Josh Lanyon's Blog, page 45

Advent Calendar Day 7

BOOO! Er, I mean BRRRR!!!
Or do I?

Happy Holidays! Today I'm giving away a hardcover copy of  Classic Ghost Stories: Spooky Tales to Read at Christmas to one randomly selected lucky reader.  (The book will not be available until after Christmas though, just so you know.)

I don't know about you, but I especially love spooky stories and vintage mysteries around the holidays. There's something peculiarly delightful about that weird blend of cozy and creepy.

To be eligible for this giveaway, share a real life spooky experience with us in the comment section below. It doesn't necessarily have to be your own experience, but you have to have got the story by word-of-mouth. And if it's a eerie story from around the holidays, even better!!!

And in the spirit of sharing spooky stories, here's a link to a three public domain ghost stories which you can read for free. A little something different for you coffee break (just don't walk home from work alone!) ;-)

Count Magnus by M.R. James  
Afterward by Edith Wharton
The Striding Place by Gertrude Atherton

Advent Calendar Day 6

Happy Holidays! It's already the 6th! Holy moly (no pun intended). Have you completed your holiday shopping? I am ALMOST finished, and that's kind of a record given the last few years.

Today's offering is especially entertaining. If you're not a member of my Goodreads group, you're probably unaware of the really fun--and absolutely unique--launch parties we have. One of more entertaining "games" is when members create haiku for the stories. They're clever, often funny, and usually right on point.

KC's and Ulrike's lovely gift to you this morning is no different.



Haiku for Petit Mortsby Ulrike and KC 

Slings and Arrows: 
Three pounds of chocolateOff balance falling in love First stern - then tender






Critic's Choice:
Tree blocking the roadBizarre things at Faust's mansionCrispin, Rey, beware!



Just Desserts:
Chocolates vengeance filledMelt against Tug's cheerfulnessLeaving Ridge perplexed



Other Peoples Weddings:
Accused of murderWhen taking chocolate hostageSheriff Valentine


Sort of Stranger than Fiction:
Rashly spoken wordsExtra virgin olive oil
Finally happy

Advent Calendar Day 5

Happy Holidays!

Today we have six winners (yes, I doubled the number) of a signed print copy of IF ONLY IN MY DREAMS. That's the new print collection of my five Christmas-themed novellas (all but one in print for the first time).

Our winners are:
Ingrid
Mini
jcollyer
Linda Nasuta
booksandmore
riverdaughter
Please drop me a line through my website contact page or Facebook or Goodreads with your snail mail address.

And if you didn't get a prezzie this time, don't despair. Santa's little elves have many more giveaways in mind this month.

Meanwhile, this morning's holiday treat is about twenty minutes of vintage B&W holiday shorts.

Advent Calendar Day 4

Happy Holidays!

Today I'm thrilled to bring you an offering of fiction.

Meg Perry, author of the Jamie Brodie mystery series has contributed a wee bit of a story called "Paternity" which crosses the worlds of Jamie Brodie with that of Adrien English. Grab yourself a nice hot cuppa and duck down behind your cubicle for a few enjoyable minutes of holiday cheer.

Paternity
Young Research Library, UCLAThe end of each term in an academic library is an idyllic time...for the librarians. Students are furiously writing final papers and studying for exams, fueled by vast quantities of caffeine and panic. Instructors are buried to their elbows in those papers and exams, up against the university’s deadline for turning in grades, bitching to whomever will listen about how much student writing sucks.At the library reference desk, however, a sense of peace reigns. The students’ research is done; they couldn’t write those final papers otherwise. Faculty are too busy grading papers to work on their own writing and research. We librarians still cover our reference shifts, though; right up until the library closes for the holidays. Just in case. It was December. There were two days left in fall quarter. It was nearing 2:00 when the kid approached the desk. Clinton Kenneally had already come, bestowed upon us his word of the day (levivah, meaning a fried potato pancake served on Hanukkah), and gone. I was scooted back from the desk, my feet propped on the garbage can, reading an advance copy of Oscar Wilde and Classical Antiquity. Beside me, Liz Nguyen was on her phone, in a five-way text conversation with her mom, aunt, and cousins about Christmas dinner. The kid - young man - that appeared before us seemed to be agitated, yet also came across as oddly defiant. He was older than an undergraduate. He was tall and blond, with wispy facial hair. His deep tan didn’t fit with his overall presentation, which was that of a roadie for an impoverished garage band. He was wearing baggy black pants, a green t-shirt with a peace symbol, a ratty gray hoodie, and John Lennon glasses complete with blue lenses. He looked vaguely familiar. That wasn’t surprising. If he was a UCLA student, he’d probably visited the reference desk before. His straggly hair was flopping into his eyes, and he kept pushing it out of the way. He planted himself in front of us, looking back and forth between Liz and me, his expression a mixture of anguish and challenge. Liz dropped her phone into her lap; I lowered my feet from the garbage can and swung around to face front. Liz said, “Hi. Can we help you?”“You have to help me.”Liz had been in a snarky mood all day. I saw her tip her head to respond in a manner that might not be entirely empathetic, and jumped in before she could. “That’s what we’re here for. What can we do for you?”“I need information about paternity testing.”Okay, that wasn’t a query we’d heard before, here in the graduate social sciences library. I said, “Did you know that we have a medical library on campus? They might…”“No.” He gripped the edge of our desk, his knuckles white. “I need information for laypeople. I need to be able to understand it. But it has to be peer reviewed.”So he knew what peer review was. He must be a graduate student. I said, “Why don’t you sit down?”He glared at me. “Can you help me or not?” His voice cracked on the word not.I figured the guy either needed a hug or a whack in the head. I tried to project an air of calm and serenity. “Yes, and I’m going to, but it’ll take a few minutes. Why don’t you sit down? You’ll be more comfortable.” As would I.He dropped heavily into the chair across from me. I wiggled my mouse to activate the screen and re-entered my credentials. “I’m Jamie, and this is Liz. What’s your name?”“Angus.” He started gnawing on the knuckle of his left forefinger.I adopted my finest Highland accent. “Aye, it’s a good Scottish name, that.”He blinked at me. “What?”“Never mind.” I turned to the king of general-subject databases, Academic Search Complete, and typed paternity testing.Apropos of nothing, it seemed, Angus asked me, “Do you have a girlfriend?”“Uh - no.” I held up my left hand. “Married to a man.”Liz said, “Me, too.”Angus muttered, “Shit,” and fell silent.I scanned through the results that the database had produced. “Jeez. One study - and it’s from China. What the hell is wrong with Academic Search Complete?”Liz said, “Dunno. Try CINAHL.” 
“What??”She made a “tsk” sound and turned to her own computer. “You didn’t take a class in medical research?”“No, I didn’t. Why would I? Why would you?” Liz was a political science subject specialist; my area was history. “So I’d know where to find health information for my own use, duh. What do you do when you want to look up something about your asthma?”“I ask Karen Lewis to do it.” Karen worked at the Biomedical Library. “Why…”Angus smacked the desk, making me jump. “Are you helping me or not?”Liz frowned at him. “Yes, I’m helping you. Cool your jets.” The phrase produced a burst of cackling laughter from Angus. I was starting to wonder if he was in a manic phase. “Cool your jets?How old are you?” Liz slowly lifted her hands from the keyboard, crossed her arms, and cast her “evil eye” expression onto Angus. “You are an incrediblyrude young man. For your information, that is a phrase that I picked up from my parents.”Angus quailed in the force of Liz’s fierce scowl, demonstrating that he retained some shred of sanity and self-preservation. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just…” He took a deep breath. “Yesterday, I found out that my girlfriend is pregnant.”I said, “Um - congratulations?”Angus slumped in his seat. “My life is a fucking disaster.”Liz asked, “Is the baby yours?”He snorted. “You’re one to talk about rude.”I needed to end this confrontation before it deteriorated. “She didn’t mean it that way. We’re just trying to help, right, Liz?”Liz was still frowning at Angus, her arms still tightly crossed. “Yeah. Sure.”I said, “You asked about paternity testing, so…”Angus removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t careif it’s not mine. I want to marry her. I’ll raise the baby as my own. But Natalie...she’s crazy right now. And her family hates me.”Sounded like the definition of a fucking disaster to me, all right. I said, “I have a couple of articles here about the legal and social ramifications of paternity testing. I’ll print them for you. Liz, you’re checking CINAHL, right?”“Right.” She turned back to her computer with one last baleful glance at Angus.I sent the articles to the printer under the desk. “If her family knows the baby’s yours, maybe their attitude toward you will improve.”“Yeah, right.” Angus was gnawing his knuckle again. “Her stepmother won’t say my name. Calls me that boy. Her father’s never even spoken to me. Her stepbrother is my boss, and he’ll probably fire me as soon as the holidays are over. Although he said he wouldn’t.”Being married to a psychologist, I was steeped in the belief that airing your problems had the power to improve your outlook. I decided to keep the conversation going. “Where do you work?”“Cloak and Dagger Books. It’s a…”Aha. That’s where I recognized him from. I said, “A mystery bookstore in Pasadena. I’ve been there several times. I think I’ve seen you there.”Angus looked warily hopeful. “Yeah? Do you know Adrien?”“Only to say hello to when I’m in the shop. He seems like a decent guy.”“He is. Most of the time. But his boyfriend kind of hates me, too.”“Why?”He winced. “He - um - arrested me once.”Oh. That would certainly color one’s perceptions. I was deciding how to respond to that when Liz said, “CINAHL wasn’t an improvement. But there’s an article here on the ethics of paternity testing. I’ll print it.”I said, “And I’ll print this Chinese study for you, too.”The printer whirred, spitting out pages. Angus appeared to be even more morose than when he’d arrived. I said, “There’s another benefit to paternity testing. If the baby is yours, the other guy can’t appear at some point in the future and demand parental rights or custody.”Angus sat up straighter. “Yes. That’s mostly why I want the test. Warren is a scumbag loser asshole. He cheated on her. He wants her to have an abortion. I don’t want him to have any contact with my kid.”I asked, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but...how sure are you that the baby’s yours?”He shrugged. “I’m not. Natalie says it could be either of us. I told you, she’s crazy emotional.”Liz said, “Discovering that you’re pregnant can do that. Take it easy with her.”“I’m trying.” I stacked the articles and stapled each one. “There you go. If you have any questions after you read them… Are you a UCLA student?” Maybe he could avail himself of the campus counseling services.“I was. I - uh - kinda got off track.”Not surprising, with the whole arrest thing. I said, “You’re girlfriend’s going to need to see a doctor. If you have any questions about these articles, you should discuss them with him or her.”“Yeah, okay.” Angus riffled through the papers, then stood. “Thanks for your help.”I said, “You’re welcome. Good luck. And happy holidays.” He grunted and walked away.Once he was out of view Liz said, “Whoa. That kid has issues.”“Ya think? I hope he’s the dad, though. If Angus thinks the other guy is a loser…”Liz snorted a laugh. “Seriously.”Her phone beeped. She read the screen and said, “Oh, hell to the no. We are not eating lasagna on Christmas…” and began to text furiously.
I reopened my book and propped my feet on the garbage can.



***

Find out more about Meg and her work here! 

Advent Calendar Day 3

Happy December 3rd!

Today's Advent Calendar entry is a download of a very cool little Irish Christmas song called "Christmas in Carrick" recorded by The Browne Sisters & George Cavanaugh (AKA me and my kinfolk). The album is called Christmas Travelers, but it's long out of print.

You can download an mp3 of the song right here (it will download directly to your computer, so if it doesn't start playing, be sure to check your download folder).

Christmas in CarrickThe Clancy Brothers
On the road the frost is glistening.People stream from Midnight Mass.Friendly candles glow in windows.Strangers greet you as you pass.Home then to the laden table;Ham and goose and pints of beer,Whisky handed 'round in tumblers,Christmas comes but once a year!
Puddings made with eggs and treacle,Seeded raisins and ground suet,Sated breadcrumbs and mixed spices,Grated rind and plenty fruit,Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg,Porter, brandy, and old ale.Don't forget the wine and whisky!Christmas comes but once a year!
Women fussing in the kitchen,Lay the food on every plate.Men impatient in the hallway,Guinness and porter while we wait.Who cares if we work tomorrow?Now's the time to spread good cheer!Pass the punch around the table!Christmas comes but once a year!

Advent Calendar Day 2

Today's Advent Calendar offering is a link to YouTube and the 1971 animated version of A Christmas Carol featuring Alistair Sim and Michael Redgrave. 

The vintage-style animation is really gorgeous and it takes about half an hour to watch.

Enjoy!

Advent Calendar Day 1

Happy Holidays!

Welcome to my Annual Advent Calendar Holiday Extravaganza. ;-)

We've already received a couple of lovely fictional morsels for your enjoyment. Every morning there will be something to start your day off with a smile. Maybe I'll share a favorite holiday song or a lovely photo or maybe I'll give something away. Some days we'll have fiction, some days we'll have art, but one thing for sure, every day will have something for you to enjoy. 

There really is nothing for you to do but show up and enjoy. It's just my way of saying Thank You.

Today I'm giving away three signed copies of If Only In My Dreams. This is a print collection of my five Christmas novellas--most of them never in print before. Just share what you like best about the holiday season in the comment section below, and I'll randomly pick three of you to win a signed copy of If Only in My Dreams.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

OR the winter holiday of your choosing.

December 1st kicks off an annual tradition here at ye olde blog. The Annual Josh Lanyon Advent Calendar.

Now for those of you new to the blog, this is not a super traditional Advent Calendar.  How it works is like this: every day through the month of December I try to post something of interest or good cheer. Sometimes it's just a nice photograph, sometimes it's a giveaway like print books or audio codes or...well, who knows? Sometimes it's a holiday coda.

A coda, for those of you joining us for the first time, is an ending part of a piece of music or a work of literature or drama that is separate from the earlier parts. The fact that the coda is separate from earlier parts of the story is what makes it different from, say, an epilogue wherein all the story parts are pulled together and we have a final last word on what it all meant.

The codas are all bits and bobs from my existing stories -- in some cases they're bridges to new stories and in other cases they are a final glimpse of the characters. Sometimes they are really short -- just a couple of lines. Sometimes they're an actual vignette. Sadly, there will not be many codas from me this year because I'm working hard to finish The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out in time for Christmas. So while I hope to do a couple of codas, well, we'll just have to see.

BUT last year we opened the Advent Calendar to readers like you, inviting you to submit your own holiday offering--and it turned out to be brilliant. We got artwork, we got codas, we got games and giveaways. It worked so well that we're going to do it again. You are invited to submit to the 2017 Advent Calendar. Anything related to any of the stories is welcome.  (The idea being that no one better understands what a fan might enjoy than another fan!) So if you want to submit artwork or a snippet from a scene you wish I’d written or a poem or a song or anything at all really, send it to me through my website contact page and we’ll put those into the calendar as well. (All donations gratefully accepted!)

As for why I do the Advent Calendar? It's just a way of thanking you all for your kindness and support during the year. Yes, you buy the books because you like the stories, but there are lots of stories and lots of authors out there, so I appreciate the fact that so often you choose Josh Lanyon stories. Thank you very sincerely. I truly hope you enjoy this year's calendar.

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. For me, it kicks off the entire holiday season. Halfway through the meal, the background music changes to Christmas music, and when our guests leave tonight the Christmas lights will be shining.

I know that some people have mixed feelings about this particular holiday, but when you boil it down to its essence what you have is...gravy! No, just kidding. When you boil it down, what you have is people helping other people, even when it goes against their own self-interest. And people honestly grateful for that help. Celebrating that help.

We could use a little -- heck, a LOT -- more of both in our world.

So Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have many things to be grateful for in your life. And that many more good things will come your way in the future.

Reality Check Please

Coming in December!As regular viewers know, I had a very different plan for this year.

Following last year's skimpy (and largely experimental) spate of late autumn releases, I had intended to come back with a slew of long-promised sequels or installments, such as Blind Side, next book in the Dangerous Ground series and The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out (sequel to The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks).

But real life has a way of elbowing its way into the best laid plans. Starting with the SO's stroke (God, has it really been a year?!) things just didn't roll out as anticipated for 2017. I feel like I've gone on enough about this stuff, so I won't rehash, but in the words of the philosopher known as Siri... Recalculating.

I've got two months left and I need to be realistic. I HATE THAT. But still.

Right now I'm working on the rewrite of Murder Takes the High Road, a standalone cozy mystery novel for Carina Press due out next April-ish. For reasons that have zero to do with the book, it's taking me a hella long time to finish this story. This project has to take precedence over anything else.

Once it's done, I'll begin The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out. Why this book and not the much-delayed Blind Side? Because, simply, I ran expensive print ads on it in mainstream mystery mags.

That pushes Blind Side back again--this time all the way back to next spring because I'd rather be slightly late on the two remaining projects than hugely late on everything for the next four months, which is what happens if I try to force Blind Side out.

It's complicated, my friends.

Advertising, narrators, editors, translators are lined up for these projects, and missing deadlines, switching things up, have consequences for others as well as myself.
Coming in April 2018
That said, here's what I promised in September:

"Halloween is Murder" (a short story)
Murder Takes the High Road (although it doesn't come out until next spring)
Blind Side (now pushed back to May 31st)
The Italian translation of  The Monet Murders
The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out (sequel to The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks) 
In Other Words...Murder (the fourth Holmes & Moriarity)
So This is Christmas audio book (narrated by Kale Williams)
If Only in My Dreams  - print collection of all my Christmas novellas

So far the only thing being seriously shoved back is Blind Side. The rest of that happened, is still on track, or is only delayed by a few months.

I feel confident enough, that I'm going to go ahead and list TGHaEC-O and IOM on Smashwords (which includes Kobo, B&N and iBooks) for pre-orders. No Amazon pre-orders because Amazon took my pre-order privileges away for a year due to missing the date on The Monet Murders. *snort* Not sure how punishing readers by not allowing them to take part in pre-order pricing is teaching me a lesson, but whatever, Zon.

Still on track for next year are The Magician Murders (Book III in the Art of Murder series) and Haunted Heart: Spring. But (along with Blind Side) that might be it for next year. The SO and I have our non-fiction project to work on, and that's going to take several months, so...next year might not see a lot of new work from me.

There. I've said it.

I feel like it would be better to under-promise and over-deliver rather than give in to my normal optimism. Then maybe we'll all be happily surprised. Or not. But at least I won't be creating unnecessary stress for myself by setting up a terrifying gauntlet of deadlines.

I know it's risky in these days of multiple monthly releases, but oh well. I didn't become a writer so I could make a quick and easy buck. I want to tell stories that entertain, engage and, yeah, maybe to some small extent educate. I want--need--to enjoy writing them as much as I want readers to enjoy reading them. That's been my goal from the beginning--and I don't see that changing.