Trebs

If you didn't see yesterday's blog entry, the Fall Anthology: Friends & Enemies is now live. Thirteen great new stories for all to read - check them out! Also, on Thursday, we put out a new inquiry from Podiumdavis. PD has been fantastic in compiling various responses toautors on questions like How would you cast your story? and others. This time, he has a one for anyone who wants to reply, not just our authors. So the inquiry is: If you're interested, send your response on this to Podiumdavis and in a short while, we'll post the best ones. And now - on to the rest of our week in review... We started the week with Hosted Author C James's For The Love, reviewed by Wildone. This was one of CJ's early stories, from the days when he was still just a Prince of Cliffhangers. For our Toss Up Tuesday, we were treated to a great Interview with Cailen, conducted by Comicfan. Great new insight to this author/graphic artist. Wednesday, we saw in the Author Showcase a review by Radiant Renee Stevens of A Day in a Life of Misery by Promising Author Skylights, as well as Sidlove's review of Author lilansui's Bovian Image. We had a wonderful contribution on Thursday from Dark on Why a Beta? Dark also included some outside articles that helped on this subject. For our weekly Prompts, Comicfan (who never disappoints), provided us with two really interesting creative prompts. We also looked at three different responses to the previous week's Prompt 165. Lastly, in place of our normal Saturday blog entry, we had the announcement of the Fall Anthology. So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Winter Anthology "Desperate Ends"- Due Dec 8th Special Mayan Tribute Anthology "End of the World"- Due Dec 14th NEW READING In Premium this week: Chosen of Honorus by Quonus10, Book 1 of Champions of The Gods (TWO chapters this week) By our Hosted Authors this week: Paternity by Mark Arbour, Book 12 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) Role Reversal by Bill W Legacy by Altimexis, Book 29 of Naptown Tales Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia Circumnavigation by C James By our Promising Authors this week: The Prompt You Say! by comicfan Reach by CassieQ Protector of Children by David McLeod Murder in the City by CassieQ The English Year by Jwolf Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

So - since there may be a malicious rumour going around today, I just want to verify, today is NOT my birthday... Couldn't be - I stopped having them about 20 years ago BUT - if for some reason, you decide to listen to such spiteful drivel, well - maybe give me a gift. Like - don't just read the wonderful prompt responses from other members, take a stab at one of these great prompts from our ever clever Comicfan, and share your response with the community in our Writing Prompts forum. So, this weeks prompts are: Prompt 166 – Creative Tag – List of Words Use the following words in a story: thunder, surgery, alien, cake, and oak tree. Prompt 167 – Creative Tag – Memory For the past ten years you have lived your life day by day never really knowing who you were. Today on the way home you stopped for coffee and as the man handed it to you it spilled on your hand. Just like that the wall cracked and you slowly begin to remember who you are. What is your story? Cool, eh? So give it a try! We also love looking at past prompt responses each week, and last week's prompts have already generated some great responses. Prompt 165 was: Dolores Esteban took up that challenge in a story that made me hold my breath, as well as a response from JamesSavik that actually combined both this and prompt 164. But Andy021278's response is my favorite so far as it was not only suspenseful, but I loved the format he used. Now, you may have a different favorite, but I think we can all agree that it was great of these authors for sharing these with us!

We have a great tip below, written by our own Dark on "Why a Beta?". But before we launch into this tip, Podiumdavis recently approached Renee and I on another of his wonderful compilations. For this one, instead of privately gathering interviews and/or questions and pulling them together, the thought is to put out the inquiry and invite anyone interested to submit their responses privately to Podiumdavis. Then in a short bit, we'll post the best ones (and as usual, if there is enough and the answers are varied, we might have this as a two-parter. So the inquiry is: Definitely a more substantial question than we've typically done, but very timely and relevant as well. We invite any GA member to participate, and look forward to your thoughts. And now, on to our Thursday Tip! Why a Beta? by Dark Newbies everywhere have asked the question “What is a beta?” An explanation is usually followed up with either a disbelieving “I don’t need no stinking beta!” or a mad rush to find someone who will tell them they’re the next Stephen King! and their writing is too darn awesome for a beta!! Don’t forget the exclamation points. The truth is that all writers no matter our level of experience need someone to review our work before we submit it to a larger audience. Why? Because words are pictures to authors, but those pictures sometimes come out fuzzy. Professional authors use many betas for a variety of purposes. Just like we go to certain of our friends when we want expertise on certain things, so, too, do authors use betas. I would never go to my sister for style advice, but she’s good at spotting emotion in things. I have a friend I send stuff to when I’m not sure if a character is staying in character. You can also use betas to help in areas you have no experience with. You’d want a doctor to review that essential medical scene, maybe a lawyer to help you with a court case, a contractor to help with that remodel … get the idea? A smart writer will employ both a beta and an editor. Many betas are also editors, but not every editor is a beta. Typically, an editor looks only at the technical aspect of the craft: punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Betas, however, can serve a number of different purposes and this is why every writer (and every beta) has a different definition for what a beta is. Beta-readers (or betas for short) have been around for a very long time, but the term itself is fairly new. “To beta” something is generally attributed to the dawn of the computer age when programmers give their work to coworkers/friends/family and have them “break” it. That is, beta-testers use the program and see if it does what it is supposed to do. Generally, this is the stage right before the final version is shipped to distributors for sale. For writers, a beta serves a similar purpose. In my experience, betas typically fall into one of two categories: the line by line commentator and the summarizer. Each can be helpful; which type you use depends on what you respond to best or what you want for a particular story. You might use both for a single story. It’s up to you. I am a summarizer, as are many of the betas I have worked with in the past. Summarizers give comments to the writer in paragraph form, generally either separate from the text like in an email, or at the very beginning or ending of a chapter or story. For example, this is an excerpt from comments I wrote to a friend of mine: The sex in the tree seems really uncomfortable! LOL. Not just the positions, but do any of these guys believe in lube? This sex scene, like the one at the beginning, is superfluous and does nothing for the plot. It should be cut out. Line by line commentators typically find a way to make a comment on particular lines of a story and these are very specific. Remember your English teacher and all the red marks and notes written in the margins? Yeah, like that. Since most of us on GA send our work to others electronically rather than as a hard-copy, notes and questions to the writer are easy to insert using a word-processing program as comments or by using the track changes tool. Sometimes, a writer has a specific list of requirements for their beta but a lot of times writers don’t know what we want. Even when we specifically ask for something, a writer does not always know best. Betas serve many functions for a writer. Betas develop their own style and a way of doing things just like writers do. (At the bottom of this article are a few links to help the developing beta.) Writers and betas do not have to like each other, but without mutual respect the partnership is doomed. Betas need confidence and a balance in their critiques. I do not make a good beta because I focus too much on the negatives. Other betas focus too much on the positives. Some betas give light feedback and some betas provide so many comments it’s like reading a novel. The hardest part of using a beta is finding one! I have worked with several through GA and other sites and for every successful collaboration, there’s ten failures. The key is to not give up. I have a few go-to people when I’m looking at specific aspects of a story, but finding what I call my Perfect Beta took me three years. Three years to finally find someone who can follow my rambling thoughts, be tough with me, and yet pinpoint the exact spots in a story to turn it from okay into great. Three years! I thought it would never happen. What I can advise when beta-hunting is to not wait for someone to find you. There are websites and forums where you can go to advertise (on GA, look in the editor’s corner). You can also look at the stories you read to see if the author lists his beta(s). Here on GA there’s a special search tool for betas and editors. Simply click on the GA Stories link and on the left-hand side you can select Editors or Beta Readers under in the browse list. Sometimes, authors you read are willing to beta, like Cia, for example, one of our hosted authors here on GA. An author’s writing style appeals to different kinds of people. Some of the best insights you can glean on your writing is from the comments you receive. I’ve received several comments that were so amazing that I just had to continue the dialogue and indeed led me to my perfect beta. When I first came to GA, I had no beta. After getting to know some of the folks here, advertising, and doing some snooping around, I started working with some folks as betas. My editor helped me make some connections and being in chat helped me get to know even more people. As an author, you will work with many different beta readers. You will out-grow some or drift apart, just like we do with our friends. The important thing to remember with a beta reader is that you should get something out of it. Sometimes the best way to do that is to think like a beta. Here are some links that I have found helpful: Ten Tips to be a Better Beta Reader by Corrine Jackson The Beta Reader's Bible by online author Tania What is a Beta Reader & Where Do I Find One? from literary rambles dot com Good luck on your Beta Hunt!

Before we give you our Toss Up Tuesday, we want to remind you of what today is. If you planned to participate in the 2012 Gay Authors Fall Anthology: Friends and Enemies the deadline is TODAY! Now that we've given you that little reminder, onto our Tuesday content. Today we have another interview for you. You have probably seen his work on the site as the interviewee is our resident graphic artist, Cailen. Thank you Cailen for answering some questions and a big thank you goes out to the interviewer, Comicfan. Thanks guys! Interview with Cailen Interviewed By: Comicfan Cailen you have been with GA for just over a year and a half now. What was it that drew you to this site? One person: AnytaSunday. It seems like an eternity ago, but at the time I was writing Raven and posting it on Nifty. One of the stories on Nifty that I was reading was so good I decided to email the writer. She told me I could find the rest of the story on GA so I went to the site and proceeded to read all her work. That story was Shane and Trey, she then encouraged me to join and post my own work. So it began… Cailen is your pen name. Some of us have been around when you have stated how the name is actually pronounced. Care to let the whole site know once and for all how you say it and why it was chosen? Cailen is the male Gaelic form of the name we now use as Catlin. I pronounce it (be it right or wrong) Kai (as in Sky) Len (as in Lynn.) Cailen of course is also the name of The Elvish Prince in Raven. Cailen plays the love/mentor to the main character. I took the inspiration of taking the name as my own pen name from another GA Author who took his pen name from one of his characters. I am of course speaking of Comicality from his story Gone From Daylight where a young boy meets his vampire mentor named Comicality. I had been using Kalien (kay-lee-in) as my gaming tag in my online games for years. So when I was writing Raven I researched elvish and Gaelic names and thought Cailen was a good mix and close to what I had been using. I put a lot of thought into choosing Cailen before I went ahead with it. I wanted my pen name to represent me, but I also wanted the name to be androgynous to readers. I got that idea from my mother who wanted to be an engineer but her professors told her she should be a housewife and forget about becoming an engineer. She took to using only her Initials A. E. Rivard when applying for jobs after that. During your time here on GA you have been busy creating signatures for multiple individuals. What helps you decide what you will use in the creation of them? My GA Signature Archive is the largest private signature collection on GA . I created so many signatures that I was given the special privilege of extra space so I may keep adding to it. I like to get to know who I am making a signature for as I make signatures to suit. I generally ask people what colors they like, if they are hot or cold tempered and so on. I take as much information as I can and use it to form a conceptual idea. By getting to know a person’s likes and dislikes I can form an Idea that they will hopefully enjoy and they usually do. I make the signatures for fun, I don’t get paid and I get nothing from it other than knowing I helped someone and made them happy. I work to find a way to make the various elements fit. I will blend these elements always keeping in mind scope, pictures, size, and even the colors to make the whole thing balanced. The signatures are levels of compositions. I work with a basic background first and build images on images. Sometimes I use tones and color, images, proportion, and then juxtapose all these ideas to get the final product, one that will best represent the author I am creating it for. Now that we have been talking about your art is there any particular artist who has had an effect on your work? I was wondering if there was going to be more art questions. Yes, a major influence on my art is Salvador Dali. His surrealist influence can be found in much of my art work. What first attracted you to writing? I was a dismal student in high school; it wasn’t until I got to college that I had a great teacher, Professor Dern, who really got me excited about reading and writing. It was his encouragement to explore my creativity that led me to taking up the pen and start putting my ideas on paper. Among the pieces you have included on the site are your wedding vows. What made you decide to put something so personal up for public scrutiny? I am one of the rare, (but growing in number) people who are gay AND legally married. I married my long time best friend from elementary school, but we didn’t come out to each other until college. My love for Ace is vast and as deep like a sea of stars on a clear night. He is my everything. I lost a lot, and went through a lot to be with him, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I wanted to share that openness, that joy and pain, the hope and sorrow, and show it to you all, so everyone would know just how much I care about him. He is my other half; the other part of my soul, he brings out what is the very best in me and I give that to him. I won’t even begin to tell you what he gives me… (wink wink) Every author has a story they are most proud of. For you which story is that? Somewhere Only We Know . The story came to me nearly fully formed in a dream and as I have been writing it, the story seemed to come alive. SOWK is also the first story which I have worked directly with an editor and the process has been, for the most part, one of the best collaborative projects I have ever done and the reviews have been very positive. What piece of yours do you feel is most overlooked? Raven, that is why I have taken the story down. I am overhauling it with a major re-write. I hope that the newest version is better received. Besides writing what other outlets do you find for your creativity? Well, obviously there’s the graphic art, but I also write music, sing, and I am a general manager for a restaurant. I cook a lot. What is one thing about you that might surprise most of your readers? When I was in high school I didn’t have a lot of friends, my parents were distant and to this day I must combat low self-esteem. I do signatures for people because the recognition I receive doesn’t inflate a huge ego, but reminds me that my life is of value and the reviews I receive tell me that the stories I write might be worth sharing. GA has been such a positive influence to me, and I am happy to be part of this family. You’ve stated on the threads you live on the East coast of the United States. What is one thing that you love about the area you live in? I grew up in a small town called Ashburnham, Massachusetts it’s a town with seven lakes. I grew up on the shores of one of them. Sitting at the water’s edge and looking up at the stars. That feeling of awe and wonder is something I still miss. Do you have something you are working on at the moment? I am working on Somewhere Only We Know and I am starting the overhaul to Raven. Unfortunately my work seems to be doing everything in its power to keep me from writing, as you can attest; I am hard to get a hold of. What have you learned, if anything, from publishing your work on GA? That I know diddly-shit about writing… Sorry, that was crass. Cia and Louis Harris have been kind and have pointed me in the direction of what I ignored in high school. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage, were all elements that I have been improving on over time. When I first started writing I wanted to believe that writing was like art, and that it was up to interpretation. The simple fact is that without proper grammar and spelling, the message you are trying to relay is often garbled or lost, and it is more effective when written properly. I also learned that the economy of words is often better than lengthy descriptions. Tell the readers what they need to know, readers are smart and can read between the lines, you don’t need to tell them everything... and for the love of god don’t tell the reader cock sizes. Your poetry is very moving and heartbreaking. Do you find that poetry is one of your strong points or is it something you write when you are at your most emotional? Someone read my poetry? My poetry is nearly always written when I am most emotional, it allows me to ‘vent’ and relieve the pressure. It’s generally powerful and something I am sensitive to, so I consider it one of my strong points, but also one of my weakest as it is too close to my heart. What would you like your readers to take away from your work when all is said and done? My stories have a message; since Somewhere Only We Know isn’t finished and Raven is down I’ll tell it to you. Collectively, as human beings, we need to give as much as we take. I’m not talking about money. I see people everywhere with this ‘me, me, me’ attitude and it is really bothers me. Love is a game of give and take, so loving thy neighbor is much of the same. Be generous, be open, and be kind. You’ll see my main characters embracing this notion a lot. There is a lot of cynicism and doubt, but I for one cannot accept that ‘good people’ don’t exist. Recently a bicyclist hit my car, it was his fault, and he was okay; but my car sustained a fair amount of damage. It’s going to cost me $500.00 to fix it, when I went to track the guy down I learned he had recently divorced and worked sixty hours a week as a waiter to pay his bills, and he couldn’t afford his own car. So I’m paying to fix it myself. Some people jump and say ‘sue the guy,’ and ‘he deserves to pay’ but that’s not the world I want to live in. I don’t believe in karma, but I hope that people believe that being good and kind to one another is a virtue and something we should strive for. Somewhere Only We Know and Raven have some deeper messages too, but I’ll let you find those out for yourself.

While I realize that we recently featured Hosted Author C James' Circumnavigation, after reading this great review by Wildone, I was all for featuring it this week - and it seems appropriate, since few can match our beloved Goat in his labors to diligently to turn out one wonderful tale after another for his readers here on GayAuthors. So with good Labor Day wishes to all (should this be Labor Day for you), here is Wildone's excellent (and cliffhanger-free), review: For the Love by CJames Reviewer: Wildone Status: Complete Word Count: 224,315 Many great authors have broken their teeth through here at GA, so to speak. One such person is C James. CJ, the Goat, started perusing his way around GA like many of us. He came to read, comment and finally decided to give a shot at putting a pen to paper. After a nervous and terrifying first Anthology he was able to continue to develop his skills with more Anthology entries. He finally began a novel in the old eFiction part of the site where he had put a story past his mentor and friend Ed Wooton a few years before joining GA. For The Love is an excellent read and shows how someone (or even a goat) can learn from others and make the commitment and desire to put out a novel that still stands to this day as one of his many great stories. CJ has a knack for introducing us to his characters in a rapid way, developing them very quickly yet very complete. He doesn’t overwhelm his readers with lots of new characters right off the start but takes the time to develop them all so you feel like you know each one personally. For The Love is a love story, an action story and also what CJ is known for, mystery. Don’t be surprised to find yourself five or ten chapters in the story and say to yourself, damn, he gave me a clue about that back in the beginning. Steve and Chris are two nearly eighteen year olds in a small, dare I say ‘hick’ town in Northern Arizona called Lonesome Valley. Chris is a tenant of Steve’s parents whose father is a deputy Sheriff in town. To say that they found each other’s immediately would be a lie. Also in typical CJ style there is lots of drama and action before the two even find out that each other are gay. The story continues to build with each chapter with new characters that make you laugh out loud as well as build dislikes for others. Steve’s younger brother Eric is one such character. Maybe borrowing a few similarities to the original Duke’s of Hazard TV show, the story has lots of action involving the main characters and a ’69 Dodge Charger, a Jeep, even a tow truck. A couple of blonds, a corrupt Sheriff and a hot brunette round out the similarities with the only thing missing is an Uncle Jessie. If you ever wonder how CJ got the four time title of King of Evil Cliffhangers here at GA, then I highly recommend waiting a few minutes before clicking onto the next chapter on one of the few ‘ever-so-slightly-tense (CJ’s words, not mine) that you will encounter. Backed up by an excellent team behind him; EMoe as his editor, with help from Conner, Graeme, Shadowgod, and Captain Rick as his betas and finally Bondwriter as his Zeta, CJ puts out a story that was well worth all the awards that it won when it was originally published here at GA. For The Love is a true reflection of the quality of work and the fine attention to details that we all have come to expect from CJ. I’m sure he has his mentor Ed Wooton smiling down on him daily. Lastly, feel free to join in on the year’s old debate of who the true hero of the story is (and don’t listen to Benji).

If you haven't seen yet, Myr had a very important blog entry about GA Hosted Authors, eBooks and Fiction Stories, please take a moment and check it out. If you did see it, but didn't see his late posted note, I want to repeat what he said - this announcement does NOT mean that GA is switching to Pay only. GA will always have the majority of content free, as long as Myr runs it. Also - we now have only 2 days left for our FALL Anthology entries. The "Friends and Enemies" anthology is due September 4 - that's like, THIS Tuesday. Use your Labor Day holiday to wrap up your anthology entries! And now - on to the rest of our week in review... Our Hosted Author Featured story of the week was Viv's "Endings and Beginnings", reviewed by yours truly. I loved this story and hadn't read it until recently. I do want to address one complaint we had in the comments which is has some validity - the complaint was that I had reviewed "an old story that is not finished." Viv wrote the story in the spring of 2007 (um, not that long ago). She wrote it as an anthology entry, and proceeded to follow it up with further entries/chapters as part of subsequent anthologies - a tactic that I've seen others try, but in this case, I thought Viv did a fantastic job of advancing her story and at the same time matching the new anthology theme. Viv only wrote five entries/chapters - and yes, there could be more to the story. But after reading all five entries, I was also comfortable as a reviewer that 1) I had just read an incredibly lovely tale and 2) more people needed to read such a story with a great plot, character interaction and wonderful setting descriptions. I want more - but I also was so glad with what I did read. I'm sorry not everyone may be as open to experiencing a partial story but after much internal debate, I decided that yes, I was willing to put out a review of this story, even though it ends (currently) where it did. I hope Viv considers continuing to give us more of Tracey Marshall's story, but as is, I still am glad I was able to enjoy what I did read of this story. Our Toss-up Tuesday was a bit less controversial with the second (and last) part of "Your Story as a Movie" - and again, I can't say it enough, THANK YOU PodiumDavis for this great two parter, showing us how various authors would cast and give appropriate music for one of their stories. PodiumDavis has fantastic ideas and we here at the GA News Blog love giving him a venue to share them - in fact, keep an eye on this Thursday blog, as well be sharing PD's latest idea with everyone! For our Author Showcase, we looked at Promising Author CassieQ's story Reach with a great review by Houdinii followed by a review BY CassieQ of Author podga's Traveling Home. Two wonderful stories and reviews - I hope you've had a chance to check them out. Then for the rest of the week, we featured Myr's post that I mentioned at the beginning of this entry. So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Fall Anthology “Friends and Enemies”– Due Sept 4th Winter Anthology "Desperate Ends"- Due Dec 8th Special Mayan Tribute Anthology "End of the World"- Due Dec 14th NEW READING In Premium this week: Chosen of Honorus by Quonus10, Book 1 of Champions of The Gods By our Hosted Authors this week: Belovéd by Don H Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia Paternity by Mark Arbour, Book 12 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) City Under the Waves by Nephylim Circumnavigation by C James By our Promising Authors this week: Reach by CassieQ The English Year by Jwolf Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

You can always post it here in the comments Houdinii. And Joann - THANK you - that's exactly what we're hoping for with these reviews, getting good stories out to you that you might not otherwise notice!

This week, we have first a great review by Houdinii of Reach, by Promising Author CassieQ. Then following in a bit of serendipity, we have a review BY CassieQ of Author podga's Traveling Home. Each is a bit of a different story - and that's one thing that makes each of them special. We hope you enjoy these reviews and try out the stories themselves! Reach by CassieQ Reviewed by Houdinii Status: In Progress Word Count: 41,349 I began reading a story today by CassieQ, one of our promising authors, called 'Reach'. It's always refreshing to read a new story that I never discovered here at GA. As this was the first time I've read her work, I was skeptical, but intrigued. Noting the well over 5,000 views, this review might just be pointless, but none the less, it will be written anyway. The setting for the story takes place in a place just like ours, and apart from having a female 'Goddess', and cruel secondary characters, is similar. (They even have cigarettes, which from what I can see, all guys smoke.) Homosexuality is also outlawed. The main characters are a 15 year old named Tibial, a 19 year old named Chad, and a female named Mia, age unknown (Can't say I read GA stories for the females in them .) Both are extremely cute in my minds eye. I'd like to mention more of the plot, but due to the nature of the story, I'd be giving away plot points, although I can say the plot thickens rather quickly into this world she created and leaves you asking for more. Picking a story to review is difficult, so I try for the more obscure works. I figured this was one, but was surprised when I seen the view count, although I think it is well deserving. Aside from the point, CassieQ is a sweet and caring lady, and her work truly is promising. What she has created here is a great concept, and well written, and I can't wait to read more Travelling Home by podga Reviewed by CassieQ Status: Complete 26,461 words Travelling Home by podga is a love story about Jordan and David, childhood archenemies that have a chance meeting later in life at a company convention. Sparks fly ( the very very good kind) and the two start a relationship that is by turns rocky and sweet and shows a slow gradual relaxed build-up between the two of them. Neither are perfect and both are struggling with issues from their past and it their ability to overcome that fact that draws them, and keeps them together. The things that set this apart is that it focuses on love story between two grown men. Jordan and David are both in their mid forties, with families and pasts to clutter up their mindset and encounters. It's not the standard in most stories I've read and I love the fact that these characters found a second chance for love later on in life. Travelling Home is a shorter story, but is very well written, with an easy casual style that invites the reader in. podga uses flashbacks to flesh out the backstory in a way that doesn't distract from the main love story, but rather compliments it. It also throws a splash of nostalgic longing to the main story as Jordan recalls past events and lovers as he sinks deeper into his relationship with David. All in all a very enjoyable read and highly recommended.

Happy Monday! Since we're about to end August (and for many of us, our summer's), as well as starting the week, what better story to take a look at than "Endings and Beginnings" by Hosted Author Viv. Enjoy! Endings and Beginnings by Viv Reviewed by: Trebs Status: Complete Word Count: 10,442 Endings and Beginnings is the first of a series for Viv's "Underneath This Big Ol' Sky". In Spring of 2007, GayAuthors had an anthology of "Endings and Beginnings", and Viv submitted this with future chapters coming out in other anthologies through Spring 2008. I've seen other authors put out connected stories in connection with our anthology themes, and Viv really maintains both the story as well as the anthology theme very well. This first story sets the scene so beautifully. Tracey Marshall is a young man who is both angry and sad. He lost his mom a couple of years prior, and his dad has totally replaced her with a new bride. In a drunken night, he drives off and eventually ends up destroying part of the fence around the Kingsman property, as well as finally crashing and leaving a gaping hole in the Kingsman's barn. Pauline Kingsman runs her ranch with the aid of her 19-year-old children Caty and Casey, as well as hired hand Will. Without any other resources to make reparations to Pauline, a judge orders Tracey to work on the ranch until all of the repairs are done. Though contrite, this closeness causes obvious tensions at the ranch but Pauline is practical and knows this is the only way she'll get her ranch back to shape in a timely manner. Viv writes very fully developed characters, each with their own backgrounds and motivations. I haven't finished all five of these Underneath This Big Ol' Sky stories yet, but by the third story, I am thoroughly enchanted and loving this tale of Tracey and the Kingsman ranch.

First things first - announcements time!!! Renee announced on the 20th of August that she is looking for theme suggestions for the 2013 GA Anthologies. If you have a suggestion for a theme, now is the time to let her know via the thread in the Anthology Forum. Suggestions will be taken until midnight (US Mountain Time) September 3rd and then this topic will be locked. Once all suggestions are in, a team will narrow it down to twenty themes for the GA Members to vote on. Why wait, get your suggestions in now!!! Also - only 9 days left for our FALL Anthology entries. The "Friends and Enemies" anthology is due September 4 - that's like, next Tuesday. And now - on to our week in review... We started the week looking at Hosted Author C James's epic tale, Circumnavigation. Yours truly did a review of this fantastic story, that as of today is at 133 chapters comprised of 913,031 words. It is wrapping up soon, so if this is one that passed you by, now is the perfect time to jump in and see the ending (soon) with the rest of us. Tuesday, we once again had the pleasure of seeing what happens when Podiumdavis is let loose - he came up and executed a fantastic two part series with part one this past Tuesday, and part two coming up in two days. He contacted various authors and asked them how they would do "Your Story as a Movie" - with both casted characters and music. He includes IMDB and youtube links for the actors and music. Wednesday, we got great reviews - LouisHarris did a wonderful review of Promising Author WrathofMagneto's Slide, and Andy021278 did a superb review of The Other Foot, by Author Forty-Two. We really appreciate all of the guest reviewers and the efforts they go to, to help us highlight great stories here on GayAuthors. Myr helped out on Thursday with a tip about "Keeping Your Writing Life in Sync (and backed up)" - some good advise to help you NOT lose your precious writing work. Our weekly prompts, thanks as always to the wonderful Comicfan, are already causing quite a few authors to try to figure out how to squeeze a 25th hour into their day so they can try them out. Even just the simple titles of the prompts are intriguing - "The Stranger" and "Extinct". Why don't you check them out and see what you may come up with? Finally, we ended the week looking back to a humorous article that originally ran in our December 2006 newsletter, "Famously Unfortunate Quotations". So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Fall Anthology “Friends and Enemies”– Due Sept 4th Winter Anthology "Desperate Ends"- Due Dec 8th Special Mayan Tribute Anthology "End of the World"- Due Dec 14th NEW READING In Premium this week: Chosen of Honorus by Quonus10, Book 1 of Champions of The Gods By our Hosted Authors this week: Legacy by Altimexis, Book 29 of Naptown Tales Paternity by Mark Arbour, Book 12 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) Agenda 21 - The Culling by Comicality Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia Circumnavigation by C James Odyssey by Mark Arbour, Book 6 of Bridgemont By our Promising Authors this week: Confounded: Part II by Andr0gene, Book 2 of Confounded Protector of Children by David McLeod GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban The English Year by Jwolf Reach by CassieQ Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

Flash drives are nice - unless you have it in your pocket when the pants are in the washer...

With great thanks, we give you LouisHarris' review of Promising Author WrathofMagneto's Slide, as well as Andy021278's review of The Other Foot, by Author Forty-Two. These reviews are fantastic and are such a help - if you have time to help us do a review of a GayAuthor's story, let me know! And once you've read the reviews, I hope it spurs you to check out these great stories. Slide by WrathofMagneto Reviewer: LouisHarris Status: Complete Word Count: 4,113 The title caught my eye. That was the hook for me. SLIDE. Many connotations. I also thought that this work could have been taken from a larger piece. The title, SLIDE, is used as a word to describe something that should be best forgotten. In this tale John, Alex's room mate, sets the lead character, Alex, up for a date. He has been hurt, and still relives the hurt through nightmares. John edges him on to go on a date even tho he doesn't want to. The depth of Alex's character that follows, is something we have all lived. Alex is a rounded character in that he has a complex nature and complex motives. He's more like a real person because there are things about him the reader doesn't know, there are more facets to him than meets the eye, so the fascination of mystery remains throughout the story. He is interesting because the reader doesn't know or cannot predict how he will behave or react in any given situation. One character I could mention like this is Sherlock Holmes. Having said this, it's important to note that fiction gives the writer the opportunity to place people in situations that will reveal their character and the brevity of the short story calls for simplicity in the rendering of a character and they will essentially be the same at the end of the story as they were in the beginning. Wrath has described Alex's behavior well rather than talking about him. His character is shaped by experience and his destiny by his behavior. And because the character is more central to this story, Alex comes under close scrutiny. The mystery in this short story is the date itself. Will Alex be swept off his feet? Will he be disappointed? To find out, you'll have to read it yourself. I recommend you do. Slide is a great discourse in revealing character. The Other Foot by Forty-Two Reviewer: andy021278 Status: Complete Word Count: 4,730 I have read other stories by Forty-Two, but this was my favourite of the three currently available on GA. “The Other Foot” is an interesting take on how straight and gay friends interact. The story is the classic gay guy falls for his straight friend story, but with the unusual and brilliant twist that it was the gay guy who was open about his sexuality, whereas it was the straight guy who was in the proverbial closet. Killian, who is straight, has had a number of gay friends over the years and his aunt is a lesbian who has been with the same person for twenty years. His dad, whose career is never actually explained, has been working to improve rights for gays. Killian has also attended a number of Pride events, so being around gays and gay culture is nothing new to him, which explains why he seamlessly fitted in with Joseph and his friends. Sephie (Joseph) falls for Killian, and after making his feelings known, is both shocked and heartbroken to find out that not only is Killian straight, but he also has a girlfriend. Killian has never hidden the fact he is straight from Sephie and the others, but he has also never, in over a year, once openly expressed his sexual persuasions. The story looks primarily at the effects this revelation has on their relationship, but just how will a heartbroken Sephie react? How far will Sephie go? For a relatively short story, I was drawn in from the first word, and it was a really enjoyable read seeing Forty-Two’s take of how things could be when the boot is on “The Other Foot”. It is of the same quality as, but is distinctly different from, the authors other stories.

Here, without any need for introduction (since I wrote it myself), is a review of Circumnavigation by our Hosted Author, C James. Circumnavigation by C James Reviewer: Trebs Status: In Progress Word Count: 906,898 to date Do you ever get tired of just getting to enjoy a story, and then hitting the end of the story and there's nothing more to read. Well - start reading Circumnavigation and it will be a while before you get that feeling (if you ever do). Now as many of us realize, length is nothing without someone there who knows how to use it. And CJ definitely knows how to use it. Circumnavigation is mainly the story of seventeen year old Trevor and his boat, Atlantis. Atlantis is a large catamaran - a two hulled ship with five passenger cabins. He lost his mother more than 8 years before, when she was sailing Ares, a similar boat to Atlantis, and had an emergency at sea and was lost. Despite this loss, Trevor loves sailing (and Atlantis) and is frequently on the water, occasionally taking charters, sailing near his home of Fort Pierce, Florida. Trevor's two best friends, Lisa and Joel, are dating but also both very concerned with their friend Trevor, and how he tends to isolate himself. CJ builds a lot of background of each of the characters, so you really get to know not only Trevor, but Lisa, Joel, Dirk (Trevor's dad) and many of the other characters you come across. To make sure that some of the additional ship or travelling information doesn't get too much, he includes diagrams of what Atlantis looks like, and how it's laid out as well as googlemaps of some of the locations that Trevor travels to in the story. What starts as part of a simple story of Trevor trying to find the wreckage of the Ares, and some trace of what happened to his mom, leads to a complex and intriguing tale. CJ is a master of laying out many details that you may glance by, only to find them all coming together many chapters later. He builds up this massive epic tale in a clear way, with excellent writing, that will draw you in and keep you hooked, even through his many cliffhangers and shock revelations. If you haven't tried Circumnavigation yet, it's a great time to start as the story is almost to its conclusion. I've read it weekly since he started the story and give it my highest recommendation. His Let the Music Play and it's sequel, Changing Lanes are also favorites of mine!

Monday we started off with a review by Fozzie Bear of our Hosted Author Renee Steven's story Roving Dreams. As everyone should know, Renee is very special to us here as an extraordinary Co-GA Blog Organizer, but additionally, she is a fantastic author. This was followed up by an interview of Andy021278 that Comicfan graciously did for us. It's always great getting a better in-depth look at our authors and community members. So after getting to know Andy021278 better, we get to read his review of Author Ricky's story Blind Sensations. This mid-week Author Showcase also featured Dark's review of Promising Author Comicfan's Mirror Tells the Truth. Thursday we had a fantastic beta reader tip called How to Be Critical, not Cutting. The response to this tip was huge with 14 comments so far. The prompts this week from Comicfan are really intriguing and already have spurred interest in at least two writers. Have you tried them out? Even if you haven't published anything here on GA, doing a prompt response is a great way to try out your writing and see what the community thinks. Who knows - it may start you on the path to being a future Hosted Author! Finally, we finished up with a look back at a story Lugh wrote for the 2007 The Road Not Taken anthology. Renee Stevens did a review of Lugh's The Key from that anthology and it's a great look back. So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Fall Anthology “Friends and Enemies”– Due Sept 4th Winter Anthology "Desperate Ends"- Due Dec 8th *NEW* Special Mayan Tribute Anthology "End of the World"- Due Dec 14th *NEW* NEW READING In Premium this week: Chosen of Honorus by Quonus10, Book 1 of Champions of The Gods By our Hosted Authors this week: Legacy by Altimexis, Book 29 of Naptown Tales City Under the Waves by Nephylim (Un)Masked by Andrew_Q_Gordon (purchasable e-book) Paternity by Mark Arbour, Book 12 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia The Wrathful by Libby Drew Circumnavigation by C James By our Promising Authors this week: The Prompt You Say! by comicfan The English Year by Jwolf The Guild Book I by JMH Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

It's a fine line between being critical in an effort to help a writer, and going too far and just being very cutting in what you say. In a text medium, it's usually hard to hear the "voice" that the criticism is being given. I mean sometimes, the voice comes through loud and clear, like when your friend comes up to you in a new outfit and you're all "Oh no you didn't - girl, you is a hot mess!" (did everyone else hear that in Layfayette voice from True Blood?) Anyways - Cia as always has some excellent tips for writers and reviewers and helped us out this week with a wonderful article on critiquing Enjoy! An Article on Critiquing ... Cia style! Many of the authors and beta readers on the site help their friends or favorite authors. Even if you're strangers when you start, working on a story with an author can be a very intimate experience. That doesn't mean you should cut them any slack when you are asked to offer an opinion on their work. As anyone I've beta'ed for can tell you, that's not my style at all. Below you'll find the techniques I use to ensure they are getting the very best advice I can give. 1. Be kind, not cruel. Even when I don't like something, I would never say 'I hate this! Start over!'. That doesn't help the author at all and discouraging someone is not what offering a critique is about. Honesty is important but your comments should focus on why you don't like something so the author can decide if that's what their goal was in regards to reader reaction or if they should change things. I try to make sure that I always highlight things I do like as well. No one wants to just hear what they are doing wrong. 2. When you edit, use comments. Don't just remove things in an author's story. Highlight what you find wrong, then write up a comment with why you feel it is wrong or should be changed. Stories are very personal to the author and messing with them is done at your own peril! 3. Be specific. If it is a spelling or grammar mistake, let them know the rule so they will know why you changed it and avoid the mistake in the future. If you don't like something about the character, plot, or sentence - say so, and why, and what you would do differently. 4. Be willing to discuss. Once the author gets a gander at your comments, they will often have questions. Sometimes they won't agree with your comments, or they need clarification. They also might want you to take a second look at their story and the changes they made based on your advice. 5. Be flexible! Above all, it is the author's story. Authors and betas don't always agree and that's okay. While it is your job to help the author produce the best story they can, it is not your job to write it for them. It is their story after all, and in the end, it's their decision on what to write.

So - after a great interview of Andy021278, what better than to read his review of Author Ricky's Blind Sensations? We also are treated with a review by Dark of Promising Author Comicfan's Mirror Tells the Truth. We hope you enjoy these reviews and check out the stories - I know I will! Mirror Tells the Truth By Comicfan Review by Dark Status: Complete Word Count: 5,057 Comicfan is one of our Promising Authors here on GA and currently has 28 stories to his name. This particular short story caught my eye with its intriguing title; it’s not every day that the main character is an inanimate object. In reading the author’s description, I found that this was a retelling of the story of Snow White, which seems to be the thing this summer with two movies on the same subject. Of course, he calls his mirror “Mir” for short, bringing our GA Overseer to mind. The greatest thing about this story and what kept me reading is the tongue-in-cheek narration. The mirror comes out as a solid main character with its own opinions and take on events. I love how he describes the queen and details her rise to Queen and fall through jealousy of her step-daughter’s beauty. I am familiar with different versions of this story and yet Comicfan manages to make the tale unique. The first paragraph with the dwarves made me laugh and they are a great supporting cast. I think I smiled the whole time I read. At times satiric or sarcastic, the mirror’s narration drew me in and I couldn’t help but empathize with his situation. The witty rhymes were delightful with their double meanings; they make you think. I looked forward to every stage in the story. Mirror Tells the Truth is a brilliant showcase of Comicfan’s skills as a writer. He kept my attention through the engaging characters and the way he alluded to details in the backstory of the supporting cast. I really loved how his exasperation with the Queen is shown through word choice. And the story doesn’t end with Snow White and the Queen, either. Comicfan rounds out the story by returning to the mirror. I was completely captivated by the tale and those five thousand words just zipped by. It’s refreshing and the whimsical humor will lighten up your day. Blind Sensations by Ricky Reviewer: andy021278 Status: Complete Word Count: 39,102 I’d previously read some of Ricky’s stories on Screeve.org, but have only recently realized that our Ricky is that Ricky (hope that makes sense). I really loved his other works, especially Roll Call, so I curled up with a large glass of Merlot for what, from my expectations, promised to be a great read. Blind Sensations is about Miles, who is a British boy who was left blind and orphaned at the age of five following a car wreck. In the care of his aunt and uncle, he ends up in America, where his uncle’s job has just taken him. Miles is blessed (or cursed depending on how you view it) with a kind of sixth sense when it comes to people; sometimes he would get flashes of what people were like, he would get flashes of their past or future. With moving around every few years, Miles is fed up with making friends and then losing them a week later; after all, what kid truly wants to be friends with the blind boy who loves classical music and can’t read the same books, watch the same films and play the same computer games as everyone else? So Miles decides why bother even trying to make friends; disappoint others before they can disappoint you has become his life’s motto. That is, at least, until he meets Jamie, who has a truly remarkable effect on Miles. Jamie is gay and the school outcast, yet the two quickly become friends. Jamie’s home life is awful since his parents found out he is gay; he is locked in the basement, he has to work to be able to afford school lunch, and worst of all he is not allowed any contact with his younger brother. Jamie falls deeply in love with Miles, and comes to find the love and affection he has been starved of; and Miles, likewise, comes to find the love and the touch of another that he wants. Miles has an amazing wit, which only serves to endear him to both Jamie and the reader, and Miles even gets share his world of darkness with Jamie. The story builds up as a sweet, lovely story that had me reaching for the tissues, and then Ricky leads us down a dark path; which sadly shows us that there is indeed a dark cloud within Miles and Jamie’s silver lining. The story does contain scenes of a sexual nature and they are written really well; there is however, one incestuous moment, which I know is not for everyone, yours truly included. There are a few technical issues, such as incorrectly punctuated speech tags and the occasional missing speech mark, which by no means detract from the story. There is name confusion every now and then between the two lead characters which led to me having to re-read paragraphs in places to work out what was meant to be happening in a particular scene; a surprise, considering that there was an editor working on this story Overall, I found this a really enjoyable read which delivered on its promise and then some, and it managed to throw more than one curve-ball. I for one can’t wait to read the sequel “Blind Sensations A New Adventure”.

For someone who has only been a member since Oct 2011, Andy021278 has become a well-valued member of the community and especially helpful to those of use here at the GA News Blog. For a great in-depth look at who he is, here is an interview of him that Comicfan did for us. Enjoy! Interview with Andy021278 by Comicfan You’ve been with GA since last October. What brought you to this website? I read a lot on Nifty (in retrospect, probably far too much) and I came across the story Attack and Response by Ghostryder15 and Jamie Haze (which was the follow up to Kombat Kids, but it stopped after chapter 7), and it included a link here. So, here I am. Anyone who reads your blog knows you have been involved in cancer research. As someone who has lost family members to cancer this is an important subject. What was the attraction to such research by you? I have also lost family members to cancer (my grandad and two aunts to bowel cancer, and my nan to breast cancer), but I also have friends and family who are cancer survivors thanks to the work done by organisations such as Cancer Research UK. My nan lived for several years with her diagnosis, so I came into contact with a number of medical professionals, but I was really impressed with the cancer Macmillan nurses. I have friends and family who wouldn't be alive today without the work of cancer research, and I decided I wanted to be a part of making as big an impact on other people's lives as cancer research had on mine. Since joining you have done some prompt writing. What do you find you like about them? I can go in any direction with them. Even when you get one which seems to lend itself to one particular genre, I enjoy seeing if I can write it in an unexpected way or throw a curveball at the end. They also quite often force me to write outside of my usual comfort zone. Speaking of the prompts you did have an ongoing story, The Ddraig-Cyfrinachau which was inspired by one. When you began writing your story, what was it that you felt you needed to expand on which became this story you are telling? It's still ongoing, I recently posted chapter thirteen. As with most of the prompt stories, they tend to be focused on one very specific aspect of a story or a world. My prompt story had Thomas in his role as guardian of the last dragon egg, it had the last remaining dragon egg, it had the dragon skeleton (all of which was given in your prompt) and it had the Council; but there was such a large part of their world missing. Who was Thomas and what was his life like? What happened to the guardians who came before Thomas? Why is there this Council? Where did the Council come from? Why are the dragons extinct? Even more basically, where did the dragons come from? The more I've written of this story, the more questions I find myself coming against. You also have a story that you are now working on book two of. For those who haven’t found this story can you give us a little information on Kyle and Kodi? Kyle and Kodi was actually my first real attempt at writing MM fiction (well boy/boy is probably more accurate as they are thirteen in the first book). They have known each other all their lives, and both know they are gay, and their friends and family accept them for who they are. They realise they are in love with each other and become boyfriends. The first book deals with them getting together and then having to tell their friend's families; something they are not looking forward to. Kyle and Kodi is in general, the way I wish things were, instead of how they actually are. One reader, and I can't remember for the life of me who it was, once described them as "too cute". Every author seems to have a story they feel is over looked. For you which of your works would this be? I've only been posting my stories for seven months, so I think it's a little soon for me to answer this one. If I had to pick one, it would have to be School Dance (my first flash piece) which was posted late last year. It was quite popular when it was first posted, but feedback on it has long since died. It is only a short story (about 1200 words), but it was my first story that went way out of my usual writing genre. You are fairly active in the GA forums. What do you enjoy about them? Stealing the shiny from you I enjoy the interaction with everyone on site, whether its having a laugh in the games forum or a slightly more serious discussion in the soapbox. For me, they are a great way to get to know the people behind the name; especially in threads such as "Where is it from?", which reveals a lot about the literature we read away from GA. Living in England, you are now in the prime position to see the whole world as they come into London for the Olympics. Do you plan to take this opportunity and allow it to influence your writing? I don't know to be honest. It's not something I've ever particularly thought about working a story around. You mentioned Kyle and Kodi book 2 earlier; they have the right idea, get out of London and run far far away But who knows? I've had stranger things than the Olympics influence me before. Outside of writing, what is it that you enjoy doing? Cooking mostly. I'm not one to use jars of sauces and boxes of cake mixes; most of what I cook is from scratch. I love my homemade chocolate cake with homemade dark cherry jam filling, but it's oh so fattening. I also travel a lot. I prefer taking short breaks as opposed to long holidays, so I usually go on about ten or twelve long weekend breaks a year. I've already got weekends booked to Prague, Barcelona and Cologne. You have begun to look over the topics for former Anthologies. I noticed you did the one on Christmas. Do you plan to do more? That was my intention, and still is. Unfortunately, life and work have stuck their oar in. I just about have time to focus on my two in process stories, and new chapters for those have already slowed down to monthly. Once the summer is over, I'll have more time and will be writing a few of the former Anthology topics. Are you planning an entry in the Fall Anthology? I am. It's already had its first beta read, and is now running at just over 9k; which is a mammoth achievement for me considering my record for a chapter or short story stands at about 4k. What are some of the things you have learned since you have begun to publish on GA? The two main things are the right way to punctuate speech tags, and to listen to criticism and not take it personally (which is a lot harder to do than it sounds). I've also learned that I don't just have to limit my writing to one particular genre, I've actually enjoyed branching out of my traditional comfort zone (which is the happy-happy, everyone-loves-everyone genre). What is something about you that you feel your readers should know? It would have to be that I always finish what I start. Whether it takes me a week, a month, a year or even longer, it will get finished. There are a lot of Americans on GA. Do you feel that it has been inclusive to writers from other parts of the world? I think it has. GA certainly doesn't feel like an American-dominated site, it is a site dominated by writers and their readers, no matter where they come from. A perfect example is the work done behind the scenes by Myr and others, which has allowed us European members to continue to be able to access the site following recent changes in EU laws concerning the use of cookies on the internet. What final thoughts would you like to leave the readers of this interview? Those of us who are here, write for the pleasure of writing and our only reward is your feedback. So with that in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read my stories and provided me with feedback. Without all of your continued support, I know I wouldn't be half the writer I am; and with your continued support and feedback I hope to be able to improve even more. So please, read and review.

Trying to remember who did it... Really good high school clarinet player, one point the band teacher encourages him to not go for first seat as the guy who had it was a senior and his last shot. Story transitioned into marching band and playing glockenspiel or xylophone. Thoughts ? Title?

Again, I love this job. I get to help shine a light on some fantastic writing, like this Roving Dreams, a story by Hosted Author Renee Stevens (or, I like to call her, Radiant Renee Stevens). Our thanks to guest reviewer Fozzie Bear for his great review of this fantastic story! Roving Dreams by Renee Stevens Reviewer: Fozzie Bear Status: Complete Word Count: 2562 Wocka, Wocka. This is your favorite fuzzy Fozzie Bear back again. Did you get my joke? Wocka, Wocka. Anyway I was wandering through the site trying to find something new to read and I stumbled upon this little gem of a story. It was originally written for the Out of this World Anthology from 2010. We are introduced to one Adrian Jackson, an attractive man who is a little too focused on his thoughts of his partner Randy. Ahh, Adrian’s mind goes to painting a picture of a couple of opposites who fit well together, like Miss Piggy and Kermit, if you follow my drift. Anyway with his mind so consumed with thoughts of getting home to Randy he isn’t paying attention to the road in front of him. When a deer steps into the roadway, Adrian swerves to miss it and his car flies off the embankment into the trees below. Yeah, the deer makes it fine, but Adrian is another whole story. When the story picks up again Adrian will find he is no longer in the world he remembers. He will see bits and pieces of the world he knows and loves. What is scarier is Randy visits him there but never stays with him. What is going on? Will he get back to Randy? Has he died and gone to heaven or hell? Well the answer to that is … Wocka, Wocka, Wocka. You didn’t think I would tell you now did you? Renee Stevens weaves a magical little tale here that is well deserving of a second read, or a first if you never read it. Fozzie Bear signing out.

Plain Baileys, neat

Please - Baileys

DOH - thanks Podiumdavis. I think I found and corrected them all

We started our week looking at a delightful story by Hosted Author Libby Drew. Radiant Renee Stevens gave us a great review of Libby's Spark and sat8997 and Mark Arbour both chimed in with their praise for Libby's works. Our Tuesday Toss up looked at heroes - specifically various readers from the perspective of two authors, FleetingRainbows and C James. The comments on this blog are as valuable as the entry itself, IMHO. For our midweek Author's Showcase, we had a review of Promising Author Dark's Butterflies of Death as well as a great review of Author Cehammock's Gaze. Getting these glimpses of stories people might not normally come across on their own is one of the things for which I'm most proud of the GA Blog. Our Tip Thursday was the conclusion of the two-part "Breaking Through" - a compliation of how various authors attack the dreaded writing block. For our Weekly Writing Prompts, Comicfan gave us both Prompt 160, a creative one called The Dog, as well as Prompt 161, a Challenging one called Story Time. We also took a look back to last summer to see how Dolores Esteban responded to Prompt 47 with her alternate take on The Frog Prince fairy tale. Then we ended the week with our Blast From the Past - this time looking at a February 2007 newsletter article about upcoming site features - like a gallery! So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: There was a little bit of back and forth last week with our future anthology announcements. We have it solid now with two anthologies due in December. Sorry for any confusion as we worked the schedule out. Fall Anthology “Friends and Enemies”– Due Sept 4th Winter Anthology "Desperate Ends" - Due Dec 8th *NEW* Special Mayan Tribute Anthology "End of the World" - Due Dec 14th *NEW* NEW READING In Premium this week: Chosen of Honorus by Quonus10, Book 1 of Champions of The Gods By our Hosted Authors this week: Paternity by Mark Arbour, Book 12 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) Kiss of An Angel by Comicality Adverse Effects by Cia, Book 2 of Saving Caeorleia City Under the Waves by Nephylim By our Promising Authors this week: The Pink by comicfan GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban Footsteps of Giants by wrathofmagneto Angels Ascending by JMH, Book 3 of The Centurion Cycle Reach by CassieQ Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

Fantastic observation Naptowngirl - thanks!

Nice thing - while the current week's prompts are pushed out there, you can always browse through the Writing Prompt forum and pick any prompt to try out. It's one reason I sometimes dip into the past, like today's, and pull out a response from some time back. And Dolores - yours was picked because it was good, so thank YOU for some enjoyable writing!