Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
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This sounds a lot like how my week has been. I'm currently 40% through Think of England and I'd love to be able to read it faster, but life (work life, that is) has gotten in the way. :-)
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That's how my nights have been going too. Mostly because the last three I really haven't been sleeping well.
I started Think of England last night, got maybe a chapter into it, crashed. But then woke up at 3am and was able to read for an hour and a half. ugh. I'll likely not have time tonight to read much before I crash, but then I'll read more in the middle of the night just to keep from having active dreams. Maybe. I hope not though.
Jordan wrote: "Josh wrote: "Still reading Think of England. I'm so tired when I fall into bed that I only manage a page or two. But hopefully I've finish in time to take part in the discussion."That's how my ni..."
When I wake up in the night I listen to a soothing audiobook which I know well, on a sleep timer. If I do fall asleep my dreams tend to be calmer. And if I don't, at least I'm resting everything including my eyes! Because if I read something new and interesting, I'll resist falling back to sleep.
Susinok wrote: "Alison wrote: "My favourite thing about Tigers and Devils was just the pure Australian-ness of it, and big sport is just part and parcel of that. Australia and New Zealand are quite similar cultura..."Yes :-)
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T..."
Yeah, I was contemplating listening to an audio book. It's what I normally do. I might try that tonight if I need to. I was also contemplating making some peppermint tea, but that would have required me to wash dishes. I'm so not doing that at 3am! lol. But the reason they haven't been getting done lately is that I'm just too exhausted to do them. So, my kitchen is still a mess from making the granola the other day. I can't stand it.
Jordan wrote: "But the reason they haven't been getting done lately is that I'm just too exhausted to do them. So, my kitchen is still a mess from making the granola the other day. I can't stand it. ..."Stack the dishes in the sink with water in the dirty ones and call it "soaking". The world will not end! Conserving your energy is more important. Take care, and read something soothing. Also, no computer or other similar light source for an hour and a half before bed. (Can you tell I don't sleep well?)
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lol. That's kinda what does happen with my dishes. Until the water gets old and starts to smell. Then I have no choice but to do them.
An hour and a half before bed? Hmmm... that's a long time. But I'll try it. If I can. Thankfully, my kindle is the eink variety. I would hate it if it had the backlight kind of screen.
I've spent the last week immersed in Carole Cummings's Wolf's-own series (the first book is Ghost) and I have loved it. It's a big, exciting, dramatic, fantasy series full of layers upon layers of schemes and manipulations and turmoil and people following their destinies in that time-honoured fantasy series way. The story and the characters are complex, but it all makes sense in the end. I actually didn't like it much at first, but after the first couple of chapters, it really grabbed me and later on I understood the purpose of what was going on in the beginning. I am looking forward to re-reading this series because there's so much going on that's important and you don't realise until later how all the pieces fit together. The depth of the character development was really satisfying and the progression of all these anti-heroes and their growth over the course of four books was very well-done. It's dark and it's bloody and lots of bad things happen, but it's a hopeful story of love and destiny and becoming who you are. I bought the first one over a year ago mostly because I liked the cover--little did I know what lay ahead. I definitely recommend checking it out it if you're looking for a meaty, character-driven fantasy.
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T..."
Yes. Well, it's like being read to. Once upon a time... ;-)
Jordan wrote: "I might try that tonight if I need to. I was also contemplating making some peppermint tea, but that would have required me to wash dishes."Buy more cups and mugs! :)
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Buy more cups and mugs! :)"
LOL. I already have enough of them. My kitchen is tiny and there's not enough storage for what I already have. No, what I really need to do is be able to lock my cupboards so that I have one of everything in current use, then I'll be forced to do the dishes more often.
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It is like being read to. It's really nice!
I listened to Among the Living last night for about an hour, then read about half a chapter of Think of England before turning out the light. I did wake up once, but went back to sleep. Had some dreams, but they weren't as bad as previous nights. So, sleep wasn't ideal, but it wasn't horrible either. :-)
I listened to Among the Living last night for about an hour, then read about half a chapter of Think of England before turning out the light. I did wake up once, but went back to sleep. Had some dreams, but they weren't as bad as previous nights. So, sleep wasn't ideal, but it wasn't horrible either. :-) Excellent! Hope you have an even better sleep tonight, to set you up for the weekend.
Hj wrote: "I listened to Among the Living last night for about an hour, then read about half a chapter of Think of England before turning out the light. I did wake up once, but went back to sleep. Had some dr..."How is the narrator on Among the Living?
Susinok wrote: "Hj wrote: "I listened to Among the Living last night for about an hour, then read about half a chapter of Think of England before turning out the light. I did wake up once, but went back to sleep. ..."He's great with Vic's voice and pretty good with all the rest
Idamus wrote: "He's great with Vic's voice and pretty good with all the rest ..."Awesome! It's on my wishlist. Since they are a bit short in the earlier books I want to wait until several are out before I start to listen.
Thanks for the rec to Liz Powell's Hunted. Enjoyed it immensely. :)
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I found myself rereading a lot of old favorites over the past month. I'm back (almost) on track with JCP's Channeling Morpheus reread, but have stalled out on others of my favored/favorite series, avoiding angst, deaths, and endings. And I don't seem to have the patience for long stories right now.
Any short, sweet (well-written) suggestions?
Any unpublished Josh novellas that have magically appeared among those boxes he's going through? ;-)
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But if you don't know, JCP is gaging the reactions and the sales of this one before she contemplates doing the next one. So it might be in your best interests to buy it now, even if you wait to listen.
Jordan wrote: "Finished Among The Living earlier tonight. Fantastic audio. I even really liked ghost Jackie! Lol. But if you don't know, JCP is gaging the reactions and the sales of this one before she contempl..."
I noticed it's only £4.37 (regular price) in Audible UK.
Susinok wrote: "Idamus wrote: "He's great with Vic's voice and pretty good with all the rest ..."Awesome! It's on my wishlist. Since they are a bit short in the earlier books I want to wait until several are out..."
Well, the rest will only be released if sales on book one are good enough, it's a test book so to speak
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Any unpublished Josh novellas that have magically appeared among those boxes he's going through? ;-)"
Heh (about the undiscovered Josh Lanyon treasures!). :-D
I seem to be experiencing same kind of reading phase than you. Last time when I needed something sweet to read Jordan recommended Charlie Cochrane's Promises Made Under Fire to me and that worked like a charm. It's short, sweet, well-written and lovely.
Johanna wrote: "Karen wrote: "Any short, sweet (well-written) suggestions?...I seem to be experiencing same kind of reading phase than you. Last time when I needed something sweet to read Jordan recommended Charlie Cochrane's Promises Made Under Fire to me and that worked like a charm. It's short, sweet, well-written and lovely. "
I'm also in that slump. But I've already read Promises made under Fire (which I agree is very good).
I finished the Henry Rios series by Michael Nava. I'm a little sad that it's over because I came to like Henry. On the other hand I'm glad he's in a good spot where we last see him there seems to be an optimistic future for him. :-)I'll have to regroup and see what I can possibly read after that. I think somethink very different is in order.
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Nothing complete that I've found yet, but there are a dismaying number of half-written manuscripts. I read them and wonder why I stopped where I did.
I think a lot of this reflects writing for your own pleasure versus writing for publication. I wrote many, many M/M stories with the understanding they would never be published. There was simply no market. So they are written in an almost code. Key scenes roughed out but all the conjoining bits skipped over because I didn't need them. I knew what I was talking about and the stories were for me.
So it's fascinating to look through them. Some of them are huge. 60 - 70K. And yet they are essentially unwritten, barring the key scenes I needed as the sole consumer of the product.
It's a vivid reminder that we write for ourselves, but we publish for others. As far as my needs go, these stories are complete. But they would be almost unintelligible to a reader because all the linking bits and exposition are missing. That's all in my head. And it was unnecessary and too boring to bother with for my own consumption.
But if I were to try and share these stories? I would have to write all that out. I would have to fill in the blanks for anyone else.
Josh wrote: "Karen wrote: "Any unpublished Josh novellas that have magically appeared among those boxes he's going through? ;-) ..."Nothing complete that I've found yet, but there are a dismaying number of ha..."
Anything you're now considering a rewrite of, in order to publish it?
Calathea wrote: "I finished the Henry Rios series by Michael Nava. I'm a little sad that it's over because I came to like Henry. On the other hand I'm glad he's in a good spot where we last see him there seems to b..."Among the Living?
Josh wrote: "So it's fascinating to look through them. Some of them are huge. 60 - 70K. And yet they are essentially unwritten, barring the key scenes I needed as the sole consumer of the product."Josh, this is almost as perverse as your snippets of Jake's POV! Please feel free to add in the "key scenes" and self-pub! :)
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Nothing complete that I've found yet, but there are a dismaying..."
Part of the trouble is that these are dynamics and themes I explored later in different works, so I feel like they might be too repetitious. How many stories about guys with bad hearts can readers put up with? And the fact that in one case it's a WW1 pilot in a gothic mansion...is that enough of a difference?
And part of the trouble is I've committed to so many stories already, that when I chart out the next couple of years, I see that I've left relatively little room for spontaneity.
Which is a whole different problem.
So I guess the answer is...I'm not exactly sure.
Karen wrote: "I'm having a hard time sticking with anything during my "personal hours" (reading time) at night. I'm midway or more through a handful of books that I don't want to end, or don't want to go through..."I like to read short stories and anthologies when I feel like that. Maybe something like Parhelion
or
or
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Thanks, Johanna (and Hj and Jordan), Promises Made Under Fire hit the spot.
Sylvia, I've read and very much enjoyed Blooming Marvelous. I'm checking out the other two. Thanks. : )
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Or anything written by Anne Tenino. She writes light and fluffy romance with smoking hot sex scenes. And they usually don't take me long to get through either.
Josh wrote: "Idamus wrote: "Josh wrote: "Karen wrote: "Any unpublished Josh novellas that have magically appeared among those boxes he's going through? ;-) ..."Nothing complete that I've found yet, but there ..."
Oh dear, the dreaded problem of too many books O.O
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Nothing complete that I've found ye..."
It's the on-going dilemma for writers. Trying to balance between the bitching and moaning of people who aren't your core readership anyway, and indulging your core readership who are liable to encourage you to run too far for too long before pulling the rug out from under you. :-D
This is why you must always be clear in your own mind about what you want and need to communicate.
Mod
Now this I find really interesting. I'm wondering whether that would be the case for all of your readers. For example, would close family/friends/avid fans follow the story without the blanks filled? Would they feel that something was missing or that it was a more "sculpted" way to tell the tale?
It also is a good explanation of why I've never completed a story I've started. ; )
Karen wrote: "Now this I find really interesting. I'm wondering whether that would be the case for all of your readers. For example, would close family/friends/avid fans follow the story without the blanks filled? ..."I found myself thinking about this, today, too. Interestingly, I found myself understanding authors who choose to keep unpublished work to themselves. If, after all, it was written for themselves, reading it feels, well, voyeuristic.
It's odd that I should react that way. I love reading published diaries and memoirs.
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Parhelion's Nice was a delight, a deftly crafted historical short story, and free on line. Just the right touches of humor.
I enjoyed Watching Elijah Fall, especially since photography was my undergraduate major focus of study. I could imagine taking that kind of refresher class. It's hard to imagine those sorts of darkrooms still exist. : ) This is a MMRG Love's Landscapes freebie available for download via a GR link to their LL website. (I don't think the blurb does it justice.)
Karen wrote: "Sylvia wrote: "I like to read short stories and anthologies when I feel like that. Maybe something like Parhelion... "Parhelion's Nice was a delight, a deftly crafted historical s..."
I'm glad you liked the stories :) I've done a photography course once and developed my own photo's. A lot of preparation was needed to make the magic possible.
Mod
When I was quite a bit younger I was an avid journal keeper (and Anaîs Nin fan), and had some inflated notions that my journaling would be published after I attained fame and/or notoriety. I kept journals off and on over the years, even when long past those delusions. The funny thing is whenever I've reread parts of any of them, they are so absurdly cryptic that I often have only a vague idea what I was describing!
Some journals just are cryptic. I was trying to read one of Ned Rorem's collections, The Paris Diary & The New York Diary 1951-1961, but since I'm not familiar with most of these people it's like reading a gossip column from another planet.
Today I have bought The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks in German! I'm looking forward to read it. Hopefully the translation is good !http://www.incubusverlag.de/index.html
Karen wrote: "Parhelion's Nice was a delight, a deftly crafted historical short story, and free on line. Just the right touches of humor."Thank you so much! I love Lucius Parhelion, but I had never noticed that he is also listed on Goodreads as Parhelion: lots of fics there!
ETA: And thanks to Sylvia for mentioning Parhelion in the first place ;-)
Sabine wrote: "Today I have bought The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks in German! I'm looking forward to read it. Hopefully the translation is good !http://www.incubusverlag.de/index.html"
Oh, is it out already. I will have to get to see how it turned out. I'm a bit scared though. I don't want it to change my perception of the story.
Sabine wrote: "Today I have bought The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks in German! I'm looking forward to read it. Hopefully the translation is good !http://www.incubusverlag.de/index.html"
Would you let us know afterwards what you think of the translation? I'm still undecided, I like to read and compare versions in different languages, but sometimes you are in for a diappointing ride... So any observations would be really welcome - even as a PM if you think it is not of much interest for the rest of the group :-)
I will do that. I have read so many real uninspired and false translations, that I had the urge to switch to the original. ( So dear Incubus: chapter versus Kapitel ) ;-)
Sabine wrote: "I will do that. I have read so many real uninspired and false translations, that I had the urge to switch to the original. ( So dear Incubus: chapter versus Kapitel ) ;-)"Yes, in one of the books I read lately to my daughter they translated "Hello stranger" as "Hallo Fremdling"... :-)
English is not an easy language to tranlate from, I think. It has a way of short and economic expression that is difficult to capture in German, if you want to keep the rhythm and the "soul" of a book - even if you master all the "false friends" or other problems the text may evoke.
Varecia wrote: "Sabine wrote: "Today I have bought The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks in German! I'm looking forward to read it. Hopefully the translation is good !http://www.incubusverlag.de/index.html"
Would you let ..."
I think they have a quite lengthy piece to read online. Maybe I'll try that before I get the whole book.
Calathea wrote: "Varecia wrote: "Sabine wrote: "Today I have bought The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks in German! I'm looking forward to read it. Hopefully the translation is good !http://www.incubusverlag.de/index.html"..."
Yes, it is some 40 pages, I stopped after ten pages or so, but maybe that's me and not the translation.
Varecia wrote: "English is not an easy language to tranlate from, I think. It has a way of short and economic expression that is difficult to capture in German, if you want to keep the rhythm and the "soul" of a b..."I have often the feeling, they give the translation to amateurs. There a huge differences between publishers regarding translations.
I have read Cut and Run in English and in German. Abigail Roux is not as eloquent as Josh, but when you read the german translation, then an abyss opened up!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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And possibly more brewing, if I understood SK correctly