Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion

Hi Everyone,

We are currently reading Winter's Orbit for our January 2022 BOM!

Please feel free to start chatting about it here whenever you'd like. Just be aware of spoilers, if you'd like to avoid them.

I started reading this yesterday and I’m really enjoying it so far. I think I’m up to chapter four, so not too far into it yet, but it’s good.

I just started. Have a decent visual image of Jainan but not Kiem. So far so good.

I took a break from it yesterday to read a personal WIP. I'll be getting back to Winter's Orbit today!

I read it last month, so I'll just be sitting around waiting to see what you all think of it. :)

Jainan needs a serious HUG. Kiem may or may not have ADHD at this point, I'm not 100% sure. lol. Just finished chapter 4 and so far I'm liking it!

I read the ebook back in October 2021, so I just started listening to the audiobook this time around. :)

Ooohhhh..... audiobook..... lol. I borrowed the hardcover from my library. Not sure why I didn’t see about an audiobook. Oh well.

I want to know more about Taam, and his personality. I’ve got a bad feeling about him.

Just starting chapter ten. I’m glad that Jainan has finally asked what Kiem’s expectations are, but then they got interrupted. This is the most important question they need to hash out between them right now.

Nearing the end! Just a few more chapters to go. Taam is just as terrible as I thought.

This is a hard book to talk about. I thought I’d review it for my library blog, but I’m not really sure what to say about it. Lol. I’m enjoying it. It’s well written, but otherwise, I’m not sure yet.

Maybe the ending will help when I get there.

How is everyone else faring?

Done! Gotta gather my thoughts.

Two things I liked: the past spousal abuse was handled really well and I liked the gender representation where people were allowed to be nonbinary.

I think I’d really like a sequel, or maybe just a follow up short story or two. I’d like to see where Janain and Kiem go from here and how they fare in their new positions, as well as how the new treaty holds up.

Jordan wrote: "How is everyone else faring "

I had to DNF. The mood/tone was so glum and depressing, and the political maneuvering so intricate and pervasive, that it dragged me down and sapped my will to read. I loved the premise and could have loved the characters, but it just didn't come together for me. It's a debut novel, though, and I'm definitely willing to give the author's next book a chance.

Oh no!

I found that Kiem kind of brightened the mood a bit, plus the murder mystery bits was interesting. I don’t normally enjoy politics in my fun reads, but this one wasn’t too bad for me.

It was originally posted to AO3, so it definitely has a fanfiction vibe, which I like, since I read a lot of fanfiction.

But that said, it won’t be for everyone. :-(

I just read your review, Teal, and I can see those things for sure.

I feel like the abuse was obvious and yet it needed to stay hidden from Kiem until near the end. I'm not sure if it was better that their relationship built up better without that "in the way" or not. Would Kiem have treated Jainan differently if he'd known? This way their relationship was a little more organic and not as forced as it could have been. BUT, that said, trigger warnings are necessary because it is a huge part of the story!

I don't tend to pay attention to types of government so I was able to be okay with the news outlets as they were, but now that you've said that, it does stand out as a glaring issue! With everything else in this world locked down soooo tight, it's interesting that the Emperor let the news crews do what they wanted.

I don't know that I much cared for the Empire either, but I did care about Kiem and Jainan, and what they wanted, so that part worked for me.

The miscommunication was a little long, I agree.

Overall, this had a slow build plot, a slow build romance, and was a slow read for me. I found I was not itching to get back to it if I put it down, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. And I still sorta want to know where these two character go from here, at least in a coda or two.

I like mystery, a little politics even, in my romance but this is so slow… made me lose interest. I had to put it away on/off to avoid DNF.

Lynn wrote: "I like mystery, a little politics even, in my romance but this is so slow… made me lose interest. I had to put it away on/off to avoid DNF."

Yeah, I definitely didn't read it all in one go. lol.

I’ve put it down for a week and have not had the urge to pick up the book…. Not a good sign?

Lynn wrote: "I’ve put it down for a week and have not had the urge to pick up the book…. Not a good sign?"

Oh dear. Yeah, sometimes that's not a good sign.

Well, you can't like everything, that's for sure.

I'm currently reading The Reckless Kind, a YA historical fiction novel with some great Ace and disability rep. The rep is great, but the plot is kinda meh. I put it down and got sucked into fanfic over the weekend. lol. Hopefully I'll pick this up again today. We'll see.

If anyone is interested, here's my review for Winter's Orbit: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jordan wrote: "I'm currently reading The Reckless Kind, a YA historical fiction novel with some great Ace and disability rep. The rep is great, but the plot is kinda meh."

1904 Norway! That sounds interesting. Too bad the plot isn't living up to it. I might sample it anyway... 🤔

Teal wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I'm currently reading The Reckless Kind, a YA historical fiction novel with some great Ace and disability rep. The rep is great, but the plot is kinda meh."

1904 Norway! That sounds..."

Yeah, it's very different!

There isn't enough communication between the MCs, IMO. lol. Otherwise, it's okay so far.

It was a bit longish, this one. I skipped a lot in the last third to get to the end. Over all, a good premise and setting, interesting characters and somehow it managed to keep me interested even through the longish parts to want to know the end.

I finished listening to the audiobook last week. I'd "started" it in early January, but actually set it aside until after mid-month. Then we took a 10-day trip to visit my daughter and family and I didn't listen at all until after returning on February 5th.

I didn't remember what a long story it was from my first read — then I was caught up in the political intrigue/space opera side of it and read it quickly.

The audiobook was well read, but kind of nerve-racking and tense to listen to, as the abuse affects and details were disturbing, and I'd forgotten how long it took to rescue Jainan.

I think that communication between the MCs was more difficult because of their preconceptions about each other, and particularly because Jainen was still deeply affected by the emotional abuse he's suffered and how it colored his understanding of his position as a "partner" in an arranged political marriage.

Kiem had been accustomed to think of himself as something of a clown/fuck-up, and I enjoyed seeing him pull himself up by using his wits, personal social skills, and the help of Jainen and their friends to recognize his own strong backbone and abilities.

I still really enjoyed this book, but can see how it might not be everyone's cuppa.

Those two worked really well together to come away from their issues as much as they had by the ending. Their personalities helped to make that happen. Otherwise it could have come across as awkward and forced instead of natural.

Unfortunately I DNF this one :( maybe I’ll try the audiobook.

It’s definitely not for everyone, and you’re not the only one here to DNF it.

It’s got a heavy fanfiction feel to it... I think it was originally posted to ARchive of Our Own before official publication.

Jordan wrote: "It’s definitely not for everyone, and you’re not the only one here to DNF it.

It’s got a heavy fanfiction feel to it... I think it was originally posted to ARchive of Our Own before official publi..."

Any idea what fandom that was in?

Calathea wrote: "Jordan wrote: "It’s definitely not for everyone, and you’re not the only one here to DNF it.

It’s got a heavy fanfiction feel to it... I think it was originally posted to ARchive of Our Own before..."

It started out as original fiction actually, but written by someone who has written fanfiction before so it has that vibe.

Ah, okay. Thanks for finding out!

I haven't read a lot of fan fiction. I was delighted to find that slash existed back in the day, but soon after I discovered ebooks and through that m/m, and I got caught up in Ellora's Cave, Loose Id, etc.

I generally find fan fiction feeling or influence attractive. Sometimes I don't have the patience to finish those books or series as they tend to ramble on... but I actually enjoy some of that rambling as well. I think that's due to my own "bedtime stories" when I'd take a book or television program or film and entertain my insomniac self by "rewriting"/imagining different plot directions of endings, often with gay pairings... this was way before I knew slash existed. :)

Karen wrote: "I think that's due to my own "bedtime stories" when I'd take a book or television program or film and entertain my insomniac self by "rewriting"/imagining different plot directions of endings, often with gay pairings... this was way before I knew slash existed. :)."

Wow, you were a pioneer ;-)

I was “writing” fanfic back in the 90s, before I’d ever heard of the term, though most of what I was writing was just notes on what I wanted to happen. It took me awhile to start turning them into something readable. And it wasn’t until around 2006, probably, when I found out about slash pairings.

There is something I love about fanfiction. I get to dip back into a favorite world with favorite characters. Even the rambling ones are good. It’s very comforting I find. I read a post once about how fanfiction somehow helps supply dopamine to the brain, which folks with ADHD are lacking. So that’s another reason to like it so much. Which is ironic considering my mother, years ago, compared it to a cocaine addiction when she felt I wasn’t job hunting enough. Turns out, it might be close enough. Lol.