Valkyrie

You're right... I could... Well, maybe.

Happy Birthday, Mann! I hope you have an awesome day! I Googled "man cake" to find... well, a man cake for you But unfortunately I can't post them on GA without getting my hand slapped. So instead, here's a generic birthday cake made cooler with sprinkles and a sparkler

These are a nice and diverse group. I especially like "Folly" and "Renewal".

These sound interesting. I loved the pic @Cia posted last week, and have an idea for it that I'll write at some point. I like picture prompts, so I think it's a good idea to throw on in every once in a while.

Sounds interesting. I'll add it to the list

Well I'm intrigued. I'll be sure to check it out.

Galen Eddie and Matt’s property was beautiful, but not as beautiful as The Hollow Hills. No place would ever compare, since none of them contained Josh. I’d gone there to try to escape my feelings—which I now knew Josh returned. Even thinking about how I might navigate this turn in our relationship, given all my issues, overwhelmed me to near paralysis. While there were similarities between the two farms and their inhabitants, they were vastly different from Texas and Jamie. One of the

I think you're doing a great job, Steve. I like reading the added comments about the daily blogs and your commentary. *waddles off to steal the shiny*

Oh that pic gives me an idea! Now to find time to write it...

I like stuff and tend to hold onto too much of it. Consequently, I ended up with more stuff than space. I'm a single person in a 1300 sq ft house, so it's a bit silly to not have room for anything. It feels great to be able to fit everything into my closets now. I need to get some estimates to have my bathroom redone and for new windows. Then I need to have my siding restained, the foundation filled in (minor repair... not as major as it sounds), and repaint the inside. Oh and my front door needs refinishing. The last week of July I have a friend visiting for a week and we're going to tackle my model horse collection. That's something else that's grown out of control. So I'll be selling off quite a bit of that so I can actually display it, plus have some money toward funding all this work. Sounds like we both have some long projects Your barn is going to be fantastic when it's done. It's already an impressive space.

I hear ya. So far I've spent the summer deep cleaning my house, getting rid of 80% of my stuff, and redoing the downstairs. And I've only just started. Sigh.

Wow! That was intense! I wonder how many times the lightning has saved him before? This was unique and very well-written. Great job!

Congratulations Renee and Happy Birthday Baby J! 🍰 👶

This review makes me want to immediately read this story. I'll add it to the ever-increasing list. Great job, Parker.

Lovely as always, Parker. The melancholy of the first one is clear. I love how you wove the color blue throughout and the reference to the tie. It reminds me of when my grandfather passed and I went shopping with my mom and grandma for a red cardigan sweater for him to be buried in. He wore one frequently and his must have been given away when his clothing no longer fit. The second one is quite passionate, written with your usual flair. Welcome back

Got it now. Thanks!

@Cia I didn't get the newsletter today. I saw it on Facebook, but never received the email.

Great article Short stories are an essential piece of a writer's toolbox. They're a great way to work on weaknesses and explore new styles. I try to use prompts as exercises to explore certain writing elements. I'm most comfortable writing in first person, so I've used anthology stories and prompts to help me get more comfortable writing in third person. I've also used them to enhance the sensory and descriptive aspects of my writing. They're a great way to work on improving dialogue and decreasing reliance on personal pronouns. I had an editor once who challenged me to write a prompt in first person without using the pronoun "I". It made me look at writing in first person in a completely different way.

I bet that felt good to say I'm glad you liked it.

@Cole Matthews and I completed our monthly joint prompt responses. We had quite different takes on the same prompt. https://www.gayauthors.org/story/valkyrie/promptingsfromvalhalla/29 https://www.gayauthors.org/story/cole-matthews/dinnerisprompt-lyateight/27

Thanks so much

Congratulations

Thanks so much, Gary. I'm glad everyone was surprised at the revelation about Amanda. And Carl is a special person to see Amanda for who she really is.

Whew... 😛 I think this would be a good story to use for @Renee Stevens dual ending prompt. I'd like to think she turned down the job to explore a relationship with Carl. I agree with you about them having a more fulfilling life in that instance. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks I think this would make an interesting longer story. I love reading how we each interpreted the prompt.