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The GAzette Exclusive Sneak Peek

Every month the GAzette staff will be looking to a popular GA author to provide us with an exclusive Sneak Peek from a forthcoming chapter or story, an extract that you will not find anywhere else on the 'Net.  This month's Sneak Peek comes from the GAzette's very own Vance Lista and a glimpse of what is to come in his fantastic story "Unbreakable Faith"...

“Of course I love you Ian. Everything you say and everything you do just makes me love you more. You are an incredible person. You’ve survived through so much, so much pain and hatred. Yet here you are still the great person you are today. One who’s sympathetic to others. Who cares deeply about those around him. You’ve got so much love to give, Ian. And all of us, me, Greta and Matt are all going to give it back to you.”

Fully crying now Ian wiped furiously at his eyes. Ron smiled sympathetically as tears burned his own eyes. He leaned over the front seat and pulled the sobbing boy into his arms. “You aren’t going to be the ‘foster kid’ at our home Ian. You are our son now. As much a part of my family as Greta and Matt are.”

Ian buried his face in the man’s chest, he didn’t like the fact he was bawling so hard but could do nothing to stop it. These words he was hearing were words he’d always ached to hear. To hear he was loved and to hear someone praise him simply for whom he was. He stayed there, snuggled in his dad’s arms for a good five minutes before he slowly pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “You sure make me cry a lot.” He chuckled weakly.

Ron laughed and tousled his hair. “I do, do I?”

Ian nodded without hesitation. “But at the same time you make me feel so good. I guess crying isn’t always bad.”

“Not at all son. People cry for all types of reasons. You don’t have to be sad to do it.”

© 2006 Vance Lista

Author Interview

For this month's edition of the GAzette we thought long and hard about who we might like to interview.  GA has a large number of talented authors, so the choice was not an easy one.  We racked our brains trying to work out who would be perfect for the last edition of the year and almost kicked ourselves when we realised the answer literally sat right in front of us.

As well as being the exceptionally talented author who gave us stories such as "Shane" and "Tyler", Vance Lista is also a member of the Writer Support Team and the GAzette's own gossip columnist.  We caught up with him to hear what he had to say...

GA: Hi Vance!

Vance: Hi GA! How are you?

GA: Great, how are you?

Vance: Not too bad!

GA: Ready to be interviewed?

Vance: Yep I think so! I was so excited and now I’m just all nervous.

GA: Lol! Don't worry; it's just like any other MSN chat, which hundreds of people will be reading.

Vance: Okay

GA: So, how did you get started writing?

Vance: Well, I don't remember exactly I just remember always doing it. It was just always something I loved to do.

GA: When did you start putting your stories online?

Vance: I put Shane online the end of July in 2005, I posted it all at once, and I remember the day because I had to go to a party the next day and I didn't want to leave because I was getting fan mail and didn't want to wait all day to read more.

GA: Fan mail so fast! Wow! Was that on Nifty?

Vance: Yes, I was all set to post Tyler at another site about six months earlier, but I chickened out. So when I did Shane I just closed my eyes and hit send before I could back out.

GA: I was sure I'd read Shane before it appeared on GA... Glad to see my memory was right for once, LoL. Was Tyler your first story?

Vance: No I actually wrote Shane before I wrote Tyler.

GA: I've heard a rumor that you don't begin posting a story until it is finished. Is that true for "Unbreakable Faith"?

Vance: Yes, I wrote Unbreakable faith a year and a half ago. I broke my rule with Cameron when I got hosted at GA because I wanted to be posting something and it just solidified the fact that I don't want to post a story unless it's finished.

GA: Does this mean that you are now writing, or have written, your next story to appear on GA?

Vance: I am now writing it, I have a lot of stories that are half written but I couldn't really get into working on them, so I started a new one.

GA: Any chance of some inside info? Maybe a title? <Hopeful look>

Vance: Well you know me and my titles! Right now, it’s named 'Matt' after its main character. But once Sharon, my editor, reads it I'm sure we'll come up with a more suitable title.

GA: I like your titles, so I'm not complaining! LoL! That sounds great! Many people have noticed some underlying themes in your stories: Overcoming adversity, and hope, and second chances. Did you set out with these as themes?

Vance: That's just what I write about, I like to take bad situations and make things better. That's just what I always get inspiration for. It may sound weird but I don't sit and try to think up a story. They come on their own, hit at the strangest moments and I just write them.

GA: Do you sometimes get "stuck" at a point in a story, and have to think about it before figuring out how to continue?

Vance: No usually I have it all planned before I even start, most times a long sleepless night! Some stories I just fizzle out half way through like the inspiration just left which is why I have like 30 half written stories

GA: Do you use written outlines, or do you just go by memory?

Vance: I don't have an official outline, but I have a notebook I take with me most places when I'm in the middle of story because I'll be thinking about it and think 'ohh that's a perfect line for that character' or 'oh I need to remember to put in this scene' Because even though I have the basics down there's lots of little scenes that I come up with when I'm not at my computer.

GA: That sounds like a great technique! Do you have any others that you could suggest for writers?

Vance: Well one that I always use is having a list of characters. It's okay when you start out with two, but then you have their friends, and their families and it's way easier to look at a page with all the characters on it then to scroll back through the story trying to find what you named someone's father.

GA: That is a great idea! Do you have any regrets with any of your stories, such as "Oh, I wish I had have done that differently"?

Vance: I don't know if I regret anything I wrote into a story. But I can say that I didn't like the story Cameron, had I not already been posting it I never would have finished it. I haven't even gone back and read it since I finished it.

GA: You didn't like Cameron? If anyone else said that, I think your fans would lynch them! LoL! I'm sure glad you posted it, because I liked it, a lot. What didn’t you like about it?

Vance: I don't know, I was all into it for the first 10 chapters, then it just fizzled out. I lost interest and it was like homework getting a chapter written every week. I can't really pinpoint what I didn't like about it.

GA: Which of your posted stories is your personal favorite?

Vance: Shane with Unbreakable Faith coming in second.

GA: Shane is definitely a classic; it is very well known on the 'net. I might be biased, though, because it is my favorite too. When you first posted it, did you have any idea that it would be such a hit?

Vance: I had no idea at all. It was the first story I posted and I didn't even know if anyone would like my writing. It's funny though, because everyone says Shane is their favorite, but I got more fan mail for Tyler.

GA: Vance, just between you, me, and the internet, what would you like to tell us about yourself and your life?

Vance: That I am very happily, if not legally, married to the best guy in the world, I have wonderful cat, that can be seen in my profile and I have a job that I love most of the time. So basically I want to say that I have a pretty darn good life!

GA: That is great! Is there anything else you would like to talk about, or be asked?

Vance: Nope I can't think of anything.

GA: Vance, thank you very much for doing this interview!

interviewed by C James

The GA Gossip Column

As I said in my last column, a Gossip columnist never gets a day off. I am not complaining, however. I do realize how very important it is to get the news to the fans. So when Thanksgiving rolled around, not wanting to miss a huge meal, I hired a few informants, who were already on the guest lists at various authors' Thanksgiving soirees, to dig up that juicy story news.

I was pretty confident when my partner, Sam and I sat down to a table full of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and cranberry sauce that our Thanksgiving would be as peaceful and stomach satisfying as always.

Boy was I wrong! I had just filled my plate with every delectable treat when the phone rang. I looked at my plate full waiting to be eaten and sighed as I pushed my chair back and got up to answer the phone.

Though my food was getting cold, a rush of excitement still swept through as I heard the voice of informant number one, who was stationed at Viv’s house. I quickly grabbed my notepad and took down what he had to say.

Oodles of FBTE fans will be happy to know that she has started work on the much anticipated Chapter 23. Apparently there was also some discussion of Jesse and Stephen nestled amongst some Christmas trees. Oh how intriguing! She also has her winter anthology story idea all worked out and just needs to start working on it.

Pleased I had my first scoop for this edition of the newsletter, I hung up the phone and returned to my feast. Sam had already done half his first plate and I quickly stuffed my face to catch up! I couldn't have him eating more food than me.

I only got in a few bites of turkey and some green bean casserole before the phone started ringing again. I sighed again and Sam rolled his eyes at me. Don’t know why. He didn’t care, he was getting all the food. I pushed my chair back yet again and jumped up to get the phone.

Again that journalist’s rush swept through me as I recognized the voice of informant number two on the line. This one enjoying a fancy meal at Shared Hosted Author Tiffani Chin’s house. I was told right now she’s working on getting the chapters of ‘Jumping Over My Mountain’ edited and posted.

Meanwhile, she’s reworking the final three chapters. AND in addition to that, she has a dark short story piece, which is already completed, and another series called, ‘Leaving the Past’ which is still in progress.

I didn’t even get back to the table before the phone rang again. I heard Sam laugh as I turned back to the phone, and hoped there’d be something left for me to eat when I got back to the table.

I answered the phone, not surprised to hear the voice of another informant reply to my hello. This one stationed at the house where new Hosted Author Stefan Schmidt was visiting friends. He’s currently working on a new story that will bring back characters from ‘The Knife that Twists Within’ and ‘Made in Heaven’ and introduces new characters.

He said that, while not entirely necessary, reading the previous stories would help readers understand the new story better. The title will be 'Six Feet From the Edge’ and covers life in Berlin as it corrupts inexperienced young men coming from abroad as well as people dealing with unpleasant events in their past.

He’s in the middle of writing it and doesn’t want to upload a novel that isn’t finished. So his many fans will have to wait for it a bit longer. In the meantime, GA will be posting several more of Stefan's finished stories.

I hung up the phone and rushed back to the table to at least get a few bites in before the next phone call. Sam had already started on his second plate, and I ate with frenzy to get caught up. After I'd had only two bites of turkey and a mouth full of potato, the phone rang yet again!

Tempted to turn it off but knowing I had to keep people informed, I got up and answered the phone to hear the voice of informant number four stationed at Kitty’s house.

It seemed Kitty has a couple of things on the stove cooking up right now - the submissions for the Winter Story Anthology, which will be online around New Year's Day. As with the previous anthologies, there will be a nice mix of Hosted Authors, Shared Hosting authors, eFiction writers, and newcomers participating. The theme is "Blizzard", so fix your favorite warm beverage and get ready to sit down in front of the fireplace and have a good read. (Or for our friends down under, sit at the beach).

Finishing my notes I returned to the table where I luckily was able to eat the rest of my meal without any further interruption. So there you have it! Be sure to keep checking for future editions so you don’t miss out on the latest gossip! 

Vance Lista