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

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

Ame wrote: "I'm starting my precious holiday with Sam and Jason. Relistening from the start before starting on their newest adventure."

I can't wait to hear the audio on this one. :-)

Antonella wrote: "Josh, and everybody in Californai: I hope that you are alright after the earthquake!"

We're okay! I would really like last night's to be the last for the next forty years. ;-)

Antonella wrote: "Alison wrote: "My new job, which I start on Monday (!), means working fewer hours and a pay cut and while less money is too bad, I will actually have free time and I won't lose my mind and I will h..."

And I am all in favor of this too! I don't know anyone who squeezes more out of every moment of life than you, Antonella. I admire that so much.

Alison wrote: "On the subject of accomplishment and ambition...I'm turning 40 in a few months and I find that I've been thinking a bit lately about those sorts of things and what I've done with my life. Classic m..."

All I know is, your life sounds pretty damned marvellous to me, Alison. :-) I think the point of life is to be happy and do good. Really. I think if you can look back and smile at all those great memories--whether lending a helping hand or enjoying the sunrise...isn't that really what it's all about?

I am all in favor of your new direction.

Karen wrote: "Very happy to read these positive feelings about life (and work) from Josh and from Antonella. Despite what the article cites about creativity, I really do believe that writers, like some teachers ..."

Absolutely. You're always going to have the next generation of artists pushing from behind, but "relevancy" is in the eye of the beholder.

So long as people are still enjoying your art, you're still relevant.

We had another earthquake last night. A bit bigger (7.1) than the previous one on Wednesday morning (6.4). There have been ongoing aftershocks--super early Friday morning we had a good jolt that only Marlowe and I woke up for :-D

So I'm calm again but last night was a jittery night and I slept horribly (mosquito bites and too many leftovers didn't help).

The epicenter is Ridge Crest, but we're close enough to have stuff fall off shelves and send chandeliers swinging and pool water sloshing.

Brenda wrote: "Katie wrote: "Hello! I’m Katie and I’m fairly new to Goodreads and brand new to this group. I’m really excited to find a place to discuss Josh’s books (and other topics too!). I haven’t always had ..."

Steve and Bucky???

Hmmm.

I'm guessing the movies don't do adequate justice to the depth of that relationship?

Katie wrote: "Hello! I’m Katie and I’m fairly new to Goodreads and brand new to this group. I’m really excited to find a place to discuss Josh’s books (and other topics too!). I haven’t always had the best of lu..."

Hey there! Welcome, Katie!

I love it so much when readers take the time to introduce themselves. It gives us a chance to NOT be cliquey, if you know what I mean. :-)

A lot of readers seem to find me through Fair Game. That and Adrien English are probably the two biggest conduits--with The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks (I know!!!) and Mermaid Murders following up.

You do sound extremely busy, but we're happy to have you any time you can drop by.

Oh, and I remember those American Girl books! :-D

Mymymble wrote: "SamSpayedPI wrote: "I thought Sam overreacted, but then again, I thought everyone did. As a former government agency ethics official, I was a lot less concerned with Jason's involvement in the case..."

It's like so many things. It's not the "crime" so much as the cover up that gets you.

Mymymble wrote: "Mary wrote: "How Jason on the one hand does show an emotional intelligence about the case he is also drinking more, not eating and beginning to deteriorate. That combination is dialectical enough t..."

I think the result is cruel though not a calculated cruelty. He's not intending to destroy Jason or their relationship. He wants to snap him back to reality. And he needs to process what's happened as well.

Edina wrote: "Mary wrote: "... I wonder IF Sam responded differently with more compassion and concern if it would of broken through in a way to Jason to see things differently. Instead the hurt and anger fuel Ja..."

From a relationship code-of-conduct standpoint, Sam's actions probably rub more readers the wrong way.

He seems so hard and unfeeling, especially when he knows Jason is not entirely himself. I think part of his extreme reaction is because of the opposite.

He cares so much that Jason's unpredictable and deceptive behavior really shakes him. Whereas with someone else, he would take a more cynical and less emotional view.

SamSpayedPI wrote: "I thought Sam overreacted, but then again, I thought everyone did. As a former government agency ethics official, I was a lot less concerned with Jason's involvement in the case than he was.

The ..."

LOL There you go. Nothing like having a dispassionate observer on hand.

Elena wrote: "Rosa wrote: "It wasn't an easy situation, but I liked the way is written. It could have been out of control easily, and be overdramatic, but it wasn't. It's really well done and in character, in my..."

Well, thank you. I have no patience with a lot of manufactured drama. In real life or fiction. ;-)

Mary wrote: "How Jason on the one hand does show an emotional intelligence about the case he is also drinking more, not eating and beginning to deteriorate. That combination is dialectical enough to have him ap..."

This is exactly it.

Johanna wrote: "And I was sure all the way almost to the very end that Josh would leave Jason and Sam apart for now and would leave us with the possibility that Petty might become "Sam's Shipka".

I was happily su..."

For either of them to have a Shipka moment now would be hard to get past because they've discussed their expectations, they have moved into real, if long distance, coupledom.

Johanna wrote: "Also, I love, love, LOVE the fact that Josh gave us the long lost Vermeer back!!! :-)

I wasn't sure at all that would happen in the end."

That was a little wish fulfillment for all the art lovers out there. :-D

Rosa wrote: "I loved the book, I liked the art part of it a lot. And I also liked that, for a while, I wasn't even sure there was going to be a murder in this one, the mystery about the missing art was so good that I didn't need a corpse to maintain my interest....."

I'm glad to hear this because while for ME the art mystery is plenty, I know a lot of readers like a higher body count. ;-D

Elena wrote: "Josh wrote: "And there are no breaks in a relationship. If you take a break, you are essentially saying I'm not sure I can live with what you've done."

I didn't read Sam's reaction that way. To me..."

I think that's a reasonable interpretation, but with Sam you can never be quite sure. Or at least at this time Jason can never be quite sure because of that rocky start to their relationship when he discovered Sam had no intention of proceeding--even though they were still talking and flirting on the phone a lot.

He's had plenty of evidence since that Sam does love him and is committed, but insecurity is not always rational.

So he does have not completely unreasonable underlying insecurity about how committed Sam is...added to his guilt about his own actions, added to the fact that he's currently stressed nearly to breaking point.

Also Sam does have the ability to channel what he's feeling, putting aside painful and emotional stuff to sort through later.

Mymymble wrote: "Elena wrote: "Josh wrote: "And Sam, the more he cares, the harder it is for him to be objective about Jason. Earlier in their relationship he could have been more dispassionate, I think."

Do you m..."

Yes, he says there is no one who he respects more, and I think he does want Sam to give him the answer. He knows that Sam will think he should recuse himself, he says he would advise anyone is his position to do the same, so he's looking for something more, something deeper from the person he trusts most.

Elena wrote: "Josh wrote: "And Sam, the more he cares, the harder it is for him to be objective about Jason. Earlier in their relationship he could have been more dispassionate, I think."

Do you mean that he ex..."

While what Jason asks is for Sam to profile his main suspect, I think what's he really wanting is Sam to answer his unspoken fear about his grandfather's involvement. Of course, Sam can't answer the second and what he would determine about the first gets completely lost.

It's true that Jason doesn't recognize any danger for Sam until after the fact, but truthfully Sam wouldn't give a flying flip about that either (he has never shown the least indication he alters his behavior for fear of repercussions except when he takes a promotion because it seems expedient for him to be able to continue doing what he's doing the way he's doing it).

I think Sam points it out to Jason to shock him back to reality, and it does to some extent. Jason is truly horrified.

What hurts Jason and makes him feel he too has been wronged--and it's probably mostly due to his earlier belief that he was the one most invested in the relationship--is Sam's idea that they could take a break from each other. Or at least that's what Jason thinks Sam is saying.

And there are no breaks in a relationship. If you take a break, you are essentially saying I'm not sure I can live with what you've done.

Because Sam basically fought being in a relationship with Jason, this is a point on which he's very sensitive.