astone2292

I am left impressed with this short story. Misplacing a kitten can be stressful and heart-wrenching. What comes next in this story is equally, if not, more. Buckle in and read, folks. Brilliant use of this year's theme, Secret Author!

This story hit me. I was fully entranced by the lost kitten, and fully expected the entire story to be about finding the hidden kitten. Then WHAM! We dive down the poor parenting rabbit hole. I haven't been this blindsided since Yeoldebard's "The Neko's Tale." Very impressive interpretation of the theme, Secret Author.

This little story checked all of my short story likes. Out of the ordinary? Yep! Kept my attention? Yes'sir! Gave me a few giggles? Teehee! An excellent story to start off this year's Secret Author contest!

Kbois was my knee-jerk reaction as well!! This was a fun read. The lingering want for another that has been stretched over time... Oooh I simply love it! Brilliant work, Secret Author!

Author Guess... What? What do you mean there isn't an AGW segment this month? Wait, this was my idea in the first place. Hang on a minute, let me get my megaphone. 🚨 ATTENTION AUTHORS 🚨 The Secret Author Contest deadline is approaching! Act like fighter jets and scramble! That is, of course, if you haven't gotten your submission all polished and dolled up. For those that already have your ducks in a row, congratulations. Grab some popcorn and wait in the comment section (silently, as to avoid being guessed when the stories begin posting) to watch the rest of us sprint to our keyboards. If you missed the memo, there's less than TWO WEEKS REMAINING to finish your stories. As a reminder, here are the general rules and required metadata for the Secret Author Contest: DEADLINE TO SUBMIT STORIES: July 24th, 2024 THEME: "Hidden" GENERAL RULES: One story per author Don't share your idea, work in progress, or completed work with anyone but your team (editor/beta-reader) Your story must be "new content" to remain anonymous (can not be set in previous series/worlds) Allowed story length: 3,000 to 30,000 words Chapters: 1 Story Chapter posted to GA (you can use ** or a double line break to indicate scene and timeline jumps). Send Format: Word or Google Doc (PM Cia if you share via Google Docs, please!) METADATA REQUIRED: Title Description Story Note Chapter Note Genre(s) (3 Max) Audience Rating Tags (6 Max) I'd like to take a moment to chat with those who haven't participated in a GA Secret Author Contest. Some of you might be asking, "Why? Why would I not want to let readers know that I'm the author?" Easy! The Secret Author Contest is designed for readers to stumble upon new authors this way. Using my participation in last year's contest as an example, I discovered several authors I would've normally steered away from. But I loved their styles! I enjoyed the tales they spun. Because of this contest, I still read those authors' works. And in return, I obtained new readers because of my submission. Not to mention, the whole finger-pointing and accusing who wrote what is an absolute blast! So, for those of you who are interested. You have less than two weeks. Dig deep in your "to-write" pile (because we all have one, don't deny it), and let your creativity fly! 3,000 word minimum. 30,000 word maximum. Spin a short tale that's surely going to grab someone's attention! Use a personal experience or fantasy that's been lurking in the recesses of your noggin. Jump in and get your feet wet in a genre you've always wanted to play in. Just remember the theme for this year: "Hidden." Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work on my submiss--- I MEAN... nothing. Forget I said anything. In fact, assume I'm using psychology tactics to make you think I'm entering the contest when I'm really not, but in actuality I'm saying this as a ruse to make you believe I... *sigh* Never mind, I'm going to take a nap.

Safe travels, Grumpy!! Always happy to hear from ya. Best of luck in future writing, and I'm delighted to hear you're kicking depression's tushie!! My inbox is always open if you need an open ear to vent at or just chat 💜

Time's up! Two weeks have come and gone. Now let's see who put their best guessing hats on. If you just so happened to miss the Author Guess Who interview for this month, make sure you click... > > > HERE < < < ... to see what this month's mystery author had to say! Without further ado, time for the big reveal! This author... has posted over three million words! This author... has over seventy stories for you to read! This author... is... quokka Wowzers! Looks like y'all took your guessing vitamins this month! A major thank you for @quokka for taking part in our little guessing game. Go give their stories a good reading. Here's three that Quokka wanted to feature for everyone to check out! And as always, we're looking for more mystery authors to play along! If you'd like to have the GA community up in arms and pointing accusatory fingers, send me a PM. I'll send you a lovely list of questions for you, and we'll giggle together as the comment section dons their detective hats.

Second Thursday of the month is here! Second Thursday of the month is here! Why am I repeating myself like this? Because I got ice cream from the ice cream truck while at work today! I heard it coming and rushed out the store yelling and waving with my energy and hopes at an all-time high. Best day I've had in a long, long time considering it was the second time in my life getting to purchase from an ice cream truck. I'll forever be a child, and I'm standing by that statement. However, I'm putting on my adult blogging hat. Time for another edition of Author Guess Who! If you ask me, this is a great way to exercise your guessing ability. As a reminder, the Secret Author submissions are due on July 24th of this year, so get those in! For now, let's flex our minds and figure out who this month's mystery author could be... • • • • • What is one thing the GA community might not know about you? That I have suffered from Depression & Anxiety for most of my adult life. I was recently diagnosed with Adult form of ADHD and was diagnosed with Dyslexia in my late teens. You're making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What are your choices for ingredients? Crunchy/creamy peanut butter? Jelly or jam? Creamy Peanut Butter or Peanut Paste as we call it in Oz, And Raspberry Jam. What prompted you to write your first story? Always been interested in writing since a young age, since about twelve, helps me to destress and relax. Do you have a significant other? I have been and always will be single. You're stuck on an island. You're allowed one book, one food item, and one beverage. What are they? I am David’ by Ann Holm, Mangoes, Fresh Water If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be? My idol author - Ms Beatrix Potter Are you a dog or cat person? Dogs and cats, grew up with both on the farm. What is something on your bucket list? To travel to the Isle of Man & Scotland Hey, how about that? Teleportation was just invented. Where's the first place you're going? Don't worry, the purple portal pad is totally safe. The Moon Is there a fictional character you look up to? Who is it? Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew What is your favorite movie/television show? Movie - Dam Busters & The Great Escape. TV - Catweasle / All Creatures Great & Small (original) How would you describe the taste of salt to someone who has never had it before? Ocean Water When you go on vacation/holiday, when do you pack your suitcase? The night before, a few hours before the plane takes off? A week before, & Repack two Days before. What would you say is your greatest accomplishment? Being an online author. Only thing i have been good at all my life. • • • • • I don't know about you, but I only got Aussie out of that. Did you get a hint or notion out of this month's Author Guess Who interview? Make sure you put your guesses in the comment section below, even if it's a wild accusation! We'll be back in two weeks with the reveal!

Happy Birthday, Val!!! And you know if you ever need a blog written on the fly, you can always come to me 💜 Now off I go to get Author Guess Who ready for publishing... because I totally remembered to do that with no help from an alarm I set last week.

You will never know how hard I just cackled at this.

It seems the authors have been busy with their noses buried in the upcoming Secret Author Contest. Not that I blame 'em, it's a fun event to partake in. While the authors, myself included, are typing away in utter secrecy, let's do another community edition of Ask An Author! Yes, that means you, my dear reader, get to partake in this month's fun. Normally, we have some questions for an author about a particular story of theirs or about themselves as a person. Instead, everyone can answer! Don't worry, I'm not asking for much. We did a version of this over a year ago, and it turned out well with over seventy-five comments. Let's see if we can break a hundred... Gay Authors community, here are your questions: Life has given you a potato. What are you going to do with it? Which Gay Authors story are you reading currently? What singular superpower would you love to possess? Be creative and personal with your responses! Put some thought into them, and let your fingers fly across your keyboard. I'll even start things off! Just a singular potato? I wish I had a few more, I'd make thousand-layer duck fat potatoes. This one better be a Yukon Gold... I'll probably create fondant potatoes with some butter, garlic, and thyme. Wait, no! Rosemary. Yeah, rosemary. I've been perusing a bit as of late. A bit of Rob Colton's Timber Pack Chronicles, a bit of Cia's Carthera Tales... I've been in a mood for what inspired me to start writing in the first place. Duh, flight? I don't care if I have to sprout wings or wear special shoes for it, I need to get in the air! No more traffic jams, no silly-billy drivers with zero common sense, and no restrictions of staying on a road. Let's hear it, people! Sound off below with your responses to these questions! And don't forget to send me questions for authors you'd like to see featured on the site... or else next month's Ask An Author's community questions will be much, much more intense, and not in the fun way.

Me? Evil? Nonsense.

A well-deserved promotion! Congratulations, Wolf! Welcome to the purple people-eaters! 💜

Is there a maximum word count? I'll probably limit myself to a 10k word count due to the one chapter per story limit, but clarification is always appreciated. 💜

I hope y'all had a wonderful break from me. Big shoutie-outie for @Valkyrie and all of those who participated in this year's Poetry Anthology! Onto our next edition of Ask An Author! Yes, yes, I'm sure everyone missed me and my fat fingers as I bring you wonderful interviews. Let's get right into it, shall we? We have an amazing author lined up, so grab your popcorn and a drink while we see what kind of questions we have. • • • • • lawfulneutralmage 2 Stories / 99,604 Words What prompted you to start writing, and what has kept you going? I am a keen table-top role-playing gamer. My first RPG rule book, Shadowrun v2, contained a chapter explaining what role-playing means. The game designers asked the readers whether they had ever read a book and imagined they were the main character and in the described situation in the book, they would do something completely different. Role-playing would allow the reader to impersonate a character and act upon a described situation. Furthermore, the rule book stated that a character can be easily forgotten or, if well played, be someone a player would fondly remember. The difference, the rule book continued, was how much effort a player invested in a character. I have always invested a lot in my characters. Descriptions of family members and family history (where applicable), appearance and demeanour, and, of course, personal histories explaining why a character was who he was and why he was doing what he was doing. Sometimes, that was a long text. I think the maximum was twenty-four A4 pages. I even had one or two Game Masters (GM) who read it. Later, I started writing for some characters and their pivotal experiences as stories. In 2022, a new Game Master set a particular challenge. All characters had to be genuine criminals and on the run. That is not easy for me. My characters always have a detailed background with proper reasoning for what they are doing. I cannot justify proper criminal behavior, i.e. greed or hunger for power. I could write it, but I could not “feel” it. Therefore, I had to come up with something that was a justifiable and understandable crime. For me, it could only be some form of self-defense getting out of control. So, I wrote “Unchained” and shared it with the role-playing group who, all cis-hetero men, gave very positive feedback. When browsing GA and reading about the Secret Author Contest 2023, I thought “Why not?” I started going through the writing resources on GA, did some editing (poorly I know now) and asked it to be included. For me, the feedback to “Unchained” was fantastic, especially as most people I asked responded to my requests for further info. By that time, I had completed my run as Game Master with a TPK (total party kill – GM hint: never split the party!). However, the players wanted to know how the story ended. Therefore, I started writing it as a story with one of the non-player characters they had met as MC. It quickly got out of hand, i.e. took pages and pages and just did not want to come to an end. The positive experience from “Unchained” gave me the energy to continue that story. I intend to publish it on GA once it is done. To conclude my elaborate answer, I write and I continue doing so because I love stories. I keep posting on GA because it is an encouraging community. What genres do you enjoy writing, and what genre have you always wanted to explore? I love fantasy stuff, magic if it is at least somehow logically explained, and science-fiction under the same condition. In these areas I “know” stuff. I could not write about a genre I really know nothing about e.g. Westerns. What inspired you to write a police procedural that morphed into a supernatural thriller? In Great Britain, I was a volunteer police officer for ten years, a Special Constable. They have the same police powers as regular officers and the same uniform, apart from a crown on the epaulets. I was lucky enough to be based in a small but very busy station. I was able to experience a lot, either crewed with a regular officer or later with a fellow Special. I miss policing dearly. Sometimes, I am asked to tell some stories, and I realized people were actually quite interested. With that in mind, I planned to record some of my experiences. In 2021, my role-playing group started a Savage Worlds “Super Heroes” campaign where the Game Master had us make normal characters who would discover their super powers gradually. My character was Jamie, a young but experienced, gay police officer. A friend’s character was someone like Rupert Morris-Walker, an upcoming conservative politician from the ubiquitous upper crust. The group had a run-in with a supernatural creature that was after the politician, and that encounter activated parts of Jamie’s powers and got him suspended. Unfortunately, we have never continued that storyline and never will, because that GM retired from mastering. I was annoyed, because I loved Jamie and the story. When I just could not stand my 84 pages fantasy story anymore (see question 1), I needed to let it rest and concentrate on something else. At the same time, there was a discussion an GA about writing first-person-point-of-view i.e. the main character’s viewpoint and how difficult that was and how annoying it could be. Again, I thought “Why not?” I had a character I loved in Jamie whose world changes completely. I could explore what he felt by trying the first-person PoV which made me fall in love with him even more, and I had a topic I loved to talk to about in policing. So, the idea for “Special Circumstances” was born. Due to that PoV discussion on GA, I contacted Mikiesboy whether he would be willing to have a look at what I had written. He did … and tore it apart (nicely). He made me read Stephen King’s “On Writing” (most strongly recommended!!!). Mikiesboy was able to make me see “it”: let the characters tell, don’t describe too much, readers will imagine etc. He showed me how to write a story, not a description or a technical manual. CassieQ came back to me a bit later and was willing to have a look, too. She “hit me with the feelings stick”, making me rewrite stuff I thought was clear and asked questions I had hoped nobody would ask or I had thought had obvious answers. To give an idea of the transformation, my first chapter of about 7,800 words turned into four chapters of about about 20,000 words after they had put their hands on it. It was fun! Dear experienced writers, please help newbies by editing! What is one story/book you could read until the end of time and why? What a limitation! There is so much good stuff out there! My favorite commercial authors are Timothy Zahn and Raymond E. Feist. I have all their books and have read them several times. My favorite Zahn story is the Conquerors Trilogy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquerors%27) in which the first book is written from the Human perspective, the second from Alien perspective, and the third mixing them. What a world building! My favorite fantasy story is the Raymond E. Feist / Jenny Wurtz’es Empire Trilogy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Trilogy) featuring the political machinations in a Human society resembling a mix of East Asia, Zulu, and Aztec cultures. The world they are painting is so alive. However, the book I have read most often and since moving to Norway, yearly, is Melissa Scott’s science-fiction book “The Kindly Ones” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1268281.The_Kindly_Ones). It first mentioned gay characters in any book I could access. Also, the MC’s gender is never revealed. So, this book was my first exposure to LGBT characters and dark, cold places. If you could chat/gush about one story you've written, which one? Well, I like both of them, but Jamie and policing are closer to my heart, so “Special Circumstances” it is. That story will always have a special place in my heart. • • • • • Thanks for the interview, lawfulneutralmage! It was fun to read your responses. As for the rest of y'all, make sure to send me some questions for future Ask An Author articles via PM. If you can't come up with questions, you can list an author for me to send some of my own! Until next month!

What a treat to wake up to! Thank you so much for the kind words! 💜

Mace's mom is awesome! One of my preferred side characters 💜

Might need a glass of milk to go with that sweetness overload.

Glad to have ya readin'!! I'm excited to follow along with the comments.

I shall put spy novel on my list... *looks at the mile-long text document* *shivers*

Ah, the fourth Thursday of the month. We all know what that means, right? It's time for the Author Guess Who reveal! Did y'all have any guesses as to who the mystery author could be? If not, time to take another look at the interview... > > > HERE < < < So, we have someone who is a fan of both Alan Alda and Jerry Seinfeld, has two Bachelor degrees, and is allergic to dogs. Well, that last part is pretty tragic. How awful! Unable to pet floofy doggos... Those poor, happy puppers who won't get a petting from the human with allergies. I might shed a tear. *sniffle* Put your Kleenexes away because it's time to reveal this month's mystery author! It is... a Promising Author! This author... has written 734,400 words! This author... is... astone2292 Teehee! C'mon, now. Y'all thought I wouldn't hold back my ego and be a part of the game? To be fair, I had my interview ready for almost two years. I just had to make a tweak or seven. Or was it twelve? I don't know, it was a number or four. Anyway, here's three of my stories/collections I'm most proud of! If you would like to participate in a future Author Guess Who interview, send me a PM (private message)! Author Guess Who is a fun way to get some exposure in our little GA community, and it will allow others to get to know you a little bit. I'll see ya in a few weeks for April's AGW!

A thousand apologies for being a little late for this month's Author Guess Who! But don't worry, it's here. Y'all know the drill, and if you're new, the game is simple. Read and analyze the following interview with the mystery author, then sound off in the comment section below and guess the author! In two weeks, our author will be revealed for all to point fingers at and, in a Family Fued-like sigh, say "Ohhh... that one!" • • • • • What is one thing that most GA members might not know about you? I got a two-for-one special when I graduated college. After taking two random electives, my advisor told me I got the proper credits for a second Bachelors degree. Yippee!! What prompted you to write your first story? I tend to daydream a lot, and I can safely do that while I work at my job. I kept coming back to the same thought train, and I built on it. Before I knew it, I had the bones for a story. Letting my overactive imagination do something productive for once, I sat down, gave my characters some names, and typed a whole book! What genre of books do you enjoy reading and have you written for that genre? I'll read anything, but I am a sucker for a murder-mystery! Each page/chapter gets me on the edge of my seat, and I have a hard time stopping until I reach the end. I have not written a mystery and while I want to, I can not keep a secret. The urge to drop hints in the comment section would tempt me. Is there a genre that you haven’t written for that you would consider trying later on? I have written/am currently writing every genre I wanted to write, so let me think about my options here... I believe Fantasy is next on my list. The thought of going deep into world building leaves me nervous. I'm not the best at detail tracking. What do like most about publishing on GA? The community! The members of this site's community are so welcoming and friendly. When I post a chapter, I find myself visiting the site on a regular basis to find a fresh comment or reaction. Getting feedback is beyond important, and I think this is what sets GA above the other self-publishing websites. Do you have any unique writing habits or rituals to help you get into a writing mood? I get bored, pull out my phone, and write whenever I can. Five minutes can get me a couple of paragraphs, and that helps out tremendously! How has your writing style evolved over time? I started writing as a hobby, but even after a year, I have noticed a considerable difference. I tested the waters with a few new concepts in character dialogue, and from the feedback I received, it was a fantastic gamble! I don't believe my style has fully developed yet, but watching it grow has placed a fat grin on my face. Do you have a significant other? Yep. I married the man I love, and I only hope for countless years with him. Do you have any pets? Nope. The husband wants a husky, even though I'm allergic to dogs. Do you post multi-chapter stories as you write? Do you wait until you’ve finished writing the entire story? Or is it something in between? I used to post chapters as I write, but I've strayed away from it as of late. Unfortunately, that left me with several WIPs, and I can't decide which one to focus on for posting. Maybe I need to go back to my roots to feel the urgency to keep posting chapters on time. What is your favorite television show? I'll have to say M*A*S*H*. I grew up watching the show, as reruns came on when I got home from the bus stop. Hawkeye became my role model. Like him, I combat my life with a cheery smile, but my emotions often get the best of me. Hawkeye's way of pushing down his growing depression using comedy, speaks to me. Same goes for when he stumbles into a serious situation and that flip-switch gets hit for him to be equally serious/angry. What is your favorite movie? It's not a movie, but I watch Oh, Hello on Broadway on a very regular basis. The target audience is a little narrow, but I love every New York and theater reference. No matter how many times I watch it, I always get a laugh from several lines, particularly, "Could you go get me a Ferrero Rocher chocolate? Or a Lindt Lindor truffle? My favorite flavor is blue." Do you write poetry? Prose? Or both? Nope. I'm not sure if I'll ever dive into it, but I might give it a shot at some point. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be? Jerry Seinfeld. I talk like him, I act like him, and I want to meet him. What would you say is your greatest accomplishment? I was one of the two students to graduate from my high school with a Vocational Technical Honors diploma in the school's history, despite it being quite easy to obtain. It was a complete accident since the guidance counselor had no idea the diploma existed in our state's educational system. That meeting three days before graduation will always reside in my mind. • • • • • If Alan Alda and Jerry Seinfeld had a love child? I'm slightly concerned. KIDDING!! I'm kidding. I'm sure this author is a wonderful person and deserves the Author Guess Who spotlight. See y'all in two weeks! Put your guesses in the comment section below, and don't be afraid to throw a random author out there.

Do you know how tempting it was to copy and paste the intro to this article? The weather has been absolutely insane. California is buried in snow, and the high today here in Banjoland was 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This is wild! But you're not here to talk about the weather. What was that Oscar Wilde quote? "Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative." I would also say you're not here to read quotes, but this is an Ask An Author interview, so I suppose you could quote the following author. This month, I had the opportunity to proverbially sit down with @AusGlitterati with some questions. Let's see what they said! • • • • • AusGlitterati 15 Stories / 723,080 Words What prompted you to start writing, and what has kept you going? I've always had an interest in writing stories - creative writing lessons at school were my jam! I used to write fanfiction about shows I watched growing up - Cyberchase, Arthur, Scooby Doo! In fact, I was "outed" because my dad found and read something I'd written as a self-insert in a Scooby Doo story - I'd made myself Fred's boyfriend (Freddie Prinze Jr was my first remembered crush!) I also created and uploaded many stories in the Story Designer mode in the WWE games! The direct answer to the question is that I don't know what really prompted me to start. I always just wanted to do it I enjoyed the stories told in books, cartoons and eventually games, and wanted to do that myself. I never did complete a story until adulthood - To The Stars - partly because I didn't think anyone was interested in gay fiction. It was literally GayAuthors and the incredible community that helped me reach critical mass and publish something and it's the community that keeps me coming back! What genres do you enjoy writing, and what genre have you always wanted to explore? I really enjoy writing drama/comedy - it's no coincidence that lot of my plot and characters are driven heavily by dialogue. I don't know if the chicken or the egg came first, but they seem to go hand in hand. I've had a go at writing mysteries in my two short stories - I definitely want to give that a proper crack! I'd also like to challenge myself with a supernatural story! Do you have a favorite food or beverage? Something you could have every day without growing tired of it. Coffee is the easy but copout answer - but we tend to downplay caffeine addiction, so I might instead go with salmon. The ONLY reason I don't live off salmon is that it would literally bankrupt me. 😜 What is one story/book you could read until the end of time and why? Oooft this is a challenging one to answer because I go through phases. Deltora Quest was a major part of my childhood and I do go back to it even now, partially for the nostalgia and partly because DUDE, Deltora Quest is lit! If you could chat/gush about one story you've written, which one? I might pick To The Stars because I don't know how many stories have been published about professional wrestlers. Part of the reason I wrote it was because I'd never seen one before! It was a little bit of a mess - the story changed in scope and direction several times while I was in the middle of writing it - but it was my first one and it's my baby! • • • • • Thanks for the interview, AusGlitterati! It was fun to read your responses. As for the rest of y'all, make sure to send me some questions for future Ask An Author articles via PM. If you can't come up with questions, you can list an author for me to send some of my own! Until next month!