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I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. For your enjoyment today, we have an interview with Valkyrie where she talks about her writing process, her book Hollow Hills, and a few questions just for fun. If you haven't read Valkyrie's stories, you can do so here! Hope you enjoy! Valkyrie General Author Questions What does your writing process look like? I don’t really follow the same process with every story. Sometimes I’ll jot ideas down or make an outline, but most of the time the story is in my head and I just write until it’s done. If I get stuck or the story has too many directions it can go in, I’ll discuss it with my beta readers to help me narrow it down. Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)? I do a lot of ‘writing’ in the car. I get a lot of ideas when I’m commuting to and from work or travelling. Sometimes I really wish I could actually write while driving, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea… lol Sometimes I need to write using pen and paper vs. the computer. I find when I write poetry especially that I prefer starting with pen and paper before entering it on the computer. When I write stories, sometimes it helps me get past a block. I have notebooks full of story scraps, ideas/notes, and poems. Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write? I would be beyond flattered if any of my writing inspired others. As far as my own influences, I would have to say Tolkien, Anne Rice, Marguerite Henry, Sam Savitt, and Piers Anthony. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles led me to look for more m/m type stories, which eventually led me here. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend? Names are extremely important in my stories. I try to tailor the name of the characters to the theme of the story, if possible. For example, in Faeries Anonymous the majority of characters have names associated with what they are. So Jonquil is a flower faery, Alvin means ‘elf friend’, and Garin is an elf with a dwarf name. My favorite in that story has to be Dr. Schmetterling, though. For those unfamiliar with German, it means ‘butterfly’. Sometimes I pick names because I like them. Joshua is my favorite male name, which is how Josh from The Hollow Hills got his name. Galen in the same story was created almost instantly when I first heard the name. I was working in retail at the time and had a customer named Galen come in and my immediate thought was “OMG I just found a man for Josh!” lol What do you consider to be your best accomplishment? That’s hard to say. While it hasn’t always been an easy road, I’m pretty proud to be a self-sufficient single woman. I have a good career, own my own house, and am able to enjoy little extras like hobbies and vacations. It took a long time to get to this point, and I’m enjoying it. Are you a plotter or a pantster? A little bit of both. What is your least favorite part of the writing process? Getting started and then writing the endings. I don’t usually have a problem with the middle. Sometimes I struggle with narrowing down a story to one starting point, then once I get past the middle, I want to rush and just get it finished and to my team. I need to tell myself to slow down and make sure I’m not missing any important pieces to tie the whole thing together. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it? Incest What are you working on now? What is your next project? I have a ton of ideas, and I hope to get them all written at some point. I’d like to expand both The Legend of Treehaven Woods and Faeries Anonymous. I also plan on writing a sequel to Vodka at Moonlight. I have a story idea centered around my Day 28 poem for National Poetry Month (which can be found in April Musings chapter 14). Good news for Galen and Josh fans… my immediate plan is to concentrate on finishing The Hollow Hills. Rapid Fire Questions If you had a superpower, what would it be? Teleportation. I’d love to be able to just pop in and visit my friends who live far away. If you were a super hero, what would your name be? What costume would you wear? Super Penguin! LOL I wouldn’t need much of a costume, since penguins have natural tuxedos, so maybe a bowtie with a ‘P’ in the center and a black cape. Capes are always cool. What secret talents do you have? I can draw pretty well. Animals, anyway. I’m horrible at drawing people. I can also stand with my feet facing inward, toes touching, feet perpendicular to my body. I’ve never met anyone else who can do that. I must have weird feet because I can also stick my toes straight up in the air with my feet on the ground, creating a 90 degree angle. It used to gross my brother out when we were kids. Where is one place you want to visit that you haven't been before? I have lots of places I want to visit! Top of the list would be the UK and Europe, specifically Germany and Poland. I’d also like to see the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. If you were an animal in a zoo, what would you be? Since my member title is ‘Pesky Penguin’, I suppose I’d have to go with that… lol If you could have any accents from anywhere in the world, what would you choose? Irish or Scottish *swoon* Do you dream? Do you have any recurring dreams/nightmares? I dream all the time. Most of the time they’re quite epic, with intricate plots mingled with lots of bizarreness. My absurdist prose poem about the three-headed duck with one leg is based on an actual dream I had. I don’t have any recurring dreams, but I do have recurring themes. I dream a lot about GA, which tells me I probably spend way too much time on here! Lol They’re mainly dreams about meeting site friends. Water is another recurring theme in my dreams. Sometimes it’s as small as a puddle and other times I’ve had to wake myself up from a literal wall of water about to crash into me. I could go on and on about my dreams, but I’ll stop now since there’s still more questions to go. Book Specific Quickly, give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline: The Hollow Hills After leaving his boyfriend of twenty years, Galen decides to return to his roots and move across the country to leave near his cousin. He meets Josh, and his life takes an unexpected turn. Then tragedy strikes, and everyone has to learn how to live with their new reality. How did you come up with the title of your book or series? It’s the name of the farm where a lot of the story takes place. Who is your favorite character from your book and why? It’s a toss-up between Josh and Galen. Josh has been around in some form since I was a freshman in high school, so he’s pretty dear to me. Galen’s capacity for love and forgiveness is something I’m pretty impressed by. How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you? Roger. Because he’s a dick. If you could change ONE thing about your story, what would it be? Why? I would have waited to post it until it’s complete. I had about seven chapters written when I first started posting it, and thought I would easily be able to keep pace, but then I got sick and stopped writing for a few months, which put me majorly behind. I’ve put it on the back burner several times in order to participate in anthologies and contests, so I’m glad to have a few months now with no other writing commitments. One thing I would change about the story itself is that I should have introduced Adam earlier. Adam is Alannah’s adopted son, but doesn’t feature much in this story. Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series: There’s a tie-in with Alex’s Legacy and a few of my early prompt responses feature characters from The Hollow Hills. Josh and Alannah didn’t get along when they first met. It’s not mentioned in the book so far, but Josh drives a black ‘50s era Ford pickup.

This month's feature is a little different. With the upgrade, we didn't feature any reviews on Monday, but I've also changed up the format for the typical Signature Feature, since this month we're featuring a Classic Author. The fun part is that I had a site member nominate a classic author and story that they really wanted to share with others. Read on to find out why Valkyrie picked In the Fishbowl by Dom Luka, and how she decided on the excerpt to share! Valkyrie says: DomLuka is easily my favorite author on this site. He has the ability to bring characters to life in a way that draws me into the story immediately, and his stories stick with me long after I've finished reading them. It's very difficult to pick a favorite, but I think he did his best writing with In the Fishbowl, the sequel to the very-popular Long Way. In the Fishbowl takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions, but the ending is well worth it, in my opinion. It's one of my favorite stories on this site, and the ending--especially the final line--has stuck with me ever since I read it years ago. The following excerpt is when Travis meets Dennis for the first time. I picked it because it shows Travis' incorrigible nature and is an important part of the story. Excerpt: Beads of sweat felt frozen against Travis’s forehead, and he didn’t really know how they’d developed in the first place. It was damn cold behind the alley of a florist shop and the pet groomer’s, even colder since he’d removed his coat to manage more movement in his shoulders. There was some laughter around him, the scent of puke and heavy liquor in the cold air, and he couldn’t seem to stop staring at the chattering teeth of the redheaded jock in a letter jacket standing red-faced in front of him. At least, until the redhead pulled back his fist and Travis braced himself. He felt a small crack of pain as a tight fist hit his frozen left cheek, but it was hardly enough of a blow to cause his head to snap back, and the satisfied look on the redhead’s face was almost enough to make Travis laugh; in fact, he must have because the halfwit in front of him suddenly looked furious with him as he raised his fist for another blow. This one, however, never made it to Travis’s face as his hand shot out and he openhandedly shoved the younger boy square in the chest, not quite hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to make him tumble backwards into the snow, causing the small crowd to bust into laughter. “What the fuck?” the boy demanded, but had the sense not to object when Travis reached down to pick the three twenty dollar bills from his pocket. “You only get three,” Travis reminded him as he counted the money and shoved it into his pocket. “Bring another forty and I’ll show you how to make it hurt.” He let the boy’s friends pick him up as he turned his attention to collecting a few more debts from others in the group, all the while watching a burly enough guy around his age with a blond crewcut, who was watching him just as evenly. “Something I can do for you, Phil?” Travis finally asked. He hoped so. Phil was always a good customer, sending high-school boys who wanted to be tough his way, and on occasion, introducing him to someone who was interested in getting hit back. There was a small profit to be made in back-street fights, and there was always more of it when Travis could bet on himself, which, he always did regardless of what he thought the outcome might be. Tonight, however, had been too slow for his liking, and if something didn’t happen soon he’d end up going home to sleep. He probably needed it, too, but first he’d exercise all his options. “That depends,” Phil replied. “You feel like taking a ride?” Travis frowned, not liking the idea already. He stuck to places he knew, and the prospect of tagging along with the king of the rich kids, who acted like he was still in high school, just didn’t pique his interest. But still, he shrugged. “I dunno. What did you have in mind?” Phil grinned. “An old friend of mine is stuck delivering pizzas tonight. Throught we could track him down and pay a visit.” “Will he fight?” Travis asked. He wouldn’t mind a few rounds, and if the guy was delivering pizzas this late at night he was likely the tubby older man he’d encountered before while ordering one from the only 24-hour delivery service in town. “He will if he has a reason to,” Phil insisted, and Travis was quick to shake his head. “I don’t start ‘em, Phil. I just play along.” Even Travis refused to stoop so low as to pick a fight with an unsuspecting individual. “Even if he gives you a run for your money?” Phil asked. It was enough to get Travis’s attention. “Really? So why not call him up?” Phil laughed. “Because he’d hang up on me. Come on, I’ll make it worth your while.” “How so?” “Three hundred, win or lose,” and to emphasize his point, Phil held up enough money to cover nearly half of Travis’s next month’s rent. “Win or lose?” Travis repeated, wondering if it wasn’t worth it to just go throw the fight he’d likely end up starting just to collect the cash. “Win or lose,” Phil repeated. “On the condition that you get at least one good hit in before you do anything stupid. Three hundred’s worth that.” “Not really a friend of yours then?” Travis remarked as he weighed temptation against his own set of rules. Phil grinned. “Are you coming or not?” And Travis took the money. *** It was uncomfortable enough being in a truck full of highschoolers that obviously worshiped the ground Phil Clayton walked on, and staking out a late-night pizzeria only added to the insult of the entire situation, which Travis was about ready to regret. They’d been waiting for thirty minutes, and he’d had enough to try passing Phil his money back. But, Phil shrugged it away and pointed out the fogging front window. “Keep it. There he is.” Travis took a look, and almost rid himself of the inevitable guilt when he found that he wasn’t about to ambush some poor defenseless kid that had managed to get on the wrong side of these guys. True, Travis still had about ten pounds on him, but they were similar in height, and the forceful walk of the shadowed figure making his way into the parking lot was overconfident enough to tell that he wasn’t the type to turn tail and run, meaning that even if he didn’t like what was about to happen, there wasn’t much of a chance that blue and red flashing lights would show up anytime soon. “Alright. Let me out,” Travis ordered. “But don’t expect anything spectacular. I’m making this quick.” “Sure thing,” Phil replied, and Travis left the warmth of the vehicle to make his observations from the street corner before he crossed into the parking lot. His target was steadily making his way towards an outdated sportscar that didn’t look like it had any business being out in the weather, and he made sure to take a path that would purposely cross his. The guy wasn’t carrying any pizzas, so Travis could only assume that his shift had ended, which was probably for the best, anyway. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to go back to work after this. Moving closer still, he saw a little more of the guy as he moved briefly beneath a streetlamp. He looked cold beneath his red jacket that was nothing more than a uniform, and there was a flicker of short, brown hair beneath the baseball cap that matched the jacket. His pace slowed when he realized that Travis was coming towards him, a sure sign that he was using caution, and finally, as Travis reached him with a sloppy grin on his face that was fit for a drunken imbecile, he took note of the name tag neatly hooked to the guy’s jacket, and then loudly hollered, when there was absolutely no need for it: “Dennis! Hey, never thought I’d run into you here!” Dennis stopped walking, and beneath the brim of his hat it was apparent that he was confused, and rightfully so. “Who the hell are you?” Travis blinked. Obviously this wasn’t the sort of guy that was into common niceties, but, he smiled, anyway. “Well, since you’re asking, I am currently... scum. And, in case you’re wondering why that is, here’s the thing... I’m about to hit you for three hundred bucks. But hey, I score some points for telling you first, right?” Because otherwise, it would have been just plain unsportsman-like to Travis’s way of thinking. Of course, that’s all the warning he allowed Dennis the pizza guy as he walked steadily forward and swung as accurately as he always did. So, it was really a surprise to Travis when it didn’t turn out to be accurately enough, or maybe fast enough. Actually, he had no idea how he managed to miss Dennis’s face completely, or how Dennis’s fist ended pressed so far into his gut that he actually doubled over. Instinctively, and still too shocked to comprehend, Travis grabbed the other guy’s shoulder, ready to either fend off more of an attack or to release one of his own, and then cursed when he found himself on the ground instead, flailing in the snow much like the redhead from earlier, except, now there was a lot more pain involved. “Fuckin’ hell!” he cursed, having a lack of better words. But, the sudden voices calling out to Dennis was enough to get his attention, and he came to his senses just in time to hear the engine of Phil’s truck roaring down the street. Asshole, Travis thought. He should have known something like this would happen, and there was no way he wasn’t getting even with Phil for ditching him, either. That is, if he wasn’t spending the next few nights in jail. But, he heard Dennis calling back that he was right, and when Travis looked back up, he was being regarded with a certain amount of annoyance as Dennis shook his head, seeming expectant. “Well?” Dennis finally demanded. “Well what?” Travis forced out in words that didn’t quite have enough air behind them. “Was it worth it?” “Totally.” Dennis snorted in disgust, looked down the street and glared as if he wished the truck would come back just to give him some more. Travis watched him with morbid curiosity, and when Dennis stepped over his feet to reach his car, Travis found his way up before Dennis even got the door open. “Hey,” Travis called, and when Dennis looked over his shoulder suspiciously, Travis grinned another open smile. “Can I get a ride?” Read More Here The banner ad will be flashing on the site all month to feature Dom's story, but if you'd like to share it via your personal signature too, just copy the signature graphic below.

It's time for another author promo! If you'd like to promo your own work, take a look at the thread for guidelines and then PM me. For this month, our featured promo spot is for Valkyrie. There were three questions that Valkyrie had to answer for each story. The questions were What gave you the idea for this story? What was your favorite thing about writing this story? & Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Valkyrie Signature Author 30 stories · 975 reviews · 264,746 total words Vodka At Moonlight Description: Bradley and Allen move into a new house in the country. They love their idyllic, new life until their son meets a new friend. What gave you the idea for this story? I love Halloween and have wanted to write a story about the holiday for a while. I wove a lot of personal elements into this story—such as Allen being so afraid of spiders. The person he is based on is afraid of spiders, and so is my mom. I remember several times as a kid having friends freak out over the blood-curdling screams coming from the basement and looking at me like I’m insane when I nonchalantly reply, “Oh, my mom found a spider.” Zeke was inspired by my friend’s son, who as a toddler used to talk about the ‘man in the closet’. The title and ‘vodka’ were inspired by the name of a racehorse I saw when I visited Cole Matthews and his husband. I saw the name and immediately commented how it would make a great prompt or short story. I thought it fit this story well. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? I really enjoyed coming up with all the twists in the story. I was hoping to keep readers guessing, and I think I managed to do that. I was also pretty proud of Bradley’s name. He’s named after Boo Radley—and another person whose name also starts with Br-. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. I’ve had numerous requests for a continuation. I won’t guarantee when, but I do have some ideas for a sequel. The Hollow Hills Description: This story centers around The Hollow Hills - a horse farm in Vermont - and Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. Their relationship is anything but easy, with many obstacles standing in their way. When tragedy strikes, they need to learn how to redefine their lives and live with the after-effects. What gave you the idea for this story? This story has existed in some form since I was in high school. Josh first appeared in a story I wrote for my freshman English class. That story sparked the Hollow Hills universe, leading to the development of Alannah, Adam, Liam, and Roger, and eventually Galen. I’ve always wanted to write it, but had a lot of trouble narrowing down the storyline and finding an appropriate starting point. Now that I’ve gained more confidence as a writer, I felt ready to tackle such a daunting story. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? It’s still in progress and hasn’t been abandoned. I will admit to being very slow with posting chapters, but I want to remain as true to the story as possible and hope that the wait has been worth it. I would say my favorite thing so far has been the varied reactions of readers. These characters are near and dear to my heart, so seeing them from a different perspective has been eye-opening. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. There is a crossover between this story and my story Alex’s Legacy . Huge bonus points to anyone who can tell me what it is. Max's Garage Description: Elliot is living the good life, even though he hates his job. Then he meets Max, who helps him answer some tough questions he didn't have the courage to face. What gave you the idea for this story? I honestly don’t remember. It was written for The Backup Plan anthology, and was my first anthology submission to this site. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? Writing Max and getting to know him was very enjoyable. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much people like this story and the sequels. Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description. Max and Elliot’s story continues in Lawyer or Mechanic? And Proximate Cause . Pete’s story was told in Exit to Redemption .

Well, the end is near! The end of June, that is! Did you check out this simple short story... or is it as simple as it seemed? Exit to Redemption introduced readers to characters who could be the driver in the next car, the man in the next office, or the jerk at the next table disturbing your dinner. Learning about Valkyrie is a lot more simple than the choices and changes faced by the characters in her story! Check out my interview with her and then share your thoughts about that or her story in the comments below! Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? No and yes. I don’t like a lot of fruit and it’s also too sugary for me. While there aren’t a ton of veggies I actually like, I do eat a lot of the ones I do like. I also sub cauliflower for a lot of starches, so I get my fill of veggies that way. If you were an animal, what would you be? Being a dragon would be pretty cool, but I’d probably be something more mundane like a cat. I could get into sleeping 90% of the time and eating and randomly spazzing out the other 10%. If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do? Probably play Candy Crush or watch something mindless on TV. Absolutely nothing productive. Has your writing evolved over the years and changed in any way? Yes, it’s definitely evolved. I’ve worked hard to hone my descriptions and convey the emotions of my characters. I think my stories have also grown in their complexity. Penguin is pretty straightforward, while The Hollow Hills is much more nuanced. Do you prefer to write short stories for a reason beyond time constraints? I like using short stories to explore questions I’ve asked myself. For example, I wondered about why people react differently to adversity and tragedy, and the result was my anthology story April’s Fool. I also asked myself what would happen if someone with a disability reached beyond the special ed classroom and tried to be friends with someone in mainstream education—like Peter from Downhearted. The flexibility of short stories allows me to capture a moment in time or create character sketches without following the traditional story format of beginning/middle/end. I’ve also used them to experiment with descriptions or writing in a different point of view. When I first started writing, I was more comfortable writing in first person, so I challenged myself to write some anthology stories in third person. Now I’m pretty comfortable using either. Sometimes I use short stories as jumping off points. For example Faeries Anonymous and Igneous are both slated to become longer works. Just how many of your stories interconnect? Good question! I had to go look because I wasn’t sure. A lot of my early prompt stories are based off peripheral characters from The Hollow Hills. There’s also a connection between THH and Alex’s Legacy. Quite a few of my prompt responses build off each other. One of the projects on my list is to take some of those multi-prompt serials and post them as their own stories, like I did with Thanksgiving Knight. And of course, there’s the Max and Elliot stories, with Exit to Redemption as a spin-off. Have you ever experienced a moment like Henry did with Pete at the start of the story or was that just made up? I’ve seen my share of rude jerks, but that scene was made up. Change… Redemption… is it possible, or more of a romance story construct? Yes, I do think it’s possible to change and redemption isn’t just a fictional construct. However, true change is difficult at best, and redemption is even harder to achieve. Sometimes we have to change habits to improve our health, which can be easy or not, based on motivation level or certain diagnoses. Changing things more ingrained to our nature is difficult, if not impossible. Learned behavior can be unlearned, but personality disorders such as sociopathy or narcissism can’t be changed. In your mental story after the story, are Henry and Pete living happily ever after now? I’d like to think they are. I can’t say Pete doesn’t still have his moments, but I’m guessing Henry’s influence is enough to keep him in check. How about sharing some of your upcoming writing adventures with readers… what’s in your pipeline?! I have a few exciting things in the works. I’m currently working on a novella/novel length story based in the Igneous universe. I’ve wanted to write this story for years and finally have a working outline and a couple of chapters in the first draft stage. I’m going to finish it before posting, so it will be a while before it’s done. In the meantime, I’ll have at least one story for the fall anthology. Right now, I’m planning on writing a story based on Taylor from my Pride and Premium story, Deal or No Deal. I guess I can’t resist interconnecting my stories! I’ll have some prompt stories and also an upcoming collaboration to tide my readers over. And my biggest news… drumroll… is the future release of my Premium novella A Leg to Stand On as an e-book.

Welcome to June! Can you believe this month marks halfway through 2019? June is often a month of vacation, trips, and time off beginning for many! This month we're featuring a story by a well-known GA author and the past anthology, Road Trip, with the short story, Exit to Redemption by @Valkyrie And, with this being a short story, you should have plenty of time to read the story before the discussion day... of course, Valkyrie tends to connect a lot of her tales, so you might just get sucked in to reading more and more! Exit to Redemption by Valkyrie Length: 5,361 Description: Pete meets Henry at a conference and can't get him out of his mind. He doesn't understand why Henry won't give him the time of day. Pete needs to decide if Henry is worth changing his behavior for, and figure out if redemption is possible. Those of you familiar with my Max and Elliot stories will recognize Pete as Elliot's arrogant ex-boyfriend. It's not necessary to read those stories first, however. This story reads fine as a stand-alone piece. A reader said: In some ways, Pete is a more interesting character than Elliott. You want to dislike him and even kick his ass, but he almost seems lost... ~ Cole Matthews Enjoy this month's CSR selection, but don't forget to be ready to come back and share your thoughts and comment on the Discussion day on Monday, June 24th!

Happy Birthday!!!! Valkyrie Have a good time! @Valkyrie

I hope you all enjoyed the last Improve & Encourage feature, because it's time for another one. These features are meant to both provide feedback to authors and, similar to story reviews, point out stories that readers might not otherwise have found. It's similar to a review, in that the person doing the critique tells you what they liked about the story, but it differs in that they also provide constructive criticism. Each author signed up to participate, and sign up's are still open! These will post once a month until we no longer have content. Once that happens, I will critique the last author that posted. If you'd like to provide a critique for the blog, sign up in the thread. If you have already signed up, please get your critiques to me as I am completely out! I'm hoping to have a lot more authors sign up, and just remember, by signing up, you are also volunteering to have your story critiqued and featured. Alex's Legacy Valkyrie Critique By: William King Please give us a short summary of the story you chose. This book tells the story of Sam and Alex, how they met, their developing relationship, and how things ended up. It is, however, more about how a person - Sam - overcomes tragedy. In particular it focuses on the events that follow a horrific rape. It is about finding the road to salvation in the aftermath. Although that is not the only devastating catastrophe that Sam must deal with. What do you see as the strengths of the story/poem? The novel is well written and easy to read. The horrific rape at the centre of the story is handled in a way that is totally believable. The incident does not pull any punches and yet the balance in the description is perfect. This delicate yet strong uncompromising approach by the author hits the reader hard - which I think is what it is supposed to do. The fallout and subsequent recovery is equally well handled. You will be affected emotionally and I doubt that you will be spared a tear or two. What do you see as the weaknesses of the story/poem? What the book failed to achieve for me, was any depth beyond the one, or two, tragic events. A lot of time is taken up with the developing romantic relationship between Sam and Alex, and there is a fair amount of sex. But, there is little background to our two protagonists, other than the bare essentials necessary to make them real. I felt like they were people I might have met at a dinner party, listened to their story, but never knew very much about them. This is equally true for the other characters, although to be fair, in that case it is far less important. How do you think the story/poem could be improved? Perhaps what is missing is any background story. Something else going on that would hold the reader's interest. Possibly if the events had been reflected by showing some detail of the impact they had on the lives of close friends, then I would have felt more involved. What was your favorite part? (scene/sentence/etc) One cannot properly call the rape, and the effect it had on Sam, to be a favorite part of the story, but it was just that. It was so well described, that for me this was the essential part of the whole book.

It's the Halloween Hunt Short Story Reveal Day on All Hallow's Eve eve! Which story will scare you the most? The rule was for authors to check their comments, then write a story being chased by their story creation. A criminal cyborg, a vengeful spirit... Who did they get? Read the following and find out. Don't forget to share your appreciation via some likes, comments, and reviews!