DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS: Lance Lansdale

Our favorite  MM authors a.k.a. castaways are asked, what books, songs and luxury item would they take to a desert island?

This is a monthly series inspired by LezReviewBooks.com’s ‘Desert Island Books’, which in turn is based on BBC’s ‘Desert Island Discs’.

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Let’s welcome our August castaway, Lance Lansdale!

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DESERT ISLAND BOOKS:

1.      The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This book. This freaking book. When I started reading after a decade-long hiatus, I mainly read trashy tell all autobiographies. I didn’t even realize gay romance was a thing. TSOA and TJ Klune were my entry point into gay literature, and what a fabulous entry point they were. No book has crushed me as hard as this one, and whenever I need to weep endlessly, I go back and reread those final few chapters just to feel alive. Part of me wants to write something with an emotional punch like this one, but I can’t bear the thought of giving any of my main characters a sad ending.

2.      Brothersong by TJ Klune
Carter and Gavin will ALWAYS be the top-tier MM power couple for me. Gavin is just so adorably awkward. Carter fumbling around his feelings makes my heart pitter-patter at an alarming rate. It’s just a damn good book with a beautiful romance arc. Stupid Carter. He almost always dies. <3

3.      Dirty Love by Bethany Winters
God. This book. This beautiful, dirty, tawdry book. It’s actual perfection. I love me some stepbro romance, and this one is top tier. It’s given me the courage to journey into steplove with one of my works in progress.

4.      Sem by Cora Rose
I’ve read and listened to this book more times than I care to admit. It has everything I love. A clingy stalker. A sassy twink. When I started writing my new boo—F**k, Marry, Kill Me, Daddy—my plan was “write Sem, but if Sem were an unhinged killer, and if Maggie was just as crazy. In the end, I wound up with a deranged twink and an overbearing Daddy. Win.

5.      Shelter in Place by Simon Strange
God. Cal and Ross are everything. This book makes me feel all the feels, and it’s one I revisit often. The curious straight guy. The nervous twink. Ross doesn’t understand his feelings, but they’re there, and they’re big and beautiful, just like his . . . well. Y’know. I live for a bit of consensual degradation, and this book has it in spades. I could read it repeatedly and never get bored.

6.      You’re My Home by Katie Moore.
One of my favorite books of all time. It’s got everything. Tears. Steam. A hell of a lot of heart. It really puts you through the ringer, but the payoff is well worth the journey. For my first book, We Burn Beautiful, I knew I wanted a cover similar to Katie’s. I hired the same designer (adore you, Kelley!) and told her “Make it as similar to YMH as you can without making it look like a rip off,” and she absolutely delivered.

7.      End Scene by Nicky James
We’re going to go a little taboo with this one, and . . . sorry, not sorry. Atticus and Asher are ADORABLE together. I won’t go too in depth because it’s taboo, but there isn’t a single thing about this book that I dislike.

8.      No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always had a fondness for tell-all autobiographies. This book is so much more than that. Joanna Lumley has been my television icon for as long as I can remember. From  Absolutely Fabulous to Sensitive Skin, she’s a force to be reckoned with. The epitome of elegance and grace. This one is one of my comfort reads, and I used bits and pieces to patch together my character Periwinkle from The Househusband’s Guide to Domestic Bliss. He’s quite a bit more outlandish than Joanna, but I was able to use a few of her turns of phrase to make him really pop. I could reread this book endlessly and never get bored.

9.      Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane
Ugh, I love a bit of upmarket fiction, and this one is sheer perfection. While I gravitate toward gay romance, this book was one of the exceptions. Told from the POV of a mother in denial and a son who just wants to be loved, it tells a beautiful coming of age story about acceptance and family. The writing is sharp and stunning, and if I can one day write prose at Byron’s level, I can die a happy man.

10.     The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
I feel like this one needs no explanation. My second book was basically The Stepford Gays. I wanted flip sexism on its head with The Househusband’s Guide to Domestic Bliss, just to play with the absurdity of what was expected of women in the fifties.

DESERT ISLAND PLAYLIST:

“https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw2yqKPqIBEyoqdseFbcOq_VAWKWKTEBH“

LUXURY ITEM

An endless bucket of edibles, because if I’m lost on an island, I’m going to want to be stoned.

ABOUT LANCE LANSDALE

Lance Lansdale is the author of F**k, Marry, Kill Me, Daddy. He writes swoon-worthy romance with unhinged characters.

​Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

A big thank you to Lance Lansdale for joining us on this month’s Desert Island Castaways!

Check out our other Castaways:
Natalina Reis
V.L. Locey
 J.P. Jackson
A.E. Wasp
Elle Keaton.
Elouise East
J.K. Jones
Colette Davison
B.A. Tortuga
Casey Cox
Amanda Meuwissen
A.M. Johnson
Becca Seymour
Alexa Piper
Rick R. Reed
C.P. Harris
K.L. Hiers
A.E. Lister
S. Rodman
Kaje Harper
M.A. Church
Karenna Colcroft
Aiden Ainslie
J. Hali Steele
Kristian Parker
H.L. Day
D.K. Girl
Jackie Keswick
Crea Reitan
Beth Bolden
Chloe Archer
Paulina Ian-Kane
Sam Burns
David Lawrence

Hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t forget to check out next month’s Castaway.

What books would you take with you to a desert island?
What’s on your desert island playlist?
Who would you like to be the next Castaway?

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