Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Johanna wrote: "Tharayn wrote: "Did you read "A Strong Hand" by Catt Ford? It's SM but in my opinion very sensitive about that and more for readers who aren't really into that topic."No, I haven't read that one...."
@Johanna: Go read it! :) It's ....mmmh. I think it lost a bit of its focus in the last few chapters but still very yum. ;) I bought it (back when I didn't own my Kindle) as a paperback and the cover alone was worth it. :D
Jordan wrote: "Well, if you're big on slash and watch CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (the original) ...On the other hand, there was that one episode where they were solving a murder having to do with a rock star. Greg and Nick were parting ways and Greg used sign language to say "rock on". Nick signed back "I love you". Hmmmm... does make a viewer wonder..."
There is quite a body of fan fiction slashing these two.
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Thank you for this recommendation, girls! :) I added it into my to-read list. And yeah, I see what you mean about the cover... I'm quite mesmerized by it. ;)
Let's see if GR allows me to add it here:
By the way, that image actually reminds me of how J.X. looks through Kit's eyes: his golden, brown satin skin and all... *sigh* (As you can see I'm still listening to Somebody Killed His Editor...)
Hi, Johanna! You can have two tastes of it: the beginning of the book here and another bit here.It looks ok to me, but not something I would fall in love with.
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Ah, thank you, Antonella! :)
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So bad it's inspired me for my first post back at Jessewave's. I was going to talk about exclusivity, but now I'm going to talk about the mainstr..."
That might be it. Which...hey, it's good to listen to your fans. But you shouldn't go against your own commonsense. And commonsense would be that voice saying to you, But I don't find that interesting. I don't want to write that!
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"Oh my, it's STILL snowing for five days in a row... no problem, I haven't finished listening t..."
I'm going to start advertising my audio books as medically recommended for Type A personalities. :-D
It's absolutely a mercenary move. Why would she do that? (I mean, she doesn't really HAVE To for the money, right?)
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Josh wrote: "Did someone talk her into it against her will? She so clearly did not have a story or want to tell a stor..."
I'm hoping for a lot more from Ward. But then Ward is doing a full on novel, right? So the format will require commitment to the story, which we didn't have with Foster.
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Ah, Omar, thanks. I always forget his name. Bugs the heck out of me. And yeah, it wasn't a hate crime at all. The guy happened to be Omar's boyfriend, and therefore the closest thing/person to Omar which would hurt Omar the worst if he was killed. That's how I read it anyway. It's horrible that he was killed, but in a way, nice that it wasn't done as a hate crime. That would have been even worse, I think.
Gosh, that sounds like a horribe thing to say. lol
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Someone was saying to me that her fans were begging her for an m/m story.
?????????
Which is really hard to imagine.
Josh - Err. Last I know, m/m as a genre is MAYBE 10% of total romance. MAYBE.
Karen wrote: "Lately, I'm all over the place and have some books by favorite authors in the "chocolate box" or just waiting for an appropriate season, meaning a time of year, weather conditions, or personal mood that seems like a good match for the book. I find myself reading 3 or 4 books, going back and forth between them, then finishing one in a dash. It works for me (right now), but I can't say much for my recall. ;-)"I love your "chocolate box". That's a great image. Like you I tuck a few books away for later.
I've had Josh's Strange Fortune since before Christmas, but I'm just starting it now. I also bought the first book in the Rifter series The Shattered Gates but I'm saving that as a reward for finishing the first draft of my current wip.
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I hate having to make myself read books too. I had to do that when I started Left Hand of Darkness. But got into it, and loved it by the end!
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I know. I know. Well, maybe she wants to be Suze Brockmann when she grows up? I don't know. Something drove her to write it when she clearly had zero interest in doing so.
Was it simply the age old drive to find new readers wherever they may be? Every writer I know has the same mantra -- where are the readers? where can I find more readers?
So maybe that was the thought. Most of the story is taken up with introductions to other m/f couples and their backstory, so it did read painfully like a ham-handed promo for the rest of the series.
Hm. Maybe that's what felt offensive about it.
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On the other hand, there was that one episode where they were solving a murder having to do ..."
Yes, there is ;-) I've written my fair share of it too. I haven't read much in forever though. I think the quality has gone down, plus, I just don't have the time for it anymore. boo.
Johanna wrote: "I see what you mean. I don't mind reading BDSM, but I probably don't completely, truly understand the psychology behind it either, because the stories where the subs have to wander around the house naked and kneel beside their masters for hours mainly make me feel awkward. And that's when the story starts to seem ridiculous to me. I get bored very easily reading a story like that and I also feel sorry for the sub... in other words there are things I don't quite get about the whole thing, I think. I'm not judging BDSM, don't get me wrong, but stories with naked subs 24/7 just aren't my cup of tea. :)"I used to read BDSM for the kink factor, but more and more the BDSM as a lifestyle stories, especially the extreme ones, lost their appeal to me, especially when I read about the realism of slavery and domestic violence. Such an unequal relationship really doesn't sit well with me.
Josh wrote: "I'm hoping for a lot more from Ward. But then Ward is doing a full on novel, right? So the format will require commitment to the story, which we didn't have with Foster."Ward's books have multiple story lines, so even if Qhuay's will be the most important, it will probably account for 30%? of the whole book. In your review about Forster's book you say that she writes a kiss and it's just a kiss, I think I get what you mean. I don't need to bookmark the first kiss between Qhuinn and Blay in Ward's series, because that book opens automatically at that page: it's two, three paragraphs and it's simply beautiful. I do hope she'll be able to give us that intensity.
Josh wrote: "I'm hoping for a lot more from Ward. But then Ward is doing a full on novel, right? So the format will require commitment to the story, which we didn't have with Foster. ..."I very truly believe that Ward has the balls to pull it off, and will deliver. I've been saving the last BDB novel for a while so that I can read the next two together.. since it's been long enough I'm going to need a storyline refresher. Damn my poor memory anyway.
Aleksandr wrote: "It's absolutely a mercenary move. Why would she do that? (I mean, she doesn't really HAVE To for the money, right?)"Either that OR she wanted to please her fans but was not sure just how much her fans could take of an m/m sex scene coupled with the fact that it was outside her comfort zone. But then you can write a GOOD book with fade to black sex. It doesn't HAVE to be train wreck.
I always felt cheated in the Troubleshooter series by Brockman. EVERY couple got full on sex scenes except for Jules and Robin. They got fade to black. NOT FAIR.
Na wrote: "I have so many difficulties with the last BDB books because I was waiting for the Quay story for so long. :/Unfortunately I can't be fair to her latest works due to that expectation. I will read t..."
I'm pretty easy going with that kind of anticipation. I just let the author feed me the stories in their own time.
Come to think of it, I'm 1 book behind in her deadly sins series, too. I need to get back up to snuff. Been too busy with my gblt reading.
Tharayn wrote: "Okay, since it seems that you all seem to be fans of BDB you have to explain why. I just read the first book, because a friend lend it to me and to amuse myself, but good is a different thing...
..."
The first one is so-so, but the backstory and the interweaving sub plots and relationships just keep building upon themselves. But I'd be the first to admit it is NOT for everyone.
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Ward's books..."
Yeah. "They kissed" is not exactly what your typical romance reader finds an acceptable description of a moment of intimacy. :-D
This is what was so comically bad about it. It's like Beginning Writer 101. Foster would never in a million years have considered that adequate in one of her m/f stories. And the fact that she gave herself a pass -- and that her editor and publisher gave her a pass -- in an m/m story is simply insulting.
The message seems to be that "those people" will read anything. Well, no. Actually not. The rest of us are bringing our best game and so better you, Ms. Foster. Because the competition is tougher than you think.
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..."
True. But in Brockmann's case, she was really pushing the boundary. She was the absolute first mainstream romance author to try and introduce gay characters and give them equal screen time. So I can deal with the fade to black, disappointing though it was.
At least she didn't short change the story or the romance.
Foster...honestly, it's not the fade to black I'm kicking at. Come on, how often have I had to put up with comments that my work isn't hot and sexy enough? I'm not giving her grief over that.
I'm giving her grief over the lack of story and romance. There's simply no excuse. Yes, it was a short story. But a short story can be emotionally intense.
I mean, my little bitty Christmas codas were more emotionally intense than that novella.
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I just read the first book, because a friend lend it to me and to amuse myself, but good is a different thing...
..."
You can count me out on that one. Not a fan.
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Such a frightening comment.
I'm not sure there is any comment more frightening to writers.
Josh wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "Josh - Err. Last I know, m/m as a genre is MAYBE 10% of total romance. MAYBE."I know. I know. Well, maybe she wants to be Suze Brockmann when she grows up? I don't know. Somethi..."
Josh - after I read your review I looked through a few of the rest of the reviews. The sense I got was that LF's fans had loved Chris as a character in other books she had written, and wanted to read his story too - as opposed to asking her to write an m/m story per se. Because Chris is gay, to write his story LF had to write m/m but she didn't write m/m as a gimmick or because she was emulating Suzanne Brockmann etc..
Not that any of this excuses bad writing etc., and once she had decided to do the story she should have done it properly, but just wanted to be fair about her motives!
Mod
Such a frightening comment.
I'm not sure there is any comment more frightening to writers."
Why's that so?"
I'm not even sure why.
Maybe because we can't completely control it, and our style, our voice, is a big part of what readers relate to. So if that voice starts to change and readers don't like the change...well, that could be a real problem.
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Maybe because we can't completely control it, and our style, our voice, is a big part of what readers relate to. So if that voice starts to change and readers ..."
Yep. It's natural and inevitable. It's usually positive because if we are serious about our craft, we improve with experience.
But this is such a precarious and competitive business these days that criticisms like "her style changed" send little ripples of unease.
There's a certain amount of attrition to a readership. People find other interests, they get involved with other things, they get restless, they move on. It isn't always a criticism and sometimes they even come back. And whether they come back or not, new readers replace them -- at least in theory.
Josh wrote: "Tharayn wrote: "Josh wrote: "OkayKim wrote: "she's changed her style ..."Such a frightening comment.
I'm not sure there is any comment more frightening to writers."
Why's that so?"I'm not eve..."
In Wards case I think she has changed her style with some purpose. The first two? books were more of a romance as she was in the Romance section of the store gaining a foothold. Then it started becoming more and more urban/fantasy. It is a crossover with urban/fantasy and the more she writes the more settled it becomes in the u/f niche.
I'm not U/f so the last book I skimmed at the library was John's? I think. She lost me as a customer at book 4. I will buy her m/m to support the effort though.
Tharayn wrote: "Okay, since it seems that you all seem to be fans of BDB you have to explain why. I just read the first book, because a friend lend it to me and to amuse myself, but good is a different thing...
..."
A guilty pleasure? The multiple story lines makes you care for a character and want to read the rest of his story. I think unfortunately lately it's like she's mimicking herself, and she's also not writing her world building consistently, that's annoying, but what I liked about her books was that she was able to dig into her characters, that they were flawed and, like the classic romance trope, they needed someone to be saved. It's a bit clichéd, but in a nutshell, that's it. Of course, the series is not for everyone, all the Wardisms are annoying, the heroes are all Alphas, the heroines are often forgivable, if not downright annoying. And she has favorite characters, so so infuritating! :D
I don't see the change in style so much as the back stories and sub plots have taken on a life of their own and she no longer has a paranormal romance series, as she started out, but more of a serial urban fantasy with sex.Being a fantasy and urban fantasy reader myself, I like the genre blending and tons of back story in each book.
Anyone who is a hard core romance reader may be a bit disappointed, true.
I don't envy her her fanbase though. Talk about a pack of ravening beasts... they are a scary force to behold in their arguments.
Susinok wrote: "I don't envy her her fanbase though. Talk about a pack of ravening beasts... they are a scary force to behold in their arguments."I stay away from the die-hard fans. I read for entertainment, I don't understand the worship *shudders*
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"Oh my, it's STILL snowing for five days in a row... no problem, I haven't finished listening t..."
I'm going to start advertising my audio books as medically recommended for Type A personalities. :-D
LOL. Well, it takes one to know one, right... ;)
That would be one interesting advertising campaign, though. :) But seriously, your audio books DO work like a charm for a Type A personality... or so I've heard... *grin*
Mod
I just read the first book, because a friend lend it to me and to amuse myself, but good is a different thing..."
I ask myself the same question and I read the BDB series through the sixth book. It was one of my first ebook series. The bait was "vampire romance." I was kind of appalled by the writing, and all that "the male" and "the female" terminology, but somehow I got hooked. Then I realized I was reading what was for me a kind of painfully drawn-out plot just to get to the sex scenes. (blush) And I discovered m/m romance, and m/m romance written beautifully, and I just lost interest.
But I do understand something of the appeal. In fact I think this idea's been discussed somewhere here before. Sometimes a writer has a story to tell that mitigates the way it's told. Somehow her story pushes a lot of buttons, and even as I groaned over a phrase or detour I found myself coming back for another episode.
Will I read Lover At Last? Yes, but I don't think I'll go back to the other four I've missed.
Added later: I also read a lot of urban fantasy, but Ward's urban fantasy plot just became too convoluted and splintered (as others here noted).
Tharayn wrote: "That reminds me... Do you know the Fever-Series by Karen Marie Moning? The Alpha-Male thing just reminds me of the guys in the series, although they are much smarter. And the story is not that bad and very dark. Just the female male character is dumb as hell (I have to admit female characters don't have it easy with me I hate the most for different reasons...). But there are also no gay characters in it. ..."Yeah I listened to almost all of that series on audiobook and stopped about halfway through the last volume. I just could not stand Mac and Barron's bickering any.more.
Her highlander series is really pretty bad too. Talk about stereotypes and total pig heroes. I am in the minority in my opinions of her books, but I just don't care for them.
Ms. Moning is firmly on my do not buy list.
For a really different urban fantasy that mixes mythology and cyberpunk, I would recommend the Webmage books by Kelly McCollough. Very interesting and different. First book is WebMage. It is fantasy, not romance, though Riven does have a girlfriend.
Please tell me I'm not alone in liking all the BDB books? Maybe because romance isn't a big thing for me, I love a good story with my sex what can I say :) I enjoy the sub-plots and theorizing where she is going with them. I get the feeling Lover at last is going to be a book either you love or hate. Being a fan of m/m as well I have mixed feelings. So looking forward to the discussions when it come out. As for what I am reading, taken a break from m/m and reading UF. I am listening however to Kit and JX to get my m/m fix. The narrator does a great Kit IMO I must say.
Manda wrote: "Please tell me I'm not alone in liking all the BDB books? Maybe because romance isn't a big thing for me, I love a good story with my sex what can I say :) I enjoy the sub-plots and theorizing wh..."You are not alone. I like them too, all of them. A lot.
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No way are you alone! I was a guest over at the JR Ward forum last year, and her readers adore her. Even when they're aggravated, they're still pretty loyal. She's create a world and a set of characters that lots of people simply can't get enough of.
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Manda, I hope none of the comments here made you feel truly "alone." After all, we're all here sharing our thoughts and discoveries, and I'm sure there are a number of group members who like all of the books as well, even those who might be somewhat critical.
I adored Anne Rice's books and read everything she wrote (including the erotica, one which has a kind of hot m/m BDSM scene) until the vampire series ended. I was increasingly critical of her writing over time, but also a fierce advocate. Sometimes I think I'll go back and read the Christ stories, and I have to admit being very tempted by the wolf book that's being so heavily promoted on GR and elsewhere. But it may be a case of "you can't go home again," or rather that home has changed for me. I'm not sure I can go back to that dense Baroque style of writing after finding such fine examples of the lean, yet poetic.
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That was certainly a surprising reading. XD"
I can imagine. ;-)
Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? I was in the mood for something easy and sweet on Friday so downloaded a book that had gotten good reviews, about a cop falling in love with a witness he should protect. I know, nothing new to the story, but the rewievs said it had a different take on the cliche. I love my Kindle, so didn't throw it against the wall, but my only regret is that even if I deleted the book from the Kindle, it is still on my Amazon account. I want it completely gone, it is so bad.The idea about romance is that we shall fall a little bit in love with the protags, yes? But who can fall in love with an unprincipled cop who can't keep his dick to himself for one minute, who leaves his witness and colleagues in danger because he is in love ( or is it lust?) after a few hours from meeting the one he shall protect. Who is supposed to be this street smart ex- junkie and ex-criminal, but is the biggest cry- baby on the planet. Who of course, also falls in love with the unprincipled cop within minutes, without me understanding why.
So far, so good, but the bit that actually clinched it, was that after the witness had gone, the same cop is getting a blow-job from another cop, while they are working together on a surveillance! I know there are gay cops, they even walk in the Pride parade in Oslo in their uniforms, something I am proud to tell, and this is an insult to them all. Basically the author is telling us that gay cops can't be trusted to do their job properly because they are so horny they need to have sex constantly, even when working. The other, straight cop that is also working with the same witness, on the other hand, is kind and fatherly of course. I suppose you all can tell that this really pisses me off?
The worst? The author apparently thinks of the horny cop as some kind of hero, we are supposed to like and understand him and feel his pain when the witness is gone, and he lies and bribes to find him again although he is supposed to be under deep cover ( for his protection) He is in love, you see, and all is allowed. I stopped reading after that..
Tharayn wrote: "Anne wrote: "Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? I was in the mood for something easy and sweet on Friday so downloaded a book that had gotten good reviews, about a cop falling in love with ..."Insta-love is one of the annoying tropes in romance, but I can forgive it if it is well done, but this book, it was so wrong in so many ways ...
Anne, if anything sets me off, it's dumb cops in fiction. And your example is worse, I guess, because it makes all gay cops look incompetent.OT, I blazed through the entire Vorkosigan Saga for the first time and now I'm depressed because there are no more books. :(
Lady*M wrote: "Anne, if anything sets me off, it's dumb cops in fiction. And your example is worse, I guess, because it makes all gay cops look incompetent.OT, I blazed through the entire Vorkosigan Saga for th..."
Aren't those books wonderful! I love the whole series.
Anne wrote: "Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? I was in the mood for something easy and sweet on Friday so downloaded a book that had gotten good reviews, about a cop falling in love with a witness he ..."Anne, your cop and the witness he supposed to protect sounds perfectly like Nicole's article about Binky, a.k.a the TSTL character.
Anne wrote: "Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? I was in the mood for something easy and sweet on Friday so downloaded a book that had gotten good reviews, about a cop falling in love with a witness he ..."You can have it removed from your Kindle account. You go to the Manage my Kindle page and simply delete it from the list of your files. It will tell you: are you sure? because if you want to read it again, you'll have to buy it again. And you can tell them, yes, I'm sure, I hated the damned book. And it disappears. How do I know? I did it for several books :)
You might even be able to return it - which means a refund.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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No, I haven't read that one. Thank you for the recommendation! The one I've liked the best (of those SM books where the sub is naked around the house) is Duck! by Kim Dare. That one was very sweet, fairy tale kind of way (a modern BDSM fairy tale of H. C. Andersen's The Ugly Duckling using avian shifters). :)
Sidenote: Argh... GR isn't co-operating with me today. It refuses to post my comments and doesn't want to add the book links... :(