Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
Sabine wrote: "I don't want to know everything, because I want the possibility to imagine how my book friends live their life. If all is wrapped neatly and complete until their dying days it often made me sad and unsatisfied, because I liked my version of their life better."Yes, exactly!!!
Varecia wrote: "I thought I would try a German mystery series that sounds interesting, because it takes place in Berlin during the late 20's and early 30's. Obviously Hansen, Josh, Nava and a few other authors spo..."Do you speak about books by Volker Kutscher?Der nasse Fisch
Sabine wrote: "Varecia wrote: "I thought I would try a German mystery series that sounds interesting, because it takes place in Berlin during the late 20's and early 30's. Obviously Hansen, Josh, Nava and a few o..."Yes. Have you read them?
Varecia wrote: "Sabine wrote: "Varecia wrote: "I thought I would try a German mystery series that sounds interesting, because it takes place in Berlin during the late 20's and early 30's. Obviously Hansen, Josh, N..."I have read 'Der nasse Fisch', but was not so intrigued that I have read the other books.
I am slowly making my way through the Benjamin Justice series by John Morgan Wilson I have just started the 4th book in the series The Limits of Justice. It is a great series and reminds me of Michael Nava's Henry Rios series. The series is set in LA but the crime solver is a disgraced journalist Benjamin Justice who has his own challenges in life just like Henry. The books are really well written and the mysteries are great, not easy to solve. I think i actually like this series more than Donald Strachey but both are great.
Johanna wrote: "Maybe this is bluntly said, but I find most epilogues unnecessary."Yes, most of them are. And this one especially so.
Johanna wrote: "Calathea wrote: "I wish she hadn't done the epilogue thing. I thought it was unnecessary. The story was good as it was and complete where it ended."Maybe this is bluntly said, but I find most epi..."
Yes. I find them too final as well, at least most of them. It's as if the door closes on those characters and their story. I prefer to have a bit of mystery left at the end of the story and then i'm happy to revisit them in codas, catch glimpses of their lives and what they go through.
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Thank you for the recommendation, Ije. This is a new-to-me author and series.
I think you will like the series Johanna. Very much reminds me of the Henry Rios series.
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That was the bit that got me really interested. :-)
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Oh! Now that... hm. I wonder who made that decision."
Yes. It would be interesting to understand what drove that creative misstep. Especially since it was an afterthought.
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Maybe this is bluntly said, but I find most epi..."
It's not too blunt. Generally epilogues and prologues are clumsy and add nothing. Which is really a shame because when done well they are so powerful. The well-conceived prologue should provide an AH HA! moment in the narrative. And the well-done epilogue should resonate like the final echo of the last chime of a distant bell.
But too often the epilogue is used more like a footnote -- JANE SMITH WAS CONVICTED OF HER HEINOUS CRIMES AND EXECUTED ON JANUARY 13TH, 2015.
And prologues too often smack of I-didn't-know-how-to-start-this-book-but-I-know-scenery-won't-fly. With default being the gruesome murder of a character we don't know and don't care about.
It's funny you mention this because I was going to write a blog on this very topic.
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Maybe this is bluntly said, but..."
Well, it's tedious because this is not fiction. A story does NOT answer every and all questions about the characters past and future. This is the realm of history books, and lest we forget, we authors of fiction are MAKING IT UP.
:-D
REMEMBER? F-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-L
It ain't real life. And trying to tie up the loose ends of a future not written for "people" who don't actually exist is more of a fandom thing than a professional writer of fiction thing.
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Maybe this is bluntly said, but I find most epi..."
A coda is the equivalent of a window flying open for a moment and allowing the reader another very brief view of the characters. It does not and should not answer all questions as to the future because this should always -- ALWAYS -- be left open-ended.
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I think the Justice series jumped the shark after book five. But I agree they are very well done.
Personally, I prefer Stevenson's work because it is -- despite the fact that it's funny -- more realistic.
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Maybe this is bluntly said, but..."
The problem with epilogue is it appeals too much to the inner control freak of writers. But if you want to write really effective fiction, don't make the final mistake of filling in every form and filing it under FINISHED.
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This a great way to describe coda. Thank you! And this is exactly why I enjoy reading them much, much more than I enjoy reading epilogues.
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Some readers are not willing to partner up. Maybe they don't like the stuff you write about -- maybe they don't like YOU. Maybe their education and experiences and imagination simply do not extend to the kind of thing you are writing about in this particular book. Maybe you have offended their world view with something. Maybe you're a TERRIBLE writer.
Who knows? But the simple truth is, no book is right for every reader.
There is NO exception to this rule.
And yet writers still continue to react in outrage and panic when someone somewhere doesn't like their work. :-D
But maybe this is true of all artists.
That's what I like about the Codas - they offer a little peek into what our favorite characters are doing at any particular moment. It drives me crazy and makes me sad when a long running TV series ends and everybody goes there own way or dies or whatever. I'd prefer a show like Cheers or Friends or Seinfeld to have just ended like any other episode: 'Hey, see you guys tomorrow!' But then, it's been established that I'm crazy.
Josh wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I am slowly making my way through the Benjamin Justice series by John Morgan Wilson I have just started the 4th book in the series [book:The Limits..."I have read up to book five of the Strachey series. I do like having a good mystery series to read because I like seeing how the character develops. I haven't read any Hansen yet but I have the complete Brandstetter in one large paperback which I am looking forward to. :)
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But maybe this is true of all artists."
Yes. I personally think that it's true of all artists.
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But maybe this is true of all artists."
Yes. I personally think that..."
Well, unlike a sales report, art is personal.
It is the very nature of art.
It is what makes art powerful.
And no amount of saying artists shouldn't take criticism personally will change that.
It's like saying gravity should only pull select items to earth. :-D
Josh wrote: "All fiction is really the partnership of author and reader. Which is why every work of fiction -- no matter how well-written -- will not work for every reader.Some readers are not willing to part..."
That is just so true. It reminds me of how I tried to read the Da Vinci code and I couldn't get into it. I couldn't get into the Twighlight series either. I never do well when it comes to hugely popular books. I am yet to try 50 shades. Someone recommended i read the trilogy with an open mind. I might do so when I have read all the mystery series I can lay my hands on first.
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Some readers are not wi..."
And that's okay! That's fine. That's the way it's supposed to work.
I was reading something yesterday where I was thinking, This guy is good and I CANNOT STAND HIS WORK.
Because "good" has nothing to do with what I want to fill my brain with.
Neither of us is at fault for that.
Everyone takes criticism of their personal work to heart. Its learning how we react to it, exhibiting self control that is hard for many. I like short epilogues that lets the reader know the couple is in their happy place and you can rest easy for them. I once read an historical romance where the author went forward the entire life of the couple until death. It so didn't work for me. Not anything I wanted to read about.
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I think it would make an interesting blog post!
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Yes that kind of epilogue -- the classic Harlequin happily-married-first-baby-on-the-way -- is appropriate for a romance.
Or the -- AT LAST THIS UNKNOWN VICTIM HAS HIS HEADSTONE -- thing you find in mysteries.
:-D
But the TWENTY YEARS LATER GEORGE WAS HIT BY A BUS...not so much.
There has to be a point, a reason, a justification for sharing this made-up information. And that point cannot be I WANT READERS TO START TAKING ME SERIOUSLY!!!
As an ex fanfic writer I hate epilogues. :D They close the reader's imagination down. They tell them "don't you be thinking about how their lives turned out. This is how." The Harry Potter one is pretty much the worst. If I ever reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I won't read the epilogue.
The need for “closure“ seems to be deeply ingrained in a lot of people. Wasn't even Jane Austen pestered by family members who wanted to know what became of Elizabeth and Darcy?
Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I haven't read any Hansen yet but I have the complete Brandstetter in one large paperback which I am looking forward to. :) ..."Get a very good magnifying glass before you start. The print is tiny!
Josh wrote: "And prologues too often smack of I-didn't-know-how-to-start-this-book-but-I-know-scenery-won't-fly. With default being the gruesome murder of a character we don't know and don't care about...."OMG, I just put a book down because the prologue opened with the very gruesome murder of a dog.
I finished up Lord of the White Hell book 2 and immediately started Champion of the Scarlet Wolf Book One. White Hell engrossed me. I loved every minute of it.Which is kind of amazing since fantasy is probably my least favorite genre (Which is like saying it's my least favorite ice cream flavor. I love them all.)
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Good call.
I have spent the last couple of days reading Alex Beecroft's Under the Hill series: Bomber's Moon and Dogfighters and I really enjoyed it. It's a fascinating and complex story about elves meddling around with the human world and the humans who are caught up in the mess. It's a big, exciting story complete with nasty fae, pining WWII soldiers, paranormal goings-on, and interesting characters. I found the first part to be a lot stronger than the second, and I'm still not entirely sure what I think about the ending, but it was a gripping and engaging story all the way through. I've only read historicals by this author, so it was neat to read a contemporary fantasy. I should probably mention that the ending of the first book is pretty cliffhanger-y and I bought the second one within a couple of hours of finishing and dove right back in.
I read my first Mark Richard Zubro mystery. It was A Simple Suburban Murder which is the first book in the Tom and Scott series. I enjoyed it. It wasn't a simple suburban murder at all. Lots of twists and turns and dodgy goings on. I am going to read the rest of the series over the year. I really like it when i come across a new series that interests me.
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OK, I confess tha..."
Ouch. That sounds like a painful society to me. ;-) lol. Sorry, couldn't help that.
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Some readers are not willing to part..."
Well, it's like having someone spit on your child, your baby, and saying how ugly the kid is. No parent wants that, right? For writers, and other artists, their work is their children. If you put enough hard work into something, it can be hard to realize there are people out there who don't like it, even if you understand that no everyone can realistically like it.
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I need to get back to Strachey. It's been awhile already. I'm still slowly making my way through the YA [book:Bitterblue|12680907]. It's good, I'm just not as interested as I normally would be.
My work issues definitely color my enjoyment of life, including the enjoyment of reading and especially writing. But getting back to Strachey should be a good thing.
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Some readers are not wi..."
*shivers* I'd recommend against reading 50 Shades, but that's just me. I skimmed it and it was awful. I guess the important thing for readers to know about it is that it's not depicting real BDSM, or good consensual BDSM. If you know that, then you can read to your heart's content. :-)
I've never been good with extremely popular books either. My best friend thought I would like Twilight and bought me the first book for my birthday once. It was ok, and I did buy the others, but I wasn't as excited as she was over it. Then I read the 4th book, and that was the end of my enjoyment of Twilight. lol. Plus, I met the author once, and she didn't strike me as a very happy person. unless she was having a bad day, who knows.
When Harry Potter came out, however, I refused to read it. Then my grandmother bought me the first four books for my birthday. And how do you not read something from your grandmother? So, I read them. And LOVED them.
But I still try to avoid the popular books. It's not like I need to recommend them to people at work. lol.
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Oh yes, that was a horrible epilogue!
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Oh, good to know. I love her work!
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Some readers are not wi..."
I do very stringently argue that writers--all creative people-- should avoid thinking of their work as their "children," or producing that work as "giving birth."
But art is personal, yes! there is no getting around the fact that a painting is more personal than a sales report. Or performing a song is more personal than communicating news from the home office to an employee meeting. :-D
I think non-creatives resist and resent this notion, but they're only fooling themselves. (Something humans are quite good at!)
Jordan wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Josh wrote: "All fiction is really the partnership of author and reader. Which is why every work of fiction -- no matter how well-written -- will not work for ever..."I find I tend not to be as attracted to really popular books in general. The only time I can remember reading something simply because it was really popular was The Hunger Games a few years ago. It ended up being fairly engaging and I read the whole series and enjoyed it pretty well. It was grim, though. So grim. Not my usual sort of thing.
I was at the library one day last year and saw famous Fifty Shades of Grey on the shelf and thought I'd have a look at what all the fuss was about. I stood there and read the first two chapters and the writing style really bothered me so I did not continue, content notwithstanding.
While I was away all those months I read some great books. I thought I'd mention a few:E. E. Ottoman's Winter's Bees. I really enjoy this author's work and this series in particular (The Mechanical Universe) is quite fun. They're all light and really enjoyable novellas and the world is really cool and they all have gorgeous clothes. The characters all tend to be quite diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender and body, which I love, and the setting, which makes me think of a steampunky 19th century France, is fantastic. They're fun little romance stories about interesting people. This one is about a mathematician and an entomologist who have to deal with an arranged royal marriage.
Jordan Castillo Price's Life is Awesome. This book is awesome and this series is one of my favourites ever. A wonderful ending to a wonderful series.
Harper Fox's Kestrel's Chance. Another beauty by one of my most favourite authors.
The Druid Stoneby Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane. This is a vivid, exciting story about bad fairies, and it takes place in Ireland, which is neat. There's a slightly grumpy Irish druid and a sunny American with a curse and they go on dangerous otherworldly adventures together. I really enjoyed it. I picked this up on a whim a few years ago because it was on sale or free or something and I finally read it and I'm glad I did. It's a wild ride.
Naomi Novik's Temeraire. It's the Napoleonic Wars with dragons! Not m/m. I loved this. British and French military forces square off in the air in this wonderful historical fantasy. Temeraire is a charming talking dragon and his rider is a very proper former naval captain and they have the most delightful and affectionate friendship. Action-filled, exciting, and occasionally quite adorable.
Alison wrote: "While I was away all those months I read some great books. I thought I'd mention a few:E. E. Ottoman's Winter's Bees. I really enjoy this author's work and this series in particul..."
Thanks for the recommendations. :-)
I have been meaning to try something by E.E. Ottoman. That series sounds really intriguing.
I am another who has been in a bit of a reading slump for a while. Probably due to real life stress - not much has been holding my interest. I tried different genres, new authors, old favorites, etc. Then while searching for hockey romances I somehow fell down the rabbit hole of hockey slash. I resisted before but now I may never come out. :D
Alison wrote: "Naomi Novik's Temeraire. "I liked it a lot. :-) Just had to get used to the speed of the narration. Seems like I'm not used to this kind of detailed and slow anymore. Are you going to read the following volumes?
Valerie wrote: "Then while searching for hockey romances I somehow fell down the rabbit hole of hockey slash. I resisted before but now I may never come out. :D "Ha! A neverending story... ;)
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Maybe this is bluntly said, but I find most epi..."
For me it's as Johanna said. I don't want to know everything, because I want the possibility to imagine how my book friends live their life. If all is wrapped neatly and complete until their dying days it often made me sad and unsatisfied, because I liked my version of their life better.