Josh Lanyon's Blog, page 24
November 18, 2020
MORE KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEALS!
THE ART OF MURDER series
Oops! Surprise. The Mermaid Murders has already fallen out of Kindle Unlimited, so I couldn't get a Kindle Countdown Deal for that title (AND I need to list it wide again). But the following titles are Countdown Deals starting the 19th.
The Monet Murders
November 19, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 32h $0.99
November 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM (PST) 32h $1.99
November 22, 2020 at 12:00 AM (PST) 32h $2.99
(Ends November 23, 2020 at $4.99)
The Magician Murders
November 19, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 32h $2.99
November 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM (PST) 32h $3.99
November 22, 2020 at 12:00 AM (PST) $4.99 1
(Ends November 23, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST))
The Monuments Men Murders
November 19, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 32h $2.99
November 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM (PST) 32h $3.99
November 22, 2020 at 12:00 AM (PST) 32h $4.99
(Ends November 23, 2020 at 8:AM)
Same deal with Secret at Skull House. I wasn't able to get a Kindle Countdown Deal in the little time it has left in KU. However, Murder at Pirate's Cove goes on sale Friday the 20th
Murder at Pirate's Cove
November 20, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 24h $1.99
November 21, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 24h $2.99
November 22, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 24h $3.99
(Ends November 23, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST))
November 13, 2020
KINDLE COUNT DOWN DEALS THIS MONTH
At the end of this month, most of my titles will be back in wide distribution, so if you've been aggravated by so many series being exclusive to Kindle Unlimited, good news.
But before I yank everything, I'm doing a bunch of Kindle Countdown Deals, starting today.
Here's what is currently on sale through Amazon.com.
KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEALS
THE HOLMES AND MORIARITY SERIES
Somebody Killed His Editor:
November 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) $0.99
November 15, 2020 at 4:00 AM (PST) $1.99
All She Wrote:
November 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) $1.99
November 14, 2020 at 1:00 PM (PST) 29h $2.99
November 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM (PST) 30h $3.99
Boy With the Painful Tattoo:
November 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 29h $2.99
November 14, 2020 at 1:00 PM (PST) 29h $3.99
November 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM (PST) 30h $4.99
In Other Words...Murder:
November 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 29h $2.99
November 14, 2020 at 1:00 PM (PST) 29h $3.99
November 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM (PST) 30h $4.99
SHORT STORIES VOLUME 1
November 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) 29h $0.99
November 14, 2020 at 1:00 PM (PST) 29h $3.99
November 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM (PST) 30h $6.99
November 16, 2020 at 8:00 AM (PST) $2.99
November 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM (PST) $4.99
November 20, 2020 at 2:00 AM (PST) $6.99
There are many more sales coming this month, so don't forget to check back!
Book Cancellation: THE HAUNTED HEART: SPRING
Maybe I just waited too long to tackle this one. I don't think I can completely blame it on the pandemic, though clearly that didn't help. I've started and stopped at least a dozen times. It's completely outlined. I've got whole scenes playing out in my mind. I've got the covers. I even did a couple of trailers and teasers. I tried to do a playlist. I tried every inspire-creativity trick I know, but the story and the characters just seemed to drift farther and farther away.I've read such stupid comments about books being delayed and cancelled. As though this was something a writer did simply to disappoint and anger readers. No writer wants to cancel a book. I wouldn't have dragged this out for years, if I'd actually wanted to cancel.
In fact, disappointing readers is the last thing I want to do. I know how this feels and I hate doing it. I've had it happen to me, and when it does, I feel that exact same frustrated why can't they just write the damn thing?!
Just from a practical standpoint... The first little novella earned over 30K. Spring had about 2000 preorders. I'd already sold the audio rights on the sequel (which now have to be repaid). So there was every practical incentive to complete this project.
So no, I really, really, really did not want to have to cancel this one. I mean, it was just a novella!!! Thirty thousand words! Why the hell couldn't I come up with a measly thirty thousand words?!!
I don't know why, but I couldn't.
I don't feel the characters anymore. There's no...emotional connection. Also having waited so long, I ran into the problem of other people's expectations. It's the lesson of The Ghost Had an Early Check-out. I waited too long on that one too, and readers had too much time to decide the story they wanted--which turned out to not be the story I had in mind. And then there were the hostile comments and negative reviews because Spring had already been delayed. I'll be honest. That kind of thing is a disincentive for moving ahead with a project you're already struggling with.
And I don't doubt that that's the goal of negative comments and hostile reviews of a book not yet written. This time it worked. This time I didn't have enough faith in the project to forge ahead anyway. I read over the outline, and it's like someone else wrote it.
Anyway, my creative energy still feels fragile, so I'm only doing what really interests me, what I'm eager to work on, what I know I can and will finish.
If the time comes when I feel different about this project, when I can remember what made me want to write about Flynn and Kirk in the first place, I promise you I will. But for now, sadly, this one is shelved.
October 30, 2020
New Release: REQUIEM FOR MR. BUSYBODY
New short story out today.
Not the book I had planned for or originally intended to write, but... I can't lie. I'm hugely, HUGELY relieved to have broken through whatever that was. Burnout? Dry spell? Creative force field?
I don't know, because the last time I suffered from burnout, it was actually a really productive period. I did a ton of planning and reading and note-taking. This wasn't like this. This was like a prolonged blank. I wasn't interested in reading or watching movies--I could tolerate nothing fictional. After an initial burst of listing preorders and a few sales, I suddenly lost interest in...everything. Well, other than my dogs, my garden, my family. I've never felt anything like it.
Writing was an absolute impossibility.
I'm not sure what exactly broke the spell given that the pandemic is spiking bigtime and my anxiety over the election is absolutely out of control. But something has changed. I feel calmer. Not optimistic, exactly, but calmer. Fatalistic? Whatever. I've started writing codas again for Patreon, I felt driven to complete this little story, and I'm actually looking forward to losing myself in the world of Cosmo and John.
That said, I don't trust myself right now. I have no idea how I'll feel after the election or in the coming months. But I'm writing right now and that's the good news.
BLURB:
“Maybe you’ll be next, Mr. Busybody!”
From well-respected investigative journalist to resident busybody.
When former crime reporter Michael’s elderly friend Maurice suddenly disappears, he fears the worst. But Michael is unable to investigate, and no one is taking his suspicions seriously—least of all Nico, Maurice’s too slick, too smooth, possibly guilty boyfriend.
The only person Michael can think of who might listen is Leonard Drake, now a Lieutenant Detective with NYPD.
In fact, this excuse to contact his ex might just be what Michael has been waiting three years for.
EXCERPT
The phone at the other end rang long enough that I started to count, and then it clattered off the hook and a deep, pleasant voice said, “Drake. Homicide.”
Never one to waste words, NYPD Lt. Detective Leonard Drake.
Given that we hadn’t spoken in three years, I was caught off guard by how familiar his voice was. The warm rush of memories? Equally unexpected.
I released the breath I’d been holding. “Hey,” I said cheerfully. “Your misspent youth is calling.”
A couple of very long seconds ticked by before Len said slowly, “Michael Woolrich. There’s a blast from the past.”
Not that I expected confetti and kazoos, but that total lack of emotion was hard to read.
“To what do I owe this honor?” Len added.
“I don’t know about honor, but I might have a murder for you.”
Maybe I imagined the creak of a chair in the background, but Len’s voice was definitely more cordial, more relaxed as he replied, “Do tell.”
Murder was what had first brought us together. Our mutual raison d’être. Murder had been the only thing we had in common, as it turned out. That’s what I told myself, anyway.
“The victim—possible victim—is Maurice Moreau. He went missing—appears to have gone missing—four nights ago. I think his partner killed him.”
“And you know Maurice how?”
“He’s a friend.” I corrected, “He’s a neighbor I’m friendly with.”
Len repeated thoughtfully, “A neighbor you’re friendly with.”
“Yes.”
“Where are you living now?”
“The in Chelsea.”
“Swanky.”
I laughed. “Maybe once. Maybe in the forties. But yeah, great atmosphere if you don’t mind a few ghosts.”
“And you think your friendly neighbor Maurice has now joined the celestial choir?”
I felt myself smiling at Len’s turn of phrase. You don’t expect metaphors from a cop, at least not outside Chandler, but Len was not your ordinary cop. For one thing, he was no-bones-about-it gay, and while yes, every police force in the country is trying to be—or appear that they’re trying to be—more diverse and less discriminatory, in my experience, openly gay officers are still a rarity.
“I’m afraid so. Yes.”
“Maybe he’s on vacation,” Len suggested. “Maybe he’s visiting relatives. Maybe he and the boyfriend are on a second honeymoon. What makes you think Maurice is dead?”
I didn’t really want to go into the Rear Windowaspect, didn’t want Len to know how much time I spent observing my neighbors, didn’t want him to think I was developing voyeuristic tendencies in my old age. Although, Talese was right—all journalists are voyeurs at heart.
I said, “Partly because of the way Nico, Maurice’s partner, is behaving. Partly because Maurice once said if anything ever happened to him, look no further than Nico.”
Silence.
Len said in his slow, considering way, “That’s quite a revelation from someone you describe as a neighbor rather than a friend.”
“I know. And he was joking—mostly—when he said it. But…”
“But now that Maurice has ‘disappeared,’ you think maybe he was serious. You said something about the way Nico is acting. How is Nico acting?”
“Evasive, in my opinion.” Also dismissive, patronizing, bored, annoyed—but that was Nico’s usual attitude toward me, so I didn’t place undue importance on it.
Len’s tone remained neutral as he suggested, “Maybe Nico feels that Maurice’s whereabouts are none of your business.”
“Maybe.”
I waited. If Len was the Len I remembered… But three years is a long time. Len didn’t owe me any favors. And no one knew better than me how far-fetched my story sounded.
Len said finally, “I’ll be blunt. This is so thin, it’s transparent. Anyone but you, Michael, I’d be tempted to tell you to butt out of other people’s relationships.”
I winced, opened my mouth, but Len wasn’t finished. “You always had a nose for trouble, so unless you’ve changed a lot, I have to assume you’re maybe onto something.”
We could take it for granted I’d changed a lot. Physically, for sure, but also mentally, emotionally, and probably spiritually. Not that I’d ever been very spiritual, unlike Len, who was a practicing Episcopalian and sang in his church choir every Sunday.
“I could be wrong,” I said. “I hope I am. But if I went missing, I’d like to think someone out there might notice and at least ask a couple of questions.”
“And that’s about all I can promise,” Len said. “We’ll ask a few questions and see what the boyfriend has to say.”
Relief washed through me. Not just the relief that here was help for Maurice, help I couldn’t provide on my own. The relief of being believed, of being taken seriously again. I missed being taken seriously.
But the last three years had taught me to be cautious.
“If my name could be kept out of it, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Len.” I meant it. “I owe you one.”
He said crisply, “No. You don’t owe me anything. I quit keeping score a long time ago.”
I was still trying to think of a reply when he hung up.
----
It's not listed everywhere yet, but I'm getting there.
Amazon
Kobo
B&N
Apple
September 25, 2020
5 Things That Cheer Me Up Right Now
I don't know about you, but I really did NOT think we would still be in full pandemic mode this fall.
Or rather, I thought we'd be bracing up to the possibility of a second wave, not still dealing with the first. But here we are heading into flu season while never having really got a handle on the pandemic. In fact, a third of the country firmly believes it's all made up. LOL. Because...
That part of the conspiracy remains vague. I mean, to be a serious PLOT you've got to have a concrete goal. There has to be a pragmatic outcome. Like World Domination. Like a zillion billion dollars ransom. I mean THOSE ARE THE RULES OF EVILDOING.
But I digress. The fact is, you can get used to anything, and I'm getting used to this. We all are.
And lest you think it's all doom and gloom at Chez Lanyon, nothing of the kind! Luckily, the SO and I are extremely compatible thanks to a mutual love of murder and mystery. We literally never run out of anything to blab about whether it's the latest episode of Dateline, something I'm writing, something he's writing, or a debate over the merits of the Perry Mason books (uh yeah, they're not TV tie-ins, as I was entertained to see someone insisting in an online discussion) versus the original movies (recommended if you love old movies!) versus the TV series and the TV series reboot (I love William Katt! Whatever happened to William Katt!) versus the latest and weakest incarnation on HBO (but oh my God excellent acting and how beautifully filmed it was!). I have the dogs and the garden and my cocktail shaker--and let me tell you, I am becoming one hell of a mixologist.
In fact, let me share my latest invention. It's called The Tipsy Mermaid. It's very sweet but carries an unexpected punch, just like a real mermaid. *cough* IF there was such a thing as mermaids.
1 oz cake vodka
1 oz Chambord
1 oz blue Curacao
1 oz cranberry-blackberry juice
(Also I now have TWO alternate recipes for Raspberry Lemon Drops, but I'll save those for another day.)
And I have my writing. Sort of. I mean, it's shaky, it's still more theoretical than practical, but I am working and I am making very slow progress.
In fact, yesterday I outlined a short story called 44.1644° NORTH. It's going to be in the second short story collection (although if you're in Patreon, you'll be getting it for free) due out in January. I'm currently working on Bell, Book and Scandal, and yes, I do actually plan to have that one out for Halloween. Blessed be.
So yeah, I'm feeling more optimistic, more in control again, and here are five of the things I find most comforting right now.
1 - YouTube Beauty Bloggers. OH, I KNOW. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW. But there is something really soothing about watching people who know what they're doing, apply eyeshadow. All those paint boxes and tubes of color! Gorgeous color. How can you NOT enjoy all that color? Make up is transformative. Self care is healthy. YMMV but to each their own and I do own a LOT of eyeshadow.
Last week one of my favorite beauty bloggers did what I found to be a really interesting bit on urgency, and how so much of the pressure we feel is self-inflicted. I thought I would share it. And also holy moly can this woman do things with eyeshadow!
2 - Coffee Table books. I don't think those of us in the States are going to be traveling much until 2022. Just my opinion. So I'm reminding myself of everything out there, past and present and imaginary through the application of art and coffee table travel books. In particular I'm loving Slim Aarons right now. If you don't know Aarons, he documented a world that never really existed for most people, but yet that somehow continues to shape our own concept of class, elegance, and how the other half should live.
3 - Gardening. It's officially autumn, so it's time to start closing up shop for the winter, but my garden has been a huge source of comfort this summer. There's just something really centering about sunlight and damp earth and the smell of flowers and the hum of bees. A garden teaches patience like nothing else.
4 - Coloring books. Yes! Coloring books. When all this madness started, I was playing a lot of Candy Crush and so forth, and I felt like that just had to stop. That was just too...numb. So I moved over to coloring books, which it turns out I have tons of (also lots of wonderful pencils and crayons--largely unused) and it's been really relaxing to listen to the news or listen to the SO rant about the news while I color in my coloring books. ;-) I'm not very good, but I can stay within the lines, and maybe in the end, that's all that really matters.
5 - Goldbelly. A dear friend sent me a gift certificate to Goldbelly a while back--and then another friend sent me the most delicious pies--and eventually I figured out that Goldbelly was a way to sample legendary and fantastic foods from across the country from the comfort of your own quarantine cell pretty much whenever you wanted. Wow.
So that's it. Those are my tips for staying sane during Phase 2 of Our Pandemic. What about you? Do you have any good tips? How are you coping these days?
September 18, 2020
Five Things I've Learned from Watching True Crime
I'm not sure why watching shows about people murdering each other is somehow less distressing right now than watching the news--maybe because the body count is so much lower on Dateline?
Whatever, I've definitely noticed a pattern of behaviors that I'm going to watch for moving forward. ;-D I don't mean in real life--I'm not planning on killing anyone, let alone becoming an amateur sleuth--but these are good reminders for writing crime fiction.
1 - The louder and more hysterical the person reporting the crime is, the more likely THEY are the killer. Especially if the person on the phone is a spouse. Talk about Bad Actors. In every sense of the word. Maybe it's because genuine shock often leaves people seeming weirdly cold and detached rather than, as might seem reasonable, screaming and hysterical.
Also, addressing the victim while on the phone with the 911 operator is almost always a giveaway.
"Oh Gina, Gina. Darling! Noooooo. Breathe!!"
YOU DID IT AND WE ALL KNOW YOU DID IT.
2 - There is the exact same breakdown of skill and talent on any given police force as there is in any given office anywhere. You know how Beth (we'll call her Beth) never wants to refund customers to whom she recommended the wrong product? Well, if Beth were a cop--and she occasionally is--Beth would be the kind of cop who just goes with the first and obvious suspect and doesn't bother to run that DNA test. And eventually, twenty years later, Caren gets assigned to Cold Cases, runs the DNA, and discovers the wrong person has been sitting in jail for decades.
WHOOPSIE.
Seriously, it's mind-blowing how often stuff falls through the cracks. But then it's mind blowing how many orders get dropped at my local coffee house. Despite the life or death stakes, a police force is only as good as its weakest barista.
3 - WHAT THE HELL WITH ALL THE MURDEROUS PASTORS??!!!
4 - Children will forgive (or blank-out) just about anything evil their parents do--including one parent murdering another--UNTIL THEY HAVE THEIR OWN KIDS. It's kind of fascinating to see how often this one plays out. Of course, it does kind of make sense given the fact that none of us really pay close attention to anything until we're about thirty. *cough*
HEY, DAD, I JUST REMEMBERED MOM'S PURSE IS STILL SITTING IN THE BASEMENT ON TOP OF THAT TRUNK BEHIND THE AX DISPLAY...
5 - What is the aversion to divorce?! You don't want to share custody of the kids or pay alimony or split the DVD collection, so instead you KILL the person you've been sharing scrambled eggs with for the last ten years and risk losing everything. EVERYTHING. Because even an entire police force made of baristas knows the spouse is the #1 suspect. Even Beth can solve this one. Would it really have been so bad to have to divvy everything up fair and square? Worse than years of prison food and orange jumpsuits--not to mention you still have to pay lawyers fees?
Yeesh.
What about you? Do you watch true crime? Do you have a favorite show? Do you have any true crime insights?
September 7, 2020
Happy Labor Day!
Wherever, whoever, whatever. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are keeping us afloat--and the rest of us notice and appreciate it.
September 4, 2020
Person, woman, man, camera, TV
It sounds like a writing prompt, doesn't it?
IF ONLY.
I've been putting off posting an update because I honestly wasn't sure what to say. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, philosophically (?!) I've been all over the map for the last six weeks or so. I'd feel a surge of creative energy, start work, and shortly after fall into... I hate to say depression because, for one thing, depression doesn't even cover it.
Anger--so much anger--frustration, anxiety, and yes, depression. Which has played out in a kind of inertia. Inertia and indifference.
I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?
Except I do care. Hence the anger verging on rage.
Which you might think would be great for fueling creative energy, but turns out to be merely exhausting.
I mean, I started out the pandemic in a fairly calm state of mind. ("Calm" being relative.) I got tons of writing business stuff done, and I wasn't too worried about the lack of creative drive because I felt confident that would return once I got all the busyness done. Buuuuuut... Not so much.
So here we are at the start of September--ARE YOU KIDDING ME???--and I haven't published since April. That is not good. That is very, very bad. And, while I'm starting to feel a bit more optimistic again, a bit more creative, I know my anxiety will ratchet up the closer we get to flu season and the election and the holidays. I've already had to mostly cut myself off from watching the news, and my nightly CBD oil intake verges on industrial strength.
There are five projects I would like to finish before the end of the year--and four months to do them in. This is all doable provided nobody moves, nobody blinks, nobody breathes too loudly. I'm feeling more like my normal self, but I want to be very cautious about committing to anything. For obvious reasons.
Which is a very long way of saying I'm okay and I'm working again and I think everything is going to work out.
Really. :-)
September 2, 2020
It's Cal Worthington and Her Dog Spot!
So far I have not had to resort to riding a pig around a car lot, but given how weird this year is, who knows?
Anyway, if you've been considering pledging to my Patreon, I have an enticing but limited time offer.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS.
Patreon recently decided to offer the option of annual subscriptions to both new and existing patrons. (Apparently 35% of patrons would prefer not to be bothered with monthly payments!) I can see the convenience of this, assuming you have the ability to pay your monthly fees in a lump sum up front--and I can see there is a short term potential advantage to me.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure about this, but a lot of people are struggling right now, so from today until the end of December, I'm offering a 10% discount on annual pledges.
Basically, if you're currently paying $10.00 a month (or $120.00 a year), you'd be paying $9.00 a month (or $108. a year) And so on and so forth. You're paying less but you're getting a free month of membership.You're also reducing transaction fees and reducing the change of credit card declines. Those are all good things! Right?
Right.
So. Visit my Patreon page where you’ll see the option below the “Join” button of your chosen tier. Just follow the directions.
There's lots more helpful info right here. (And no, I don't mean the video!)
July 24, 2020
Cover Reveal: THE ENTIRE ADRIEN ENGLISH SERIES!!!
New cover art by the talented--well, really MULTI-talented Reese Dante. I love that she kept the original cover model and that she shows a gradual, subtle aging of Adrien throughout the course of the series. And you know what I particularly love? He looks younger and happier again by SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS.
YOU GET ME, REESE, YOU REALLY GET ME. ;-D
But seriously, my plans for the 20th Anniversary have kind of gone KAAAA-BLOOEY with everything that has happened, including the cancellation of this year's GRL. NO CAKE???? HOW CAN WE HAVE AN ANNIVERSARY WITHOUT CAKE!!!???
But I'm going to do what I can--and maybe we'll get together and have cake at NEXT year's GRL!? God willing and we don't all die of the plague.
Here is my official invitation to fans of the series to contribute art and fiction or even non-fiction to our virtual celebration, which I will feature here on the blog. I'd like to do at least one AE-related post a month, starting in August. (Obviously, I'll come up with some things as well.)
But meantime, enjoy a glimpse of the new cover art!
