Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
I've just started Champion of the Scarlet Wolf Book One. I was trying to hold off until February, but I REALLY want to read Elezar's story. Just hope I can find some quality reading time this weekend since I know I won't want to put it down once I get into it. :)
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Keep going. You'll fall in love with him!"
Will do!
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Jordan wrote: "I got back into reading print last night and so now I'm about a chapter and a half away from finishing A Study in Scarlet. Then on to book 2 of The Rifter! I can't wait. lol. I'm most likely not go..."I did one and I'm on the second one of my self-appointed challenge, so well, I'll get done with 40%. I may still be able to finish Study in Scarlet. Not sure. It's a slog at this point. I want to get to the short stories.
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I've found that ASIS was/is much better the second time around because I was prepared for it and understood it better. But that's just me. I'm also excited for the shorts, since I've only ever read one of them and that was, like, 20 years ago. lol.
I added Psycop 3 to my reread challenge since the audio had just come out and I did listen to that this month. So, technically cheating, technically not. lol.
And The Charioteer, I'm hoping to start the audio of that sometime this coming weekend. That'll be another easy read, I think.
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Spread PsyCop to a mainstream Audience!
by Jesi Lea Ryan
Hey, JCP Fans!
I have a great idea, but I’ll need your help to pull it off. Here’s the deal, Jordan has been asked to include PSYCOP: AMONG THE LIVING in a book bundle, PSYCHIC STORM. She will be featured alongside nine other bestselling authors, including several NYT (New York Times) Bestsellers. Up until now, very few (if any?) M/M authors have been able to crack the USA Today or NYT bestseller lists. This is largely because the M/M readership numbers are not large enough to support the kind of numbers needed to crack these lists. To have a shot at the lists, a book needs to sell 12,000 to 15,000 copies in the first week. That’s not realistic for Jordan to achieve on her own, since that is about the same number of total M/M readers in the world. However, this book bundle may be her shot!
In order for Jordan to attain that elusive NYT bestseller title, she will need to bring in both M/M and non-M/M readers alike. Fans from the other authors in the bundle will help, but that is not enough to carry her to the top. So I’m asking you all to help me to bring Jordan to the New York Times. This will require a TON of word-of-mouth, both inside the M/M groups that you may belong to and with other, more mainstream, readers.
The key here is generating as many pre-orders as possible. I’d love it if you could let all your reader friends know about it.
PSYCHIC STORM really is a great deal – ten sexy psychic stories for only 99¢? What’s not to love?
Pre-order PSYCHIC STORM at Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes or Kobo
Reviews are also really important, so if you are willing to post a review on Amazon, GoodReads or wherever else e-books are sold, reply to this newsletter before January 25, 2015 for an Advance Reader Copy (or email Jordan, if you're reading this newsletter on an archive rather than your email app) and let us know if you’d like an epub or mobi.
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Oh cool. I'm happy to hear you liked it! I have this one waiting in my iPad. I bought it before I left for the holiday, because I remembered many of you recommending this one! At least Ije, Karen and John... right? :-)
Jordan wrote: "This is wicked cool! I just copied and pasted this direct from JCP's newsletter, I hope no one minds, but the word needs to get out! Spread PsyCop to a mainstream Audience!
by Jesi Lea Ryan
Hey..."
It's so cool, the only problem is, I don't want to read a single non-JCP story in there and I already have 2 versions of AtL
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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman — Every one of these spooky, strange, intriguing short stories comes with a brief introduction. I really liked that fact and found the small introductions interesting to read. Throughout the book I often had to stop and reread and really TASTE the brilliant, delicious metaphors and words Neil Gaiman uses, so that I could enjoy them fully. Also, I really enjoy the feeling his stories leave me with. His writing usually has a mysterious, soothing effect on me.
The Outward Side by James Colton (Joseph Hansen) — A haunting, harrowing, touching story from one of my very favorite writers. This is something I definitely want to reread. Colton (Hansen) shows the world through the eyes of a man who sincerely wants to do the right thing, the decent thing in his life, even thought he puts himself through a lot of misery every day because of that. The protagonist is a married man and respected minister in his community. He's also homosexual — whether he likes it or not. I can wholeheartedly recommend this, but keep in mind it's very different from Hansen's Dave Brandstetter books. One of the major themes is sex, so there's quite a bit of sex related stuff — which works real well in this case. This is an extremely moving book about us humans: about our believes, about what hatred can make us do and, above all, what are the things worth sacrificing for in our lives. I really, really love how Hansen intertwines the descriptions of Marc's (our protagonist's) youth and his adulthood in this story. A unique, vivid, beautifully written book that tastes bitterly like life itself.
And these two I'm currently reading:
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey — I've been meaning to read this book for so long! I'm enjoying it tremendously (about half way through) and I can't stop marveling how witty Tey's writing is. Such wonderful observations on every single page! The author makes me laugh out loud. This is certainly a book that feels extremely fresh even though it was written in 1946. :-)
Sally Field Can Play the Transsexual: Or I Was Cursed by Polly Holliday by Leslie L. Smith — A book I'd probably never have found without the help of a friend of mine. I'm currently 60% through and enjoying it very much. At first the story took a little bit getting used to, but when it continues there are all kinds of layers to be found. It's a weirdly functional combination of light and profound. A humorous, hopeful way to write about grief? An entertaining story with AIDS in it? This must sound crazy, but I'm enjoying it so far. I'll let you know how I feel when I've finished reading it, but the author has me definitely hooked at this point. (Especially to Anne: There's a ghost in this, but it's not a ghost story.)
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Yes. And also a proof that it's possible to write poems with full narratives. :-)
Lou wrote: "I love that anthology. My fave is "A Study in Emerald."
I think my favorite might be "October in the Chair". :-)
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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil ..."
Oh, and it's actually you I have to thank you for this recommendation. You recommended it to Susinok on FB (?) and I knew at once that this is something I want to buy in paper and take with me to adventures. So, thank you.
Johanna wrote: "I didn't read as much as I assumed I would during our trip to Mauritius. But all I managed to read I enjoyed a lot:Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman — Every o..."
Ooh, lovely! I'm looking forward to reading The Outward Side. And i'm so glad you're enjoying Miss Pym. I love Tey's writing. My favorite are Miss Pym Disposes and Brat Farrar, but i'm also enjoying her other mysteries, very soothing and with that quiet, sharp wit and humour.
:-)
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Yep. : )
Here's my review/book notes from last summer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Johanna wrote: "And these two I'm currently reading:Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey — I've been meaning to read this book for so long! I'm enjoying it tremendously (about half way through) and I can't stop marveling how witty Tey's writing is. Such wonderful observations on every single page! The author makes me laugh out loud. This is certainly a book that feels extremely fresh even though it was written in 1946. :-)..."
I'm delighted to see another convert to Josephine Tey! Miss Pym Disposes is my least favourite of her books, actually, not because it isn't well-written (it's superb) but because I find it haunting for all sorts of reasons. I think I've said before that Tey herself went to a similar college.
This month I've been reading:-Brit Boys: On Boys, an anthology featuring British men and written by some authors I know and some that I don't. My favourites were The Chase by Lily Harlem and Locked Out by Jo Myles.
Seducing Stephen by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon, an historical about a thirty-something earl who leads a hedonistic life and a studious twenty year old young man who wants to learn all there is about sex between men. I gave it 3 stars as I enjoyed it but there wasn't a huge amount of plot in it for me.
There Will Be Phlogiston by Alexis Hall, which was a freebie and has been recommended by others here. I enjoyed it so much that I followed it up with Prosperity and I'll read the rest too, at some point.
Art of Death by Ana Bosch, which is a vampirey/undead kind of thing. I was given a kindle paperwhite for Christmas so I've been transferring my books across to it. Subsequently I'm seeing a lot of books that I haven't yet read which were pushed to the back of my previous kindle, and this is one of them. I think this book was a freebie from Dreamspinner as it's not the kind of thing I would normally buy. I liked it a lot and gave it 4 stars. Loads of plot and character development. More than once I had to read back because something happened and I hadn't seen it coming.
Falling into Love by S C Wynne. S C was doing a giveaway on her facebook page which was first come, first served and I was lucky enough to be there to get a copy. I gave it 4 stars as it was a lovely story, not too angsty, well written and a good plot. I was glad to have given it a try as a previous book of hers I wasn't too enamoured with.
Strength of the Pack by Kendall McKenna, which was another freebie. I wanted to like this book as I've read good reviews and people seem to rave over it, but I couldn't. I finished it, but I won't be bothering with others in the series. I felt I was being told things instead of the story showing me. Noah is a True Alpha werewolf to whom all other werewolves defer and he's found the Dominant (Lucas) who can control him. They're both in the Marines (another plus point) and Lucas is Lieutenant to Noah's Sergeant in the same Platoon. The story kept telling me of Lucas' domination over Noah but I never quite saw it in his character for myself. Also, I could understand Lucas not knowing much about werewolf mythology but everyone else in the platoon seemed to be clued up on it (which the exception of his Captain, but he had his own agenda), so he came across as rather clueless instead of the forceful leader he was supposed to be.
I'm now reading Hell & High Water by Charlie Cochet which I'm enjoying very much.
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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil ..."
I'm looking forward to hear how you'll like The Outward Side. Hansen's endings never feel abrupt for me, I love the way they are, perfect in their plain way, with a hint of promise of things to come in the end. The ending of this one took me a day or so to get used to, to reflect it with the whole story, before I felt totally satisfied with it. I'm interested in hearing how you see it. Anyways, one of the things I adore in Hansen's (and Josh's!) writing so much is his ability to make me ponder — even long after I've finished reading the book. And this book was no exception. It still has its grip on me.
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Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey — I've been meaning to read this book for so long! I'm enjoying it tremendously (about half way through) and..."
Tey got me hooked with Brat Farrar. :-)
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Brit Boys: On Boys, an anthology featuring British men and written by some authors I know and some that I don't. My favourites were The Chase by Lily..."
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these, Hambel! I haven't read any of them... my to-read-list is rapidly growing... ;-)
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Thank you for the link, dearest. :-)
Thank you for the recommendations, Johanna and Hambel, many books here I haven't read, some I have and a couple I won't. But I will check out the not-a -ghost -story with a ghost in it. :)I am in the middle of Then the Stars Fall which is very good so far.
Hambel wrote: "This month I've been reading:-Brit Boys: On Boys, an anthology featuring British men and written by some authors I know and some that I don't. My favourites were The Chase by Lily..."
So far I love everything Alexis Hall has written.
Hell and high water is the kind of book I like despite everything..... But like it I did ;)
I have heard a lot of good things about the Hell and High Water series. I will read them soon. I have the first three.Still reading Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries. I'm on the second mystery within the first volume now.
Johanna wrote: "Alison wrote: "I finished John Wiltshire's Love is a Stranger John Wiltshire's Love is a Stranger..."Oh cool. I'm happy to hear you liked it! I have this one waiting in my iPad. I bought it before I left for the holiday, because I remembered many of you recommending this one! At least Ije, Karen and John... right? :-) ."
Oh yes, I'm among those who has drunk the Wilshire kool-aid. This is turning out to be quite the series. Four are published, an additional three in various stages of completion and according to Mr Wilshire's blog, there's no end in sight.
Susinok wrote: "I have heard a lot of good things about the Hell and High Water series. I will read them soon. I have the first three.Still reading Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries. I'm on th..."
Oh you are so in for a treat. I'm on the countdown for book 7 and have been for way too long It's out in March. I also recommend the audiobooks, they are so good, one of the best.
Just finishedThe Sign of the Four for my Sherlock Holmes challenge, and now reading the Jamie Brodie mysteries Researched to Death and Encountered to Death by Meg Perry. They are quick easy enjoyable reads. Plus I have a thing for librarians...it's all about them books, bout them books...
Haldis wrote: "Just finishedThe Sign of the Four for my Sherlock Holmes challenge, and now reading the Jamie Brodie mysteries Researched to Death and [book:Encountered to Death|218..."How did you like The Sign of Four? I am not done with Scarlet yet.
We start getting a clearer picture of Holmes in this story, drug use, arrogance, attitude towards women, etc. but also his methods and abilities as a master of disguise and so forth. I kinda enjoyed the boat chase and of course ya gotta love Toby. OMG. I just had a flash of The Great Mouse Detective. Basil of Bakerstreet and the little girl mouse "sit Toby".Anyway, I enjoyed it, but I am really looking forward to starting the short stories, although that will probably be next month.
Ame wrote: "I'm on the countdown for book 7 and have been for way too long It's out in March."Oh, that's good news, thank you! I thought it was scheduled for May and settled in for a long wait. But March I can survive... I think...
And I really wish I had more time for audiobooks :-(
Anne wrote: "Thank you for the recommendations, Johanna and Hambel, many books here I haven't read, some I have and a couple I won't. But I will check out the not-a -ghost -story with a ghost in it. :)I am in..."
Let us know how you like Then the Stars Fall. I started it and couldn't get into it, but maybe i wasn't patient enough...i will give it another try.
Reading Hansen's Bohannon's Book, it's five short mysteries, so i like reading them slowly and savoring every word and turn of phrase.Also reading something completely different - Love for the Cold-Blooded. Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero.. It's awesome. Thank you, Alison, for recommending it. :-)
KC wrote: "Also reading something completely different - Love for the Cold-Blooded. Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero.. It's awesome. Thank you, Alison, for recommending it. :-)"It look interesting. You can read 20% of it on Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Johanna wrote: "KC wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I didn't read as much as I assumed I would during our trip to Mauritius. But all I managed to read I enjoyed a lot:[book:Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders|1678..."
I love it when a book does that :-) I'll update. I'm reading now the Bohannon short stories "Bohannon's Book" and then maybe this weekend i'll start the James Colton one; can't wait!
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http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2...
**I should add that I seem to be mostly alone in thinking the books are very enjoyable. Apparently Anne's "snobbery" puts a lot of modern readers off. But as a friend and I often say, "There's nothing wrong with having standards." ;-D
Johanna wrote: "... my to-read-list is rapidly growing... ;-) "We're making a valiant effort on this thread to read all the books!
Anne wrote: "Hell and high water is the kind of book I like despite everything..... But like it I did ;) "Oooh, I'm intrigued, Anne. What did you think you wouldn't like about it?
Josh wrote: "I'm currently reading the McNeills' series by Theodora du Bois. Very enjoyable. :-) http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2...
**I should add that I se..."
I WANT THAT HOUSE on that website! Basement! Sub-Basement! 28 rooms! Tower room! LOL!
Susinok wrote: "I have heard a lot of good things about the Hell and High Water series. I will read them soon. I have the first three."I've now read the second one and I'm trying not to give in to the compulsion to buy the third. I will read it (and soon) but I still have a lot of unread books on my kindle to get through...
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So I'm listening to Ringworld by Larry Niven. It occurs to me that Teelah Brown's sole purpose on the trip (in the book) is to have sex with Louie Wu and to listen to him man-splaining the scientific bits.Hmmm...
Mansplaining - men explaining things to women in a condescending manner.
I'm about to reread the Cut & Run series to prepare for book 9 coming out in March (I love when authors give me books for my birthday)
I'm also going through my Holmes and Moriarity and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks
I'm reading Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell, futuristic, alternate history steampunk, where one of the lead characters is a monkey with artificially enhanced intelligence. Lots of fun. :D And I won it free entering a contest accidentally on Twitter - which was nice.
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http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2...
**I should ..."
I KNOW. I can't look at any structure now without considering whether I want to live there and how much it's going for. I've got house-hunting fever bad.
Josh wrote: "I KNOW. I can't look at any structure now without considering whether I want to live there and how much it's going for. I've got house-hunting fever bad. ..."I look at every house with that intention. My dream home is something old that has been thoroughly updated, JUST like Kit and JX's place (just not in San Francisco...)
I loved walking the neighborhoods in Seattle this summer. Many beautiful old homes there in so many different styles. Chicago was the same.
In Oklahoma we're ranch house central. Most of our population growth happened during the 50s-70s (oil boom) and so the "old" houses are the ranch style. And NOT the ultra cool mid-century modern styles either, the more watered down versions.
You CAN find older neighborhoods here, but they are so run down in most places you would not want to live there.
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http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2...
**I should ..."
• Armed with a New Terror (n.) Houghton 1936 [New York]
• Death Wears a White Coat (n.) Houghton 1938 [New England]
• Death Dines Out (n.) Houghton 1939 [New England]
• Death Tears a Comic Strip (n.) Houghton 1939 [New York City, NY]
• Death Comes to Tea (n.) Houghton 1940 [New England]
• Death Is Late to Lunch (n.) Houghton 1941 [Connecticut]
• The McNeills Chase a Ghost (n.) Houghton 1941 [New England]
• The Body Goes Round and Round (n.) Houghton 1942 [New England]
• The Wild Duck Murders (n.) Doubleday 1943 [New England; Academia]
• The Case of the Perfumed Mouse (n.) Doubleday 1944 [Connecticut]
• Death Sails in a High Wind (n.) Doubleday 1945 [Connecticut]
• Murder Strikes an Atomic Unit (n.) Doubleday 1946 [Connecticut]
• The Footsteps (n.) Doubleday 1947 [New York]
• The Devil and Destiny (n.) Doubleday 1948 [New York]
• The Face of Hate (n.) Doubleday 1948 [Ship]
• It’s Raining Violence (n.) Doubleday 1949 [Connecticut]
• Fowl Play (n.) Doubleday 1951 [New York City, NY]
• The Cavalier’s Corpse (n.) Doubleday 1952 [Ireland]
• Seeing Red (n.) Doubleday 1954 [New York]
I think I might be missing a title, but that's the general order.
I've only read the first and The McNeills chase a Ghost. I enjoyed them both a lot. I'm currently reading Death Wears a White Coat.
She's got a great sense of when to start a story and she keeps up a nice, brisk pace throughout. Although there is discussion of psychology, the books are really more about method and modus, so there is generally a puzzle element as to how the crime is committed.
She's quite good at hiding her killer -- or at least predicting the way readers like me reason things out. ;-)
Hambel wrote: "Anne wrote: "Hell and high water is the kind of book I like despite everything..... But like it I did ;) "Oooh, I'm intrigued, Anne. What did you think you wouldn't like about it?"
As a politician would say when they really don't want to answer, I'm really glad you asked that question;)
It's too over the top, completely unbelievable, every person turn out to be gay, and alpha, and complete a-holes,too much violence, the plot is all over the place.. In other words, it should piss me off, which it does on one level. On the other hand, it's wickedly fun. Like watching a Bruce Willis movie, with all involved being Bruce or Bruce-clones. I think the redeeming factor is how it doesn't take itself serious at all. :)
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I look at every house wi..."
That's the difficult part. Getting the right house in the right location. There are so many possibilities here right now -- and even at the right price -- but we are so picky about the house being a good place to walk and being close to family and so forth.
Josh wrote: "That's the difficult part. Getting the right house in the right location. There are so many possibilities here right now -- and even at the right price -- but we are so picky about the house being a good place to walk and being close to family and so forth. ..."It's good to be picky. Then you get what you want when you get it. I know it was love at first sight when I found the place I'm in right now. Sadly now it's crumbling around me because DH (NOT dear at the moment...) has not repaired a damned thing in 20 years and won't pay for it to be repaired.
So the one abandoned home is a no-go or still in the process?
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Same here. I've been saving it for the "right" time to start the series. I've heard great things about it. :)