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wildone

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  1. wildone

    2021 Reviews Revisited

    By wildone,


    Reviews
    Our Review Team has put together a list of all the Reviews that they did in 2021. You can click on any of them to see the actual blog. Maybe there was one that you said that you'd read, maybe one that piqued your interest, or maybe one that just looked like it would be a new foray into and different genre. No matter what the reason, here is your second chance to see the Review.
    Being a New Year, on behalf of the staff at GA and I'm sure all of our Poets, Authors, Readers and every one in between, we thank our Review Team for a great year!!
    Your Review Team
    @Timothy M.
    @Aditus
    @Parker Owens
    @chris191070
    @Talo Segura
    @Puppilull
    @spike382

    2021
    January 11: Reviews Revisited - Timothy M.
    Reader comment: It's nice seeing all the reviews from last year. 
    February 8: The Transporters by Israfil - Talo Segura
    Reader comment: I look forward to checking out this story.
    March 8: Desert Air by quokka - chris191070 
    March 22: Broken by Wayne Gray - Parker Owens
    Reader comment: This is a wonderful story, as is everything Wayne writes.  You can't go wrong with one of his tales.
    April 12: Family by Dabeagle - spikey582 (spike382)
    Reader comment: Excellent review, spikey. You are very good at making us want to read the stories you recommend.
    May 10: The Cockney Canuck by Dodger - Timothy M.
    Reader comment: Dodger hits the spot with the challenges and fun of being from one country and living in another. 
    May 24: Sentinels by C.T. Piatt - Aditus
    Reader comment: This is a thought-provoking, fascinating, well-written story.  I found myself with many of the same questions.
    June 14: Famous Last by Lomax61 - Talo Segura
    Reader comment: This is a great story with multiple opportunities to rant at various characters.
    July 12: Trophy Bear by Grumpy Bear - chris191070
    Reader comment: Great review, and a captivating story from Grumpy Bear! 
    August 9: The Strange Life of Jonah Marks - Timothy M. / Puppillul
    Reader comment: Wayne's story about Jonas is my favorite of his and one I've recommended in the past. 
    August 23: Share Your Faves - Renee Stevens
    Reader comment: I love this idea! I'm interested to see what stories end up here.
    September 13: Days Like This by Drew Payne - Timothy M.
    Reader comment: This is exactly what I'm looking for sometimes. I will definitely read this story. 
    October 11: The Thousandth Regiment by AC Benus - Parker Owens
    Reader comment: It is an amazing work, a wonderful accomplishment.
    November 8: Camp Refuge by Wayne Gray - chris191070
    Reader comment: I really must get around to reading those stories. 
    November 22: The Reluctant Consort by lilansui - Aditus
    Reader comment: This is a great story—if you haven’t yet, read it!
    December 13: The Lad from Castlebay Down by James Matthews - spike382
    Reader comment: I read this while it was being posted. Excellent story, full of drama
  2. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Jan. 16 - Jan. 22)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    What to do, what to do, what to do?
    The company that I work for has a fiscal year of May to April. So our holiday calendar year is also May to April. Turns out that I actually have 4 weeks to use up, due to carryovers. I'm thinking I'm going to carry over 2 again and try to use them in the summer. But now that I'm off this upcoming week, I have nothing really to do . I thought of visiting @Krista in Kentucky, but it is warmer up here right now . That and the promise, "If you show your face around here, you are going to get up close and personal with my shotgun."  😮 
    So what do you recommend for me to do? 
    While you are pondering my week ahead, let's see what happened in the past week at the GA Blog.
    Monday was a new Classic Author Feature. Check it out and maybe download the banner if you want.
    That means that on Wednesday Cia was back again with the Classic Author Feature Excerpt:
    Thursday was an all new version of the Grammar Guide:
    Friday we had some wintry Prompts from our Prompt Team:
    On Saturday, Comicality was back talking about a naughty subject      
    Here is the Words of the Day brought to us daily by Myr.
    regime, lodestar, braggadocio, founder, nudnik, cloying, oaf
    We have a week left in January, do you think we can take any of these goals over the line?

    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus CDMX by Carlos Hazday Audre Lorde Knows What I Mean – 2021 in review by AC Benus Ancalagon by Cia Savage Moon 06 - The New Breed by Comicality On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis Comfy by Dabeagle **Complete** Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Amber Waves by Yeoldebard A Marching Band Story by Jacob Windigo You Complete Me by Salander Eruption by quokka Heart of Black Ice by lomax61 Timothy by CLJobe Crying Wolf by Tsukihana Spirit Wolves by kbois Egaran Stars by Yeoldebard In Our Darkness by C. Henderson Star Wars Episode 10: Return of Death by NnihhilusS Bodark Creek by RichEisbrouch At the Stars by Tsukihana Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys by Laura S. Fox An Awkward Revolutionary by James K Running for Home by Lux Apollo Live, Love, Lose by LittleCherryBlossom26 **Complete** Empty, Open, Dusty, Dead by Mawgrim A Slice of Life by Xfighter1984 Incandescence by Demiurge Raising Evzen by Yeoldebard The Curse of Being Beautiful by Georgie DHainaut **Complete** The Humpening by Arch Hunter **Complete** Brandon Smiling: From the Billy Chase Chronicles (2) by MrM Tuct Side by Westley D. Fairyfly II by ObicanDecko Our Little Darlings (Revised) by D.K. Daniels **Complete** The Witches Of Amethyst Cove by Ajbt2001 Brothers by Yeoldebard Waif and Stray by AlreadyForgiven This Strange World Needs A Kicking! by Laura S. Fox  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  3. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Jan. 9 - Jan. 15)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Can you believe we are half the way through January  From my eyes and ears on the ground, I hear that some of the cold from Siberia to Canada has now hit down towards the south of the USA and Europe and beyond. So how is it in your neck of the woods? Any snow ball fights? Making snow angels? Is your dog refusing to go outside to do their business?  Well I promise we won't send the cold freezing weather to our friends in Australia and New Zealand 
    Well we had a slow week to start the GA Blog but picked up at the end with new things going on here at the GA Blog. Let's take a look.
    Why don't we start the week off with the Words of the Day supplied by Myr.
    polyonymous, salvo, clerisy, preposterous, astute, paradigm, amphibology
    On Thursday, Myr gave us more knowledge than I knew about adjectives 
    Cole Matthews popped in Friday as one of out Prompt Team members. Did you check it out?
    Finally yesterday, Comsie gave us a thought provoking article. I couldn't really understand until I read it:
    Now for our weekly check in on our goals for the month of January:

    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy CDMX by Carlos Hazday Ancalagon by Cia Ridley by Krista **Complete** Audre Lorde Knows What I Mean – 2021 in review by AC Benus On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    The Cockney Canuck by Dodger Never Too Late To Believe by northie A Thousand Years of Hope by lilansui Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Misunderstandings - McGees Boys Book 1 by Bndmetl You Complete Me by Salander Crying Wolf by Tsukihana The Naughty List by Ken Amber Waves by Yeoldebard Waif and Stray by AlreadyForgiven Timothy by CLJobe Egaran Stars by Yeoldebard Stolen Dreams by Yeoldebard Bodark Creek by RichEisbrouch A World Between by D.K. Daniels **Complete** Running for Home by Lux Apollo Heart of Black Ice by lomax61 Sacrum by C. Henderson Another Brother by quokka **Complete** Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport The Making of a Slave by and9993 Empty, Open, Dusty, Dead by Mawgrim Spirit Wolves by kbois An Awkward Revolutionary by James K Brothers by Yeoldebard Sammy's Kitchen by Arch Hunter  Dejection and Hope by Demiurge **Complete** Eruption by quokka Incandescence by Demiurge Raising Evzen by Yeoldebard A Thousand Years of Hope by lilansui Love's Always In Season by Ajbt2001 Do You Ship Us? - The Next Stage by Littlelovestories A Slice of Life by Xfighter1984 This Strange World Needs A Kicking! by Laura S. Fox The Witches Of Amethyst Cove by Ajbt2001 Rocky Prompts, Tennessee by astone2292 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Musings of a Wordsmith by JACC Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  4. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Jan. 2 - Jan. 8)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night if you are heading to bed 🛌
    I wonder how many of you did the age old tradition of making New Year's resolutions. We are 9 days into the New Year and I'm also curious if you are still maintaining your resolution, or has it fell by the wayside already 😮 I know of one person who is trying really, really hard to keep up their resolution, but wonder if is good for their mental health. I mean, they have been on the earth for nearly 4 decades and to change something that has been part of their personality all their life, I wouldn't be able to do it. So, if by chance this friend actually comes on here and reads the Weekly Wrap Up, I myself give them permission to throw the resolution out  
    We did have a very busy week here at the GA Blog, so should we look back at the week to see what appeared.
    Monday, Cia brought us the January CSR feature. Go check it out and put a new story on your reading list.
    Then on Wednesday, there was ask for everyone on site to come forward with a story and 3 questions they would like the story's author to answer. @astone2292will track them down and get you, and everyone else, answers to your questions. Check out this blog, especially for the Author that gave us answers this round!
    On Thursday, Myr brought us a brand new blog that will be appearing on Thursdays. Check out the first episode of the Grammar Guide:
    Friday was time for our trusty friends to come out with another couple of prompts to get you writing  
    On Saturday, Comsie closed out the week with another informative article:
    Goals, goals, goals! What is life without goals? Let's check out our goals for the past week:

    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus CDMX by Carlos Hazday Ridley by Krista Audre Lorde Knows What I Mean – 2021 in review by AC Benus Waiting Outside The Lines by Comicality Ancalagon by Cia GFD: Dark Web by Comicality A Home For Christmas by Comicality On Fire by Cia GFD: Sins Of The Father by Comicality Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Incandescence by Demiurge At the Stars by Tsukihana Cyn's Poetry Collection by SoullessCynner The World Out There by Drew Payne Timothy by CLJobe WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews by W_L You Complete Me by Salander Silver and Gold by imogene_arant Dani the Hero by James Carnarvon **Complete** Running for Home by Lux Apollo Egaran Stars by Yeoldebard Eruption by quokka Bodark Creek by RichEisbrouch Spirit Wolves by kbois Sammy's Kitchen by Arch Hunter Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys by Laura S. Fox Alex & Lang by quokka Empty, Open, Dusty, Dead by Mawgrim An Awkward Revolutionary by James K Crying Wolf by Tsukihana Dejection and Hope by Demiurge **Complete** Sacrum by C. Henderson Heart of Black Ice by lomax61 Raising Evzen by Yeoldebard Do vaporwave kitsune count technicolor sheep? by Tsukihana Lux's Indulgences by Lux Apollo Mentally by Solus Magus **Complete** Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport Live, Love, Lose by LittleCherryBlossom26 Another Brother by quokka The Naughty List by Ken Tuct Side by Westley D. Never walk alone by Andre Delport **Complete** A Slice of Life by Xfighter1984 Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Musings of a Wordsmith by JACC  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  5. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Dec. 25 - Jan. 1)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Wow, this blog is going to cover A LOT of stuff. After all we are going to cover last year as well as this year too ! But if you were like me, it seems harder to remember the good stuff from last year, which there was, from the bad stuff . But we are in a new year with new expectations .
    I would like to remember a good friend of GA and to many on a more personal level as well, the passing of Comicfan. His contributions and participation on the site will always be in our memory  
    On the good news side of GA, we had some transitions to different people on various different blogs. I'm very proud of the efforts and the continuation of the Review Team, Ask An Author, and Prompt Team. Without these volunteers, the blog would be a less of a destination to visit for different people.
    Now what about looking forward? In all honesty, I am pretty excited about what is to come. Myr and Cia have been working in the background with different staff and a whole lot of new volunteers to make visible changes to not only processes, but presentation of different areas of the site. You will see some more changes and don't worry, not one of the proposed changes has seen me saying, 'well, the old way was better'. In fact, it is not a wholesale change like throwing the baby out with the bath water, but more like adding a sibling to make the family better  One new thing you will notice even on this blog, is the story listings. We now have the ability to run the week's story updates for all classes of authors and we'll continue to feature the ones we have all followed, but also giving a bit of PR for the non promoted authors in their quest to be promoted! 
    Here is all the participants of our volunteer blogs: @Timothy M.@chris191070@Talo Segura@Aditus@Parker Owens@spike382@Puppilull@astone2292@Valkyrie@Cole Matthews@Myr@Cia @Renee Stevens. I can't forget to thank all the others that are part of our Anthology Proof Team, Author Promotion Team, GA Engagement Team, Site Development Team, and the Story Archivist Team. If I forgot your team or name, let me know, I can always edit  
    Last thing we will do, is look how we finished off the month of December on our goals! You know, we finished off the month with amazing numbers. Great job everybody.

     
    So with all that said 😌, let's review what the blog brought us all of the past 7 days!
     
    On Monday, Cia had the must read CSR Discussion Day:
    Friday Myr came back to kick off a blog celebrating the incoming New Year on New Year's Eve! Lots of well wishes in there and never too late to add another:
    Saturday was a special day, where Myr showed off a couple of new capabilities of the site in Year in Review Blogs.
    Myr actually featured a lot of words this week that might be in my day to day vocabulary  If you think they are esplanade, pyrrhic and provender, you are so wrong  
    esplanade, nabob, pyrrhic, verbatim, provender, rambunctious, culprit
    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on all our Authors and Poets!
    Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    On The Outside by Comicality The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus CDMX by Carlos Hazday Ridley by Krista The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus Ancalagon by Cia On Fire by Cia Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis The World of Psionic Corp by Myr The World of the King's Rangers by Myr Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    The Cockney Canuck by Dodger A Forgiving Heart by lilansui A Thousand Years of Hope by lilansui Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    Another Brother by quokka A terrible, nonsensical poetry and others by SilverArdour You Complete Me by Salander Sammy's Kitchen by Arch Hunter Spirit Wolves by kbois Egaran Stars by Yeoldebard Live, Love, Lose by LittleCherryBlossom26 Alex & Lang by quokka Crying Wolf by Tsukihana Do You Ship Us? - The Next Stage by Littlelovestories The Witches Of Amethyst Cove by Ajbt2001 The Making of a Slave by and9993 Sacrum by C. Henderson Running for Home by Lux Apollo The Connecticut River Boys by Tallguyct **Complete** Empty, Open, Dusty, Dead by Mawgrim Timothy by CLJobe Eruption by quokka Neoki (or the Burlington Elf King) by Georgie DHainaut **Complete** Dragon's Roar by Xfighter1984 Mentally by Solus Magus Raising Evzen by Yeoldebard At the Stars by Tsukihana A Forgiving Heart by lilansui The Second Circlet: The Old Places by MrM Wild Flower by vanalas A Thousand Years of Hope by lilansui The Cousin's Cousin by Wombat Bill Unspoken by Late to the party Never walk alone- Walk on by Andre Delport A Slice of Life by Xfighter1984 A Ticklish Thriller by Ajbt2001 Never walk alone by Andre Delport **Complete** Young and Hungry - For Life by Wombat Bill **Complete** Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    Musings of a Wordsmith by JACC  
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  6. wildone

    Featured Story: The Reluctant Consort

    By wildone,


    Reviews
    Well imagine my shock, shock I say  when I got to GA and noticed the wrap up still up. I realized that we missed getting up the super duper Review Team's, in this case @aditus, review. Since we are basically a day late, we will keep it up for Tuesday as well. My apologies to the Review Team and all our members.
     
    The Reluctant Consort
    by lilansui
     
    Reviewer: Aditus
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 299,713
    I don’t understand that the story The Reluctant Consort has not more readers. It is the best story at the moment.
    When I saw this post by @dutch woman, I immediately became curious. After reading the first chapter of Jihan and Kastan’s story, I was hooked.
    Jihan is a successful merchant who directs and controls his family’s business through an intricate and powerful trading network. Wisely, he stays under the radar of the Imperial Court, being well aware that attracting the Emperor's eye could awaken covetousness and envy. His father, Lord Duyi Kamran, however, is very ambitious. He is not satisfied with the courtesy title he carries but wants a real noble title attached to lands and a position in court, therefore he arranges, behind his son’s back, for his family to become a supplier for the army in the war against WestNation. The inevitable happens: Emperor Kiyan recognizes the usefulness of the Kamran family’s wealth and connections for the empire. He wants it under his control and orders his brother Kastan to marry a member of the Kamran family.
    Kastan Miran is the second prince of the Imperial Family and commander of the armies of Akasha Empire, thus he wields considerable power, which equally evokes envy and fear within powerful members of the palace. As a result, they seek to attain control over him by instigating a series of political machinations.
    Determined to protect his sister from an arranged marriage, Jihan reluctantly agrees to marry Kastan eventually.
    Every time you think the story will be wrapped up soon, Sui creates another unexpected twist, another intrigue within intrigue. There’s always a new player scheming, who you hadn’t had on your mind before. Villains turn out to be allies and vice versa. On top, everything is decorated with beautiful scenery, rustling, colorful robes, gleaming jewelry, shadow guards, secret armies, and lots of sexy men. What more can you wish for?
    Reading The Reluctant Consort had me on the edge of my seat, neglecting my cats and dragon, and my mind wandering when it should not. What are you waiting for?
    Category: Fiction  Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance  Tags: gay, alternate earth, war, fighting, ancient times, love  Rating: Mature
  7. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Dec. 12 - Dec. 18)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    So Steve, why are you blasting 80's hair band music so early on a Sunday morning? 
    Well, technically you have only 5 days left for buying your Christmas Presents (including mine) before the day the big fat jolly guy comes around 🎅 
    That brings up another topic...

    That is right, our next weekly update will be on Boxing Day, if your not sure what that is ask a friendly neighbourhood Canadian or Brit  
     
    On behalf of all the staff here at Gay Authors, we all want to wish you the very merriest of Christmases and hope that you get to celebrate in a way that makes you happy. If you are not a fan of Christmas or an observer, just be aware that all of us are wishing you all the Best as well! That has to be worth something  
    I'm sure we will have lots of Merry Christmas posts in the lounge coming up, so this is just one more and represents the hopes, feelings, and wishes of the entire team here at GA.
    Now as we get closer to Christmas, we did have a slower week at the GA News Blog. Let's check in with all that happened.
    Monday, @spike382 on behalf of the site Review Team had a great review of a story here at GA:
    Then we had the all new Prompt Team on Friday bring us a few more challenges with two more interesting prompts:
    Comicality was in with another great article to wrap the week up:
    Goals, how did we do on goals?

    But let's not forget the Word's of the Day!
    bricolage, stagflation, anodyne, distaff, consigliere, ad lib, omnibus
     
    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    The Kandric Saga by Kyle Aarons
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    CDMX by Carlos Hazday
    GFD: Fanboys by Comicality
    Our Christmas Songbook by Valkyrie
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy
    Promising Updates:
    Bearing Gifts by northie **Complete**
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  8. wildone
    Well it looks like our review team have come up with another great story to check out. Make sure you comment below! Thank you @spike382
     
    The Lad From Castlebay Down
    by James Matthews
    Reviewer: spike382
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 89,419
    For my review I decided to read a story by an author whose work I was unfamiliar with.  So, this is my first foray into the writing of James Matthews.  
    In the Lad From Castlebay Down, we meet a young man named Corbin, who, while having an artistic drive with a motivation to make something of his life, is extremely unhappy and extremely confused. There’s good reason for all of this as he is dealing a much less than ideal home life.  He has an abusive father, and a mother, who while caring, still looks the other way. He also has a girlfriend named Leah, they’ve been together for two years, and yet, Corbin is unhappy in this relationship, and they cannot seem to connect with each other.  
    On top of all this, his father is uprooting the entire family and leaving their bustling town to live in the tiny seaside village of Castlebay Down. His father has decided, after watching a few videos online, that he will start a career trawling for fish. The move shakes up the entire family in more ways than one, and it starts soon after Corbin meets the titular “Lad,” a friendly local named Troy.
    This was a very fast-moving story.  It packs a whole lot of events into a fairly short amount of time. I think if I expounded upon that much more, I’d be giving away spoilers. I’ll just say, this is a fairly serious story, dealing with some pretty weighty subject matter, and it does it all in just 17 chapters. There’s some pretty interesting twists and turns, and overall Corbin has a rather interesting and fulfilling journey. It’s a bit of romance, coming-of-age, and family drama all rolled into one.  
    Overall, this is a great entry by James Matthews and if you haven’t had a chance to read his work before, I highly recommend this.  
    Category: Fiction  Genres: General Fiction, Romance  Sub-genres: Drama, General Romance  Tags: young adult, boat, coming of age, serious, love, friendship  Rating: Mature
  9. wildone

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

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Well hopefully you all have calmed down after me getting a lot of our pet peeves with Christmas romance movies off of our chests  
    This week, let's turn things right upside down 🙃
    Shall we check our Story Goals, see how we are doing 11 days into December?

    How about the Words of the Day? Actually Aditus kind of laid down a challenge with the Words of the Day.
    Sandbag, Pestilence, Gyre, Poikilotherm, Tu quoque, Occident, Hagiography
    Our week was finished up with another great addition of Writing Tips:
    Now I did mention Aditus throwing down a challenge, it is in this weeks Prompts:
    Our whole week at the GA Blog was started with the announcement of our Can't Stop Reading feature for December:
     
    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    CDMX by Carlos Hazday
    GA Stallions by Carlos Hazday **Complete**
    GFD 12: Blood Ties by Comicality; Book 12 of Gone From Daylight
    Left Without Words by Comicality
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  10. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Nov. 28 - Dec. 4)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Okay, let me put my grinch hat on  
    Has anyone got sick of the shall we call them 'Lifetime' Christmas movies?  I mean, they are all basically the same story, just different actors and slightly different stories. But there is always a woman, who has a male adversary at the beginning. The scheming and cajoling and finally they admit they are in love with each other and everything survives what was in peril at the start of the movie.  The bakery, the Christmas tree farm, shall I go on? Okay, call me out. I have had absolutely nothing else on and may or may not have seen a few myself  The thing is they are on every channel and since 'merican Thanksgiving, they are on all the time!!
    Well you knew it was coming, you had to! I was driving and listening to the radio yesterday and they were talking about new movies out this weekend. This weekend Netflix released a movie called Single Bells. Yep, it is your gay equivalent 'Lifetime' Christmas movie  If you want, watch it and come back to the blog and share your opinions.
    Make sure you read the rest of the Wrap Up before you run to log into Netflix  
    Monday was the day we wrapped up the November CSR with the Discussion Day. Did you see Dabeagle's interview?
    On Wednesday, did you get astone's December edition of Ask An Author? It was well worth the read.
    Friday was the return of our all new Prompt Team and they gave us a couple of festive prompts? I guess I should say I liked all the comments in the blog .

     
    Saturday was a return to our Article's Feature from Comicality:
    Now here are the Word's of the Day:
    Sensibility, Peremptory, Warp Speed, Fossick, Lucullan, Greenmail, Pickwickian
    Let's look how we finished off the month of November on our goals. It was a nice finish to the month!

    Upcoming Anthology - 
    2022 Anthology - All Previous Anthology Themes - (List can be found here) - Due October 31st, 2022 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
     
    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    CDMX by Carlos Hazday
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  11. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Nov. 21 - Nov. 27)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    So how are you feeling?  
    I asked one of my friends south of the border and they said fat and broke  I guess the fat from all the food and drinks on Thursday and the broke from Black Friday sales. Not even realizing it was Black Friday on Friday I called our local  iFly location and ended up getting the Black Friday Deal. Yes, I'm getting more for my money but I'm giving them a lot more of it. I hope my nephews and sister enjoy their time in there for Christmas presents. I hope none of them are regular visitors to GA , they would be able to read about their upcoming pressies!
    Shall we jump right into what happened this week at the GA Blog?  
    Bright and early on Monday morning, Steve was still in bed and somehow missed getting up the Review Team's great review . When we got it up, we decided it needed to be up Tuesday as well:
    Wednesday it was time for the big reveal from Renee on the Author Guess Who? Did you have an inkling on who it was? I didn't  Congrats to the author who stumped a lot of us  
    Thursday marked the end of our 2021 Anthology presentations, with a wrap up and thank you to everyone involved! This is all made possible by authors, the Anthology Support Team, and a big thank you to all the readers!
    So how about our goals? We have 2 days to close out the month. These numbers are looking pretty good!

    Oh, I just about forgot the Word's of the Day. Now that is a good way to get in the big guys naughty list 🎅
    Zeugma, Sturm und Drang, Barmecidal, Indigenous, Slapstick, Indissoluble, Superficies
     
    Upcoming Anthology - 
    2022 Anthology - All Previous Anthology Themes - (List can be found here) - Due October 31st, 2022 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
     
    Contests - 
    Newsletter Genre Challenge - Stories Due January 30, 2022
    Check out this great challenge here.
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    CDMX by Carlos Hazday
    GFD: Children Of Sunset by Comicality; Book 0 of GFD: Children Of Sunset
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall **Complete**
    Seven Gratitudes by Parker Owens **Complete**
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    The Cockney Canuck by Dodger
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  12. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Nov. 14 - Nov. 20)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Do any of my American friends like smoked turkey for Thanksgiving? I have it on pretty good authority that it might not be the most healthy food...for you
     

    I've been waiting a week to get that one out  I know! You can't stop laughing at it, just like me  !
    Anywho...
    Canada had our holiday over a month ago and My American Cousins are about to celebrate theirs over the whole next week  It seems that in some jobs, but not in all, this holiday becomes a 5 day weekend !  I imagine if you work ANYTHING to do with retail, then it is anything but a long weekend . Make sure to say thanks to a retail worker this week  
    So a lot is bad in our world these days and some might say getting worse, but let's put that all aside and leave it for the Pit. Let's answer one simple question this week. What are you most thankful for in the past year, or the upcoming year?
    I'll be honest, when my sister asked me this during 'nadian TG, I thought how my dad was able to slip away from us and no longer have to suffer the constant daily battles of trying to deal with his rapidly decreasing mental capacity. Some would say you're thankful for that? I would reply that even in the worse case scenario, there is always some great goodness that can and should be found.  He is much happier now.
    So go ahead, let me know what you are thankful for this year. You don't need to be 'merican to play along. It is always a good thing for everyone to think about .
     
    Looking back at the week we had here at the GA Blog, we had what was a cram packed week of 3 different blogs.
    Monday had us looking at a whole new Classic Author Feature:
    Wednesday, Cia was back again with the Classic Author Excerpt:
    Then on Thursday, we had our final installment of the 2021 Fall Anthology. There is another great list of stories that are meant to be read!
    Myr, although he had a feisty week in misrepresenting me in the Word of the Day, he reported in daily:
    Proscribe, Opprobrium, Inchoate, Usurp, Cracker-Barrel, Malleable, Ominous
    We have just over one week left in our goals for November, shall we try to push them over the top for the month?  

    Upcoming Anthology - 
    2022 Anthology - All Previous Anthology Themes - (List can be found here) - Due October 31st, 2022 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx **Complete**
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    A Plethora of Prompts by Valkyrie
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Circle of Life by Aditus **Anthology Entry**
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    Northern Exposure by Mark Arbour; Book 8 of Bridgemont
    On Fire by Cia
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    The Man with Butterscotch Hair by Cole Matthews **Anthology Entry**
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    Wayne's Poems by Wayne Gray
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  13. wildone

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

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Is it this upcoming week or is it the week after that our American cousins have their Thanksgiving ? Well I looked at my 'merican calendar and see it is the week after, so I will stop talking about that this week or I will have nothing to talk about next week  You all should be so lucky!
    We'll skip over and talk about the next holiday, Christmas . Have you thought about my pressies yet? I have one picked out for everyone of you, lol. But really, with all the news about ports being jammed and store shelves being empty, have you started or even finished your holiday shopping yet? In my real life job, I deal with logistics and I have containers that were supposed to be here the last week of August, early September and they still haven't arrived . I might have to go around my sister this year to get gift ideas direct from my nephews this year!
    Shall we move onto the week in review of the GA Blog?
    We started off all Renee week with her presenting the super duper Review Team's latest entry:
    Wednesday Renee was back again with an all new, long missed Author Guess Who! Go ahead, check it out and take a guess  I'm stumped  
    Thursday, Renee finished off our broadcasting week with announcing the second round of the Fall Anthology:
    Myr checked in daily with the list of Words of the Day:
    Welter, Onomatopoeia, Inimical, Peccadillo, Abyssal, Fey, Malapert
    We are nearly half the way through the month. Let's check the November Goals. Yay Blue! Boo red.

    Upcoming Anthology - 
    2022 Anthology - All Previous Anthology Themes - (List can be found here) - Due October 31st, 2022 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Hiking Clifty Falls with Cliff by Altimexis **Anthology Entry** 
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    A Friendship Lost and Found by Bill W **Anthology Entry** 
    Signature Updates:
    A Beautiful Path by Valkyrie **Anthology Entry** 
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    Lyrical Laments by Headstall
    My Only Escape by Comicality
    Shelter by Comicality; Book 1 of Shelter
    Switchbacks on the Trail by Parker Owens **Anthology Entry** 
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    Story Prompts/Ideas by Wayne Gray
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  14. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Oct. 31 - Nov. 6)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Those of you that still have or always have had daylight savings time, today is the day that it is okay to be late to work  So if you showed up for your 9:00 AM shift at 9:15 but forgot to set your clocks back, you are 45 minutes early  Let's just ignore the fact that most people use their phone for their alarm and phones automatically update on their own .
    So Thursday was the first of many big weeks here at GA! Did you get excited about the start of releasing of the Fall 2021  Anthologies on Thursday? There is now ample reading to keep you busy and all new stories at that!
    Let's look back at the rest of the week and see what happened at the GA Blog.
    On Monday, Cia brought us a new CSR Story to read over the next month! I've read it, I loved it, really looking forward to the Author Discussion Day  
    Wednesday was kind of a sad day  Aaron ran out of questions to ask our authors for AAA. Renee did up a blog to show how easy it is. Doesn't matter if you are a long term term member, a new member, a vocal member or a shy member, you all can submit 3 questions anonymously to Aaron. He will then be like the Cookie Monster and hunt down a cookie, or maybe an author , and hopefully get your answers and feature them on AAA. Remember, you are anonymous!
    **Legal Disclaimer - Aaron has not nibbled on an author like a cookie... in a while**
    Thursday was the first of four weeks of something that is getting more and more popular every time we publish. Make sure you check out all of the first releases of the 2021 Fall Anthology! A huge thank you to Authors, Editors, Banner designers and to all the readers as well. You all are making this a great success!
    Well that was the week in a nutshell. But we did have our daily Words of the Week:
    Wraith, Scour, Pertain, Bumptious, Duplicity, Bowdlerize, Gritty
    Since we finished off the month of October, here is how we did on our goals. Pretty good October! Let's continue on into November!!

    , 
    Upcoming Anthology - 
    2022 Anthology - All Previous Anthology Themes - (List can be found here) - Due October 31st, 2022 Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
     
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
     
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    And here is the look at the past weeks postings on our promoted authors!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Cliff's Pendant by Altimexis **Anthology Entry** **Complete**
    Ouroboros, Inc. by Dabeagle **Complete**
    Precious Memories by Bill W **Anthology Entry** **Complete**
    Solutions by Bill W **Anthology Entry** **Complete**
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Cozy Contemplations by Headstall
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    On Fire by Cia
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
     
  15. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Oct. 24 - Oct. 30)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Boo
    Did I scare you  ?
    If not, send me a PM and I'll send you a picture of me getting out of bed first thing in the morning. I will also include a number to call for free counselling .
    So I would be remiss if I did not mention that if you are reading this Saturday night or Sunday, you still have time to get an Anthology in. Just click on the bright orange banner or links on the Forums page for more information  
    Now before we get this wrap up done as some of us prepare to get ready for All Hallows Eve, and the cities and towns get taken over by Zombies, Superhero's, Fairy Tale Princesses, etc. I want to pass on my sincere thanks to Cia and Renee for covering the past two weekends for me. I was out in Vancouver for some final family business and it is nice to know that you have a team that is there to help you  
    On Monday, there was a great discussion for the Can't Stop Reading Club Discussion Day:
    We had a bit of a break as we were all getting ready to launch a brand new version of Prompts!! Valkyrie, Cole Matthews and Aditus all graciously stepped forward to take on our weekly prompts. With some new blood, and some memories of the past, lets see if the prompts can be a weekly event everyone looks forward to. One or two challenges may have been laid down already .
     
    Saturday was a return of Comicality with another great article. 
    Did you check out the Words of the Day brought to you by our omnipotent leader  
    Dubious, Toothsome, Obstreperous, Meme, Luminary, Detoxify, Preeminent
    Lastly, how did we do on the Month of October for our goals? No red, so great job everyone ⭐

     
    Upcoming Anthology - I will update this to the next one, next week
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - Due October 31st, 2021  
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Día de los Muertos by Altimexis **Complete**
    I Got You by Dabeagle **Complete**
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Headstall's Reflections by Headstall
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
     
    Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  16. wildone

    Wayne's Prompts #7

    By wildone,


    Prompts
    Well this is it  Today will be the end of Wayne's Prompts. We are discussing to see how we want to continue forward with this blog, and would like to hear any ideas you may have. Reach out to any staff member and we will take a look  
    So for the final prompts, we received this late addition by @Valkyrie! One she partook on was Prompt #316 from @comicfan. To even things out, we will also throw in prompt 317 as well. You can announce your prompt response for #316 and #317 by clicking on the number. 
    Happy writing!!
     
    Prompt 316 – Creative
    Tag – Picture
    Create a story using the following image as an inspiration.

     
    Prompt 317 – Creative
    Tag – The Bunny
    Holidays have never interested you and most of the time you forget when they are. This morning you had to be up before dawn for a marathon you were running. As you got outside you spotted a pure white bunny in a vest with a huge basket over one of his paws. What do you do?
    So how about everyone take a stab at the last of Wayne's Prompts  
  17. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Oct. 3 - Oct. 9)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin
    Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin
    Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin
     
    Just in case it has slipped your mind, you only have until October 31st to get your Anthology into the Review Team. Make sure you see the blurb below for more details.
     
    Well, we are having our municipal election on the 18th of this month in my little city and ever other town, hamlet, village, etc. in the province. Provincially we have been given a few shall we say 'political referendums' to vote on, which I won't get into here  Don't want to have to report myself to the Site Moderation Team .
    Anywho, the one question I thought I would ask and it is I believe a North America question, and even some places don't practice it here either, is whether to keep Daylight Savings Time or not. This is where we turn our clocks back an hour in the late fall and turn them ahead in the spring an hour. I do believe that it was originally done for farmers, to maximize the amount of daylight that they would have to be outstanding in their field  (that was a joke in case you missed it ). Well it seems to be a divisive issue. Some people say the springing back and forward mucks up their sleep for weeks and their attentiveness as well. Others, including doctors says our bodies natural circadian rhythm  will get all mucked up with daylight later in the day. So curious how you feel about it without making it political? If you are in a region that has it, do you want to get rid of it, or if you never have had it, does it really matter to you? I guess the big thing is the further north you go, and for my city where it is, in December the sun will come up at 8:30 on MST, and not until 9:30 AM if we stay on MDT. Like I said, curious  
     
    Well let's get the party started and see what we have had as far as blogs this week. Oh, by the way there is going to be a mystery the next two Weekly Wrap Ups here. Make sure to tune into the GA Blogs to find out what will happen the next two weeks  
    Myr started the week off with a new Word of the Day for Sunday:
    Monday, Cia dropped by with an all new Can't Stop Reading story to feature:
    Cue up Myr:
    Then on Tuesday, we got a new WOTD:
    Wednesday was the day that Aaron joined us with one of the most favourite blogs here, Ask An Author 3.0:
    Followed up by Myr on the same day:
    Thursday was a day for Myr by himself again :
    And again on Friday:
    Comicality was back on Saturday with a new article:
    And last but not least, Saturday's Word of the Day was:
    Now are we off to a good start on our October Goals?
     
     
    Upcoming Anthology
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - Due October 31st, 2021   
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Bloom by Dabeagle
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    The Reluctant Consort by lilansui **Complete**
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  18. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Sept. 26 - Oct. 2)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Well a big hug and thank you to Cia last week for doing the wrap up
    Before I forget, you have just under a month now to get your Anthologies in!! 
    Last week I was personally out of town, sitting lakeside in a cabin, in the mountains, hiding out on my birthday  Needless to say I never got any of your pressies for that day from all of you . I'm just blaming it on the mailman and have moved on  
    So is everybody getting ready for Thanksgiving?  Oh wait, the 'mericans in the room have the second Thanksgiving after the 'nadians. Also I don't think the others even have a Thanksgiving So what is your next national holiday, let me know as I'm curious  
    Now shall we look back at the GA news blog from the past week? I think we shall  
    Sunday, Myr started off the Word of the Day without deferring it to another day:
    Monday, Cia was in with the September CSR Discussion Day interview:
    Also on Monday, Myr by his own volition had posted another word of the day:
    Tuesday he was back again to colligate our members to read the word of the day:
    On Wednesday, he went all cerebral on us:
    Thursday had Renee coming into the GA Blog and brought us a Anthology Entry Revisted:
    And if that wasn't enough , Myr was telling us about his pulchritude! Did I get his one right?  
    Friday found Myr showing us again the sequacious nature of him to the great site that GA is!!!
    Finally on Saturday, for the first time in a while, it was really great to see another article by Comicality published:
    And to finish off the week with the Word Of the Day, Myr told us a side effect of reading my blogs :
    We did finish up the month of September. Did we get out of the red on all the categories? Looks like we missed on one :

    Upcoming Anthology
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - Due October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - Due October 31st, 2021  
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions**
    Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
     
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens **Complete**
    GFD: Children Of Sunset by Comicality; Book 0 of GFD: Children Of Sunset
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    Left Without Words by Comicality
    On The Outside by Comicality
    Taryn's Song by Comicality; Book 1 of Gone From Daylight Spin-offs
    The Best Year by Krista
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy
    Translation Trashbin by AC Benus; Book 7 of Verse
    Promising Updates:
    Never Too Late To Believe by northie
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
     
  19. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Sept. 12 - Sept. 18)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Good Morning, day, evening, night or everything in between. We are a bit late today for the simple fact that I do not know what day it is anymore  I mean, I don't usually work on Saturdays and Sundays, but for some reason I didn't recognize yesterday was Saturday. I do think I know the reason why  In four days I will be older than dirt  I'm so old that I think I forgot to tell everyone ahead of time where to send my birthday presents. Oh wait, I guess I did .
    Let's jump right into things now!
    Sunday, did you check out the Word of the Day?
    You had to get up pretty early on a Monday morning to see when Myr posted this Word of the Day:
    Renee was in on Monday as well for her shift to bring all of us the Review Team's latest review:
    Jump to Tuesday, and we had yet again, another Word of the Day
    Onto Wednesday, and you all might be catching on, there was another Word of the Day  
    Renee returned on Thursday to bring us an Anthology Entry update and revisited one of the past:
    Four days down, two to goooooooo!!! Oops, three  
    Friday, it was time for a an all new edition of Wayne's Prompts. Don't forget if you have any other favourite prompts, send them to @Renee Stevensor @wildone.
    Well TGIF! Let's play WWTWOTD! What was the Word of the Day?
    Then it was a surprise on Saturday!!  Comicality was back with another great article: 
    But if you thought that was the end of our broadcasting week, you missed the last Word of the Day  
    Now let's see where we are on our Monthly Goals. We are now just over half way through the month:

    Anthologies
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021   
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens
    Gap Year by Mark Arbour
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    The Cockney Canuck by Dodger
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  20. wildone

    Wayne's Prompts #6

    By wildone,


    Prompts
    Well, well, well, we are back again this week with another one of a favourite prompt that Wayne presented to us. 
    Last week we looked at one of @Mikiesboy favourite prompts and it's partner. Here is what Prompt #500 brought us: https://gayauthors.org/story/mikiesboy/onlyprompts/5 Sorry I can't make a box like below .
     
    This week, lets look at a couple of prompts from @Headstall. One of his favourite prompts that he wrote a story for was Prompt #801. His submission to that one can be read here: 
     
    Now if didn't take the opportunity to check out Prompt #800 and Prompt #801, now is your chance!
     
    Prompt 800 - Creative
    Tag - The meal
    You figured a nice meal with a few friends would be a nice way to share the holiday. That quickly went from four to nearly forty people. What happened to your small meal and how will you deal with it?
     
    Prompt 801 - Creative
    Tag - First Line
    "You are what I'm most grateful for this year. "
     
    So give one or another a try this week! 
    Also, if you can think of another prompt that motivated you, email @Renee Stevens or @wildone and we can keep going with Wayne's Prompts.
     
  21. wildone

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

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    I'm giddy  
    My football team has been having a really, really bad year this year. If you are thinking of the CFL, then you got the right league. If you don't know what the CFL is, then there is no hope for you as a true football fan  But, I imagine the majority of you are saying something like why the hell does he talk about sports here! Not a question, but a statement . So they kind of lost on Labour Day against their arch rivals and the rematch was tonight. Needless to say the won, bringing their yearly record to 2-4. Like I said, not have a good year .
    So what gets you giddy? I think @Valkyrie is giddy as she told me she is getting to watch the Spruce Meadows Nations Cup this weekend. Although their isn't many nations, it is still nice to see some things getting back to normal, like show jumping. Horses that is 🐎! Wait, I'm talking sports again .
    On Monday, CIa was happy to tell us about a brand new Can't Stop Reading Feature. It is actually from an author that most of you know.
    Then we jumped onto Thursday, when said featured author was in to bring you another Anthology Entry Revisted:
    Well I'm going to do something different, I think both Cia and Renee have done them, but why don't I have the topic link rather than just a hidden link for all of Myr's Words of the Day:
    Goals, so where are we as we approach the middle of the month of September

    Anthologies
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021   
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Bloom by Dabeagle
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens
    Gap Year by Mark Arbour
    GFD: Broken Wings by Comicality
    GFD: Sins Of The Father by Comicality
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    Left Without Words by Comicality
    Northern Exposure by Mark Arbour; Book 8 of Bridgemont
    The Best Year by Krista
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
     
  22. wildone

    Weekly Wrap Up (Aug.29 - Sept. 4)

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Well this week wrapped up nicely  
    Before I get into the usual, I do need to talk to you all about a serious issue that has been brought to my attention this week. Usually you are given much more notice than 20 days, but with everything going on as well as where the wrap up falls this month, I'm late letting you know  
    You only have 20 or maybe only 19 days left to get my birthday presents!  As usual, I have to ask that you keep them under $5000.00 USD  They can be sent to me at Wildone, PO Box 96969 Stn Main, Calgary AB T1T T1T.  
    Well now that this PSA is out of the way, I'd like to say Happy Spring... to all my friends in the Southern Hemisphere.😎 To those of you north of the equator, Happy Autumn. Do you use the expression autumn or fall?  Our first few days were cold, windy, occasionally rainy. But compared to the hurricane that battered New Orleans and then made for some extreme weather up the Eastern States, it was absolutely nothing. If any of you, or family or friends live in those areas I hope you are all safe and healthy first and foremost
    Now back to what happened at the GA Blog this week.
    On Monday, it was Cia bringing us the CSR Discussion Day:
    Then on Wednesday was the first one in the month of September. I know some of you set your calendars to read it, but @astone2292 had a brand new author to interview for AAA:
    On Saturday, since a staff member who shall remain nameless , put up the Wayne's Prompts a day late:
    Did you check out the words this week? I found a few that at first glance you think you know what they should be, then you notice the slight change in spelling, and a HUGE change in definition 😮 Honestly, I didn't know one this week. 
    Phreaker, Archetype, Climometrics, Distemper, Frog-march, Asperse, Refulgence
    So how did we do on our August Story Goals? Let here is the results:

    Anthologies
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021   
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Bloom by Dabeagle
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens
    Gap Year by Mark Arbour
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    Pride Month, and other Haibun by AC Benus; Book 13 of Verse
    The Best Year by Krista
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    The Cockney Canuck by Dodger
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
     
  23. wildone

    Wayne's Prompts #5

    By wildone,


    Prompts
    (Oops, was supposed to post this last night  )
    It is the Friday on the start of a long weekend I think everywhere in North America  If you live elsewhere and have one as well, just remember you don't have to do a prompt response this weekend  Maybe let it digest for a bit and maybe something will happen over the weekend that will have you saying DAMN, that was a prompt suggestion. Then you can write your story. Unless it is being stuck in H E double hockey sticks or any other macabre settings  Unless you do hang out there  
    So last week we visited a repeat by @Ivor Slipper. This week we are going to turn our own GA Way Back Machine™, and see what was another favourite of @Mikiesboy. This time he suggested Prompt #500 and I'll throw in #501 for good measure. 
    If you want to see the responses to these you can easily click on these links . 500 had seven responses and 501 had two takers.
     
     
    Prompt 500 -Creative
    Tag - First Line
    “What took you so long?”
     
    Prompt 501 – Creative
    Tag – The Surprise
    You have a major birthday coming up and you don’t want to celebrate. However, every day leading up to your birthday you have found a little surprise at your job. What were the surprises and who was giving them to you?
     
    So hopefully one of these inspire you a tiny weeny little bit to get some pen to paper. Does anyone do that anymore?
     
  24. wildone

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

    By wildone,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    So it is nearly midnight in my time zone and I'm hungry  The thing is I'm trying to lose weight and carbs are my enemy. Don't ask me what a calorie is, but I can tell you about carbs since you should be counting them with certain types of diabetes. But the thing is, what snacking food is there that has little to no carbs? Most snack food are full of the nasty little things  Popcorn, chips, crackers, cookies, even a lot of drinks have a lot of carbs. No suggestions of coffee or tea black please! I don't touch them no matter what is in them. 
    What snack foods do you have that might pique my curiosity? Like I could have 1 cup of popcorn and it would barely be any carbs, but seriously who can only eat one cup of popcorn?  Make your suggestions to me, please, pretty please. Or am I just better to just skip it all together 😢 
    Enough about my snaking habits and why don't we digest what happened here at the GA blog this week. Well, it might have been on a diet as well  
    On Monday, Renee decided to turn the Featured Story blog over to you! She solicited everyone to recommend their favourite story (or five  ) and we kept getting them in all week. Make sure you check them out, might find your new favourite!
    Then our second feature of the week was another round of Wayne's Prompts:
    Melee, Celebrity, Quid Pro Quo, Sub rosa, Billingsgate, Sibyl, Delectable
    Anthologies
    2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 1 - A Winding Path - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Top Theme 2- An Unconventional Gift - October 31st, 2021 2021 Anthology #2 Pot Luck Themes - October 31st, 2021   
    Anthology 101 - In the Anthology Forum. Everything you need to know about GA Anthologies Ask an Author
    Ask an Author 3.0 - Submit a story you like and 3 questions you would like to ask the author about. Send them to @astone2292 or @Renee Stevens **Please submit so Aaron can have a  bank of stories and questions** Blog Opportunities
    Guess the Author: Open to all GA authors. PM @Renee Stevensor @wildone to participate
    Story Review: Send it in to @Renee Stevens or @Timothy M. 
    Now, let's look at new stories and chapters posted this week!
    Premium Updates:
    On Fire by Cia *Premium*
    Classic Updates:
    Bloom by Dabeagle
    Stuff People Do by Ronyx
    The Brilliant Boy Billionaire by Altimexis
    Signature Updates:
    Ancalagon by Cia
    Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens
    Gap Year by Mark Arbour
    Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale by Headstall
    On Fire by Cia
    The Best Year by Krista
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Poetry by AC Benus
    The Great Mirror of Same-Sex Love - Prose by AC Benus
    Promising Updates:
    Tales from the Refuge by Wayne Gray
    The Reluctant Consort by lilansui **Complete**
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (and Recommend with a share to the forum topic!) 
  25. wildone

    Wayne's Prompts #4

    By wildone,


    Prompts
    Good Day All  
    Apologies for last weeks miss on getting up a couple more of your favorite prompts from our guru, Wayne. Two weeks ago we had featured @Valkyrie's prompts.
    Next up, we have featured them recently, but @Ivor Slipper took advantage and wrote a piece using Prompt 892. And for you prompt enjoyment, we have added in Prompt 893 as well. @astone2292 also did a response as well!
    Prompt 892 - Creative 
    Tag - List of Words
    Use the following words in a story - a storm, a broken fence, a scared dog, a flash light, and an old typewriter. 
    Prompt 893 - Creative
    Tag - Viral Video
    Most people who make it big on Tik Tok or YouTube work hard to become viral. Unfortunately your video went viral for all the wrong reasons with two and a half million views. What is your video about?
    Last but not least, we are starting to run low on the favourite prompts. If you have any more that tickled your fancy, let us know. If you are shy, don't hesitate to PM either Renee Stevens or Wildone and we will git to it  
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