astone2292

Glad you liked it!

The agency acronym is giggleworthy, but the real joke is who I put in the White House... I'm sure he won't be after you. Surely...

There we go. Prompt 145: The Abider. https://gayauthors.org/story/astone2292/rocky-prompts-tennessee/12

"Agent Bob, target is coming your way." Registering the directive, Bob pressed his earwig and whispered, "Copy. I'll follow when they pass." The Abiders operative leaned against the brick wall on a busy street. His mission was simple: trail the suspect while obeying the agency's rules. He had been in the Abiders of Sovereign Security for over a year now, and even then, he couldn't believe their existence. Serving as a federal agent and presidential detail, he was tapped to be one of th

Despite the few punctuation and grammar errors, this fantasy tale between a human and a tribe of orcs kept me captivated. Another quality addition to the 2023 Secret Author collection.

A tale of familial separation that will have readers clutching their hearts. I recommend reading this hard-hitting story. As for this reader, I'm eagerly waiting for a sequel.

This story is not for the faint of heart. With that in mind, this piece is beautifully written. Do not be daunted by the 14k word count. Very worth reading.

A journey of two young men who have the extraordinary power to see and converse with ghosts. Join them as they try to lay disturbed souls to rest.

This was a capturing tale of dedicated love. Very well-written. Filled with moments of joy and sadness.

This story gave me Skyrim vibes and I'm here for it. Like Bill, I'm used to brash and fierce orcs, so color me surprised when this took a sharp turn into romance territory. Well done, Secret Author. And I agree with Gnomie. Would love more chapters of this story, or maybe this universe.

My naked legs slid through the chilling mud. With only a tunic, the chilly mountain air assaulted my skin. Darkness surrounded me, only disturbed by the faint glow of torches. The dancing flames taunted. After being imprisoned for two days and one night, my pride died. My stomach ached. I craved bread and stew, but any food sounded heavenly. Dragged by iron clasps on my wrists, my unknown fate awaited. Through soulless lids, I wondered where my olive and green-skinned captors were taking me. Thi

Hunting was all I knew. Stalking prey, selling meat, and making pelts... Life was calm, but then I was found sleeping. What's to come is untold. May the divine bless my soul.

Lmao! Stories are coming along. Feel free to PM me about them, so we don't clog up this story's comment section.

Don't tempt me.

Well done. I'm happy Trace came when he did. Like others in the comment section, I'd love to see where Joel's life leads now with Trace. Off to smoke a cigarette... Secret Author, please let the next story be full of shimmering rainbows and a winning lottery ticket.

I got something cookin' for #145, and no one's ready...

This was very well written, paced, and built. Off to go get some sunshine. All of these secret author submissions got me feeling down in the dumpities.

Maybe it was a different author being devious, writing with a different style to throw us all off...

Fell asleep last night as I finished this story. Well done. I would love to read more of Tom's adventures in the future.

I'm not sure how everyone else is faring but this summer heat is no joke! Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and staying cool out there. My poor air conditioner's working its tushie off. Before someone argues whether such a piece of machinery would have a tushie in the first place... Hey, look! Ask An Author time! While everyone is focusing on the Secret Author contest (psst, make sure you follow @Secret Author and check out the daily stories), I've been busy typing up the wonderful interview I had with @Aditus. • • • • • The Cat Burglar Aditus Statistics may not be accurate due to being an "in-progress" story. 16 Chapters / 66,172 Words / Status: In Progress Where did you come up with the idea of the gifts that some of the vampires develop; what gifts do you think are the easiest to write about and explain how they are used? I decided my vampires needed special gifts in order to emphasize their unique personalities. The first was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I wanted to get Kavan out of a dicey situation. Then I had the idea to categorize the gifts. Kavan is a shadow melder; he mostly gets gifts from the shadow class, for example. There is an actual reason why he gets those, but I can’t reveal why yet. The easiest way to explain how the gifts work is to describe the action. I even have background explanations, but I give them away only gradually as I don’t want to bore my readers with massive info-dumps. Are any of the characters in this story or even their dominant mannerisms based on anyone in your own life? That’s an interesting question. I never thought about this, to be honest. In retrospect, I think some resemble people I know, read about, or saw at a café or another public place. Aykut is actually based on my hairstylist. I’m a people watcher. Sometimes I make up tiny vignettes in my head about someone wearing unusual clothes or about a snippet of a conversation I catch on the bus. Your secondary characters are well developed, do you find it easier to fully develop the secondary characters so they are easier to write; or do you just like fleshing out everyone in the story equally? Thank you. This might be a little embarrassing, but especially my side characters just happen, at least it feels like that to me. If there’s a need for someone to protect, save, chastise, or be a friend to one of the MCs, I give them a side character and equip them with the traits they need to carry out their mission successfully -- very rational. Then some become alive. Their voice is loud in my head, and I almost see them, feel like them, and bam, they are a person. I switch between them and the MC, seeing them through each other’s eyes. Sometimes I need to shut it down to be able to stay on track. Thank you, anonymous reader, for your interest in my story and the cool questions. • • • • • Thanks for the interview, Aditus! If you enjoyed this Q&A, hurry while you can. "The Cat Burglar" is an ongoing story, so there's time to get caught up. Until next month, y'all.

This was masterfully written and told. I'm honestly speechless. Absolutely beautiful.

He'll be missed.

Thanks, SR. His passing is still on my mind. It's been rough but I know he'd want me to suck it up and keep writing. I'll always channel my inner Carlos when I proofread and edit my work.

Thanks for commenting, everyone. I still feel numb from the news. When I light up my occasional cigar, I'll remember our favorite biker.