Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion

L.B. wrote: " I think it was the very first m/m novel I ever read ...."

The very first gay romance novel I ever read was Love Match by Keira Andrews, it blew me away and opened my eyes to a new genre. It's cost me a fortune since then, LOL!

Josh wrote: "Arzu wrote: "I am always reading 2 books at the same time, not only M/M but also other genres like Dark Fantasy and Romance. At the moment I am reading "Deadly Nightshade" by Victor J. Banis and "..."

Me too. My parents live in Belgium and every 2 weeks I go there to spend the weekend. Guess what ... I even have there books waiting to be finished!! ((:

Cait wrote: "It's cost me a fortune since then, LOLL"

It's fun, though. You have to admit.

"It's fun, though. You have to admit."

Absolutely!

Just finished White Road! (and Vintage affair XD) Ahh! its so sad, but not.. Damn! Its hard not to give spoilers. Another win, and I cant wait for the next one.

(and of course I loved Vintage affair. I find it a little surreal when meme's are mentioned in books. Lol-cats Josh? really? your so win. XD And I should have known your a fan of Blackadder.. it has the same dark wit as you.)

Now on to Scarlet and the white wolf by Kirby Crow..im hoping it'll be good so I have a new series to fall for.

Samantha wrote: "Just finished White Road! (and Vintage affair XD) Ahh! its so sad, but not.. Damn! Its hard not to give spoilers. Another win, and I cant wait for the next one.

(and of course I loved Vintage aff..."

Thanks, Sam. Well, I figure Austin is definitely a child of the modern media. :-D

So glad you enjoyed it.


Interesting about White Road. Hmmm...

Oh yeah.. he sounds exactly like me, in the fact I would die if I couldn't get my laptop.. How are we meant to check failblog and facebook without it?!

Read it Josh, you know you want to (and the shadows return) its impossible to say no to Seregil. He's too dashing! (Also it might inspire more fantasy from you XD)

Read it Josh, you know you want to (and the shadows return) its impossible to say no to Seregil. He's too dashing! (Also it might inspire more fantasy from you XD

You're totally right about that -- I DO want to read it. *g*

good.. then you can tell ME what you thought. XD

If you haven't already read "Henry and Jim" by JM Snyder.. it really is a must. It's very short, but such a beautiful love story. I recommend everyone read it.

I'll keep an eye out for it, Mariana. I like JM's work. She did a story a ways back about young hockey players that I thought was very well done.

Josh wrote: "I'll keep an eye out for it, Mariana. I like JM's work. She did a story a ways back about young hockey players that I thought was very well done."

Power Play was great too. That was my first J.M. Snyder book and really hooked me on the author.

'Henry and Jim' was being highlighted for the fight by Clay and Harold (against the city of Sonoma, CA). Heartbreaking true story about an older gay couple. This story was the perfect thing to highlight it. I hope you enjoy it.

Jorrie wrote: "I've been meaning to read the Lord John books forever. I can never quite make up my mind if I should invest. How are they?

I liked them quite a bit. Not romance, some nice historical detail. I liked them quite a bit. Not romance, some nice historical detail. I like the main character a lot. I just have to ignore any mention of Jamie in LJ books, since it makes me gnash my teeth.
"

Out of curiosity, why does Jamie make you gnash your teeth?

Cait wrote: "L.B. wrote: " I think it was the very first m/m novel I ever read ...."

The very first gay romance novel I ever read was Love Match by Keira Andrews, it blew me away and opened my eyes to a new ..."

I have had the same problem/issue :) with m/m, though it was "The Assignment" by Evangeline Anderson that sucked me in. I do love many of the books I've read, but sometimes when I try to calculate how much I've spent I start to hyperventilate. Of course, then I buy another book and forget that I was hyperventilating. LOL

Josh wrote: "I'll keep an eye out for it, Mariana. I like JM's work. She did a story a ways back about young hockey players that I thought was very well done."

Huge hockey fan here. I've been keeping track of the sports-related threads on Wave's site and really do hope to see more sports-centered/related stories in future. I downloaded Amazon's preview of "Playing the Field." One of the first things I noticed was she called a player's sweater a shirt. I gnashed my teeth a bit because that's just such an obvious one to get right. I am going to purchase it this weekend, though. My only other exposure to this author is her "The Name on My Wrist," which was very touching, so I'm hopeful.

My Internet has been kaputt for 4 days (which is slowly driving me insane), but it did some good because I finally read Jacob's Ladder by Z.A. Maxfield. Wow, such an amazing book. My favourite of hers until now was Crossing Borders, but I think I have a new champion. Also, it seems that this won't be the last book in these series (if I've read the clues correctly), which is making me a very happy cookie.

Antonia wrote: "My Internet has been kaputt for 4 days (which is slowly driving me insane), but it did some good because I finally read Jacob's Ladder by Z.A. Maxfield. Wow, such an amazing book. My favourite of h..."

Hey, I just finished that one last night! LOL. And I have to agree -- fantastic. Also re continuing the series, if there isn't a sequel for Daniel, my skull will implode. Messy, messy, messy... ;-)

Rob wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'll keep an eye out for it, Mariana. I like JM's work. She did a story a ways back about young hockey players that I thought was very well done."

Huge hockey fan here. I've been keep..."

I think the story I read was Power Play. I think the guys in it are college age or so. Honestly, beyond that, I don't remember a lot except that I liked it. But at the time I was reading more to see how she structured and the ratio of sex to story. *g*

Josh wrote: "I think the story I read was Power Play"

The Blurb:
Ryan is the star of his college hockey team until an accident leaves him in a wheelchair. When he meets Dante, a short track speedskater, a love of the ice brings them together. But many obstacles stand in their way: Ryan's therapy. Dante's first boyfriend. Lack of funding for Dante's Olympic hope, his harassing boss, a friend in love with him, and a ruthless teammate who will do anything to win.

Andy wrote: "The Blurb:
Ryan is the star of his college hockey team until an accident leaves him in a wheelchair. When he meets Dante, a short track speeds..."

I loved this book too.

Maygirl7 wrote: " Of course, then I buy another book and forget that I was hyperventilating..."

LOL! Me too. Think we may have a problem?

But while I like Jamie fine there, I just don't enjoy his presence at all in the LJ books.

The unrequited love thing becomes tiresome after a while. I want to see characters who grow, smart people who learn from their mistakes -- mistakes, I don't mind (I even like) but I do want to see the moving on and the learning parts.

Jorrie wrote: "Josh wrote: "The unrequited love thing becomes tiresome after a while. I want to see characters who grow, smart peop..."

Yeah, exactly. Thing is, Gabaldon is quite deft with her characterization o..."

Well, and plus adding a romantic subplot -- even a very minor one -- really enriches the overall story line. Which I guess is kind of what she's thinking with the Jamie thing, but it's too...sad.

Josh wrote: "The unrequited love thing becomes tiresome after a while. I want to see characters who grow, smart peop..."

Well, in the Outlander series Lord John and Jamie do form a strong friendship. Lord John knows he can't have Jamie and is fine with that. The Lord John books take place before that friendship is formed, in fact Jamie isn't too happy with Lord John in those books.

Jorrie wrote: " I cut out of the Outlander series early on, when Jamie despises Lord John, which makes the whole thing kinda worse."


Which book did you stop at? I think in Voyager we have the hatred and we have the shift of them becoming friends.
And they do shift and form a strong friendship much to the dismay of Claire at first.

Jorrie wrote: "I didn't finish Voyager…"

Ah, that is where the shift happens toward friendship. There are some great scenes with Lord John in the books that follow and he has a bigger role in the latest book An Echo In The Bone.

Jorrie wrote: "Well I suppose I stopped at just the wrong time for the Lord John books, in some ways."

Well the Lord John books take place before it happens. Jamie isn't in the LJ books much, which I like. I enjoy seeing Lord John on his own turf, seeing him at his club, with his family and seeing how many times he can ruin his clothes.

Finished the first Scarlet and White wolf book by Kirby Crow, and it was well worth the risk of buying the book outright. Now I cant wait for the next two. It's quite good if your in the mood for a m/m fantasy kind of story - which Ive been riding since finishing White road. XD Slow developing relationship, but I can already tell its going to be worth it.

Andy wrote: "Josh wrote: "I think the story I read was Power Play"

The Blurb:
Ryan is the star of his college hockey team until an accident leaves him in a wheelchair. When he meets Dante, a short track speeds..."
Ah yes! I remember seeing a blurb for this somewhere. I'll check it out as well. Thanks! :)

I just finished Tatterdemalion by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox and despite what I consider the dumbest title ever, I know a book has been a hit with me when I find myself lying in bed a few nights later thinking about something in it. I'm really hoping there is a sequel though or else the ending was very abrupt and I'll be kind of annoyed with that. I haven't actually pursued trying to find out if there is sequel 'cause I'm lazy that way but I'm hopeful.

Tam wrote: "I just finished Tatterdemalion by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox and despite what I consider the dumbest title ever, I know a book has been a hit with me when I find myself lying in bed a ..."

So, you recommend it then? I just noticed it on 카지노싸이트 the other day and was thinking of getting it. What did you like about it?

Maygirl7 wrote: "So, you recommend it then? I just noticed it on 카지노싸이트 the other day and was thinking of getting it. What did you like about it?"

I really liked the relationship between Dane and Lindsay and how Lindsay brought out the caring gentle side of Dane. It also deals with the world of magic and the reason I'm hoping for a sequel is there were questions left (not only about the bad guys) but things I would like to understand more, so it kind of gave me a taste of the world. It's quite horrifying what Lindsay went through, but he never broke and has a core of strength which went well with Dane who is outwardly the strong macho guy but has a core of softness for Lindsay. Mind you, I told someone that Dane refers to Lindsay as "little bunny" which likely makes you got "awwwww" or "blech". LOL Plus they travel from NYC to the Black Forest, to Mexico and all around the place on a quest to help Lindsay so kind of an adventure story tied in there as well.

Tam wrote: "Maygirl7 wrote: "So, you recommend it then? I just noticed it on 카지노싸이트 the other day and was thinking of getting it. What did you like about it?"

I really liked the relationship between Dane..."

Thanks. That helped me decide on reading it. I will see how I feel about the little bunny naming; right now it is making my eyes squinch. :D

Tam wrote: "I just finished Tatterdemalion by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox and despite what I consider the dumbest title ever, I know a book has been a hit with me when I find myself lying in bed a ..."

Yes, there are a lot of these obscure, unpronounceable single word titles right now. I suppose they're suppose to catch your attention, but basically they're an eye-roll. The story sounds good, though. Your description caught me.

Tam wrote: "Maygirl7 wrote: "So, you recommend it then? I just noticed it on 카지노싸이트 the other day and was thinking of getting it. What did you like about it?"

I really liked the relationship between Dane..."

"Little bunny" aside, I like the sound of this.

Josh wrote: "Tam wrote: "I just finished Tatterdemalion ..."

Sounds like the name of my book Slubberdegullion. Apologies if someone's already mentioned it. I've just come back from Crete and haven't had time to read everything here. The word Tatterdemalion caught my eye.

Slubberdegullion

Jay wrote: "Josh wrote: "Tam wrote: "I just finished Tatterdemalion ..."

Sounds like the name of my book Slubberdegullion. Apologies if someone's already mentioned it. I've just come back fro..."

Case in point. :-D I'm sure it's a wonderful book. I'm sure they all are.

I thought the title might be memorable, or at least unusual. Unfortunately most spellchecks don't like it, and no one knows what it means. I came across it when I was looking through Roget's Thesaurus.

I've also used the word "sex" in a title, on the basis that sex sells. That didn't work, either. :)

Sorry if I digress again.

It is unusual, and once someone has read the book, it's probably memorable too. And it probably perfectly suits the book.

Tam's comment yesterday and my own instinctive reaction to these obscure one word titles got me thinking about titles in general.

A title serves a couple of purposes. One, it's a convenient means of identifying a book. SILMARILLION is a simpler and more memorable way of identification than TOLKIEN'S LAST BOOK. Two, it should be a word or a few words capture the theme or spirit of a tale. And that's where a lot of these obscure titles make perfect sense -- after you've read the story or the book, you look at the title and feel a kind of affection for it. Ah, yes, THE HOBBIT. Or ah yes, TATTERDEMALION. Or SLUBBERDEGULLION. It often seems like the perfect title.

But a title can also serve as a marketing tool, which is why so many publishers, especially mainstream publishers, are very picky about titles and often have marketing teams choose them as opposed to going with an author's choice. A title that isn't easy to remember or spell -- and offers the reader no reference point or clue -- is probably not a selling point. It's not an UNselling point, certainly. It's probably a neutral for a prospective book buyer. So if you love the title and it seems perfect for the book, that's fine!

I mean, it can't be any worse than me having the word "dark" in four titles. Talk about confusing readers.

I think the title also conveys something about genre and content. Often those sorts of titles are used in spec fiction; I don't particularly find them off-putting, in fact, they can be the first step in drawing me into a world where the rules are different.

Tatterdemalian sounds like fantasy to me (whether it is or not, I don't know) and the title is actually compelling. I'm expecting some sort of Irish alternative world, and I think of a boy in tatters (sort of piquing a childhood love of the fantasy of poor child overcoming odds).

Unfortunately, slubberdeguillion makes me think of slobber, which is not an association that would draw me in (sorry, Jay, but this is subconscious, and you might as well be aware of it).

So someone like Josh is vaguely put off by "Tatterdemalian" whereas it's a draw for me, and I think the difference has to do with the types of books we love/loved and the associations made. The real question to me is, is that that title attracting the right readers or the wrong ones (i.e., who is more likely to actually enjoy the book itself, me or Josh?)

I think it's very hard for an author to make those calls, since we don't know if our associations are shared by our audience.

Ocotillo: It is fantasy but not Irish. There are mages and shapeshifters and evil government conspiracies set in NYC, Germany, Mexico but normal modern day. :-) Tatterdemalion is "a person dressed in ragged clothes" which sort of fits in some very esoteric ways, but for me I don't think I should have to google a word to know what the title means. It didn't tell me anything and I only bought the book after reading a glowing review (by someone who looked up the word). But as you said, what works for one, won't work for the next. However from average joe buyer perspective I prefer the book to give me a hint as Josh said.

Another point, if you are trying to search for a book on-line or on Good Reads and you can't spell it, you are likely to just forget about it and find something easier.

I don't disagree with any of that. I think my point wasn't clear. Only that there is a tradition of titles like this in the fantasy genre that readers of the genre will recognize and be attracted to. And if that is the target audience, that is not *necessarily* a bad thing.

If the target audience is m/m readers in general, then on balance, maybe the title was a bad choice, but it is a title that resonates with me, and I feel no need to google it or know what it means to be attracted to it. That is because of my background in reading material outside of m/m.

I think you're right. I think these titles are more common in spec fiction, and in that sense they do convey a sense of what the book will be about -- I did assume it would be a fantasy novel.

One thing that can work is if the word is made up of words or images that are recognizable, so even if the word itself isn't known, there's a sense of the story. Turnskin. Shadowhunter. Nightwalker.

I also agree that some words just sound more lyrical and appealing, even if they aren't recognizable.

I don't quite remember which post (or what site) the discussion was made at, but I seem to remember you asking about books and music. A story where the protag is a classical musician. This story was reviewed recently by Jesse wave, and is due to be released next week: Counterpoint: Dylan's Story. I'm excited to read the story. Love the premise, love the era the story is set in. I haven't read the author before, but I have hope. :)
Counterpoint: Dylan's Story

Merith wrote: "I don't quite remember which post (or what site) the discussion was made at, but I seem to remember you asking about books and music. A story where the protag is a classical musician. This story wa..."

Ruth Sims. Yes, I believe she's pretty good. I think she only does historical. I'll be interested to see her take on the subject.

To those of you who recommended Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy, I finished it up last night. It was a very good story; different setting because it takes place in Australia, but that only added to its interest, I think. I just put my son on the plane for Melbourne for a 5 month stay for school. I was able to tell him he would have fun learning some new words and phrases!

I'm starting A Vintage Affair now- loving it!

Patty - If you enjoyed Tigers and Devils, try Sean's other work, coauthored with Catt Ford: Dash and Dingo: In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger. It has a Crocodile Dundee mixed with an Indian Jones feel to it. Very good, humorous with a nice slowly developing romance.

Merith wrote: "Patty - If you enjoyed Tigers and Devils, try Sean's other work, coauthored with Catt Ford: Dash and Dingo: In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger. It has a Crocodile Dundee mixed with an ..."
Thanks, Merith, I will try it. I love being on summer vacation. However, my TBR pile is growing by leaps and bounds!

Yay, Patty! Glad you enjoyed Tigers and Devils! Merith is right, Dash and Dingo is very good, too. Totally different from T&D, but a lot of fun (and educational, too). Hope your son enjoys his stay in Australia--can't say I'm not jealous. How old is he?

Rob wrote: "Yay, Patty! Glad you enjoyed Tigers and Devils! Merith is right, Dash and Dingo is very good, too. Totally different from T&D, but a lot of fun (and educational, too). Hope your son enjoys his stay..."

Hi, Rob. Alec is 21. He'll be at Uni Melbourne for a semester. He just checked in with us this morning. His first impression was that the school is smack dab in the middle of the city- kind of like New York City- lots of people and lots of activity. He also said everybody was really, really nice.

I just finished A Vintage Affair last night. Wow. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone and I didn't see it coming! I'm still processing; not sure yet how I feel about Jeff and their relationship.