Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
Anne wrote: "It was just the right thing, it is chilly and raining buckets outside, better to start the day in bed with coffee and a new book by Josh :)"A great birthday celebration. I had the same last morning, just in the garden and not in bed ;-)
Antonella wrote: "Anne wrote: "It was just the right thing, it is chilly and raining buckets outside, better to start the day in bed with coffee and a new book by Josh :)"A great birthday celebration. I had the sa..."
Happy belated birthday, Antonella! Glad you had a fine day.
I am reading Murder and Mayhem, latest release and new series beginning by Rhys Ford. I wonder where this is going to go. I am also keeping an eye out for a Josh Lanyon shout-out. Several of her books mention a bookstore owner in Pasadena. Wonder if this one will. ;)
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He does indeed. Loved that book, beautiful writing that creates a convincing (seemingly unlikely) relationship.
Harper Fox just wrote the following about the sequel of Last Line:I am so excited to announce that, after a quite phenomenal amount of fuss and struggle, Last Line 2 has a release date. And just to keep things exciting, it's very soon - next Wednesday, 10th June.
Mod
OMG, this. This right here. lol. In bed with a new Josh book on a rainy day. LOVE. :-) Though, I'd also have a fire in the fireplace to cheer the place up a bit. :-P
Antonella wrote: "Harper Fox just wrote the following about the sequel of Last Line:I am so excited to announce that, after a quite phenomenal amount of fuss and struggle, Last Line 2 has a release date..."
Oh, wonderful! I'll have to re-read Last Line quickly. What a hardship!
Susinok wrote: "I am reading Murder and Mayhem, latest release and new series beginning by Rhys Ford. I wonder where this is going to go. I am also keeping an eye out for a Josh Lanyon shout-out. ..."
I'm reading this one, too.
Karen wrote: "Ame wrote: "And now this weekend will be all For Real. I've already started and I already love it. Alexis Hall has this way with words that make me really love reading his work."He does indeed. L..."
This is the first book of his I've read. The writing was very good.
Now I'm reading Perfect Mate by Jennifer Ashley. It's part of the Unbound Shifters paranormal romance (het) series I've been following. I'm about 3 books behind there.
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Loretta wrote: "Susinok wrote: "I am reading Murder and Mayhem, latest release and new series beginning by Rhys Ford. I wonder where this is going to go. I am also keeping an eye out for a Josh Lan..."'Murder and Mayhem' is really good.
Been listening to the SPECTR series by Jordan L. Hawk. Not crazy about the reader, but the paranormal plot is really good. I'm not sure why I bought it when I did, but I'm so glad I did. Really liking John, Caleb and Gray. Well, it's complicated. :-)
Ring Around the Sun, that is Last Line's sequel, is out at the usual places, but herehttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
you can also read 15% of it.
Susinok wrote: "Catching up on a favorite urban fantasy series. Reading Night Broken by Patricia Briggs."I read the first ones in the series years ago and enjoyed them.
Antonella wrote: "Ring Around the Sun, that is Last Line's sequel, is out at the usual places, but herehttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
you can also read 15% of it."
Cool!
I'm reading Justice at Risk which is really good but not an easy read, so i'm alternating with nice, heartwarming, fluffy short stories. I enjoyed B.G. Thomas's Until I Found You, and I have Lou Harper's short stories next.
Antonella wrote: "Ring Around the Sun, that is Last Line's sequel, is out at the usual places, but herehttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
you can also read 15% of it."
Thanks for letting us know! I should have got a notification from my google calendar but somehow it didn't happen...hm.
Mod
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
you can also read 15% of it."
I hope to start reading this tonight! Yay! :-)
It has already landed in my Kindle, but I have to finish Shotgun by Marie Sexton, a book in the Coda series first. It is very good I think.
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I think I'll sacrifice Third Man Out (currently at 65%) for Harper Fox's Last Line 2. :-)
KC wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Catching up on a favorite urban fantasy series. Reading Night Broken by Patricia Briggs."I read the first ones in the series years ago and enjoyed them."
The books are still very good. I enjoyed this one. Makes me mad that I waited this long, but then it puts me closer to the next release, heh.
Anne wrote: "It has already landed in my Kindle, but I have to finish Shotgun by Marie Sexton, a book in the Coda series first. It is very good I think."Oh, this is nice. I came in here to see if I could see something nice recommended after my hellish weeks of work recently and one of my favorites author has a new book out!
So happy :)
Huh, I love all of Harper Fox's books very much - with the exception of Last Line. That one had some creepy triggers for me, so I'm the absolute minority here, because I will skip the sequel.
So I finished For Real and I'm glad I took the whole weekend for it because it is a book to savour. His prose is just excellent and isn't meant to be read in hurry. I love how he turns all stereotypes upside down and constantly suprises you throughout the book. But I lack the ability of the language to really express how wonderful I found this book so I'll stop now. Much like Glitterland was one of my favorite reads of last year I predict For Real to be one of mine this year.
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http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
you can also read 15% of it."
Thanks, I wanted to pre-order but it wasn't up when I tried... and now it's here. : )
Oh and a new Rhys Ford book? My summer vacation starts out nicely ;)
Ame wrote: "So I finished For Real and I'm glad I took the whole weekend for it because it is a book to savour. His prose is just excellent and isn't meant to be read in hurry. I love how he ..."
I enjoyed it too. I also liked that it went against stereotypes. Quite a lot.
Varecia wrote: "Huh, I love all of Harper Fox's books very much - with the exception of Last Line. That one had some creepy triggers for me, so I'm the absolute minority here, because I will skip the sequel."I'm in the minority with you. I'd forgotten that I didn't like it much and why, but as I started to re-read it I got a bad feeling and stopped. The blurb for the sequel didn't appeal either. It's a shame because I generally really love her books!
Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "It has already landed in my Kindle, but I have to finish Shotgun by Marie Sexton, a book in the Coda series first. It is very good I think."I think I'll sacrifice [b..."
And please let us know how you find it :-)
Varecia wrote: "Huh, I love all of Harper Fox's books very much - with the exception of Last Line. That one had some creepy triggers for me, so I'm the absolute minority here, because I will skip the sequel."I haven't read Last Line yet, I was waiting for the sequel, but i'm feeling some trepidation...though I absolutely love everything by Harper.
Ben Monopoli's new book is out, yay! The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade: Stories Hmm...alternating these short stories (which are all about Ollie) with the Strackey mysteries, could be a very good idea...
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The mix of religion and mythology is a tricky one, for sure. But I do love her writing so much. So lush and lyrical and emotional. But not...schmaltzy. So much of m/m is riddled with mush and schmaltz, and I can't bear either. I cannot bear emotional drippiness.
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*Put a fucking stopper in it! Grow the hell up! If I wanted to deal with hysterical adolescents, I'd still be teaching.*
This is why I have had to all but stop reading m/m.
Josh wrote: "There are so many lovely, lovely people writing m/m, but they are drippy. Their work is emotionally drippy. And I just can't put up with it. *Put a fucking stopper in it! Grow the hell up! If I w..."
*Presses invisible 'Like' button*
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I think I..."
I will! I'm currently only at 15% (Last Line #2) but liking it already immensely. I remember this book dividing opinions of the readers (I don't know how to say this correctly) but I landed in the camp liking it. In fact, I've been longing to see the sequel for years now.
I took a peek at what I had written about Last Line #1 in June 2012 and amongst it was a bit: "Wow. This book is fierce! Not by any means an easy read, but oh, so gratifying. The story is extremely emotive and thought provoking — very capturing with troubled, strong, mysterious, compelling characters."
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Oh! Thank you for the heads-up, KC! That went to my to-read list right away. :-)
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Yes. Yes, this. It's so lyrical and rich in nuances that it almost feels like something palpable. Like an... element? Something you can reach and touch and taste and hear.
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Yes. Yes, this. It's so l..."
It's evocative.
And I find it emotionally gripping.
Josh wrote: "This is why I have had to all but stop reading m/m. "I am certainly trying fewer new authors these days. I no longer actively seek out new reads by checking review sites. There's really no need to now. I have a fairly large stable of authors that are pretty much a sure thing for me so I have a long list of to-buy books being released at regular intervals through the end of the year.
And for the most part, I've gotten less susceptible to blurbs. It's like interpreting real estate ads, you eventually learn to read between the lines. I've just developed a better understanding of what's going to work for me.
Here is my little rant on all the drippy m/m books. Sex. Now I like sex as much as the next person and as a gay man, I especially like m/m sex. But enough is enough. I have an author friend who says the basic rule (rule?) is three sex scenes per a 200-250 page book, and authors get savaged by readers if they aren’t there. Really? Come on, people. I don’t like reading sex for sex’s sake. I want it to mean something in a story. I want it to mean something to the characters. I want it to move the plot forward. I’ve been more satisfied with off the page sex than with a lot of the sex scenes I’ve read these days. A ten-plus page sex scene? Welcome to Skimville!! And the way some scenes are written seem physically impossible unless the guys are double or triple-jointed. What I like the most about the sex in Josh’s books is that it’s very real. He writes men. Men having sex. Men relating to each other in the bedroom. I had this same discussion with a couple of guy friends last summer and we agreed that so many of the sex scenes in m/m read very much m/f, except the female has a penis as well. Maybe that’s sexist? I don’t know. But what I know as a gay male reader is most of the sex scenes I’m reading these days don’t seem authentic.
I am reading Personal Dispatches: Writers Confront AIDSIt is a series of essays written between 86 - 88 during the AIDS crisis (not that the crisis is over) before treatments started keeping people alive.
I really like this book because the different essays are each so powerful and they remind me about the initial impact of the epidemic and I can see the way in which the AIDS movement has developed over the years. I also like it because the essays eschew political correctness. Some years ago I was told that I shouldnt use the phrase 'war against AIDS' but this set of essays very much sees the epidemic as a war with the writers giving witness to what is happening on the front line.
I am currently writing an essay for publication in a book on Human Rights, HIV and Christian Faith, and I just feel as if I am part of a tradition of writers confronting HIV and Aids all these years later. I feel as if I am also doing my bit. :)
Steve wrote: Here is my little rant on drippy . . . Couldn't agree more, Steve. Except for the female with a penis thing because I wouldn't know. What I do know about Josh's writing of sex scenes is that they've always feel organic — about the men and their story. Josh gives us a glimpse of them on a more primal level — where there are no lies, no shields. We know them better as human beings and we know who they are to each other. It isn't just about the ability to write with amazing ease, it's about storytelling.
KC wrote: "And please let us know how you find it :-)"I've just read Shotgun and I didn't like it as much as the other books of the Coda series, I gave it 3 stars, uprounded.
Steve wrote: "Here is my little rant on all the drippy m/m books. Sex. Now I like sex as much as the next person and as a gay man, I especially like m/m sex. But enough is enough. I have an author friend who say..."Absolutely!!
I agree. Sometimes those sex scenes are just so long, boring and add nothing to the plot.
Carlita wrote: "Steve wrote: Here is my little rant on drippy . . . Couldn't agree more, Steve. Except for the female with a penis thing because I wouldn't know. What I do know about Josh's writing of sex scenes..."
What I meant about that, Carli, is that some sex scenes read like they're between a man and a woman but somebody's changed all the female pronouns to male.
And yes! his scenes are organic and take us to that point where everything is stripped away and all you have is the two men.
Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Steve wrote: "Here is my little rant on all the drippy m/m books. Sex. Now I like sex as much as the next person and as a gay man, I especially like m/m sex. But enough is enough. I have an author ...""Absolutely!!
I agree. Sometimes those sex scenes are just so long, boring and add nothing to the plot."
I find myself groaning when I reach a lot of sex scenes... and not groaning in pleasure! I can't get through them quickly enough!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Beautiful book. I should reread it.
And now this weekend will be all For Real. I've already started and I already love it. Alexis Hall has this way with words that make me really love reading his work. "
I'm dying to read it, but I consider irresponsible to buy it because I've got already so many books to read...