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wildone

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  1. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Jul. 5 - Jul. 11)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I'm going out on a limb here and guess that most of you are in the northern hemisphere, so I apologize to our southerners. Yet this discussion is for all of you!
    I haven't yet gone camping this year, but my intentions are going to be gone for a few weekends here and there. 
    I am a roughing ii as a camper in the sense that I pitch a tent, set up a canopy over the picnic table, have a propane stove, have no running water, electricity or sewer. Yes, the local outhouse is my plumbing  You have to have your own toilet paper too, as the single ply that you get in an shyte shack is not good, just not good . Depending on where I go, their might be coin showers, but when you are only going for 2 to 3 days I will just use a lake or river.
    Now I have to acknowledge that in a lot of places, this summer is ridiculous for heat waves. Notice how for many years we had heat waves and now someone has coined them as heat domes?  So not sure if you are a camper or not, and if you would go out without air conditioning.
    I've met some cute guys camping, no, not in that way. I've met some late teen German buddies doing a trip across Canada for the one's bachelor party. They had a pickup truck and less than me for camping gear, so I invited them over some beers and sit around the fire. They practiced their English, and me my German. There was the Columbian guys, 3 that seemed better prepared for camping and going across Canada to celebrate graduating university. I've met people while setting up or taking down, or bike riding or just walking around. It seems when you are camping, there is another level of community that you don't see in a city or even a town. Everyone is your neighbour and you get to know them in little ways. I won't bring up how my neighbours felt when some friends and I nearly burnt down a campsite though   
    So do you camp? Are you like some people's idea that camping is getting a 5-star hotel room located in the forest?  Do you own a recreational vehicle from a huge motorhome with slide-outs and power everything. Maybe right down to the original tent trailers that you can set up lickity split in no time. Do you tent like me? Now if you have or haven't gone camping recently, is there a good camping story that you can tell?
    One time I was trying to set up my tent in a torrential downpour in Mount Robison Provincial Park and realized I somehow left my tarp for the tent at the previous nights campground around 800 kms away 😮 Couldn't blame anyone else for not packing it in the back of the truck. Switched to hanging a huge tarp at a good angle for draining and set up my tent, pumped up my air mattress and settled down to a nice rainy nights sleep, when the rain stopped for the night . Oh the fun!!
    When and if you go camping, where do you like to go? LIke I said I need some water that is good enough to swim in to cool down and enjoy the coolness.
    Have you heard of glamping? I guess it is a tent basically with the comforts of a hotel room on an elevated platform. I imagine you get the mosquitos and such, but nothing that you are responsible for setting up, the resort or campground handles all that. 
    Now that I'm back after talking to a friend and we are going the second weekend of August hopefully, shall we look back at the week that was?
    Monday was an opportunity for Cia to throw a monkey wrench in the usual CSR (Can't Stop Reading) blog. She featured last years Secret Author Contest:
     Tuesday, Myr dressed up like a Poet, is there a poet's choice of clothes , and did the Poetry Deep Dive:
    Friday, Val contributed to the whole Secret Author contest's due date, July 16th, to give some prompts if you want to deal with a secret but in a maybe shorter version:
     
    Howdy  do on the Words of the Day? I'm so punny
    light, shelter, joy, celebration, hopeful, reborn, tomorrow
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 16, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 7 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Vanguard of the Silver Boar by Topher Lydon They Think I Killed Her by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Roping the Moon by Headstall 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 34 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    In the Barb by Vcs Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 Hurly-Burly by Boy Mercury X **Completed** Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Love in a time of hatred vol 2 by Gary L **Completed** Salt and Stone by Carl Accolla Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Between the Two by Grayson Rose The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Suburbia by irivera Ark II: Life on Gaea by R. Eric Run, Hamster, Run! by Winged_Wolf Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Alpha Awakened by Painawakened A Fine Line of Smoke by Tony S. **Completed** THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas IceBerg by J92 Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Static & Steel by sumtimesIwrite Blades of Ashes by lilansui Adventures Of Joy City's Heroes: Book 2 by Ticklishboy30 Strife by CryingCircusConductor **Completed** turmoil by Paladin Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Bro Code: Spotting Protocol by Boy Mercury X **Completed** Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  2. wildone
    Well a belated Happy 250th Birthday to our American neighbours  Someone told me @Myr came over, not on the Mayflower, but another boat and tossed tea into Boston Harbour . Seems kind of far fetched though  .
    So question 1 for all out Weekly Wrap Up readers, if you live in the U S of A, did you do anything special on Saturday or Saturday night. Or are you still celebrating on Sunday AM when this is posted? 250 years is quite a long time, in North American terms.

    Also a happy belated 159 years on Wednesday past to Canada. We hung around with the British for a little bit longer . If you are a fellow Canuck, did you do anything interesting on Canada Day? It was on a Wednesday, so it seemed like things were a little subdued with most people working the day before and the day after the holiday. 
    Me, I met up with a few friends and we went down to watch the 1/2 hour firework show downtown. 
    Now, that we are past July 3rd, I have to say a big and loud OOOOOHAY  

    Oh, I got that one backwards
     
    Friday was the kickoff of my favourite event, the Calgary Stampede. If you want to come to Calgary to see the World's Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth or see the second largest attended and entries for a parade next to the Rose Bowl Parade in California, let me know, I will fill you in. Also, @Valkyrie can let you know about all the prim and proper horse jumping events at Spruce Meadows going on too 🏇
    Now here is the main question for EVERYONE. Country and Western Music I would say is a divisive genre of music, like most others to be honest. I usually find listening to 5 minutes or more makes me edgy and grumpy 😮 Not sure why, but the music does that to me.  I know a lot of you LOVE it though . 
    However, I have to admit that her majesty Reba Mcentire I love and can listen to all day. I would even say that although I'm gay, I'd pursue her  .
     
    So, even if you hate the country genre, you must have one favourite song? I know the European Nations have country singers, so let us know about one in your country, maybe South Asian singers? Australian, can I bring up Keith Urban at this time?  Anywho, let us all know .  How about you East Asians, any Japanese country singers rocking it out?
     
    Now, finally, onto the Wrap Up  
     
    Monday, was a blank day. We have those occasionally at the end of a month. 
    Tuesday, Myr got the ball rolling with a Deep Dive into the genre of Paranormal:
    We jump to Wednesday, where in the afternoon where I live, Cia brought forward a very important reminder about the deadline to get you Secret Author entry in by July 15th! Remember, only let Cia and your editor, if you have one, know about it. I would make both swear on their own graves to not release who you are 🪦. Then Cia can get them all together and start releasing. Then the fun and games begin :
    Finally on Friday, Aditus told us to all Dress Less  How much less is up to you in these fun prompts. Personally I wonder how much less you will go :
     
     
    Now if you are thinking, how much longer can this blog go on, do not fret , as it will keep going on . Myr brought us 7 new Words of the Day:
    legacy, rekindle, sanctuary, promise, flourish, dawn, restore
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    We had a little less this week, I'm hoping because everyone is working on their Secret Author project  Still, we had 9 completed stories. 
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 10 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour They Think I Killed Her by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Rumspringa by Topher Lydon **Complete** Roping the Moon by Headstall Lost in the Sand by Topher Lydon **Complete** tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy 0 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    No stories 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 34 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 In the Barb by Vcs Salt and Stone by Carl Accolla Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Strife by CryingCircusConductor Static & Steel by sumtimesIwrite Bro Code: Spotting Protocol by Boy Mercury X **Complete** THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Love in a time of hatred vol 2 by Gary L The Fourth of July by chris191070 **Complete** A Fine Line of Smoke by Tony S. Pigsty by Jack Poignet Barnaby and the Accidental Apprentices by chris191070 **Complete** IceBerg by J92 Taking A Chance by Ticklishboy30 **Complete** Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434  Monstrum by Laura S. Fox The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill White Sheets by Celian Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Hunger & Habit by Invnarcel **Complete** The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82 **Complete** The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Blades of Ashes by lilansui turmoil by Paladin Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox No Such Place as Neverland (based off comicfan prompt #110) by JJQuinn Father's Day Strip-Off by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose 0 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  3. wildone
    Technically speaking, it is still June 27th in my neck of the woods. Technically speaking it might be June 28th in your neck of the woods. Technically speaking, it could be June 29th in your neck of the woods. What am I technically trying to say  
    You have less than 6 months to decide what to buy me as my Christmas present this year  OH, and less than 2 weeks to get your Secret Author entry in!!
    Let's move on, shall we.  
    I'm trying to see if I'm missing any important days on Sunday, like I did last week with Daddy's day. Yes, we have our resident Daddy  but this is a belated wish to all the fathers out there. I know there is one or two of you.
    In the week ahead, I'm going to give a shout out to my native land, Germany. Oh wait, born there, technically speaking West Germany, left when I was 2, don't have citizenship, so it doesn't really count. So my native land is Canada and we have our birthday celebrations on July 1st. Also next week, America hits 250 years old. I have to say you don't look a day over 249 . If your country is also having a birthday celebration, shout it out  
    Speaking of birthdays, I want to reminisce for a few seconds, so humour me please. Back in the olden days when Myr was a young wiper snapper and Cia was in jumpers  we used to have an option to put in our ages and birthdays too in our profile I think! We would have tons of Birthday wishes being made to members from groups, individuals and such. It was a much simpler time. As time moved forward and the baddies started combing the interwebs for ways to steal people's identities and steal from others on their behalf, new rules came out. I know Europe was one of the first ones. I'm not sure if it was a good or a bad thing, and I think we are past discussing it, but the world we live in we cannot ask someone to post their age or their birthday anymore . So if you have had a birthday in the past 364 days or today is your birthday, then a giant Happy Birthday to you . I miss the good old days, somedays. 
    I know that when I have nothing really to say, I turn to the weather  It is always a great conversation starter. I hear that people in London and Paris are leaving their flats and apartments in the cities and sleeping on the grass at night to escape the blistering heat that they are having . I know some areas of the States are continuing to have drought conditions. No rain or what rain in the past few years is drying up and ground water disappearing too! I guess I'm happy to say up here around me we have been having ridiculous rainfall. Our water tables were falling but they are back to normal and some areas are so saturated, they can't take more rain and are flooding. 
    I think back years ago and different parts of the world all had different calamities and such due to weather, just we never had the news and internet to tell us what was going on outside of your city, state/province, country. Now we know if a rain drop falls in the Western Sahara.
    So this week, tell me what they weather is like where you live and what is the overall outlook for July? Oh, here we are supposed to be super hot and giant mosquitoes invading with all the rain we are having 😮. What the heck, what is the mosquito situation you are in as well? Are blood bank donations going down due to no one having any extra blood to give? 
     
    Onto the more serious stuff, here is what happened at the GA New Blog this week.
    Oh, before we start, I just want to say I've seen some of the new layout of the forums page coming soon, and I like it!! So stay tuned for that! Consider this a teaser . 
    This week we kicked off the broadcasting week with Myr checking into the Non-Fiction category. I noticed a few new names in there:
    Do you remember last week when I said on Wednesday, you have to pay attention for the June Signature Feature Excerpt? Well, Cia posted it this week:
     
    Friday, Val was back after being ill(egal) and brought some prompts up about her personal childhood, in the penguin enclosure at the zoo  Check them out:
    Saturday, we got another double dose of Myr in the Weekly Wrap Up, when he posted a great new Writing Tip:
     
     
    If that was not enough Myr for you, he also gave us a few new Words of the Day:
    aftermath, consequence, reckless, contemplation, acceptance, mourning, gratitude
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    7 completed stories this week!
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 9 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Lost in the Sand by Topher Lydon Rumspringa by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Cockney Canuck by Dodger Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Roping the Moon by Headstall Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray 32 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Pace Control by Soren Kraft **Complete** Strife by CryingCircusConductor Father's Day Strip-Off by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Holiday Drama by quokka Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Hunger & Habit by Invnarcel The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Barnaby and the Zoo Logistics Paradox by chris191070 **Complete** A Grave So Haunting by solemnity Crash Journal of Fraser Vogel by Lee Wilson **Complete** Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82 Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Love in a time of hatred vol 2 by Gary L Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Between the Times by Celian The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy In the Barb by Vcs IceBerg by J92 The Cwtch. by E K Stokes **Complete** Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Between the Two by Grayson Rose turmoil by Paladin THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox An Empirical Study of Fluid Dynamics and Temporal Anomalies by chris191070 **Complete** 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Kintsugi of the Soul by Jean87 **Complete**  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
  4. wildone
    I'm writing this early on Saturday as I may or may not be able to write on Saturday evening  
    I'm off to watch a Canadian Football game this evening. I guess there is some soccer tournament going on as well in Canada, Mexico and the US of A  As I'm writing this, the tunder and ligting has started 😮 Hope it ends before the game.
    I usually get a lot of silence when I talk sports. I know though a lot of the world doesn't have the US and Canada's interest in our major sports, football (North American), Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, etc. So if you call the game we call soccer, football, let me know if you are cheering on your country's team ⚽ Or, if you watch a sport outside of FB, BB,Hockey, BB  like Cricket, Bowling, etc, let us know!
    Today is actually the loooooooooooooooooongest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and shortest day of the year in the South. I'm sure if you live on the equator you don't really give a hoot. If you live at the North Pole, you are probably close to 24 hours sunlight everyday. In the south, nearly 24 hours black out  I wonder if blackout curtains and blinds have the highest sales per capita near the poles  
    Since it is the longest day, do you do anything to celebrate it? Sounds silly but I used to try to be out camping on this day every year. To be sitting out by the fire watching the sun go down around 10 PM and continue to watch the crackle of the fire into the night. In my much younger days, we would stay up and watch the sun come up at around 5:15 AM.  To be honest, I will be going to bed when I get home and will get up at around 9 tomorrow. Too old to be doing that anymore . 
    Enough random babbling and onto the Wrap Up. Isn't that the reason we all check in weekly?
    Monday, Cia introduced us to the June Signature Feature:
    Tuesday, Myr popped by in between his travels to check on the Mystery genre:
    If you were looking for the Signature Feature Excerpt this Wednesday, stay tuned  
    Thursday, Wildone did a Flashback to the first annual Secret Author Contest. No one took me up on guessing who wrote what story .
    Friday, if you don't usually look at the Prompts (shame on you!  ), you need to look at the this weeks just for the gif that Aditus posted. While doing that see if the great Prompts he gave us tickles your fancy:
    Saturday, Myr popped back in again and let us know about some of the great new resources available to our writers. Even if you are not a poet or author, check it out:
     
     
    We had 7, yes that it correct, 7 new Words of the Day this week. If you are under 18, cover your eyes and don't look at the first one 😮. Heck, it is so bad, I better put it in spoiler tags  
    , reckoning, reminiscence, bittersweet, absolution, closure, regret
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    5 completed stories this week!
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 8 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Lost in the Sand by Topher Lydon Rumspringa by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Treacherous by CassieQ Roping the Moon by Headstall Vega-Vixen 2.0 by Topher Lydon **Complete** 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 39 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    A salty drop of Magic by Celian Pace Control by Soren Kraft Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud **Complete** Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Strife by CryingCircusConductor Love in a time of hatred vol 2 by Gary L A Tight Squeeze by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Footnotes of misery by Kileoli Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Barnaby’s Bounty: The Chrononaut’s Guide to Nautical Dimensions by chris191070 **Complete** Hunger & Habit by Invnarcel IceBerg by J92 Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill The Cwtch. by E K Stokes The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Blades of Ashes by lilansui The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox In the Barb by Vcs Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Holiday Drama by quokka If Furniture Could Talk by Lee Wilson Robbie and Mark: Latest chaos by unilive Revelations 2026 by mastershakeme **Complete** U-N-I by unilive The academic slut by Kileoli Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82 Exquisite Island of Safe Refuge: The Stained-Glass Mind by Vcs Alpha Awakened by Painawakened THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport turmoil by Paladin  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
  5. wildone
    So the Penguin is a bit under the weather from partying too much on her birthday, and the big guy is busy, busy, busy! That means you get me today  
    Now I'm not one to follow the rules  as in I was asked to do an Anthology Flashback. Well to H E double hockey sticks with that! I'm going to do my own thing 
    We are less than a month away from This Year's Secret Author Contest, so why not look back at the first year that got us on this track of a summer contest every year. Way back in 2023 after several seasonal Secret Author Contests, Val surveyed you, the members on what you wanted. It was decided on the current format of one Poetry Anthology, one Secret Author Contest and one yearly Anthology. 
    Now with me presenting these stories, the thing is, everyone knows who the Author is  But if you want to guess who wrote what, I'll play your game . There will not be any prizes though. Check out some of these great stories that appeared in year 1.
     
     
     
     
    This one had 1 original contest entry, but then morphed into a full story:
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Enjoy the look back, but don't forget to look forward too!!
  6. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Jun. 7 - Jun. 13)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    WOW
    I've lived in my humble little city of Calgary for a year or two  and about this time every year I talk about the upcoming Calgary Stampede , The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth (I'm not being compensated for this shameless plug ) I will be volunteering so far 6 of the 10 days to help out a charity  
    I was thinking I should get a western shirt or two since the chester drawers disease is getting worse  The chest is dropping down into my drawers . 
    One thing about Calgary is there a lot of western wear stores around and they are more or less all the same. Then you have the farm equipment stores, and about all the same. 
    This year, I heard of a place north of Calgary by 20 mins that I'd never been to, Irvine's Western Store. OMFG. Over 140,000 square feet making it the largest western store in North America. I nearly got lost a few times. Hell, I didn't even make it all the way down and into the huge steel barn that has nothing but boots! Rooms and rooms and rooms of just men's jeans, same for shirts. I got two shirts and they were on the cheaper ends at $90 each 😮. All kinds of tack, ropes, saddles, omg, they had 5 different 300 foot long halls with just saddles!! Blankets, pads, hell underwear if you want, with buckles, belts, jewelry and much much more. We didn't visit the women's part  And all that tack comes in every colour. Pinks, purples, different blues, reds, oranges, etc. 
    And the men. Whoa Steve  The men from 20 - 70 all of them gorgeous. I think growing up on a farm does something good for the jeans, and I don't mean the Wranglers. Needed to have on a nice pair of tight underwear in there . 
    So where am I going with all this, other than an afternoon perving on men in a western store ?
    I want to know, have you ever gone riding on a horse, a donkey, a camel, a mule, even maybe an ass (keep it clean guys  )?
    I think I have been on 4 trail rides, 2 in the foothills of the eastern slopes of the rockies, once in the coulees around Lethbridge, with rattlers and owls, oh my , and one in the mountains of Golden Ears Provincial Park in BC. The most interesting and only non-trail ride was when I was much younger, we were camping with my friend's, girlfriend's family on Crown land near the rockies again, and across the river was a Ranger Station. The ranger had 2 horses and he had to go into Calgary for a week and asked if we could water and feed them and maybe take them out for a ride or two. Well the family were farmers and not new to horses, me, like I said, a trail ride or two for this city boy. So I took off with the 14 year old son, me about 20, him leading me on his horse and me following. I told him that I thought the straps were too long, so the bugger kicked his horse into a gallop and mine followed suite with me holding onto the pommel and my legs squeezing the sides to keep me upright, the stirrups flapping in the breeze. Finally he took mercy on me and slowed and stopped so he could adjust the leg straps. I was glued to that saddle  
    So tell me about any adventures you have had on a four-legged beast? I'm sure @Headstall might have a story or two if he hasn't written about them all yet  
    If you haven't ridden a horse or anything, have you done anything farm related? Like @Krista had a pink John Deere tractor when she was a teen. Momma would get her anything  the spoiled princess . 
    Now onto the Wrap Up. 
     
    Monday, I was about to say Cia, but it was actually me, that brought our new member of the Review Team, @Gary L, to attention for a great review:
    Onto Tuesday, Myr was up to mischief again and went diving scantily clad (oh, the horror ) to feature a new genre  :
    Around came Thursday and Val published a great blog on short stories. Lots of interaction on this one:
    Finally on Friday, it was a certain Penguins birthday and I wrote her a lovely prompt, but it wasn't appreciated  Check out the Prompts this week:
     
     
    Myr also gave us 7 new Words of the Day! 
    dread, possesed, abomination, ghastly, morbid, unholy, tormented
    Did anyone else notice that coloration between the Words of the Day and the Genre featured this week  Sneaky Myr, very sneaky  
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
     
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    Another week of 6 of 6 categories with a story updated!!  Also 10 stories completed!!
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 8 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Vega-Vixen 2.0 by Topher Lydon Lost in the Sand by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Lord of the Pierced Dawn by Topher Lydon **Completed** Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Treacherous by CassieQ Roping the Moon by Headstall 1 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    My Prompt Stories by Bill W 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 35 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Pace Control by Soren Kraft Strife by CryingCircusConductor The Thing About Bill by Boy Mercury X **Completed** Another Time by Celian Revelations 2026 by mastershakeme Holiday Drama by quokka Barnaby’s Birthday Bash: A Cretaceous Synopsis by chris191070 **Completed** Hunger & Habit by Invnarcel Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud Barnaby and the Chronological Salad by chris191070 **Completed** Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C.R **Completed** Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard C.E.C.O. by Thirdly **Completed** Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82 Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy The Cwtch. by E K Stokes The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus The Witching Hour Phone Call by Lee Wilson **Completed** My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy Loose Box by Aquiya Cyba **Completed** Between the Times by Celian Trials of the Warkin by Gonzalo Sollu Blades of Ashes by lilansui Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox turmoil by Paladin THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud **Completed** Gay for Pay by chris191070 **Completed** 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Path Forward by Jean87 Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
     
     
  7. wildone
    Happy June everyone!! In my neck of the woods it is staying somewhat light out until after 10 PM 😮 What that means is I'm up a bit later and I can read a bit more  
    I'd like to introduce you all to our latest member of the Review Team! @Gary L !! Gary approached me a few months ago and said he can help out with a review or 2 a year. Which is great, and really appreciated!! Looking at his first review, you all are in for a treat.
     
     
    What the Ship Remembers
    by Andy Cannon 
    Reviewer: Gary L
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 134,040
    When one sees a painting of a naval warship from the Napoleonic Era, it is hard to imagine how these seemingly flimsy, wooden constructions could possibly stay afloat in calm seas let alone in stormy waters. With impressive knowledge, Andy Cannon takes us aboard these warships and tells a tale of the stormy seas within two sailors' hearts as their boat battles with wind, rain, storms, and, of course, the French.
    We begin at the end of the tale in a Prologue that introduces us to the now Captain William Pitt, retired by the sea and living in a kind of despairing hope. What follows is the story of the relationship that forms and reforms between a younger Lieutenant Pitt and young Midshipman Blake set in the context of the English West Indies fleet in 1808. 
    There is much to commend, and frankly to admire in Andy's story. First, as a work of naval fiction it is impeccably-written. We are led below decks to the cramped conditions in which hundreds of men might have to live; to the officers' Wardroom, claustrophobic in more than one way. Secondly, the love story is developed in painstakingly small steps, both backwards as well as forwards. At times one almost wants to bang their heads together. Finally, this brings us to what a number of readers have mentioned in their comments or reviews: the absolutely marvelous writing; the English prose is exquisite to read. 
    This is a beautifully-told story of the struggle to love, and be loved by, a fellow man. It is set in a time where being caught having sex was a hanging offence. Sadly, there are parts of the world in which this is still the case. Whilst brilliantly set in the late eighteenth century, this is a tale of love relevant even today.
    Category: Fiction  Genres: Historical  Sub-genres:  Historical Drama Tags: mature adult, gay, north america, military, industrial age  Rating: Mature 
  8. wildone
    I want to get into the question of the week right away  
    I loved the Weekly Prompts this week from Aditus! So much so that I'm going to borrow his question  Do you listen to music, and if you do, what do you prefer? Radio, streaming, playlists, one person said satellite TV/ Maybe someone out there has an 8-track or cassette player that they haven't retired. If you have an 8 track, I honestly don't believe there is a 8 track tape that has survived this long  For you younger folks, look it up. 
    I would say that most my time is flipping around on radio stations of all different musical styles. I did mention that country music only is listened to during Stampede  and then it is banished from my airwaves the other 355 days of the year   It is interesting that the 2 people I talk in Teams the most are both country fans and we all are slagging each others musical choice. I'm currently not talking to either of them as they keep sending country song videos and those nasty algorithms are working in the background that when I pushed the random Apple Music channel it played me country songs  
    Now if you are a single whole hearted one style of radio, I would like to know the reason why. Are you a TV news host so you are listening to 24 hour news radio all the time 😮. 
    Now let's get onto the week in review. Shall we?
    Since I stole (such an ugly word  ) borrowed Aditus' Prompt question, let's look at the GA News Blogs in reverse this week.
    Dara or Shakira, your choice  
    On Thursday, Valkyrie did a check in on how you are coming along on in the Secret Author Contest and the Yearly Anthology. Since the Secret Author Contest and revealing how you are doing would reveal that you are an author, feel free to PM me on how you are doing if you want . Don't read any further below where @Cia and @Valkyrie will be telling you to ignore this part . 
    Tuesday, was Myr's day to shine and he put his spotlight on a different genre this week:
    Cia started the week a whole 6 days ago, with a brand new CSR for the month of June. Check out the who and the what it is:
     
     
    Since I'm ass backwards, why not do the same thing for the Words of the Day:
    sinister, spectral, sepulchral, macabre, puzzle, shadowy, omen
    Well one really got me stumped  If I was in a spelling bee, me asking them repeat it or give me the use in a sentence, I'd still fail out 😢 
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
     
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    This week we had an update in all 6 categories  Thank you to all our contributors  
     
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 8 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Lord of the Pierced Dawn by Topher Lydon Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour Vega-Vixen 2.0 by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Double Hex by Topher Lydon Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters The Construct by Topher Lydon **Complete** Roping the Moon by Headstall 1 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray 38 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Man on the Moon by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Revelations 2026 by mastershakeme Trials of the Warkin by Gonzalo Sollu The Capybara Cadence by chris191070 **Complete** Strife by CryingCircusConductor The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Role of a Lifetime by KKirk **Complete** Between the Times by Celian Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Pace Control by Soren Kraft Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C.R Monstrum by Laura S. Fox The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy Pigsty by Jack Poignet Holiday Drama by quokka The Cwtch. by E K Stokes turmoil by Paladin Salt and Stone by CarlAccolla C.E.C.O. by Thirdly My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Loose Box by Aquiya Cyba Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites **Complete** Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy How Would You Know That? by Lee Wilson **Complete** The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X The Seducer: A Gone From Daylight Inspired Story by MrM The Vulnerability Protocol by chris191070 **Complete** Sapphire in the Stars by JujuTheDruid Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox A Tickling In The Wild West by Ticklishboy30 **Complete** 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Path Forward by Jean87  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  9. wildone
    What's up puddy cat, whoa, whoooa! Don't read more into that than me just being goofy  Wait a minute. 
    I had to go check Myr's fun and new emotes to check in with your moods! Got mine done now. What do you think of them?

    I wonder, I need one for Diet Coke the true #1 Cola in the world  Are you listening, @Myr ? See, there is a story behind this. Back in the very early 70's when I was a wee little lad, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I don't know if at 4 I was drinking cola or not  Then, up here in Canadia, the government decided if you drank about 405 cans of pop a day, you would die of cancer if they had saccharine in them. So they banned it ! Never mind the saccharine, 405 cans a day 😮. So we used to drive to the lower mainland of BC to see relatives 3-4 times a year. We could sneak across the border to Point Roberts, look it up on a map, and Dad would buy like 6 flats of Shasta pop that had saccharine in it. BTW, I'm still alive . Then when I was probably in my early teens, Diet Coke came out in Canadia after failed attempts with Tab. I was in heaven . I think I'm still drinking excessive amounts of Diet Coke to catch up since then . 
    Now, that leads me to ask... Do you drink any colas? If so what type would be your favourite. You know mine now  Now I know a lot of you, aka @Krista, are going to lecture me on how the sugar-free pops or really any pops are bad for you. You know you can tell us, just not sure if anyone is going to change their mind on their favourite pop  I will throw in if you like any carbonated drink. With Buble, or is it Bubbly, I don't partake in flavoured water. Or do you have one of those Soda Stream things. If you do, I know that there was/is the Pepsi line of sodas made cartridges for them. Are they still around? What is your flavour? 
    If you find yourself running to the fridge to get a soda, I reminds me of a song by Kim Mitchell, Go For a Soda. What the heck, here it is:
    Hopefully you have pulled yourself off the ground after you hysterical fit of laughing at 1980's Canadian videos  
    Enough of this talk, what happened at the GA News blog this week!
    Monday, Cia wrapped up the month with the CSR Discussion Day:
    Then onto Tuesday we happily skipped along to have Myr bring us a new look at a different genre:
    We didn't have anything on Wednesday and Thursday. Val did pop in on Friday with a couple of prompts. Did you check them out?
    This Saturday, we had bonus blog. Myr came out and rubbed his crystal ball and gave us a look into the future 😮:
     
     
    Here are the Words of the Day:
    suspicion, obscured, unsettling, inquiry, trace, hidden, omen
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 7 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Lord of the Pierced Dawn by Topher Lydon The Construct by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Hazardous by CassieQ **Complete** The Holy Lance of Antioch by Topher Lydon **Complete** 1 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 34 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Role of a Lifetime by KKirk Between the Times by Celian Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C.R The Seducer: A Gone From Daylight Inspired Story by MrM The Vulnerability Protocol by chris191070 B is for Biceps by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Revelations 2026 by mastershakeme The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy **Complete** Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast The Cwtch. by E K Stokes Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Luggage Paradox of Barnaby the Chrono-Capybara by chris191070 **Complete** Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Salt and Stone by CarlAccolla Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy Another Time by Celian Holiday Drama by quokka Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Kismet by E K Stokes **Complete** A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Blades of Ashes by lilansui Ly's Pandora's box by Kileoli The Scandal by FV2112 Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox A Tickling In The Wild West by Ticklishboy30 turmoil by Paladin Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  10. wildone
    Happy Memorial Day Weekend to my 'merican neighbours  

     
    I did not realize that every US flag in the US no matter on state or federal property is to fly at half mast on Memorial Day for fallen and current and retired soldiers! If you did not know, now you do  
    Let me know if I'm missing any other countries that might be taking off from work on Monday  
    I worked 25 years in retail, I did my share , I always thought it was unfair that holidays really didn't mean anything to owners who wanted to make money 365 days a year. Then again, I guess if nobody was to go shopping, the money people wouldn't open if they were paying for staff to work but no money being spent. I think everyone most have a story of working a job in retail or possibly food service that had you working holidays. Unless you were a Maximillian Theodore Winchester III, then maybe not 💸
    So a double question, did you work either a retail job, or restaurant job in your youth, or heck, even now ? That would be cool if you have made a life out of it. I'd still probably be in retail if I didn't have my accident  So the second part of the question, tell us the best and worst part of the job that you can remember.
    I had a job in HS that was at a gourmet ice cream shoppe 🍦It was mainly people coming in for hard ice cream cones and such, but we offered sit down as well where you could get things like Banana Splits, Sundaes, Ice Cream Earthquakes, which was like 12 different scoops of ice cream and toppings. Also had a small grill too. The great thing was people being people, would come in and order something like the earthquake and you would write down what kind of flavours they wanted, then we'd make it and ring it up and they would be we are not paying $24 for ice cream and walk out.  Well someone had to eat the ice cream, so it would fall to us. The worse part is we had one assistant manager that would call meetings once a month and tell us that cash was missing on this night, this night, or that night and if you were working, everyone who worked that shift would have it taken off their paycheques 😮 Learned that is illegal but I was more pissed that 6 months after I quit because of this she got fired for stealing cash from the store  
    So what about you. Do you have a similar good and bad of a retail job or food service job?
    Shall we now move onto the what they are paying me the big bucks for , the Weekly Wrap Up!
     
    Monday, we got an all new Signature Feature. I downloaded the funky banner that Cia does up  :
    Tuesday, Myr was digging deep into a different genre this week. If you haven't read stories of this one, why not give it a try:
    Wednesday, Cia was back again on Wednesday with the Signature Feature Excerpt. See if this peaks your interest: 
    Friday, Val was a bit late to the show, but she still made a splendid appearance with the Prompts:
     
     
    Myr, Myr, Myr, quite contrary, what Words of the Day did you grow?
    rivalry, dominant, submission, strategy, power, clandestine, revelation
     
    Wow! Lots of completed stories this week. If you are one to only start completed ones, you have quite the collection below!
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 7 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Construct by Topher Lydon The Holy Lance of Antioch by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Double Hex by Topher Lydon Traditions by Mark Ponyboy Peters **Complete** Hazardous by CassieQ By Chance or Appointment by Parker Owens 1 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 44 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast Alpha Awakened by Painawakened A Tickling In The Wild West by Ticklishboy30 The Vulnerability Protocol by chris191070 Seaside Entries by ObicanDecko **Complete** A Wolf's Skin by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Revelations 2026 by mastershakeme A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian **Complete** Futile Devices by CasualWanderer82 The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy The Quantum Capybara and the Quarterly Report by chris191070 **Complete** Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Monstrum by Laura S. Fox THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Role of a Lifetime by KKirk Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus The Quiet Between Them by andy cannon **Complete** Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy **Complete** Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose When the stones breathe by Kileoli **Complete** My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C.R Blades of Ashes by lilansui The Cwtch. by E K Stokes At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy A salty drop of Magic by Celian Holiday Drama by quokka Kismet by E K Stokes The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss **Complete** turmoil by Paladin Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren **Complete** CRUISING by Wombat Bill **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 My Best Friend’s Brother Dylan Was Supposed to Be Straight by StoriesByTroy **Complete** First Encounter by E K Stokes Indian Summer by Boy Mercury X **Complete** The Son Who Stayed by ChromedOutCortex **Complete** Morning Wood & Workwear by Soren Kraft **Complete**  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  11. wildone
    I thought I would start the blog with welcoming me back  
    According to the false rumours, I have not died. 🪦
    I have to thank @Cia for doing a spectacular job and stepping in to cover me  Let's give her some love for all of her help
    Now that I'm back from my nearly 3 week vacay, I have to tell you all I"m happy as a pig in ... mud  I did a 4 day road trip driving a U-haul across Southern Alberta, Montana, Utah, no, never saw any cute mormon boys , Arizona, Nevada, Arizona again and then a 2 1/2 day stop in Nogales AZ  to cross the border into Nogales, Mexico. Then onto Guaymas, Sonora. My first trip ever to Mexico and I drove the whole damn way . 3200 kms/1199 miles 😮 I was moving a friend who is retiring to Mexico and we had a blast on the way down. Sadly, we had the same kind of humour and it was good, since he was nervous enough with the move some levity kept him sane. I think I told him about a lot of you We had to cross 2 international borders and both went beyond well. US border less than 5 minutes and the Mexican border we just got waved through, didn't even have to stop!
    I celebrated on the Sea of Cortez with margaritas, nachos and other Mexican fair. I even brushed my teeth with the local water and survived... I think  
    Don't ask me about the flight home  Just picture 3.5 hours of a 5 hour flight with a screaming 2 y/o toddler in the row in front of me and mom's solution was just to cuddle him, to no results  An overnight flight too .
     
    What happened while I was gone. Did anyone break GA accidentally?  I've done that once or twice I think. 
    This weekend in Canadia, it is the Victoria Day Long Weekend. In Calgary that means on Thursday night it starts raining, then Friday rain turning to snow, and most of today snowing as well ☃️. Too warm for the snow to stick, but still a big heavy wet snow. Holiday Monday is supposed to reach a high of 6 C / 43 F and then back up to normal mid to high teens on Tuesday on . 
    Next week is the 'merican May Long Weekend, and I think the British Bank Holiday are both in order. Correct me if I'm wrong  Did any of you dare take a look at the long range forecast? I'm curious if anyone is being blessed with a Calgary Victoria Day long weekend weather. Now next I want to know if you have any plans for the next weekend, or if you are Canadian what you did his weekend? Maybe a visit to the beach? Maybe a drive in the countryside? Who knows? I wanna know . 
    That is enough of my rambling ways. I'm happy to be back amongst friends again  
     
    Monday, if she wasn't busy enough, Cia brought you all the Review Team feature by @chris191070:
    Tuesday, Myr was being bold with warmer weather and wore only his speedo do the deep dive on Tuesday. He was very jockular this week:
    We all got to laugh our way into Friday, where our ever sweet Valkyrie twisted up the usual format of prompts and tossed something new out:
     
    At the crack of dawn, Myr was not only busy coming up with great new moods that we all can read without reading glasses,  check them out if you haven't seen them all yet!

    He was also busy with putting up a Word for the Day each day. With the words, I'm wondering if there is an upcoming coup d'etat 😮:
    ascendancy, decree, command, influence, authority, control, ambition
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 15, 2026 -  Find all the information right here. 
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Great to see a new Premium Story in our line up  
     
    Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 7 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Construct by Topher Lydon Traditions by Mark Ponyboy Peters The Holy Lance of Antioch by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Double Hex by Topher Lydon Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour The Vega Vixen by Topher Lydon **Complete** 1 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W 37 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Between the Times by Celian Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast I've Always Loved You by R. Eric Indian Summer by Boy Mercury X Crown of Ashes by mastershakeme Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren The Quiet Between Them by andy cannon Kismet by E K Stokes Still Alive, Dumbass by Tony S. **Complete** CRUISING by Wombat Bill The Best Man At My Brother's Wedding by StoriesByTroy Role of a Lifetime by KKirk Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Seaside Entries by ObicanDecko The Silver Tongued Scoundrel by ThePhallocrat Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss The Son Who Stayed by ChromedOutCortex The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Borders and Bribery by Thirdly **Complete** Alpha Awakened by Painawakened No Place For Golfballs by Lee Wilson **Complete** Morning Wood & Workwear by Soren Kraft Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy Another Time by Celian Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Pigsty by Jack Poignet Stag by Boy Mercury X **Complete** turmoil by Paladin  Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  12. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Apr. 12 - Apr. 19)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Howdy ho  
    Just wanted to remind you that there is only 76 days to the Calgary Stampede  So if you are coming, let me know and we can meet up  For @Valkyrie, she might be coming up for the Spruce Meadows North American at the same time  . Or you coming up for the Masters in Sept? You could do that and Pride all on the labour day long weekend. 
    So you know, up in the frigid climates of Calgary, Thursday we got another foot of heavy wet snow that melted over the past 2 days, we are starting to see spring weather and thinking what we are going to do over the summer if we have time off. 
    I have a couple of weeks from June 28 to July 11 off but I don't think I will go anywhere. I was talking to my bank the other day and I suggested they offer short-term loans for gas😮. He laughed and said that was an idea he never heard before. You basically need one to fill up the tank right now, right? If prices come down, not sure what I will do though so no big plans. Maybe go up to the lake for a few days.
    Hey, that is my question for the week  What is the current price of regular unleaded gas in your neighbourhood?  Mine is $1.589 at the station across the street  but most places are $1.709 per litre right now. There, I mentioned per litre, so our gallon friends are not have a heart attack 🪦. That would make my gas price  $4.39 per US Gallon or $7.615 Imperial Gallon. Does that sound right???
    Quick math would be multiple price per litre by 3.7854 for a US Gallon and multiple by 4.546 for the Imperial Gallon. To reverse, take US price per gallon and divide by 3.785 per litre. Divide the Imperial Gallon by 4.546 to get the price per litre
    Or, if it is too early to do math, put in your price and if it is a US Gallon or an Imperial Gallon!  I want to hear back from some of the people that read and maybe don't comment from around the world. You don't need to reveal your location at all, just something like $4.50/Imp Gal. Easy, peasy.  Now, let's not make it confusing either! Maybe you will say 30 pesos per litre. That is okay. 
    Now, for real, if you got this far, how many of you were going to quit this blog since it involves math . Maybe we need @Drew Espinosa to help out  
    Onto the real stuff for the look back on the past week.
    Monday it was my pleasure to put up the the excellent review from one member of the Review Team on another Review Team member's story:
    Tuesday, Myr loaded up the Deep Genre Dive:
    Then on Thursday, it was the second release of the Poetry Anthology. Did you read any and what did you think? I also saw that @Jason Rimbaud did a poem named after something he has heard asked to him all his life: What did you do.  
     
    That was it from the Daily Blogs, but there also was the Words of the Day:
    courage, solidarity, endurance, strength, resolve, grounded, centered/centred  
    Now if you say there is only 6 there, Steve! You are correct. Let's let the big guy take a day off  I know he has been a busy beaver!
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
     6 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Hazardous by CassieQ The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters **Complete** Within by Headstall **Complete** **Anthology Entry** Stanton Drew by Valkyrie **Complete** **Anthology Entry** The Prince and his Pauper by Mark Ponyboy Peters **Complete** 4 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Right Then by Topher Lydon Charlie vs the Demon Ex by Topher Lydon A Knight in the Darkness by Topher Lydon **Complete** Charlie vs the Anti-Vegan by Topher Lydon **Complete** 43 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Coming Home by Tomkin Watts **Complete** Uncut Control - Taming the Spanish Bull by Soren Kraft Arcum Dawns by mastershakeme Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud A Two Man Job by Boy Mercury X The Son Who Stayed by ChromedOutCortex Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren The Quiet Between Them by andy cannon Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Bending Eli by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica The Fit by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Role of a Lifetime by KKirk A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson Still Alive, Dumbass by Tony S. A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Knight and Squire by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard  The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Another Time by Celian Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Footnotes of misery by Kileoli First Bell and Bad Decisions by Kreston Bach The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus First They Came, revised by drsawzall **Complete** **Anthology Entry** What Did You Do by Jason Rimbaud **Complete** **Anthology Entry** Hand to Heart by MichaelS36 **Complete** **Anthology Entry** Cowboys by Albert1434 **Complete** **Anthology Entry** Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Broken Hate, Broken Heart by Celian Borders and Bribery by Thirdly Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro A Second Dance by BendtedWreath **Complete** A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Straight to the Morning by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Satellites by MrM turmoil by Paladin Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  13. wildone
    Second Monday of the Month and we have another review loaded up for you all to check out and maybe read the story, like, comment and recommend! This month we have a little Reviewer on Reviewer review  
     
     
     
    The Garage Sale
    by chris191070
    Reviewer: Spike382 
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 4,337
     
     
    When deciding which story to choose for my next review, I had a particular author in mind for a while.  chris191070 is somebody I interact with pretty much daily on the GA forums, but I had never read any of his stories, so for this review I took the opportunity to change that.
     
    In The Garage Sale, we are introduced to Brad Somers, a gay man past what might be considered the “prime” for a lot of people, and the ups-and-downs of his journey to find the right one for him.  The issue he faces, like so many others, is his tendency to look in maybe the wrong place, which is through casual hook-ups. 
    The Garage Sale is a relatively short story of one man’s search for romance and a long-lasting love.  One line that really stood out to me (probably because I myself am closing in on fifty much faster than I’d like)  was Brad’s thought, 
    “He reckoned that at fifty, his life was far from over, and he should enjoy what was left.”
    The story has a bit of sadness, a bit of hope, a bit of lust, and a bit of men finding themselves even past rose-colored view we have of our earlier years.  chris191070  packs all that into such a short story very well. He also had quite a library of fiction on GA and stories much longer than this, so I strongly encourage to check his stories out if you haven’t had the chance yet.
      
    Category: Fiction  Genres: Romance   Sub-genres: General Romance Tags: gay, anal, oral  Rating: Mature 
  14. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Apr. 5 - Apr. 11)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Now that the first week of the Poetry Anthology is out, are you a poet and didn't know it  ? 
     
    After I do this, I shall retire to the bedoire and check out some poetry  Even though I don't read a lot, I do like to dabble my reading into the Poets, seasoned and new here at GA.
    There was something that I wanted to discuss and you are free to pick any of the four. With the Artemis trip to go around the moon now over and they splashed down in the Pacific off of San Diego, I want to know which of the 4 you find the cutest  There is some good looking men, and woman, although she did have Medusa hair when she was in weightless space . 
    So here is the line up  

      
    1. Commander Reid Wiseman - USA
    2. Pilot Victor Glover - USA
    3. Mission Specialist Christa Koch - USA
    4. Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen - Canada
    Just to make things a bit different this week .
     
    When we have an Anthology launched we tend to have a shorter week here at the GA News Blog  Now lets see:
     
    Monday, it was an exciting day for the month of April  Cia introduced us to our CSR for the month:
    Tuesday, the big guy brought us another genre update. Check it out:
    The rest of the week was all about our Poets:
     
     
    Now what about the Words of the Day? Don't worry, they all are here :
    flicker, heavy, softened, unapologetic, steadfast, kinship, empowered
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    8 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Hazardous by CassieQ The Prince and his Pauper by Mark Ponyboy Peters Inspired by... by Aditus **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** Selection by Parker Owens **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** Garlic or Love? by Mikiesboy **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour 2 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    A Knight in the Darkness by Topher Lydon Charlie vs the Anti-Vegan by Topher Lydon 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    I'm Gay: A Nifty Story by Jeff Burton 45 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast Still Alive, Dumbass by Tony S. Arcum Dawns by mastershakeme Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud Role of a Lifetime by KKirk Straight to the Morning by Boy Mercury X Uncut Control - Taming the Spanish Bull by Soren Kraft Nox Memoriae by Stephen Wormwood U-N-I by unilive **Complete**   Trade Sister for Honor by Celian **Complete**  Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Robbie and Mark: Latest chaos by unilive At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Knight and Squire by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Ark II: Life on Gaea by R. Eric Rough Strokes for the Golden Egg by Soren Kraft **Complete**  Schadenfreude by Kileoli Monstrum by Laura S. Fox **Complete**  The Malady Of Hunger by CasualWanderer82 Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson  Fourth Down: Second Quarter by FrankD **Complete**  A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss Cain by Refugium **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** No More Words by Jason Rimbaud **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** Are Choices Even Real? by Lee Wilson **Complete**  **Anthology Entry** The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose  The Merge: Through a System of Control by astroguy Sense of Doubt by William King **Complete**  C.E.C.O. by Thirdly turmoil by Paladin Standalone Tales by RichardWrites Another Time by Celian Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. **Complete**  The Son Who Stayed by ChromedOutCortex THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox The Ticklish Brotherhood by Ticklishboy30 A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Path Forward by Jean87  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
  15. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Mar. 29 - Apr. 4)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Psst, turn your speakers down
    I couldn't help to notice @Bill W status was changed to 'Barefoot' and I pictured him dancing to this song in the warm weather.
    Now that I got that ear worm in your head , let's move on  
    I'm not sure how many people have the big 3 celebrations with family, or if it just 2, or maybe only 1, but up here in Canada, it isn't necessarily based on religion, as commercialism has won out, but do you do anything for Easter?
    Up here, it is usually a ham or turkey and of course lot of chocolate for the kids, and some adults , to go searching for under couches, behind doors, all over the place or if it is warm enough, maybe outside in the backyard?
    Tonight was a night for turkey dinner at my sisters with my other sister and her family less one nephew and spouses and me. I got my fill, but I did not need to pop any buttons or need to wear sweatpants over to her place. 
    Tomorrow is another dinner, but this one will be ham. This is at a friends house, and I liked what it was titled this year, Donna's 85th bday dinner. The wife of my friend has never subscribed to organized religion so her mother-in-law's 85th bday is as a good thing to celebrate at this time of the year  
    Now you all are going to probably going to think I'm going to ask about if you had a big dinner because I'm so predictable . But noooo, I'm refraining from asking that  . What I will ask is for you to pop on over to YouTube and return the favour I started this blog out with, and post your worst ear worm. Maybe a lot of people won't listen to it but just reading it might get it stuck in their minds  . What a mischief maker I can be  
    Last thing I want to get out here before we get into the Wrap Up is :
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    Now onto the Wrap Up!!
     
    First Monday of the Month, sees us have our CSR Discussion Day with Cia. Check it out:
    Tuesday was Myr's time to hit us up with the top stories in the Poetry field. Maybe if you have a last minute idea and need some inspiration, check these out:
    We took a break until Thursday where we wrapped out the week on the GA News Blog with the great news that we have a new Promising Author in town:
     
     
    Now I don't know how much Bill W helps out with the Words of the Day with Myr, but if he did help out I'm impressed he had time whilst tiptoeing through the tulips  
    coarse, silken, tang, thrum, shadowed, chill, rough
    Anyone as old as me, when you saw Tang as the word for Tuesday, did you think of the Artemis II launch? Anyone born in the 80's or later probably won't know what the hell I'm talking about  
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    5 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Prince and his Pauper by Mark Ponyboy Peters Hazardous by CassieQ tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 4 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Charlie vs the Anti-Vegan by Topher Lydon A Knight in the Darkness by Topher Lydon Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W Charlie vs the Coven of Love by Topher Lydon **Complete** 38 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Bring the Dawn by dragonthusiast Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud Rough Strokes for the Golden Egg by Soren Kraft Sir Veillance Gets Busted by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Sense of Doubt by William King Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson Arcum Dawns by mastershakeme A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Knight and Squire by Albert1434 At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Art of Living by Robert Hugill  You should still be here by Kileoli **Complete** The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren Flying Otters - Tackled by Team Heat by Soren Kraft **Complete** The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Raze the Night by dragonthusiast **Complete** Re-Organizing by Justin4Fun Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Borders and Bribery by Thirdly The Malady Of Hunger by CasualWanderer82 Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Parker & Brody: Ground Truth by Cap **Complete** The Son Who Stayed by ChromedOutCortex Seaside Entries by ObicanDecko Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro Bringing Up Himbo by Boy Mercury X **Complete** turmoil by Paladin Nox Memoriae by Stephen Wormwood 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Marvin B Erotic Poetry Collection by Marvin B  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  16. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Mar. 22 - Mar. 28)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I am exhausted  
    If anyone has worked with software for the entire workplace, I'm sure all I need to say is SAP upgrade, and you will know my pain. My company had 5 different buckets or regions and we are working towards 1. This means teams and teams of people all verifying data, processes and other such stuff region by region until their live date. Me included nationally.
    I start early, leave late and even today I woke up at stupid 5 AM when I didn't have work today. Tomorrow I do, so good thing I'm getting the Wrap Up done tonight  
    How was your week? Are you feeling a bit chippier or happy with the increasing length of days in the Northern Hemisphere and warming temperatures? Or are you in the south and starting to feel a bit of chill in the air and shortening days? 
    People were talking at work about when they start their gardens. Due to frost in our area, it is generally not suggested until after the May 24th long weekend. I think that should be a question for this week. Do you have a green thumb? I have a black one. The only plant I ever owned and didn't kill was an Easter Lily and I had to give it away as when I moved, not enough natural sunlight got into the place. That plant was so forgiving. Go on holidays for 2 weeks in 30 C plus weather and come home and find it basically dead, fill 'er up with water and a day later it was looking healthy as ever. Enough about me. Do you garden, do you grow your own fruits and veggies, do you have planters of flowers? If you do, when do you start preparing for the latter spring, summer and fall? Do you garden with someone else, or do you find inner relaxation with the solitude that you may prefer?
    Enough babbling. Maybe Krista is right when she says I can cluck with the best of hens 🐔 
    What happened this week at the GA News Blog?
     
    Tuesday found Myr kicking my ass, I mean kicking off the week :
    Thursday, was an IMPORTANT blog. Make sure you read it!!
    Finally Aditus wrapped up the week. Mention him below if you want him to reveal his cringeworthy childhood heros  
     
     
    Only 3 blogs this week, but 7 Words of the Day:
    reflection, velvety, briny, sonorous, luminous, fragrant, glimmer
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    6 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Prince and his Pauper by Mark Ponyboy Peters Hazardous by CassieQ The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 3 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Charlie vs the Coven of Love by Topher Lydon A Knight in the Darkness by Topher Lydon 13 Hearts by Topher Lydon **Complete** 35 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Parker & Brody: Ground Truth by Cap **Complete** Jody and the Navy by KKirk The Malady Of Hunger by CasualWanderer82 Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Bringing Up Himbo by Boy Mercury X Journey Home by ChromedOutCortex Raze the Night by dragonthusiast A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Knight and Squire by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme **Complete** Gilded Things by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose The Burden of Ash and Blood by Mike Carss Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren Buck Goes Pro by Boy Mercury X **Complete** What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex **Complete** Sense of Doubt by William King Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Bearding the Lion by Boy Mercury X **Complete** C.E.C.O. by Thirdly A salty drop of Magic by Celian Ruin The Friendship by irivera Re-Organizing by Justin4Fun Flying Otters - Tackled by Team Heat by Soren Kraft Malicious glee by Kileoli Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
  17. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Mar. 15 - Mar. 21)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I was about to write a blog about how we are only halfway through the month but then realized that we only have a few days left 😮 In the past day I've had April showers in March bringing May flowers, and March snowstorms killing any May flowers that popped earlier than April. Wait, did I F that up? Well yes I did. I cannot judge what month we are in anymore by the weather outside. 
    I know I once read that Medellin, Columbia has an average temp of 22 C/72 F year round. I could live with that, I think . I can stand a little bit warmer and I can stand a lot lower, but that sounds pleasant. What I wonder is how much sunscreen I would need. To be honest, I should wear sunscreen for anything above 10 degrees but usually about 25 C is my default. Yes, I know that I should wear it year round no matter the temp.
    Today I was flipping through the channels and couldn't find anything to watch during our snowstorm. Speedskating, nah, College basketball, nah, Netflix/Crave/Disney/Apple TV+/Prime/Tubi etc., nah. So I went over to my bookcase and after taking a vacuum cleaner to it , I pulled out a long ago paperback novel that I haven't read in years and years. Do you save books for the sake of saving books? I know libraries and bookstores are not really interested in old books, but I hate to just toss them into recycling. 
    Well after closing my eyes and grabbing a book, I came out with The Osterman Weekend by Robert Ludlum when I think he still wrote books by himself 😮 Heard of it? First thing I can tell you is that the pages are YELLOW . I primarily read on my iPad nowadays and to pull out a paperback book is weird to say the least. 
    So if you like to participate, here are some questions for this week. Please answer them in order  
    Would you like a regular temperature year round or do you like your seasons? Do you wear sunscreen regularly? Did you watch any TV or Movies yesterday? Do you own any old paperbacks or hard cover books still? Do you ever read them or are you a digital kind of person now? What is the last book as on paper, did you read? Now if I haven't bored you to death, why don't we see what our GA News Blog featured this week!
    Monday, everyone's favourite female site owner dropped in with a brand new Signature Feature with a nifty banner you can download for your own signature:
     
    Tuesday, everyone's favourite male site owner dropped in to show what he discovered on his latest deep dive. And he wasn't making up tales this week:
    Wednesday, Cia was back. Following up on Monday's blog with a Signature Feature Except:
    Friday, I think Valkyrie made a error in the title of her blog. She spoke as if she was a group, instead of just herself  :
    Now I have to tell you, we had some great news on Saturday. Due to unforeseen weather patterns, any and all authors wanting to participating in the Poetry Anthology now have an extra week to git er done! 
     
     
    Now don't forget, we had some Words of the Day!
    recognition, visibility, shamrock, voice, realization, alignment, autonomy
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due April 6, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    6 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Case of the Scallopini-ed Mayor - Part Two by Mikiesboy **Complete** Hazardous by CassieQ The Shape of What Remains by Mikiesboy **Complete** The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 5 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Charlie vs the Coven of Love by Topher Lydon 13 Hearts by Topher Lydon Charlie vs the Forces of Evil by Topher Lydon **Complete** Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W Medellín by LittleBuddhaTW 46 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud Bearding the Lion by Boy Mercury X Jody and the Navy by KKirk Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Parker & Brody: Ground Truth by Cap The World of the Legend of the Red Star by Lupus Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme Nox Memoriae by Stephen Wormwood A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Raze the Night by dragonthusiast turmoil by Paladin Flying Otters - Tackled by Team Heat by Soren Kraft Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Don’t want to Forget by J92 A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Aethan's Reign by ValentineDavis21 The Malady Of Hunger by CasualWanderer82 U-N-I by unilive **Complete** Borders and Bribery by Thirdly A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Journey Home by ChromedOutCortex Knight and Squire by Albert1434 The Scandal by FV2112 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Art of Living by Robert Hugill The Discipline of Silence by Kileoli Bully Me by Littlelovestories **Complete** The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson Another Time by Celian Sibylline Morning After by Kreston Bach Brandon Smiling: From the Billy Chase Chronicles (3) by MrM Pigsty by Jack Poignet What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex Sense of Doubt by William King Ruin The Friendship by irivera Robbie and Mark: Latest chaos by unilive Wrenhaven by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro **Complete** Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren C.E.C.O. by Thirdly Malicious glee by Kileoli Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox A Night with the Boys by Celian **Complete** Parker & Brody: An Alliance by Cap **Complete**  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
  18. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Mar. 8 - Mar. 14)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    It appears to be that time of year 😮 
    This is the week that we find out who pretends to have a bit of Irish in them, and those that have a bit of Irish in them and those that are Irish ☘️Git your minds out of the gutters
    I'm past the age of going out and getting inebriated on alcoholic drinks that are green or really cheap draft beer that has been coloured green  The only thing I do is wear something green in order to ensure no one pinches me. I'm also past the age where I wear my favourite green undies and reveal them when someone asks where my green is .
    Does Chicago still dump green food colouring or dye or whatever into the river? Does anywhere else do something like this  Not sure if this is good for the fishies since we find out more and more about the dyes in our foods and beverages. You think they drink the water and it goes in one end and right out the other, and I'm sure that colouring stays in them 😮. Would you like to pull out a nice fish while casting offshore, take it home and start to filet it and find green insides  
    Geez, that is twice the number of pukes I usually use in a blog .
    Oh, did any of you notice that the past Friday was Friday the 13th ? Did anything untoward happen to you or someone you know ? I hope not. I was so busy at work I didn't really notice. Maybe if you don't notice what day it is, you don't look for the strange and unusual. 
    Now we are like 2 weeks away from the Poetry Anthology. I don't know how many people have submitted, but if you are thinking of it, git it going . And to tie into St. Patrick's Day, why not give a try at a limerick. They are Irish, are they not?
    I was going to post a populare naughty version of 'There Once Was A Man From Nantucket" but I never knew past the first 2 lines. Now that I've seen all the lines, OMG 😮. Toss another puke emoji in here. 
    Before I go down another rabbit hole, I shall get onto the Wrap Up.
    Monday, W_L brought a great story to our members in our Feature Story Review:
     
    Tuesday, Myr was up and at it with a deep dive into another genre:
    Have a looky loo at who showed up on Thursday to check out NaPoWriMo:
     
    Saturday, Myr put a call to every author on the site. Make sure you check out his blog on this important step to take us into the future:
     
     
    Now let us check out the Words of the Day for the past week:
    belonging, alienation, discovery, emergence, integration, ownership, affirmation
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    4 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Shape of What Remains by Mikiesboy TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour 4 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    13 Hearts by Topher Lydon Charlie vs the Forces of Evil by Topher Lydon Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W Medellín by LittleBuddhaTW 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Wayne's Poems by Wayne Gray 43 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme turmoil by Paladin Parker & Brody: An Alliance by Cap Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Jody and the Navy by KKirk Wrenhaven by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro The Guncle & The Army Dad by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Pigsty by Jack Poignet Flying Otters - Tackled by Team Heat by Soren Kraft Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren Sense of Doubt by William King I've Always Loved You by R. Eric Raze the Night by dragonthusiast Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Borders and Bribery by Thirdly Journey Home by ChromedOutCortex Knight and Squire by Albert1434 A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Art of Living by Robert Hugill A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Good Times by Albert1434 A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad The Acquisition: A Record of Compliance, Pleasure, and Ownership by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Malicious glee by Kileoli Designed for ESCape by Kileoli What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex Another Time by Celian Randy for Submission, Pursuing the One by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud The Confused Traffic Light by Lee Wilson **Complete** Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas The Straight Boys Took Me On Vacation by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Nox Memoriae by Stephen Wormwood Peter Rabbit goes to the Dentist. by chris191070 **Complete** Between Love and Fantasy by unilive **Complete**  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
  19. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Mar. 1 - Mar. 7)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I'd say Beware the Ides of March  but I don't know what that means . So I will take a break here and go to Google...
    .....
    .....
    .....
    How rude, you'd think I'd research this before writing a blog  
    If you are like me and didn't know, it turns out the Bard used it in the play Julius Caesar. I guess Caesar went to a fortune teller, or I would probably guess that the fortune teller was summoned to appear before Caesar, and foretold of Caesar's impending death. He thought it was a joke and hokey pokey, and look where it got him 😮 So if by chance your name is Caesar (or Valkyrie), then for only you, Beware the Ides of March  .
    Since I did not know it had to do with Shakespeare, I have to ask, did you ever learn any of his plays in High School? I think I learned Romeo and Juliet in Grade 10, Hamlet in Grade 11 and Macbeth in Grade 12, we only have 3 grades of high school in Canada, I think . I told Krista we only need 3 up here where in the States they need 4   
    My teachers were all about the tragedies  This was back in the late 80's 😮. Do they still teach a Shakespeare Play every year in high school English? Now if you did learn some plays, what were they and do you remember some of the lines? If you were in the drama club, an English Teacher or Professor and know the entire words of the whole play, don't type it all out here  
    This is what I comes to mind for me:
    Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo? Easy one from Romeo and Juliet.
    Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. No, I'm not referring to our members from Denmark  but from Hamlet. 
    Toil, toil, boil and trouble. From Macbeth. We had to learn the whole thing and recite in front of the class 😮 That and Out! Out! Damn Spot!
    I'm sure like the first time you learned Shakespeare in HS, I've put you all to sleep  Well wake up as it is time for the Weekly Wrap Up!
    Monday, Cia came in hot and heavy on the first Monday of the month and dropped us an all new CSR Feature:
    Tuesday, Mry took a drive up to Lake Ontario and dipped a toe in the water to see if it was warm enough to do a deep dive. He said to heck with it and dove in anyways: 
    Thursday, after a lot of hot chocolate and snuggling up with an unknown person in a sauna , he was back for an Anthology Flashback:
    Friday Aditus was back, but somehow Valkyrie hijacked his blog :
     
     
    We also had 5, no 6, actually 7 Words Of The Day 😮:
    collision, authentic, liminal, becoming, embodied, identity, expression  (I didn't get liminal  ).
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    3 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Shape of What Remains by Mikiesboy TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 5 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    13 Hearts by Topher Lydon Charlie vs the Forces of Evil by Topher Lydon Deed by Topher Lydon **Complete** The Secret Lies of Schoolboys by Topher Lydon **Complete** Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Story Prompts/Ideas by Wayne Gray 38 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Boys on the Farm by Golden Ghost Pen The Guncle & The Army Dad by Boy Mercury X Malicious glee by Kileoli Raze the Night by dragonthusiast Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Flying Otters - Tackled by Team Heat by Soren Kraft Look, But Don't Look, Look by Lee Wilson turmoil by Paladin Pigsty by Jack Poignet Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Time May Change Me by William King Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme Jody and the Navy by KKirk Designed for escape by Kileoli Knight and Squire by Albert1434 A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Journey Home by ChromedOutCortex Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Adventures Of Joy City's Heroes: Book 2 by Ticklishboy30 The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus The Merge: Through a System of Control by astroguy A Hunt for the Promise of Champagne by Celian THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex ThunderDust by J92 Wrenhaven by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro Sliding into Secrets by Soren Kraft  **Complete** A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Love & Crime by Ticklishboy30 Nox Memoriae by Stephen Wormwood The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Marvin B Erotic Poetry Collection by Marvin B  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
    ...oh, and if you live in a North America time zone that changes, did you set your clock ahead an hour?  🕐 
  20. wildone
    We are already 3 months into 2026! Also this is our first review from our super Review Team! I thought I knew most of the authors on site, but this one snuck by me. The plot sounds interesting, so I shall  put on my reading list  Thank you W_L for finding this story for everyone to checkout  
     
     
     
    Southward
    by gor mu
    Reviewer: W_L
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 40,259
    First love doesn’t have to be your only love - especially in gay romance. That’s one of the things I appreciate most about Gor Mu’s wonderful story. It pushes back against the “true love” framing that can sometimes dominate teen gay romance, despite the fact that many gay people don’t end up with their first love. To me, Gor Mu offers an honest portrait of a gay teen discovering what love can look like.
    The main character, Lautaro, who is of Korean and Argentinian heritage, is thrust into uncharted territory when his parents divorce. He must leave his home in New Haven, Connecticut, and move to Buenos Aires, Argentina - his mother’s hometown. As he acclimates to a new school, culture, and environment, Lautaro also has to confront his lingering, unrequited feelings for his former best friend, Noah, while trying to build something real with Valentín, a local Argentine boy from an impoverished background.
    This story is a hidden gem in GA’s romance collection. I love Lautaro’s perspective, and his behavior feels true to a gay teen -from unspoken desire and complicated friendships to the slow, incremental steps toward exploring his sexuality. Gor Mu crafts a strong first-person narrative through Lautaro’s lens. Valentín, Lautaro’s love interest, is quietly compelling: he isn’t perfectly confident or polished, but his affection for Lautaro is unmistakable. Much of the story’s emotional tension comes from Lautaro’s pull between his past in Connecticut and his new life in Argentina. While Valentín’s father introduces a thread of homophobic conflict, it isn’t overwhelming, so readers don’t need to brace for anything too extreme.
    Overall, readers will find an enjoyable romance about a gay teen learning to let go of his first love and open himself to a new one—within a new culture and country.
     
    Category: Fiction  Genres: General Fiction, Romance  Sub-genres: Drama, General Romance  Tags: teen, gay, north america, south america, coming of age, love, high school,  Rating: Mature 
  21. wildone
    'Tis the last day of February. Do you know what that means? That March starts tomorrow  We have about a week from today, that everyone loves in certain areas of the world . If you are this weekend, let us know how things went  .
    So, what is new  Work sucks  I'm never taking holidays again. After 3 weeks I'm still playing catch up. How can a train go off the rails so badly 😮? Other than working long days, and evenings, Friday night and Saturday have become my nono days and I take some time for me.
    Well, today I did something that I haven't done in about 20 years, and to an extent 10 years. I made a loaf of banana bread  (20 years). I haven't baked since I made chocolate chip cookies for my dad before he passed (10 years). And no, my cookies did not do him in . Not sure if this was my mom's rule or if it is everyone's rule, but you have to wrap banana loaf in tin foil and put in the fridge for 24 hours. Which means I can't have any until tomorrow . 
    Now that leads into our question of the week? Do you bake? Not so much cooking dinner or boiling water to toss the noodles in, but do you bake the goods that you can get from the local bakery. I used to do a lot of baking back when I could eat more and not go direct to the middle floor of my body. Too bad it wouldn't go to the sub-basement a littl e further down and push out in the front 😮. What is the most challenging thing that you've made? I once tried making baklava, but anyone that can deal with filo pastry is a much better person than me. I guess my cherry pies that I make with a lattice work crust on top would be mine that requires a lot of patience and reworking.
    Yes, making bread in a bread maker I will allow  It is baking afterall. I've never had one of those but I have the Oster Kitchen Master that I gave my mom one year that has either mixer or bread hook inserts. Also blender, food processor, and some other attachment . When using a bread maker, do you just dump the mix and water in? If so, I might remove the bread maker entries .
    Well I'm heavier just thinking about baking, so let's exercise our brains and see what happened over the last 6 days on the GA News Blog.
    Monday, end of the month meant that Cia held the CSR Discussion Day:
    Tuesday, Myr was all skary and creepy 😮 :
    Thursday, Val was by to remind us all... Only 30 days to get your Poetry Anthologies submitted:
    Friday, with a Myr's horror theme, she'ssssssss baaaack . Maybe helping you get started on a anthology entry  :
     
     Now let's check in on the Words of the Day:
    pressure, provoked, conflict, struggle, resistance, fracture, taut
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    1 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour   The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters  4 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Deed by Topher Lydon   Carter's Campaign by Topher Lydon **Complete** Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W   Fantasy Flash Collection by Myr   52 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill   My Valentine Came With a QR Code by Soren Kraft **Complete** Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud   Jody and the Navy by KKirk   Finding Myself by RichardWrites **Complete** Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme   Wrenhaven by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro   Raze the Night by dragonthusiast   Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard   Sliding into Secrets by Soren Kraft   Malicious glee by Kileoli   Blackmail by chris191070   As They Say - (Revised) by D.K. Daniels   turmoil by Paladin   Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren   Borders and Bribery by Thirdly   Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S.   At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose   The Story of Aaron and Brad by Odie   Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites   A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian   History Lesson by Boy Mercury X **Complete** THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas  Love Is Still Blind by Lee Wilson I  ThunderDust by J92   Knight and Squire by Albert1434   A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis   The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard   Widderkin Interlude by Palantir **Complete** Frozen Peaks, Burning Heat by Soren Kraft **Complete** The Art of Living by Robert Hugill   The Longest Third Date by LJCC   Neon by William King   Time May Change Me by William King   Another Time by Celian   Angel Awakened by Painawakened   A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad   Other Side of the Tracks by ChromedOutCortex   What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex   North Meets South, Worlds Collide by R. Eric   Family life, but not as we know it by Robert Hugill   Welcome to Redwaters by Hardianarcher   Bending Eli by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica   The Discipline of Silence by Kileoli   The Seducer: A Gone From Daylight Inspired Story by MrM   A Hunt for the Promise of Champagne by Celian   Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy   Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud   The Acquisition: A Record of Compliance, Pleasure, and Ownership by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica In Process Darren’s New Life by Lee Wilson **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox   U-N-I by unilive    
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
  22. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Feb. 15 - Feb. 21)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Now you all must be wondering, what are you doing up at 5:15 AM in the morning  
    I have succumbed to the hockey bug and I am awake for in a little under an hour, I will be watching Team USA play Team Canada for the Olympic Gold Medal  in Hockey . Interesting thing, I can head to the bar right now and watch the game if I'm so inclined and have some beers with my closest Canadian fans 🍺 Yes, a lot of provinces in Canada allow for bars to open for Olympic Gold Medal Events. Not sure if there was many people in the bar for the 50K Cross Country Ski Race though  
    So repeat after me, Go Canada Go!  
    Now onto this time of year  I'm sure since the US of A is a month earlier than Canada but are all of you  being flooded with advertisements on taxes. That leads me to the question of the week. Do you do taxes? I know some of the US have no state taxes, but do you still have to file for federal taxes? What about over in the UK, or Germany, Australia, is this tax season too? If you do do taxes, is do do correct English 😮, do you use pen and paper and mail them in, tax software, an accountant, or maybe pay for something like H&R Block, who are usually accountants but are more reasonable than a full fledge bean counter you pay year round. 
    Now a bit of a personal question, do you pay or get money back?  You don't have to answer. I usually get back so maybe that is why I have a smile on my face every spring  Now if this conversation makes you , then I know your answer. 
    Well enough about hockey and taxes, note I did not say death and taxes. 
    Monday, it was a brand new Signature Feature. Never heard of this Author, have you?  
    Tuesday was Myr at the plate, he lobed an all new Genre Review, History! I'm sure this will not give you nightmares like in high school. Or maybe it will :
    Then on Wednesday, you know who was back once again to follow up with the Signature Feature Excerpt: 
    Before we discuss Thursday, we have just over a month to get our Poetry Anthologies in 😮 Oh dear, oh my! Well don't give up hope, Val is here to help out:
    Now the other day I saw a drunken Canada Goose flying north to Canada in February in -30 weather, so I thought Aditus had sent Val the prompts and she had wrangled a goose and tied the Prompt onto its leg to drop off to me, so I wouldn't forget to post about it in the Wrap Up. Unfortunately said goose did not drop the prompts off but something else 💩 :
     
    Words of the Day come easily some days and some days they do not. How were they for you this week?
    gentle, affinity, friction, defiance, strain, clash, brink
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    1 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour 4 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Deed by Topher Lydon Carter's Campaign by Topher Lydon **Complete** Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W Fantasy Flash Collection by Myr 52 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill My Valentine Came With a QR Code by Soren Kraft **Complete** Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud Jody and the Navy by KKirk Finding Myself by RichardWrites **Complete** Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme Wrenhaven by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro Raze the Night by dragonthusiast Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Sliding into Secrets by Soren Kraft Malicious glee by Kileoli Blackmail by chris191070 As They Say - (Revised) by D.K. Daniels turmoil by Paladin Exile to Érenn by Mark Paren Borders and Bribery by Thirdly Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose The Story of Aaron and Brad by Odie Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian History Lesson by Boy Mercury X **Complete** THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Love Is Still Blind by Lee Wilson ThunderDust by J92 Knight and Squire by Albert1434 A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Widderkin Interlude by Palantir **Complete** Frozen Peaks, Burning Heat by Soren Kraft **Complete** The Art of Living by Robert Hugill The Longest Third Date by LJCC Neon by William King Time May Change Me by William King Another Time by Celian Angel Awakened by Painawakened A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Other Side of the Tracks by ChromedOutCortex What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex North Meets South, Worlds Collide by R. Eric Family life, but not as we know it by Robert Hugill Welcome to Redwaters by Hardianarcher Bending Eli by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica The Discipline of Silence by Kileoli The Seducer: A Gone From Daylight Inspired Story by MrM A Hunt for the Promise of Champagne by Celian Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud The Acquisition: A Record of Compliance, Pleasure, and Ownership by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Darren’s New Life by Lee Wilson **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox U-N-I by unilive  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
  23. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Feb 8. - Feb. 14)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Well, a belated Happy Valentines day to you all. I love all the readers, contributors, staff here at GA. Will you all be my Valentine (a day late ) 
    We shall move on quickly as I know VD is not a popular topic around here  In more ways than one  
    Remember last week when I I talked about the lost lotto ticket 😮 Well there was a sizable win out of my city 😮 I was talking to some people at work and they said I should call in to see if they can tell me anything, so I did  Much to my surprise, and I'm sure to you too; it appears that if you have some definite information, you can actually file a lost ticket claim. I was shocked. The lady told me since I had two other tickets that were bought at the same time that I still had, and since I possess the bank card that bought all 3 tickets at the same time, the claim would most likely be valid. Then they would check and if the ticket won, I would be winner of the prize. But, we all have to remember I never win when I have the tickets, so what is the chance when I don't have the ticket  Stay tuned for the next chapter in the Win/Lose or Draw of Steve's life  
    Oh geez, i have to admit I only have been sucked in briefly to the Winter Olympics. I don't really want to get up at silly hours to watch games or events .
    Here is the sign of the week that I borrowed from Yahoo. Yah, I'm talking to you @Cia  

    Time for a  free for all discussion. What is on your mind within the limits of a GA Weekly Wrap Up  
    To heck with that. I was out tonight with 4 gay guys and a straight guy. Straight guy is the nephew of one of the guys and is 25 and has no issue with the old gay men  Like he says, he is secure in himself and his best friend came out when he was 18, so having a gay uncle made him willing to continue to be his best friend. I honestly believe him so no 'oh, he says he is straight' and other rhetoric So after we all called it a night, like at 8 PM ., he was going to catch a train downtown and hit the bars and see if he could pick up a woman 😮 I'll have to be honest, I was never one of those people that could just go to a bar by myself and try to make friends or hook up. I've always been one to shy away from that. How about you? 
    Now, shall we get onto the Wrap?
    Monday, after sleeping through January, I was able to post the 2025 Year in Review that @Timothy M. did up for the Review Team:
    Tuesday, Mr.Mry was diving again! This time into General Fiction. Does this mean fiction involving Generals :
    Onto Thursday, Mry took a look back at a Poetry Anthology of the past, to see if he can get your juices flowing for an entry into the Poetry Anthology coming up very soon:
    Saturday, we completed 'Myr Week' here at the GA News Blog  Mry introduced why you got a webpage up to finish your profile, this time on favourite genres. Also why he was doing this. There is further discussion on some suggestions and ideas from all of you! If you are reading this blog, I guess that means you have done it.  
     
    Now I would be remiss not to point out that we had some Words of the Day:
    warmth, desire, connection, craving, heartfelt, earnest, trust
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    3 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Cockney Canuck by Dodger The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 6 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Carter's Campaign by Topher Lydon Medellín by LittleBuddhaTW Carter's Echo by Topher Lydon Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W The Lost and the Damned by Topher Lydon **Complete** Sci-Fi Flash Collection by Myr 45 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    A Hunt for the Promise of Champagne by Celian Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme My Valentine Came With a QR Code by Soren Kraft Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Crown of Fangs by Yeoldebard Raze the Night by dragonthusiast Affairs of State by Boy Mercury X Borders and Bribery by Thirdly Love Is Still Blind by Lee Wilson Time May Change Me by William King Pigsty by Jack Poignet As They Say - (Revised) by D.K. Daniels Angel Awakened by Painawakened Somewhere Only We Know by Tony S. Frozen Peaks, Burning Heat by Soren Kraft Break the Day by dragonthusiast **Complete** The Fantastic Eight and Their February Surprise by BendtedWreath **Complete** Warming The Cold One by garfwiz Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites Jody and the Navy by KKirk Knight and Squire by Albert1434 A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Art of Living by Robert Hugill A Jewel in the Dirt by Celian Finding Liam by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro **Complete** Boy Crazy by Gugleamo Darren’s New Life by Lee Wilson Grumpy Gym Regular by Soren Kraft **Complete** Preachers' Sons 2: The Nineties by R. Eric Other Side of the Tracks by ChromedOutCortex A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad The Demon's Realm. by E K Stokes Seaside Entries by ObicanDecko Finding Myself by RichardWrites What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Another Time by Celian Widderkin Interlude by Palantir Rising Stars by Littlelovestories **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox U-N-I by unilive 1 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Path Forward by Jean87 **Complete**  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
  24. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Feb. 1 - Feb. 7)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Hey all  
    Are we all committed to sit on our couches and watch the winter Olympics from Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo? I'm not sure I am  Now, if I was there and being surrounded by gorgeous Italian men , then we'd be having another discussion .
    Oh wait, there is another game going on in Santa Clara 😮 
    I went back to work after a 2-week staycation, and I think I put in an 80 hour work week this week 😮 Only about 900 emails to work through on top of all my other jobs and tasks, I was so FML this week . But it is the weekend, which I am enjoying and not worry about the pile of work still to be slogged through until Monday. I think I should have gone somewhere on a trip that was nice, maybe the mess I came back to would have been worth it . 
    Have you ever bought a lottery ticket or something like that, yes, I know it is gambling 💲but I have a limit and I stay in it, and then you get home and you go to reach in your jacket pocket and the ticket is missing 😮 That happened to me last night. That feeling of dread and thinking this might be the one . So, not to much you can do right? Well I can follow tonight's draw and it is won in my city, I guess I could contact the lottery board and put in a claim showing it was bought with my debit card . But 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% chance it won't be worth nothing. But still.
    Now here is the question of the week  What is the most significant thing you won in your life in some kind of raffle or lotto or the like. Doesn't need to be a paid ticket, so if you entered a contest for Hawaiian Punch at the grocery store and won a trip to Hawaii 🌴. I guess a couple of years ago I won a HS band 50/50 raffle for my nephew and won some money more than like $1000. I took part of the winnings and gave the rest back to the band that was raising the money. 
    Now that we got you thinking back over your lifetime , let's see what happened over the past week at the GA News Blog.
    Monday, Cia was right off the start of the month with an all new CSR. Since we only have 28 days this month, get to reading:
     Tuesday, was the big kahuna's turn to do a Deep Dive:
    Thursday, Val and others had some great ideas on how to pump out some poetry for our upcoming Poetry Anthology: 
    Friday, she was back thinking about a winter vacation:
     
    Now that Part A and B are done of the Blog, let's move onto C . The Words of the Day. I wonder if there is a certain theme to an upcoming day hidden in this list of words . 
    tenderness, ache, devotion, intimacy, affection, hesitant, longing
     
     
    Upcoming Writing Events 
    2026 Poetry Anthology "Choices" - Due March 30, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
    2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here.
     
    Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!!
    Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292
    Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292
     
    Here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
     
    2 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Prisoner of Carronne by Mark Ponyboy Peters 6 Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    Carter's Campaign by Topher Lydon Medellín by LittleBuddhaTW The Lost and the Damned by Topher Lydon Sci-Fi Flash Collection by Myr Secrets 3: The Road to the Future by Bill W Fantasy Flash Collection by Myr 44 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Angel Awakened by Painawakened Young and Hungry for Love by Wombat Bill Randy for Submission, Pursuing the One by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Bro Court: Section 69 by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Break the Day by dragonthusiast Grumpy Gym Regular by Soren Kraft Jody and the Navy by KKirk Permanently Black and Blue by mastershakeme Misaligned by Laura S. Fox **Complete** A salty drop of Magic by Celian Borders and Bribery by Thirdly Right-Hand Man by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Finding Liam by Nuno R.F.C. Rendeiro Out Of The Closet by RichardWrites The Fantastic Eight and Their February Surprise by BendtedWreath Darren’s New Life by Lee Wilson The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Other Side of the Tracks by ChromedOutCortex Knight and Squire by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Bouns story by RedMoon The Curse Of Love by arielynn24 Rising Stars by Littlelovestories Widderkin Interlude by Palantir A versatile Count by Thomas Lindblad Malicious glee by Kileoli Finding Myself by RichardWrites White Sheets by Celian ThunderDust by J92 Love Is Still Blind by Lee Wilson Seaside Entries by ObicanDecko What We Survive by ChromedOutCortex The Demon's Realm. by E K Stokes Family life, but not as we know it by Robert Hugill Journey Home by ChromedOutCortex THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas Another Time by Celian The Straight Boys Took Me On Vacation by BrokenBoundariesGayErotica Yours to Bully by Littlelovestories Noah's Adventure by AquariusGuy Ctrl+S Is Never an Option by Kileoli **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox A Runner's Knot by Boy Mercury X **Complete** The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)
     
     
  25. wildone

    Review Team... Review

    By wildone,


    Reviews
    Hey all,
    I was asleep at the wheel last month and forgot to post the 2025 Review Team's review of the their Reviews  Why not throw in 1 more review. Well here it is. Stay tuned for March for a brand new feature!
    Before I post, I do appreciate all that the Review Team does to help out the site. If you think you have time to add a review or 2 a year, let @Timothy M. or myself know. They are always looking to increase their ranks  
     
     
    Reviews revisited
    Our Review Team has put together a list of all the Reviews they did in 2025. You can click on any of them to see the actual blog. Maybe there was one that you missed, maybe one piques your interest now, or you could simply revisit the story itself via the link on the story title. No matter what the reason, here is your second chance to see the Reviews from last year.
    Jan 13:  Timothy M. - Reviews Revisited
    Reader comment: Many thanks for your work, guys!
    Feb 10:  W_L - Bonds Unbroken by Cia
    Reader comment: Read this story by Cia way back when I was just a lurker. Loved it!
    Mar 10:  chris191070 - The Wig Heist by Rafy
    Reader comment: Like all good stories, it's about the people, not the make-up
    Apr 14:  Parker Owens - The Roaming Sea by mcarss
    Reader comment: If you haven't read this, you should start now.
    May 12:  Aditus -  The Life of Seeon by comicfan
    Reader comment: Well, if that doesn't want to make you read this story, don't know what would.  
    Jun 9:  Parker Owens - The Jerk-Off by JLynch
    Reader comment: Could not agree more with this story review. A fantastic read that will entertain you from start to finish!
    Jul 14:  chris191070 - Stockroom Secrets by Mark Ponyboy Peters
    Reader comment: Having read this and much of the author's work previously, I heartily recommend this story!
    Sep 8:  spike382 - This Strange World Needs a Kicking by Laura S. Fox
    Reader comment: This is going on my reading list, it has several themes I am very interested in!!
    Oct 13: W_L - What Happened To The Baxter Boys by Mancunian
    Reader comment: an extraordinary testament to the spirit Mancunian left behind. 
    Nov 10:  chris 191070 - True As It Can Be by W_L
    Reader comment: Definitely going to read this.  Thanks for the heads up.
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