JSmith

I finished putting the rest of my gear away in Lang’s armory after we secured the captured enemy. Lang, despite being paranoid, didn’t have a built-in cell to house a prisoner, so we made due with a small conference room and a liberal amount of restraints. Gordon would know his man was missing by now, but hopefully it would take longer to verify that he was captured and not just dead in the woods somewhere. I slammed the last locker shut and sighed heavily. The coming ‘discussion’ would not be

Thanks for all the comments Lisa!! I definitely appreciate it and look forward to writing more!

I made my way slowly back towards Lang’s house, continuing my surveillance detection routine until I was satisfied I wasn’t being followed. It continued to eat at me as I wondered how Gordon’s men had found me again. I had already ditched the phone, but they appeared out of nowhere as if they had been waiting for me. The question I couldn’t answer was if it was just dumb luck that they found me, or if someone had tipped them off. As I approached the main gate to Lang’s house, I kept my head dow

Nine years. I've been a part of GA for just shy of a decade. I've seen it grow from only a few forums and some scattered author websites to a community of thousands of people across the world with millions of visitors every month. I was member 937 to join the site. GA is now approaching the 25,000th member. I joined this site on a random Wednesday and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. The people I've met through this site have guided me and made me who I am today and I couldn't be more thankful. Without them, who knows where I would be. From the first core group of regular chatters, I was hooked. Viv, Snowdog, Myr, Robert, Lugh, Nate, Krista, Vic, and so many more that I can't even list. They were there to listen to me bitch about high school homework, my first crush on a boy, getting my drivers license, my first relationship and subsequent breakup, graduating college, moving across the country God knows how many times... they were there to listen to me and help me through it. They gave me advice when I needed it and told me to grow a pair and man up when I needed that too. Meeting up with them in San Francisco and Dallas was a blast, but having them guide me through some of the roughest parts of my life was more than I could ever ask for. I will be officially stepping down in all areas across the site. I will no longer be a moderator, admin, or board member for the parent company. It's been an amazing nine years, but I can no longer hold up my end of the workload and need to part ways to allow someone else to grow with the site as much as I have. The growth this site has seen is nothing compared to what else will become of it. The teams running everything behind the scenes are dedicated to making this site the best possible place for everyone when it comes to gay fiction stories, and I have no doubt it'll continue to grow for many years to come. Without trying to sound like I'm accepting an award of some sort, I'd just like to thank everyone on the site that has made it what it is and made me who I am. I'm truly grateful for all of the conversations and guidance you've all given me throughout the years. I'll still be around from time to time and may even take a stab at writing some more, but for the most part, this is my final goodbye to Gay Authors. It's been a great journey, but it's time for me to move on with my life and see what else awaits. Good luck to everyone on the site. I hope you find happiness and gain as much from being a part of this community as I have. Joe

If you can draw up a plan and detail what exactly you need from the site staff, I'd be happy to help you get this project off the ground. I won't be able to help you plan everything, but I can help you with the aspects that need a site admin. As soon as you have a plan on action and what you need help with, please feel free to shoot me a PM.

We could set up a private sub-forum for authors interested in doing this if it takes off. It would be an easy way to collaborate on the story and we could password protect it so only the authors writing chapters could have access to the juicy details before each chapter is made public.

Thanks everyone!!

Dear Vic, You weren't just my friend... you were my supporter. You were my mentor. You were my guide. And most importantly, you were my family. From the moment I joined GA, you were nothing more than amazing. You have always been there for me when I needed an ear to bend, someone to rant to, or a shoulder to cry on. I told you secrets that I've never told anyone else that I know; you kept them until the end, and I thank you for that. There are few people in this world that I could possibly admire as much as you. You helped me through my entire life. Since I was 15 and in denial about my sexuality, to helping me talk to the cute boy next to me in class, to figuring out how to break up with the crazies, you've always been there for me. No matter what I said or did, you never passed judgment... just guidance. You not only helped me get through the tough spots in life, but you made me a better person in the process.... I've talked to you for over 8 years, and even stopped by to chat with you on my way to LA a few months ago, but it wasn't enough. It'll never be enough. You'll be missed by your family, your friends, and this community, but you'll never be forgotten. I wouldn't be who I am today without you. I hope I was able to provide a fraction of the friendship to you that you bestowed onto me during these years. I love you, Vic. Always and all ways, Joe p.s. to everyone else "It's not all about the grades you get or how cool you are in highschool, it's about doing what makes you happy, and no matter when you're gonna go, to live life to the fullest." "It's just really simple actually. It's just try and make people happy."

I've got the perfect spot overlooking Venice Beach that does endless mimosas for $10 Andrea... it's ON!

The city is going fucking NUTS right now! Definitely a nail-biter of a game though!

It's a rare occasion that I'll blog about anything serious (or at all really), so I'll keep this short. It's rare that you go through life and meet someone that doesn't have some sort of heartbreak in their past. I'm not talking about relationships either, but more of the kind that causes you to stop and wonder how life can be so cruel sometimes. From cancer, to domestic violence, to losing a loved one in an unfortunate accident, everyone has had something like this happen to them in their life, yet no one seems to talk about it in public. You can't walk down the street without hearing about some sort of political issue, but people tend to stay silent on issues that can really affect a lot of people. Instead of going into details or a heartfelt story, I'm just going to encourage everyone to do something this week that will make a difference. I'm doing a walk tomorrow for Leukemia awareness and to raise money for research. By all means, I haven't raised much (feel free to donate by the way), but it's enough in my mind to at least make a difference for someone in the world. Even if it's nothing more than someone stumbling across this post, at least they'll know they're not alone in this world. They'll know that there are people out there that care about them even if they've never met. Our world isn't as ugly as people make it seem. So just once this week, I encourage everyone to go out of their way to do something for someone that you don't know and without asking anything in return. Joe

Yes, I'm a die-hard Packers fan, but even Seahawk fans know that last call was COMPLETE bullshit. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/20356689/ending-of-packersseahawks-game-should-be-tipping-point-for-referee-lockout To pull an inexperienced Division 2 team up to officiate for the NFL is asinine to begin with. Half of these guys shouldn't even be allowed to ref a flag football game, much less a professional game. Not ONLY was there blatant offensive pass interference on Tate, but Jennings had the ball under his possession when both feet hit the ground. This should have been a clear-cut interception for the Packers to win the game. But they ignored BOTH calls and literally gave the game away to Seattle. Both refs made completely different calls on the same play. One had a view of the ball, the other didn't. Somehow the one that DIDN'T have a view of the ball made the call to give Seattle the touchdown. "It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control." This should be a wakeup call to the NFL that they need to end this lockout. Sure, every game has bad calls, but these past few weeks have been absolutely horrendous.

This site has shaped my life over the past 7+ years. I couldn't thank you enough Myr

I'm in 100%. Let's make this convention go down in GA history as the largest and most fun

We totally fail at this. Everyone is fired.

Well last time I made HIM be the adventurous one since it was his idea to get to the sex

Ah, but that's my point! When is it appropriate to 'pop the question'? Say you've been dating a guy for a couple weeks, things are going well, you both like each other, then you get to the sex part and you're both strictly tops or bottoms and it doesn't work out. I wouldn't say it's a waste of time, but it is definitely one of those 'That awkward moment when...' situations. So for those that are strictly tops or bottoms that are interested in dating and getting to know someone before they sleep with them, what's the appropriate way to go about figuring it out? I mean, sometimes it's easy to tell when someone is a total bottom or total top, but then there are those where you can't really tell and have to guess when you first start dating.

I always hate meeting a great guy, going on a couple dates, then when we get down to the good stuff, we're 'incompatible'. Granted, even getting to the date part is few and far between for me, but its extremely irritating! Do you guys find it inappropriate to ask the top/bottom question early on? And how do you go about that conversation? Assuming you're not just looking for a quickie...

Chapter 7 I walked into the kitchen and found Mitch hovering above the stove. “Mmm, what's for breakfast?” I asked. He turned to face me, newspaper in his hand. “Coffee,” he said. “Breakfast is the most important part of the day you know,” I grumbled. “If it were up to you, I'm sure you would have slept until noon. Meaning breakfast would be lunch. Therefore, your argument is invalid.” “Hey, it was a rough night. I deserved to sleep in for once.” He kissed me on the forehead. “Wh

Thanks everyone!!

Chapter 6 Waiting was the hardest part of any mission. At any moment you may have to kill someone, or even be killed. I attempted to control my nerves and focus on the tasks that lay ahead of me. I was once one of these men sent to kill without knowing why. A 'yes man' that did whatever it took to complete an objective. If these guys had any idea of who I was, of who the man they worked for, would they still try and kill me? Not that it mattered anymore. They chose their profession. They kn

Someone that I really respect and miss dearly sent me this in an email based on this post: While the above situation that I described was purely hypothetical (though based on true events as they say) I really do feel like it's something that I tend to struggle with. This person put a new spin on it for me. Maybe it isn't about doing what makes you happy. Happiness can be found many different ways. Referring to the situation above, none of those choices would bring a person happiness. How could it? Half of the options result in immediate loss of something you desire, and the other 50% is a crap-shoot that's not even up to us, but the other person. It's what will bring us peace that allows us to move on and eventually become happy. Without peace, there is no happiness.

I find it frustrating that every time I talk to people, they all give me the same, yet different advice. Let's look at love and relationships. Hypothetical situation: You're in love with someone, but they're in love with someone else. If you ask someone for advice, you'll get one of two things: 1) Fight for what you believe in. If you love this person, let them know it. Show them that you care for them. Profess your love for them and maybe they'll feel the same way. Even if they don't, at least you'll know so you can move on. 2) They're in love with someone else. They're happy. If you really love them, you'll let them be happy with who they're with. If it was meant to be, then it will happen, but nothing good can come from sharing your love when they're in another happy relationship. Pardon my language, but WHAT THE FUCK!? Both of these sound like legitimate responses to the situation. They're both logical, yet say to do the exact opposite. How are we supposed to determine which advice to follow? Personally I've both given and received both of these. I didn't realize it before, but I do now. I realize that when someone comes to me with this situation, I don't just randomly pick one of the two to go with. I ask myself the same question. If I'm going through something similar, I tell them what I want to do in my situation. Which doesn't help them at all. What if I give them the wrong advice? What if I tell them to let the person be happy because that's what I'm going to do, when in reality, the person they're interested in is actually in love with them as well and was just waiting for them to say something? Does that make me a bad person? On the other hand, when I've received this information, it doesn't matter what the other person said. I've already made up my mind. If they tell me to move on, I counter with something that proves this person loves me back and that I should do it. They eventually agree and I take the advice that I gave myself in the beginning. Obviously I'm still single so this hasn't worked to my advantage yet, but that's besides the point. The point is... does it really matter what advice we give people? Do they actually listen to what we say, or are they just looking for someone to justify the decision that they've already made in their head. I'm not talking about minor decisions of where to eat or what movie to see. I'm speaking larger, life altering decisions. Why do we ask others for advice? They can't possibly understand the situation that we're in. Everyone has a different life with different experiences. Wouldn't we be better of just shaking a Magic 8 Ball? If it doesn't land on the answer we want, we decide that was a practice shake and try again until we get the answer we want. Is that not what we do with our best friends when we ask for advice? Not to say that I haven't learned anything from asking for advice. Many friends have taught me things, pointed things out that I didn't realize until a third party mentioned it, or changed my mind on what to do in a situation. But the truth is, 87.39% of the time, I've already made up my mind and just need that little push from a friend to jump over the edge. But why? Why torment not only ourselves, but our friends? When you're the friend that's giving advice, there's a lot of pressure on you. If you tell them what they want to hear, and it backfires in their face, should you feel guilty? They were the ones that decided what to do. You just told them what they wanted to hear. They had made up their mind, but wanted someone else to tell them it was ok. But of course, there is a third option. The option that we all take every now and then when we want to give a friend advice they don't want to hear. When they've clearly made up their mind and are looking for you to confirm, when in your head you're screaming at them for being an idiot. 3) Follow your heart. Do what's right. When I hear these words, my mind immediately invalidates anything you've said or will say in that conversation. You're saying absolutely nothing. The Magic 8 Ball gives a better fucking answer than you. At least with the ball I can shake it over and over and not feel bad. You, on the other hand, are too scared to tell me, your friend, what you really believe. But at the same time, it's the right advice. It's the only advice that makes sense. That's the same advice number one and two are giving, but they're just spelling it out. So why do I get more pissed when someone tells me exactly what I want to hear (#3) than when someone gives me an answer that they're applying to their own life instead of mine (#1&2). If, by chance, anyone is able to comprehend the thought process behind this drunken rambling, please feel free to leave a comment explaining it to sober Joe. Unless you tell me to follow my heart and do what's right. Then you're just an asshat. Joe

I just started Nightmare and got raped left and right. I'm still trying to get used to the differences from D2. It's a hard struggle to not want the way the spell system used to work, but it's still a damn fun game!

Early August is looking pretty strong right now. I won't have any PTO until late July so if it's before that, I'll only be able to make it on Friday night-Sunday morning due to the drive.