Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
Lou wrote: "Have you seen him in Soldier, Tailor, Tinker, Spy?"No. I didn't hear good things about that movie. Did you like it? Or was it worth it just for him?
I've actually only seen him in Star Trek, Sherlock, August: Osage County, and Frankenstein (BC played the Creature & Jonny Lee Miller played Victor). He is indeed very talented. Those are four vastly different roles.
One of my favourite Cumberbatch roles is actually in a BBC radio comedy called Cabin Pressure. It's a wonderful show with great writing and performances. It's available to buy on Audible. And you can usually find episodes up on You Tube if you want to sample it first.
Josh wrote: "I don't care how interactive the publishing dynamic gets, I'm still driving this car. I determine the route. If the reader is lucky, I may let him fiddle with the CD player. :-D"Aaand that would be my favourite writing metaphor ever.
KC wrote: "Anne wrote: "K.J. wrote: "Josh wrote: "Well, in the case of trying to spin off a character, the idea is to win readers over to the new world, so I guess you would want to know if that was working o..."Every time I see other people who want more Merrick too, it makes me grin. :)
And I'll follow authors I love anywhere, through any spinoff or random, one-off stand-alone books. There's a level of trust built with me that means I'm up for anything you want to try. If Josh wrote a Kate book, I'd think, "Hmm, that's different." Followed immediately by, "Sign me up." Ditto for this mysterious spinoff that KJ is working on...I'm on board. My consistent swooning over either of your books leaves me quite confident that I'll enjoy any new direction you choose to take.
I get it though, the disappointed fans/readers. I don't agree with them, but it's like when my favorite band releases a new album. A part of me wants it to sound just like the *last* album I loved by them. Of course, if it did, I'd get bored with it! The bands who evolve and change are always the most fascinating ones in the long run, even if for a moment I wish Muse would just make another Knights of Cydonia. ;)
K.J. wrote: "Josh wrote: "I don't care how interactive the publishing dynamic gets, I'm still driving this car. I determine the route. If the reader is lucky, I may let him fiddle with the CD player. :-D"Aaan..."
Aye, but if you go on a road trip for 10-12 years with a large vocal fan base, some are going to start noticing if the author takes a detour or forgets to signal. If the author gets fed up and decides to end the trip by driving off a cliff, many of the fans will not hold the author's hand Thelma and Louise style. They will instead complain loudly and often about feeling betrayed and may start championing the many times fanfic stole the car and took it for a joy ride. Some of them will never get into a car with that author again. If fans think they are going to Wally World, many won't be happy if it's closed when they get there. Those fans won't simply leave--they will tell others about their experience, especially if they cut their faces flying through a windshield. That's the price of being the driver, I guess.
Amy Jo wrote: "KC wrote: "Anne wrote: "K.J. wrote: "Josh wrote: "Well, in the case of trying to spin off a character, the idea is to win readers over to the new world, so I guess you would want to know if that wa..."And I have already pre-ordered the next K.J. book, which is not about Merrick, it seems. But since I love her other books, I trust that this too will be interesting and fun :)
And I agree about the level of trust, there might be books by a certain author that I love more than others (and consequently some I love less) but I will always be willing to try whatever this author throws at me because I trust it will be interesting, well written and good. And I am all for variation in my diet, be it books or food or music :)
I've just finished Backtrack and lost the review I had written... Anyway it was beautiful. I don't agree with the readers who find it totally different from the Brandstetter's series.
Anne wrote: "Amy Jo wrote: "KC wrote: "Anne wrote: "K.J. wrote: "Josh wrote: "Well, in the case of trying to spin off a character, the idea is to win readers over to the new world, so I guess you would want to ..."@Anne I feel that way about most authors I like too. I just also understand some fan backlash and see it is somewhat predictable in many cases.
@ Na very funny. :)
In interest of full disclosure, another forum I frequent is discussing Ann Rice's crusade to make Amazon reviewers use real names, so I've been looking at a lot of situations where fan-author relationships go wrong and it's on my mind.
Back to books--I recently finished Written in Red and it was a fun read if you like fantasy.
Feral wrote: "Anne wrote: "Amy Jo wrote: "KC wrote: "Anne wrote: "K.J. wrote: "Josh wrote: "Well, in the case of trying to spin off a character, the idea is to win readers over to the new world, so I guess you w..."There will always be both, it's part of these different tastes in things we all have :p
Finished The Darkling Thrush, liked the story, wasn't too fond of some of the voices the narrator used, will read it myself next time :-)
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LOL. Yep, every time I listen to those, I think of Josh.
Jordan wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Johanna wrote: ""Do we ALWAYS have to listen to that Lifehouse CD?! I wanna listen to the sex scenes of Josh Lanyon audio books!" *said with a whining voice* ""
LOL. Yep, every ..."
You think of Josh during the sex scenes?
ETA: This is a just bad joke. I know what you meant.
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Agreed.
Also, I love it when books are actually labeled as to where in the series they are. I dislike having to come to GR to figure this out when the book is in my hand.
And while I understand Josh's reasons for postponing a book, which is very valid, there are certain instances when waiting is a very bad thing. And the length of the wait factors in too.
Case in point, there was a mystery novel meant for middle school aged kids. It was supposed to be part 1 of 2, so the mystery was split up. However, book 2 didn't get published until 10 years later! So now the author has lost her audience and has to start over again. It was a good story. I really enjoyed it. But I found it when the 2nd book was published, so I didn't have to wait. I just don't know why you'd wait so long to finish a story.
The H&M series are standalone books, in a sense that you're not left hanging at the end to know who murdered the dead guy. But this series just did it all the wrong way. It probably would have been better as one long book anyway.
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Yes, that's a sexy cartoon."
Yes! Him.
Soon German readers will read more Finnish books. Finland is guest of honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse and organised the campaign “Finnland. Cool.”More than 100 books will be translated into German in 2014. The state organisation FILI (Finnish Literature Exchange) granted in 2013 EUR 728.000 for translations in 27 different languages.
Antonella wrote: "Soon German readers will read more Finnish books. Finland is guest of honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse and organised the campaign “Finnland. Cool.”More than 100 books will be translated into Ge..."
How come you didn't mention Switzerland was guest land on the Leipzig book fair last week? ;-) There was a lot of red and white there. And a ton of each manga/anime character imaginable because at the same time there was a manga fair/cosplay festival. The best I saw was a complete set of Disc World characters. :-)
Calathea wrote: "How come you didn't mention Switzerland was guest land on the Leipzig book fair last week? ;-)"Oops, I didn't notice it! I don't translate anymore for the Swiss cultural institute (I suppose they found someone cheaper ;-).
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I think that's one of the challenges of writing over a long period of time. We do change. Hopefully! :-D Hopefully we learn and grow. Also society changes. I was feeling the pinch of that by the end of the Adrien books.
And the CYOA, I just played fast and loose with technology all over the place. Mostly because Fatal Shadows revisioned or not, it's such a nutty concept I felt free to break the rules.
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Good thought. We do largely read series for the characters, so they characters have to be strong enough to carry the series -- and what we love about them can't change too much, even though we expect them to learn and grow.
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Heard someone say the other day that Benedict Cumberbatch is the first actor to play Sherlock Holmes who has a more ridiculous name than "Sher..."
Basil Rathbone. Yes, that is a pretty crazy name, if you stop to consider. But it can't begin to compete with Cumberbun Bandersnatch, which is what the SO and I call Cumberbatch. :-D
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LOL
I CAN'T DRIVE AND LISTEN TO THAT!!!
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I know. I agree. The problem is, you try and label that so that readers know going in everything isn't going to be tied up with a bow -- that you weren't being lazy, you're planning on a series.
And partly, yes. It's easy for marketing purposes down the line if the book is marked "first in a new series."
But oh man the disappointment if the series doesn't happen. As with Mexican Heat. Yeesh.
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I find that endlessly entertaining. I mean, my nieces would get giggly..."
Oh yes. Ranmaru and Kei.
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Aaan..."
:-D
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:-D :-D :-D
Yes, that is the price. The readers are not prisoners in an abduction scenario. If you drive off a cliff too many times, they will stop climbing in the car with you. Even if you promise fast food and rest stops. ;-D
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Anyway it was beautiful. I don't agree with the readers who find it totally different from the Brandstetter's series."
Well, it is different, but it is also everything we love about Hansen.
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Anyway it was beautiful. I don't agree with the readers who find it totally different from the Brandstetter's series."
I would have loved to read that review.
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Thank you, Amy Jo.
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L..."
Ha! That is funny given that I think of England during sex scenes. ;-P
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That dynamic is already so entirely different from when I began writing. And it's not like we've reached the finish line. It will continue to change. When you've got the Big Boy publishers asking everyone from literary authors to non fiction authors to jump into social media and promote...it's only going to get more confused and incestuous.
Josh wrote: "I would have loved to read that review. "It's coming, I just have to rewrite it.
It irritates me that there is almost no real positive review at the moment, apart for some 5 stars ratings without comment. The people who bothered to write longish reviews didn't appreciate the book very much, and one left visible spoilers in it.
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It's coming, I just have to rewrite it.
It irritates me that there is almost no real positive review at the moment, apart for some 5 stars ..."
There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of reviews of Hansen's books on Amazon either. Makes me want to write at least a few. I've only written one so far — for Fadeout.
Josh wrote: "Ha! That is funny given that I think of England during sex scenes. ;-P "LOL. Well Hail Britannia.
Johanna wrote: "I've only written one so far — for Fadeout."And I have recommended it ;-).
Here my review for Backtrack
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Becky wrote: "One of my favourite Cumberbatch roles is actually in a BBC radio comedy called Cabin Pressure. It's a wonderful show with great writing and performances. It's available to buy on Audible. And you c..."You have always felt that way, and I respect it. And I agree that Abigail Roux has a right to say the same thing.
Me, I go along for the ride because I love the work.
I read Billy's Bones by Jamie Fressenden yesterday. One of the MC's was a childhood abuse survivor. The story was very good though rough at times. Well done and no sexual healing here.
Susinok wrote: "I read Billy's Bones by Jamie Fressenden yesterday. One of the MC's was a childhood abuse survivor. The story was very good though rough at times. Well done and no sexual healing here."I liked it too, and I especially liked that sex didn't heal everything.
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I finished reading Joseph Hansen's Dave Brandstetter series the other night (yes, reading the ending in the middle of the night wasn't one of my better ideas). I'll comment on that more in our A Country of Old Men thread as soon as I can. To say it shortly, I miss Hansen's writing and Dave terribly. Luckily I have more Hansen books on by nightstand within a hand's reach waiting to be read.
Johanna wrote: "I'm currently reading Lou Harper's Spirit Sanguine (about 30 % through) and I'm really liking it. Sadly, I'm again sick with flu and spending a lot of time in bed being miserable, s..."Get well soon, dear Johanna. In the meantime, enjoy the books close at hand :)
I just finished Aria by Shira Anthony. It was not my favorite of her Blue Notes series - that would probably be The Melody Thief - but I liked it. Very enjoyable series about classical musicians, opera singers, etc. I'm currently reading ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield. I'm glad I still have a lot of her back list to read because I really enjoy her writing. I recently read and LOVED both My Cowboy Heart and Jack: Grime and Punishment.
Johanna wrote: "I'm currently reading Lou Harper's Spirit Sanguine (about 30 % through) and I'm really liking it. Sadly, I'm again sick with flu and spending a lot of time in bed being miserable, s..."Hope you are feeling better soon. :)
Valerie C wrote: "I just finished Aria by Shira Anthony. It was not my favorite of her Blue Notes series - that would probably be The Melody Thief - but I liked it. Very enjoyable ser..."I really enjoyed the Grime and Punishment series. I hope we get more. I didn't like Cowboy Heart as much as some of ZAM's other books but she is a favourite author of mine.
Last night I finished Spirit by John Inman. I really enjoy his humorous books. This one was good and kind of scary too but very enjoyable.
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It's coming, I just have to rewrite it.
It irritates me that there is almost no real positive review at the moment, apart for some 5 stars ..."
I don't have time to write a review at the moment, but I added my five stars. Some readers fail to understand that Hansen is as much about the style and the words as the plot. Actually much more so, if you read his early James Colton stuff. Backtrack is about that retro California vibe -- no one captures that outlaw, outlier world better than Hansen -- and themes of identity, understanding the past, the alienation, the true nature of love and possession.
Anyone just reading for the mystery plot (or the romance!) is going to have half the book fly right over their head.
(And I enjoyed your review, Antonella.)
Calathea wrote: "The best I saw was a complete set of Disc World characters. :-) "How very awesome! :-) Is there a link to this thing?
Johanna wrote: "I'm currently reading Lou Harper's Spirit Sanguine (about 30 % through) and I'm really liking it. Sadly, I'm again sick with flu and spending a lot of time in bed being miserable, s..."Take good care of yourself, Johanna! I hope you feel better soon! in the meantime, enjoy the other Hansens! :-)
I'm reading Janice Law's Fires of London. I really enjoyed The Prisoner of the Riviera, and i'm enjoying this one too. I wasn't familiar with Francis Bacon's work before these novels (or maybe i've repressed...) but it was really interesting to look at his paintings after reading specific details in the novel. The author captures them so well.
Josh wrote: "Anyone just reading for the mystery plot (or the romance!) is going to have half the book fly right over their head."I thought I felt a breeze in my hair when I read this one. It's entirely possible that I missed the genius at work here, but I'm not generally a fan of the argument that if someone didn't like something, they must not have understood it. I am one of those people that need to be anchored in a good, solid plot before I can really appreciate the other wonderful things the author may be doing (with themes or style, etc) and this one did not satisfy like the other books I had read by Hansen.
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I thought I felt a breeze in my hair when I read this one. It's e..."
And I'm not a fan of the argument that just because someone doesn't like something, it's not intrinsically good. I taught for too many years to place much importance on "But I Don't Like It!"
Different people read for different reasons at different times. A "good, solid plot" can be enough, if that's what you're reading for. Sometimes it's what I'm reading for. It depends on my mood.
Sometimes, though, people simply do not have the tools. We are all not equal in our education or experiences or abilities. And the sooner we get over our idea that our personal opinion holds some mystical importance or significance, the better it will be for us as a society.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I find that endlessly entertaining. I mean, my nieces would get giggly and blushy ov..."
Yeah, but the guys in adult manga actually are extremely good looking and tend to look more human that some cartoons for kids.
You've reminded me about what's-his-face from Kizuna. When he had long hair and glasses. OMG. Yeah. Then again, I think I've got a thing for guys with very long hair, so long as they don't look like a rocker. The hair actually has to look good. lol.