Page 1

In this edition...

Page 1: The Front Page

Welcome Note

New Authors at GA!

Anthologies Announcement

Announcing the GA Mentoring Program

Author Chats

Page 2: The Tattler's Page

The GAzette Exclusive Sneak Peek

The GA Gossip Column

Author Interview...Myr

Page 3: The Reviews Page

Review: Someday Out of the Blue

Review: Love Never Dies

Review: The Perfect Form

Author Picks of the Month

Poets' Corner

Page 4: The Tips & Tricks Page

Writer Tips...Story Promotion

Editing Tips...Getting Started

Page 5: The Members' Page

Member Interview...AFriendlyFace

The Gay Authors Teen Spot

Page 6: The Back Page

Newsletter Credits

Vacancies at GA

Team Contact List

Key Links

Welcome to the new official GA newsletter!

Please join the Writer Support Team in welcoming a new addition to the GA family:

The GAzette - the NEW and IMPROVED Gay Authors Newsletter!

That's right!  The Gay Authors newsletter is back and it's better than ever, packed with features such as story reviews, sneak peeks, author and member interviews, tips for writers and editors, feature articles and more!

Every month The GAzette will be bringing you new, fresh and exciting content and there's certain to be something of interest to everyone, so sit back, relax and enjoy this month's edition!

The Writer Support Team
Newsletter Staff

New Authors at GA!

Gay Authors is constantly growing and the Recruitment Team is always on the lookout for new talent.  Over the last month or so a number of new names have been added to the list of official authors here at GA.

The most recent addition to the site is our newest Hosted Author, Stefan Schmidt, whose works include Made In Heaven, The Knife That Twists Within, Borderline and Butterfly.

In addition, Gay Authors is proud to announce the addition of five new Shared Hosted authors, Davey, Dezlboi, Empathy, Formosa and Krista.

The Recruitment Team anticipates that more authors will be added to the GA family over the coming months, so keep your eyes open for the new additions!  Any readers who have a favourite author they'd like us to check out for possible hosting, please contact a member of the Recruitment Team.  Contact details are available on Page Six of this newsletter.

The Gay Authors Quarterly Anthologies

The Gay Authors Anthologies run four times a year with stories submitted by both first-time and veteran authors.  To view the past anthologies, please click here.

Fall Anthology - Online October 29th

Following the success of the online Spring and Summer Anthologies, we've had a great turnout of writers for our Fall collection of short stories, with a "Halloween" theme.

Watch for stories from some of your favorite GA writers, including Hosted and Shared Hosted Authors and eFiction writers. Several of your fellow GA members are trying their hand at writing stories for the first time, as well.

The anthology will be live on the site the weekend before Halloween. After you've read the stories, make sure to visit the Story Discussion Forums to discuss the stories and give your feedback and appreciation to the writers.

Winter Anthology - Advance Notice

A "Call for Submissions" for the Winter Story Anthology will be posted in the Forums on October 15. The theme, as chosen by the GA membership, is "Blizzard", and the submission deadline will be December 15, with a projected "online" date around New Year's.

Announcing the

GA Mentoring Program

As many of you will have noticed GA is growing at a rapid pace. Each hour of every day it’s gradually working towards the ultimate goal of being the premier site for writer resources, writer communication and, of course, a place to read top quality stories.

As part of this expansion, GA is now home to a mentoring program. This program will create a forum for aspiring writers to ask questions, seek guidance, get feedback and essentially receive any help they might need to mold and shape their writing career.

If you’ve ever wanted the opportunity to have your questions or concerns addressed or even have your work critiqued by some of the biggest names at GA then this is your chance. Contact Vance or Kevin today for more information. Don’t let this incredible opportunity pass you by!

Author Chats...Your Chance To Talk To Your Favourite Author

Have you ever wondered which one of their characters an author would have over for dinner?  Perhaps you've sat and pondered how they thought of a story title?  Maybe you've even wondered with which of their characters they most identify?

Well wonder no more, dear reader.  GA is pleased to offer a series of activities designed specifically to answer the questions you have about your favourite authors and stories.  These "Author Chats" will occur twice monthly and will be held in the GA Live Chatroom in a subroom named after the author whom the chat is featuring.

The first author chat was held Saturday, September 23rd at 7pm Pacific Time and featured hosted author Viv.  Here are a few paraphrased highlights of the event:

Chatter: Where do you get your story ideas?
Viv: Mostly I just imagine situations that I think are intriguing, hot, or emotional. Sometimes though I just start with a character, like Lucas in "Days of Silence", and just go from there.

Chatter: How do you come up with titles?
Viv: With "From Behind Those Eyes" it's a play on words. With "Days of Silence" it was about a 'day of silence' (an annual event in the gay community designed to increase awareness and support), but I also wanted to emphasize the fact that they had gone so many days in silence because of fear, denial and stubbornness.

Viv: When I write the sequel to "Days of Silence" I'm going to retell it from Lucas' point of view; how do you guys feel about telling the same story from a different point of view?
Chatter 1: I think I'd like that!
Chatter 2: You’re not really "retelling" the story. Each individual sees the same thing in a different way. I love seeing multiple points of view.

Chatter: If you could have any character over for dinner who would it be and why?
Viv: Probably Lucas from "Days of Silence" because he's so mysterious or maybe Jesse from "From Behind Those Eyes".

Chatter: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Viv: Ideally I'd like to be selling books as well as helping people with their problems (by giving them someone to talk to).

Chatter: How has GA changed you?
Viv: I think GA has not so much changed me, but instead has given me a place to do what makes me happy.

Chatter: How do you feel you have changed GA and those on it?
Viv: Why don't you guys tell me?
Chatter 1: You were the first woman to be hosted here.
Chatter 2: Well if I hadn't met you not only would I have missed out on the very important friendship I share with you, but I also probably wouldn't have gotten to know several of my other close friends here.

Viv on being nervous about posting at GA for the first time:

I was worried about how people would respond to me because I’m a straight woman married with kids, but I’ve gotten nothing but compliments and acceptance from everyone here. I've also made some strong friendships, so for that I say thank you.

Viv on one such friendship:

Dave is the one person who I can’t hide from, even if I tried he’d know. So I like that he forces me, provokes me to be real…we’re like family…it’s not even an option to not be in each other’s lives.

Viv on another author who has helped her:

Comicality has had a big impact on me. When I first started "From Behind Those Eyes" he spent a lot of time reviewing it with me, and it really touched me that despite being such a busy guy he was willing to take some time out of his life to do that. Sometimes it takes giving someone a piece of themselves to make you believe in yourself.

Viv on providing support to another author:

Recently I had to talk a new writer out of quitting because he'd received a bad review. I reminded him that he writes for himself, not anyone else, and that not everyone has to like his stuff. The important thing is to stay true to yourself.

*These selections have been reformatted from their original versions. Every effort was made to retain the original content.*

So for more insight and all around fun interaction with your favourite authors please check out subsequent Author Chat events! The next on will be held Sunday, October 8th at 9pm Eastern Time and it will feature hosted author LittleBuddhaTW. It's sure to be a blast!

For more information about the program please PM AFriendlyFace (Kevin).