Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
I'm currently reading Disasterology 101, too. It has been on my TBR list for a good while. I'm about at the halfway point and it's really good so far. I plan to read her Six Degrees series next since I've heard good things about it.
Ame wrote: "I also finished Zero at the bone. Really good book but I did like the first half better than the second one. First half was fantastic the second half good. I do wish though she'd keep on writing b..."I enjoyed the Deviations series by Chris Owens and Jodi Payne, but I still haven't read Bareback yet.
It's been a while since I read Zero at the Bone, but I remember thinking the end seemed to go on for too long. It was kind of weird.
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That is, Josh ..."
Hear, hear. ;-)
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Wonderful!"
Those print books are wonderful, aren't they. All the beautiful details on the covers, too! I can't wait to see the third book and all the drawings and maps and the Christmas coda in the back of it... I'm quite envious that you already have it in your hands! You lucky, lucky guy. :-)
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I finished Lord of the White Hell and didn't even realize finishing that book made me complete this year's goal of reading 117 books. It's only September. Lol. Guess it's obvious what I've been doing in my off time!
I started Hell Cop and am just so amazed by pretty much everything so far, the plot, the well rounded characters, the brilliant world building... Everything. Will not be putting this one down for awhile either, that's for sure!
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Josh wrote: "..I received the three print Rifter books last night, so I suspect all other reading is going on hold. I'm so excited and happy to hold these in my hands. I know you all heard me go on plenty about how riveted I found that series. It made me feel the adventure and joy of reading in a way I hadn't for years. I love that story. And having the whole thing in front of me with maps and glossaries and drawings -- and there's a little vignette at the very end that I barely let myself look at. "Oh, wonderful! I can't wait for my copy! it will probably arrive sometime in October, but so worth the wait! The print editions are so beautiful! And the story! I don't think i've ever enjoyed a fantasy series as much as this one :-)
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Sounds awfully familiar. Also... try to sleep a bit between your (too long!!!) work days and the vehement reading. :-) I do mean it, dear. The Scandinavian department of our support group for
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I finished the rough draft of The Parting Glass last night, and I treated myself to reading through the Rifter books. Not in any particular order, just touching down here and there -- as though I were opening Gray Space and stepping through.
Can I just say how very glad and grateful I am that Ginn did not do what so many writers (of books that I do love despite this) do, which is go on and on and on tying everything up after the story is over.
As in dear old Return of the King which, by the final pages, makes you want to kill someone. Or even that Jim Grimsley book -- which I dearly love -- but Honest To God will you not try and tie up every final loose end of every character's life?
D-O-W-N-E-R
And the little Christmas vignette -- firstly, blushing to be mentioned -- it's so touching and so perfect. Yes, I did totally tear up.
It's just lovely.
Maybe in the book of the month club we should sometime do the Rifter series? Because I love it so much.
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and 
. They are both by Dominique Frost. She has a very picturesque way of writing."I feel so out of touch. I don't know half the books and half the authors you guys mention. It is genuinely startling because at one point, I did absolutely know of every book and every author (within this teeny genre).
In particular, I knew of every mystery/romantic suspense book and author. So much so that Wayne Gunn used to give me credit for being the most knowledgeable author in my field. But now...not so much. So many books are published each week. So many new authors follow me on FB or Twitter, and they make no pretense. Their very description is a book promo. What can you do with that? I don't want to "interact" with a commercial.
Josh wrote: "Maybe in the book of the month club we should sometime do the Rifter series? Because I love it so much. "How about we do it for December? Rifter, Christmas Coda and all? Would be a good reason to get print edition. :-D
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How I about we do it for December? Rifter, Christmas Coda and all? Would be a..."
Yes. Of course, it's huge, so picking it early and giving everyone advance notice would be a good idea.
Josh wrote: "So many books are published each week. So many new authors follow me on FB or Twitter, and they make no pretense. Their very description is a book promo. What can you do with that? I don't want to "interact" with a commercial."The genre ain't so "teeny" anymore, is it? When I glanced over the recent batch of stories written for the GR M/M Romance group, I didn't recognize 75% of the names.
And, yes, the pimpage is relentless. (Poor Josh -- you have coattails, darlin', and many new writers want to ride them. :/)
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It used to be my rule to automatically friend/follow every one back. My new rule is if they pimp to me in our first interaction or if they "thank" me on my home page, they are instantly deleted (and I remove that post from the homepage).
It's not that I don't get how hard it is, but no taking cuts in line. You swing the pike, you break the rocks like we all have to do.
Josh wrote: "KC wrote: "Josh wrote: "..I received the three print Rifter books last night, so I suspect all other reading is going on hold. I'm so excited and happy to hold these in my hands. I know you all hea..."I've been eyeing that Rifter series by Ginn Hale for a while and I think I'll start it based in your recommendation Josh. And I agree with you that the tying everything up at the end that some authors do can detract from an otherwise beautifully written story. But I have to admit that sometimes, particularly when I'm multiple books into a series and totally emotionally invested in the characters, I can't help to want to know what happens to everyone.
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It's delicate. It really is. Because the power and resonance hangs on the final words the characters speak. So that handy dandy wrap up, while answering a lot of genuinely heartfelt questions does sort of snap the thread of disbelief. Suddenly it's an index and a character bio and the author chiming in, and a bunch of other things that, I feel, dilute the power.
This is not to say that I might not be wrong, just that for me, I want to end with possibilities still open and a certain amount of unknown ahead.
Because that is real life. we don't know what lies around the corner.
at the same time, fiction is not real life. The demands of the art are different.
So in the end, I guess it is merely a personal preference. I don't want to know everything. I don't need to know everything. It sort of spoils it for me if I know everything.
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Last night I watched To Live and Die in LA. Great movie from 1985. But the ending is not what you're expecting. It doesn't wrap everything up in a neat happily ever after bow. But then you begin to understand why once you take a moment to think about it. Btw, according to the secret service agent I took a class with last weekend, the counterfiting scene is extremely realistic, which was why I picked the movie up in the first place.
But there are other stories where I want everything wrapped up. It makes me feel better emotionally. But if all stories ended like that they'd get to be boring after awhile!
Josh wrote: "Karl wrote: "Josh wrote: "KC wrote: "Josh wrote: "..I received the three print Rifter books last night, so I suspect all other reading is going on hold. I'm so excited and happy to hold these in my..."Overall I do agree with Josh- "Suddenly it's an index and a character bio...." This couldn't be more true- I do think it can sometimes seem like an info-dump when the author runs around in the last 1-2 chapters tying everything up. And then there is the risk of the epilogue- I find myself either loving them or hating them. For example, when I came to the end of the 7th book in a popular series of a boy wizard, I hated the epilogue- I'd rather the author left it up to the reader to imagine their futures.
Yes I agree with you about the epilogue in the boy wizard series. I didn't like it either. It felt a bit flat for me and rather mundane. They had all reached middle age, were all married with kids and that was that. No more adventures, mortgage to pay :(
The thing I hated most about the Harry Potter epilogue was... well, hands up who wishes they were married to their first crush right now? Ginny Weasley had literally no life whatsoever. Develops crush on boy aged 12, spends teen years in war, ends up married with kids without having kissed anyone else. I don't call that a happy ending.It's possible I'm overthinking this (ahem) but the reductiveness of marrying all the main characters to one another abruptly reduced the canvas from this huge realised world to a tiny inward-focused group who never did anything interesting after they left school. Peter's Friends, basically.
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How about we do it for December? Rifter, Christmas Coda and all? Would be a g..."
Excellent idea, you two! And if December feels too short a time to discuss the whole Rifter series, we can always continue to do so in January (like we did with The Charioteer).
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What a lovely way to describe your Rifter reading — like stepping in and out of Gray Space. :-)
Oh god, the Potter epilogue. Never have a hated an epilogue so much. And I think I hated it because it totally closes down the reader's imagination. There's no chance to wonder, what did everyone do after the end of the book? Who got together with who to hear the patter of tiny wizards? No, no speculation allowed, it's all laid out, this is what happened.I guess it's my fanfic background. I want space to use my imagination on it. Maybe Hermione become Minister of Magic. Maybe Neville eventually founded a new Longbottom House at Hogwarts. Who can say? Thinking about this stuff, especially in a book series like that, where people were so emotionally invested in the characters, is part of enjoying a book to me. If I love the characters I want to go on thinking about them afterwards. Anything that limits my thoughts about them for no good reason is infuriating.
I assume the epilogue is the famous "final chapter" that JKR apparently had locked away in a deposit box for years. I really think she should have left it there. It's horribly incongruous.
Right now I'm reading The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I keep seeing people raving about it. Only 15% into it so far, but it's a great start! I think I'm going to really enjoy it.
Becky wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I keep seeing people raving about it. Only 15% into it so far, but it's a great start! I think I'm going to really enjoy it."The Magpie Lord was amazing! I can't wait for A Case of Possession.
On another note, I'm probably the only person in the universe who hasn't read the Harry Potter series. I read the first book years ago and thought it was okay but never finished the series. I will get around to it eventually.
Valerie wrote: "Becky wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I keep seeing people raving about it. Only 15% into it so far, but it's a great start! I think I'm going to really enjoy it."T..."
I haven't read it either :)
Valerie wrote: "On another note, I'm probably the only person in the universe who hasn't read the Harry Potter series. I read the first book years ago and thought it was okay but never finished the series."I read the first 4 books as soon as they were out.
By the fourth I found the repeating of explanations from the first books a bit annoying and I stopped. Much later I bought n.5 though, because I found a hard-cover edition for something like $ 1 ;-).
Antonella wrote: "Valerie wrote: "On another note, I'm probably the only person in the universe who hasn't read the Harry Potter series. I read the first book years ago and thought it was okay but never finished the..."I have suggested to my daughter (she's 10) that we read the series together, but she has shown no interest in it.
Calathea wrote: "Josh wrote: "Maybe in the book of the month club we should sometime do the Rifter series? Because I love it so much. "How about we do it for December? Rifter, Christmas Coda and all? Would be a g..."
Lovely idea! :-)
Speaking of fantasy, I am reading The Adorned, the writing is quite lovely. I didn't know what to expect when I bought it, but I am finding it hard to put down.
I'm reading Evil Dark, the second book in the Occult Crimes Unit Investigation series. It's a good blend between paranormal and police procedural. I like the humor (for example, the cops reading MirandaStoker rights to the perps or cops having a Hellhound named Daisy).One of my favorite quotes from the first book:
Ned once explained to me that academic papers usually have a colon in the title, because so many of them are written by assholes.
I like that series, it is funny and witty, and set in Scranton, not a place you would expect to be a supernatural hot spot.
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Lady*M wrote: "One of my favorite quotes from the first book:Ned once explained to me that academic papers usually have a colon in the title, because so many of them are written by assholes. ..."
This is so good!! I've often wondered why they do that.
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Ned once explained to me that academic papers usually have a colon in the title, because so many of them are written by assholes."
LMAO. That's so funny! I want to read this series! :-)
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Yes, that's it! I love that book. It holds a permanent Keeper Spot on my bookshelves. But I only reread the actual story. The final bits feel like homework. Not only do I not reread, I do my best to forget them.
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Ah! Yes. YOU DIDN'T THINK THIS WAS JUST A STORY, DID YOU??? That's what that feels like.
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How about we do it for December? Rifter, Christmas Coda and ..."
I am all for that!
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T..."
Oh yes! The Magpie Lord. I'm buying that!
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I'm going to buy and read Fall Hard by JL Merrow tomorrow. It will be my reward for the work-related stress I have to survive tomorrow. :)
Josh wrote: "Bought Magpie Lord and Dead in LA. My next reading however is "Both are excellent. I want to read the sequel to Dead in L.A. - Dead in the Desert. Crash & Burn seems interesting, but there are so many books out there - let us now what you think.
Josh wrote: "Oh yes! The Magpie Lord. I'm buying that!"I'm really enjoying it. Good dialogue too, which is always a key for me to really enjoying a book.
Valerie wrote: "Becky wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I keep seeing people raving about it. Only 15% into it so far, but it's a great start! I think I'm going to really enjoy it."T..."
If you enjoy audiobooks I highly recommend the version read by Jim Dale. He does a phenomenal job with them. Sadly, he did such a good job that I can't listen to any of his other works-- all I hear is Harry Potter!
Calathea wrote: "I'm going to buy and read Fall Hard by JL Merrow tomorrow. It will be my reward for the work-related stress I have to survive tomorrow. :)"Mine is pre-ordered. Can't wait!
(Almost spelled that cain't wait! LOL)
Becky wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Becky wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I keep seeing people raving about it. Only 15% into it so far, but it's a great start! I think I'm going to real..."That is a good idea - I love audiobooks. I have heard great things about his narration!
I do the same thing with narrators. I recently listened to Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs which has the same narrator as the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I couldn't help thinking Mercy should NOT sound like Charley!
This week i'm reading Whitley Gray's suspense/mystery High Concept, which i find intriguing, and also Sara Gran's mystery Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead which i'm really enjoying. Next, i'll probably go for some fantasy so The Magpie Lord, and Mongrel.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I received the three print Rifter books last night, so I suspect all other reading is going on hold. I'm so excited and happy to hold these in my hands. I know you all heard me go on plenty about how riveted I found that series. It made me feel the adventure and joy of reading in a way I hadn't for years. I love that story. And having the whole thing in front of me with maps and glossaries and drawings -- and there's a little vignette at the very end that I barely let myself look at.
Wonderful!