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Trebs

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  1. Trebs
    Brainstorming Past Your Block


     

    Especially when writing a short story, there will often come a time in your plot when you get stuck. One of the best ways to move past a block in the action is to brainstorm what could happen. Then... pick one! Often when I'm trying to figure out the loose overall plot I will do a 'this happens, then that, then this' in a timeline fashion. Sometimes I can't figure out what I want to have happen next and that's when I start brainstorming. I'll do this on my own, or with my writing team and often that's the little boost I need to figure out where my story is headed and get writing again.
     
    Examples:
     
    Your character is dating someone and thinks they are cheating. They could:
    Try to get proof, then confront them Confront them with their suspicions Gets drunk and cheats in retaliation Get into a big fight Break up Forgives partner Orders partner to leave Main character leaves Moves into a new place Moves back in with parents Gets depressed and commits suicide Gets depressed and enters therapy Main character starts over and refuses to date Main character starts over and has a lot of one night stands Main character starts over and meets someone else

    Or:
    Your character finds out their partner is a paranormal creature. They could:
    Run screaming Accept them Attack them Be curious about who/what they are Be angry that the person hid their true nature and get into a fight about honesty Report them to authorities or scientists Reveal their own paranormal self Run screaming but then accept them

    By just thinking outside the box, start coming up with anything and everything that comes to mind. Don't self-edit - just put down anything, whether it seems boring or too fanciful. As one idea spills out after the other, when you take a breath and look them over - something may cry out to you "PICK ME"!
     

    So - above are SOME examples... If you were writing and hit a block on your character bumps into their ex while at a cafe - they COULD: ???
     
    (your turn - start a comment with a couple of fast off the top of your head thoughts)
  2. Trebs

    Featured Story: Stonegate Stables

    By Trebs,


    Featured Stories
    After a brief lull, we return to our regularly scheduled daily GA News blog, with this review of Gabriel Morgan's Stonegate Stables.
     


    Stonegate Stables


    By



    Gabriel Morgan


    Reviewed By: Renee Stevens
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 230,697
     
    I first started reading ’52 Panhead by Gabriel Morgan on another site. Since it wasn’t finished yet, I went searching for any site that might have more of the story. Instead of more of that story, I found Gabriel on Gay Authors and immediately found myself immersed in his story Stonegate Stables. Despite the length of this story, I was unable to pull myself away and finished the story in two days.
     
    The story follows the life of Sean Flanagan, head trainer and the general manager of a successful horse stable. While I don’t personally know much about running a stable, the way the author portrayed it, I could see things happening the way he wrote. Whether he did his research or not, this story showcases the author’s ability to craft a very believable tale, in most aspects.
     
    Throughout this story, Sean finds himself hooking up with multiple other characters, including his best friend Vincent, a chef. The pair have an unorthodox relationship in many aspects, but the more I read, the more I fell in love with these characters, especially Vincent.
     
    It seemed like just as I figured out what I thought was going to happen, the author threw another twist into the story, or another character. While at times I had to pay very close attention in order to be able to follow the story and keep all the characters straight, no pun intended, I still found this to be a very enjoyable read. As the story progresses, the characters begin to pair off, but still get together socially. One of the biggest questions the reader faces is trying to figure out who Sean is going to end up with, or if he was going to end up alone.
     
    Upon finishing this story, I felt that the author tied up the loose ends very well. Between this and his story ’52 Panhead, I honestly think I must say that I liked this story much better. I would strongly recommend this story to any reader as it is definitely worth the time it takes to finish. The only complaint I had with this story is that there seemed to be a gay guy around every corner, but hey, that’s why this is fiction!
     
    Why not go check it out for yourself, and don’t forget to leave the author a review!
     
    4 Stars out of 5!
  3. Trebs

    Writing Tip: The Editing Process

    By Trebs,


    Writing Tips
    So - glancing over some of the past newsletters, I found this gem from Feb 2007, about editing from a writer's perspective. I hope you enjoy!
     
    Editors and Writers
     


    The Editing Process: From the Writer’s Point of View

    By Talon Rider

     

    Finding an editor can be a problem sometimes. You think to yourself, where can I find someone? Do I ask another author who they use? Do I post something in a forum somewhere? Has an editor made their presence known? Either one of those methods may work. GA is making this step easier.
     
    As an author, you need to be clear on what you are looking for from an editor. Do you want a minimal amount of editing done, such as spelling and punctuation, or something more serious like spelling, grammar, flow, plot, and character development, etc.?
     
    Communication is the first and most important step. The author should provide the editor with a brief description of the storyline and provide a small sample of the story to give an editor an idea of the story. This may also help to pique the editor’s interest in the story.
     
    The method that the editor uses should also be discussed. Does the editor use the “Track Changes” function in Word? Does the editor make the suggested changes in the document using different colors? With Track Changes, the editor can make the changes and leave a comment to the side, giving the author the option to accept or decline them.
     
    The other method of editing can be time consuming. Here the editor may make changes within the document, typing them in a different color, showing the suggested changes, and then writing his comments elsewhere.
     
    An editor who doesn’t explain the reasons behind the suggested changes isn’t helping the author, especially the new or beginning writer. In time, as the team works together, a one or two word reason may suffice.
     
    Once the edit is complete and sent back to the author, the author should then review and decide how to proceed on the suggested changes. Once this step is complete, the author should send the story back to the editor for a second edit. The author should not be afraid to ask questions or to explain why a change was rejected. An important thing to remember is the editor helps the author fine tune the story. It is the author’s right to accept or reject any suggested changes to his/her work.
     
    Once the author is satisfied with the editing portion, it is recommended that it be sent to some Beta Readers. The beta reader’s job is to give the author that all-important first feedback on the story before it’s released to the public. They will look into things like, flow, character development, plot, etc.
  4. Trebs

    Writing Tip: Setting "the Scene"

    By Trebs,


    Writing Tips
    Today's Tip is brought to you by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Thank you for this wonderful little lesson on setting the scene for a story! If YOU have a tip for a future blog entry, let Trebs or Renee Stevens know!

     

    The Scene

    by



    Comicfan


     

    Ever notice how important a scene is? I don’t mean the action; I mean that place it is located in. Sometimes it can add to the overall sense of what is happening or it can make it a tragedy. It isn’t very hard to have a story go wrong by the location of a story. It can be as integral to the story as the main characters themselves.
     
    I was reading a story that seemed to be the everyday tale, a young girl going shopping with her mother. The horrifying thing was she walks into the middle of a murder in the changing room. The location was so scary due to the normalness of the whole thing. Here is this chick rocking to the music blaring on her iPod thinking how great it is that the store is so empty and then walks back to try on a skirt only then she finds the first body. The shock value is what did it, but that works in the story she was writing.
     
    However I was also reading another piece for my writing group. This one wasn’t so perfect. Here was supposed to be this really romantic dinner that ends in a proposal. He had the main couple get dressed up and go to Denny’s. He drops to his knee to propose while waiting for the pancakes to arrive and the waitress asking if they wanted refills on their drinks. I started laughing and asked where he got such a funny idea. Then realized this wasn’t supposed to be funny.
     
    Romance doesn’t happen at the kid’s birthday party, and you don’t send your character in search of peace and quiet into the middle of a fraternity party. The setting can enhance your story if you put the effort in. You have two characters who want a romantic time. Where do you put them? Will it be the expensive restaurant or will it be a picnic basket on a blanket in the park? Say halfway through the meal there is to be a fight. Now the restaurant offers you witnesses and the chance to hide a character maybe in the bathroom. If the fight happens in the park again possible witnesses but you also have the weather which can become stormy mirroring the character’s emotions.
     
    Also remember that a location can be used against what is expected. Take for example the humble library. For most it is a place of quiet and solitude, a place for knowledge, books, and the soft tapping of people working on computers. However, into this realm of silence you can also have the sexy librarian, the assistants, the sexy stories, and possible sex in the stacks. The room of odd objects at some college libraries, slave documents, original copies of manuscripts, and who knows what else.
     
    The main thing to keep in mind is make sure everything in your story works. The setting can be as important as the characters. It can be there to support them or it can overshadow them. You as an author just need to be aware and see if everything fits.
     
    Good Luck.
  5. Trebs
    Duncan Ryder is one of our Hosted Authors that writes in a very touching and true fashion. Two of his stories, Everybody's Wounded and its sequel, How the Light Gets In show very realistic young men, struggling through life and struggling to connect both with others, as well as with themselves.
     
    CarringtonRJ has done a great review of How The Light Gets In - but I strongly recommend reading Everybody's Wounded first for the full experience of how each person has gotten to the place they are when How The Light Gets In begins.
     
     
     



    How The Light Gets In


    by Duncan Ryder


     
    Review by Carringtonrj
    Of course, everyone loves a story about hot guys getting it on at college, but the challenge for a writer in this genre is to be original, sophisticated even, without spoiling the basic premise.
     
    How the Light Gets In by Duncan Ryder is an example of a story that includes many of the ingredients of the classic gay college romance, but it is also a subtle, intriguing and moving investigation into the lives of four troubled young men, each one trying to come to terms with their past and find ways to move on towards a brighter, happier future.
     
    The key element in this story is the trust it places in the reader: it begins with a host of suggestions and hints about its main characters, allowing us to put the pieces together gradually, until we are led to create our own subtle and complex portraits of the main characters out of fragments that Ryder offers us.
     
    So, we soon get to know and like delicate, tormented Luc, but it is not until the tender and beautifully realized revelations of Chapter 15 that we finally understand exactly what happened between him and his first love, Daniel.
     
    Then there’s Matt. Like Luc, he’s returning to college to finish his interrupted course, but his problems were of an entirely different order. But what was he running away from? And what does it have to do with the gorgeous Josh?
     
    The past is what the story really deals with. Even Josh, mooned over by Matt and adored by his current boyfriend Scott, has a history to come to terms with, and has to face some painful revelations about his own past.
     
    And what of Scott? He seems the most in control of all the protagonists, but he too is wrestling with his demons – in particular, he blames himself for Luc’s problems, which he fears were precipitated by an evening Scott and Luc had spent together. It is this guilt that drives the story – leading Scott to suggest that Matt share accommodation with Luc, so that Luc will have someone to keep an eye on him. In this way, all the main characters, with their burdensome baggage in tow, are thrust together and led sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder each other’s progress towards some sort of contentment.
     
    Another of Ryder’s stories is called Everyone Is Wounded, and that might have been the title for this often sorrowful tale. Add to that the fact this story takes its title from a song by the notoriously morose Leonard Cohen, and you might be forgiven for fearing that this would be a read of unremitting gloom. It isn’t. Ryder may favour the dark and troubling, but he also has a fine line in tender romance, beautifully rendered love-making and quiet humour. More to the point, Ryder is able to make us care about his characters and follow their exploits with the concern and care that we might usually feel for friends and relations.
     
    This is a Canadian story, set in Nova Scotia and featuring such exotica as rugby teams and bi-lingualism. Luc’s modest little lapses into French certainly add to his charm. It’s world that is both familiar and strange – which is pretty much what all good fiction delivers when it works well.
     
    In all, Ryder is clearly an accomplished and inventive writer, who has a fine facility for engaging our interest and making us believe in the situations he describes. I would warmly recommend that you go on this journey, get to know Luc, Matt, Scott and Josh, and see how their tangled relationships develop as they variously struggle to come to terms with their complicated pasts. If you haven’t read it already, give it a go. You won’t regret it.
  6. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #126 & #127

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    Good Friday! Happy Passover! Or that great catch all - TGIF!!!
     
    I recently chatted with someone who said they couldn't write - they thought they did well on email and documents for work, but trying to write a story was something they thought beyond their skill. I have to say, ESPECIALLY for that type of person, these writing prompts are the perfect way to just experiment and try seeing what you are capable of.
     
    ComicFan has given us two great new prompts - I really hope you try one of them, especially if this would be your first time "writing". What better way to start? And please, when you do - consider sharing them with the community in the Writing Prompts forum.
     
    Prompt 126 - Creative
    Cue – The Wedding Secret
    Today is your wedding day and it should be the happiest day of your life. However, you have been keeping a secret and know if you get married without disclosing it first your marriage will be doomed. What is your secret?
     
    Prompt 127 – Creative
    Cue – First Line
    “Just how many more times can you do that?”
     
    But before you head over and post your prompt, check out this response we have to one of last week's prompts. JamesSavik saw Prompt 125:
     

    and came up with:
     

    Check out the rest of James's response!
  7. Trebs
    For today's tip - we have a great writeup by Myr that we hope will be useful to you as an author. If you have a tip you think the community would find useful, please let Trebs or Renee Stevens know!
     


    Writing for Technical Geeks



    by Myr


     

    As many know, I'm a rather technical person by nature. It is in my blood to research stuff into the ground so that I can understand all the angles of a thing. I think and rethink on things all the time. It is thus when I went into a writing block that I decided to research the more technical aspects of writing. I therefore purchased and read a LOT of 'How to' books on writing. Many of them were from the group Writer's Digest, which is quite good at getting professional writers to write about how they write.
     
    As anybody that reads my writing knows, I'm a strictly science fiction and fantasy writer. Even things that look 'normal' are not. As such, a lot of the books I looked into were about writing.
     
    If you can get your hands on it, I strongly recommend David Gerold's "Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy"

    David Gerold is famous as the writer of the most famous Star Trek Episode of all time "Trouble with Tribbles". His book does a wonderful job of posing the questions you need to ask yourself as you develop a world. World Building is especially important in my two favorite genres: Fantasy and Science Fiction.
     

    The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is one I just finished reading. It has a lot of great essays by established authors that address every major area of writing. The book is also free to check out if you have Kindle and Amazon Prime.
     
    I've also recently ordered two more books that I haven't read, but appear to have some good tips. "The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller!" by Phillip Athans.

    I have not read very far in it yet, but I'm definitely hooked and think it will provide some worthwhile tips for my current epic fantasy and epic science fiction writing projects.
     
    The other book I've ordered but haven't yet devoured is: "How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play"

    I believe this will be useful in fighting through those bouts of writer's block.
     
    I hope this helps!
  8. Trebs

    Author Showcase!

    By Trebs,


    Reviews
    It's Wednesday again and that means it's time to feature some more stories from GA's very talented authors. Houdinii has done a great review of "Charlie", a touching story by Promising Author Hamen Cheese.
     
    We also have a guest reviewer who is a board member but would rather do reviews anonymously, and we agreed as long as all of these reviews are under the same reviewer name. So here is "Fozzy Bear" with their first review - and what better first story for them to review than Mr. Anonymous by Author K.C..
     


    Charlie


    by



    Hamen Cheese


     
    Reviewer: Houdinii
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 163,568
     
    Upon joining GA, I had certain expectations. I wanted nifty-style stories, with a little class, and I was pleased with what I found. Being a fan of the younger generation, and connecting with my own childhood, Charlie was about the best thing for me. It's truly a rare occurrence when I'm only a couple of paragraphs into a story and already hooked. Without even going back and re-reading I can still remember Charlie saying “Can I be Derek's friend?”
     
    The great majority of stories I agree with are met with a strong level of naysayers and such, but there are very few that can say something bad about “Charlie”, and I'm sure we all agree that Hamen outdid himself on this project. I suppose I should actually be getting to the review part of this, but it's not easy. There is way too much to say, and very little space to write.
     
    I can count on one hand the number of stories that truly make me tear up, and this is definitely one of the few. It's been numerous times I've spoken with fellow readers and was enabled to hear their review of our current top story, and was happy to say I voted for it myself.
     
    After reading upwards of over a hundred stories, I happened to be happily surprised and welcomed by Charlie. Little did I realize when I began reading, I was going to find a story I fell in love with, and couldn't stop reading, and I doubt even Hamen knew what was taking place. Seriously, did ya? Surprise or not, you begin with a little kid that you instantly fall in love with, and follow his story to his teens. And that's just Derek. Once Charlie was introduced, it was over. It's difficult for a lot of writers to develop their characters, but Hamen did just that, and I can picture these kids in my head as they go throughout the story.
     
    I'm not sure if you've ever met me or not, but I'm not one to give praise second hand. While I've only read a handful of authors, I can truly say this may be the best story I've seen written on GA, and I am appeased to have the opportunity to voice my true appreciation for this story. Hamen, kudos on a job well done, and I truly believe this is a story that every new member, and us old folks need to read. On a personal note, I'd like to tell you directly, I seriously think you outdid yourself, and I am ever happy to write this review. Congrats on a job well done, and I'm elated to have been asked to write this.
     
     
     
     
     

    Mr. Anonymous


    By



    K.C.


     
    Reviewer: Fozzy Bear
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 45,856
     
    Wokka, Wokka, Wokka. Well somebody has to pay a little attention here to an author with a wicked sense of humor. Let me introduce all of you to one K.C.. He has been a member of GA for nearly a year now and has continued to pump out stories for the Anthologies, Novella Contests, and other delightfully wicked tales. From vampires and werewolves, to first love, from personal looks to dealing with pain, KC crafts some incredible stories.
     
    In Mr. Anonymous, KC has recently created the story of Percy Giannopoulos, a closeted gay man, who runs a publishing company. His life is compartmentalized and he finds in order to protect his world and the life he leads, his only chance to be himself is when he is far away on vacation. Things might continue that way if not for his chance encounter in a gay chat room where he takes a chance talking to someone from his own city. While working behind a nickname to remain totally anonymous, Percy finds himself falling for his chat partner, and it appears to be mutual.
     
    To add to the mix Percy is surrounded by beautiful women, including his right hand girl Roxie, and his Greek mother who desperately wants to see her son married. There are cute guys, and some real scoundrels as well.
     
    What will happen when Percy’s straight world and his gay world collide? Will he ever meet his chat partner? What happens when blackmail is added to the mix? Read on oh gentle reader, just beware, Percy’s desires can really heat up a page.
     
    This thirteen chapter story will keep you flipping from page to page, chapter to chapter till you sit back and ask for only one thing – more!
    After this adventure I’m sure you will join the rest of asking for and waiting for the next project KC puts forth for our consumption.
     
    This is Fozzy Bear saying “Wokka, Wokka” and read KC’s stuff. Fozzy Bear is inspired by KC’s avatar of Animal. No muppets were harmed in the making of this review.
     

    Thank you to all of our reviewers. How about you? Is there a story that you have read and would like to see featured on the blog? Why not write a review for it! If you're interested, please contact Trebs or Renee Stevens.
  9. Trebs

    Featured Story: Eternity

    By Trebs,


    Featured Stories
    Being an admin on GA, and especially recently with working on this news blog, I've "met" and gotten to know quite a few people. Renee Stevens not only is a great writer, she also has been a fantastic help with so many things on GA and helped me so much with this blog. I really enjoyed reading Roan's review below - especially as I first read Eternity on nifty, and remember waiting for each new chapter. Now I get to really know an author I admire.
     


    Eternity


    by Renee Stevens


    Review by Roan
     

    In my early introduction to GA, as a newbie, I was bewildered by the plethora of colours attached to people’s names on site and the different roles they indicated. Ignorant of what it meant, I defaulted into thinking people were only what their colour said, so Authors were authors (and came in many flavours) but Mods moderated and Admins administrated, and never the twain should meet. As a result early on I missed the work of great writers such as Lugh, Cia et al because I assumed they didn’t write.
     
    After realising my error, I decided to deliberately look at the profiles of all these multi-coloured people and see what they wrote. While naturally attracted to a variety of genres, romance was not necessarily my home base, but remembering my earlier mistakes from too many assumptions, I was determined to click away without prejudice. As a result, when it came time to explore the profile of Renee Stevens, uber forum mod and all around organising force, I ignored my usual prejudices and went for it.
     
    The romance genre is replete with cliché’, and gay romance is certainly not immune, so I always approach a romance writer with a degree of trepidation. Early on in reading the writings of Renee I learned I could safely set my fears aside, and I have been reading her work ever since. Eternity, one of her earliest works, is a good introduction to her style and to her talent for bringing a love story to life in a way that entertains and moves in equal measure, a combination I always find hard to beat. It showcases her ability to write a story where all things are in balance; romance is balanced with misunderstanding and tension, joy with disappointment, and the characters are a balance of good and bad.
     
    The story begins not at the start of a beautiful relationship, but, jarringly, 2 years after the end of one, a first indication that this will not be standard fare. Kyle and Jared’s apparently solid relationship was cut short two years ago when one partner disappeared without warning. We enter the story now at a time fraught with tension, as they are reunited after this break but with the baggage of the past weighing them down. Their struggle to reconcile their continued feelings for each other with built up guilt and anger, and with the not always benign influence of family and friends, provides the emotional core of the narrative.
     
    The story grips me firstly because it is written honestly. The characters are flawed, they make mistakes, they hurt each other even when trying to do the right thing. In short, they are human, and display all the human frailties alongside the strengths. They also live believably normal lives, complete with struggles and disappointments. It makes it easy to relate to the characters, and to draw them into your heart. The author strikes her usual balance here, giving the characters room to be hurt but also feel love.
     
    Importantly for me also the consequences of the main characters sexuality are dealt with. In gay romance, there can sometimes be a false dichotomy presented in which the protagonists sexuality either has no effect on the plot at all or drives the plot and the characters’ lives entirely. Here we are presented with a love story first and foremost, but one in which the extra strains and effects on the protagonists lives and family relationships are melded into the story believably but not overwhelmingly and with a great sense of insight.
     
    With that strong underpinning, the plotline involving mystery, mayhem and danger cracks by at a good pace, working with the emotional subtext to draw you in. Although a relatively short novella at about 60,000 words it still provides the opportunity to get to know the characters, enjoy a plotline with twists and the occasional shock, and be satisfied with an ending you feel the characters have deserved. While later stories by Renee may be more polished, this one still delivers on several levels and is well worth rediscovering whether you are a fan of Renee, of the romance genre, or simply like real world characters that make you care.
     
    You can find the story here.
     
    If you do take a look and like what you see, please consider leaving a review and/or hitting the like button; for authors it is the best way we can get feedback and know it’s all worthwhile.
  10. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #124 & #125

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    Happy Friday (and for those who celebrate, Happy Cesar Chavez Day)!
     
    ComicFan has come up with two new prompts - I hope you give at least one of them a try. If you do, share them with the community in the Writing Prompts forum.
     
    Prompt 124 – Creative
    Cue – The Mystery
    You have been having a nice walk with your dog along the beach when your dog suddenly begins barking and tugging you toward pier. Deciding it is still a move back toward your car you allow the dog to lead you under the pier. As you do you see something you never wanted to see. What is the mystery under the pier?
     
    Prompt 125 – Creative
    Cue - The Shift
    You remember reading as child the horror stories of transforming from man to wolf and those who were blood thirsty killers during the full moon. You laugh now that you are cursed but unfortunately you didn’t get something cool like a wolf or a tiger. Now you are cursed to transform as well only become what?
     
     
     
    Give these new ones a try - or any of the prompts in the Writing Prompts forum. One recent prompt, #110 asked
     

    Percy gave this one a try with his Quid Pro Quo - below is the beginning and you should check out the full story to see where it goes!
     

    The full story can be found HERE
  11. Trebs

    Writing Tip: Spell Check

    By Trebs,


    Writing Tips
    For today's tip, Cia found a fantastic "Ode to the Spell Check". It appears to have been written by Nico van Tonder from Zaire who wrote it around 1999.
     


    Ode to the Spell Check

    Eye halve a spelling chequer
    It cam with my pea sea
    It plainly marques four my revue
    Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

     
    Eye strike a key and type a word
    And weight four it two say
    Weather eye am wrong oar write
    It shows me strait a weigh.
     
    As soon as a mist ache is maid
    It nose bee fore two long
    And eye can put the error rite
    Its rare lea ever wrong.
     
    Eye have run this poem threw it
    I am shore your pleased two no
    Its letter perfect awl the weigh
    My chequer tolled me sew!
     

    If you have a tip that we can share, send it to me!
  12. Trebs

    Blast From The Past!

    By Trebs,


    Reviews
    For the Blast from the Past, we have a review on one of GA's earliest Anthologies. So from the 2006 Summer Anthology: Going on Vacation, here is the review for:


    Finding My Summer Adventure

     

    by



    nicks_a_writer


     
    Reviewer: K.C.
    Status: Complete
    Word Count: 9,698
     
    On a cold March night, wanting to find something hot and steamy to warm me up, I stumbled across a 2006 Anthology story from Nicks_A_Writer. From the first paragraph of, “Finding My Summer Adventure,” I was hooked. What better way to warm up on a cold winter night then with a sizzling summer story?
     
    When Eric’s parents want to take a Caribbean cruise alone, he get shipped to Florida to spend a few weeks enjoying the company of his grandparents, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Determined to make the best of it, he does what any bored, 17 year-old guy would do…figures out how to get laid. Under normal circumstances that would be nearly impossible in a retirement community, but Eric has a plan.
     
    The nice old lady from the plane trip down told him about her grandson, Jackson who happened to work at the retirement center and since every Grandmother is required by law to carry pictures of her family, he get a sneak peek at the hottie waiting in Florida.
     
    Heartbroken from his first real break-up, Eric isn’t interested in anything serious. His goal is to have fun in the sun and pass the time as quick as possible until he can go home, yet all of that takes a turn when he meets Jackson. This summer fling might turn into so much more.
     
    It was a cute story that was very smoothly written and very focused on Eric’s goal to make the best out of his summer vacation. I would give it 4 stars upon review, it had me smiling and feeling the warm sun from start to finish.
     
    This is Nicks_A_Writer’s only completed story, but it shows his talent and amazing skill for a young writer. He hasn’t been back to GA in a while. I hope when he returns he comes back with some ideas for more stories since I would really like to read more of his work.
     
     
     
    So, what are you waiting for! Check out this "Blast From the Past" and leave a review!!! If you are interested in reviewing Anthologies prior to 2009 for the Blast From the Past section, or any other story for the Blog, please contact Trebs or Renee Stevens.
  13. Trebs
    Cia has done it again and written what I think is a fantastic writing tip. Check it out and see if you agree...


    Oops, it's wrong... or is it?


     

    So many times I get confused by the complexities of English grammar, I'm sure many of you are the same. The rules are often contradictory, and the exceptions to exceptions are absolutely a quagmire of missteps and misspells waiting to trap you. I recently read an article that said to polish your writing skills, spend thirty minutes a month reviewing your grammar skills as well. After all, our stories are only as good as the way we present them. A great plot can only go so far. To help with that polish, here are a couple of the most common trip ups in word choices for you to review.
     
    Its and It's.
    Okay, so we're all taught that if Sally owns the red scarf, it is Sally's scarf. Notice the apostrophe s that indicates possession. That's the rule EXCEPT if the scarf belonged to an it. In that case it would be its scarf, no apostrophe. See, the only time it gets an apostrophe s is when you make it is into a conjunction or it's. An it doesn't get to show possession of anything with an apostrophe, poor thing!
     
    Lay and Lie
    This one is TRICKY! So, they are both verbs. BUT lay is an intransitive verb, it needs a subject and an object to work. I lay the food on the table. Past tense of lay is laid. I laid the food on the table for dinner. See, the food is the direct subject (who the action is happening to) and the object (where the verb is acting on) is the table. The verb, of course... is lay/laid.
     
    Then you have lie. Lie is a verb that requires no object, because no one is doing anything to the subject, in this case. In the following example, no one is doing anything to the cat, but lie/lay tells you what the cat is doing, depending on your tense. The cats lie on the bed. In this case, the word lie is telling us what the cats are doing on the bed. Past tense would be, The cats lay on the bed. Since the action is being taken by the subject, not done to the subject, the verb is transitive and you use lie/lay.
     
    Okay, how do you tell them apart? Usually if you read your sentence where 'I, he,she,it' is doing something to something else, you'd use the intransitive verb: lay/laid. If you read it aloud, you can also often tell if that is the verb form to use because the sentence is incomplete with an object: 'I lay the food' doesn't make much sense does it? I lay the food where?
     
    Since and Because
    I learned this rule because I made this mistake. The difference is that since speaks of a time frame and because is cause/effect. Look at my first sentence. I used because. If you say the sentence it wouldn't sound off to use either word, but because is appropriate as I'm telling you that making the mistake caused me to learn the rule. If I wanted to indicate a time frame about learning the rule, I would use since. I have not made this mistake since I learned this rule.
     
    Who's and Whose
    So who's is a contraction of who is. Whose is a word that shows possession. This one is simple to differentiate if you replace the word with who is. Who's going to ride in whose car? Try replace both of those with who is, you can clearly tell who is (who's) does not replace whose.
     
    Nauseated and Nauseous
    This is one I had no idea of until I read it! I'm sure I've broken this rule quite often, actually. The rule is that something can be nauseous, but if you feel sick you are nauseated. Huh . . . new things learned every day!
     
    Now - do YOU have a writing tip that you think others could find useful? Let me know!
  14. Trebs

    Featured Story: Weeping Lily

    By Trebs,


    Featured Stories
    Banish those Monday blues by reading this review by Cia of Nephylim's Weeping Lily. Then for a real treat, check out Weeping Lily for yourself!
     



    Weeping Lily


    by Nephylim


     
    Review by Cia
     
    Do you love music? Do you love beautiful men? Do you love beautiful men who love other beautiful men?
     
    Then Weeping Lily by Nephylim is just right for you!
     
    This story starts off with the excitement of a Goth band just finishing up a world tour on the same day their album goes platinum and #1 on the UK charts. Everyone in Weeping Lily is riding a huge high. Ashton, the lead guitarist that just wants to play. Rik, the bass player is happy but laid back, always ready to jam with his friends no matter where they are.
     
    Cal is versatile, to say the least. He loves the attention of being in a band and excels at playing and singing. Another party animal is Luc who plays the drums. He’s just as outgoing as Cal and they love to vie for attention. Last, but not least is Jayden. He loves the music, but could care less about the attention that comes with it.
     
    He is the heart and soul of the band, with the voice of an angel.
     
    But what happens when that soul is damaged? With a Goth band, that meant the music he wrote and the pain that he felt had an outlet. He was ‘The Great Jayden’. Sometimes being that popular can lead to problems.
     
    Jayden is fan-napped and drugged. They need him, and they need him whole. But even if they find Jayden in time, can he recover from the attack and trauma? Will the band continue to play together, or will they have to call it quits? Will the man who secretly loves Jayden step forward to help save him?
     
    This story was so dramatic and filled with tension. There is a large cast of characters, but everything focuses on Jayden. Nephylim manages to keep the reader on the edge of their seat through the entire story; she’ll sweep you along for all the highs and lows.
     
    A lot of the struggles in this story are internal but the bonds the characters share and the dynamics between all the various characters keeps you from feeling bored. You can’t help but feel for Jayden and want to hug him. When you get to the end you will feel like you’ve seen the depths of his being and traveled his journey along with him.
     
    The conflict pulls you in, the love is beautiful and passionate, and the characters almost leap off the page. If you want to read a story that will pull you in and keeping you reading until the very end, then read Weeping Lily. You won’t regret it!
  15. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #120 & #121

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    Happy Friday. Looking forward to a great weekend, especially with the GA announcement coming out tomorrow morning.
     
    What announcement? Well - check this news blog tomorrow and you'll see!
     
    And as it's Friday, we have two new writing prompts to play with Today's writing prompts are brought to you by Comicfan:
     
    Prompt 120 – Creative
    Cue – The perfect body
    Science has created the process. You no longer have to be unhappy with the body you were given. Now you can have exactly what you want, if you are willing to give up …
     
    Prompt 121 – Creative
    Cue – The Wish
    We have all heard the saying be careful what you wish for. Well you just made a wish that has come true, however, you didn’t see the other problems that come with your wish. What are they and what did you wish for?
     
    Play with these great prompts, see where you can go and share them in the Writing Prompts forum. In a future entry, we may feature your response!
     
     
     
    This week's feature is in response to last week's Prompt 119 and comes from Renee Stevens. I loved how she set the mood on this - as you can tell from her title, you might want to be in a well lit room when you read it.
     
    Her prompt response is called Chilling Tales
     
    I love this time of night at the county library. It’s nearing closing time and most people have come and gone. Even when it is busy, it’s quiet, but there’s something about this time of night, when it’s getting dark outside and all the parents have taken their children home to feed them dinner. There is only one thing that I find slightly disconcerting.
     
    I think everybody has their own little niche at the library. Someplace they just like to sit and relax as they read. I know I have one and I enjoy nothing more than going to my little spot and losing myself in stories about mystical beings and far off places. Lately though, it just hasn’t been the same.
     
    It all started about a month ago. I was sitting in my spot, like usual, when I felt as though I was being watched. I looked and didn’t see anyone, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone. I shrugged it off and went back to reading, but over the rest of the week, the feeling of being watched just got stronger and stronger.
     
    I stayed away over the weekend, hoping that when I went back on Monday, the library would once more become the peaceful place that I could just relax and read. When I did finally go back, I decided maybe it was just something with that one spot and searched out a new little alcove to read in. I wish it had been that easy, but it hadn’t been. No sooner had I sat down and opened my book than goose bumps rose up on my arms and a chill crept down my spine.
     
    I jerked my gaze up, but all I saw was an older man walking through the aisles, tracing his finger over the spines of the books as though he was looking for something specific. The hair on the nape of my neck stood up until finally I had enough and snapped my book closed before climbing to my feet. I had only taken a single step when my arm grew cold, and it felt as though someone was gripping it. I shook the invisible grip and rushed from the library, not stopping until I’d reached my car.
    I got in and closed the door before realizing that I still clutched the book I had been reading. With a sigh, I got back out and headed inside. I’d return the book and maybe see if there was anyone there that might know some of the history behind the library. There had to be someone who might have had a similar experience to mine or know of someone who had. I just needed to know that I hadn’t completely lost my mind.
     
    I was tense as I walked up to the desk where a girl about my own age was talking to another patron. I overheard her saying that the regular librarian was on vacation and would be back the following week if the lady wanted to come in then. Doubting that the girl behind the counter would be able to help me, I dropped my book in the book return and headed back to my car. Something had changed about my beloved library; I just wanted to know what.
     
    I’d headed home that night and sat down at the computer, determined to figure out why I constantly felt like I was being watched. Even more than that, I wanted to know what had grabbed me. I had never been one to believe in ghosts, but my experiences at the library had made me begin to wonder if I was wrong.
     
    I searched the internet for haunted buildings in my county, and each search result ended up being a dead end. There was a haunted mine in the town to the east of me, but nothing that I could find on was about the library. Nobody else had reported an experience like mine, but the lack of information didn’t deter me. I had to know what was going on. I wasn’t going to let whatever it was chase me away from my time at the library.
     
    It took me nearly two days of digging around with different search words, but I finally found something that looked to be promising. That might actually explain to me what I was dealing with. A woman had come forward, though it only gave the year, saying that she had experienced something similar in the same building that our county library was housed. At the time, the building had apparently been the county courthouse.
     
    I hadn’t realized that it had ever been anything except the library. The woman, whose name isn’t important, had been a cleaning lady at the courthouse. She had been there alone one night when she had felt as though she was being watched. She’d checked to make sure she was alone, and other than the security guard who was still at his desk, no one else was in the building. The feeling never dissipated. Eventually she had done as I had and shrugged it off and gone back to her duties.
     
    She’d finished up the cleaning and left, but two days later, she had felt as though someone had grabbed her arm. She’d left the building after that, refusing to finish the job that night. She’d told her boss that she wasn’t going back into the building, and was essentially told that she either does it or lose her job. Against her better judgment she’d gone back in.
     
    It was when she was cleaning the upper hallway, just outside of the main courtroom that her fears were fully realized. She’d just turned the vacuum on when she felt something brush against her and heard what sounded like the clanking of chains. She shivered, but decided she was imagining things, and went about her duties. Within seconds she claimed she felt hands wrapped around her neck, even to feeling individual fingers pressing into her neck, squeezing as she gasped for breath.
     
    She had apparently fought her invisible assailant, but the pressure never let up and she felt as though she was being pushed backwards. She wrote that just as her vision started to go dark, she felt the hands let go, but before she could even feel relief that it was over, she felt something shove against her. Her assailant had pushed her backwards to the top of the stairs and that last push sent her tumbling down. She apparently didn’t remember the security guard finding her, only waking up in the hospital with a full memory of what had happened. Only, no one believed her. Until now. I sure as hell believed her.
     
    I wanted to know more about when it happened, but with only having the year, all I knew was that it was some time nearly twenty years ago. Wanting to know more, I continued my search and found a couple more attacks in the years since, all of them eerily similar, but nothing about who, or what, was attacking people. I tried searching for incidents at the courthouse prior to the first attack, but couldn’t find even a reference to anything in particular. I sighed and shut the computer down as I thought about my options.
     
    I didn’t dare go back to the library until I knew what I was going to have to protect myself against. Every attack had escalated from something very similar to what had happened to me. I regretted the loss of the library, but in the end, I wasn’t about to be attacked and very nearly killed. It wasn’t worth it. I just needed to find someone who might know some of the history of the building, only then would I be able to return, knowing that I was safe. Until then, well, there was always the library in the next town.
  16. Trebs

    Writing Tip: The English Language

    By Trebs,


    Writing Tips
    Myr found this joke and shared it with us. It may be a joke, but it is also very informative! We'd love to know YOUR thoughts on it!
     


    English Joke/ Writing Primer


     

    I think a retired English teacher was bored.
     
    THIS IS GREAT!
     
    Read all the way to the end.................
    This took a lot of work to put together!
     
    You think English is easy??
     
    1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
     
    2) The farm was used to produce produce.
     
    3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
     
    4) We must polish the Polish furniture..
     
    5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
     
    6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert..
     
    7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
     
    8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
     
    9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
     
    10) I did not object to the object.
     
    11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
     
    12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
     
    13) They were too close to the door to close it.
     
    14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
     
    15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
     
    16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
     
    17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
     
    18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear..
     
    19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
     
    20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
     
     
     
    Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig..
     
    And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
     
    If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
     
    How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
     
    English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
     
    PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?
     
    You lovers of the English language might enjoy this ..

    There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
     
    It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?
    At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
    Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UPfor election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
    We call UP our friends.
    And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
    We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
    At other times the little word has real special meaning.
    People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UPan appetite, and think UP excuses.
    To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
    A drain must be opened UP because it is stoppedUP.
    We open UP a store in the morning but we close itUP at night.
     
    We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
    To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP,look the word UP in the dictionary.
    In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
    If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
    It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't giveUP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more
    When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.
    When the sun comes out we say it is clearingUP.
    When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
    When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
     
    One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
    for now my time is UP,
    so.......it is time to shut UP!
    Now it's UP to you what you do with this email.
  17. Trebs

    Blast From The Past!

    By Trebs,


    Reviews
    Going back through old GA Newsletters, you find gems like the below review. Not only was the review good - I remember it led me to TheZot's work which are uniformly GREAT!
     
    Here from the Dec 2006 newsletter, a review from the past:
     
    You Meet Your Soulmate in the Strangest Places
    by TheZot
     
    With high recommendations from many people I recently checked out this short story written by hosted author TheZot. To say it made me smile would be a grave understatement. Love at first sight, a concept I truly believe in, is explored in this beautiful short story.
     
    A sleepy main character meets a forward stranger on a train and from that first encounter he can’t seem to get the handsome stranger out of his mind. After a few run-ins with each other they both are a bit nervous but both know deep down there’s more than a fleeting crush or a lot of just plain lust there. What ensues is a tale that will warm your heart, make you laugh, make you smile, and definitely say a few ‘awwws.’
     
    The writing is flawless and keeps you scrolling, needing to find out what happens. You grow attached to the main character and can easily feel what he feels for his mysterious train companion. This story, if even for a moment, can make the world’s biggest pessimist think ‘love at first sight’ can happen!
     
    So if want a good story that won’t take days to read, my recommendation would definitely be TheZot’s ‘You meet Your Soulmate in the Strangest Places.’
     

    Great review of a fantastic story. And once you read it, you might want to check out the rest of TheZot's writings - one other of my favorites is Ex Marks The Spot.
  18. Trebs

    Opinions needed

    By Trebs,

    I've got a personal website - it's www.rjws.com
     
    I came up with the name when I was with my ex - my initials are RJ and his are JWS so it was a merge of the two names. I don't use it for much - occasional updates. More use it to put up private directories of family photos so my brother and sister can see them. When I split with my ex, I realized I could still use the RJWS moniker by changing it to mean Robert Jordan's Web Site - cute, eh?
     
    So - a week ago, I got an inquiry about the domain. A guy who's name is Ryan J.W. Sanderson is a drummer in Quebec and uses rjwsdrums. He wants to shorten it and brand himself as just RJWS - his initials. So he wanted to see if I was willing to sell him the domain.
     
    Now - Pro's for releasing the website: I don't use it, it reminds me of my ex, someone else COULD get some use from it. Con's are: I have a personalized car license plate of "RJWS COM", short domains are in limited supply (there are no free 2 or 3 character domain names I've heard, and available 4 character domains I'd guess are also rare), I have a bit of nostalgic connection to it (I mean, I've had it for like 10 years now).
     
    Asked him (and flat out told him it was a crass question): How much would it be "worth" to him? I mean - I'll definately need to recoup costs at least as the domain is registered through 2013 but over and above that. He replied back that he was just a musician - he really doesn't have a "budget" but understands where I'm coming from. Ie - lol, a total non-answer.
     
    So... should I... The strongest argument to me still is, he could use it and I don't.
     
    But...
     
    Dunno...
     
    :-)
  21. Trebs

    It's Monday...

    By Trebs,

    To "You know who you are" -
     
     
    HANNAH MONTANA SONGS?!? WTF!!!!!!!!
     
     
     
    In other news - life is good, been back to work for over a month now (went by sooooo fast). Looking forward to Thanksgiving with Dan, April, Tyler and Kaliann - we bought the turkey and stuffing ingrediants this past Saturday. Financially, things are going a lot better as after five months of applying, waiting, fighting, phone calls, etc - I finally got my federal disability payments. Getting caught up on bills is a good thing :-)
  22. Trebs
    Just a quick note...
     
    1) I've been out of touch with most people recently - sorry. Part of it has been my mood... Ever since early Sept, I'm been down mainly due to having been out of work for over a year, and partly cause still dealing a little with not having my girls (dogs). But I know a lot of you care and have reached out - and I appreciate it, even if I haven't always reached back.
     
    WHICH leads me to:
    2) GREAT NEWS!!!
     
    Tomorrow (Wed) morning at 9AM - I report back to work! WOOT!!! I've been talking with my doctors for a while now, especially the past two weeks, and I've been talking with work and have finally pulled it all together. My doctor does want me to start slow so I don't "set myself to fail" so I'm starting tomorrow at half-time, and then will go back to working full-time after two weeks. We have a new administration (we elected a new Chair back in April and have a new Executive Director - the person I've always reported to directly). So some of my being down has been that I haven't really worked with the new team (and if they got along without me, why would they need me again). But THANKFULLY, they are looking forward to having me back - just a matter of figuring out job duties, etc. Like Dan kept telling me, you won't know how they feel about you until you talk to them - so I'm glad I did (ok - with his prodding).
     
    Still have follow-ups with the doctors and occasional tests - but getting cleared to go back to work is for me, the turning point.
     
     
     
    PS - I be a happy camper right now!!!
  23. Trebs

    Not really "tomorrow"

    By Trebs,

    Gotta remember to stop making promises in my blog, like "I'll post tomorrow" - heh.
     
    ANYWAYS...
     
    So - the doctor visit LAST WEEK went relatively well. Dr Arai was still happy with my progress, only thing was, I also got a dose of reality at the same time. I had been hoping that I might be able to go back to work in say, early September. So I brought it up as far as - "I know the schedule says I can go back to work after 5-6 months, but what about earlier". I knew I was in trouble as I saw her bracing toward the beginning of the sentence, and then totally do a double-take at the end and she said "Earlier?" Uh-oh...
     
    So - we talked it through a bit and she did say that I POSSIBLY could go back earlier, but to consider easing into it, like part-time to begin with ("Better than starting full-time and then having to drop back and feel like you failed"). We talked about dates and she thought Oct for full time would work, but to also play it by ear.
     
    I also had thought that this was my last Stanford visit - but she still wants to see me, just every three months (well - better than having to drive down there every two weeks). I still go in for follow-ups every two weeks, but now I get to do those with Dr Spears, my local doctor.
     
    Otherwise, things are going pretty well. My stamina level is that I'm up about three hours at a stretch before hitting a wall. I'm doing a ton of reading since that's the only thing that is keeping me from being totally bored out of my mind. I've always loved reading on a handheld (right now, my AT&T Tilt, a windows mobile phone - previously on an internet capable PDA). So I'm scouring various story sites, nifty, best of nifty, etc... One thing I HATE - getting really into a good, well-writen series - only to read the last chapter to find it is UNFINISHED. One reason I love sites that accurately post "Completed" vs "In Progress". Though, if the author is still going, I have purposely read through their in progress stuff as well - just when they do post a new chapter, I have to frequently re-read the previous chapter to remember what is going on and who the characters are.
     
    Ironic thing, is in addition to the web-based stories I'm burning through, I have a number of physical books that I WANT to read, I just... keep putting them off. One in particular, is the completion of the Sword of Truth books - I still have NOT read "Chainfire" - though Dan and I own it, Phantom and Confessor (the last three novels in the series). Not sure why - I've tried about 4 times, but I just can't get into Chainfire.
     
    That's about it for now - NOT gonna promise another update immediately, but when the mood strikes me, ya, I'll definately update - heh. Take care, and thanks again to everyone for their well-wishes... It is much appreciated.
  24. Trebs

    Early night

    By Trebs,

    Good news for once
     
    Well, it's just 8:30PM and I'm already heading to bed. Reason is that we need to get on the road tomorrow around 5:30 AM (or 6AM at the latest) for a 9AM follow-up appointment at Stanford. And ya - NONE of this early morning part is the good news - lol - especially as anyone who knows me in person KNOWS that I am NOT a morning person.
     
    Tomorrow is also day 57 since my transplant. This is the good news part as tomorrow's appointment will be the LAST time I have to go to Stanford - at day 60, my case gets transferred back to my local oncologist back here in Sacramento! WOOT!
     
    Now it is still going to be a bit longer on disability before I have my old energy levels back. That's one of the things Dan and I are going to ask my Stanford doctor about. The early prognosis was that it would take about five months after transplant (ie, November) but considering how I'm doing, and that my job is a desk job, I'm hoping she thinks I could return in the late Sept/early Oct range.
     
    Cross your fingers and I'll post tomorrow what she said...
     
    Robert
  25. Trebs

    My dogs

    By Trebs,

    Melody is on the left, Zoe is on the right
     
    Two important updates... Healthwise - I'm doing really well. My last appointment with my doctor two weeks ago went well, and I have another followup next Wed. She was very happy with my progress when I saw her - and said I was actually doing better than expected for this point. Today is the 51st day since my transplant - and basically at day 60, my case transfers from my Stanford doctor back to my local oncologist - so next Wed should be the last time Dan and I have to travel to Stanford.
     
    I'm able to sit up and do things these days for about two hours at a time - a while after that, and I start hitting the wall and getting very tired. But consider that about a month ago, I was only able to handle being up for about 45 minutes at a time - so my stamina is improving but not as fast as I'd like. I can go out - in fact, as long as it isn't to busy I can even go places like the movie theater so when Harry Potter came out, we just waited a couple days and saw a matinee - theater was only half-packed. Only time I have to still wear the hepa air-filter mask is when I am in a hospital or if I'm somewhere very packed or I think there are people who are going to be coughing. Like yesterday, we had to go to the Social Security office, which from Dan's previous visit he knew would be packed with families, so I wore my mask. Good thing too as I heard a ton of coughing throughout the waiting area.
     
    Now for the not so pleasant update. This is something that actually has been happening for a while now - but I couldn't really talk about it. See, a couple of months ago my two dogs got out and while out, attacked two cats, killing one. They were declared to be dangerous dogs and Animal Control put them down recently. I made restitution to the owners of one cat and still waiting to hear from the other cat's owner. ... I am so sorry for what my girls did - that I didn't do more to secure them in the yard so they couldn't get out in the first place - but mostly, I just miss my girls. When I finally got the determination from Animal Control, I totally broke down but Dan was right there for me. It actually caused a ... setback in my progress as for about a week to ten days after, I was so depressed I basically stayed in bed for most of the day. I'm a lot better now - just that I can talk about it is pretty much evidence of that. It still hurts to think of them - they were wonderful girls but I know that they (well - Zoe especially) did have some issues. Dan tries to make me feel better by insisting that it was her previous family (the one that gave her to the SPCA) that fucked her up - and it is probably true. But I still feel like a "bad daddy" - and I just miss them so much. When I layed on the bed, Melody used to jump up and curl right into me, using my arm as a pillow. I wouldn't want to disturb her so I would just nap to keep her comfortable (ya, I was whipped - your point?).
     
    Anyways - that's what's going on around here. Oh - Dan's been doing quite a bit of writing recently so that's made me very happy. But I'll let others bug him for details...
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