Josh’s Comments (group member since Jun 17, 2010)

Josh’s comments from the Q&A with Josh Lanyon group.

Jordan wrote: "My mom grabbed a copy of Outlander from the library at her nursing home. I’m not sure she’s reading any of the books she takes, but I peeked inside to see what all the fuss is about an..."

LOL

Jordan wrote: "Yeah, I see how labels are a bad thing on one hand. But on the other, sometimes labels help people to realize they’re not alone, which is a good thing."

Yes, I know there is a bright side to them. ;-)

Melissa wrote: "Fair Game by Josh Lanyon is on sale for $1.99 on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U89S66/

Buy it, buy it, buy it!! Sooo good. I am re-listening to the series no..."

<3 <3 <3

Jordan wrote: "Yes, I think we did mention Gregory Ashe!

Also, December is usually the month when you, Josh, choose our book, which I only just remembered a moment ago. But you’ve got a new book coming out, whi..."

IT'S MY TURN!!!!

LOL

Well, let's read Gregory's book in January then? It'll be a fun way to kick off the year. I think it was the first book in the PI series I was thinking of.

It starts out with someone doing yoga which NATURALLY caught my attention.

Brenda wrote: "Josh wrote: "Oh! Also the annual Advent Calendar begins December 1st, and I want to make sure that everyone here knows there's still plenty of room in the calendar if you'd like to contribute art, ..."

http://joshlanyon.com/home/contact/

(I monitor that email address as well)

I'd love to see more contributions!

Brenda wrote: "Josh wrote: "Not everyone recognizes autistic people as autistic--and that can be good or bad (being someone fiercely antagonistic to any kind of labeling for any reason, I actually think it's good..."

Yes. Absolutely. I see that.

Antonella wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'm blanking on the titles but there were two collections of stories with Ginn, Nicole Kimberling and Astrid Amara and I think they are all so great."

Yes, I loved both [book:Hell Cop..."

That's it! Yes. I loved both those collections.

Oh! Also the annual Advent Calendar begins December 1st, and I want to make sure that everyone here knows there's still plenty of room in the calendar if you'd like to contribute art, fiction, whatever! The only real guideline is it has to some way somehow tie in with my work.

Some of our very best and beloved contributions have come from readers like you. :-)

Jordan wrote: "That sound like a great idea! Next month we should be doing a nomination and poll for our next non-Josh book! And I second your nomination! 😁"

I think we had discussed one of Gregory Ashe's books? Or was there something else that I'm forgetting? I know I had mentioned there was something I was eager to read and I thought it would be fun to do together?

And because I haven't had any free reading time, I want to choose wisely! :-D

So the holidays are coming fast, and I think maybe we should share holiday poems and winter poems this year? The holiday songs were very fun last year.

SamSpayedPI wrote: "OK! here's one I remember from my own childhood book of poems. We had to memorize poems in eighth grade, and recite them aloud to the class, and this is one of the ones I picked (the other was [boo..."

So gorgeously mawkish. :-D Poems to appeal to a simpler time, for sure.

Karen wrote: "An' the Gobble-uns'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

https://poets.org/poem/little-orphant...

I remember this one from the long lost book of poems I loved as a child. It’s a horrible stor..."

oh my gosh!! I totally remember that!

Brenda wrote: "Went to see the movie Knives Out last night... it's hilarious!! And in the best Agatha Christie tradition, very twisty with brilliantly drawn characters. And lots of architecture porn!!! And the co..."

Oh good! The SO and I have been watching those trailers and wondering for months.

Also on our holiday watching list is Motherless Brooklyn.

I don't think we've been to a movie in a theater since this time last year???

I have been reading a LOT of mainstream cozy mysteries in preparation for a new project next year. I'd forgotten how super relaxing they can be.

And also how really annoying they can be.

:-D :-D :-D

Brenda wrote: "Brenda wrote: "In Josh's book, The Darkling Thrush... does anyone know what the difference between "veneficus" and "magus" is?"

A HA!! (slaps head) Never mind, I figured it out!! :-D (just had to ..."

Well, thank heaves for that because even *I* don't remember at this point! :-D

Josh wrote: "Brenda wrote: "I honestly don't know where I would be now without having that experience, which was made possible by a character on a tv show. THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
..."

Absolutely. Change is..."

AND ALSO: YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!! :-D

Brenda wrote: "I honestly don't know where I would be now without having that experience, which was made possible by a character on a tv show. THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
..."

Absolutely. Change is affected through popular culture--movies, books and TV--more than any other mechanism.

Which is why the argument that movies, books and TV, can't be blamed for things like kids smoking, or teens driving too fast, or adults thinking guns solve problems in a civilized society is complete nonsense.

If the media couldn't be used to influence, there would be no such thing as advertising.

Brenda wrote: "I like to compare it to trying to communicate between a Mac and a PC, we are both doing the same things, but we're using different operating systems. Our unconscious, instinctive communication doesn't match up, and if we *know* that, we (BOTH parties) can make adjustments for it and successfully bridge those areas of misunderstanding. .."

This is a great analogy.

Jordan wrote: "This reminds me of something I read recently that was commenting on bullies and people who make fun of “weird” kids. That they had said they wouldn’t dare make fun of someone they knew was Autistic..."

I wish that were true, but bullies and other lowlifes can certainly see when someone is elderly or physically disabled, and that doesn't discourage them one whit. Its more about the mechanism that makes someone want to feel better about themselves by taking their frustrations and aggressions out on someone who they perceive as "weaker" and unable to successfully retaliate.

Jordan wrote: "I’m wondering if authors know they’re doing that. Obviously in that one exception they know, but the others? Was Ann Cleve’s, for example, trying to create an autistic character and just didn’t wan..."

It is difficult for people of my generation--women in particular--who fought like hell against labels, to see younger people--women in particular--not only accepting, but embracing labels. Defining themselves by labels.

To me, that will never be anything but a catastrophic mistake. But we are all the product of our personal experiences. And the fact that some of our experiences become obsolete or irrelevant is actually a positive.