Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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I read a post by a reviewer who didn't like the fact that Noel was essentially unrepentant about his former life of crime. The reviewer..."
Antonia, I agree that certain crimes -- rapist, pedaphile -- are going to be a hard sell. A no sale, in fact, for me.
There are certain scenarios where the writer can convince me that murder was justified, but in the ordinary course of things, I would see that kind of violent crime as quite different from, say, a character like Noel who made a point of never carrying a weapon and avoiding violence.
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I agree. I don't find serial killers amusing. Dexter doesn't charm me -- granted, I haven't seen it (that's how much it doesn't charm me). Highsmith's Ripley never worked for me -- she's a brilliant writer but the character was more like observing a bug under glass.
I was never a big fan of The Sopranos, either.
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Yes, that's part of what Robert observes that day. Noel is a good neighbor. In his own way, he's a solid citizen of the world. And given the violent, ugly background he comes from, his choices seem believable to me.
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That said...There's a, shall we say, rather large feral element in my family..."
Kari, that's a fascinating wealth of material you've got to draw from.
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One of the protags was an assassin in Warrior's Cross. He wasn't remorseful of his profession, but he made sacrifices and changes seeing the dange..."
Pretty much my take, LC. But then I like to write characters who've made serious mistakes. It makes everything more interesting.
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So funny you'd say that, Dane! That does seem to be a common feeling amongst romance readers.
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the guy was an assassin but he was still a really good person and i never really cared that he killed people, although he only killed peo..."A lot of people love that book! And to be honest, the assassin thing never worried me either.
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Speaing of which, I love that film. *g*
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I do believe we went to the same school, Nikki.
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I so agree with u on this point and for me,stephenie meyers started this new vamp culture with whole n..."
Thanks, Lori. I'm waiting for an m/m writer to come along and reimagine Dracula with a romance for D. and Renfield.
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This is why I find discussion with this list so refreshing. *g*
Josh wrote: "Taking it to films, what was it Martin Blank said in Grosse Pointe Blank? "If I'm at your door, you did something to deserve it." Speaing of which, I love that film. *g*"
That is a movie I will always watch when it's on. Makes me laugh every time.
Josh wrote: "Emanuela ~Zstyx~ wrote: "You mean you would be troubled by the love interest being able to accept the anti hero?"It's difficult to explain, so I'll go with an example. In Zero at the Bone, Jack (the "good guy", the surgeon) is troubled by D's (the assassin) past (and he is even troubled by something else D did at the end, but I don't want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it). It's not that he decides he can't love D for what he did, but being a doctor he values life and he gives the thought of D's profession some consideration.
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That seems a more reality grounded approach, I think than someone who never gives it a thought -- or whose only thought is for their own safety, and once that concern is assuaged, never worries about it again.
Josh wrote: "I'm starting to get nervous. :-D"Oh C'mon; no need to get nervous; u r gonna rock as usual :D
Oh and by the way only 15days 2 go ;-)
Josh wrote: "Yes, I'm fond of bad boys too. ;-)"
I dunno why but sometimes bad guys look even kooler than the good ones :P
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I'm starting to get nervous. :-D"
Oh C'mon; no need to get nervous; u r gonna rock as usual ..."
Fingers crossed!
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Hey Josh, is All She Wrote coming out in ebook and print simultaneously or is the print edition coming out at a later date? I buy all your books in both editions so that's why I ask. :D
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Hi Mary,
Samhain's print edition is usually 9 - 11 months behind the ebook release. Thanks for asking!
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Hi there, Thorny! Welcome. Glad you enjoy the AE books enough to get them in print. *g* Thanks for stopping by!
VampiresThe only vampire book I have ever liked is Jordan Castillo Price's Hermovre. It was wonderful and made being a vampire more realistic.
Murphy did you read
i thought that was really good I haven't read a lot of vampire books so not sure what the standard is to compare with, i also liked Hermovre
Bubbles (Dane) wrote: "Murphy did you read i thought that was really good I haven't read a lot of vampire books so not sure what the standard is to compare with, i also liked Hermovre"Notturno is really really good; just as I expected from Z.A.Maxfield and so is the sequel Vigil :D
Late to this discussion, but I like what Kari and Missy had to say -- my family too, and myself, frankly, have some lawless past and present. Noel was pretty mild.To add on to that, 'law' is largely a social construct. I don't agree with all laws. The less I agree with the law, the more likely I am to see the lawbreaker as a hero. In the case of Noel, it isn't hard for me to weigh his crimes against the legally allowed crimes of the people who amassed that wealth in the first place. I see Noel as having a stronger, deeper sense of morality than his lover -- who relies more on external authority to tell him what is right and what is wrong.
Whereas some might draw the line at (for instance) dealing drugs, which sounds downright reprehensible, frankly, if you drew me a protag who was a twenty year old growing up on the streets who dealt pot on the side to survive -- sorry, just can't get myself worked into a moral outrage over that. In fact, I can easily find the lawful, eager, earnest brat who turns him in to be the real criminal in the story. Do you see what I'm saying?
It isn't about 'legal' to me, but about an intensely personal moral code.
Speaking of sociopaths as protagonists (Patty made mention) -- there is one memorable one, which I doubt many here would much love -- Manna's main character from "Mindfuck", Val Toreth. Tortures political dissidents for a living, killing them off sometimes, loves his job. Cold and empty of empathy. A despicable character, but heck, he works for the government doing torture (this is dystopic scifi), so he's upholding the law, not breaking it.
Still, one of the most brilliant antiheroes I've ever read -- not just including m/m (should warn that this is a pretty 'hard' book, and I'm sure many would hate Val Toreth, don't count this necessarily as a recommendation).
Bubbles (Dane) wrote: "Murphy did you read i thought that was really good I haven't read a lot of vampire books so not sure what the standard is to compare with, i also liked Hermovre"
I absolutely loved Notturno! The fact that Maxfield could get me, the reader, so entrenched in those love letters was simply brilliant. It's literally a story, within a story. I cared so much about Auselmo, I was emotionally invested from the very beginning. I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you are a "vampire" reader or not (I am NOT by the way, but the vampire element was subtle in this book).
On the criminal element, I agree with many here. I read both Warriors Cross and Zero at the Bone, which are both terrific reads, and I was able to completely forgive the assassins for killing people due to their own moral justification for their professions. In both books, the assassins pick-and-choose their targets based on their negative impact on society (i.e., it's obvious the targets would cause harm/damage to innocent people, making them heroes in some respects).
Also, the protags, their love interest, in both of these books DO struggle with the fact that they kill people, whether the people they target are "bad" people or not. I think that's an important element in these type of books. I, the reader, need to see the struggle the protag/love interest has in dealing with the criminal element, in order to encourage me to "like" them. If they just fell in to bed with them, not caring about what they did for a living outside of said bed, I would probably think of them in a completely different light.
i thought that was really good I haven't read a lot of vampire books so not sure what the standard is to compare with, i also liked Hermovre"I absolutely loved Notturno! The fact that Maxfield could get me, the reader, so entrenched in those love letters was simply brilliant. It's literally a story, within a story. I cared so much about Auselmo, I was emotionally invested from the very beginning. I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you are a "vampire" reader or not (I am NOT by the way, but the vampire element was subtle in this book).
On the criminal element, I agree with many here. I read both Warriors Cross and Zero at the Bone, which are both terrific reads, and I was able to completely forgive the assassins for killing people due to their own moral justification for their professions. In both books, the assassins pick-and-choose their targets based on their negative impact on society (i.e., it's obvious the targets would cause harm/damage to innocent people, making them heroes in some respects).
Also, the protags, their love interest, in both of these books DO struggle with the fact that they kill people, whether the people they target are "bad" people or not. I think that's an important element in these type of books. I, the reader, need to see the struggle the protag/love interest has in dealing with the criminal element, in order to encourage me to "like" them. If they just fell in to bed with them, not caring about what they did for a living outside of said bed, I would probably think of them in a completely different light.
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To add on to that, 'law' is la..."
What a well-reasoned and thought out comment, Ocotillo. I do agree that there are many foolish laws and that morality and justice are both often not served by the legal system, such as it is.
One thing I liked about Noel was the idea that his own moral compass was evolving -- and part of that evolution was due to his feelings for Robert. He's horrified that some of his own choices harm this man that he's fallen for. Unintended consequences -- and the interconnnectedness of all things. ;-)
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Probably. I've read novels -- possibly fantasy? -- where one of the protags is basically unrepentant but reforms out of affection for the other. I always like that kind of thing. Lord knows what it says about my own moral compass.
Hi Josh,I finished reading Icecapade for the 4th time, and it suddenly occurred to me; will His for the Holidays be released in print by Carina? I was unable to purchase the anthology-just bought Icecapade, but it would be great to read the rest of the novellas.
I read on your lj you were signing off for the rest of the year so, my best wishes to you and yours this holiday season.
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Thanks for the good wishes. I'll be keeping an eye on Good Reads (at least, I plan to) as the SKHE discussion is going on and I have to remember to give away a couple of books there eventually. ;-)
A happy and healthy holiday to you and yours!
I Love Carina they are the coolest publishers from the customers (or mine at least) perspective.
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OMG OMG only 5 days 2 go before All She Wrote :D
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:-D
And counting!
Almost done rereading. Really enjoying Kit's snarky humor this time around.
Ever since developing a certain fondness for the state-sanctioned torturer in
I'm not inclined to say "never" about too many protagonists. But then I don't read fiction the way I look at real life. Otherwise I would read depressing slice-of-life literature instead of m/m romance.
Just wanted to thank you, Josh, for such a wonderful Holiday story as Icecapade. It was so pretty and enjoyable and perfect. May you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes to you too.
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I've come to the conclusion that this is a series that the majority of readers need to read more than once to really enjoy. Maybe because something about it breeds false expectations?
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"So true!
Josh wrote: "Lissa wrote: "Almost done rereading. Really enjoying Kit's snarky humor this time around."I've come to the conclusion that this is a series that the majority of readers need to read more than o..."
You're supposed to be on vacation. Anyway I came into the series expecting a bit more romance like your other stuff. Not that there isn't romance, this one is just a lot heavier on the mystery, which is fine. Kit is just so grumpy sometimes he takes some getting used to.
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I know! Just about to sign off before I get caught on the computer. :-D
Anyway I came into the series expecting a bit more romance like your other stuff. Not that there isn't romance, this one is just a lot heavier on the mystery, which is fine. Kit is just so grumpy sometimes he takes some getting used to
It's definitely a mystery with a romance, but the mystery is 90% of the story, you're right.
I honestly don't think of Kit as all that grumpy, although I seem to be hearing a lot of that. I think it's just in comparison to the normal m/m character that he seems grumpy. If you compare him to the usual mainstream mystery protag, he's pretty...well, typical. Hopefully a little funnier.
That's why I think the books do better the second time around. People remember him as much more grumpy or whiny than he actually is.
Okay, I'm going, I'm going!!!
Hey Josh, I just read "The Dickens with Love" and was thoroughly entertained by it -- sweet, intense, and just the right touch of quirky. So I'm wondering: just how do you make a Stardust? I'm dying to try one now!
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So I'm wondering: just how do you make a Stardust? I'm ..."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JoshLan...
The recipe is in the cookbook in the files section of my yahoo group.
Enjoy!
I've just finished All She Wrote and loved it. I was wondering if you have Miss Butterwith series' titles and general content already planned out or if you make them up as you go. I hope Kit won't mind that I chuckled whenever a title came up :-)
JPerceval wrote: "So I'm wondering: just how do you make a Stardust?"Josh wrote: "The recipe is in the cookbook in the files section of my yahoo group."
It's made out of vodka?...4 parts vodka?
I weigh a buck and a quarter and I'm Cherokee-Irish. Just one of these is guaranteed to knock me flat on my ass. For a decade.
Yeah, I know, you should be so lucky. LOL
Taking ASW on trip in hopes it will help tune out the excessive bits of my bizarro family...Happy New Year, Josh!
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They're not planned out. In fact, I need to make sure I don't accidentally exceed the number of titles Kit has written! :-D I do amuse the heck out of myself with the Butterwith books, though.
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I agree with that. And it's also going to depend on the reader's baggage. If you've been the victim of a cat burglar, it's probably a lot less amusing and romantic.