Veronica Arch for GLBT Promo: Your writing is unique in that you’ve combined m/m erotica with mystery. What was your inspiration?
Josh Lanyon: Well, you know I started out writing gay mystery about a decade ago for Gay Men's Press, and the thing I used to consistently hear from readers was that the relationship between Adrien English, my series protagonist, and Jake Riordan, his on-again-off-again boyfriend, was what really caught their interest and set the series apart from what everyone else was doing. So that was always in the back of my mind: that the romantic relationship was fundamental to the success of the series.
But it wasn't until I met Laura Baumbach who enlightened me about the M/M erotic romance market that it really occurred to me that I could both tailor my work to be commercially successful and give readers like myself that blend of plot and action and intense romance that just didn't seem to be out there.
I think a lot of it had to do with timing, frankly, because a decade earlier, the market for these kinds of books just didn't exist.
GP: You’re also blazing new ground with your nonfiction guide “Man, Oh, Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks & Cash”. What was the experience of writing a how-to book like? Do you have any other nonfiction books in the works?
JL: In a way it was one of the easiest things I've ever written. I've had over a decade of writing and publishing experience, and I'm a voracious reader. I love talking writing and books -- I bore everyone I know to death talking writing and books -- so naturally I had plenty to say. And I kept thinking of more and more and more to say.
The challenge was in analyzing the elements of good writing -- what I consider good writing, anyway -- and breaking that down into...the building blocks. Because most of us who are successfully writing and publishing take so many things for granted, and I had to keep trying to remember all the questions and confusion I had when I first started out, which meant going back and redefining things. So what I originally pictured as quite a brief book kept getting longer and longer -- oh, and the interviews with other writers: fascinating!
The other great challenge was keeping the focus tightly on M/M writing. There are many terrific writing books, and I didn't want to reinvent the wheel, so when I discussed characterization or theme or plotting, I worked hard to keep it specific to M/M writing. I really wanted this to be a useful and unique tool for M/M writers.
My only regret is I wasn't able to interview as many writers and reviewers as I'd have liked -- and I'm still thinking of questions and topics I should have covered, although the book is over three hundred pages now.
And, no, for now that's all the nonfiction I plan on writing. I really missed fiction during those weeks.
GP: Speaking of your nonfiction guide, can you share any of your secrets for creating hot love scenes here?
JL: I have two basic secrets. The first is "quality, not quantity." Way too many writers throw away the sexual tension early in the story, and then they try to make up for the loss of tension by piling on sex scene after sex scene, and so there's a kind of mechanical monotony to these moments of intimacy. If you notice, most of them all read very much the same.
And my second secret is -- this is probably going to sound goofy -- meaningful dialog. I try to have my characters say things in these scenes of intense emotional vulnerability that they wouldn't say anywhere else. Many writers either have very little dialog or the dialog could be removed and nothing would change either in the scene or the story itself. I try to have the dialog in these scenes that cannot be removed without changing the story or spoiling the scene -- either because the characters have reached an emotional turning point or because information is revealed pivotal to character or plot.
GP: The folks at the “In Their Own Words” blog have come up with a clever idea of hosting interviews for story characters. Your character Jake Riordan was interviewed recently and readers responded with enthusiasm. Did any of the reader responses surprise you or help you learn something new about your character?
JL: What really took me by surprise was the enthusiastic response. But you know the Adrien books are told totally from Adrien's POV, so I think Jake has remained an enigmatic and not always likeable character for some readers. This is the first time I've made his thoughts and feelings accessible -- and I threw at him everything readers had thrown at me in the way of criticism of his character. It was kind of fun.
GP: Which comes first, plot or character?
JL: Character. I like character-driven stories.
GP: Who are some of your favorite authors? Has what or who you read changed over the years? If so, how?
JL: I read a lot and in a variety of genres. In mystery I'm a great admirer of Raymond Chandler, Joseph Hansen, Richard Stevenson. I'd say these are the writers who influenced my own work most strongly.
GP: You and Sarah Black have collaborated on books where each of you contributes a story. What gave you two the idea to do this? Have you considered writing a story together?
JL: I'm a great admirer of Sarah's passionate and lyrical prose. She'd mentioned wanting to write a mystery or crime novel, and I wanted to write a number of standalone erotic mystery novellas -- which I knew I could easily sell as ebooks, but would be too skimpy for print, so I suggested trying a series of pairings where we would write stories using the same themes and motifs. That way we could sell them separately as e-books and together as a print pairing. I think Sarah and I are both too locked into our own visions to be able to write together, although I've considered trying to write with someone else -- I think it might be fun to try sometime.
GP: How did you begin your writing career? When was the moment you considered yourself an author?
JL: I've always enjoyed writing, I always knew I wanted to be a writer -- and I always considered myself a writer -- but I didn't really consider myself an "author" until my first book was published.
GP: How do you like to spend your weekends?
JL: I'd like to spend my weekends reading, but unfortunately I usually spend them on the business of writing: posting excerpts, answering emails, marketing and promotion, all the really boring stuff that has to be done because it doesn't matter how wonderful your work is if no one knows about it.
GP: What inspires you creatively? What turns you off?
JL: I have a hard time writing when I'm stressed. If I'm worried or arguing with someone, it really takes the creative edge off for me. I need my home life to be relatively calm. Music inspires me, and reading really good or really bad fiction inspires me. But I don't usually need to wait for inspiration to strike because I've always got a million ideas and stories bubbling in the back of my brain. My challenge is focusing on one project at a time!
Josh Lanyon's WEBSITE.
GLBT Promo Interviewer - Veronica Arch.