Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
Calathea wrote: "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... ;)"
I know! I can't believe it took me this long to cave. I'd been reading some pretty good Sterek (Teen Wolf) fics, but I think this is more to my taste. Two of my favorite things - hockey and m/m. And podfics! I'm in heaven. ;-)
Valerie wrote: "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, et..."What is hockey slash?
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I'm this way too and I think it is an anti-social streak in both of us. :-)
Some people have a built-in resistance -- or let's call it skepticism -- to the concept of popularity. The more popular something is, the more skeptical and resistant they are. They (we) will steer clear altogether rather than even giving The Popular Thing a try.
Whereas most people will be interested in, curious about whatever the hot new trendy thing is and will give it a try. It's a more socialized response.
And then there is the smallest group who are not influenced one way or the other by popularity and will get around to trying things when they get around to it. :-D
But I think part of my resistance to popular things is also my wish to "have" what no one else has. So when something obscure that I have loved for a long time (a musician, an artist, a writer) suddenly begins to gain popularity, it's disappointing to me. Even if it confirms my own good taste. :-D
I want to have what no one else has.
I'm not sure what that impulse or need is, but it's actually pretty strong.
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Let me guess. Fictional homosexual pairings of real life straight hockey players.
Ugh.
Josh wrote: "Alison wrote: "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-wri..."In the same way, if I have found an author that I really love, in stead of telling everybody about it, I want to keep him/her for myself. Which is kind of unfair to the author I guess, I would think you would want as many readers as possible.
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E. E. Ottoman's Winter's Bees. I really enjoy this author's work and this series in particul..."
Thank you for these recommendation, Alison. I haven't read any of them... yet. ;-)
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Yes, absolutely! From a survival standpoint, you have to have an ever-growing audience because there is a natural attrition to any fan base.
Especially for someone like me who, to be blunt, appeals to a more mature readership. :-D I hear from a lot of now elderly gentlemen who start out by saying "I knew a Jake" or -- more commonly -- "I was a Jake."
But this is changing -- because the world is changing. And, as I've frequently said, if I were starting the AE series now it would have to be a very different story arc.
Josh wrote: "...if I were starting the AE series now it would have to be a very different story arc. "Please feel free to rewrite the series, Josh. I'm sure it would make a lovely companion piece to the original series. :)
Josh wrote: "Ame wrote: "Valerie wrote: "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, n..."Sorry. I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with RPF. :)
There are also many "original" (supposedly not RPF) hockey fics.
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Oooh, that's just naughty! *tsk, tsk* :-D
Ame wrote: "Valerie wrote: "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, ..."Sent you a message if you are interested. :)
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I think RPF is a complete violation of good sense and good taste.
This is just my opinion.
But fictional stories set in the world of hockey? Oh heck yeah!
For a mature woman there sure is a lot I did not know of ;)
Barbra wrote: "I read several of the Temeraire books back when they were new and really enjoyed them."Those books are excellent on Audio! I checked them out of the library.
Alison wrote: "...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 very skeptical about The Hunger Games because it's something i don't like reading about (not YA usually, not post-apocalyptic, not "cruel"-sounding stuff), but it came highly recommended so i did and i'm glad because it's well written and really good generally, but very grim and too realistic (the progression from rebel to dictator, etc. etc.). Anyway, i went on and read her other series Gregor the Overlander which is supposedly meant for the 8yo group but again, it's actually very mature and very very grim.
Alison wrote: "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. "
Both wonderful :-)
Josh wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Josh wrote: "Ame wrote: "Valerie wrote: "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 interes..."Winging It is a recently published m/m hockey book. Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me as I wasn't feeling a connection and lost interest but a lot of other readers liked it.
Josh wrote: "Some people have a built-in resistance -- or let's call it skepticism -- to the concept of popularity. The more popular something is, the more skeptical and resistant they are. They (we) will steer clear altogether rather than even giving The Popular Thing a try...."This thing annoys me to no end. I will not read a book just because it's popular (I.E. 50 Shades of Grey), but I also will not refuse to read something because it's popular (I.E. Harry Potter). I read the blurb and will read it if it sounds interesting to me. Regardless of popularity or lack thereof.
Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Some people have a built-in resistance -- or let's call it skepticism -- to the concept of popularity. The more popular something is, the more skeptical and resistant they are. They (we) will steer clear altogether rather than even giving The Popular Thing a try...."This thing annoys me to no end. I will not read a book just because it's popular (I.E. 50 Shades of Grey), but I also will not refuse to read something because it's popular (I.E. Harry Potter). I read the blurb and will read it if it sounds interesting to me. Regardless of popularity or lack thereof"
I tend to avoid the Popular stuff too, unless I started reading it before it became a phenomenon, like Harry Potter. I was attracted to the first book because of the cover. I'd not read the Newsweek article on it nor had heard anything about the book. I just liked the cover and the premise. After that, however, it was a yearly treat to get the UPS package from a certain online bookstore and a bunch of my friends would wave with our copies at the UPS guy as he drove by the park we had our picnic at dropping off more books ... That was fun.
Most of the popular stuff, however, just doesn't appeal for one reason or another. Or, like in the case of The Davinci Code, I read it because it was loaned to me, not that I thought it worthwhile reading (cardboard characters and a plot taken straight out of Holy Blood, Holy Grail [which is an interesting book]). It really depends on the book though.
Josh wrote: "I think RPF is a complete violation of good sense and good taste.This is just my opinion.
But fictional stories set in the world of hockey? Oh heck yeah!"
Whatever you do, don't argue with someone who thinks it's alright to write that stuff. They really don't see the harm in it. I personally think it's very disrespectful of the people it's being written about.
Lori S. wrote: "Josh wrote: "I think RPF is a complete violation of good sense and good taste.This is just my opinion.
But fictional stories set in the world of hockey? Oh heck yeah!"
Whatever you do, don't ar..."
I've always compared RPF/RPS with paparazzis, ugh, just NO.
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Josh wrote: "Alison wrote: "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..."And I am mature enough to know people who "was married to a Jake". For me your stories did teach me something very important about how a Jake, or whoever lies to him/herself and the people around them, actually hurts themselves as much as they hurt others. I found wisdom and compassion and knowledge in the series. ( in addition to well written mysteries and good stories, of course).
And I am very glad times have changed, at least in our parts of the world, mostly.
Idamus wrote: "I've always compared RPF/RPS with paparazzis, ugh, just NO."I read RPS with my two favorite actors and I think of it more as casting them in a fictional script that the author wrote. Let's be honest, the stories are nothing like the people's real personalities or lives.
I never know when I'm reading RPF because apparently I don't really pay attention to the names.
Na wrote: "I never know when I'm reading RPF because apparently I don't really pay attention to the names."Probably this ;)
Kirsten wrote: "Idamus wrote: "I've always compared RPF/RPS with paparazzis, ugh, just NO."I read RPS with my two favorite actors and I think of it more as casting them in a fictional script that the author wrot..."
Yes. I'm a reader not a writer, but I think of them as characters in a story. I really don't have much interest in their real lives.
It took me two pages of these comments to figure out that RPF meant "real people fiction."My opinion? No thank you.
I don't read People Magazine or gossip magazines or pay any attention to what various celebrities do in their everyday lives. I just don't care. So RPF? No.However, I love Temeraire.
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I work with teens, but I've never read The Hunger Games. Sometimes I feel horrible for not reading it. Then I remember everyone else has already read it.
I do enjoy recommending my fave authors though. Right now I've got a friend who isn't into mm, reading The Rifter! Where!
Susinok wrote: "Barbra wrote: "I read several of the Temeraire books back when they were new and really enjoyed them."Those books are excellent on Audio! I checked them out of the library."
I own most of the series in paperback, but when I realized one of my favorite narrators had done the Temeraire books, I started rereading them in audiobook. Simon Vance is excellent as both Temeraire and Laurence. He has the Britishness just right. (Probably because he is British, but hey!)
I first ran across Simon Vance as the narrator for all the Aubrey/Maturin titles written by Patrick O'Brian. He gets across the dry wit with the perfect nuance--just as he does in the Temeraire books, which are a definite homage to O'Brian's works.
Susinok wrote: "It took me two pages of these comments to figure out that RPF meant "real people fiction."My opinion? No thank you."
I didn't know RPF, but had the idea it could be 'Real People Fiction'. Thank you Susan, now you have it confirmed. I don't read gossip magazines it's not in my line of interest. I don't would like it, if someone would write RPF - stories about people I really know, so that is not my cup of tea.
A lot of authors have taken rpf/rps and published it-- changing the names. Some pretty well known writers too, so y'all have probably already read it without knowing it. ;)
I always decide whether I want to read a book by an author I don't know by reading the first couple of pages. I did that with The Da Vince Code and with Fifty Shades of Gray, and in both cases hated the writing style so much that I could not contemplate reading the books.The same is true of a writer who is/used to be very popular in the UK, Jeffrey Archer. I was once stuck overnight where the only book in English was one of his. After trying very hard to read it I decided I'd rather stare into space (the only alternative). The fact that he's also a lying politician convicted of perjury is of course irrelevant -- I hated his writing long before he was convicted.
I suspect that the popularity of these three authors may be due to their having good or novel plot ideas, sufficiently good that many people are prepared to overlook (or just don't notice) the quality of the writing. I've been spoilt by reading some excellent authors (e.g. Josh) so that I just can't do that.
I have nothing against popular literature/books/authors. If I was against it would mean no Harry Potter, no Agatha Christie, no, Jane Austen, no Stephen King etc......
Ame wrote: "I have nothing against popular literature/books/authors. If I was against it would mean no Harry Potter, no Agatha Christie, no, Jane Austen, no Stephen King etc......"If a book is good, it is good whether it is popular or not. On the other hand, if it is bad, it is bad, popular or not ... :)
Kirsten wrote: "A lot of authors have taken rpf/rps and published it-- changing the names. Some pretty well known writers too, so y'all have probably already read it without knowing it. ;)"Some don't even try to hide it, so I might as well read the free version. :)
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I think "a lot of authors" is a relative term. :-)
Kirsten wrote: "I read RPS with my two favorite actors and I think of it more as casting them in a fictional script that the author wrote..."I admit it, I read RPF in certain fandoms, I've even written it...for Yuletide on Ao3. After 20 years in various fandoms, nothing bothers me. This even applies to incest stories. Not my thing, but if other people like it? Knock yourself out. My philosophy has always been: if you don't like it, don't read it.
As a gift fic, I wrote RPF between the two actors of Teen Wolf. I know nothing about these actors' private lives. Nothing. So, I wrote two characters who just happen to be named Tyler and Dylan. :) It's why its called RPF (Real Person FICTION.) YMMV.
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I admit it, I read RPF in certain fandoms, I've even w..."
I don't doubt there are fans of it.
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Yes, this happened to me. I really enjoyed a book and thought the MC was such an original... until I realized that there was an original. It didn't completely spoil the book for me, but it made the fanfic factors stand out more and I couldn't help wondering how much of the fic wasn't fic, which would have truly been TMI. I don't follow much pop culture in regard to "personalities," so I was slow on the uptake.
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Because I really like N.R. Walker but I'm not big on fantasy books.... so is it too much fantasy or?"
I just searched to see if anyone else here had read this and found your question. I started reading it last night when looking for something lighter/escapist (like vampires and "chosen ones"). I think it was recommended on Amazon and that's often a toss-up. It reads like an early book by this author, but apparently isn't (published March 2015). I loved the Thomas Elkin books and have enjoyed a number of her other books, but this one has some (to me) groan-worthy elements. Did you decide to read it? What did you think?
I'm at the 60% mark and not sure I'll finish. I was hoping for something totally distracting, needing a serious diversion from RL, but I'm finding myself distracted in the wrong way. : )
Calathea wrote: "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? ..."
I would like to read the next one, and I just looked, my library has it, so that makes it easy. I'll have to look into the audio. Marge, I've read a bit of Patrick O'Brian, and it certainly made me think of that series.
Josh wrote: "Alison wrote: "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-wri..."I'm this way too and I think it is an anti-social streak in both of us. :-)
Anti-social high five, Josh! :)
I went to a big charity used book sale last weekend and ended up with a whole heap of books I wanted (yay!), but I also took home several unknowns because "why not, it's only two dollars." I read one of the random ones over the last couple of days and I have rarely had such a frustrating time reading. I had not felt the urge to throw a book across the room before yesterday and it's still bugging me. Sorry, just had to get that out. :) The pressure's on to choose a good book for my next read. :)
Alison wrote: "I went to a big charity used book sale last weekend and ended up with a whole heap of books I wanted (yay!), but I also took home several unknowns because "why not, it's only two dollars." I read o..."It's annoying when that happens, but it's even worse if it's something you knew about and thought would be good! By the way, I love used book sales but never see them these days.
Karen wrote: "Ame wrote: "Has anyone read Cronin's Key?Because I really like N.R. Walker but I'm not big on fantasy books.... so is it too much fantasy or?"
I just searched to see if anyone el..."
No, I still haven't read it, sorry.
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Argh. Sounds annoying. Good luck with choosing the next one... *fingers crossed* :-D
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There's a thought.
I love the adventure of buying a book with a great cover or a great blurb. I remain eternally hopeful even though probably ninety-plus percent of the time the book isn't what I hope for. I never weary of this chase, never grow cynical about finding a book I'm going to love.
I hope I never do!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Before that I read Death by Silver and A Death at the Dionysus Club, which I enjoyed very much. The second book even more than the first. The “historical part“ did not feel forced here, it melted with the fantasy part, I think the authors captured the everyday-life very well. Just imagine the postman coming around every two hours!