Trebs

How GA Changed My Life Compiled By Renee Stevens I don't remember what really brought me to GA in the first place, but that's not important. What is important is what I found here at GA. I no longer get asked why I write what I write. Instead, I have found acceptance of my writing that I haven't really found anywhere else. I was made a part of this community and I have met so many wonderful people who I am honored to call my friends. Those friends have been instrumental in so many aspects of my writing, but even more than that, they have helped me through some extremely tough times, especially lately, and I don't know what I would do without them. They are always there to encourage me and many of them I talk to on a daily basis. I talk to them about everything from story plots to what is going on in life. I can only hope that I am there for them as much as they are there for me. With the way GA has helped me, I decided to ask GA Members to PM me with how GA has changed their own lives. I got a couple replies and if you feel like sharing something else, please feel free to do so via the comments!

You know how HARD it was to keep this a secret from you?!? GACK - I spent more time and energy than some of the surprises I've tried to pull on Dan! But you're soooo worth it (and the story is too).

I am especially thrilled to present today's review for you. I've been preparing for this for a while, went out and asked someone whose reviews I particularly enjoy and asked that person to give a review for this story that I personally LOVE! BUT - before we get to the story, I want to give a little plug for our Premium membership, especially as it seems like we haven't plugged Premium in almost a year (last July, if I recall correctly). We strive to keep most of GayAuthors.org as a totally free site, building a community of authors and readers, as well as the ever needed editors, beta readers, artists and the like. On the flip side, to host and bring you all of this content is quite expensive on a monthly basis - and is offset in a number of ways, from GoogleAds to Premium memberships. Premium memberships are one way for community members to help with the costs of GA.org, and in return, we try to give our Premium members exclusive content on a regular basis. The cost of a Premium membership decreases per month, for those members who purchase blocks of months. The current pricing scheme is: GA Premium Membership Price Structure 1 Month - $9.00 3 Months - $26.00 (save $1) 6 Months - $50.00 (save $4) 12 Months - $99.00 (Save $9) As someone points out - that's typically less than a couple of coffee's a month, and as you can see, the longer you subscribe, the more you save! Please consider joining as a Premium member. Thanks! As I mentioned, one of the benefits, or Thank You's, for Premium members is some exclusive content and recently, the Radiant Renee Stevens finished posting her story, Challenging Fate. I asked Joann414 if she would consider reviewing this story, and was thrilled when she agreed - actually, her exact words were "I fell in love with the story." With that - here is Joann's review of Renee's Challenging Fate. Challenging Fate Reviewed by: Joann414 Status: Complete Word Count:24,946 If you are like me and I am sure many other readers ,you have that certain genre or storyline that you look for in a story. Until I found GA, I had no interest whatsoever in fantasy. But, I ventured off into a story with unicorns and fell in love with it, so I decided to try dragons and found that many great stories are fantasy, and Challenging Fate is one of them. Cyan and Ryder are the two men/dragons in this story that keep you invested throughout the tale. Cyan is of the Warrior clan, but is spurned by his family and clan after is he shifts and shows his dragon side in his early teens and he is a blue dragon. The blue dragons are believed to be evil and even turn against their own family and clan. Ryder is of the Peacemaker clan, who are not allowed to associate with the Warrior clan, but do not see the blue dragon as evil. Several years after being outcast by his family and clan, Cyan happens upon Ryder being what appears to be brutally tortured by a wizard. He rescues Ryder from his captor, and the story becomes even more intense as the two try to sort out their feelings, the other's feeling, and how they feel being together. Sounds like a lot huh, but you have to remember that you are not only dealing with human emotions, but also the strength of a dragon in each of these characters. Once I started this story I did not stop reading. I read it at one sitting and was very sad to see it come to an end. The author makes you want to hug, slug, and kiss both Cyan and Ryder. This is one of the best stories that I have read here on GA. So go read and let Renee know how much you enjoyed her tale of the fates of the two man/dragons. Thank you Joann414 for the review, and I am glad you enjoyed a story that is one of my favorites as well - Trebs!

Sad but lovely. The twin repressions of being dead and gay. The handsome stranger who even if were similarly bent,could do so much better than who looked as poorly as him. Very lovely piece Libby - very enjoyablr

As we started April, instead of a trick, we got a treat in the start of this month's Can't Stop Reading Book Club which this month is featuring Josh's Blog by Hosted Author CarlHoliday. We hope you join many in the community and read this great story so you can join in our discussion which will be held on Monday, April 29th! Wednesday was again a wonderful entry in our monthly Ask an Author - we are so thankful to Dark for creating and managing this great look at various authors on the site. This month, he gives us insight into Luka Fox, Johnathan Colourfield and Andrew_Q_Gordon. Our Friday Prompt Me! gave us two really compelling prompts - Prompt 222, tagged "The Dream" and Prompt 223, tagged "The Beast". I can not wait to see where people go with these. We also enjoyed looking at Greg_A's response to last week's Prompt 220 - to start with the first line of "Why is my underwear hanging off the chandelier". Part of Greg's answer "You were very... entertaining Zach!" So - how was your week? Site Announcements: April is Team Recognition Month - Authors, please be sure to recognize your Team members! Anthology Announcements: Poetry Anthology "Whispers in the Dark" - Due April 15th - NINE DAYS AWAY! Summer Anthology "Roll the Dice" - Due June 8th NEW READING In Premium this week: There and Back Again by Michael9344 Burden of Secrets by Cia By our Hosted Authors this week: Palouse by rec Goon by dkstories The Secret Life of Billy Chase 7 by Comicality, Book 7 of The Secret Life of Billy Chase One Night by Cia In The Arms of an Angel by Nephylim, Book 1 of Wednesday Briefs Tentacles by Nephylim Friends First by Renee Stevens Legacy by Altimexis, Book 29 of Naptown Tales By our Promising Authors this week: Prompt Ramblings by Mann Ramblings GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban The Talents of the Fallen by JMH, Book 1 of the Fallen The Luxorian Fugitive by Mann Ramblings Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!! Special PS since you worked your way down here - OMG the new OneRepublic Native album is sooooo fantastic. "When I was a kid, I used to buy and sell gravity. I knew how to fly, and I would teach you for a fee." This has been an unpaid and unsolicited testimonial from Trebs...

Greg - NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition.... Um, I mean - ya, we like to surprise people here at the GA blog ;-)

Andy - it's been Friday on your side of the the Pond for so long, it's now Saturday!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Don't forget that April is Team Recognition Month, so don't forget to thank your teams! Author's know better than anyone how valuable editors, beta readers and the like really help to mold and tighten their stories, to make them a better finished product. Now is your chance to recognize those who help you I love the features that some members have come up with on their own. Dark's "Ask An Author" series is one of them - a great look at our favorite authors and some additional insight on who they are. Dark came up with the idea and does all of the work on it - and as such, is a fantastic contribution to not only this GayAuthors.org News Blog, but to the entire site. So, with much thanks, here is the latest in his series: Ask an Author #3 Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors! In AtA #2, we had questions for authors Graeme, Andrew Todd, and Joann414. In AtA #3, we hear from Luka Fox, Johnathan Colourfield, and Andrew Q Gordon. For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual. Today’s first author is another Aussie, young newcomer Luka Fox. Since joining GA in October of 2012, this young woman has been posting a delightful coming of age story called Domino. Domino’s main character Jacob gets dealt a lot in that first chapter, but Luka Fox keeps him loveable and engaging. To Luka Fox: Do you have any writing rituals? Nothing that I do consciously. But I have noticed that I sit in front of my computer for a good few hours before I can actually start. I don't even think about the story in particular, but it's like I just can't start writing straight away and I need to give myself some time to settle down or whatever. Oh and also music, I can't write without music, but nothing intrusive or anything. I like to listen to stuff like The Lumineers, or Imagine Dragons where the beat is enough to distract me when I can't think, and perfect for encouraging fast typing for when I can. The next author today is Brit Johnathan Colourfield. He’s an actor! as well as a writer, with plans to teach in the future. Now, JC hasn’t quite been around forever, but he has been here since 2008, so that’s plenty long enough. With 27 different stories over the years, there’s a little something for everyone. His latest completed story is The Woman's Game, but don’t let the name throw you. There’s some sci-fi, some vampires, and 60k worth of words to enjoy. To Johnathan Colourfield: What is your favorite character in a GA story you didn't write? Why? My favourite character in a story would be 'Silver' in Enigma by Nephylim. She really has created a sublime character which is almost as complicated as the author herself. It was an excellent well penned character - and also character revelation and i look forward to hearing more from the character in future tales. Newly-published and Premium Content (and Hosted) Author Andrew Q Gordon is today's last author. If you’ve been around GA for the last couple years, you may remember Andrew by his pseudonym: Quonus10. Of course, we all called him Q and you still see his namesake in Andrew’s profile pic. It’s lucky Andrew started down the road to being published, because otherwise we’d have never seen pictures of the Mysterious Mike! Or the darling Lil’Q. Wander on by Andrew’s website (http://andrewqgordon.com/) to gawk and say hi, and don’t forget to check out the stories! To Andrew Q Gordon: Have you and Mike made your final plans and will it be a big or small intimate wedding? We have not finalized plans for many reasons, most completely lame. But the issue of big or small is one of the sticking points. He doesn't want anything other than a small ceremony. I want some kind of after wedding party - and I don't mean a big sit down dinner with a band and stuff. I think we'll end up a reception at the house - maybe get a tent for the back yard in case of rain. That way we can invite friends and family and not have it be a huge deal. So we're discussing weekends when it makes the most sense. That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat! Coming next time: comicfan, Cia, and C James. Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark)! Until next time! Dark

No Andy, you just need your keyboard with you whilest you are in said gutter ;-) PS You'll just get warnings if you concurrently send pics to me of your stories by PM :halo:

Cell phones with group texting works better than a bell ;-)

Well - I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccckkK! I want to thank everyone for their well wishes while I was in the hospital. I'm home now, and loving that part, but still isolated to the bedroom because of immuno-suppression. Right now, physically I feel great, but as my sister's cells finish grafting and producing new blood cells, especially white ones, I have to keep isolated and constantly washing hands, being careful, etc. But on the good side, I have my laptop, and can fully rejoin our community here and give Radiant Renee Stevens a bit of a break, since she and Cia have been so fantastic in keeping the blog going in my absence. They'll still be hard at work on the blog (heh - Renee has some content ready for the next few MONTHS) but I can help out more by being the main public face of the blog again. If you were chatting with Renee about things, such as reviews or anything - continue to work with her. I'm just here to smile and look pretty! Hehe - so with that out of the way, what a great week the blog has had. Monday, we wrapped up the March Can't Stop Reading Book Club with the story discussion on Libby Drew's State of Mind. If you haven't chimed in, you can still add to the comments on the Monday blog entry. Stay tuned to this upcoming Monday to see what story we're going to feature for April! Wednesday was again a wonderful entry in our monthly "Pulse Behind the GA Crowd" - a feature created and ran by our great Yettie One. For March, Yettie One interviewed Andrew Todd, author of the Riding Lessons series. I love Yettie's interviews for giving us so much additional background on the authors that we love here at GA. Our Friday Prompt Me! - oh MY (to quote my favorite Takei). Not only did Comicfan give us two GREAT new prompts, we also got a look at the beginning of a story by Layla that was started from last week's prompt. Between love for this new story and the interest generated by the new prompts, it is only Friday night and we ALREADY have 15 comments on this blog entry. So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Poetry Anthology "Whispers in the Dark" - Due April 15th Summer Anthology "Roll the Dice" - Due June 8th NEW READING In Premium this week: There and Back Again by Michael9344 Burden of Secrets by Cia By our Hosted Authors this week: Goon by dkstories Palouse by rec The Secret Life of Billy Chase 7 by Comicality, Book 7 of The Secret Life of Billy Chase Flash Fiction - Second Shot - The Senior Year by Andrew_Q_Gordon In The Arms of an Angel by Nephylim, Book 1 of Wednesday Briefs Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia Friends First by Renee Stevens Odyssey by Mark Arbour, Book 6 of Bridgemont Crosscurrents by Adam Phillips Legacy by Altimexis, Book 29 of Naptown Tales By our Promising Authors this week: Prompt Ramblings by Mann Ramblings Blind Dates by FrenchCanadian Secrets and Lies by Dolores Esteban The Luxorian Fugitive by Mann Ramblings Because it Was Fun by Menzoberranzen Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

WAY too good!

Home now :-)

Doctor just came through, expressed concerns on what extra to be careful of, but said I can go. So probably 1:30-2pm today :-)

Great news Andy. Dan and I are almost to 8 years - in July.

Update - it's been 12 days since the transplant of my sister's bone marrow/stem cells and I'm still feeling pretty good. Have had mild nausea twice in the past week (but immediately controlled by medication) and minor headaches/body aches, but overall, no major side effects. My platelets have been coming back strong (138 today which is just shy of normal range of 140-440). My white cells also are coming back well at 1.0 (was 0.5 just a week ago and normal is 4.1-10.9), but my ANC, or Absolute Neutropenic Count, the real "how well I fight off infections" is down at 0.16, with normal 4.2-6.3. So - normally they like the ANC to have started recovery, but with everything else coming in strong, as long as there are no complications, we're planning on me being able to go home THIS Friday! Now, once I get home, I'll still be in isolation in my bedroom, but at least it will be at home and not here in the hospital. Twice a week, a nurse will come out and draw blood for them to check that I'm still doing well, and if I get a fever or other symptoms, I may need to be readmitted. I'll also come back occasionally for clinic visits with my doctor to talk through status and stuff. Dan and the kids have been cleaning the house, especially the bedroom, and Dan changed out the air filters in the house. The dogs are going to be kept downstairs only - and when I go from car to bedroom, they'll be out on the patio for now. When my numbers recover a bit, I can visit them for short periods while wearing a breathing mask, and then immediately wash my hands when I get back in the room. Seeing the kids will be easier, but again - if they mention they've been around anyone sick at school, it will be just chatting via phone like we do now. A big part of the difference between my recovery this time and when I did the transplant with my own cells four years ago (an autologous SCT) is that due to potential host-graph rejection issues, I'll be on anti-rejection drugs for a while. These drugs suppress the immune system so where as last time, my immune system came back before my body did (I was really weak from the heavy chemo last time) - well, this time, my body feels great and I have energy, but for a long time, I won't have an immune system strong enough to do everyday things. It's a tradeoff - but the payoff is if all goes well, Mary's cells won't just keep me in remission, but could actually cure the Mantle Cell Lymphoma so it never comes back. In other news, really hopeful with the Supreme Court cases and have been very touched by all of the people who have been showing red profiles. Ya - it's not going to influence the justices, but it DOES show support and that is always a good thing. Hopefully, the next update will be from home - catch ya all later!

Thanks Rob - great interview! I've really been enjoying Riding Lessons so nice to see more about the man behind the story. And gotta agree, I love the community here at GA

For long time DK fans, you may recognize Dan's concept for IT, which he also reworked to be a story in a story as Ganymede within his "Phone Call" story. The beginning of IT was written and hosted on DaBeagle's Doghouse website as well. Dan decided to focus on some of his other stories, especially Do Over around that time. Fortunately, someone who wanted to get into the movie business came across information for IT a few years back, got in touch with Dan and the two of them kicked some ideas around. Although he had not written much of the actual IT story, he had the background, character workups, summaries of the other alien races and a general timeline. He used some of these details in Phone Call, treating Ganymede as a Sci-Fi TV show. So Alex Bright, the person who wanted to get into the movie business offered to shop the idea around and has some interesting successes, although nothing that came to full fruition. To help shop the idea, there were even a few panels of a comic, along with graphic workups of the aliens. Now Alex is trying to promote IT on filmbreak.com and we'll see if the interest is there. I urge any of Dan's fans to make an account on filmbreak and click the various buttons to Hype and share the concept page. The full URL is http://www.filmbreak.com/projects/imperialis-tellus

Great start so far - lots of character details but of course, want MORE! I can't wait to see the rest of the story - read it before (of course) but forgot how it all plays out.

Two recent FB posts From Mar 18 at 9:49pm near Sacramento: Day 3 after my transplant - continuing to feel really good, but have been warned that typically 6-7 days after (so this Thurs or Fri), I'll probably dip low on platelets and/or hemoglobin and need a blood transfusion. So, while I wish I was home with Dan and the kids, I know I'm being watched carefully around the clock until things get stable (another 11-17 days). Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words - they are all much appreciated! And from today, Thurs Mar 21: Zofran IV push - it's a good thing :-) Today started well but by midday, headache, minor body ache (took tylenol) and then tonight, mild nausea, which is what the Zofran helps with. I also realize, I'm past the halfway point for this inpatient stay. Got here on Mar 3 so today's 19 days down, 8-14 more days to go after today!

It was indirect, but it could be argued that Trevor was responsible for some of the pirate's deaths in the Indian Ocean, due to his action of disabling their boat.

Shane may be the heart needing to be restarted after STANDING in two feet of water when the lightning hit and spread to all exposed hull and "flesh". As to the Sea Witch - hoping the PORT engine running in the red, explodes just as Xavier is checking on it (per Bridget's order) and between only one live engine and water coming into the boat through the hole in the bathroom (caused by Trevor's second shot) cause it to be sunk by Dean - esp as I also notice while mentioned twice, we are never told the damage done by his first shot to the PORT side.

I also am amazed at the planning that had to go into it. I never saw a break in any of the four panels, so each was done as a one-shot scene, with perfect timing and coordination. Lots of story boarding and planning for a fantastic video!

I'm fine with the Ides of March, just wondering if Dan can smuggle in a can Guinness for two days after

So, for those not on Facebook, back on Feb 22 I gave an update on my health status with: Here's today's update: Just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on for me. Just finished the first of the two weeks of prep for the bone marrow transplant. My sister's cells were collected back on Feb 21 and are frozen and waiting and I'll get them this coming Friday, March 15. This past week was daily radiation treatment in the morning - what's called TLI or "Total Lymphoid Irradiation" - which means just of the major lymph systems, not of the whole body (which is TBI). So - it takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on how long it takes for them to line everything up. When I got back from radiation, I then had an infusion of ATG, which is the anti-rejection drug so to lower any chance of rejecting my sister's cells. It's not a lot of volume, but they infuse it slowly so it actually takes 12 hours. This weekend is a "rest period" - I'm still in the hospital and getting IV saline (for hydration), but nothing really big. Monday, I'll start the morning radiation again with Thursday both a morning session and then one afternoon one six hours later. I'm done with the ATG - that's only done for the first week. And like I said - Friday morning, they warm up and infuse the cells from my sister. They'll be more drugs starting Thursday to minimize any potential host/graph rejection issues, and after the transplant, I'll still be in here for 14-20 days (basically, when my blood counts show that the transplant has taken root in my bones and producing sufficient white cells that I can go home). And at that point, it is being able to live at home, but isolated and just getting stronger for a few months and then back to work! So - mood has been decent. I get a little stir crazy but still keeping in decent touch with the "outside world." Appreciate all of the notes and messages I've gotten. A good friend recently posted that she didn't realize she was so grateful for Facebook, cause she was missing me and then realized he could check on me. My brother posted something similar as well. And I agree - I get to see a little bit of all of your lives as well, and don't feel isolated even if I'm "stuck" here for a month. AND if anyone wants to add me as a friend on Facebook, I am www.facebook.com/Trebs - but send me a message too so I know who the request came from please.