Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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Writing Questions for Josh
Josh wrote: "At least that's my theory. I guess we could do an unscientific polling. How many readers here discovered me through my writing and how many discovered me through my online social media presence?"I discovered your books after reading a recommendation on an Amazon forum discussion. I read the first Adrien English book based on the recommendation and have enjoyed everything you put out since. Finding you online and that you're open, friendly and great fun to interact with is a big bonus.
It's a funny thing about authors. A lot of times, I prefer not to know anything about them on a personal level. That way I can enjoy their books without having their personal views coloring my perceptions (for instance there is an author here in NM whose books/TV episodes/etc. are excellent but I refuse to read or watch because this person is such a snot and a snob this person makes one feel tiny).
As for Orson Scott Card - not surprising. He's very conservative and it shows throughout his writing. That he's so nasty in person ... sad.
I did not know about Anne McCaffrey, either. But I'm willing to bet that she did not think about what the fans would think about the fact that most of her green and blue riders are male (it probably explains why out of the blue one of her main female characters inexplicably got chosen to ride a green in one of the later books). That doesn't excuse her ignorance about the gay experience, though, to be fair, she was of an older generation and so much nonsense has been put out over the years that I'm not too surprised by her answer.
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http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Tent_Peg_..."
Hmm, she doesn't sound so much a homophobe as just...really misinformed? I just don't get f..."
I agree. I don't think she is being hateful, or even intends to be hurtful. She's just jaw-droppingly ill informed -- even for twenty years ago.
Obviously, your mileage may vary. :)
Plainbrownwrapper - It would be interesting to compare her portrayal of homosexual people to that of Marion Zimmer-Bradley.
Josh wrote: "How many readers here discovered me through my writing and how many discovered me through my online social media presence? "Books first, then...website? probably next. Don't really remember the order after books. I actually emailed you privately a few times -- yes, I was one of those creepy stalking strangers emailing you out of the blue -- before I started participating here.
Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - It would be interesting to compare her portrayal of homosexual people to that of Marion Zimmer-Bradley."Oooo. Hadn't read any of her stuff before, but I'm definitely going to check out some of her books now.
Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - It would be interesting to compare her portrayal of homosexual people to that of Marion Zimmer-Bradley."I actually got quite angry with MZB in one or two of her later Darkover books, because one of the MCs kept treating the other so badly.
MZB was certainly more overt about her gay characters, and I was always very impressed by them. I read them for the first time back when they were pretty new, when I was a teenager, and it was about the first time I had been exposed to "such things". Back in the Dark Ages. ;-) And actually, I was reading MZB and McCaffrey at roughly the same time. Although I grew up reading sff instead of romance, I think my fondness for both of them foreshadowed my eventual forays into the "dark side". ;-)
Christine wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - It would be interesting to compare her portrayal of homosexual people to that of Marion Zimmer-Bradley."Oooo. Hadn't read any of her stuff before, but I'm de..."
Start with The Heritage of Hastur. It's her best. The quality of her books is very uneven, but that's a great one.
Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - It would be interesting to compare her portrayal of homosexual people to that of Marion Zimmer-Bradley."Oh, also -- MZB had gay Bad Guys as well as gay Good Guys. I don't remember off hand, but I don't *think* McCaffrey had any gay Bad Guys. But she was so circumspect about the whole thing, "gay"ness was never a major issue. In contrast, it was front and center in some of the Darkover books.
Jordan wrote: "Carey wrote: "I became a fan of your work first, but enjoy that you interact with your fans. I feel like we need to not be so harsh to these authors, at least they are putting themselves out there...."I get that, I just meant for the ones that put themselves out there and then we pick them a part, I just like feel like we shouldn't be so harsh. And that is just in reference to discussing people's "blog voice" etc, not in reference to people that are homophobic. To put your political, or homophobic beliefs out there is another matter and people have every write to speak up against that IMO.
Josh wrote: "She's just jaw-droppingly ill informed -- even for twenty years ago."You'd be surprised at the stuff people believe about the human body and sexuality even nowadays--including educated people. I've heard some nutty stuff while caring for patients, and also from my nursing professors. *face palm*
[Edit: I just realized how that sounded! I didn't mean that my nursing professors had nutty beliefs, but was referring to stories they shared about beliefs of their patients. Oy.]
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Oooo. Hadn't read any of her stuff ..."
I haven't read any of her work either so thanks for the rec!
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Start with The Heritage of Hastur. It's her best. The quality of her books is very uneven, but that's a great one. "Thank you! I'll check it out!
Reminds me of Mercedes Lackey. Quality of her books not very even (imho), but she's written some of my very fav books, and wrote the first book with gay characters I ever read. (Well, if you don't count the gender-shifting in Scott Westerfeld's "Polymorph.")
Josh wrote: "At least that's my theory. I guess we could do an unscientific polling. How many readers here discovered me through my writing and how many discovered me through my online social media presence? "As I may have mentioned before, I discovered you through fandom which was a mixture of your writing and online chatting. It was probably that same mixture that made me search out your books when I was looking for something more than fandom could give me.
Christine wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - Check this quote:http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Tent_Peg_..."
But maybe I don't understand the word "homophobe." Does it mean that you're afraid of homos..."
I guess the word from it's root means you are afraid of homosexuals, but in reality it only means that you are an idiot. ( or ill-informed if I want to be charitable)
Josh wrote: "How many readers here discovered me through my writing and how many discovered me through my online social media presence? "Through your writing.
I got hooked :)
And then I found this group, and I was a bit taken aback by the accessibility, at first, but this is such a cozy group to hang around in.
Also, as someone who's been writing since her teens, it was very freeing to meet all these authors online, getting to know bits and pieces of them, and realising we all basically share the same dream. :)
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..."
Hey now! I don't know that I've ever had creepy stalker emails. Maybe one or two, but not so creepy or so stalkerish I couldn't forget all about them. Mostly what I get are very kind, thoughtful and heartfelt emails -- and I appreciate them very much. So never think otherwise!
Aleksandr wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper - Check this quote:http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Tent_Peg_..."
that's a rather scary and narrowminded point of view of homosexuality.
I do hope her eyes were opened at some point in her life.
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..."
I think this last election was really hard on a lot of people. I'm not excusing hatefilled rants, but I think for once (as politicians kept pointing out) it was a pretty clear choice what both sides believed and stood for.
I keep musing on this because that furious, bitter reaction to not getting your political way bothers me too. I fear that as a country we're starting to struggle with the idea of democracy. It seems like an increasing number of people can't handle the idea of being outvoted. The idea that the majority feels a different way is apparently all but unacceptable. So there's this weird notion growing in some quarters that the majority is "wrong" and therefore must be stopped.
And that, regardless of what your political views are, is an alarming state of mind for a democratic Republic.
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I found you through your writing — through The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks and I Spy Something Bloody to be exact. I had found JCP a little earlier (PsyCop #1 Among the Living was the very first m/m book I ever read).
I also read I Spy Something Wicked, AE series, Mummy Dearest, Mexican Heat, Icecapade and Come Unto These Yellow Sands before I found this site. So it was finally Swift who rocked my world so much that I absolutely had to find a place within social media where I could pour my heart out to someone who would understand what I'm going through and what I'm talking about. :)
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Yes. I have certainly gotten my share of hate mail. But there was nothing creepy or stalkerish about it.
:-D It was about as upfront and in your face as it gets. You know exactly where you are with the haters.
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..."
Right! This kind of casual interaction can be very effective. More effective than a lot of things like Twitter, etc that writers typically do to build name recognition. Not that those can't be useful too! But getting to know people on discussion lists -- that really works both ways. I've made friends with writers and readers through discussion lists in a way that I don't know I would have through other forms of social media.
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That's true. Especially given that there's a learning curve to all aspects of writing, especially social media. So many tools for promotion now, and some of them are like handing a baby a loaded gun.
The one thing, reader wise, that bowls me over is that there are so many books featuring gay characters, that I somehow missed growing up...When I first starting writing gay main characters, (eons ago, when I was 16/17 after seeing a film about a gay man, and getting fed up with all the negativity surrounding homosexuality), and wanted to show the world how beautiful love between men could be, I had no idea that there were books out there already.
Now, hanging around here, I hear more and more titles that I really should be adding to my tbr list (if it wasn't so bloody long already)... and they're all books that were available in the 80s/90s... and yet, I somehow missed them.
Josh wrote: "Right! This kind of casual interaction can be very effective. More effective than a lot of things like Twitter, etc that writers typically do to build name recognition. Not that those can't be useful too! But getting to know people on discussion lists -- that really works both ways. I've made friends with writers and readers through discussion lists in a way that I don't know I would have through other forms of social media. "Good point. Though... I do find it hard to keep up with the group sometimes... while a five minute convo on twitter seems more doable. (and mostly because I don't have to read through a lot of messages that I missed, because I didn't have time to check...)
and there are times when I really don't know what to say about a subject, so I end up lurking more than participating...
Blaine wrote: "and there are times when I really don't know what to say about a subject, so I end up lurking more than participating..."Yep, that's me as well. I'm always here though. In a non-creepy way :D
Blaine wrote: "Josh wrote: "Right! This kind of casual interaction can be very effective. More effective than a lot of things like Twitter, etc that writers typically do to build name recognition. Not that those ..."I find that I am remarkably bad at all forms of social media. What's remarkable about this is that I'm actually pretty sociable in real life. But somehow I can never keep up with social media - I'm one step behind with twitter conversations, my blog needs serious attention, I have yet to figure out FB and the only thing I seem to be able to do is to pop into GR for an occasional conversation. Maybe because it does feel like a conversation rather than the others - which often feel like standing alone and shouting into the ether.
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Yes. That's the thing I like about GR and especially this site. The conversation. The real sentences. With no strict letter/character limit — or at least I haven't never used all the characters allowed here for a message. Huh. That's actually amazing. ;)
I'm totally lost with Twitter (about one hundred tweets behind of any conversation happening there) and I'm awfully lazy with FB.
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Yes. That's the thing I like about GR and es..."
I like Facebook a lot. Especially my regular page. I've got a really nice bunch of regular reading friends there. The fan page is fun too and there's usually something enjoyable for readers going on thre in the form of contests for giveaways, but the regular page is where I actually have the most interaction (aside from here).
Johanna wrote: "I'm totally lost with Twitter (about one hundred tweets behind of any conversation happening there)"I have to admit, I love my Twitter.
I'm really terrible (for the most part) at keeping up with discussion lists, as much as I love them. Mostly, because I feel that it's important to read everything, and if I fall behind, I end up falling off the train. (And if I'm not falling off the train, I'm posting too frequently. *blush*)
Twitter, for me, is like walking into a room full of friends. I can dip into a conversation (most are pretty short, and if I want to catch up w/ what's been said already, I can open up the conversation history), start my own, or just listen to what's being said. I gave up trying to read all of the tweets a long time ago. It was like standing under a waterfall and trying to catch each droplet. -_-
But then, I pretty much have ADD, so the scattered room-full-of-conversations that is Twitter is just my speed. ;)
I was pushed by Eve/thelastaerie and Lia to read the AE series even though I didn't read misteries. Once I met Adrien I fell in love ;-).
Josh wrote: "I think this last election was really hard on a lot of people. I'm not excusing hatefilled rants, but I think for once (as politicians kept pointing out) it was a pretty clear choice what both sides believed and stood for.I keep musing on this because that furious, bitter reaction to not getting your political way bothers me too. I fear that as a country we're starting to struggle with the idea of democracy. It seems like an increasing number of people can't handle the idea of being outvoted. The idea that the majority feels a different way is apparently all but unacceptable. So there's this weird notion growing in some quarters that the majority is "wrong" and therefore must be stopped.
And that, regardless of what your political views are, is an alarming state of mind for a democratic Republic."
I agree with you. It's worry-some to have to listen to people you love having meltdowns over losing the election and you can't even talk to them about it without having arguments. Sigh. I think what's catching people is that this country is in a state of flux and with it comes changes that are hard for the old guard (i.e.: GOP) to handle.
"Not that I want to get political here!"
Let's talk about books. Books are good. Oh, wait ... =0]
Lori wrote: "It's worry-some to have to listen to people you love having meltdowns over losing the election and you can't even talk to them about it without having arguments."Ohhhhhh, tell me about it. My father has gotten more and more conservative as he's gotten older. Thank God his conservatism doesn't include interpersonal social issues -- he isn't a homophobe or a racist or a sexist -- but he's convinced that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and that Obama is going to lead us there. He said he would move to New Zealand if Obama won the election -- and we told him we'd be happy to visit him there! ;-)
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Ohhhhhh, tell me about it. My father has gotten more and more conservative as he's gotten older. Thank God his conservatism doesn't include interpersonal social issues -- he isn't a homophobe or a racist or a sexist -- but he's convinced that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and that Obama is going to lead us there. He said he would move to New Zealand if Obama won the election -- and we told him we'd be happy to visit him there! ;-)"Yeah, that's my dad too, minus the avoiding prejudice thing - over the years, his statements have gotten more overt and at times shocking. It can make for some really uncomfortable moments at the dinner table.
Don't you find it interesting that these folks talk about moving to get away from Obama and his (communism[sic]) socialism by moving to countries where socialism is the rule? It boggles the mind. Still, if your dad moves to NZ, can I join you in the trip? ;0)
Lori wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Ohhhhhh, tell me about it. My father has gotten more and more conservative as he's gotten older. Thank God his conservatism doesn't include interpersonal social issues -- ..."Nothing political, but why not move to France, Paris especially ? :D
I found Josh after reading through some of your backlist. I've read most of your available books before I joined. I've got to say, this group is my favorite place to hang out online. :) I totally suck at Twitter and FB.
Lori wrote: "Still, if your dad moves to NZ, can I join you in the trip? ;0) "The more, the merrier. We'll organize a party cruise!
Through your writing. I love mysteries, and I think the first book of the Adrien English series was recommended by Amazon after I purchased a different mystery. I read the whole series and then found your blog to find your backlist and upcoming books. From there I found Goodreads. I had never contacted an author, so I was really hesitant to join this group (didn't want to bother an author). I read this group regularly, but I mostly lurk.
Josh wrote: "I keep musing on this because that furious, bitter reaction to not getting your political way bothers me too. I fear that as a country we're starting to struggle with the idea of democracy. It seems like an increasing number of people can't handle the idea of being outvoted. The idea that the majority feels a different way is apparently all but unacceptable. So there's this weird notion growing in some quarters that the majority is "wrong" and therefore must be stopped. ..."Thankfully our system is set up to protect the majority from extreme minority groups (such as the haters out there, and I don't class all Republicans as haters just the nutjobs, well all know who they are.
I just pray that system keeps working. So far it has. I also blame the media for giving so much attention to the more extreme sides and giving them more power just because it makes for a good, dramatic opinion program (I won't call it news).
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Ha! Like coming home from work this evening to find 60 messages just in Writing Questions and several more in the other topics? Not a chore though — I love this group!
So bouncing though various threads... I found Josh through his books (first The Dickens With Love, then H&M, then AE), but swiftly Googled to find his website/blog and complete books list, because I fit in The Hopelessly Devoted reader category (from the link to reader types in What Else Are You Reading?) and had to read everything else Josh wrote ASAP. I follow the blog and receive the newsletter.
I use FB mainly for family and tango-friend exchanges and to post photos. I haven't even tried Twitter, partly because I'm off social media in the daytime during the school year, but also because I enjoy these kind of longer exchanges. I also maintain a couple of websites, one is very low-key, but the other I have to update once or twice a week.
I really appreciate the chance to interact with Josh and with the other writers and readers who visit here, especially after several hours of conversing with nine-, ten-, and eleven-year-olds...
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When I first starting writing gay main characters, (eon..."
You too? Gosh, and here I thought I was the only one. It's driving me bonkers because I keep wondering how my writing would have evolved differently had I read at least one book with a gay character when I was a kid. I mean, it's in the past now, and I'm voraciously making up for lost time, but still, one has to wonder.
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And see, I'm the exact opposite. I'm a horrible conversationalist in RL, especially if I don't know you. I'd rather go hide in my room and write. ... which is why I'm attracted to to social people, I guess. I find one person to become close to, but they're friends with the rest of the world and then suddenly so am I. Weird. It's happened to me twice. lol.
But, here, I don't feel like I need to go hide. This does feel like a nice cozy place, as if there's a fire in the fireplace and hot chocolate being made on a cold winter night. I love it here.
Twitter, while I have several accounts there, does feel like shouting into the ether. If I could have tweet deck on my work computer I might be on twitter more often. But work is too busy for me to take the time to sign in and out of accounts, depending on what I might wan to say, so I usually skip it all together, unless that something is uber important.
And FB... I dumped FB nearly 12 years ago now. Boring. Well, back then it was. And I'm just not the type to talk to people that way and tell the world all my horrid secrets. No one needs to know. The whole idea of FB creeps me out actually.
I bought my first Lanyon book after reading Josh's posts at JesseWave. I am not much of a Mystery reader. I generally don't finish them. I care more about how characters handle situations than "who-dun-it". So, I needed more of a push than the book blurbs to get started on AE and the rest. Now I'm so glad I took the plunge!! I also read my first Voinov book after reading his posts. Good writing is still what got me to buy/read the books. I just needed more than blurbs to venture into new territory. 8)
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Ohhhhhh, tell me abo..."
Gosh, that sounds familiar. Minus the moving to NZ thing. My mother would never approve of that. She wants to be close to family. This is one of the reasons I hate talking politics. We seem to disagree on some key aspects. At least we could agree that Mittens wasn't a good choice. But it does make conversations awkward when they start in on politics that immediately disagree with mine and they don't leave room for arguments. Yeah. Very awkward.
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OMG. Welcome To France. I love it. Those are some pretty interesting WTF stories.
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Cleon wrote: "Nothing political, but why not move to France, Paris especially ? :D "Those are hysterical!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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"
Yes. ;-)
McCaffrey wrote about a..."
"Homo-dumbic"--HA!