Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion

Anne wrote: "Bluesimplicity wrote: "I just started listening to the audio book a few days ag0, and can I just say...WOW. I really enjoyed this story, but it was never one of my favourites. However, that's chang..."

I felt the same way reading it. He really, really nailed it.

Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Bluesimplicity wrote: "I just started listening to the audio book a few days ag0, and can I just say...WOW. I really enjoyed this story, but it was never one of my favourites. However,..."

But don't forget he had exellent material to work with. An holy alliance, that one :)

I love the I SPY stories., I have them in Kindle and Audio,

Josh wrote: "Alexander is very good. I'd like to use him again, if I can figure out the right project."

Another I Spy story?

Hambel wrote: "Josh wrote: "Alexander is very good. I'd like to use him again, if I can figure out the right project."

Another I Spy story?"

That sounds like a perfect idea :)

Raylynn wrote: "Hambel wrote: "Josh wrote: "Alexander is very good. I'd like to use him again, if I can figure out the right project."

Another I Spy story?"

That sounds like a perfect idea :)"

I suspect the consensus round here will be unanimous ;-). But let's hear what the Boss thinks...

Antonella wrote: "Raylynn wrote: "Hambel wrote: "Josh wrote: "Alexander is very good. I'd like to use him again, if I can figure out the right project."

Another I Spy story?"

That sounds like a perfect idea :)"

I..."

Hmm. Maybe. I've promised so many other follow ups to stories, this one will definitely have to wait its turn. :-)

Having just re-visited this series with Mark and Stephen (and Oh Hai Bryce..), I think at least a nice fat coda to see Mark settled down and more at ease with himself and his life.

And I wish Bryce an HEA as well... :)

Susinok wrote: "And I wish Bryce an HEA as well... :)"

Of course! We are a generous bunch, as long as he keeps away from Stephen ;-))

Antonella wrote: "Susinok wrote: "And I wish Bryce an HEA as well... :)"

Of course! We are a generous bunch, as long as he keeps away from Stephen ;-))"

That goes without saying! :)

Josh wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Raylynn wrote: "Hambel wrote: "Josh wrote: "Alexander is very good. I'd like to use him again, if I can figure out the right project."

Another I Spy story?"

That sounds like a p..."

'Maybe' is good :D

I am deeply fond of Mark and Stephen. I hope we see them again.

Susinok wrote: "Having just re-visited this series with Mark and Stephen (and Oh Hai Bryce..), I think at least a nice fat coda to see Mark settled down and more at ease with himself and his life."

A one year later coda? Hmm. That's a good thought for next year.

Josh wrote: A one year later coda? Hmm. That's a good thought for next year. ...

Oh yes, please :)
Mark and Stephen may not have started as my favorite couple overall, but over the space of three books they've grown on me so much and I'm actually finding their character progression very interesting (not just Mark's, but Stephen's too).
I'll soon buy the audiobooks, since I've read so many raving comments about Alexander's performance

Paola wrote: "Josh wrote: A one year later coda? Hmm. That's a good thought for next year. ...

Oh yes, please :)
Mark and Stephen may not have started as my favorite couple overall, but over the space of three ..."

Speaking of Alexander, I've signed him to do a couple of other audio projects. In fact, I contracted a number of novellas to take advantage of ACX's old royalty rate.

Josh wrote: "Paola wrote: "Josh wrote: A one year later coda? Hmm. That's a good thought for next year. ...

Oh yes, please :)
Mark and Stephen may not have started as my favorite couple overall, but over the s..."

That's good news. He's very good.

Josh wrote: Speaking of Alexander, I've signed him to do a couple of other audio projects

Excellent!

Josh wrote: "Paola wrote: "Josh wrote: A one year later coda? Hmm. That's a good thought for next year. ...

Oh yes, please :)
Mark and Stephen may not have started as my favorite couple overall, but over the s..."

That's great, I love his narration of the I Spy stories.

Josh wrote: "Speaking of Alexander, I've signed him to do a couple of other audio projects. In fact, I contracted a number of novellas to take advantage of ACX's old royalty rate. ..."

That's excellent - more audiobooks in the pipeline! I'm glad you got the contracts signed in time.

Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "Speaking of Alexander, I've signed him to do a couple of other audio projects. In fact, I contracted a number of novellas to take advantage of ACX's old royalty rate. ..."

That's exce..."

I'm trying two new guys, but mostly I returned to old favorites like Alexander, Max Miller, Paul Fleschner, and Kevin R. Free.

Glad to hear more audio books are on the way!

Josh wrote: "I'm trying two new guys, but mostly I returned to old favorites like Alexander, Max Miller, Paul Fleschner, and Kevin R. Free. ..."

Even better! They did a very good job before. Kevin R. Free is getting good reviews for Something Like Summer too.

Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'm trying two new guys, but mostly I returned to old favorites like Alexander, Max Miller, Paul Fleschner, and Kevin R. Free. ..."

Even better! They did a very good job before. Kev..."

Kevin's voice has a flexible, youthful quality, which makes it ideal for a lot of projects. But what I really, really love about him is his comic timing. If there is one thing particularly hard to do, it's comedy. It requires reading and understanding the text.

Narrating is an art. It's difficult to do well. And it's kind of like writing in that everyone feels qualified to do it -- in this case because everyone has a voice and can sort-of read. So you have all these not-terribly-qualified "narrators" offering their abilities, and some really ghastly audio books being created.

From the author perspective, there are several points that need to be considered when hiring a narrator:

1 - Technical quality. I can't tell you the number of horrible auditions recorded in someone's bedroom or laundry room I've listened to. It's one thing if the narrator warns me ahead of time that the sound quality is not going to be that of the finished project, but otherwise I have to assume that the creaking floorboards are part of the deal.

2 - The quality of the voice. It's not kind to say, but not everybody has a voice others wish to listen to for hours on end. And yet this doesn't seem to stop people from auditioning -- and being hired. I mean, I know it's not politically correct to say this aloud, but we are all NOT created equal when it comes to our skillsets. Our general human intrinsic worth? Yes. We are all equal. Our various abilities and talents? No. We are not equal. We do not all have perfect pitch or symmetrical bone structure, and we do not all have the same chance of excelling in music or modeling. (I want to add here that in the grand scale, our bone structure and our singing should not be viewed as the most valuable things about us as humans.)

Voice is one of the least controllable tools in the toolbox. Singing, for example. Technically, yes. We can all sing. SHOULD we all sing? Unless it's in church or the shower, no.

3 - Can this person read? More exactly, do they comprehend the text? Because the answer to that is not always yes. In the same way that some readers Just Don't Get It. Well, not every narrator gets it. Not every narrator grasps subtext or even text-text.

It's just going to be a better production if the narrator understands what he's reading.

I'm willing to give a new narrator a shot -- it's worked out well for me so far, but it's not like I don't spend a lot of time checking out the narrator, listening to all their sound clips, trying to decide whether this is someone who is serious about his craft, is serious about doing this, has the chops.

Josh wrote: "Speaking of Alexander, I've signed him to do a couple of other audio projects. In fact, I contracted a number of novellas to take advantage of ACX's old royalty rate."

That's wonderful news, Josh. :-)

Josh wrote: "Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'm trying two new guys, but mostly I returned to old favorites like Alexander, Max Miller, Paul Fleschner, and Kevin R. Free. ..."

Even better! They did a very good job b..."

Very interesting indeed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. (And also making me smile.)

Josh wrote: "Narrating is an art. It's difficult to do well. [...] It's one thing if the narrator warns me ahead of time that the sound quality is not going to be that of the finished project, but otherwise I have to assume that the creaking floorboards are part of the deal."

OMG, Josh, how you suffer for your art, and we reader/listeners are the true beneficiaries. :-) Great comments.

Well, I don't know if suffer is exactly the word. :-D It's a fascinating process, though I continue to hate hearing my work read aloud. I don't think that's ever going to change.

I can imagine some authors are complete lunatics about how lines are delivered, every little detail, etc. Basically, I'm concerned that the initial voices are right, and then it's kind of up to the narrator. What they're doing is an art, and if you want good results, you have to let artists work.

My only concern is if they get a word wrong and it actually changes the meaning of the sentence, or it's clear they didn't realize the intent of a line. Other than that, it's their show.

What is Stepehn's relationship history? Had he ever lived with another man before Mark? We're missing his 20's-40's. Unless he was just playing the field until Mark.

In Book 1, I wondered if Josh meant to torture Stephen by making him touch Mark's groin due to his injury. Mark observes Stephen as seeming indifferent but what was truly going through Stephen's head?

I love the narrator for the "I Spy" books. I was just as pleased with his narration of "Snowball." Completely different, but just as powerful. He's a keeper!

Carlita wrote: "I love the narrator for the "I Spy" books. I was just as pleased with his narration of "Snowball." Completely different, but just as powerful. He's a keeper!"

I agree!

Carlita wrote: "I love the narrator for the "I Spy" books. I was just as pleased with his narration of "Snowball." Completely different, but just as powerful. He's a keeper!"

Absolutely, his infliction on the different characters'voices was perfect.

Bandagealder wrote: "What is Stepehn's relationship history? Had he ever lived with another man before Mark? We're missing his 20's-40's. Unless he was just playing the field until Mark.

In Book 1, I wondered if Josh..."

The way I see Stephen is that he probably did have youthful relationships and tries at living with people -- not in the old family homestead, of course -- but that he had settled down in a comfortable routine of dating handsome, eligible men but maintaining his own household. A holding pattern. And then Mark crashed into it.

After Mark, I think Stephen did seriously consider setting up house with Bryce because he (Stephen) was missing a lot of what he had with Mark. But of course the main thing he had with Mark was....Mark.

Bandagealder wrote: "What is Stepehn's relationship history? Had he ever lived with another man before Mark? We're missing his 20's-40's. Unless he was just playing the field until Mark.

In Book 1, I wondered if Josh..."

I don't think Stephen was ever -- not for a single minute -- indifferent to Mark. But I think he wanted to be, and I think he tried very hard to be impersonal, if not indifferent. I think he tried to view Mark clinically, from a professional distance, but the fact that he gets so angry seemingly out of the blue, indicates it's not working.

Carlita wrote: "I love the narrator for the "I Spy" books. I was just as pleased with his narration of "Snowball." Completely different, but just as powerful. He's a keeper!"

Oh yes. I think Alexander really has an appealing voice. And then on top of that he *understands* the subtext as well as the written lines. I used to take this for granted, but it's not always the case. And listening to narrators (I joined a couple of audio groups) talk about books and writers is depressing. Some of the things they say are so idiotic it's no wonder so many audio books are just bad.

A lot of these narrators are simply not readers (although they will deny this) and that comes through when they say things like...writers should not use big words. Writers should write in short sentences. Writers should eliminate too much description. On and on.

It just makes me appreciate Alexander and Kevin and Chris and Paul and Adrian and so many of the others I've worked with all the more.

Josh wrote: "I used to take this for granted, but it's not always the case. And listening to narrators (I joined a couple of audio groups) talk about books and writers is depressing. Some of the things they say are so idiotic it's no wonder so many audio books are just bad.

A lot of these narrators are simply not readers (although they will deny this) and that comes through when they say things like...writers should not use big words. Writers should write in short sentences. Writers should eliminate too much description. On and on...."

Man that DOES sound depressing. But then how many readers are there in the entertainment industry (of which this is a part)? I bet those numbers are comparatively small.

I stopped watching actor interviews years ago. It always ruined the illusion for me. Some were/are just butt ignorant.

I was so pleased to find out Reese Witherspoon was an English major! Yay, one on our side!

Josh wrote: "A lot of these narrators are simply not readers (although they will deny this) and that comes through when they say things like...writers should not use big words. Writers should write in short sentences. Writers should eliminate too much description. On and on...."

This is a very good point! Just because someone is a voice actor does not mean they read. I can't believe anyone would say these things -- surely even a non-reading actor must be sensitive to rhythm, which would be dreadful if there were only short sentences.

One could devise a questionnaire which had some of these nonsensical ideas as optional answers, to weed them out. One could include questions about punctuation, to see if they realise how it works to show them how long sentences should be read.

But whatever method you used to choose your narrators certainly worked!

Josh wrote: "Bandagealder wrote: "What is Stepehn's relationship history? Had he ever lived with another man before Mark? We're missing his 20's-40's. Unless he was just playing the field until Mark.

In Book ..."

That shows you the impact Mark had on Stephen then. How devastating that absence must have been. It reminds me of how Jake tried to substitute Adrien with Paul.

Bandagealder wrote: "Josh wrote: "Bandagealder wrote: "What is Stepehn's relationship history? Had he ever lived with another man before Mark? We're missing his 20's-40's. Unless he was just playing the field until Mar..."

Yes, only this time it's Mark who has done the "betraying," which drives Stephen's decision to replace him.

Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "A lot of these narrators are simply not readers (although they will deny this) and that comes through when they say things like...writers should not use big words. Writers should write..."

It's an eye-opener. I've seen posts where narrators say that the single most important element of an audio book is the narrator. Now, I agree the narrator is as important as the story, but if it was *just* the narrator, these folks could make a fortune reading phone books and not worry about story at all. :-D

And frankly, a few of them do seem to value the writing as highly as they would a phone book.

Which is why I've stopped hanging out at audio book groups. Narrators give audio books a bad name. :-D

It has to be a good story before it makes good audio. Narrators are crucial and can RUIN a good story, but they can't make a crap story good. They can improve it a bit, but a bad book makes for a bad audiobook, regardless.

Susinok wrote: "It has to be a good story before it makes good audio. Narrators are crucial and can RUIN a good story, but they can't make a crap story good. They can improve it a bit, but a bad book makes for a b..."

Audio meant that I made it through The Road I absolutely hated the writing, and the story, but it was forced reading for school, I nominate that book to be 'worst book ever' :p

Susinok wrote: "It has to be a good story before it makes good audio. Narrators are crucial and can RUIN a good story, but they can't make a crap story good. They can improve it a bit, but a bad book makes for a b..."

Thank you Susinok, you wrote, what I thought, but in better english! :-)

Idamus wrote: "Susinok wrote: "It has to be a good story before it makes good audio. Narrators are crucial and can RUIN a good story, but they can't make a crap story good. They can improve it a bit, but a bad bo..."

Wow, that is one of the best, and most painful, books I have ever read. Which goes to show, we have all different tastes. And that is how it should be :)

Susinok wrote: "It has to be a good story before it makes good audio. Narrators are crucial and can RUIN a good story, but they can't make a crap story good. They can improve it a bit, but a bad book makes for a b..."

It most certainly does, which is why the best narrator in the world can't save a horrible book. And vice versa.

I revisited I Spy Something Bloody and once again it touched me very strongly. Did it make me cry the last time I read it? Or the time before that? I can't remember, but yesterday I was crying desperately with Mark. This was one of the very first Josh Lanyon books I ever read and I've always loved Mark's character. And the dynamics between this unconventional couple. And everything Brent Bryce (!) brings into the story.

Thank you again, dear Josh. :-)

Johanna wrote: "I revisited I Spy Something Bloody and once again it touched me very strongly."

I couldn't agree more with your assessment and reaction to Mark. His character has always been it for me after Adrien & Jake. Regardless of the number of times I read this story, my reaction is hugely emotional—as if for the first time. In Mark, Josh has created a deeply-layered individual. Truly unique.

I love the I Spy books, and the audio is amazing, one of my all time favourites.

I wholeheartedly agree! They were my first Josh Lanyon audio books and hands down the best audio performance I've ever heard. It's like listening to a radio play. He totally nails both voices. A good audio adds such a rich layer to a story. I just love it.

It's interesting to me, that I'm comforted by listening to these when things are stressful. I really love these stories.