Josh Lanyon's Blog, page 81

Our Finalists are....

Thank you very much to everyone who voted in the first round of choosing the narrator for Armed and Dangerous.

The three winners were...

Bachelor #3

Bachelor #5

Bachelor #6


Congratulations to our three finalists. But congratulations also to all the very talented guys who took part in the first round. The votes were very close and many, many nice compliments were thrown your way.

And on that score, thank you also to all the readers who took the time to vote. Not just vote, but in many cases explain your votes -- or just talk about your love for the stories and the characters. It was very much appreciated.

Now of course we're going to ask you to listen again and vote a final time on who will be invited to narrate Armed and Dangerous.  The numbers have been changed to protect the innocent. Well, to make sure you really give a good listen to each narrator.

The page is here. Voting runs from noon today through Friday, March 15th.

Thank you listeners and Round 1 narrators for participating!

Zombies ARE Sexy (aka Dudes in Distress = Undead Canapes)

All that’s keeping Riley from the man he’s falling in love with are the ruins of a city filled with half a million dead cannibals.

Strangers, Riley and Graham sheltered together in a basement storage unit when the zombie outbreak slammed into the world three months ago. They lived through the first blast of the plague, but they may not last much longer among survivors scrambling for dwindling resources. They agree to hike from the city and to the safety of the mountains. They didn’t count on the storm they hoped would cover their exit developing into a Nor’easter, though, and they sure didn’t think their visibility would
shrink so badly that they’d hike into the leading edge of a zombie swarm, either. In the chaos of escaping the ravenous horde, they are separated, with Graham racing toward feral dog packs to the east and Riley sprinting to hostile survivors hunting them to the west.

Nobody said finding and keeping a quality guy (alive) during the apocalypse would be easy. 

Zombies ARE Sexy (aka Dudes in Distress = Undead Canapes) Kari Gregg   Why zombies? That’s a question I get asked. A lot. Why, why, WHY? Zombies aren’t sexy. Zombies are gruesome, gory, and gross. They are decaying, for the love of God. So not smexy.
Yep. You’re right.
Corpses don’t generally trip my happy switch, unless we’re talking vampires and hey, none of their dangly bits are rotting off, are they? Neither of my heroes are zombies, though. Their dangly bits are functioning just fine, LOL.

Why zombies then? Because zombies are the super destructo total package. Everyone you have ever met can become an undead killing machine. Depending on the world-building, corpses long dead in the grave can rise up, including your beloved Great Aunt Gertrude who passed away gently in her sleep ten years ago and will now efficiently dig your eyeballs from your skull for a tasty snack. Every person on the planet is a potential enemy. In some zombie worlds, animals can become undead, too. Some zom-infections are instant. You’re bit and WHAMMO! You’re now a mobile WMD. And in other worlds, the lag until reanimation is prolonged so you can savor the horror during that excruciating wait for the inevitable. Sometimes, when a virus drives the zombie infection, you must be bit to become undead, but other times, everybody is infected so dying of natural causes will transform you into a brain muncher. I’ve seen zombie fics in which you didn’t even need to be bitten; you just needed a scratch. Or be splashed with blood spatter.
Regardless of the world, the bottom line is you have to be 100% badass to last long in a zombie outbreak.
And THAT is the allure of zombies.
Damsels in Distress? Or in the case of M/M, Dudes in Distress? Oh, honey, that’s just not possible. Sheer dumb luck may carry you through an encounter or two, but when the horde is descending, any character that is TSTL is going down, baby, down. Above all else, survivors of the zombie plague need to be adaptable, quick, clever, resourceful, and capable. Oh, be still my heart. Heroes must be in prime physical condition because they’ll do tons of running and fighting. With the electrical grid gone and modern conveniences useless, characters become adept at scavenging for supplies or MacGyver a work-around. They learn new skills. Rudimentary first aid. How to filter and purify water. They forage solar panels off highways and then wire them to feed a bank of car batteries to use as a crude power supply. They get smarter or they get dead. Power is a good thing, very good, but light that could draw zombies to your location? Not so hot.
Survivors are the Best of the Best.
In Half a Million Dead Cannibals, both Riley and Graham are extremely capable men. They’ve survived three months into the zombie apocalypse, no small achievement considering they were forced from their shelter to forage for supplies on occasion and they are in an area with other survivors who are distinctly unfriendly toward competitors for dwindling supplies. Neither Riley nor Graham is a simpering, delicate flower. They don’t need to rescue each other. They are equals who have learned to rely on one another. Fate, circumstances, destiny, whatever you want to call it threw them together, but neither man needs a protector or a savior. They are fierce, strong, and proficient men.
Nothing is sexier to me than that.
 
Leave a comment below with your email address and what characteristic youthink would be most important in surviving the zombie apocalypse (strength? intelligence? flexibility?) for a shot at a Zombie Outbreak Response Team car decal like so:
 
 
 
Commenters will also receive an entry into my Half a Million Dead Cannibals Zombie Survival Kit Contest (details about the prize and moar chances to win it here: http://www.karigregg.com/?p=1652).Zombies are coming, guys. Comment, comment, comment! While you still can...







Author bio & links:

Kari Gregg lives in the mountains of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia with
her Wonderful husband and three very Wild children. When Kari’s not
writing, she enjoys reading, coffee, zombie flicks, coffee, naked
mud-wrestling (not really), and . . . coffee!

Website: http://www.KariGregg.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kari.M.Gregg
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4366316.Kari_Gregg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karigregg

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Zombies are Sexy!

Welllll...I don't know about that, but one of my writing friends, Kari Gregg, will be here tomorrow to try to convince us. Kari has a new book out called Half a Million Dead Cannibals and she's hitting all the zombie-free zones this week.

Make sure you check back on Thursday for a chance to win the Zombie Survival Kit.

Meanwhile, here's the very nifty trailer for Half a Million Dead Cannibals.

And so it begins...

Vote here. Vote now.

Dangerous Words -- The A&D Narrator Contest

At last count I'd received over twenty auditions for narrating the audio book for Armed & Dangerous, the collected Dangerous Ground novellas. And about six of those auditions were quite good. Good enough that I could happily have gone with any of the narrators. In fact, they were so good that it became really hard to choose, and I decided maybe it would be fun for you readers to choose.

Anyway, we've made a contest page on my website where you can listen to those six auditions, and even vote for the narrator of your choice.

The webpage is loaded now, though the voting does not begin until Monday.

Chris Patton on FATAL SHADOWS

I can't pretend I'm not excited about today's blog. It's the first in a series of interviews with the narrators of my audio books. So many of you seem to be loving the audio that I thought you might enjoy a little insight into the process -- hopefully we aren't taking away the magic!

 Today we have Chris Patton discussing Fatal Shadows. The first book in the Adrien English series. Chris was the very first narrator/producer I hired. I had been scoping out various narrators and I had run across Chris, but he sounded so busy with so many projects that I actually did not approach him.

Meanwhile, I was getting some pretty so-so auditions for the book (at that time on ACX gay fiction was definitely an Also Ran). So I was kind of discouraged. Maybe this audio thing was not going to pan out after all. I even approached a couple of narrators and -- though I was offering to pay up front and the going rate -- I met a stony silence.

Then Chris suddenly popped up in my inbox and I was delighted. He was exactly the voice I had been thinking for Adrien English (and I hadn't even heard his Jake yet)!

So here's the first in a series of what I hope will be entertaining and informative interviews.


1 - Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get started in narrating/producing audio books? How many audio books have you narrated?
I started out as a stage actor at age nine. I basically did that until I was about twenty-eight, which is when I landed my first Voice Over job. I started out voicing Anime, which I still do, but that’s a whooole other story. I then branched off into commercial, elearning, corporate narration, all of that. It was one day in 2010 when I just sort of sat down and said, “I’ve always really, really wanted to narrate Audiobooks… I’m just going to freakin’ make that happen.” And I did. Becoming my own engineer/ producer is something that is still very much in its, oh, let’s say adolescent years for me. I’m getting better and better, though. J
 
2 - How much acting is involved in narrating a story?
It’s all acting, really. Even if you’re “just narrating” long non-dialogue passages. You’re still selling the listener and image, you’re drawing them in, you’re exciting their senses with your voice. That’s acting. That’s storytelling. I believe that Audiobook Narration may be the purest, most real, bare-bones form of acting that exists.
 
3 - What was the most difficult or challenging aspect of narrating FATAL SHADOWS?
 Figuring out Adrien, in general, and what his whole “deal” was. I guess I mean his arc, his progression from where he had just been in life, and where he was going, and making all of that make aural sense to the reader in my characterization.
 
4 - What character was the most fun to narrate? Why?
 Claude, for sure. I have a definite love for the Queens of RuPaul’s drag race, and Claude just sort of felt like one of them to me. He also, in my mind, had elements of Lafayette from True Blood, so I tried to encapsulate all of that in him, vocally.
 
5 - What character was the most difficult to narrate? Why?
Jake, probably. I didn’t like Jake much, still not sure I do. But I’m trying to wrap my brain around him. Anyway, it’s hard to give voice to a character that you don’t at first fully grasp or like. But I found my voice for him, went with it, and I think it’s worked really well. Hopefully as the series progresses, Jake and I will get along better. ;-)
 
6 - Was there a particular scene you think you read especially well? Or that you particularly enjoyed reading?  For some reason, the scene between Adrien and Lisa, having brunch together on that windy balcony(?) really sticks with me, as a sort of nice “slice-of-life and realism” type scene. And then, of course, the climactic scene with Bruce toward the end, which I think sort of dovetails with the next question…
 
7 - How awkward is it to read erotic scenes aloud?  For me, it’s not awkward at all, unless my partner’s home. Then I feel silly and sort of “judged”, even though he’s not the one doing the judging. It’s all in my head, like so much of all our personal bs, yeah? Anyway, it’s just another form of colorful narration for me, unless it’s written really poorly or awkwardly, which I just don’t find happens much in the work I get to voice.
 
8 - What’s the most satisfying or rewarding part of narrating/producing an audio book?  The finished product, honestly. That’s number one. Great author/customer reviews and the check come in a close second, duh. But really, it is just the finished product, that entity that exists out there now in the ether, or on CD format, as a wonderful story that will entertain such a wide range of people for, well, as long as technology exists.
 
9 - Do you ever find yourself wishing the author (naturally not me!!!) hadn’t taken the story in a particular direction? Or is narrating a much more detached process?  I’ll go wherever the author goes, that’s my job. THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, there have been times when, while I’m narrating, my eyes are bugging out, or my head is gently shaking back and forth, because I’m thinking, “oh hell NO he/ she did NOT just write that down! Really? We’re going here? Alright, well damn.”
 
10 - Where can readers/listeners find out more about you and your work?  Generally, www.voiceofchrispatton.comis not a bad start. But, if you’re interested only in my Audiobook Narration, it’s best to go to Audible.com, and type in Chris Patton as a search term, and you’ll pull up almost every title I’ve narrated! Also, if you’re a Tweeter, my Twitter is #lechrispatton.

If You Don’t Answer, I’ll Just Ring it Off the Wall

 
I’ve been catching up on my Publisher’s Weekly reading. One of the January issues had a couple of interesting articles on social media. Key word being discoverability. Due in part to the current glut caused by self-publishing, every author is fighting the same battle – where to find that rare species of reader who doesn’t ultimately want to be a writer? Here in niche publishing, we’re like leopards competing for prey on the Serengeti.

Every week there are a slew of new releases. New titles from new authors. How can they all survive and thrive?
 Well, they can’t. Which I guess explains some of the exciting goings on in recent days about who, and who would not, be attending various conferences.

So...discoverability.


 Does it have to be face-to-face and up close? No. Not at all. That's part of the joy and beauty of ebooks. Most of the marketing happens online. And it's not just ebook authors who stick to the airwaves for promo. The majority of print and mainstream authors don't spend time doing signings and conferences the way they used to. We have the tools, we have the technology, that allow us to reach many, many more people in a matter of days than we could reach in person over a matter of years.

However, in the PW article, a number of media experts were interviewed and one of the big points made was that authors largely use social media incorrectly. Which naturally caught my attention. Their point was something I’ve been saying for a while (but had started to wonder about). Quality not quantity.

 

Everyone is focused on building those lists of followers and friends. We get caught up in the numbers game. I do it too. I start thinking of ways I could ramp up my numbers on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, here on this blog. I don’t want to look less popular than the other kids!  
 

But the point these media experts were trying to make – the counsel they give their clients – is that it is all about the quality of the interaction. Their suggestion was that having lunch with three readers was more valuable in practical terms than adding a thousand followers on any social media site you care to name.  



Now, granted, you have lunch in person and that gets back to the panic over how few opportunities authors have to interact face-to- face with readers. But it isn't the face-to-face that matters most. It's what happens during that lunch. And what happens is time is spent and attention is paid. And this can be done in person or from a distance. You simply have to be willing to interact in a real and meaningful way with your readers.



According to the experts (who are all paid by authors to boost their discoverability) too much of our social media interaction is focused on advertising to customers. That's the wrong way to think about it. The original intent of social media was to…socialize. It was achieving something that could only previously be achieved in person. And, yeah, you don't have to tell me that socializing is easier when we have a few drinks and our friends around us. Believe me, I totally get why conferences are a great idea and why writers want to attend these conferences . Not just to meet readers, but also to network with other writers.
 
 

Anyway, I’m lucky enough to have a remarkably loyal and engaged readership (and thank you for that), but there’s always that feeling of…should I be doing more? I see authors in this very genre with tens of thousands of followers. And though it’s obvious from their various social media sites that there’s not much real interaction, and though their Amazon numbers and reviews aren’t any better than mine, there is that persistent feeling of unease. Am I doing enough? How can I keep my current readers happy and engaged? How can I reach the readers who don't currently know me or my work?



(I don't know the answer, by the way. This is just me thinking aloud.)
 


Face-to-face interaction is not always possible, but I'm here to tell you that you can still reach readers and form meaningful relationships -- relationships being what it's all about -- through social media and your online presence. You just have to use social media the way it was intended. For socializing. In a manner that is both fun and professional.
 

Take the time to really interact with readers. Not only is it more effective, it's more enjoyable for you. I mean, if we'd wanted to be salesmen we'd all have jobs with Encyclopedia Britannica, right?



Oh. No we wouldn't, because that's all done online now. Which is kind of my point.

 
 
 

BLOOD RED BUTTERFLY now available

Despite falling for aloof manga artist Kai Tashiro, Homicide Detective Ryo Miller is determined to break the alibi Kai is supplying his murderous boyfriend--even if it means breaking Kai with it.


Let the head-scratching begin! Blood Red Butterfly is coming in for a landing. This started out as such a simple little idea. I would support the release of the Japanese translations of Fair Game, etc. by doing a little yaoi/BL-hybrid. So, originally, it was going to be a short story, but then...well, you know me. It got a little complicated. So it ended up being a novella. And I ended up spending about twice the usual time on it because....because....

Let me put it this way. REMIND ME not to start next year off with a big complicated literary experiment.  I like to ease into these things. Start the year off with characters I know, situations that are familiar, books that are relatively easy to write.

That said, THANK GOD this is finished and now available on Kindle, Nook, All Romance Ebooks and Smashwords.

Things to Do, Places to Go

I'm often asked how I manage to balance writing time with all the rest of the busyness that comes with the job -- promotion, marketing, taxes...heck, just answering email! Looking back, I think trying to keep up with everything was a contributing factor to my burn out. I used to have a 48 hour rule for answering email, then it turned into a week, then it turned into...Heeeeelp, I'm drowning...

I guess a lot of the email could be turned over to my trusty virtual assistant, but no. People are writing Josh Lanyon. Whatever they have to say, it is for Josh Lanyon to hear it and respond to it. Eventually.

So I'm still exploring all the possibilities for making the best use of my time. Of course I know now that I have to build in time off, take breaks, take deep breaths, spend time with family and friends and the guy who gets very testy when I don't show up to dinner. I was trying to create a regular schedule, nine to five and weekends off, but...it just doesn't work that way.

There are days I can't write until quite late or at all because something else has come up -- sometimes it's work related like listening to audio files or uploading files or commissioning covers or filling out tax forms or...just...stuff. There's just a never ending parade of stuff to deal with. That's the life of a small business owner, which is what a professional writer is.

So nine to five doesn't really work. It's got to stay a little more fluid to accomodate the ebb and flow of the creative tide as well as the realities of running a small business. I won't deny it's a heady pleasure to get to figure out how you want to arrange your own work schedule. I mean, I well remember the days (years) when my work schedule was arranged by others.

What seems to be working right now is a four day writing work and then three days of writing business and working on other projects. That seems to deal with my creative restlessness and give me enough time to do things like grocery shop, go to therapy, answer emails, do edits, etc. I just noticed today that what it doesn't include is an actual time off weekend, but maybe I don't need that so much as I need to be able to take time when I do feel like a break. That's probably more like it. I don't want to feel guilty if I use Wednesday to go to lunch with a friend.

For the sake of my wrists, I have to limit how much actual typing I do, but beyond that, it's pretty relaxed and that seems to be working. I'm moving forward slowly but surely. I finished that ugly rough draft of Blood Red Butterfly, worked on the outlines for Winter Kill and Stranger on the Shore, got back to work on The Boy With the Painful Tattoo, and Monday I'm back filling in the blanks (chasms) of Blood Red Butterfly. I guess the proof as to whether this works or not will be at the end of this week when I see whether I have actually finished BRB on schedule. If not, I'll have to reevaluate because, while I'm all for keeping things loose and creative, I do still have to pay the bills!

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Whoo boy! Finished the rough draft to Blood Red Butterfly.

I really do write QUITE an ugly first draft. I'm a fan of outlines, but really my outlines are generally pretty loose -- of the three to five page variety, not the thirty page variety. I've come to see that my rough draft is, in fact, my lengthy outline.

But once I have that outline down -- which comes by dint of blood, sweat, and tea
rs -- THEN things begin to shake loose. Once the foundation has been laid, the framework raised, then I can finally, really get to work on the structure.

Previously I would have handed this off to one of my editors in a weird ritual whereby they would look it over, make whatever comments and observations were possible, pat me on the head and shoot it right back to me with an order to finish it so they might actually be able to work on it.

Example of this insanity:


“So what’s the point of all this?” He gestured at the geisha mural, the bowls of smooth black stones and spartan orchid arrangements.  “You have some kind of Asian fetish?”
Tashiro flung himself down on one of the low couches. “What’s wrong with being aware of your heritage?”
“What heritage are you supposed to be?” Ryo tugged on a long red strand of hair.
 
exchange names
Finish talking go to bed and have sex
Ryo explored  rolled onto his knees, reaching for the bottle of oil.    
Makes sense to me!

Of course you can only take it so far before the missing pieces begin to crucially impact all that would follow.

Since I don't have an editor to hand it off to, I'm letting the manuscript sit for a week, which seems crazily indulgent. To allow myself that kind of time away from a project. In the meantime I'm working on other things -- The Boy With the Painful Tattoo mainly.

I don't know if this will work, but if it does it will be terrific because one of the things I really hated about my previous work schedule was not having time to let things sit. That time of letting the story lie fallow is crucial, I think.

Unless I'm kidding myself and I'm just being lazy.