astone2292

Lmao!! I absolutely love this comment! This made my night.

Captain Suctioncup? I keep forgetting he's running around somewhere.

Ooooh, Jessica Lange. I like it!

Oh, just you wait. Vincent has another "feeling like a floozy" moment in a few chapters, and it's great!

If there was ever a chapter to drop after an accidental hiatus, this was the correct one. Whooo-weeeeee! Garjah, big security man, got himself captured. Essell, Ases, and Bouncer are in an unfamiliar jungle, and there's people hunting for them. Oh, goodie! Essell exercising? Listen, I already get intimidated by people in the gym. Particularly the ones who clink and clonk their weights, and grunt like constipated weirnerdogs. I can't imagine what I would think if saw a four-armed being with a dumbbell in each hand...

Ax-cuse me. Us Kantuckeeans taulk differnt than them there narmal fohlk, but we still get hour point uhcross. (And yes. That is a couch on a porch. A common choice of decor among our people, but not for me.)

Well, well, well... This silly, overused introduction that sparks an uneasy feeling into weak hearts. Maybe I should add a slow-clap. Ehh, it's also overplayed. Anyway, I must say I'm proud of y'all. My tease of dropping Ask An Author into the fiery pits of Mount Doom encouraged some of you to ask questions. What I did not expect was the surge of comments from last month's altered edition. Some of you even messaged me, asking for more of the comment section-driven pandemonium. Further discussion with the blog-squad is needed, but for now, we have questions! @Tim Hobson joined us back in March 2022, and he's comin' in hot with a trilogy to start his Gay Authors adventure. • • • • • Tales Along the Way Tim Hobson 3 Stories / 140,622 Words / Rating: Mature / Status: All Complete Tales Along the Way is a series of three novellas loosely inspired by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The Knight's Tale tells of Lord Henry Sandringham, a British nobleman who is a secret agent for MI6. He is sent to Tehran to rescue the son of the Foreign Minister, who faces a death penalty for being gay. The Priest's Tale follows the struggle of Father Peter Ruxton, a Catholic priest who can no longer toe the party line about gay men being loved by God but forbidden to have intimacy in their lives. The Squire’s Tale introduces us to Keiran Bronson, an 18-year old gay soccer star who goes on a graduation trip to Peru and is kidnapped. I love the concept of three stories being told by each of three passengers who have just met on a long flight. How did you come up with the concept? First, I have to confess that the trilogy was born at a time when I was trying very hard to find a publisher or to self-publish. I had started writing about Lord Henry, and I liked the story that was emerging, but I was finding it impossible to come up with enough material to make it a novel (i.e., in the neighborhood of 100K words). I concluded that the most I could get out of the story was a novella (25-50K words), and I pondered how I could make it “book-length.” I thought of a writing a collection linked together by some common theme, and the vehicle of something along the lines of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales immediately came to mind. Instead of pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Thomas à Becket, I needed a contemporary and “worldly” reason for travelers to be together for a longer period of time. And that reminded me of the longest flight I have ever been on—from Australia to NYC. I titled the first story in the trilogy, The Knight’s Tale, and that led me to come up with the other two. Which tale was the hardest to write and why? Which was the easiest? As I said in my apologia at the beginning of The Priest’s Tale, I have never been very successful at writing romance. I took online courses, joined a couple of writing groups, and struggled. I hesitated to include Peter’s story at all, but writing it forced me to work hard to come up with a passable romance. I agree it is the weakest of the three stories, but I’m not sorry I tried my hand at the genre. I don’t think I’ll ever do it again—I accept that it’s not my forté. The Knight’s Tale was the first story I ever felt was good enough to publish (some of its predecessors were pretty awful). The characters intrigued me, the sexy parts were fun to write, and the adventure in a foreign land (which took a lot of meticulous research to get the details right) were all a real joy, so up to that point I would have said it was easy to write. Then I had to edit the damn thing, and I learned that the hard work only begins when the draft is solid, and you think it’s “almost ready”—not! I spent a lot of my career writing and editing technical articles, and I have to say editing fiction is ten times the work! So, I give the prize to The Squire’s Tale. It was a genre I know and love to read, and I went in aware that the editing would be work, but knowing that fact in advance made it seem easier when the time came. And, perhaps, the editing became easier because I self-edited as I wrote, trying not to make the same mistakes I had made constantly in the first two stories (see the next answer for the gory details). What is the area of writing that you feel you have grown/improved the most? I cannot fail to mention the outstanding support of my beta reader / editor @kbois. She came on with Peter’s story, and really set me on the right path. I had trouble with showing versus telling, and her clear examples helped me a lot (I am slightly dyslexic and have to read something dozens of times before I fully understand it—if ever—but a picture or sample breaks through and I get it). Like many writers, my story plays like a movie in my mind, and in a film it’s always clear who’s speaking and when someone else speaks, but words on paper/screen don’t work like that—all of which is to say I had to learn to establish and maintain clear POVs, again with @kbois' help. Finally, I took an online course in writing erotica, and some “rules” were ingrained in me regarding sentence and paragraph length. I know it frustrated @kbois, as evidenced by her insistence that I combine short sentences, which my course instructor had claimed helped accelerate the pace and build excitement. I did so grudgingly at first but now can see the wisdom in her words. Again, this is now something that I consciously self-edit as I write those damn seven-word sentences! What's next? I have to say how thrilled I am to have found GA and been able to write for this audience. I never expected to make money publishing, but I thought it was the only outlet available to me as a writer. Writing for GA, and especially interacting with readers, is pure delight. I’m still new to this, and I plan to stretch my boundaries and go into areas and genres where I’ve never tried to write. By this I mean that I might go silent for a time, while I’m learning what I can and cannot do well (and I don’t intend to post anything that I’m not proud of). However, two new stories are bubbling in my creative cauldron: one is a second adventure for Lord Henry and his friends, and the other is a gritty, noir crime drama set in San Jose, CA, where the main character (anti-hero?) is a gay police Detective Lieutenant—sort of a gay Columbo with a Joe Friday attitude and the intuition of Adrian Monk. • • • • • Ooooohh! A gritty, gay noir! Sounds like a lovely read with a glass of bourbon and a cigar. I'll be keeping my eyes open for that. Another Ask An Author in the books, and there's another ready to go for next month. As I said up top, some of y'all were interested in the more public, comment-eccentric edition last month. Don't think it's going unnoticed. The blog staff is paying attention, but while we have a queue of questions for articles, we'll be keeping up with the ongoing format. Once the well dries up, I'll be dangling y'all by your toes over the volcano again. Until next month, ta-ta!

No. I just assumed you were that smart since you have the most earned brownie points. Besides, enough people have found their way in and I assume some of y'all are making keys to the place.

This reminds me I need to add the link to the sequel in a chapter footer note. Just keep reading and you'll find it I'm tickled you find this one as your favorite. Personally, mine is chapter four, Paranormal Drinks with Kree, Zully, and Kristie at LGBTequila.

Ah, Kitt's put the pieces together. Ty and Morr's kiddo meets up with Lowe. There'll be about a five year difference, but that's a drop in the bucket in a lycan's lifespan. It'll be a fun story later down the road. Strai-- *clears throat* Straight sex? Just as this chapter started, "No no nonononono!" Every sex and foreplay scene would be an instantanious fade to black LOL. Hmm. Vincent Bolton, otherwise known as the Super Shadow. Sounds like fun, but we'll need to see how this story finishes first

Thanks for another super comment! Let's see how Vin handles Reno and his first encounter with coyotes. Just a bit of fun teaser, Ty and Morr having a baby miiiiiiiiight be my way back if I decide to come back to this series' timeline, aside from the eventual Zombies in the Shadows spin-off... Let's hope their kiddo gets along with another certain specific and oddball shifter in Owensville.

Lol. I think Morrine's answer was a demand. The only question remains is if Tierney will end up making sandwiches with love. Heading to the gym now, which means I'll be writing. Glad you loved the chapter, Patch.

Oooooh, if I didn't get all squirmy around ladies, I would so write Ty and Morr's scene... But I still believe girls have cooties, so blegh! Really? Morr's line was better than Vincent's? "Mace, if my hips move one more inch, these blue sheets will turn white." I knew I should've gone with the alternate line, "Mace, if my hips move one more inch, we'll have another meaning for a white Christmas." Ah, so the fortune telling speculation begins. Be wary, readers. Pay close attention. Nah, nah. Vin and Mace aren't sexed out. They just need a breather. Give 'em a day, and they'll be boinking again HA! This debate again. Dirk, Kap, Ty, Cy, and Wagner had this back in Rising in the Shadows. I think they settled on wiger, as Tierney would not stand for his son or daughter being called a tilf. But... when I go back and edit that story, I'm making your definition of tilf canon. I love Morrine's response. "You want me? We better go all...the...way with this." Rest in peace, Tierney's back. We all remember chapter seventeen of Love in the Shadows, right? Stefan may be shortsighted and dismissive... but hey, if he's having his own fun, who's to argue? I mean, aside from the murdering... Huh? You mean the concept of Vin being possessed by multiple gods? Him, having the divine affinity? I have no idea what you're talking about. The divine affinity, until now, has been a fabled myth in this series. It was one of the reasons Stefan attacked Elaine all those years ago in CH16 in Love in the Shadows, and it seems he's desperate to have it for himself. As for what it does... not even the author knows. Haven't written that far I cackled at that line of yours! Yeah, Tierney should've had Morrine locked down a while back, but I think he was waiting for that right moment. And by him, I mean me Interesting thoughts here, but as drpaladin pointed out, Beep Beep... ZOOOOooooooooommm! Hmm. This is interesting. Unlike shifters and vampires, mages are more spread out and not associated with certain magical groups. The only groupings of mages we've seen so far is the whispers of certain colleges and universities. I'm sure there's a governing body somewhere that sits around with their pointy, wizard hats and discuss problems in the magical community, but they're too lazy or comfortable to leave their towers or Dean's offices, or wherever they are. Maybe the SFBI or SCIA from Cernunnos has a hand in things with this. Still debating on a crossover, if I'm being honest.

Slowly waking up the day after Christmas, Vincent’s face felt glued to his pillow. Prying himself from it, the dried drool was stuck to his beard. He sniffed, quickly realizing his mistake. Snickering, he rolled over and made a grave error. Oh, no no nononono! He was sore for obvious reasons. Him and Mason spent all night making love. Even after they showered and fell asleep, they found themselves time and time again in the early hours. His mate’s warmth met his back and rear once more. “G

I'm sorry you went through all that. It sounded like a similar situation when my grandmother passed and the family squabbled over possessions. But I think most families have this issue when there's a passing.

A lipard is the offspring of a male lion and a female lioness, often referred to as a leopon. Whenever Lowe will grow up, he'll have the body structure of a lion, but with slightly shorter legs. His coat will be similar to a leopard's but he will have a shorter lion's mane. In addition, he'll be faster than a typical lion, but slower than a leopard. I think the question is what Tierney and Morrine are going to create...

No idea how I missed this comment! So glad you liked the chapter, SR! Truthfully, I never expected Wagner to have such an impact when I first introduced him in book two. Looking back at his first appearance intimidating Vincent, I'm almost a proud parent to see him grow into a responsible position.

Vincent's wolf has a lot to learn about his human half, and this is a good step. I'm sure Vin's going to be a natural auditor, but the distance between him and Mason might be an issue. Thanks for reading!

Now we know what happens to all those people who disappear from existence. 🙃

Jinkies is correct. Glad you enjoyed it

This year marks my second attempt at anthologies, and while the deadline can be a nuissance, I found it to be a breath of fresh air. Given a theme to work with, it's invigorating to interpret it in your own way. The anthology also presents opportunities you wouldn't expect. This year, I'm fortunate to co-write with one of my favorite authors on the site, and it's been an absolute blast. Being allowed to play in someone else's universe is truly a privilege and a pleasure. If every year's anthology offers a new adventure like this one, I'll participate until the end of my days.

Kasar's a bad boy blahblah Laptop's still missing blahblah Elijah and Kage are boinking like bunnies blahblahblah. Let's get down to the serious topic. Elijah... is totally right when it comes to waffles and syrup. Drench that thing! Waterboard it like that fire elemental! No? Too far? Leave no pocket dry!

Thanks, SR! Glad you liked it.

Thanks James 😊

Glad you like it! Sorry if there was some time in-between writing books. Sometimes life gets in the way. I love this series, and I can't wait until I get to the end.