Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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Antonella wrote: "I have to thank Rachel twice: she made me discover Private Members
which I really loved. I'm going to read this author's backlist.And one year ..."
One of Jess Whitecroft’s books are free on Amazonright now, so I’m going to check her out. It is always great to find new authors!
Alison wrote: "Yay! Cat Sebastian's books are wonderful. I'm glad you are enjoying them , Marge. There's a new one coming soon. :) ..."
LOL. Yes, it's in my wishlist. Thanks!
Jordan wrote: "Just started In the Woods for my book group, and so far, I'm loving it!"I read it years ago and I loved it! 😁😁
Anne wrote: "One of Jess Whitecroft’s books are free on Amazonright now, so I’m going to check her out. It is always great to find new authors!"Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Me-Jess-Wh...
Yay! Henchmen of Zenda out by KJ Charles. Enjoyed this blogpost from her on the definition of 'romance'...https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Also: How did I miss the countdown to new book out by JL Merrow in the Plumber's Mate series...Lock Nut next on my to do list.
WMD wrote: "Yay! Henchmen of Zenda out by KJ Charles. Enjoyed this blogpost from her on the definition of 'romance'...https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...-..."I've been looking forward to this one. Curious to see how she re-wrote the original.
Calathea wrote: "I've been looking forward to this one. Curious to see how she re-wrote the original."Do you think that one has to know the original to read this retelling of it?
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I'd like to hear more. I'm always interested in what you guys have to say about mystery or crime fiction.
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I'm going to guess that's she going to fare better with this experiment than I did with Curse of the Blue Scarab because her audience is a historical fiction audience.
I received a disconcertingly hostile response to Blue Scarab based essentially on This is Not Why I Buy Josh Lanyon. I mean, it wasn't the majority, but it was a large enough--hostile enough--minority to remind me that once you are branded, it can be difficult to experiment.
That said, I intend to experiment as I please--but I will make sure not to release two experiments in a row.
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Do you think that one has to know the original to read this retelling of it?"
No.
Josh wrote: "Do you think that one has to know the original to read this retelling of it?No."
Thank you, I thought so, but you never know...
Josh wrote: "I received a disconcertingly hostile response to Blue Scarab based essentially on This is Not Why I Buy Josh Lanyon."I noticed a couple of hostile reactions based IMO on ignorance of retelling experiments, which you were obviously not the first author to try...
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I noticed a couple of hostile reactions based IMO on ignorance of..."
There was certainly that. The angry question marks. ???!!! :-D
And not everyone is going to love every experiment. Fair enough. You don't really experiment for readers, you experiment for your own creative self.
I wonder though...it seems like maybe readers are less open to experimentation that they used to be? Or is it just there are so many more readers in this genre now that we hear from a wider selection?
I dont know whether you would enjoy Henchmen more.ifnyou would read the original. In Charles' blog note, she defines what she thinks is and isn't a romance. She ended up defining Henchman as an adventure with romance overtones.https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
From my reading of the first chapter of Henchmen (that she offered as a sneak peek) it reminded me of The Three Musketeers, or something similarly adventurous, manly and yet blatantly set in a thoroughly described environment of politics and intrigue. I don't think you need to have read the original, but you may need to be able to tolerate the type.
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Oh, that's sad! I really enjoyed the Blue Scarab!
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Like James Patterson bugs me now because his name is so splashy on books that other people have co-written with him, and their names are so tiny. I dunno. I'd rather take my chances on my baby by myself, but that's just me.
Anyway, rant over. Work is calling my name.
Josh wrote: "Ame wrote: "I'm kinda in the mood now for Crime stories so I started reading Gregory Ashe's Pretty Pretty Boys. I'm quite sure how I feel about it. I both like it and dislike it but..."I really liked the plot and the characters. The characters are really flawed and not one dimensional which I always like it stories.
The author is obviously talented writer but either he needs a better editor or he likes to ramble on quite bit until I got lost. And few things I felt were tidied up a bit too easily which went against the characters and the plot. So yeah, perhaps he needs a better editor.
But the plot and the characters were interesting enough that I'm gonna try the next one. Though I'm not sure when I'll the time, RL is crazy at the moment.
ETA: when I say flawed I don't mean the cheap used of flawed often used in romance where the hero is "deeply flawed" which is basically excuse for him being an asshole. No, by flawed I mean they are real, they do stupid things and they are not perfect. Just like we are.
I am agreeing with the comments on Pretty Pretty Boys. I highly recommended for characters with a lot of history and complexity, small town police procedural. There is some awful homophobic backstory. The second book almost feels like a different genre, murder mystery in an isolated situation, which I liked but seemed to drop so many things started in the first. And then the third...well, the third book was a step up in terms of complexity, actually made the second book make sense, and is back in the busy complex troubled small college town. I would say its mainly mystery/conspiracy thriller with some romantic feels...that are not hea or hfn.
WMD wrote: " I would say its mainly mystery/conspiracy thriller with some romantic feels...that are not hea or hfn. ..."That's my biggest complaint with the series (I've only read the first two though). It feels like the "romance" is being excessively drawn out. I was expecting there to be some progress in that area in the second book, but instead it felt like they went backwards. And Hazard verges on unlikable at times. (Flawed character, flawed character, I know!)
I think the second book is of the genre commonly known as a locked room mystery, although it's really not completely committed to the ideal of the genre. That's why it feels so different from the first one.
Josh wrote: "I wonder though...it seems like maybe readers are less open to experimentation that they used to be? Or is it just there are so many more readers in this genre now that we hear from a wider selection? reply | flag *..."I'd say readers are about the same as the old days, they just have more access to communication (email) which requires less effort than it used to. There is always going to be that crew that want the book THEY want written and damn everything else.
Mod
On the topic of flawed heroes, Dal Maclean is on my blog Friday after this to chat with me on the topic of character flaws, specifically cheating in romance.
I do agree with you though. Typically there are two kinds of "flawed heroes" in romance. 1 - the flaw is not a real flaw, it's a trait society admires but has been taken to the extreme -- the workaholic hero is a perfect example. 2 - the character is simply an asshole, but his general assholery is excused under Romance Hero Clause IXV "deeply flawed resulting from vague romantic tragedy in past." ;-)
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Frankly, that sounds like a mess! :-D
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Like Agatha Christie writing under the name of Mary Westmacott?
You're correct in that the author/publisher is writing something completely different but does hope to bring some of the other pen name's readership over.
That generally has mixed success because if the other readership was likely to come over, you wouldn't be using a pen name. The instinct to use the pen name was probably correct -- this is too different from your normal work to appeal to your regular readership.
Like Diana Killian versus Josh Lanyon. There is a percentage of crossover -- mostly Josh Lanyon readers being willing to look at Diana Killian's work. Diana Killian's readers...not so much.
Not because the books are LGBT in content, but because they are erotic. If there is one thing that separates the mainstream mystery reader from the niche mystery reader, it is erotic content.
There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part mainstream mystery readers are NOT comfortable with erotic content.
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There is that, of course.
And I feel there is an increasing tendency to vent online--maybe because social media creates an artificial pressure to constantly talk about, well, everything. Every thought going through your head...from what you're having for lunch to whether you hate the song you're listening to.
So while it feels like people are less open to creative experiments, it's probably more about hearing from those who didn't used to have a megaphone.
I'm rereading and reviewing free fics I've already read once, because it is less likely that I will download them twice with a review.By the way I've just reread this wonderful short story:
closets.
.
Josh wrote: "Ame wrote: "Josh wrote: "Ame wrote: "I'm kinda in the mood now for Crime stories so I started reading Gregory Ashe's Pretty Pretty Boys. I'm quite sure how I feel about it. I both l..."Yay! Can't wait to read it!
It'll be interesting for sure. I'm one of those who don't mind cheating when it enhances the storyline. I often refer to Bareback which didn't really get interesting to me until there was cheating. Which is also why I find it interesting when people automatically DNF books on grounds of cheating or not using condoms because if the story and the plot is interesting I don't care about those things. And I'd hate to miss out on a good story because of some principals.
Well, I don't read stories about incest or child abuse. Well, I do if it's like crime story or when it's a part of a story or backstory of a character. But when it's like a romance or erotica and has incest or sth like that. No. Just no. That I can't do.
But anyway. Looking forward to your blog post and especially looking forward to her next book!
Josh wrote: "And I feel there is an increasing tendency to vent online--maybe because social media creates an artificial pressure to constantly talk about, well, everything. Every thought going through your head...from what you're having for lunch to whether you hate the song you're listening to. ..."Today an author asked about regrets and what big ones do we have. He gave a story. Lots of people added theirs, most really quite personal.
Yes I have some regrets, who doesn't at my age? But none that I care to share, thanks.
Guardian Spirits
, the third and final installment in the Spirits Series, is now available, for ex. at:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
I've just heard my favourite book programme, which is very bad for my wallet. I've decided to buy a thriller (with an historical part about Nazi Germany) in form of a graphic novel: My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1
But maybe I'll wait for the second and last part which will be out in August.
And they talked about
The Woman in the Window
, a psychological thriller which should be good. It's more about isolation, depression, difficulty to relate to others than about a murder, which we are not so sure that really happened. Mentioned weaknesses: the setting in New York, the ending with lots of twists is not entirely convincing.
Mod
I noticed a couple of hostile reactions based I..."
Speaking of experiments...
I returned Friday late afternoon from a 2-day overnight in the mountains with 80+ third and fourth graders, and spent today catching up on sleep and reading.
I re-read Blood Red Butterfly on a whim. It was interesting to see how much I did and didn't remember about it. Also interesting to remember how many readers were not enamored by it. Perhaps because it's a harsher/harder story than readers expected from a Josh Lanyon book? I'd describe it as an amalgam of hard-boiled and yaoi, and yes, kind of dark, but beautifully pieced together within those constructs. And of course there's that gorgeous cover.
Mod
...Frankly, that sounds like a mess! :-D "
Yeah, it is kind of a mess. And I suspect it's not one for you.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But I went on to read the next two books in the series (the 3rd was 5-stars for me), and pre-ordered the fourth. Sometimes I love big messy stories, and this is just the kind of big, messy story series I love. ; )
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Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Me-Jess-Wh......"
I read Burn Me earlier this year. The cover is kind of off-putting, but please don't judge this book by its cover.
I read Going Sasquatch and Going Roswell this weekend, and clicked on this topic to recommend them (then got distracted by other conversations). But anyone in the mood for a couple of well-written, shorter books with good-natured MCs and an ample dose of humor should give these a try. Going Roswell earns bonus points for being set in New Mexico. :) Here's my comment: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(You may notice a plot direction in the second book similar to Josh's Mummy Dearest.)
Karen wrote: "Josh wrote: "WMD wrote: "I am agreeing with the comments on Pretty Pretty Boys. I highly recommended for characters with a lot of history and complexity, small town police procedural. There is some..."The same, yes they are kind of a mess and the author needs a better editor, but there is something in these books that really works for me.
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Cough, cough, not James Lear's best plot but very enjoyable despite that."
LOL
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My only serious regrets have to do with times that I've hurt people, and those are best shared with those particular people, IMHO.
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Ah! Yes, probably not my cuppa.
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Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/Bur..."
Wow. So I clicked to see the cover and a huge purple screen came up advertising the audible romance package. That is one hell of a lot of advertising $$ (or maybe not, given that Audible/Amazon owns GR) and it's really off-putting that we are now subjected to that much advertising oomph. Talk about captive audience.
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I noticed a couple of hostile reac..."
The readers who understood what I was trying to capture there were more forgiving--kind of like with Curse of the Blue Scarab. The readers who didn't understand what a mashup was were much more hostile. (Which is fascinating in itself--like, why are you so mad about this?)
Some of the comments were genuinely funny.
THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE JOSH LANYON!
:-D :-D :-D
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I find that very often, especially with vintage mysteries. Some of my favorite stories have all kinds of plot holes and inconsistencies. That's not really what makes or breaks a story.
Josh wrote: "Karen wrote: "Josh wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Josh wrote: "I received a disconcertingly hostile response to Blue Scarab based essentially on This is Not Why I Buy Josh Lanyon."I noticed a couple o..."
*raising my hand* GUILTY! I wasn't generous with the curse of the blue scarab. But that was done; might re-read/re-listen sometimes in the future to appreciate it more.
But speaking of experimenting, I think you did that on numbers of occasions (from my opinion). There is Snowball in Hell which I LOVED and still waiting for a sequel *meaningful pause* and This rough magic; different eras
Winter and Ghost with yellow socks I consider them to be creepy/horror books if mildly so.
Holmes and Murder takes the hight road: to me are shelved under humor even though there is a mystery to solve
Not to mention the short stories that I read/listened to over and over just because they are full joy.
Object of Desire
: release day!http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8HFS7Z?r...
http://www.blindeyebooks.com/publicat...
To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older AdultsDiscussion about the book: A Look at the Lives of Trans and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults
seen thanks to Kaje Harper
Josh wrote: "Karen wrote: "Josh wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Josh wrote: "I received a disconcertingly hostile response to Blue Scarab based essentially on This is Not Why I Buy Josh Lanyon."I noticed a couple o..."
I love the fact that you are so versatile and experiment like you do. I don’t love all your books the same, but there are none that are bad in my opinion. And I don’t understand why people get angry, if you don’t like a book, stop reading and try another. Not hard :)
Mod
Apparently they polled over 7K people to determine the top 100 novels in America, and are now doing a tv show to talk about them, and then have people vote on those 100 to choose the top book.
Honestly, I don't know how there can be only one book... wouldn't that be like having only one ring of power? lol. Seriously, Fifty Shades is on the list. I'm kind of terrified that one will win and how will that make us look? But, that's just me. I just don't think you can pick only one book.
Anyway, here's the list of 100 books, with a link to a printable list:
http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american...
Wait...so many of these are not by U.S. authors....should it be the Great English-Speaking Read? As voted on by citizens of the U.S.? Interesting how many are children's books...this suggests that a lot of people don't read novels as adults in U.S.
Antonella wrote: "Object of Desire: release day!http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8HFS7Z?r...
http:/..."
I've already bought it but I'm afraid to start reading because I'll probably not stop until it's over and my life just can not handle that right now. But Saturday night!
I've just left *ehm... 17 years after reading it* a review of one of the most wonderful historical novel I've ever read, Q
.Luther Blissett was the first pen name of a collective of Italian authors wishing to remain anonymous. Now they are called Wu Ming, and they keep doing a good cultural work, for ex. informing about resurgence of fascism in Italy. Some of their articles are translated into other languages, check it here.
They believe in sharing culture, that’s why you can download for free and with their blessing (Creative Commons Licenses) all their books or the translations of them.
"To commune with the public in any form is a labour of love." - Charles Dickens
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I also love Cat Sebastian's books and have read that series. It was wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it too.