the Editor's forum looking at a thread concerning physical descriptions and how authors handle writing them. It seemed the biggest concern was how to get the info across without the story sounding like something plucked from the Nifty's "First Time" collection. I'm not going to repeat all the discussion from there to here, if you are an author, you should read it. If you are a new author... please read it. What I am going to do, though, is give you all a couple links to also look into at your leisure. The first is Effective Character Description by Marg McAlister. Her philosophy boils down to: The second, Great Character Descriptions from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, is really a list of several descriptions from published books and a commentary of why they work. and the third, The Basics of Introducing a Character by Camy Tang, which covers three basic points: Create a Strong, Quick First Impression Make the Characters Act Don’t Crowd the Scene Hope this helps. And remember, we are encouraging requests for the kinds of tips you would like to see and for people to write tips and story reviews. If you would like to volunteer, send a PM.

So... What's new? Today we have two new stories for you to take a look at... Pitch Perfect by Intune and Red Light by Robyn. So, go, take a look and review, review, review! Pitch Perfect by intune reviewed by EmDee After reading the first chapter of Pitch Perfect by intune, I was instantly hooked. In fact, I knew even before I finished reading all of the currently posted 10 chapters that I would be writing this review for the GA News Blog. Pitch Perfect is an in progress story filled with love, friendship, and all of the teenage uncertainties that come with it. The story revolves around Lucca, who for as long as he can remember has been in love with his neighbor Matt. Resolved to the fact that his love will never be returned, Lucca tries his best to go on while dealing with the depression caused by the other problems that life has cruelly thrown at him. As Lucca works towards climbing out of his depressed state, he is helped along by a wonderful father and some great friends, consisting of but not limited to a spunky young girl and an elderly man who can kick anyone’s ass at Scrabble. While Lucca’s feelings for Matt continue to weigh him down, he meets Sam who is dealing with major life changes of his own. Sam is kind and caring with a bad boy edge, someone who would be perfect in helping Lucca move past his feelings for Matt. Yet just when you think that things could no longer get anymore complicated, the story hits you with twists and turns that has you glued to the screen—waiting with baited breath to see where it all leads. Teenage love stories can be found a dime a dozen, but Pitch Perfect is one of those rare gems that not only stands out, but shines above the others. The best part of Pitch Perfect has to be the characters and just how real they are. The characters come alive as you read and you start to feel like you know them personally. All of the credit for this goes to intune’s wonderful grasp on writing. It is difficult to write characters that readers can’t help but get emotionally invested in, but intune manages this seamlessly. You will constantly find yourself cheering for Lucca and all of his friends as the story enfolds. I highly recommend Pitch Perfect to anyone who is not only looking for a great story with an intriguing plot, but also wonderful characters that you won’t be able to help yourself from loving. Kudos to intune for writing such an amazing story! Red Light by Robyn reviewed by Cia If you’re looking for an exotic world with intriguing characters, you don’t need to go any farther than Robyn’s Red Light. She’s taken oriental influences and twisted them into her own take on the world of a geisha. . .and added sathi and keji! In this world, some poor children are lucky enough to be chosen on annually on the day Motomo koun, or ‘the most fortunate’. They could be adopted into the house of nobles or rich men who have a chance at a life they would never have otherwise. Kay, Nenne and Edun’s older sister Ayelet had been chosen many years before and was happily engaged to the son of a mayor in a town far away. But for some. . .they are not so lucky. Those who choose them do not want a child to adopt; they want a child to train. For the three siblings life will become very different. They are forced to change and adapt in an emotional tale that will enthrall readers. The foreign feel to the story, the emotions I was so locked into when seeing events through Kay’s eyes, and the trials he faces all come together to make me wish there was more to the story, or that I could get Robyn to post faster! So, if you’re looking for a new story to read and you love serials, check out Red Light by Robyn. You won’t be sorry. Looking forward to your thoughts...

Well, yesterday was an interesting day... I would like to go on record as saying I did write today's tip. Take it with the intended humor is it written with... Out of the Ooze by Lugh Please understand that what I am about to share with you is a personal experience. It is not based on any research nor is it scientifically sound; take it with a grain of salt. Better yet, save the salt, you may very well need it when you get to ‘The End’. I have heard authors speak repeatedly again about their muses: of how they have to coax them into sharing the juicy tidbits of a story or bribe them with chocolates or other treats. Now most people speak of their muses as female, and I can just see them now: obese fairies wearing too much make up and not enough clothing sitting on someone’s shoulder yammering away about trivial things until someone opens the box of bon-bons. This got me to thinking about my own muse one day and what a little whore he was. Yes, I said he. I did not want a whore of a muse… so I must confess. I took the self-centered son of a bitch, bashed his head in, and then drowned him in the primordial ooze that is my imagination. I never felt better. However, I then realized I had a problem. All the writing books addressed the muse in one-way or another. I did not want my muse back, but I needed to find a way to tap into the creative aspect that was the muse. Luckily for me, about this time I was taking a class in college on psychology. If you have been to college, I am sure you have had the same class. How the mind works, the ego, id, super-ego… sound familiar? Well I was pondering this one evening in the manner of many great writers, and I decided a few things. Other people may have come across these ideas before, but if they have, I have not read them. If they have not, well, maybe it is because they have not yet murdered their muse. The thoughts that whizzed around my mind that night centered on two things: the part the muse played in a writer’s life and the role of the internal editor. With enough Poesque prompting, I finally determined that these two figments of a writer’s imagination were just that — figments of the imagination. Granted the writer gave them voice and shape based on several different factors not limited to mythology, gender, age, and most importantly, the writer’s own psyche. My mind wrapped around this and danced with it: the writer’s own psyche — the part of the writer made up of the id, ego, and super-ego. I could see the three separate parts and their functions: the id often manifests as the muse; and the super-ego as the internal-editor. Why? Because the id only wants what it wants, when it wants it. Does that not describe most of the muses you have met? And the super-ego is our compass of right and wrong — the good the bad and the ugly — sound familiar? It was a profound moment. I had discovered that the muse and internal editor that authors so often gripe about were nothing more than a manifestation of my subconscious given form by my imagination. The two things that define many a beginning writer’s struggling efforts were nothing more than the writer’s own voice finally being heard by the inner ear. While these two manifestations are necessary to the author, they do not necessarily have to take the predetermined form. With this in mind, and now knowing that the muse was only a figment of my imagination I took a mind trip to discover this font within myself. Little did I know what I was in for… Tramping through the recesses of one’s own mind is not recommended for those who do not want to come face to face with what they have been, for there is a place deep within each person where the imagination exists: a vast swamp of ideas bubbling to the surface through all the person’s life experiences — the good and the bad. I believe that as humans we are hunters and gatherers, and that as an author I am a hunter and gatherer of stories. It bubbles forth from time to time mixing with all the person’s life experiences creating a sort of primordial ooze where all the elements of good fiction reside. At other times, though, the ooze must be poked and stirred for the right mix to come together. However, when I first stumbled across mine, I did not recognize it. The ground squelched up between my toes with dark fluids and sharp bladed grasses protected the more vulnerable areas. Huge trees had grown, and fallen, left to rot where they lay. And amid all this, a pool of murky water roiled with random bubbles and the slithering movements of creatures I dared not to guess at. My first thought was that I should be afraid of this place, but I could not muster more fear than curiosity at what might be there, hidden in the depths. I found a half rotted tree that lay partially in the water and sat on its trunk, pondering what I had found. This fetid place was not at all what I had expected. Imagining myself as a Hunter in this dreary place was not difficult. Bubbles popped on the surface of the pool, and a spear formed in my hand. Recalling the meaning of Primordial Ooze, the beginnings of life… I took my spear and I stirred the Ooze watching it carefully for signs of life, knowing that anything could come forth, prepared for battle. Deep within the Ooze, the elements came together and Plot formed, it took shape and substance and began to make its way out of the Ooze leaving a trail of slime behind. At first, I did not see it for it was small. A tiny Plot Slug almost not worthy of my attention, although I was seeking it. I watched it as it struggled up from the turbid pool and slimed across the more firm ground near my foot. The slime it left behind was shiny, more so than it should have been in this dark place and I could not help but to reach out and touch it. When I did, images filled my mind. This slug had a story to tell. I gasped in disbelief. My imagination was this foul pool? I followed, writing as I went. It could be an interesting story, if only I could find the Slug. The trail crossed itself several times over before I caught the now fattened Plot Slug and speared him to the ground. He was mine! He would be written! I built a fire and slowly roasted the Slug to making sure I got all of his juicy secrets. At his screams, his followers crawled out of the Ooze. Characters… I had characters. Exhilarated, I netted them and bound them to nearby trees. They will talk, oh, how they will talk. I began to write more furiously; I now had dialogue. Over the fire, the Plot Slug spat and popped. With every layer of skin a new twist showed itself. I cackled with glee. Soon, very soon, the climax came. The Slug, resilient as ever had survived all the way through. The characters hung their heads for they had told all, and I had written down every word. Then I came the decision… did I want a sequel? I looked at the slug. Should I decide ‘yes’, I would have to toss him back into the Ooze to let him heal and grow some more, and should I decide ‘no’… well you did remember to bring the salt, did you not? So, how do you deal with your muse and wayward plots? Please share!

Interesting that you all picked this one to gripe about an anonymous review when it's not the first one I've posted... just a side note.

I've approved this review. I take responsiblity for it. I did not write it. The point of who did it moot.

the reviewer didn't request to have their name withheld... I didn't post it. And two editors missed that spelling error... so sorry deal with it, ok?

Ha! Time to rile up all the lazy Domaholics on the site. This week's featured story is by their missing favorite author Dom Luka, which of course everyone wants out of hiding... well everyone that is except maybe our reviewer.... Desert Dropping by DomLuka published on GA December 27th, 2010. 36 chapters, 389,678 words. It was a tried and true—if overused—premise. The protagonist, a typical closeted teenager named Rory, is thrust into a new environment and family in Arizona, where he finds himself and reconciles with the event to propelled him there (the death of his mother). DomLuka’s well-deserved reputation renders an assessment of the mechanics of the story largely unnecessary. Scene descriptions are written with clear experience, interspersed with the thoughts of the protagonist, and the reader is immediately immersed in Rory’s world. “Desert Dropping” takes place over the course of one summer. While this is an appropriate time frame, it nevertheless falls victim somewhat to monotonous repetition. For instance, there were many, many scenes of swimming and eating that had little to do with the overall plot of the story. The story would have benefitted from research—perhaps into more unique aspects of Arizona—to facilitate further immersion and more excitement. As it stands, all we know about Arizona was that it’s a hot place. Boys seem to prance around shirtless all the time. But the story could have taken place anywhere in the summer. The mechanics of characterization was perhaps the strongest aspect to the story. Unlike many other stories, in which characters come from all-American cookie-cutter molds, characters in Desert Dropping are anything but perfect. Each of the main characters—Rory, Luke, Aaron, Seth, Eddie, Jace—are deeply flawed. These flaws, as well as the characters’ changes in their relationships to each other, make for a nuanced story that continues to keep the reader’s interest. They also facilitate strong emotional reactions throughout the reading. For instance, I at first cringed whenever Aaron or Seth was mentioned, but towards the end, I felt differently as the characters themselves changed. To be able to bait and toy with the emotions of the reader, especially at this level, takes prodigious skill indeed. Yet at the same time, these flaws can be too extreme, and immersion in the life of the very flawed protagonist can backfire. Rory’s annoying childishness and bizarre tantrums, for instance, made me want to physically reach into the pages of the story and strangle him. Worse, the weak and womanish enabling of this behavior by Rory’s father was even more frustrating. Although these molasses-paced exchanges work to nudge the story forward, the lack of plot-driving action means that the story often finds itself mired in gay-angst for hundreds of pages at a time. This is perhaps the most cliché sort of writing and something writers should always try to avoid. Because the plot meanders so much—think of how many times someone says, “we need to talk” or some variation thereof—actual plot devices have diminished effect. Indeed, when Rory’s grandmother (perhaps the only character with any measure of testicular fortitude) shows up at the door, I found myself thinking, “Finally, something is happening…” instead of the more desirable and interesting, “oh look, an unexpected plot twist! I’m so excited to see what will happen!” The final, tortured decision by Rory to stay with his new family after weeks of unbelievable stubbornness also did not win him as many points as it should have with me. Other characters were far more likeable. Luke, for instance, acted as a fine anchor of sanity and maturity in the story when everyone else was frozen in angst. While I was disappointed that he and Rory never developed even an experimentally romantic relationship, I found that this contributed to the mystery of his character. Seth, too, was a consistent sweetheart, and the contrast between him and Aaron, especially in how he displays affection for Rory, was well made. This exposes perhaps the central problem in the story. Why do the perfectly attractive and mature Luke and Seth want anything to do with a whiny and incorrigible child like Rory, who consistently refuses to listen to good advice, and who, at various points in the story treated both of them vindictively? Rory is never “redeemed” the way Aaron was, even though the tragedy at the end was arguably his fault. (OK, maybe this is unfair, but if I were in his position, the thought would at least cross my mind that my refusal to stay was what made Eddie distraught and vulnerable to accident). Instead, everyone, worst of all his father, treats him like a golden child no matter how he acts, and his unpunished bad behavior throughout means I was almost frustrated to see him end up happy. But in the end, good writing can overcome much. Taken as whole, the saga was satisfying and at moments incredibly sweet. The (sadly infrequent) sex scenes are expertly written, and most loose ends are tied, leaving the reader few questions. I would have liked to find out more about Luke’s past, and seen Rory “redeemed”—perhaps by calling Eddie “dad” for the first time. But overall, this story is well worth your time, and well deserving of its status in the GA archives. 3.5 (Out of 5) Heh.. I'm so not releasing the name of the reviewer. If they want to come out of the closet, that is up to them. Needless to say, go read it for yourself to see if you agree, disagree, or want to just plain strangle the reviewer. In the meantime... read, review, review review... and don't forget those like buttons.

Whew! What a week two. I hope everyone took the time to go check out our Featured Story this week: From Behind Those Eyes by Viv And while you were out there looking, I hope you stopped by all the other great stories we talked about on Wednesday: Quonus10's Second Shot and The Trial of Jordan Colmar and Dee's story, Low Down and Out. And on Friday we found a poem by JOeKEool in the Prompts and some people learned that the prompts aren't just "silly little things" any more but real exercises for an author's creativity and boundries. I also hope you took advantage of the two tips this week -- on Tuesday we had a lesson on how to punctuate around those pesky said tags and on Thursday we were given some ways to promote our stories here on Gay Authors, since there really are so many ways. On both these days there was a lot of participation and feedback -- thank you. Then finally on Saturday we got to know one of our older authors a little better. Thanks Mark for letting is inside your head, although I know it's scarier than that. (Smoochies.) I can't wait to see what next week brings! Announcements Reader's Choice Awards -- Nominations have ended Voting starts February 5th Anthology Announcements -- Spring Anthology "It Wasn't Me" Due March 8. Poetry Anthology "Cracks in Time" Due April 17th Novella Anthology "Secrets Can Kill" Due June 30? FSO Announcements -- "Valentine" Anthology due Jan 31 @ FSO Two days people... there are only three entries over there. General Announcements -- Do you Tweet? Join GayAuthors on thier twitter account. Please remember our authors rely on your feedback so read and review. Not every chapter (although that would be sweet!) but at least every few on a longer piece, and at least once a story. Many of thise announcments are also on our calendar. If you would like a heads up on things to come, please subscribe to it by clicking the follow button or just take the occasional look by clicking on "calendar on the menu bar. Don't forget about the writing prompts. We will be posting one next Friday... why not yours? New Reading In Premium this week: Displacement by DKStories By our Hosted Authors this week: St. Vincent Book 5 of Bridgemont by Mark Arbour Writing Prompts by Renee Stevens Paternity Book 12 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) by Mark Arbour Savage Moon 06 - The New Breed Book 6 of Savage Moon by Comicality Circumnavigation by CJames Feeling Comfortable in My Own Skin by Bill W. By our Promising Authors this week: GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban The Prompt You Say! by Comicfan Aglanthol 1 - The Legend of Khaalindaan by Dolores Esteban

Well then welcome aboard Peter. Glad to have another one of Mark's rabid readers among us.

Today we have an author interview with Mark Arbour. Many of you know his stories, but do you know anything about him and how or why he started writing them? Hopefully Marzipan’s interview will shed some light on this subject for us all. but first... an announcement... Today is the last day for the Reader's Choice Award Nominations. Get yours in. Now on to the interview -- I’m going to start with an easy question. You are hugely popular author in GA. What do you think appeals in your writing to your readers? I’m not sure that I’m ‘hugely popular’, but I think a big part of the reason people read my stories is due to their historical nature. I have two series that I’m writing, and they’re both very different. “Chronicles of an Academic Predator” (CAP) is set in more recent times. It started in 1962, and I’ve written up through the year 2000 as of right now. It’s about a wealthy family and their trials and tribulations, and tends to be more of a soap opera. The emphasis in that series is on the characters themselves. The other series, Bridgemont, is about the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The focus in that series tends to be more on the environment or world the characters lived in. You joined GA February 2005, how do you feel the writing community has changed over the years you’ve been a member? What about the mass of your readers and the correspondence with them, how has that evolved? I’m not sure that it really has changed that much over the years, other than it’s gotten bigger. My readers communicate with me via e-mail, the forums, or reviews. Of the three, I prefer the forums for general stuff, because then readers tend to talk to each other, and I love that! Most readers are polite enough to send me criticism via e-mail or PM, which is great, since it gives me a chance to digest it without a piling on effect, or worse, having a lynch mob of readers going after the guy who dissed me in public. How did you end up in GA? Have you posted on other sites? I originally came to GA as a Domaholic. I've posted stories on Nifty and a few chapters on Literotica, but not all of them. About the time I was promoted to "Promising," I was offered an opportunity to post at CRVBOY, which is another great site. But I had been putting stuff up on e-fiction for a while, and had the 'most read' e-fiction story here at that point, so it seemed like the right decision to just stay here. Hosted Authors are presumed to be exclusive to GA, and I've followed that rule, so you'll only find all of my stories posted here, or at my Yahoo group. How and when did you start writing, how you would describe the change in your writing? I started writing almost as a fluke. I wrote an article about that for the newsletter, so I won’t repeat myself. What’s changed? That’s an interesting question. Probably my focus on character development and consistency. When I first started writing, I thought in terms of places and events. That faded really fast as my characters took over the stories. They were right. I listen to them now. You write and post a lot. How much of your free time does it take? Is it something that is supported by the work you do for living or is it something totally different? It takes a lot of my free time, and it has nothing to do with my work, or anything else. It’s just a hobby. Usually, it comes pretty easy to me. When I write, I absorb myself in the character, trying to visualize the scenes and to feel what he feels, so the words more or less flow naturally. Then there are times when that bonding with the character fails, and I sort of flail around in limbo trying to get back into the story. Do your family and friends know about your writing in GA? How do they feel about it? I’m a married bisexual guy who’s not out about my “other side.” No one that is a close personal friend or family member is aware of my writing. Have you published a fictional story? Do you aim to do that? That’s not on my radar screen. Based on what I just mentioned above, if I was going to publish a story, it would increase the chances of having my real identity leaked. That’s something I can’t afford to do at this point, either personally or professionally. Ok, I understand the reasons you want to keep the anonymity with your writing, but considering how much time you put in to your writing, wouldn't it be a natural leap to pursue publishing? Have you considered writing a historical novel that is not gay themed? I haven't really thought of that. Right now, writing is a hobby. That makes it sound like actual work. You write mainly historical stories, sometimes from the Napoleon era, but mainly following the history and political change of the US. Why do you write historical stories? I’ve always enjoyed history. The CAP series has been fun for me because I was born about the same time the story started, so it’s a bit like going back and tracing what happened over the years when I was growing up and too young to realize what was going on. I still have memories that flash back when I do that, especially of the Vietnam War, and later, of Watergate. The Bridgemont series can trace it’s lineage to when I was 12, and read “Beat to Quarters” by CS Forester, the first published book of his Hornblower series. I’ve read those books so many times, they’re falling apart. In your stories you follow certain families over decades. I see it as neat way to entwine general history and personal life of the characters. How do you see it? The same way that you do. It also gives me a chance to address generational conflict and issues, which can be fun. I try to work a theme or two into each story. The latest one, Paternity, is all about father-son relationships. The real reason that I decided to write a series in the first place, though, is that I liked all my characters, and I couldn’t really stand to just let them ‘end.’ What made the fatherhood-theme special to you? I've got a son who's 16, so I have a lot of firsthand experience with it. file:///C:UsersSparkyAppDataLocalTempOICE_F99B9EB8-6AFB-4654-B2AC-51FE93BA7A02.0msohtmlclip11clip_image001.gifOne of the more fun parts of the story is writing about Brad (the father) and Will (the son). Will gives Brad a lot of crap, much like Brad did to his father (JP) when he was young. It's me channeling my own frustration and amusement when my son pisses me off and I remember doing similar things to my dad. You have a lot of erotica in your stories. Is it something you get more critique or thanks for? Some people like it, some people don’t. Personally, I think it’s kind of fun. I’m not perfect, but for the most part I’m pretty faithful to my wife. I think that a big part of that is venting my attraction for men with my writing, and a lot of that is through the erotic segments. Then there’s the ability to push the envelope with different things. I’ve hit on some pretty kinky stuff, including fisting, BDSM, and e-stim. I sometimes wonder if my readers open a new chapter with one eye closed, wondering what I’ll throw at them. There’s three places I can’t go: Bestiality, Scat, and sex with pre-pubescent kids. They can relax about those topics. I realize this isn’t exactly a question, but I have to comment that I enjoy your boldness. Personally I think it’s your unique brand and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You bold entry ‘Ode to the Taint’ for last year’s Poem Anthology was something that made my eyes roll but it also made me snicker. I think you have guts and I see you like to shock a bit too. Thanks. I’m no poet. I wrote that primarily to show support for Lugh and the Poetry Anthology. That’s a lot of work, and I’d teased him a lot about it, so I figured I should show that I appreciated what he was doing by trying my hand at it. I knew it wouldn’t be good, so I went with shocking humor instead. What sort of plans do you have for year 2012 in terms of writing? I’ll continue on with my two series. There are a lot of exciting events ahead for both of them. One era that is of particular interest to me is pre-revolutionary France. It’s highly likely that I’ll ultimately work on a series that takes place around the time of Louis XIV, but it probably won’t be this year. Thank you Mark for taking time for this interview! Have a prosperous year 2012!

ah but you are not reading all the rules for signitures either then... because putting the "full" description in the signiture, along with a link and any "additional" information will put the signiture over the character limit... so I guess what I'm trying to say is... please pay better attention to the rules and guidelines before making suggestions to our authors that are impractical for them to do. Honestly, the better option here, option, would be for the author to use the 'my media' link in their signiture, although, a banner link is more visually appealing and tends to get more clicks. In case you haven't seen one it looks like this: [sharedmedia=stories:stories:2770]