Article Recs

Happy Presidents Day, Arkhamites! Since I have the day off, I got up at the crack of noon and caught up on some blog posts and articles. Here are three of my favorites:

1. 20 Tips for Writing the Cozy or Traditional Mystery

Josh Lanyon's tips are an entertaining review of the rules of the genre. I especially like that Josh admits that some rules only apply if you want a mainstream publisher:

17 - Bad words are a no-no. Cozy readers take a dim view of potty mouths. The F-word is verboten, and taking the Lord's name in vain will send you straight to publishing Hell. Obviously I’m talking to those of you with an eye on a mainstream publisher. The rest of us can do whatever the fuck we like.

2. A Life in Books: C. J. Sansom

I found this googling for more information on C. J. Sansom.  It's an indepth-interview with the man, focusing on his Matthew Shardlake mysteries.  I liked reading about how he knew he would have to get rid of sidekick Mark from Dissolution in favor of the "meatier" Jack Barak for the rest of the series.

3. Bankrupt!

Oy--Borders has filed Chapter 11. This post explains what that will mean to authors.

Enjoy the posts--and feel free to share your thoughts on them!

How not to promote your book!

Check out Josh Lanyon's article on Reviews by Jessewave to avoid dirty--not to mention pathetic--tricks: Nice Guys Finish Last. 

Josh Lanyon Interviews Jake Riordan

So this is what a character interview should look like! Josh Lanyon captures the agony of Jake's conflicted feelings about Adrien and about his marriage in just a few understated lines.

Two Reading Challenges for 2011

Georgette Heyer

I've committed to two separate reading challenges this year. The first one is on Goodreads' M/M Romance group (which is an 18 and over group due to some explicit content.) The challenge is to read 26 M/M books, each with a hero whose first or last name starts with a separate letter of the alphabet. For example, I'm going to read one of Josh Lanyon's Adrien English books for the letter 'A.'

The second challenge is courtesy of the Books are a Girl's Best Friend blog: it's a challenge to be "captivated" by Georgette Heyer by reading ten of her books. (You can find this challenge on Goodreads as well, in the Georgette Heyer Fans group.)

I have a love-hate relationship with Georgette Heyer, the woman who more-or-less created the Regency romance. (She had a little help from Jane Austen.) I love her books, but I could live without her antisemitism. (Her most blatant offense, as far as I know, is that horrific chapter in The Grand Sophy. And yes, I'd feel this way even if I weren't Jewish.) But when she's not talking about Jews I adore her.

So that's 36 books to complete my two challenges. I'm starting to line up the M/M books already; it will be harder to choose ten Georgette Heyer books, because I've read so many. But I'm sure I can find ten more that are new to me.

So here's to at least thirty-six enjoyable reads in 2011!

Failure--but not disaster

I'm officially facing facts. I won't be finishing 50,000 words of Not So Safe by midnight next Tuesday. I've failed yet another NaNoWriMo.

But I'm ok with that. I think I'm going to have a solid first draft by the time I'm done, so I'm not going to castigate myself if I finish it in December instead of November.

Meanwhile, I've had a productive week. I've read two Josh Lanyon books--yeah, I'm hooked on his M/M mysteries--and Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've revised my outline and character list for Not So Safe and added about three more chapters. So I can live with my failure. No kvetching about from me!

Book Review: Man Oh Man, Writing M/M for Cash and Kinks by Josh Lanyon

My Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Book Blurb:

It can be more than just a dream...

To write the kind of stories that you love to read - that's what you really want. If only you knew how to get started. Help from someone who knows...

What you need is professional advice, help from someone who's been there, who can support you through the creative process, with the goal of writing for publication. What you need is Man, Oh Man. 

So, why this book? Why not one of the other "How to Write..." titles? Because everything in Man, Oh Man is geared to the M/M market and the M/M writer, to you and the genre that you love, whether you're an aspiring writer or you're already published. Lambda Award finalist Josh Lanyon takes you step-by-step through the writing process: from how to find fresh ideas and strong hooks, to how to submit your carefully edited manuscript. With help from the genre's top publishers, editors, reviewers, and writers-- experts in the field of M/M and gay romantic fiction--Lanyon offers insight and experience in everything from creating believable masculine characters to writing erotic and emotionally gratifying M/M sex scenes.

Indulge yourself and your dreams...

My Review:

Solid advice from Josh Lanyon, complete with insights from other authors and editors. I'll be reading this one again!

Still Procastrinating . . .

Ok, I haven't resurfaced yet. I've finished Josh Lanyon's first two 'Adrien English' mysteries on my Kindle, though, as well as another mystery of his called Fair Game. I loved all three, but Fair Game is my favorite so far--maybe because the romance is front and center, and everything gets tied up in one novel.

And the Adrien English series has a weakness: Adrien's not an officer of the law. How many times can he stumble into a murder mystery? Yeah, his romantic interest--the deeply closeted Jake--is an LAPD police detective. But he's not the one who keeps finding bodies.

Ok, ok. I don't mind suspending disbelief for these books. But if I ever attempt a mystery series, I'm going to make sure my viewpoint character has a reason to investigate murders!

Nothing like a good mystery to help you procrastinate

I should  be working on my outline for Not So Safe, my NaNoWriMo novel, but instead I'm happily drowning in Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series. I intend to resurface tomorrow . . .