Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Blaine D. wrote: "I agree. flawed characters working hard at making their relationship work and owning up to their mistakes are a joy to read..."Yes! In this book I liked the way the author was able to slowly make us change our prospective and show that not everything is what it seems.
New profile pic! Cool :)
Emanuela ~Zstyx~ wrote: "New profile pic! Cool :)"Thank you :)
I know I promised not to confuzzle people by changing avatar and name ... but the face is still the same, albeit smaller and more greyscaled (except the hair)
Sprite123 wrote: "Erm, I managed to get Cut & Run by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux for free off of ARE. Considered getting it before, but didn't because I have a limited budget. Going to be the first time reading ...""Cut & Run" is one of those love/hate books. Some people really don't like it, and I found it confusing as hell. I wasn't going to read the sequel, but I found someone on a group who told me to go for it, and I was glad I did. Still the confusing changes in POV, but their behavior made more sense to me, and it was a good story (which is all that held me through "Cut & Run"). I bought the third book, too, just haven't read it.
ns wrote: "Heather C wrote: "Hmm. The ones in the anthologies, are they available as stand alones?"Hi Heather C, only a few. I've linked to them where possible (when they were available as stand-alones) in ..."
Thanks. That's an awesome list
I'm making my way through all the Ethan Day books I bought last week. Currently reading
I've just read all the books I can find by Drew Hunt. He doesn't seem to get much of a mention here, or have a web presence anywhere which is a shame, I'd like to be able to tell him that I loved them all.The Way to Will is available at Wowio as a freebie and it's got me hooked.
some of the books are set in the US and some in the UK, they are set within the area in which I live and the words and language are the words I hear around me every day. Its lovely.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jan. I also have several books by Drew Hunt courtesy of Wowio. I'm going to add them to my to-read list.
Jan wrote: "I've just read all the books I can find by Drew Hunt. He doesn't seem to get much of a mention here, or have a web presence anywhere which is a shame, I'd like to be able to tell him that I loved ..."Actually, I mentioned him a couple of months ago. I've been following him for a couple of years, while he was still writing and posting to CRV BOY. I have almost all of his published stories. I think there's one or two that have recently come out that I haven't picked up yet. But, I do agree, Drew is a fantastic writer and I enjoy his work.
BTW, his Something about Trevor was nominated for the Book of the Month read for April. Didn't make the cut, but we are thinking of him.
Last weekend: Psycops series - JCP
Zero at the Bone - Jane Seville
As You Are - Ethan Day
Loved JCP, really enjoyable read. A bit underwhelmed by Zero at the Bone, mostly because my expectations were really high (this was a finalist for an award last year). As You Are was a bit meh for me, although I can see he's a good writer. Just not writing about anything very original yet. Felt like the 1000th time I had read that story. His stories don't do his writing talent justice, overall, although I don't know if that's very fair to say.
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I was struggling with "Dash and Dingo" for 3 day but I'm giving up. I can't get into it.
Started "Snowball in Hell"."
I have to admit it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I just finished it last night.
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, AM Riley's writing is superb as always. But this is definitely not a standard cop or mystery story. It is very emotionally inte..."I haven't read this yet, but I intend to. I think AM is greatly overlooked in this genre.
Josh wrote: "Yvonne wrote: "Cleon wrote: "I just finished , AM Riley's writing is superb as always. But this is definitely not a standard cop or mystery story. It is very e..."
I've been really drawn to this book, because the title's in Spanish...makes me curious
, AM Riley's writing is superb as always. But this is definitely not a standard cop or mystery story. It is very e..."I've been really drawn to this book, because the title's in Spanish...makes me curious
Lauraadriana wrote: "Josh wrote: "Yvonne wrote: "Cleon wrote: "I just finished , AM Riley's writing is superb as always. But this is definitely not a standard cop or mystery story...."You should read it Laura! I'll reread it with you when you're ready for some pretty tearing emotional angst and want a captivating hero with a double standards ;) I really loved it. And if you've already read AER reading
(which is one of my all time favorites) will be so much more enjoyable!
ns wrote: "Last weekend: Psycops series - JCP
Zero at the Bone - Jane Seville
As You Are - Ethan Day
Loved JCP, really enjoyable read. A bit underwhelmed by Zero at the Bone, mostly because my expectation. As You Are was a bit meh for me, although I can see he's a good writer. Just not writing about anything very original yet. Felt."
I felt the same way about Zero at the Bone when I read it, but I was planning to reread it again one day because all those rave reviews make me feel like I'm missing something.
I also just read As You Are (my first Ethan Day book) & filed it under cute & fluffy. The football scene was funny. I'd probably try another one of his books.
I have a question for people who don't like vampires but like Z.A. Maxfield.
I'm looking at her "Notturno" audiobook ATM. I don't like vampires stories, and, honestly, the blurb isn't very tempting. On the other hand, all my friends rated the book 4-5 stars, and I remember liking her story from "His for the holiday" anthology. And m/m audiobook is a rare treat. And a bit expensive for a blind buy...
I'd be thankful for your ops :)
I'm looking at her "Notturno" audiobook ATM. I don't like vampires stories, and, honestly, the blurb isn't very tempting. On the other hand, all my friends rated the book 4-5 stars, and I remember liking her story from "His for the holiday" anthology. And m/m audiobook is a rare treat. And a bit expensive for a blind buy...
I'd be thankful for your ops :)
Suhi wrote: "I have a question for people who don't like vampires but like Z.A. Maxfield. I'm looking at her "Notturno" audiobook ATM. I don't like vampires stories, and, honestly, the blurb isn't very temptin..."
Notturno is not an ordinary vampire story, IMHO. For one, Adin, the human, wasn't his "slave", "mate", "submissive" or something like that. He was very intelligent, assertive, brave, and not above teasing his vampire lover. How I love it when he teased and mocked Donte!
This is an excerpt from her 2nd book in the series that had me giggled like mad. Imagine saying this to a big bad vampire.
"Did you get a lot of brooding done while I was gone?"
Adin teased. "How's your chair, the one with the leather
upholstery? Did you sit by the fire and doodle pictures of bats
with little heart shaped eyes? I did."
"I am not in the mood to be mocked."
Donte is a typical vampire in a way and entirely different from other vampires I've read in our genre. His letters are heartbreaking and so very beautiful and they would be lovely to be heard on audiobook!
The plot and the characterization are superb, even more than some of ZAM's books. I really didn't see one of the plot twist coming.
However, if you aren't sure, perhaps you better try the ebook first before you buy the audiobook.
Cleon wrote: "Notturno is not an ordinary vampire story, IMHO. For one, Adin, the human, wasn't his "slave", "mate", "submissive" or something like that. He was very intelligent, assertive, brave, and not above teasing his vampire lover. How I love it when he teased and mocked Donte!
....
However, if you aren't sure, perhaps you better try the ebook first before you buy the audiobook. ..."
Thank you very much for such a detailed reply! I'll have to think, maybe I'll be able to overcome my dislike of vampires if the story is good. If I read the book, I don't think I'll buy the audiobook though :)
....
However, if you aren't sure, perhaps you better try the ebook first before you buy the audiobook. ..."
Thank you very much for such a detailed reply! I'll have to think, maybe I'll be able to overcome my dislike of vampires if the story is good. If I read the book, I don't think I'll buy the audiobook though :)
so Cleon is it good?? i personally LOVE vampires :<
Edina wrote: "Hi Yvonne,I was not crazy about Bill in Amor en Retrogrado but in Death by Misfortune, he is great. His relationship with Chris develops into something serious. There is more emphasis on their relationship than in AeR. And the best part of the book is the ending. I've rarely seen an ending as good as the one in DbyM. "
You've convinced me. I'll get it when/if the price comes down or there's a sale going on.
Barb wrote: "so Cleon is it good?? i personally LOVE vampires :<"It's FABULOUS! :D
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There's nothing wrong with the writing, per se, but I'm not really *seeing* anything, which is difficult in a spec fiction story. You're trying to see the world the author is describing, but despite a lot of description...I'm not getting the picture.
I'm hoping I'll sink into it now that the protags have met up.
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Jordan S. wrote: "I read Zero at the Bone twice now and I loved it both times!"I enjoyed Zero at the Bone, but I was a little annoyed by the ending. It's so clear that they haven't reached their HEA yet, that there are big issues left to work out. At the time I was reading mostly mainstream romance, and sequels featuring the same protagonists are rare there. You might see them in passing as their friends hook up, but they aren't usually the main focus beyond "their" book. So not only did Zero end without a happy resting place for the characters, but it also went against my expectations by implying a sequel.
Does anyone know if she has plans to ever write that sequel, or is she just going to do Jack and D short stories forever?
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Yeah, it did kind of have an odd ending, but I guess I put it behind me and pretended that that was how it was going to be between them forever. It's odd because most books that end like that I don't like too much, but this one I did. Maybe enjoying the rest of the story so much made me somewhat more ok with the ending that I would have been otherwise, since that was the only major thing.
Oh yeah, and I was always picturing the actor Jason Statham as D too, that probably helped... a lot! lol.
I'm hoping there is a sequel though. I'd love to read more about these guys.
I had read Shades of Gray, which had a similar theme and I really loved it. For some reason, Zero at the Bone, did nothing for me. But it's been a while and I've forgotten exactly what I found off putting. It could be because they had the stereotypical female gender romance role --the alpha male[sniper guy] & the more feminine hissy fit throwing, constantly needing protection guy girl[the doctor]. Maybe it was the dialect thrown in for no reason. Someone wrote that Zero at the Bone was originally written as an AU fan fiction for Brokeback Mountain, and that's the reason one of the character's had that accent. Maybe it's true, because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the story.
Josh wrote: "There's nothing wrong with the writing, per se, but I'm not really *seeing* anything, which is difficult in a spec fiction story. You're trying to see the world the author is describing, but despite a lot of description...I'm not getting the picture."
My impression exactly :) The wordy out-of-place writing style amused me at the beginning but... not for too long before it became annoying.
I'm hoping I'll sink into it now that the protags have met up. ...
It didn't happen to me, but I hope you'll find something worth reading in it... even if only as a case-study..
It's kind of sad though that sci-fi m/m is almost non-existent, and when you find something it's usually.. erm... weak.
My impression exactly :) The wordy out-of-place writing style amused me at the beginning but... not for too long before it became annoying.
I'm hoping I'll sink into it now that the protags have met up. ...
It didn't happen to me, but I hope you'll find something worth reading in it... even if only as a case-study..
It's kind of sad though that sci-fi m/m is almost non-existent, and when you find something it's usually.. erm... weak.
Cleon wrote: "Barb wrote: "so Cleon is it good?? i personally LOVE vampires :It's FABULOUS! :D"
thanks Cleon... I feel the need for a bit of fang ;) did you read JCP Wild Bill and Mikey books? LOVED them
Barb wrote: "Cleon wrote: "Barb wrote: "so Cleon is it good?? i personally LOVE vampires :It's FABULOUS! :D"
thanks Cleon... I feel the need for a bit of fang ;) did you read JCP Wild Bill and Mikey book..."
Not yet, but I'll add them to my wish-list! I have a huge backlog and no money for now. lol.
I think everything by Alex Beecroft is terrific. Authentic, wonderful story-telling.For m/m seafarers (by someone else who really knows his stuff), have y'all tried M. Kei's, Pirates of the Narrow Seas? It's a series of three books, so far. Adventures, love, a sexy lead--the kind of episodic story-telling that reminds me a little of Shogun.
Barb wrote: "Cleon wrote: "Barb wrote: "so Cleon is it good?? i personally LOVE vampires :It's FABULOUS! :D"
thanks Cleon... I feel the need for a bit of fang ;) did you read JCP Wild Bill and Mikey book..."
they are well worth it! but I think I love everything Jordan does too :) just downloaded that Noturrno book.. cos really I need another book on my kindle!
I'm reading
. Poor Mark...
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It's complicated and distancing. I keep reading and I keep analyzing. At heart there's a good story here, and there's nothing technically wrong with the writing -- other than a strong tendency to tell rather than show.
But there is a lot of exposition in fantasy and SF, so even that isn't technically wrong here.
It's distant. It's very distant.
It's kind of sad though that sci-fi m/m is almost non-existent, and when you find something it's usually.. erm... weak.
There really isn't much SF here is there? Maybe because SF is still dominated by male writers and m/m is still largely dominated by female?
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So, I'm over half way through False Colors by Alex Beecroft, and I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's not going at all how I thought it would, and I think that's a good thing. The descriptions in the book are almost *too* vivid, but she's getting the desired grossed out response from me over disgusting wounds and horrible treatment of slaves and prisoners. lol. It's good, though, and if you're into Navel battles and things I would highly recommend it.
Josh wrote: "There really isn't much SF here is there? Maybe because SF is still dominated by male writers and m/m is still largely dominated by female? "Why is this? It's endlessly fascinating to me. I'm looking eight feet to the left of me at my 70 strong sci-fi book shelves and not a female name in the top 30-40 authors pops out, with the exception of Janet Kagan (Mirabile -- delightful!).
I suspect this is a manifestation of the lack of women in certain science fields and technology to start with, and the lack of context and comfort that engenders with that environment.
I'm fairly new to m/m and don't pay attention to author gender to start with, so really haven't a clue whether it's a woman or a man who's writing the book I read, quite apart from the gender-neutral name selection that's rife. All I'll concede is that it's likely not a thousand monkeys typing randomly on a thousand keyboards. Very likely not, at any rate....
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Why is this? It's endlessly fascinating t..."
I'm guessing. I really don't know. I do know there's a decided lack of emotionally engaging SF in our genre. I mean, more so than in the rest of the genre. There's a lot of fantasy, steampunk is certainly coming into its own, so why such a dearth of SF?
I would think if someone had a knack for SF as well as a knack for emotionally engaging stories, they would rule this subgenre. Maybe those two things don't typically go together?
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I think you should definitely go for it, Jordan.
I don't read a ton of sci-fi, but Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my favorite authors of all time. And she's a woman writing sci-fi. I think sci-fi has the same problem as a genre that m/m does. Everyone wants it to be written by men. There are a lot more women writing it than we think, it's just under masculine pen names.I think it's just a matter of time until someone comes along with a really good blend of the two. Romance and fantasy have been blurring into each other for years, and now you can't swing a cat without hitting an alpha werewolf/vampire/faerie looking for his one true love. Or a good screw, whichever.
ns wrote: "Josh wrote: "There really isn't much SF here is there? Maybe because SF is still dominated by male writers and m/m is still largely dominated by female? "Why is this? It's endlessly fascinating t..."
I did read one sci fi book written by a woman, The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It definitely had a different tone & feel to it than one that's written by a man. I know it was a bit softer & definitely had Meyer's quirks in it. It was a very popular book but that may be due to her built in Twilight audience.
Still I think there's great potential for sci fi in M/M. Mark Alders is the only one I know that's doing it now.
Talking about sci-fi, I remembered reading Himiko: Bonding and Acquainted with the Night. The later is a bit weird, but fun read for me. I can't recall other books, but I am not actively searching for them either. My favorite genres are contemporary, crime, and fantasy.
Becky wrote: "I don't read a ton of sci-fi, but Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my favorite authors of all time. And she's a woman writing sci-fi. I think sci-fi has the same problem as a genre that m/m does. ..."Eeek! I have the full Vorkosigan saga sitting upstairs. And I do love it tremendously. Shame on me for forgetting LMB!
Becky wrote: "I don't read a ton of sci-fi, but Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my favorite authors of all time. And she's a woman writing sci-fi. I think sci-fi has the same problem as a genre that m/m does. Everyone wants it to be written by men. There are a lot more women writing it than we think, it's just under masculine pen names."Yeah, scifi has always been a lot less dominated by men than people think. There just weren't many discernible female pen names until very recently. And people who thought they could tell male and female scifi writers apart were often very shocked when the truth came out. So yeah, lots of parallels with M/M.
Lil' Grogan wrote: "ns wrote: "Hmm..no Connie Willis? I like her stuff. "Sigh. I'm looking over at my beloved, dog-eared copy of "To Say Nothing of the Dog" misfiled with my fantasy books and feel my x chromosome reaching out and strangling my own innards. Today is make ns feel bad day, isn't it?
Guilt is now going to provoke me into putting a scifi women writers database together, if there isn't already one....
Charming wrote: "And people who thought they could tell male and female scifi writers apart were often very shocked when the truth came out."You're not going to tell me Harlan Ellison was a woman, are you? Because the way this day is going....
Cleon wrote: But I am glad she handled how to write fucked up relationship well, because let's face it, not every relationship is healthy. And in the end, I am quite satisfied with the ending. Oooh--sounds like an intense read. I'm adding Amor En Retrogrado to my to-read list.
Reading According to Hoyle by Abigail Roux... I have to say I didn't realize how much I liked a Western.
Emanuela ~Zstyx~ wrote: "I'm reading . Poor Mark..."LOVE L.B. Gregg, and this book is one of my favorites.
Has anyone tried "Undercover Sins"?Undercover Sins I read it a week ago, and scenes from it occasionally pop into my head. I liked it, but there seemed to be a lot of gratuitous exhibitionism. Not that that's always bad, of course....
Mod
As for female SF writers, Maureen McHugh, Octavia Butler, and Ursu..."
Lou, have you read Angel: 1089 yet? From what I know it doesn't come out until August, and I can't wait because it looks fantabulous!!!
Josh, I'll definitely consider writing my sci-fi story next November.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
M.M. Kaye (other topics)Elspeth Huxley (other topics)
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Cleon wrote: What I love most about this book is that the characters are willing to admit their own mistakes and work hard to be together. Not too many people do that nowadays, unfortunately. "
I agree. flawed characters working hard at making their relationship work and owning up to their mistakes are a joy to read.
And I loved Amor en Retrogrado, a lot.
I did like Bill, and the second book is definitely on my wish list.
I so need to update my booklist. I've read a lot since I've been ill, but haven't updated at all ...
but ... writing comes first.