Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
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Josh wrote: "It did go through my mind to edit the sex scenes for audio. That would certainly make it easier on me and easier on mainstream readers I pick up. But I also think a lot of readers would feel cheated if I cut the scenes. ..."This really surprised me, that you even thought about it. The essence of your sex scenes is that they are never gratuitous; they're part of the story, they reveal the characters and their relationship.
As Susan says, I'm glad you didn't do it. I never buy abridged books, in audio or otherwise, as I operate on the basis that the author, with his editor, has already decided that every word is necessary or desirable. And I would be really miffed if I bought in audio a book I'd already read and found it differed significantly from the original. To me it's merely another medium - it should be the same in print and in sound.
(Which reminds me of the Whispersync thing, a whole other ballgame.)
I'm amazed at reviewers objecting to your scenes. Do they also object to sex scenes in het romances? If they do, then fair enough - they just need to learn that you're not on what they call the "clean" lists. If they don't, then I think they should be ignored.
I'm just failing to finish a book by an author I mostly really like because it has too much sex. Not badly written sex, not porny sex, just endless sex. There's a good suspense plot that happens between the sex, and some nice interaction with a supporting character when the MCs aren't having sex, and a metric ton of Personal Trauma backstory (healed by sex), but all that is standing out like islands in a sea of jizz. Basically, it's a 60K word story with relevant plot/emotion-progressing sex scenes, bulked out to a 100K word story with shagging.I'm really disappointed, because this is a good author of romantic suspense, which is what I wanted to read, but I've gone from skipping through the sex scenes to DNFing because YAWN. It is a great reminder of the point well made in
Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks & Cash that sex scenes have to advance the plot if you're not just to be writing porn.
What I mean is, I wouldn't get it in audio.
K.J. wrote: "I'm just failing to finish a book by an author I mostly really like because it has too much sex. Not badly written sex, not porny sex, just endless sex. There's a good suspense plot that happens be..."I have read some of those, yes and shudder on thinking listening to them and you can't escape by skipping ahead ...
Another thing that really really makes med dislike a book strongly is the idea that personal trauma, maybe especially sexual traumas, can be healed by endless amounts of sex. It is so shallow and disrespectful of people's suffering. And I get to think that the author 1) doesn't know much about how humans work and 2) doesn't know his or her craft well enough to write about such hard topics in an insightful manner.
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I don't buy shortened books either. It's not the same thing as the original.
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Please don't say scary things like that...
Hj wrote: " I was having a bad day, driving back from a meeting (that had to do with having to cut 1\2 our staff in our dept) with my boss, who was giving me a “pep talk” on me needing to go to school and how I should work on changing my introvert tendencies to more extrovert (she’s an extrovert) to be truly noticed in our company...."There are a LOT of readers who object to any type of sex scene. If the readers coming across Josh's work are cozy mystery readers, I can see where they would be completely surprised. Most scenes are closed door in that genre.
Don't you dare take 'em out, Josh!
Anne wrote: "Another thing that really really makes med dislike a book strongly is the idea that personal trauma, maybe especially sexual traumas, can be healed by endless amounts of sex. It is so shallow and disrespectful of people's suffering. And I get to think that the author 1) doesn't know much about how humans work and 2) doesn't know his or her craft well enough to write about such hard topics in an insightful manner. ..."I agree. I came across that a lot in m/f reading. Once the hero and heroine got it on it was all better. Ack!
Two books that treat past abuse intelligently is Aaron by JP Barnaby and Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton which also treats religion intelligently.
Susinok wrote: "Anne wrote: "Another thing that really really makes med dislike a book strongly is the idea that personal trauma, maybe especially sexual traumas, can be healed by endless amounts of sex. It is so ..."Yes, both of those are good.
Susinok wrote: "Hj wrote: " I was having a bad day, driving back from a meeting (that had to do with having to cut 1\2 our staff in our dept) with my boss, who was giving me a “pep talk” on me needing to go to sch..."Susinok - don't know what happened there - I didn't write about having a bad day etc., and I'm not sure who did as I can't find it!
Hj wrote: "Susinok - don't know what happened there - I didn't write about having a bad day etc., and I'm not sure who did as I can't find it! ..."Did I reply to the wrong person? It was Joanna, I think. Well anyway, I stand by my comments. Introverts do just fine in big business.
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Did I reply to the wrong person? It was Joanna, ..."
I think you just happened to jump from the (Five) Things I Love thread to this thread here. It was DeniseE who you were quoting
----> "I was having a bad day, driving back from a meeting (that had to do with having to cut 1\2 our staff in our dept) with my boss, who was giving me a “pep talk” on me needing to go to school and how I should work on changing my introvert tendencies to more extrovert (she’s an extrovert) to be truly noticed in our company...."
and her original post is here (message 1108). :-)
Read yesterday JCP's Immortal Coil which is the last story in the Petit Morts series, and it was so good! I'm a bit sad that i don't have any more stories to read from that series...
Johanna - I was going to ask how you are today and then I saw in another thread that you were coughing a lot. It looks as though your wits are as sharp as ever, though, matching up the mysterious words attributed to me! I guess Susinok experienced the perils of a clipboard (copy and paste).Hope you feel better over the weekend!
I'm currently reading
and I thought it was an original book, but it's a TeenWolf fanfic. The Hale fire is there and Deucalion is set up as the overall king, the one who seduces Derek, I mean Darren, of course is named Caitlyn, no comparisons to Kate Argent intended, I'm sure.
The doctor is Dr. Dalon, which doesn't sound like Dr. Deaton at all(that's sarcasm).
To add insult to injury it's not even a good story or at least I've read better Derek/Stiles fanfics, for free.
What I am currious about is if that is not some kind of plagiarism?
Susinok wrote: "Anne wrote: "Another thing that really really makes med dislike a book strongly is the idea that personal trauma, maybe especially sexual traumas, can be healed by endless amounts of sex. It is so ..."I was just rereading Between Sinners and Saints and I love that book... which is funny because it is really religious and I'm an atheist and I generally stay away from religious books. But I loved how Marie Sexton wrote this book and how the abuse was treated. I think very realistically. Wonderful book actually.
Oh, and can I add..... how refreshing was it to read about a penis that was not 8-10 inches.... but short.
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Very wise. Very practical. ;-)
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I'm not kidding when I say I find the sex scenes torture to hear narrated. For some reason the rest of the narration, I can listen to almost objectively, as if the book wasn't mine. But we hit those sex scenes and I feel like I'm standing on a table waving my...er...Hello Kitty.
So yes, it did occur to me, but I hate abridged books too, so I let the thought go.
Josh wrote: "But we hit those sex scenes and I feel like I'm standing on a table waving my...er...Hello Kitty."What a visual! Too, too funny! :)
Readers were asking JCP about Vic's clothes and she answered with a story:Off the Cuff
A PsyCop fic of precisely 1500 words
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6...
Antonella wrote: "Readers were asking JCP about Vic's clothes and she answered with a story:Off the Cuff
A PsyCop fic of precisely 1500 words
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6......"
That one made me chuckle. Poor Vic. ;-)
Thanks for the link, Antonella!
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Hope you feel better over the weekend!"
Thank you for your kind words, Hj. I really, really hope this too. I can't be sick next week. I can't.
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LMAO. Well, I certainly needed that laugh. :-D
Anyway, you shouldn't feel ashamed when listening to those scenes. They are beautiful. They really are. And such vital part of the story. I know you can't help feeling that way, but you really should be proud of your sex scenes (even read aloud).
Now climb off that dinner table and put the *cough*Hello*cough*Kitty*cough* where it belongs. :-)
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Off the Cuff
A PsyCop fic of precisely 1500 words
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6......"
Thank you, Antonella, for keeping us updated on everything happening with Vic and Jacob!
Johanna wrote: "Thank you, Antonella, for keeping us updated on everything happening with Vic and Jacob!"You are welcome! Probably I'm sublimating my need to reread the series ;-).
Johanna wrote: "Now climb off that dinner table and put the *cough*Hello*cough*Kitty*cough* where it belongs. :-) "Was that you being polite, Johanna, or the flu acting up? ;-)
Okay, no joking about flu and stuff... get well soon! *hugs*
Must be in a Christmas mood. I just re-downloaded Josh's two anthologies he did for Carina Press. I have to read Nine Lights over Edinburgh again. HAVE TO!That was my first time reading Harper Fox and it blew me away.
Nine Lights Over Edinburgh
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Was that you being polite, Johanna, or the flu acting up? ;-)
Okay, no joking ab..."
I am a bit medicated at the moment. You can tell? ;-)
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That was my first time reading Harper Fo..."
Both anthologies
and
are great. Perfect for the anticipation of Holidays. :-)
I just finished reading
and really enjoyed it. Now i have just started
and i am really enjoying this too. It is kind of comforting and easy to read. At the same time i am reading
which is the first book in the Benjamin Justice mystery series. I have had this book on my shelves for ages and I am really pleased i took the risk and decided to try a new author. I am really looking forward to getting into the entire series and thankfully paperback copies on Amazon are really cheap.
I started reading
Bone Rider today and wow what a ride! I'm 20% in and the beginning was very promising with alien symbiontic sentient armor technology hitching a ride on an unsuspecting human after crash-landing on earth. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will go on like this.
You will love it! And bite your nails off from all the suspense, lol.
Lady*M wrote: "You will love it! And bite your nails off from all the suspense, lol."That's a good thing, yes?
I love "Nine Lights Over Edinburgh." Harper mentioned a possible sequel at one point. I'm hoping that's still on the table.
Calathea wrote: "Lady*M wrote: "You will love it! And bite your nails off from all the suspense, lol."That's a good thing, yes? "
Absolutely. :)
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This series is good, well done, I'm enjoying it, but Kai is a big problem. Oiy.
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Bone Rider today and wow what a ride! I'm 20% in and the beginning was very promising with alien symbiontic sentient armor technolo..."Lady*M and Calathea, thanks so much for bringing this book to our attention! I'm a little over a third through it, loving it. A wild ride and the most sci-fi fun I've had in awhile, but there's meat on those bones too. Acute observations on life and love.
I just finished
and gotta recommend it to the mystery/suspense lovers (but not the romantics). It's a mind-f**k like you wouldn't believe! I couldn't put it down, even though I didn't finish til 1am (which I will so regret at work tomorrow/today).
and gotta recommend it to the mystery/suspense lovers (but not the romantics). It's a mind-f**k like you wouldn't believe! I couldn't put it down, even though I didn't finish til 1am (which I will so regret at work tomorrow/today).
Karen wrote: "Lady*M and Calathea, thanks so much for bringing this book to our attention! I'm a little over a third through it, loving it."I finished it last night and I wanted to write the same here!
Antonella wrote: "Karen wrote: "Lady*M and Calathea, thanks so much for bringing this book to our attention! I'm a little over a third through it, loving it."I finished it last night and I wanted to write the same..."
Ok, now I know I have to have it!
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Two Kizuna books to go. I'm thinking I'll have it finished by tomorrow then I'll be starting Skinflick, but I'm really wanting to read about Dave right now! Lol
I am reading Let It Snow newly out by Heidi Cullinan. Frankie gets lost in a snow storm and ends up in a cabin with three bears. It's not as cheesy as the premise sounds. Frankie is really sweet.
Susinok wrote: "I am reading Let It Snow newly out by Heidi Cullinan. Frankie gets lost in a snow storm and ends up in a cabin with three bears. It's not as cheesy as the premise sounds. Frankie is..."Does he have golden hair?
Yes, yes he does. And oatmeal is involved. :)
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Exactly. I love them in print and yours are not what I'd call explicit by ANY stretch. You'd have to be surprised at the genre to not expect them at all.
Maybe part of the trouble I had was that it was first person, but most just the hearing it aloud instead of reading it. I didn't say before, but it might be relevant that it was the second book in the Boystown series, and if you've read it, you know the sex scenes are pretty raw and the majority are not romantic in the least. Not exactly an apples-to-apples with an Adrien & Jake scene, y'know?
Also, if you're familiar with Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learning Styles, I'm a VKA, so aural is always going to be my least favored method of receiving information. Audio books are never going to be my favorite thing.
Even so, it was surprising even to me how wigged out I got. :)