Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Josh wrote: "I bought Thirteen Hallows
in audio. And I discovered to my great delight that somewhere along the way I collected a version of The Hobbit read by Martin Shaw. :-) ..."
I'd listen to that man reading the phone book out loud.
Josh wrote: "That's true. It is very relaxing to be read to. Well, unless someone is reading economics or their own book reviews. :-D"
LOL!! Oh my--that would be just a bit of torture!
Have a lovely day, dear man!
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in audio. And I discovered to my great delight that somewhere along the way I collected a version of The Hobbit read by Mart..."
True. Never would I dream of finding so much pleasure amongst the Smiths and Joneses. :-D
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Well, unless someone is reading economics or their own book reviews. :-D"
LOL!! Oh my--that would be just a bit of torture!
Have a..."
Thank you, Sammy!
Do you just listen to audiobooks or do something while listening? For me it's difficult to keep my attention on an audiobook for long, because my mind tends to wander. I once listened to audio while exercising and ... well ... hey look at that fly on the wall, I remember 1991 when Bono disguised as The Fly, Achtung Baby, yes, I'm going to Berlin this summer, maybe I should open my German books again, Guten Tag, wieviel ist das ... OMG, they're doing it! they're nekkid and doing it and I missed it! You get the idea.
And if I'm only listening, I fall asleep.
I have a Lewis Black book in audio format. I love it!But I have the hardest time with fiction audiobooks. They put me straight to sleep.
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Otherwise, my brain wanders to other things, I miss half the book, or I fall asleep.
I've been wondering what to spend my $16 of audio book credit on at the book store when I go next month. Right now I'm thinking about Harry Potter. I like rereading the first book, but don't have the time, and I think that would be great right before bed.
Otherwise, I'll be on the lookout for Brian Jacques' Redwall series. Seriously, his voice is just amazing when he reads out loud, and I'm still looking for Mossflower, my fav book in the series.
Lou wrote: "Becky wrote: "I have a copy of Neil Gaiman reading Stardust. That's lovely to drift off to!"Neil narrates a lot of his stories, and he's really good at it too."
Some authors should not be allowed near a recording booth, but Neil has a great voice and is good with the stories. Bill Bryson is another one does a really good job reading his own books. (Although, beyond their mutual skill, they are very different authors.)
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Neil narrates a lot of his stories, and he's really good at it too."
Some authors should ..."
I read somehwere Robert Crais saying it was the most nerve-wracking thing he ever did. ;-)
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I'm still in the middle of Storm Front read by James Marsters (whom I love to listen to). I guess that I haven't been shoveling enough snow this winter. ;) Well, the grass is going to grow eventually, huh? I'm eagerly waiting for the day when I can dig my lawn mower out from the garage. :) It takes me about 3 hours to mow and one of the reasons I love to do it are my audiobooks.
I've always thought it would be shooting to listen to an audiobook while in the bed in the evening, but I'm pretty sure I would fall asleep and loose the spot where my "bookmark" should be...
As the ebooks go, I'm reading Magic Mansion and enjoying its backstage description of reality TV. :)
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Johanna wrote: "I've always thought it would be shooting to listen to an audiobook while in the bed in the evening, but I'm pretty sure I would fall asleep and loose the spot where my "bookmark" should be..."I always fall asleep when listening to an audiobook in bed and then wake up hours later with the book still playing. :( But last month or so I found a neat little app for my phone that was made for playing audiobooks. It will stop playing after a given amount of minutes if the phone isn't moved/shaken once in a while. So, the next day I only have to rewind 10 or 20 minutes. :)
I'm eagerly waiting for the day when I can dig my lawn mower out from the garage. :) It takes me about 3 hours to mow and one of the reasons I love to do it are my audiobooks.
Now, there's an idea! Might be the first year I'm looking forward to mowing the lawn... ;)
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Wow. How cool is that! I gotta have that app! Seriously. :)
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And I love the Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion covers - both the old and the new ones!!! :)
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Yup. I tend to listen to the book pretty loud while mowing. ;)
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Zero Hour is perfect. It even wraps around the back. WEll, the scenery does. But I love it. I felt like I was getting more than I would have if I'd gotten the ebook.
I just realized that Harper Fox has dedicated one of her books to Mr. Lanyon. That's rather sweet. :)
Vivian wrote: "I just realized that Harper Fox has dedicated one of her books to Mr. Lanyon. That's rather sweet. :)"Aw! If I ever write a book that doesn't have a spanking in it...HEE HEE.
Folks, I have a few more recs, if I'm not behind the curve with them.Just finished On the Trail to Moonlight Gulch by Shelter Somerset. Only complaint, it was a bit too short, yet a novelette. Really good. For me, it had everything I liked about her Amish story, but moved better and held my interest better. Just a delight. Highly recommend.
Reading Bitterwood by Rowan Speedwell now, more than half way through. Very good, the romantic leads very sexy, just to my taste. Good suspense, good storytelling.
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Aw! If I ever write a book that doesn't have a spanking in it...HEE HEE."
Damn it, Kari. I spit coffee over my monitor.
Josh wrote: "Damn it, Kari. I spit coffee over my monitor."This pervy slave fic, with thanks, to Josh?
BWA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Er...no.
BWA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!Er...no.
I thought Adrien English needed a spanking from time to time. He was so darn stubborn!
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I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into it, but I did enjoy the first books and like his writing so I haven't given up yet. I always read more than one book at a time so I am also working my way through The Rare Event which is a m/m story set in the cut-throat world of hedge funds and financial sharks. It sometimes is way over my head, but I find it very fascinating even so. There is a slightly different love story as well, and the writing is good.
Anne wrote: "I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into it, but I did enjoy the first books and lik..."Hi, Anne. Is Shadowrise m/m? I looked at the synopsis and couldn't tell. Would you mind letting us know how you like The Rare Event after you've finished it. The blurb was interesting; I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.
Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into it, but I did enjoy the first ..."Hi Candice, Shadowrise is not m/m, it is pure fantasy :). I enjoyed the Rare Event, but it was not the usual kind of m/m romance, the environment was unusual for this kind of book, (the MC both work at a hedge fund and there is a lot of financial jargon going around) but fun to read about. The MC started as a couple, then there was a break -up etc. I know many have a problem with cheating in their romances, this book is not for them. There is a HEA, but the way towards it is pretty rocky. I enjoyed it and found the writing to be solid as well.
Anne wrote: "Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into it, but I did ..."Thank you! I may give it a go. I really like an author sharing his or her expertise in whatever area in this way. I think it generally makes a story richer.
BTW-I just finished Bitterwood. A really nice fantasy by Rowan Speedwell. I thought at the start it was going to be young love centered, and it's hard for me (because of my age, I assume)to get myself involved mentally, emotionally with teenage or even early 20's lovers. But Bitterwood surprised me happily in that regard.
Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into i..."Thanks, I will check out Bitterwood, I have read a few other books of hers that I enjoyed very much likeFinding Zach and Kindred Hearts and I like her writing.
Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "Candice wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have just started Shadowrise. It's the third book in a series and it is several years since I read the first two, so it takes a little time to get into i..."And you know, I find many of the m/m books to be very much alike so when I find something with an original twist I am all for it :)
I've been reading Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade, but I think I'm going to have to put it in time out for a while. It's kind of... mediocre, and I'm just not in the mood to power through a book I'm not terribly interested in.Not sure what I'm going to start next, but it might be The Vicious Deep. It came out yesterday. I talked to a rep for the publisher at RT-- she'd just finished reading an arc for it and was super enthusiastic. The price was right, so I went ahead and pre-ordered.
Or, I might something completely different. My reading mojo has taken a powder, and I'm having trouble settling on something.
Becky wrote: "I've been reading Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade, but I think I'm going to have to put it in time out for a while. It's kind of... mediocre, and I'm just not in the mood to power through a book I'm not terribly interested in."I've just read Bounty of Love and I can understand you. It was 2 stars IMO.
Great. I somehow managed to buy that one at some point, too. Definitely time to start watching my purchases more carefully again.
Becky wrote: "Great. I somehow managed to buy that one at some point, too. Definitely time to start watching my purchases more carefully again."When I first started reading m/m for real, or rather when I realised it was a separate genre, I sort of dived into it and read a lot rather indiscriminately. Now the dust has settled and I have realised there is a lot that is bad, more that is mediocre and enough that is fun, original and well written so it pays to be a little careful about what I buy. So I download samples, read reviews here and at Amazon and various other sites and try to distinguish between what is worth my time and money and what is best forgotten. And since taste varies, what I like isn't necessarily what others like and the other way around, which is how it is supposed to be :)
When I first started reading m/m for real, or rather when I realised it was a separate genre, I sort of dived into it and read a lot rather indiscriminately. Now the dust has settled and I have realised there is a lot that is bad, more that is mediocre and enough that is fun, original and well written so it pays to be a little careful about what I buy.Hmm... I don't want to get tomatoes thrown at me, but so far there are only four authors of m/m romance I read -- well, two of them are straight romance, the rest are LGBT writers that have m/m romance elements in their novels. I have read other m/m stuff (mainly erotica) but it was... rather poor. I do pay attention to the recommendations you guys make here, that's how I discovered the second author I am following. And when I follow an author, I do follow them.
I buy their books when they come out, I send feedback (although this makes me feel a bit uneasy, never in such frequency as to make them uncomfortable) and I retweet their tweets. :D
My main genre is the fantasy genre, and I like when I read mainstream fantasy that includes non-normative relationships.
Vivian wrote: "When I first started reading m/m for real, or rather when I realised it was a separate genre, I sort of dived into it and read a lot rather indiscriminately. Now the dust has settled and I have rea..."No tomatoes are being thrown here :)
The way I discovered m/m is because I more or less randomly bought some fantasy books with what you call non-normative relationships in them and then Amazon started recommending some m/m books like Psy-Cops by Jordan Castillo Price (recommended if you don't know them already), from there to Josh's books and from there anything with a m/m couple in them. This way I learned about a lot of new authors and sort of widened the scope of my reading which is always good. After forty years of active reading (fifty years since I learned to read) there is always room for new input and new inspiration. But as I said, I have learned to be a bit critical in my purchasing :)
The few m/m erotica I have read were mainly very boring, I am not interested in erotica as such, there has to be a good story and characters I care about, then the erotic element can be a good part of the story if it is well written, otherwise I can leave it well alone.
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..."
Non-fiction? I usually find that a good palate-cleanser.
Just to be absolutely certain that nobody will misunderstand, I have no problem with erotica at all, m/m or otherwise and no problems with others reading it, it just doesn't move me unless the writing is very good and there is emotions I can relate to. But there is nothing wrong with it at all. But in my opinion, sex scenes are usually boring if they consist of "tehcnical descriptions" - what goes where, and little else. One who writes sex scenes I enjoy because they are romantic, tender and poetic and an integral part of the story told, is Josh.
The few m/m erotica I have read were mainly very boring, I am not interested in erotica as such, there has to be a good story and characters I care about, then the erotic element can be a good part of the story if it is well written, otherwise I can leave it well alone. It is really hard to find very good erotica. So far, I liked Martin Brant's Erotic Tales for Enlightened Minds although some of the stories there were a bit uncomfortable to read, but still strangely alluring.
The way I discovered m/m is because I more or less randomly bought some fantasy books with what you call non-normative relationships in them and then Amazon started recommending some m/m books like Psy-Cops by Jordan Castillo Price (recommended if you don't know them already), from there to Josh's books and from there anything with a m/m couple in them. This way I learned about a lot of new authors and sort of widened the scope of my reading which is always good. After forty years of active reading (fifty years since I learned to read) there is always room for new input and new inspiration. But as I said, I have learned to be a bit critical in my purchasing :)
Was that author Llyn Flewelling by any chance? She writes awesome bisexual characters. *unfolds bi flag*
I will check out Jordan Castillo Price's books, thank you for the recommendation. :)
Anne wrote: "One who writes sex scenes I enjoy because they are romantic, tender and poetic and an integral part of the story told, is Josh."You are absolutely right!
Yes, Mr. Lanyon writes wonderful sex scenes. My favorite sex scene of his has to be the one in CUTYS. He pushed the envelope a little with that one, oh, and although I hated it (for personal reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of his writing), I think the infamous ménage à trois scene was very well written.
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Thank you, Anne.
I have to say one of the hardest parts of writing romance for me is figuring out how to make each scene a little different and absolutely true to that particular couple. It takes me forever to write those scenes and the end result is that they probably aren't all that different from each other, and yet they feel so different writing them.
But I guess that's true of all writers. BUT THIS TIME I USED A SPATULA AND SNOW PEAS! THAT IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM WHEN I USED THE WHISK AND BLUEBERRIES! :-D
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..."
Oh you must read Jordan! Yes.
It takes me forever to write those scenes and the end result is that they probably aren't all that different from each other, and yet they feel so different writing them.But that's the beauty of writing a piece of erotica or erotic romance, isn't it? To make out of something so mundane and every day as sex (because everyone does it and there are just so many variations of it), unique and enthralling. You do it just right, methinks. :D
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But that's the beauty of ..."
What a nice thing to say.
I think it mostly gets down to emotional content. I'm not particularly inventive regarding sex but I do understand emotion. Because I am an emotional person. Happily for all of us, it's emotion controlled by reason, but I do know how to tap into that alarming lava flow. ;-)
Antonella wrote: "Anne wrote: "One who writes sex scenes I enjoy because they are romantic, tender and poetic and an integral part of the story told, is Josh."You are absolutely right!"
Oh yes! There's also always a little touch of vulnerability that makes them so precious.
Josh wrote: "Vivian wrote: "I will check out Jordan Castillo Price's books, thank you for the recommendation. :) ..."
Oh you must read Jordan! Yes."
Oh absolutely!! Psycop is one of my favorite series EVER!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Well, unless someone is reading economics or their own book reviews. :-D