Josh Lanyon's Blog, page 57

Spring Fever -- and The Mermaid Murders book trailer

I really don't have much to say today. I've got a scratchy throat, which I hope is due to all the pollen in the air. My favorite aunt is in town and we've been spending time visiting, and I gots this book to write, AND the marathon that's known as our tax appointment was on Wednesday...

So. Yeah. I got nothing this morning.

But in case you missed this fabulous trailer for The Mermaid Murders...

This is courtesy of my film editor Brother-in-Law (a man of mystery -- and huge talent) and my ultra brilliant sister Laura Browne Sorenson. I have tried for years to get them to go into the book trailer biz, but so far no luck.

Anyway.

Happy Easter!

Wait. I think I saw this movie...

The Quick Brown Fox

It's that time again.

The starting-work-on-a-new book time. I don't like to dramatize writing. Yes, it is work. The amount of focus required to produce a decent mystery novel is pretty intense. And, weirdly, the longer you've been writing, the more difficult it is.


That saying about pride going before a fall? I was aching with the impact of my landing as I stood in the bar area of the Caledonian Inn, trying not to watch Trevor and his new boyfriend meeting and greeting our fellow tour members that first night in Scotland.


Well. Sort of. I mean the technical parts of writing--how to construct a plot, how to write believable conflict, how to create real-seeming characters--all that kind of thing, how to stack the building blocks of fiction, is obviously, after *cough*-many years no longer a giant question mark. What is a giant question mark, remains forever a giant question mark, is coming up with a fresh take, a fresh angle, figuring out how to use the old words in new ways.

Because...that's part of the test for all writers who last any length of time. Eventually you use up all those first ideas, those initial ideas you were burning to write for so many years. Eventually you've used all the good words a million times. I mean, there are only so many ways to say it -- whatever "it" might be -- and some words and phrases are just more effective than others. Yes, you could say it a different way. But can you say it a better way?

I've held all kinds of jobs, and though writing has its challenges, it's sure as hell not as difficult as teaching. Even my rule as an evil corporate overlord was tougher in some ways than writing for a living--despite the fact that I always knew I was going to walk away from being an evil overlord the minute I saw a crack in the wall. But a successful writing career is still a demanding profession/sentence. The pay is irregular, there are no health or retirement benefits, no safety net at all really, because the industry is always, always in flux.

I honestly don't think that's what makes writing so tough though. I think a large part of the reason I dread the start of a new project (and I do) is because it's almost like willingly sinking yourself into a manic state--BRING ME THE HALLUCINOGENS!! Or like a medium submitting herself to a dangerous trance. However cerebral and rational the writing of a new project feels at the start, it always reaches that point of complete immersion, where the imaginary world becomes more real than the real world...and every disruption is enough to send me into fury, like the Wicked Witch of the West shrieking for her flying monkeys.



Oh, those first few painful pages...


Vance leaned over to whisper in Trevor’s ear and for a second I couldn’t remember what Rose was talking about. Oh, right. This ten-day tour of the Scottish Highlands and Islands specially tailored to fans of famed mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Every stop and every stay was planned around settings in the Rayburn books. The high point of the tour were the four days to be spent at Vanessa’s own castle on the island of Samhradh Beag.


Even after all this time the first, say, third of a new book leaves me feeling like...how does this work? Is this how I do it? It's like reinventing the wheel Every. Single. Time. There is nothing so flat as the first words of a new story landing on a blank page.

I might as well be writing The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs a hundred times. That's pretty much how it feels. In fact, those are probably the opening words to my autobiography.

The start of every new book is an act of faith on the part of the author. However it feels--and it always feels like what am I doing here?!--eventually the story takes over and it's all you can do to keep up with it.

So this is where we are. MURDER TAKES THE HIGH ROAD destined for Carina Press and a first week in December release. Watch for it!  And by "watch for it," I mean don't fall across the tracks because this train has no brakes...

And I'M Offended That YOU'RE Offended That I'm Offended

room at the table for allHere's a question for you: Is it possible to listen with an open mind, sincerely sympathize, even respect and understand someone's view point...and yet still disagree?

Yes. It is.

As shocking as it is, sometimes smart, sensitive, educated and caring people do not see eye to eye. They disagree. Passionately. Sometimes they disagree in areas where you would have bet money they'd be in complete accord.

It is disappointing, even hurtful, when the answer to something we care so deeply about, is no. But that is life. That is the human condition. Sometimes détente cannot be reached. Sometimes you must agree to disagree.

I'm not suggesting there should not be discussion. I am suggesting that respect for someone else's opinion and their right to free speech only kicks in when you are in disagreement. Hitting "like" on a post or comment you agree with is not a noble demonstration of your respect for someone else's opinion. Allowing those with opposing viewpoints to have their say without vilifying them or denigrating them...that's actually showing respect for someone else's opinion, that's actually living up to the ideal of free speech.

At the same time, disagreement is not disrespect. Disagreement is not the same as forbidding people the right to speak. It is disagreement with what has been said.



Over the past two years the genre formerly known as M/M Romance has experienced more than it's share of rancorous disagreement on a number of issues, and sadly the divisions seem to be getting worse, not better. I'm not here to tell you how to fix that. I don't see a way to fix it that doesn't involve a hell of a lot more open-mindedness, imagination and empathy on the part of everyone involved.

This I can tell you. Diversity is good. It is good for society. It is good for the book business.

DI-VER-SI-TY   
 yes, that person has wings
[dih-vur-si-tee, dahy-]   
noun, plural diversities. 

1. the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness:
diversity of opinion.

2. variety; multiformity.

3. the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.:
diversity in the workplace.

4. a point of difference

Look at it this way. Maybe I write cupcakes with sprinkles and buttercream frosting and you write hearty oatmeal muffins that nourish and sustain. Maybe my cupcakes outsell your oatmeal muffins. Maybe you outsell me with readers looking to be nourished and sustained. But in a genre this small, there’s a good chance that our readerships will occasionally, maybe more than occasionally, overlap. Nobody likes cupcakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yet man shall not live by hearty oatmeal muffin alone. You see what I’m saying? My cupcakes may be the gateway to your oatmeal muffin. Maybe not. But if we only serve oatmeal muffins, then a lot of readers with a lot of dollars will never wander over here because they don’t think they like oatmeal and the selection is so small.

It is to all of our benefit to maintain a healthy, thriving genre that attracts a variety of readers who are willing to pay to read many books written by unique and multiple talents.

Do we need gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual romance written specifically by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, authors? Of course we do! It is crucial.
a knotty problem
But believe it or not, it is also crucial to have stories by those with other ideas, perspectives, insights. Unless you’re literally a hermit and have no outside contact with the world, there is no exclusive or isolate human experience. All of our experiences are tempered by our relationships with others and the world around us. Nobody lives in a vacuum.

Get over the idea that all these other writers cluttering up the bookshelves are robbing you of your rightful readers. There is no such thing in publishing. Readers are not prisoners of war to be taken by the winners of some bizarre battle of genre gerrymandering.


A multitude of voices and experiences and viewpoints means by default that we are not all going to understand or appreciate everything written by our peers--but that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit in practical, cultural and even spiritual ways from being around people who are, you know, different from us.

  

But Can You Make a Living at It?

Writing has always been a tough gig. It's full of rejection and disappointment and, even when you're successful, most writers don't earn enough to live on. So has it been and so shall it always be. Okay? Got it?

Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on.

All we seem to hear lately is doom and gloom from people who apparently mistook the exhilarating bump of a few years ago for a permanent state of affairs. They were wrong about the boom and now they are wrong about the bust. By which I mean, yes, this is a tough publishing environment, but that's kind of the normal state of affairs. Actually, it's kind of the normal state of affairs for ANYONE trying to earn a living in the arts. If you're going to be successful in the arts, you have to learn to roll with the punches. And you need to be prepared for getting punched A LOT.

The good news is, people do still earn a living at writing. I earn my living writing--and have for a number of years now. And even if most writers will not be able to support themselves, a lot of them will be able to successfully supplement their existing income. That's a big deal in today's economy. And I'm not talking about people who have been writing and publishing forever, I'm talking about authors who've been working hard for a few years and have started to see the pay-off. 

And I thought it might be refreshing to talk to four of these authors--to read some success stories, to hear some good news. Because one thing never changes: as long as the world needs stories, it will need storytellers.

So here's our cast of characters:

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. "I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner. My characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.

I live in New York City with my husband and two children. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law full-time but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach (under an umbrella with sunscreen) and write beautiful stories of men falling in love.

 I just finished the last of my Breakfast Club series, What Lies Between Us, and am working on a spin-off of characters I introduced in that book, who appeared in a short story last year."


David Warner was "that kid with the over-active imagination who was always making up stories to scare the other kids in the neighborhood.  It wasn’t until college that I started writing them down so I wouldn’t forget them.  I never really gave publishing much more than a passing thought until I was encouraged to do so by a mutual friend of ours (the illustrious M), who was also the first person other than my husband Marc that I ever allowed to read anything that I’d written.  No one was more surprised than I was when I actually got published. 
"A transplant from northern Wisconsin, I’ve been living in Washington, DC for the last 30 years.  I currently reside in a cozy, i.e., very tiny, garden condo in the heart of the city with my husband of 23 years (aka Mr. Man) surrounded by hundreds of books, plants, and bulk paper products from Costco."   S.C. Wynne loves rainy days and gloomy weather. Ironically, she’s landed in sunny California with her husband and two children, where she endures endless days of sunshine. S.C. loves writing stories with angst, and dryly humorous characters. Her most recent title is Assassins Are People Too. The sequel; Assassins Love People Too is being released March 15thfrom Loose Id.

C.S. Poeis an author of gay mystery and romance. She lives in New York City with her three cats. She has an affinity for all things cute and colorful, and is a fan of coffee, reading, and cats, in no particular order. Her debut novel, Snow & Winter: The Mystery of Nevermore, is released this summer through DSP Publications.

When did you publish your first M/M or LGBT story? What was the story and who did you publish it with?

 Felice: My first book was Rescued, an M/M romance. It was published by Loose Id in August of 2014.
David: My first LGBT story was released spring of 2012 by DoorQ and published under the name of Warner Davidson.  It was the offshoot of an idea I’d kicked around in draft in college that I eventually updated in 2012—rather hurriedly—for inclusion in a LGBT fantasy anthology that my good friend Peter Saenz was editing at the time. 

S.C.: October 14, 2013. It was Hard-Ass is Here with Loose Id. It was actually the very first M/M romance I wrote. I was so green I thought the publisher would name the book for me. So when I saved the file it saved the manuscript as the first line of the book, which at the time was “The new hard-ass is here.” So the book ended up being titled Hard-Ass is Here because of that. I always thought that was funny. But whatever the title, I was ecstatic when Loose Id offered me a contract. Quietly, suavely ecstatic.


C.S.: My first published work came out June 1, 2015. It was a short, Love Has No Expiration, through Dreamspinner Press.

  How did the reality of publication match up with what you imagined it would be like to be a published author?


S.C.: The publishing part was exactly what I’d expected and Loose Id was great to work with. I’d been through edits before on another project so I understood that process.
What actually shocked me most was how mean people can be in reviews. I knew everyone wouldn’t love my books, but it never occurred to me people would hate them so much their negative response would feel personal. My first published book was a social media wake-up call for me.
David: I was truly naïve before publishing.  My expectations were the exact opposite of what actually transpired.  I thought gettingpublished would be hard.  As it turned out, that was the easy part.  I also thought that marketing, and finding an audience, would just sort of happen organically, like photosynthesis, once you actually had material out there in the light of day.  Surprise!  Live and learn.
C.S.: I actually didn’t have much of a picture in mind, other than my words in a book with a price tag. It’s exciting, and I’m very happy with how intimate the process is with my publisher. They listen to the author from blurb to edit to cover, and I think when all parties are invested, it’s an even more amazing reality.

Felice: Oh God. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was a rollercoaster. Seeing my name on the Amazon lists next to people whose books I read and admired was a bit surreal. Rescued did extraordinarily well for me, especially as a debut book so my expectation s far exceeded what I could have imagined. Of course then there are the reviews which knock you down. So I guess it was like the highest high and the lowest low at certain points.
  To date how many stories have you published?


C.S.: Two shorts! A third short, as well as my debut novel, are finishing up production for summer releases.
Felice: I have four with Loose Id and seven self-published books.
David: I think I’m the novice here in this group of wonderful writers that you’re interviewing—only 6 published stories to date. I’m currently hard at work (as both editor and contributor) on a second, as-yet-unnamed anthology of LGBT-themed horror stories that I hope will be picked up by DoorQ Publishing/Digital Fabulists later this year in time for Halloween.  The first anthology, entitled In Darkness Peering: Tales from the Bent Side, was released by DoorQ last October. It includes three of my own short stories as well as stories from 8 other LGBT authors.  I have many more up my sleeve and in my back pocket.

S.C.: As S.C. Wynne I have 18 published and 3 additional sold to Loose Id, Dreamspinner and Riptide that will be released in the next few months.


Are you strictly traditional (meaning you work solely with publishers), self-pubbed or hybrid?  Why have you made that choice?


Felice: I don’t know what to call myself, lol. I am self-pubbing right now, but I plan to submit a story I have to publishers later this summer. So I guess you could call me an anticipatory hybrid? I’ll see if anyone is interested. When I published my first self-pubbed book, I wasn’t sure I could do it or would like it. But I fooled myself and I enjoy it. I like the control I have, over times to publish, story lines and my covers, especially my covers. It’s a learning experience and I freely admit to asking for advice. I’ve been lucky enough to have had some amazingly helpful people in my life.

David: So far, I’ve been strictly traditional, not so much by choice as by circumstance and opportunity and, so far, it’s working out just fine.  I see a lot of people moving to self-publishing for a variety of reasons that seem quite valid.  Until recently, however, I had no idea where to begin such a thing.  I’ve now built a pretty solid network of author friends who are well-versed in the ins and outs of self-publishing, as well as people skilled at book layout (both for print and ebook) and cover design.  In the last year, I’ve also completed extensive course work in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop with an eye toward self-publishing if and when I ever choose to go that route.  Options—it’s all about options now.


S.C.: I’m hybrid. So far I’ve worked mainly with publishers. I do have one self-published Halloween story Until the Morning and I’m set to self-publish another book in May called Unleashing Love.  I intend to do more self-publishing this year, but I love working with publishers. You learn so much when you go through a tough edit. I want to always be improving my writing skills and edits help you do that. But self-publishing definitely gives you way more control. To me hybrid gives me the best of both worlds.

C.S.: At this point in my young and shiny career, I am strictly traditional. I thoroughly enjoy working with a house and the sincere dedication they have to promoting their authors. I’ve considered projects down the line that may be better suited to a hybrid style, but I don’t think that will be for a while. I do find the process fascinating, however, and love learning from my fellow authors who manage all this work on their own.


Do you currently have a day job? Do you ultimately plan to write full-time? Given your own experience and the doom and gloom climate in publishing, do you think writing full-time is still a feasible goal?


David: I have a day job as an executive at a small federal agency.  Unfortunately, the demands it creates on my time increase each year and this seriously limits my ability to write on any kind of a reliable schedule.  It’s more of a catch as catch can endeavor until I’m able to leave the job—and DC—which will happen at the end of 2018 when I will finally reach the age and length of service requirements for early retirement as a fed.  After that, I plan to write as close to full-time as life allows.  At that point, writing full-time will not only be feasible, thanks to that federal pension, it will also give me a lot of latitude to experiment without having to worry so much about income from sales.
 
S.C.: I own a business where I work thirteen hour days. The good part is I can often write while I’m there. I would love to write full-time. I have no illusions building a career happens overnight. I’m a realistic dreamer. J I think writing full-time is feasible as long as you’re not expecting to make a bazillion dollars. If you’re happy with a modest income, and you’re willing to work your ass off for many years, pumping out great, well edited stories, you can write full-time.
C.S.: I do have a day job. It’s a difficult monster to work around, especially when I’m at the beginning of my writing career, where I know it’s important to establish a backlist. So I usually get up at 3am to write and make the best of the time allotted to me.

I would like to write full-time. It’s my goal. Not a dream. A goal. I keep that firmly rooted in reality, and I work very hard every day to lay the groundwork that I believe will make that feasible. I tend to look at the bright, sparkly side of life, even when I’ve been told my point of view is unrealistic. So yes, I do believe it is possible, given the work and effort and research is put forth, and you’ve got a voice that really offers something new!

Felice: I work full-time as a managing attorney for a large city agency. I deal with employee discipline problems, labor and employment law discrimination. It is very stressful. I may retire next year, given that I took advantage of the early retirement program and yes, write full time.
 I think one has to sit down and think of what their plan is for the year ahead; publishing goals, options available, deadlines…etc. Gulp –a business plan. I am SO disorganized just thinking of what I should be doing for the rest of the year gives me hives.
 As writers who began publishing after the ebook boom had passed, what’s your perspective on both the publishing industry and this genre?


S.C.: I wish I could have experienced the big boom. But maybe it set people up with unrealistic expectations too. A lot of people think they can still just upload a book and the sales will come piling in. That is usually not the case. There are many well written self-published books out there. But I think what I find most disconcerting is the flood of poorly written, barely edited self-published stories on the lists. It perpetuates the stigma that people who self-publish only do so because they couldn’t sell their stories to publishing houses. That isn’t actually true, but when there are so many inexperienced authors who are unwilling to put any time into learning and perfecting their craft it’s depressing. Writing is hard. Good writing is ten times harder.

When it comes to the M/M genre I’m disheartened by all the infighting I’m witnessing lately. There’s seems to be so much anger, especially toward women writing in this genre. It’s depressing. I write M/M because I love men. I write gay romance. I’m not curing cancer. I’m not saving the world. I’m not pretending to understand the day to day struggle of a gay man. I write romantic, fictional love stories that feature two fictional male characters. It’s escapism and nothing more.


C.S.: This genre appears to be growing. More authors, more books, more options. For sure it’s very different from when I was a wee lass trying to find a book that fit the vague idea of what I wanted to read but found nothing. (Until a certain Lanyon dropped into my lap years later.) The publishing industry, I admit I’m less sure of. A lot of the data only covers the big old school publishers and doesn’t take into account how indies and self-pubbed authors are fairing. It seems to be going through ups and downs, trying to find itself amongst many roadblocks in this digital age.

Felice: Blink and its changed. Everyday someone has another theory on what has happened what will happen; what’s hot, what’s not. The advent of Amazon opening up the ranks to allowing anyone with a computer to self-publish has been both a blessing and a curse, as it opened the floodgates to people who might never have had the opportunity to publish a book, and those who think all you need to do is slap a pretty cover on and not edit the words. So it’s a balance. And I think the publishers are scrambling to keep up as well; I don’t think they understood the impact digital book was going to have on the industry. I’m not sure anyone truly did. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ve seen the end of consolidations and a winnowing away of small presses.

 For the gay romance genre, however, I think it is just the beginning; so many readers are discovering these books and publishers are now beginning to see that people are more willing to try reading books about same sex couples falling in love. It’s exciting and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

David: The publishing industry seems to be experiencing great upheaval at present.  Too many publishers in this genre have closed their doors.  More are expected to do so in the near future.  I’m not sure how much that has to do with trends in the genre or publishing in general.  Authors give up a great deal of control over their work, it’s pricing, etc. when they use big, online sellers like Amazon and B&N.  Since ebooks have become so widely available, print sales have tapered off.  Many books are now also made available to readers for free if they subscribe to certain online services. 

Online pirating is rampant.  If the price point of a book or story is more than a couple of bucks—which I believe is rather poor compensation for an author’s hard work—you’ll get complaints and bad reviews that have nothing to do with the quality of the writing.  Authors now live and die by reviews.  And let’s not even get into the crop of fake, unfair, or intentionally malicious reviews posted by certain people (some even from within the industry itself) for reasons that I will never fully comprehend.  The entire structure of the industry is changing faster than most authors can keep up with it and I see a lot of scrambling right now, people considering new ways of getting their work out there, such as self-publishing, audiobooks, and Internet serials.


Discoverability continues to be a challenge for all of us. What role would you say promotion has played in your success thus far? Do you feel promotion is less important or more important than it used to be? Do you feel you should or could spend more time promoting your work?


David: This topic comes up often at the book conferences I attend and in my own private discussions with other authors and other industry people.  Promotion is hugely important and—as I responded to a previous question you asked—one that I’d never really given much thought to before I hoboed my way onto the publication train.  Most publishers, it seems, do not do a whole lot of promotion anymore on behalf of their writers unless the writer happens to achieve a certain level of popular success, i.e., sales.  Self-promotion has become increasingly important as a result, and absolutely essential for those who self-publish.  I’m an introvert at heart and, personally, I’m no good at self-promotion.  Even though I know it’s an issue that I will need to grapple with sooner or later if I ever hope to be successful, it doesn’t fall naturally within my comfort zone—or even come close.
 
S.C.: I’ll parrot what most authors say: I hate promotion. It’s not in my nature to toot my own horn. I would need to hire horn tooters for that. But promotion is essential and a huge part of the modern writing experience. I have no idea if promotion has played a role in any success I might have had. It’s difficult to know what things have any effect. I’m not that scientific in my approach to self-promotion. I visit Facebook and Twitter each day, and I have started using a platform called Bublish. Bublish is interesting. You make posts about your story with an author insight also included. The nice part is after you post to Bublish, it tracks where the clicks come from. Did people find you on Facebook or Twitter? You can even see if people click your buy links, although you have no way of knowing if they purchased anything or not. It’s too soon for me to know if Bublish has any effect on my promotional ‘success’.
I’m not sure I have it in me to do a whole lot more promoting than I’m already doing. I know eventually I will have to force myself to go to conventions like GRL, etc. But I’m a private, shy person. I can only push myself so much before I end up in a corner sucking my thumb.

Felice: With my first book I was unprepared. I knew, from running a blog for historical romance years ago that getting your book out to as many people as possible was key, especially for a new author. So I did a blog tour. I’m not sure if it helped me or not. I think being active on social media in the format you feel most comfortable in, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, whatever has been the most helpful. I feel lucky in that I have made some amazing friendships with book bloggers who contacted me simply because they liked one of my books and we’ve gone on to become friends. I recommend other authors as well to them.

Discoverability is very difficult. Sometimes to me it seems as though the same four or five authors are the only ones ever getting the attention. And as a self-published, or indie author, it is near impossible to break through to greater visibility. So you have to put your head down and keep plodding along, doing your own thing, writing the books you love. I’m not in it for anything else except I love to write.
 To be clear, just going on social media and spewing your book title all over the place isn’t going to work either. You have to be real and put yourself out there and have patience. It doesn’t happen overnight.

C.S: I believe promotion (in all its varying shapes and forms) did help me with my first short. In the age of social media, I believe it is more important than ever to invest in promotion time. Authors are no longer a four sentence bio and ten year old photo on the back cover of a book. They’re real people, and they can be found on Facebook to Twitter to Blogger. That’s great for us. Readers can reach out, forge friendships, keep in touch with upcoming releases, the list goes on. But I believe it is also critical to learn the difference between using social media for good, and what constitutes as spamming.
****
Since I've got a blog due over at Not Your Usual Suspects, I've decided to continue the conversation over there. Click to continue...

Just a little fooling around

I'm in the midst of writing a little quickie story that I hope will be accepted for the
Magic and Mayhem GRNW Charity Anthology. Hey, and if you're interested, the submission guidelines are right here!

Anyway, yesterday on Facebook we were all getting a bit silly and I thought I'd share an abbreviated version of that silliness with you here -- and invite you to join in. 

Basically you just answer the following questions. It's always fun learning new stuff about each other, right? ;-D

So here are the questions with my answers.

Four names I go by:
 1. Josh Lanyon
 2. Diana Killian
 3. Her Supreme Satanic Majesty
 4. Hi-can-you-tell-me-where-the-restrooms-are? (Any author who has ever toughed out a mall book signing can relate to that one)

Three places I have worked:
 1. Los Angeles Unified School District
 2. Caretaker for tiny elderly crazy lady
 3. Robinsons-May

Four things I love to watch:
 1. True crime documentaries
 2. Film Noir
 3. Anything with Audrey Hepburn
 4. The X-Files (only the monster of the week episodes though -- conspiracy theories are boring)

Three things I am looking forward to:
 1. Retirement (HA HA there is NO SUCH THING FOR A WRITER)
 2. Getting a puppy
 3. WAVECON

Okay. Your turn! Amaze and astound us.

Five Things I Didn't Know About Jason West and Sam Kennedy Until I Started Writing Them

 Well, time is running out on my beach resort vacation. Knowing me, I'm looking forward to being home but already missing Catalina Island.

Anyway, on Tuesday The Mermaid Murders goes live! It's always exciting to launch a new series. I plan to write this particular trilogy quite quickly with a book out each March for the next two years. I think I've made a mistake in letting so much time lag between books in all these other series. But you know, to some extent this is all determined by creative drive. You don't want to thwart it too often or it really takes the joy out of the work.

The next adventure for Kennedy and West will be The Monet Murders. Which, to my ire, turns out to be a surprisingly popular title for a mystery. HOW DARE SOMEONE(S) THINK OF THAT BEFORE ME?!

Nonetheless that's what I'm calling it.

I'm a big advocate of doing a lot of the work before you ever begin writing. I like to outline and I like to have a pretty good idea of who my characters are and what their big conflict will be. That said, writing is an organic process and there are always surprises and discoveries along the way. That's why writing is as addictive for writers as it is for readers. We also get to lose ourselves for hours at a time. Not in the same way, but it's equally powerful for all that.

So here are a couple of things I discovered about Jason West and Sam Kennedy as I began to write their story:

1 - Sam is from Wyoming and was raised by a single mom in a conservative small town.

I had originally thought he might be from Texas and that he would come from a large family. But no.

2 -  Jason is a winker. (NOT a wanker! I did not say WANKER.) He's one of those smooth, maybe a little too smooth guys used to offering one of those knowingly charming smiles and winks...and watching everyone melt into a puddle.

But that's because he was a skinny, fragile kid with braces and a chronic case of heart-on-his-sleeve, so he's worked hard and long to build up that aura of cool charm.

3 - Sam has a masters in Criminal Psychology.

I thought his background would be law enforcement! I did not see him as someone who had actually spent a lot of time cracking psychology books.

4 - Jason's parents are elderly. He was a surprise baby who arrived after they'd already raised their two daughters.

I pictured him as a middle kid with a middle kid's insecurities. But he's actually not particularly insecure. About really anything. He's more emotional than I expected, more passionate. Very loud during sex. :-D I was thinking he'd be more quiet and restrained.

5 - They both love the artist Granville Redmond.

Where the heck did that come from?! I don't know. But it's a sure sign they are Meant To Be Together.

On Vacation....

As of yesterday morning I am officially on vacation. :-)

The thing about being a writer is you go nowhere and speak to no one that it isn't all potential story fodder. Which is a good thing! Even if it does mean scribbling notes on cocktail napkins and writing in the margins of books you didn't write and asking nosy questions of people who just met...

Part of why it's so necessary to travel -- at least get out of the house! -- for a writer is that you need something to write about that doesn't strictly come out of your own brain. You need to interact with the world (and not the online world where you don't have to look into people's eyes or imagine their reactions).

Part of being a good writer is being a good observer.

But anyway, I plan to do a lot of reading and walking and spending time with the SO where I actually concentrate on what he's saying and not just absently agree because most of my brain is still grappling with the imaginary conversations of characters.

I plan to drink and eat and get a massage. I plan to watch sunrises and sunsets and breathe deep lungful's of ocean air.

So that's me for the next nine -- NINE -- days.

What about you? When was the last time you had a real vacation? What did you do? Who did you do it with?

Happy Valentine's Day!

However you celebrate--and whoever you celebrate with--it's always a good idea to let the people you love know that they matter to you.

Dear Josh

As part of the Goodreads celebration of romance, Harlequin suggested that we show our appreciation for readers by posting reader comments in the various romance reading groups at Goodreads.

Now I'm not sure that posting a lot of the really kind things readers have generously taken the time to write over the years is the best way to say Thank You. ;-)  It probably just seems ego-maniacal. But I began gathering up a few snippets.

I had a couple of little epiphanies. I've known some of you a very long time. When I say "known" I mean we've shared a bit of our lives on social media and in email. Some of you have come and gone. And sometimes you've come back again. I also realized that over the past few years I have personally responded to over four thousand "fan" mails. This does not include all the comments and messages and questions on social media--back when I used to try to answer everything--but it's no wonder I sometimes lose track of how far some of us go back.

In the end, I decided to just pick a few emails from the last couple of years. Not that these mean more than the earlier emails--I do really treasure those first emails of initial discovery--but because it was interesting to see my recent writing life through the eyes of readers.

(I'm not sure if that was supposed to be part of the exercise, but hey.)

As far as why I picked these emails versus others... There were some really beautiful, thoughtful emails, but they were too lengthy to share or too personal in nature or too similar to another email, and this is already an embarrassingly long list of quotes.

Some of these made me smile, some of these choked me up, some of them made me laugh out loud. But I think that all together they give you a sense of why I love my readers and why I feel that what I do matters and is satisfying on many levels.

The thing about writing is I can never experience my work as you do. The closest I come to understanding what someone might get out of my stories is when I hear directly from readers. Which is why it's sort of funny when someone apologizes for "gushing" or "fanboying/fangirling" or "taking up your time." You're not taking up my time. You're reminding me why--because we all have those moments when we wonder--I continue to write and publish these stories.

Anyway...letters from readers:

Reading your books, I often take the writing for granted, but reading this and also Come Unto These Yellow Sands, specifically, I realize the quality is not relative, it stands on its own and I savour every word. It all feels very polished, very deliberate, a true craft but it also retains enough fluidity and accessibility that the focus remains on the story and it looks easy, but I'm sure it's not.
 5/3/14

Thanks for writing. I'm sure glad you didn't grow up to be a mailman or a doctor instead.
5/14/14

I just discovered your Adrien English series of books on Amazon. Yesterday I read the first one in the series, today I read the second one. They are wonderful books. Your writing is flowing and your characters are interesting. Plus, you do a good job of setting a scene. I delayed getting any of your books because you are such a prolific writer. I equated prolific with popular and popular with all that's bad with popular fiction. I was wrong.
5/14/14

I do not know why I am writing to you.
I mean, of course I know... I had not finished your book yet that I wanted to write to you immediately and tell you - aloud! - how much I loved it; but at the same time I thought - still think - that maybe I should not disturb you with my silly enthusiasm. I had already read some of your novels and really, REALLY, enjoyed all of them. They are the stories I always wanted to read (and, well, write too, but... duh... I am not that good! Not even in my own mother tongue) and your characters are always absolutely fantastic. But this... I don't know... I think it's even better! The plot, the mystery, the atmosphere, everything is perfect. It was like I was there with Griff, feeling and seeing and dreaming like him. Ok, maybe I let myself be too much involved with the stories. But still. Anyway, I don't want to waste other of your time. Just let you know that I think you are an unbelievable writer - thing that obviously you already know and that lots of people already told you!
 5/18/14

…I’m sure you’ve heard all of this THOUSANDS of times before, but… I guess, it can’t hurt to hear it one more time. I just finished the Adrien English books – all 5 of them in 4 ½ days – and, yes, I do work a full time job and I’m married!    Oh Josh – I am so in love with Jake I can’t stand it.   It is so totally believable that Adrien would not be able to “quit” that man.   And God damn you had me scared a few times – having never read anything by you before I had no idea how “realistic” you were gonna go. 
5/30/14



This is about to say thank you  very much for your book: Man, Oh Man!
My name is R. I am a German writer.
Please excuse my bad English. I try to improve it every by reading  books written in English.
Your Adrien English series was a challenge for me, but I love the stories very much.
Although I write my own stories in German language, I found a lot of good advice and inspiration in your book, Man, Oh Man!
The book market in Germany works different than in the USA but good writing is always and everywhere good writing.
Thank you for your advice and for the sparkling inspiration coming along with the fun 'listening' to Dr. Lanyon's lessons. I like how you address your reader and how you define a good writer.
And thank you for the sentences about women writing M/M romance. I'm female, I'm mature. I read mainstream books until I didn't want to read anymore. The step to writing what I wanted to read myself, was the discovery of the German fanfiction page. That encouraged me to try it myself in the year 2010. And in my opinion I don't have to be a cop to write crime as well as I don't have to be a man to write a male story.
6/19/14

Hey Josh, I'd just like to thank you for writing such amazing stories. Reading your stories has really helped me through a lot, and it still is, anytime I'm feeling down I'll read one of your stories and it cheers me right up. I've had a lot happen the last few years (don't worry I'll spare you my sob story) and when I found your stories it really helped keep me going. Keep being awesome and good luck with...well, whatever you need luck with.
5/12/15

You are brutally honest in your writing, To the point that reader starts begging for mercy, for a corner to hide from waves of emotions. I just finished "Death of the pirate king", and found myself shaking and overwhelmed by Jake and Adrien 's reunion love scene. Clever choice of vocabulary, yet you used them in such a agonizingly light as feather way, almost childish,there is no way, this could be fiction, it's as bitter and as crippling as naked ,harsh personal memories, you are so accurate with feelings, it almost makes me angry. If this is fictional love, then I'm not sure there has been a true one. Thank you A reader from anther side of the world.
8/11/15

I have been off facebook/RSS feeds for 4 days only to discover the tip of the iceberg regarding your authorship. From a longtime fan (including a Gay Men's Press print edition of Fatal Shadows) THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU for all those hours of reading, re-reading and enjoying.
9/21/15

I truly believe you to be just the best storyteller. 
I went to your blog (I drop in for a look once every other quarter maybe) and discovered a firestorm going on. I don't care about your gender--you are a great writer. I know this because I've been reading since I was about four years old--non-stop, and I am 68 now.  ALL kinds of books, ALL kinds of authors. I don't know your gender. . . because you are a terrific storyteller, I truly don't care.  It's too much bother to worry. Please, just keep writing.   You write, I'll read.  I'll keep with the kindle and then buy the print. 
9/27/15

I read that you have had a hard time with 'revealing’ who you are, that people are hating you because you dared step into a world that is supposedly exclusive. All I can say is that you are a talented writer and I wouldn't care if you were a quad-eyed, tentacles, alien who typed with their tongue about being a human even though you aren't, your books give me an escape, your mysteries are wonderful and your writing style is fluid.
 10/6/15

I have been an avid reader of your books since discovering them and I will confess I just
assumed you were a male as your name implied. I have since discovered otherwise, and you know, I just don't care. I love your stories and I love your characters. I can't stop reading and re-reading your books and I love that you give us a chance to revisit the characters in the holiday codas. I eagerly await your next and future releases.
If you're wondering why I'm not so up to date on this issue, I'm not a Facebook or Twitter user and only recently read your blog regarding revealing your identity. It's sad that it matters to some people when your writing speaks for itself.  I wanted you to know, I was a fan, still am a fan and will always be a fan.
Thank you for all the hours of reading.
10/31/15

I want to thank you for your wonderful books.  I look forward to reading everyone I can find.  I am 61 and began the process of coming out 5 years ago.  I finally completed it this June.  As I struggled coming to terms with being gay and struggled coming out so late I turned to gay literature for perspective.  Of all the great authors I have read, you by far are my favorite.  I love your writing style and characters.  I want you to know you books have been great companies and I feel sad when finish a book and series.  Your mysteries are some of the best I have read.  You are a great talent.  Thanks again for your books.
12/19/15

I had no idea you were a lady, I thought you were a slightly neurotic, highly talented gay man, now I know you are a slightly neurotic, highly talented woman.  Or not.  Don't care.  Just keep writing. ;)
12/24/15


I'm D. and I'm from Turkey.  I've just started to read your books and i can't just get enough. My favorite series is the Holmes & Moriarity. I love Holmes' wits and non-stopping brooding. Also mustache is very common in my country but for the life of me I can't imagine JX with one! Generally here, it's used by older and non-sexy people which is opposite of JX.
And I really hope to read more about Holmes' relationship with JX's family. İt's just the crime takes all the attention in your books so we can't learn much about the characters' ordinary life. I would love to learn more about them and their lifes. I don't know if you gonna take this or read it but these are my thoughts. I'm glad to write them to you. :)
And lastly, when will you publish another book in the series? You are writing great books but not fast enough!;)
1/19/16

I'd like to be a tad more specific with my fan mail now that it's morning and I've had coffee: I work at a domestic violence/rape crisis advocacy organization and our client services manager is a HUGE fan of Jake and Adrien and has passed all five books around the office. I believe that I am the third or fourth person who has borrowed them and I handed them off to someone else. Our work is challenging, demanding and disheartening. I spend my days talking about child sexual abuse and how we can prevent it. We see the worst of humanity on a daily basis and while I was reading the series it was exciting to come home after a long day and get lost in the mystery and romance. Thanks again for coming up with such dynamic, lovable and compelling characters who always seem to find their way into and out of trouble.
1/26/16

This year I am going to be 80. I am still gainfully employed, and publishing (scholarly stuff). I am writing to tell you how much I appreciate that on your blog you updated my favorite gay couple: Adrien and Jake. I needed this kind of romance fifty years ago, but that was not possible. You give that back to me in a few paragraphs. Thank you for keeping them alive for me. I also read every other thing that you write. Having been a dancer, Lone Star still means a lot to me, but then so does that wedding planner in South Dakota. You are my favorite author because you give me back my youth.
1/29/16