Baybay, who is the basis for Beast in Innkeeper Chronicles, has been peeing everywhere continuously, so Kid 1 took her to the vet today, expecting a UTI. Turns out she has bladder stones. She needs surgery. That will be happening tomorrow. She will have to go under anesthesia.
Kid 2’s car needs several thousand dollars in repairs. The bill is large, so they called to confirm it three times.
We are trying to finally sell the house in Georgia – we couldn’t sell it before because the market tanked and we were very upside down on the loan. We are hoping to break even. The house is going on the market, but the rental agency, which was responsible for renting it and now selling it, sent all the paperwork as Gordon and Ilona Andrews.
We had to scrap the entire chapter, because it sucked.
We have to leave on tour in ten days. I have nothing packed or dry cleaned. My hair isn’t done, my nails look like I’ve been digging in dirt – I have – and I don’t even know which way is up anymore.
So far Wednesday is pretty much kicking my butt.
I think it’s time for a small snippet, don’t you?
“What kind of unpleasantness?” I asked.
“The lady in question fought against the Russian Imperial invasion of their small city. The legend states that she placed herself onto a rocky island a short distance from the cliffs and then called an entire battalion of the invading Russian troops to her. She drowned three motorized rifle companies before the few survivors finally managed to reach the rock. She was torn apart. Quite literally, I’m afraid.”
Oh, Catalina . . . I could picture my sister on that rock. That’s exactly what she would do.
“Dreadful business.” The Records Keeper sighed. “The House hasn’t had any female heirs since then. A very knowledgeable source has speculated that it was a matter of choice rather than chance.”
“They abort female children?” Rogan asked, his voice cold.
“Such is the rumor. The House refused our attempts to reach them for a consult. They’re a very reclusive family. Thus, we are left on our own, so after much deliberation, we are creating a new category for Ms. Catalina Baylor.” The Keeper paused. “We shall refer to her as siren.”
She would hate that.
“It is so very exciting. If this magic endures within your family, this may be the beginning of a whole new subset. The rankings of the rare magic talents may shift. We’re bringing in a powerful antistasi Prime for her trials.”
Like aegis mages who blocked bullets and physical attacks, antistasi mages specialized in defense, but against mental attacks. Well, at least that should put Catalina’s mind to rest.
“Which House?” Rogan asked. “Smith?”
“Alessandro Sagredo,” the Keeper said.
Rogan raised his eyebrows.
I glanced at him.
“The best antistasi Prime on record,” Rogan explained.
“We’re taking no chances,” the Keeper said. “Unfortunately, he is otherwise engaged at the moment, so we will have to wait a couple of days. Therefore, your trials will be set exactly one week from now, next Sunday.”
A man marched into the room. In his sixties, but still athletic, he wore black pants, a black T- shirt, and a black garment that could be called a sweatshirt in the same way a Porsche could be called a car. It had notched lapels like a suit, the stylish drape of a luxury trench coat, and likely cost more than our mortgage payment. His skin was a light bronze, his hair wavy and black with a lot of white. He had bold, strong features: a broad forehead, black eyebrows, a prominent nose, and a square jaw mostly hidden by a short beard that was more grey than black. His hazel eyes, alight with intelligence, looked at the world with a touch of humor. When I saw him for the first time, I thought he looked like someone’s favorite uncle, who owned a vineyard somewhere in Greece or Spain, spent a lot of time outdoors, and laughed often. That was before I knew who he was.
“Good evening, Mr. Duncan.” The Keeper smiled.
My House formation would be witnessed by Mad Rogan, the Scourge of Mexico, and Linus Duncan, the former Speaker of the Assembly that ruled the magical families of Texas. Dear God.
“I’m late, I know, I’m sorry.” The former most powerful man in Texas hurried across the room. “Some people insist on being annoyingly difficult. What did I miss?”
“Nothing of importance,” the Keeper assured him.
Duncan nodded at Rogan. “Major.”
“Colonel,” Rogan replied.
The Keeper took out a fountain pen, cleared his throat, and glanced at me, his black eyes sparkling behind his glasses. “Michael, if you please.”
Michael stepped forward and produced a high- end camera.
“A verbal acknowledgment is required,” the Keeper told me, his tone confidential. “You must say these words to me: I, Nevada Baylor, petition the State of Texas for assessment and recognition of my family’s powers. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” My heart was beating too fast.
The Keeper nodded at Michael. Michael tapped the camera’s digital screen. The Keeper raised his pen and looked at me. My mouth had gone completely dry.
Somehow I made my lips move. “I, Nevada Baylor, petition the State of Texas for assessment and recognition of my family’s powers.”
“I, Linus Duncan, Head of House Duncan, so witness,” Duncan stated.
“I, Connor Rogan, Head of House Rogan, so witness,” Rogan echoed. “So noted.”
The Keeper wrote today’s date on the page and added, Nevada Baylor on behalf of herself, Catalina and Bernard Baylor. Witnessed by Linus Duncan of House Duncan and Connor Rogan of House Rogan.
“Your petition is granted,” the Keeper said.
Michael lowered the camera and set it aside.
“It is done,” the Keeper said.
“Congratulations, Ms. Baylor,” Linus Duncan told me.
“Thank you for coming to be my witness.”
“Well, if you’re going to jump into the wolf’s den, it helps to have an ally. Even if that ally is old with blunted teeth.”
A muscle in Rogan’s cheek jerked. He hadn’t said anything, but both he and Michael watched Linus Duncan like he would sprout fangs and claws any second.
“I hope you succeed,” Duncan said.
“Thank you.”
The sound of a woman coming down the hallway in high heels echoed through the room.
“Are you expecting someone?” Rogan asked.
“No,” the Keeper said.
Sorry to hear your day is not going well, remember there are a lot of us out here who care about you and we are sending positive thoughts your way. Life can be such a raging bitch sometimes, but sometimes it’s also pretty sweet.
Take a change of clothes, your sense of humor and food. Okay, a toothbrush! Times like this, I’d normally suggest a good book to “take you away from it all,” but at least WE have a snippet!!!!
Hang in there. It will sort.
WONDERFUL!! 14 days countdown!! I can’t wait.
I hope the house sells quickly. And the car…….isn’t too bad. At least kid 2 is alright.
I didn’t realize you still had the house in Georgia. You might want to double-check on the tax situation of selling two houses close together. I know the people I bought my house from had two houses. The one I bought that was their primary residence, and the one they rented out. If they sold them both at the same time, they’d take a huge hit on the second house because it would have been considered a vacation house, but you don’t get that hit when you sell your primary residence. So they sold the house to me, then they were going to live in the other house for 2 years to establish that as their primary residence, then sell it without taking that hit.
Both houses were in Maryland, so having two houses in two states might differ, but it’s something to think about.
We’ve got a similar situation with our primary residence in Ohio but our snowbird condo is in Florida. According to our CPA , even though we do NOT rent the condo out, it’s not our primary residence and we would pay capital gains tax to the IRS if we sold it. Even if we replaced it with something else.
If they are only breaking even, there’s no hit to take. No gain, no capital gains tax. Even a small profit would be a minor hit, as taxes only represent a percentage. So, nothing to worry about on that front.
What J said. It will be even or a slight loss.
That is a good thing. We are sort of in Tink’s situation. When we get to about two years from retirement, we will sell out primary house and move to our rental for a couple of years. But retirement is about 12 to fifteen years from now.
!!!!!!!! Siren! Linus Duncan (Colonel???)! And has Grandmother found them?? 🙂 So much going on here!!!!!!!! Thank you for making this Wednesday great! Hope your day will improve!
YEPPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ditto and THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU.
I hope Baybay has a swift recovery, and things pan out for the best. Fantastic snippet! Can’t wait to read the book.
Love this, and I hope things improve and the tour goes well.
Thank you for thinking of us even with your busy life. Wishing you a smooth surgery for your Beast, a working car, and a successful sale of your GA property. I had my condo for several years rented out before we could sell it above the amount I owed the bank.
Take a deep breath, lean back, close your eyes and take a small time out. After that, ice tea and russian teacakes always works for me.
And thank you for the lovely snippet.
Chocolate! This is a state of emergency. I prescribe an entire vat of chocolate ice cream, with chocolate syrup and maybe some whipped cream and a few chopped pecans on top.
Thank you. Today has been truly shitty on a number of fronts on the other side of the world. Unable to sleep here in Oz at 3am and took a punt to check for a snippet. You have made my otherwise craptastic day.
I hope your day ( week… month) improves and that you know that you are some of those rare people who can bring happiness to complete strangers.who truly appreciate it.
Wow! Thank you! What a great gift! Hope your bad week gets much better!!
Oh gosh! Best of luck with “Beast” (such a cutie) tough weds all around. Hope it starts looking up.
Always greatful for snippets, can’t wait for the next book!!!
Dang, I hope Kid 2 is okay! That sounds serious. 🙁 And sending good thoughts for Baybay’s surgery.
Thank you for the snippet!
Hope all goes well with the fluffed. Cars are a pain and I would get a second opinion for sure. We paid out thousands to fix a bad diagnosis and later (year or so of problems) found the issue and it was a simple $100 or so fix of the problem the other guy had created (I’m sure accidentally). Looking forward to Wilfire!! And wondering in my greed when the next Kate is set for?
Thank you for the Snippet!! I’m really looking forward to the Wildfire release.
Sorry it’s been a sucky week. I hope BayBay’s surgery goes off without a hitch, the car repair is simpler than expected and that the house sells for more than your asking price!
Ahhhjh I’m so excited for this book. Thank you. This made my day. I hope your gets better.
First……! Always amazing Author Lords. Thank you for the snippets. Hope everything comes together in time for the tour.
….. I think evil grandma is about to fire the first salvo….. can’t wait to see what happens when the book goes on sale!
Love the snippet.
Just make a list of the other stuff and get priorities sorted. Baybay comes first, of course. Anything to do with stones hurts! Most other things can be taken care of with a credit card, a passport and a kindle. Use in any combination thereof! 🙂
I wish happier days for you, i am sorry to hear it is not going so well right now.
Why dont you take your hubby and go (swimming, sauna, massage)?
Just to take a step back from it all, do something different.
Best wishes to you!
Feeling your pain right now. A pipe burst in my house yesterday morning, and it took nearly 6 hours to shut the water off. Two grand dropped on a plumber and now my family is temporarily relocated in a hotel until we get running water in my kitchen again. Not sure what kind of personal property damage we’re working with but it’s fixable.
Best wishes to the canine and the family.
Thank you for this snippet. I’m so excited for this book. It is the first book I have ever pre-ordered on Amazon. I hope your day gets better.
Is the woman EG? Is their first meeting happening now???
And what is Linus Duncan’s power? Was that written before?
This is also the first book I’ve ever pre-ordered. I will finish up my requirements for graduation right around when it comes out, and am setting aside an entire day to kick back, relax, and celebrate with my favorite Authorlords!
Pre-ordering from a local Barnes & Noble may get you the book on the Friday before release Tuesday, but I don’t know if Amazon puts books in the mail before the official release date. It’s all about if the book has a hard or soft release day at B&N.
OMG! Is it the other Grandma???
Maybe it’s Rinda, checking up on Nevada and Connor.
Never rains………but hoping for the best for darling Baybay and the snippet!
You are so kind and generous to us your readers!!!! Here you are in the middle of a yucky week of Murphy’s Law events, and you give us a snippet. We don’t deserve you.
PS: Best wishes to Bebe, Kid 2’s car, and the sale of your house in GA!!!
So sorry your Wednesday is so craptacular. And best wishes your fur baby comes through surgery with flying colors.
Thank you so much for this! I hope your Wednesday gets better and that everything goes well for Baybay tomorrow. =( For what it’s worth, my friend went through the same thing with her dog and she (the dog) made a full recovery. No complications whatsoever.
And best of luck on the car! Maybe this will be the last major repair you ever have to make on it. Never hurts to dream! =P
Oh, and cue ominous music as the woman walks in. Could it be EG? I guess we’ll find out soon. Yay!
Also, interesting that Linus Duncan outranks Rogan. This is the first time we’ve ever seen him in a situation where he’s the lower-ranked individual.
Lastly, despite being “the most dangerous man in Houston” it’s also interesting that Rogan is so wary of Linus Dincan’s power. As former Head of the Assembly, we knew peripherally that he was powerful, but this brings the point home.
Here’s an ugly thought: Could Linus Duncan have been the one to order Rogan’s suicide mission to the Maya forest? We never did hear the full details on that. Possibly eliminating the competition? House warfare and all that. It can’t be convenient trying to rule when the people below you are stronger than you are.
Rogan and Michael’s reactions to the allegedly beloved Linus do give one pause. This book is going to be so AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope Baybay feels better soon. Cars can really suck even if you take care of them, we just put over 3k in ours. Sorry about the paperwork and scrapping the chapter. Personally I would take a break then head to the dry cleaners and a manicure place and just sit and relax while they do your nails.
Thank you so much for the snippet, I am waiting for the book so impatiently ?
Diana
PS Good Luck on the tour!
Life has been kicking my butt lately too… so I am really happy to have a snippet. Thank you!
And hope things start looking up soon!
Trouble never comes alone. Hope your day and month gets easier from here, really appreciate the snippet. You were requesting music in the other post, to reduce the number of comments you need to approve I’ll submit one of my favorite songs (strong beat and female vocalist) to listen to whilst reading your books:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JNBnQqIxfU
Soory tu hear about your puppy and k2’s car! But thanks for giving us a treat. I think the evil grandma is. coming……but a bit too late…
Poor Baybay, hope the surgery goes well. I recommend for a professional mani/pedi with massage and an icy cold vodka martini. Take care of our favorite author.
Dun-dun-dun-DUNNNNNN! I have a feeling I know who the clicky footsteps belong to!
Thanks for the snippet. Very much looking forward to the new book. I have my PTO scheduled and ready to go for 7/25, so I can lounge around in bed with my animals, drink wine, and read about Nevada and Rogan at my leisure.
Sorry about all the life-lemons. 🙁
All those troubles and a snippet too! You are fabulous. Life is very inconvenient sometimes, but your talent is front and center. Thank you!
Snippet guess…. In comes the evil grandmother… Insert evil laugh here…
Thank you very much and hope everything works out for you guys with all the life issues.
As I tell people, welcome to life
Your week sounds slot like mine. I found out that I have an aortic root aneurysm and have to have surgery. Thank goodness I got into nursing school and needed a physical. Doctor told me yesterday that it would have ruptured within a year. So this snippet definitely lifted my spirits!
Yikes! Best of wishes for your surgery.
I second that. Come through with flying colors!
How scary – best wishes from me, too.
My dad had something similar. They went up through both femoral arteries, inserted a shunt against the aneurism, put pressure on the arterial holes in his thighs, and sent him home.
20 years ago it would have been open ribcage surgery, not outpatient care. Hope yours goes as well, with a quick recovery.
Sending good wishes for improvement on all fronts. And many thanks for this snippet – it’s been a difficult Wednesday here too, and this was a welcome interlude. It says a lot about the good people that you are, to take time to brighten our lives in the midst of your own turmoil.
Oh noes.. sorry to hear about Baybay and car troubles and house selling. Hope everything goes smooth for you. Thanks very much for the snippet!!! 🙂
I forgot. Healing thoughts for the pup
Hope all turns out well in the dog & car department – hope your day/week gets better all around. It is the really crappy days that make the good days brighter. A platitude, but a good one.
We’ll have to rename this time of year, “Sucky Season.”
Hope all goes well on all fronts.
Thanks for the snippet. (Even if it is a cliff-hanger) 🙂
Summer in Texas is already known as “Sucky Season.”
Thanks for the snippet. Sorry to hear about the puppy and all the crap things that have happened. I swear something is in the water; I’m just today starting to drag myself out of my own personal despair like I’m army crawling through a disgusting swamp. There has been some nasty juju in the air lately. I have hope it is going to start looking up for everyone 🙂 Hope Baybay gets through the surgery well and recovers quickly!
Yes, there’s always that point in a car’s life where you decide if it’s worth paying the money for the repairs, or buying a new car and paying monthly loan fees. I hate getting to that point. Usually it only happens after 10 years, but still…
I used to always have something terrible happen after I got my tax refund. I’d get my refund then my car would break. Or I’d get my refund, then an appliance would break. That hasn’t happened in awhile, but I’m still paranoid around tax time.
Oh, and thanks for the snippet. So many questions… Is Linus Caesar? Who’s approaching in the high heels?
I wasn’t going to take Tuesday off this time, but I might rethink that. Or maybe I’ll just develop a cough that day…
here is to speedy and safe recovery for puppy and really we as the BDH do not care if your nails are not pristine nor if your hair is ‘done’, don’t worry please we just love you guys no matter what. is this not the goal to be loved for your mind/brain/writing skills and not your looks??? thank you for the snippet I CANNOT WAIT until the 25th. in fact I ordered my book through the local bookstore as my delivery last time from Amazon.ca was three days after the release, so incredibly frustrating. good luck w the tour and life, puppy, car, family, house selling etc.
can´t wait
Wednesdays are called “hump day” for a reason. It may also need to be called “crap day”. I hope everything works out for you including getting ready for the book tour. I understand about everything dumped on you in one day. When I have that happen to me, I sometimes look up and say “why me?!”
Thank you for the snippet. As a member of the Book Devouring Horde, I sent you lots of hugs and well wishes that everything goes smoothly as possible. 🙂
1. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one Wednesday has it in for.
2. That snippet…oh, lord, please write faster!!!
3. Sending good (better) karma your way. And maybe a deep breath or three.
I think you mean copy-and-paste faster. The book is finished. We just want them to post more of it sooner. 😉
Forget copy-and-paste, I want the book in my hungry hands!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. What Tink says! Tink? What do you think Arabella’s power is? You always have interesting theories.
I don’t know. There hasn’t really been mention of magic that could physically transform someone. Illusion magic, yes, but not physically transform, like a werewolf, but that seems to be what was implied. And she’d have to be bigger than a werewolf because a 40-foot break in the wall wasn’t big enough for her to get Catalina out.
I think the whole discussion between Nevada and Leon about how magic can change given enough time might have been a prelude to explaining how Arabella can physically transform. The magic didn’t exist before, but now it does. (Unless that ability was mentioned and I missed it.) And the fact that Arabella and Catalina have very unusually gifts would seem to imply that bad Grandma’s tampering or whatever she did to have a child had unexpected side effects. (Nevada’s truthseeking isn’t unusual, but perhaps being at least a dual Prime is her side effect.) I’m kind of surprised that there aren’t any laws against that type of tampering. Or maybe there are and bad granny figured she was above them.
Now that I think about it, I think Nevada said in one of the first two chapters of Wildfire that were released at snippets that there might have been someone like Arabella before and that person went crazy. So the ability might have been around, but very rare.
I’m still going with physical transformation, and possibly into one of the creatures from the arcane realm. That would kind of tie into what granny did to get with child.
I agree it’s physical. We know Arabella is much stronger than she should be for her age and size, and remember how excited she got when she watched Cornelius “transform” in the garage? I bet it’s similar to that, only much scarier.
I agree with the physical transformation too. Nevada mentioned that if Evil Grandma got hold of them Arabella would spend her life in a cage. Also, at the end of White Hot the soldiers who were looking for Catalina saw something huge and monstrous carrying her away. Inquiring minds want to know. 13 days from now. 😀
I keep thinking that Ari might have inherited her talent from her paternal grandfather. What if HE was either the crazy shifter or related to crazy shifter.
Okay. I googled Greek monster flaming hair and found the Empusa.
Here is a quote about the Empusa from a random wiki:
“7. The Empusa
Unlike the other creatures on this list, The Empusa is perhaps little known and does not appear in any traditional epic or popular legend. However her frightening appearance, and her ghastly tendency to feast on human blood and flesh, more than warrants her place as number seven on our list.
The Empusa is often depicted as a beautiful woman, who transforms into a creature with sharp teeth, flaming hair, and (in some interpretations) bat wings. Empusa was said to be a demigoddess under the control of the goddess Hecate, a being that is often associated with crossroads and entrance ways.
The Empusa would often seduce young men traveling alone. Once the unsuspecting youth was fast asleep, the creature would shift to her hideous form and devour the boys flesh and drink his blood for sustenance. The Empusa is probably best known for her appearance in Aristophanes’s The Frogs, where she terrifies the god Dionysus as he travels to the underworld.” From http://classicalwisdom.com/top-ten-terrifying-monsters-greek-mythology/
I like this image for Arabella:
(I can’t figure out how to do an embedded image….)
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/eb/93/02/eb9302a3d05cbb5eb4253689ccbe120b.jpg
Empusa makes sense given Arabella’s reaction to Augustine’s demon illusion. Another point, the Empusa is a type of Greek vampire. Let’s think about the Ilona Andrews stories. Aren’t there always vampires? Isn’t it odd that Hidden Legacy has no vampires?
Gosh, I hope Thursday is an improvement over Wednesday for you. And I hope the metric ton of life crap gets better for you too!
Thanks for a fabulous snippet. It brightened my day. I pre-ordered Wildfire the other day and I can’t wait to read it!
Good luck with all your problems. Thank you for the snippet! It’s going to be another wonderful book.
Thanks! I needed this. Hope all your stuff comes together in a positive way. Glad Kid 2 is ok and your Baybay will be better soon.
I’m sure someone has already told you that surgery isn’t always needed for bladder stones. My older dog is prone to them and we control them through diet despite being told initially that surgery was the only option.
Thank you for the snippet and good luck on all your venture.
So sorry things aren’t going well right now! Really hope things get better soon! My situation is different but 2017 has been a difficult year for us too! Hoping the rest of year is better for all! Thanks so much for the snippet!!
My husband lost his job and needs major surgery. My 13-year-old car needed repairs like your kid’s car. But at least I get to read your blog.
Sorry so much is hitting you. Thanks for helping me get through what is hitting me.
I hope your husband’s surgery goes well and he heals quickly and completely. Cars are rolling money pits.
My sister and I walking around Ikea:
Sister: “bitch bitch moan”
Me: very helpful suggests and comments
Sister: “I just need to bitch and vent. I don’t want you to fix it.”
Me: “Carry on”
{insert helpful suggestions here}
Hope everything gets better.
Ooo I know that one. It was good she just told you and didn’t try to pretend. That way lies madness and yelling and drinks on the floor.
So sorry to hear of your troubles, BUT THE SNIPPET WAS EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!
And hopefully only poor BayBay is not in good health.
Cars are just the Devil’s playthings. People should just use horses and giant mules.
You guys are the best, whatever your name is.
thx!!!!
Thank you, Thank you. So sorry for your crappy Wednesday. Before you know it, it will be Thursday. It has to be better. Now, your readers just have to contend with not going crazy for two weeks. Trying not to freak out here. Hugs.
Thank you. Thank you for the snippet. My wedding is now off the rails. The guest list is blowing up, the fiancee didn’t account for his guest’s plus ones (and he didn’t explicitly not invite them) so instead of 30 of his friends, it’ll be like 50. And his family was offended that we didn’t invite unknown-cousin-#256 (one of them, in a super passive-aggressive move, actually made a copy of the rsvp card, wrote their own name on it and invited their self to my wedding), so instead of 35 family members, it’ll be like 50. My mother is protesting my marriage to a man she doesn’t like by stating she isn’t coming to my wedding AND is currently giving me the silent treatment (actually she leaves the house whenever I come home) Also instead of losing 10lbs for my wedding, I’ve gained 15, so the budget-friendly dress I was going to wear, when I finally stuff myself into it, I look like a collection of sausage links instead of a bride. The decorations are in various stages of being made, the apartment looks Mad Rogan came through, there is only moldy cheese and pecan pie crust left in the fridge, and i have to travel for work all next week. yay?
Oh my God. You have so much going on. I hope in the end everything works out for you and that your mother comes around.
Best wishes to you on your big day.
Escape to Vegas, have a wedding party later, great top, elegant jeans and fab boots? Chips, dips, soda, byobeer, cupcakes? Snazzy napkins? Just a thought. Hope it all comes together as you wish. If the two of you are happy, there you are. Congratulations.
My tip for a crappy wedding is: Don’t think that this will be the best day of your life. It will her better.
And also: elope! For heavens sake. Wish we would have done this. Best hubby ever, married twelve years, but the wedding was awful.
Seconding eloping. We wanted to be married, we didn’t want to get married. We were on vacation in New Hampsire, drove over to Vermont, got the listener, found a JP, and she married is in her living room.
“Do you have rings?”
“Nope”
“Ok. I’ll skip that page.” ::flip::
Also agree with the elope suggestion and throw a party later. The only person you should be getting married for is yourself and your future spouse. Take what you would have spent on entertaining all of these people (50% or more of whom you probably won’t even be in contact with 5 years from now) and put a down payment on a house or apartment.
What Julie said.
When I was in my teens, I made dresses for weddings.* Mostly bridesmaid dresses. This… sounds like so many phone calls, or fittings, from so many brides or bridesmaids, or mothers of the brides. But mostly brides. I kind of came to believe that weddings are a rite of passage that if you survive you have a reasonable chance of surviving the marriage (this only works if it falls more or less equally on the participants, I suppose.) (Then I had a tiny wedding and spent the money on a house. I am boring.)
You will get through this. It won’t be perfect. You can’t make it perfect, any more than you can make everyone happy, because no one gave you that magic wand.** It will be good enough, and all you have to do is survive it. Or drink wine and laugh your ass off at it.
Or elope. I mean, there’s always that. But it sounds like you’re pretty invested.
* This makes more sense in context, but the context is involved.
** Well. I’m assuming. I mean, maybe. If it does show up, would you consider renting it out?
I third the elopement! My Mom and Dad were divorced. My wedding went from 50 people to 200 to canceled in a week cause the parents were arguing. I was on three to eleven shift at the hospital and my husband didn’t know anything until we were at 200, I was crying hysterically, and Mom was fighting with dad. He Called them both cancelled the wedding and we eloped to the World Famous Chapel of the Bells in Reno. That was 34 years ago! Elope!
Thank you for the snipit! I hope everything goes well with the dog – car- house issues.
Way to go, Husband!!
I don’t know how so many weddings turn out to be so stressful. It shouldn’t be about them, it should be about you two celebrating your love for each other!! I know, easier said than done. But try to focus on what’s really important. You’re marrying the man you love and starting the wonderful journey that will be the rest of your lives. You don’t have control over anyone else’s happiness, but you do have control over your own. Best wishes and I know everything will work out for the best <3
Elope.
Thank you for the snippet. We are less than 2 weeks from book release so that’s one good thing about today. Yay! I offer something that may help in all this bad stuff. Feel free to imagine grabbing my neck and slamming my face onto a hard surface several times before truly considering it. I know I would. But this seriously does help. Say thank you for 3 to 10 things you are truly grateful for, really thinking about them as you do. If you are religious, use prayer, if not, don’t. There were times when I was grateful for food, clothing, and shelter. That was it. After that, nothing. This helped. Let the face slamming begin!!
That stopping to think about what you are grateful for was a huge help to me when I was struggling through the worst years of my depression. It helped me to actually retrain my brain to focus on positive rather than negative things. I started stopping to notice the sunrise or some particularly pretty flowers on the side of the road, or the genuine smile of my checker at the grocery store, etc. It sounds dramatic but it completely changed my life. Pat, I hope things have turned around for you. At the very least, you now have something else to be grateful for – wonderful books from the Ilona Andrews team and a totally supportive fanbase who will send lots of positive thoughts your way if you need them. <3
Sorry things are not going so well. I’m also having car problems, so I understand at least that part.
Will it be possible for a picture of the not-sweeter that Lunis Duncan is wearing in that scene. For research.
Thanks for the snippet.
Sorry about your sucky day! Here’s to a better tomorrow!
Thank you so much for the snippet!
Good Luck on the house I too was upside down but in Philly. Took me two years to sell and then at a big loss. Was a pain but I got through it (which included basement floods during that time) which you will as well.
Best wishes on the puppy too bad the inn can’t fix him like Gertrude Hunt keeps healing Dina.
and thank you for the snippet during your time of stress.
thank you for your generousity for us. I hope the world rewards you strongly for it!
The squeeeees must be heard around the world!
Having just been through a couple months of refrigerator/sump pump/back-up sump pump/vacuum cleaner/sewing machine/brakes for car/air conditioner [patched, not yet fixed,] I can sympathize.
Thank you for the snippet. SO many hints of things to come…
Thank you. It elevated some of dark swirls of my mood.
Sending you puppy healing, easy-car-fixing, quick-house-selling vibes! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the snippet, especially when you have so much going on. I’m sick with a summer cold, listening to White Hot for the umpteenth time. I honestly think that this series is even more fun than Kate (ducks thrown tomatoes).
I’m sorry about your troubles.
Thank you so much for the snippet. I am very much looking forward to the book.
I know this is probably too late (you are already scheduled) and farther than you want to go, but Veterinary Surgical Solutions in Austin on Burnet Road (slightly north of 183) is great. They only do surgery and provide “quality care at an affordable cost.” They feel they don’t want cost to be the factor in your decision. When our cat was hurt (possibly hit by a car but we don’t know for certain) and broke his pelvis and had to has his tail amputated, they were thousands less than the other vet surgeon our vet suggested. I never saw the vet, and never spoke to him. His staff were very knowledgeable and if I had a question they didn’t know, they went back, asked him, and came back to me. They keep the cost down by having the vet focus on operations and the staff focus on talking with the customers.
Hopefully you won’t have to have any more pet operations, but if you do, give them a call (they may be too far for you, though).
Positive thoughts that the rest of the week will get better!
Thank you so much. We are working with Premier and they’ve taken good care of us so far.
I had a cat that peed all over the house once, but it wasn’t as happy of an ending – not that surgery is happy, especially when you have a looming car bill, ugh. Hope all goes well!
Thank you for the snippet!
When I had cats peeing all over it was diabetes, and big nap time.
Hope Baybay’s surgery goes well. Bladder stones are terrible!
what a horrible confluence of events. And in the midst of all that trouble, you think of your readers. How generous. Thank you, an excellent snippet. And I’m going to guess that that is the evil grandmother about to appear.
Oh shoot, I never thought about her being the one walking in. I was thinking Lenora for some reason.
Thank you for the lovely snippet, I enjoyed it very much.
Keeping my fingers crossed for Bay-Bay and hoping the car will now last a long time.
Also hoping you will find some pampering time for yourself!
I hope things start looking up, especially with Baybay. Thanks for the snippet. I can’t wait for Wildfire and hope there are loads to follow. Now I’m not sure which seriesI love more-Kate and Curran OR Nevada and Rogan?
Positive thoughts heading your way.
I don’t think we should have to choose.
just one series – nothing exceeds like excess!!!
Thank you for sharing another awesome snippet!
13 more days!!!!
Well hope your week gets better. Thank you for the snippet.
15 more days right? And then we can see Tremaine show up or not.
Also glad your kid is okay and it’s just the car is wrecked.
Hope you do more than break even. Maybe you can promise them a snippet to do that XD.
Hope everything is working well with iron magic.
Also because of past posts, you’ll do great for wildfire. Don’t sweat it just stay calm and kill some zombies. Left4dead is still a good classic.
Sending mad sympathy for your dog, your car, and your chapter. I must admit, however, I’m a little puzzled as to the problem with “sent all the paperwork as Gordon and Ilona Andrews.” I must be missing something, but I decided to send you mad sympathy for that anyway.
These are pseudonyms. 🙂
be fancy – ‘nom de plume’
Oooooh. Ok, I did not know that.
Sounds like your Realtor is a fan. =D
When it rains it pours! Here’s hoping for some sunshine soon. I too had a dog who was peering everywhere. Took her in 3 times and was just given some special food. Tried another vet and found out it was bladder stones. She had the surgery at 13.5 years old and was as good as new! It made a huge difference – I felt terrible she had suffered so long due to an incompetent vet.
Have you ever noticed bad situations happen in 3’s? I had the week from hell last week 1) Got a migraine on July 3rd, I’m still fighting it 2) Lost my license 3) Received a huge bill from the nursing home my granny died in last year. As medical power of attorney, I shouldn’t be charged. Lacking the time and energy to fight to fix it this week.
The best news this week… No line at the DMV, this blog and being with family. Some weeks the best we can accomplish is keeping are heads above water. I’ll keep you and Baybay in my thoughts.
Thank you for the snippet! I hope baybay feels better after the surgery, and that the car runs smoothly for the rest of it’s existence.
Time for a day at the spa – the Works! You deserve and need pampering. Your muscles are probably all tense and a therapuetic massage is just the thing for that, after the facial and before the mani-pedi and finally the hair.
Sorry you’re hitting the granite shoals of life this week. But somewhere behind them is a beach! I hope you see it soon. Thank you for your snippet, your work always makes my day!
Wishing you and Baybay good thoughts had horrible day yesterday went home with severe headache even my earrings hurt left phone on my desk luckily friend found it and saved it for me. Today was quieter and hopefully your day will get better . Thanks for snippet so excited for new book and I also think the grandmother is trying to interfere with House Baylor creation
I wish you your own kind of thing alike to the snippet which will lighten your days. Thanks.
Bummer, life can suck at times. But the snippet, thanks so much… are the heels Grandmama? Da da dum
Granny’s commin’!
So sorry to here about Baybay. Just lost my boston terrier this past spring along with incurring significant vet costs, but I cheerfully pay them because my vets are the best. Maybe sometime down the line, I would like to get a little Baybay for myself, sans mouth full of “shark” teeth.
My family is also trying to sell property, ran into some deed discrepancies. Can you say, “Let’s make the lawyers richer”?
Thanks so much for taking the time to post the snippet. My calendar is marked, and I’m countin’ down the days.
OMG this is me. Just finished closing but before that the buyers attorney was all, “This deed isn’t valid.”
My current attorney, “WTF.”
Attorney from when I bought the house, “No, really, WTF.”
Sellers attorney from when I bought house, “Dude.”
Me, “Grrrr…..”
Yes, Granny is coming to object!!
Or maybe Lenora Jordan is coming to also witness?
Best wishes to you & yours
And
Спасибо for thinking of us with this snippet!
Seems a bit unfair that your bad day netted a present for the rest of us. Thank you. 🙂
SSHHUUUUSSHHH!!!!
What she said!!! Thank you!!! These times always suck and I know getting ready for the book tour is difficult but I hope meeting with adoring fans (including me!!) will take some of the sting out of this sucky time!!!
What a thoroughly stinking Wednesday. I hope Thursday improves.
I’m excited that it’s only two weeks to go until I can find out if some of my suspicions are correct… I’m also slightly horrified because I have a bunch of deadlines that I was going to reward excellent progress with a nice chill morning of release day reading. Progress is not so far excellent.
Way to leave a fan hanging.
If it makes you feel any better, my Wednesday is day 1 of a 7-day medical quarantine with a super limited diet. My only consolation is I have unread books. 😉
So sorry that your Wednesday sucks. The snippet is wonderful and unbelievably generous, especially in light of everything else you’re dealing with at the moment. If it’s any consolation, I’m relatively certain we’ll all buy the book.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the snippet. I am sorry you are having a bad Hump Day. Or you could say you are having another Monday this week. *grin*
Baybay should be fine post surgery provided no idiosyncratic reactions. If she is over 10 years then they do need to run pre surgery blood work to check kidney and liver values. Do have the vet send off a stone for analysis. You have one of the best mammalian urinary stone analysis labs in USA there in Texas.
Regarding the other things. it is just stuff. Life happens how else do you know you are alive and kicking. So the paperwork got mucked up. Could be a loved ones obit after death was erroneously reported to SSA. That takes years to unscramble and never seems to get fixed.
So the car will be expensive to repair. the question here is would it be cheaper to replace or not? BIL hit a deer June 9 in the 2013 vehicle he was driving. I retrieved his car from body shop Friday July the 7th. All they had to do was replace front bumper and drivers side head light. no explanation was given for the length of time it took nor the new wiring harness which was not on original repair estimate. fortunately he was happy driving the farm truck that I won’t need again until August.
What does your SO say about all your concerns? Since you have said nothing of his hands and feet being broken I assume that he can do laundry and cooking while you go have a relaxing visit at a local spa. Not tomorrow as you want to be home for call from vet post Baybay surgery. But soon before you go on tour and kids go back to school.
Thanks again for snippet. And yes my personal experience is that bad things happen in 3s as Andrea Smith states above.
Thank you for the snippet!
The next leg of your tour is California. So, no need to do your hair or pack. There won’t be judging at Comicon, everyone’s too focused on their own looks. Just say you’re channeling a character ;). Oooh, Hugh’s love interest or new mentor?
As someone who travels a lot, dying hair in a hotel is pretty awesome. They can (and will) clean anything off towels. And more towels are available at any moment. Or, once you get to CA, Supercuts does a nice dye for about $45, cuts are around $20. They are everywhere (chain) and always take walk ins. Culver City has an awesome mall, you can buy a wardrobe for TX.
Hope the unwanted solutions don’t add to your stress!
I’m so sorry that this is all happening to you! Sometimes life just sucks… But I do really hope that you know that your books often make life suck a little less for me, so thank you! I really hope some easier and lighter days are around the corner for you!
So sorry about the bladder stones. Had the same issue with my dog earlier this year. Good news – full recovery. The hard part is finding post surgery diet that will prevent new stones from forming…
If you’re going through hell, keep going – Churchill.
Sending good thoughts and best wishes your way
Can’t wait for the book!
I am sorry to hear about BayBay. I hope she is better soon Know that you are in good company with stress! Deep breathing and good beer.
So sorry it’s been a sucky day for you- am intimately familiar with those….they do seem to come in 3’s…as do weddings and deaths in my experience. Very weird.
You are super couple numero uno to turn your crap day into a shiny one for us. Thank you.
I hope you can take a moment to find whatever makes your day shiny and grab onto it.
So sorry to hear all your woes, fingers crossed for BayBay coming through surgery and being fine.
Car repairs are never cheap or pleasant – a necessary evil so we can be safe on the roads.
No sure about selling houses in the US but it is stressful wherever you are in the world ?
Everyone lucky enough to be meeting you on your tour won’t be worrying what you are wearing – they’ll just be so damned happy to see you both. Stressful for you though – it’s always nice to be organised but it rarely goes so plan – just go with it ?
Giving us a snippet when you are having such a torrid time is amazing ? many thanks.
Travel safely ?
PS – A whole chapter – oh guys, wasn’t anything salvageable?
You need to have a coffee/tea break, then regroup ?
I’d say some platitude like look on the bright side, others have it worse, things can only get better but from the other comments and listed experiences it sounds like things could always get worse. Given time things will change here’s hoping it goes in the right direction for you and your little dog too.
This is of course a selfish desire as I’ve noticed that as I get older so do the authors of the books I read, life gets in the way and they write less or stop writing at all. This is not acceptable as there are already too many gaps between new books to feed my addiction (it’s all about me). Therefore it is my deep and abiding wish that you and the other authors I read have peaceful happy unstressful lives that you may continue to provide more stories for me and my fellow book devourers.
As such please accept my honest and selfish wishes that hump day will pass swiftly, houses will sell for more than you were expecting & little dogs will get well soon I won’t give you good wishes on the car as I don’t have a good record with car repairs and may jinx you.
It’s been one helluva day for me as well. Thank you! This defintely cheered me up.
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Refer to Renee’s comment at the Midnight Games “If you’re lucky it’s mud” – hugs from Australia
Thank you for brightening everyone else’s day when your day has been terrible. The snippet was wonderful.
I am sorry that your Wednesday Hump Day has been so dreadful. I commiserate wholeheartedly. But I am extremely grateful for the snippet, which has made my day much better!
I hope your dog comes through surgery OK, I go with a prior statement that being totally put together at Comic-con is no biggie. If you look a little disheveled, they will just think you were working on Kate 10 late into the night. Thank you for the snippet.
I agree, it has been my experience that stuff happens in three. Honestly, some days just make you want to bang your head against a wall in sheer frustration.
Ten days ago I had a clean house. I currently have 90 percent of the stuff from my garage in my living room and hallway but on the plus side my free kitchen cabinets are up in the garage, more shelving was installed tonight, the household scaffold has been mounted on the wall, and I had moved and consolidated the big stuff before my son came over. Tomorrow I have a long work day, hopefully good tips, and I have all day Saturday and Sunday off! And I have 10 new books from the library, so read, work , read work and I will not be leaving the house!
Awww… thank you; I really needed this.
Good recovery to Baybay!
This pattern… bad things happen. We get a snippet. Um… Well, gosh, the snippets are awesome! This isn’t a conditioning experiment after all. Right?
(I feel like I’m getting off lightly compared to most people on this thread. My father is getting closer to dying – all my information is third hand, and as the primary source is not a medical professional, and not that reliable, I’m not that sure how close – but that’s more bleak and weird than exactly a source of anguish. Or at least, very slow, attenuated anguish.)
For half my life I was charmed. I could do or be anything. All I had to do was to want it enough.
For the last 20 years my life has been going from bad to worse. The things I wanted more than anything slipped out of my grasp. And yet, for now I still have the same man who has always loved me. I have two daughters who are constantly at war with each other, but for now not with me. And,
TA DAH! I have 3 beautiful little grand daughters and one wonderful if moody grandson.
This is probably way more than I deserve. The only sadness I have is ill health and the fact that every time I try to bitch about “things” everyone else has it worse! How can that be fair? Love you, and I am really grateful for the things you choose to share
Thank you for the snippet. It made my evening. Sorry about the rest of your day.
Hearing of your list and everyone elses: wow…. okay we all have those things happening in different amounts of stress.
Thanks so much for the snippet …. keeps the mental health strong.
I have had those deadly expensive repairs that have cropped up and for some reason they always happen on a weekend and begging a plumber on a Friday night before the 4th of July weekend.
Cost me a pretty penny to get someone but it couldn’t wait til the following week.
Phone tag and begging was involved … well and after hours holiday increase in fee was fun.
So as bad as some things seem … there is light at the end of the tunnel of uncharted disasters.
Hang in there! Sometimes crappy stuff damned well avalanches. One inch of survival at a time. Snippet saved me tonight. Thank you more than i can explain.
Whenever I have a big dose of awful all at once like that, I try to think of it as getting all of the “bad” out of the way so the rest of the day/week/month/whatever will be nothing but glorious “good.” You’ve got a fan base that seriously loves you, so all of our well wishes have got to send some good luck your way. This is probably a prelude to Wildfire selling like freaking hotcakes 😉
Thank for the snippet, again leaving us wanting more! And, remember this is hump day, so you can slide into the rest of the week!
I’m really sorry to hear about your terrible day.
My mom and my mother in law plus my sister’s while family are at my house for an extended holiday. It’s great they’re visiting. But 6 weeks is a long time.
Your snippet was very very welcome.
I hope you can feel all of the love we have for you and Gordon, so you can make it through ok.
I’m so sorry for all the epic-ness. Life is just so….. special sometimes.
But thank for your the snippet. I’d give a whole lot to know what Linus’s powers are right now.
As you can see from many of us – your snippets can help set our tough days right or at least make them easier to bear. What works for you? How can we send you a snippet equivalent?
At least your toilets are working. Nothing so bad that a broken toilet won’t make it worse. And since you have hit the 3 bad things limit, the tour should go very smoothly. Thank you for the snippet!
?+ ? always help me through these kind of days, plus of course the snippet!!!! Thank
You, and I hope things get smoother and Baybay recovers well.
Ugh, one of those days. Hoping Thursday’s better!
This book will be nerve racking, I can feel it! My pulse is speeding up just from this snippet. Oh the anguish of Rogan. ?
Thank you for the snippet, it was very welcome after a bad week here as well, although my 4 unexpected house repairs only ran a couple of thousand. I hope you have hit your limit of 3 things and things smooth out for you both now. Schedule yourself a spa day, it should help.
Less than 2 weeks to go, it is getting close enough to almost taste it. 🙂
oh – thinking of you on this horrible day and hope it ended well – thanks so much for the snippet –
I saw my BFF again for a rext holidays after she moved to a different continent 4 years ago – one thing she and I have in common is our love for your books so we spend hours discussing what will happen next,
she suggested Leonora for the villain – which totally threw me – so doing the 3rd re-read now to track that, and no don’t think so, it would be to Dan Brown like.
Duncan on on the other side after this last scene – hmm still don’t totally bet on him but its possible.
and who is coming down the stairs… evil grandma??
Here’s hoping Baybay has a full and swift recovery. Thanks for the snippet.
Am I the only one who started shipping Alessandro and Catalina as soon as his name was mentioned? The age gap is probably too big, but my brain automatically made the pairing leap.
Also, I wonder if Approaching High Heels is Evil Grandma?
Yeah, my primal brain went into matchmaking mode, but wouldn’t their magics cancel each other out? Wouldn’t elderly EG be wearing PUMPS not high heels?
Hope that all the joy that the two of you generate for us, your loyal readers, somehow brings you good luck after a string of not-so-good luck.
And, fans self, that snippet was AMAZING. I can assure you that I am counting the days until this book comes out.
We are in the bad break club too. Day 7/8 of broken a/c in Oklahoma. Getting fixed Friday but at great expense. Thank you for the snippet, it was awesome. Hope your Baybay heals quickly, the house sells well and the car repair sticks. Hair and nails are just details pulling you down, you’ll get it handled. Take a deep breath and it’ll come right.
I am sorry for your woes, and I hope your best friend gets well soon. Pets come first in my household too.
On a brighter note I am flying to London July 20th my mum has decided at age 82 she is doing her final bucket list trip to England.
She was a 12 pound POM in 1956 (Prisoner of Mother England)
In other words she came to Australia in 1956 by boat, to help build up the population met my dad and became Australian
Thanks for the snippet!
So, apparently the rental agency people are fans?
Some days (& years) are a little more challenging than others….one step at a time. Here’s hoping it’s only 2or3 stones & surgery goes quickly for min cost & Baybay bounces back into Beast mode fast; Kid2 gets a free loaner car from family or friend til you’re ready to deal with her ?; & you find a buyer who LOVES the GA house enough to pay top ?. ALWAYS be very specific when telling the universe what you want or need.// As for a day in the life on this end – Thank You for the snippet! It helps! I’m already planning my schedule to start reading the kindle ebook at midnight ? until the Audible copy releases at 2am CT ;;-)) and/or ?
Catalina is a siren. Duh, talk about slow! I just figured that out at the island portion of the snippet. I’m gonna say that the younger sister is a dragon shapeshifter (based on the size of the hole in the wall and her reaction to what’s-his-name’s demon illusion [sorry, tired brain]) and the DA is Caesar (she worships law and order but it’s not getting her very far so she’s scrapping it all and starting over).
?? I preordered the book, a rare occurrence because I have a phobia of future declined credit cards. ?
I wondered if Catalina would get the Siren label – it’s the closest my tired brain could figure. I’m still in the Linus Duncan as Caesar camp. He’s gonna mess with Rogan’s head while trying to recruit Nevada under cover of mentoring her. Gotta figure he has or will develop some kind of alliance with EG. I’m also visualizing Dragon for Arabella….can’t wait to see what plays out for each family member’s specialty and power level.
I wonder if we’re going to find out what “things” EG did to have a child. I’m wondering if Rynda’s missing husband (Brian?) is involved in someone trying to recreate the Magic Serum & this is what Caesar is offering loyalists like the evil cousin & useless socialite?
Oh wow, sorry for your awful day =/
And thanks for this snippet and making our day better
Thank you so much for thinking of us fans even though you’re going through very trying times yourself. You are awesome and I pray that you will persevere through these trying times.
Oh my God..
I must stop reading and rereading and rereading all the snippets and the previous books………
Can’t wait for 25th of July…
Is it there yet??????/
Hope the future is smoother sailing for you and your family. Getting a snippet is like a little ray of sunshine, going through replacing water lines as home (430 ft). Thank you
Here she comes…..Its Grandmother!
Just in time for Christmas.
This party will go off with a bang wont it..
Mwahahaha.
So I want to share a story of kindness. As a public hospital doctor seeing complex patients it only takes 1 person who needs more time to make me late. One day EVERYONE needed more time and by 130 I was close to 2 hours behind having worked since 8 w no break. I announced to the waiting room that I would see 2 more patients but then needed a 20 min lunch break. Everyone was very understanding. One of my lovely old patients tho who had already waited an hour and was now told he had another hour to wait started worrying about me (!). He went and bought me a hamburger for my lunch. Now, a hamburger is not on my list of favourite foods, but let me tell you, that was THE BEST HAMBURGER EVER!
Your snippet today felt like that hamburger. BEST SNIPPET EVER!
Thank you for your kindness to us at a time where things were going wrong. I hope it is repaid to you many times over!
This is a wonderful story– thank you for the work you do, and for sharing a tale of genuine human kindness!
So my water heater stopped preforming. I will need to spend 2-3 k on it. It is going to have to wait till I save it up. Happy accident, I live in the Sonoran Desert. We have had record breaking three digit heat waves for over a month. I love cool water. ?
I hope Baybay does well! Those fuzzy little family members are precious!! The car…frustrating mechanical beasts! I’m sorry you had to scrap a chapter – my confidence in the two of you says the next bit of work is going to be awesome because that mess is out of the way. Selling a home can be most stressful. I’ll send up some prayers for that and your touring.
P.S. As always I enjoy the snippets you send! Such wonderful teasers. I’m so curious how all this is going to work out for Nevada and family! Thanks so very much!!!!
Thank you so much. I will be thinking of you and your family. I have been doing 15-30 minute gentle yoga videos from you tube (a reputable instructor) several times a week and it is so helpful. Life is incredibly stressful right now so hang in there.
Thanks For the wonderful snippet I have my concerns about Linus Duncan. I hope your dog is okay and your life gets a little easier
I add my “Thank You, Authorlords” to the other 177 (so far) … one of the things I enjoy the most about this blog is reading the comments of your fan-base. For the most part — with very, very, VERY few exceptions– it’s just a really upbeat and positive place where people share their stories and support one and other.
I am happy for the snippet too– I’m in the middle of perhaps my 10th military move and the third one overseas… it’s REALLY hot and muggy, today is supposed to be “The hottest day of the summer so far” and today is Hell Day (the day that all your stuff, that is in boxes, goes on the truck– so, doors open all day, people trucking in and out and in and out, no escape from the madness). To top it all off we haven’t been able to sell our car, which we have to do somehow here in the next 5 days, and need to find a home for our two awesome gerbils– again, ditto, we can’t take them with us to South America, and the kids are really sad (me too actually- they are great pets). So much to do, I hate all the the goodbye, and we leave next week. YUCK I hate this part.
We’re going South for an Embassy job (no, not USMC, but military attaches)…. my husband’s an AD officer and I’m in the Reserves, so I really appreciate how accurate the military references are in all your books, thank you Gordon.
Hang in there Ilona– it will get done, it will happen, best of luck in your challenging week! Thanks again,
Dear Authorlords – I love the way you think. Because you had a bad day yesterday mine started off splendidly! Thank you
for the snippet. I hope everything works out well for your furry friend and that the auto problem turns out to be simpler
than originally thought.
Thank you for the snippet. I’m sorry you’re going through so much at once. It’s always coming in threes, right?
Hugs. All the hugs. I realise hugs aren’t practically helpful, but I suppose they can’t hurt either. Deep breaths. I find writing a list of problems and working through them one by one helps when the world becomes overwhelming. If it’s a case of time management/workflow chaos, I recommend Todoist (and note that I do not now, nor do I expect to in the future, receive benefits from Todoist for recommendations). Good luck.
I have a mantra I repeat to myself on days like yours. To remind myself not to lose perspective.
“As long as no one is actively trying to die in front of me it’s all ok.”
Basically, as bad as it is, your family is alive and the dog has a curable problem. Everything is just fine!
Thank you!
Uh-oh! Who could the heels beeeee???? (Evil grandma I bet.) Can’t wait! I’m going on vacation on the 24th and my plan is to spend release day parked on a bench and wallow in reading and doing-nothingness.
And that is why you rock. Simples. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
So sorry about all the stress. I hope things get better. Loved the snippet, I felt like hiding behind my pillow just thinking about the wicked grandma (maybe?) crashing an already scary meeting. Poor Nevada.
I have two black and white shih tzus myself so Beast is my favorite character. I hope BayBay is back on her little feet quickly.
Right now I’m on one of those everything-is-going-right rolls. It’s kinda scary. I’m waiting for the big bad to happen. Here’s to normalcy.
thank you so much for posting this snippet–just finished the 2nd book in mad rogan’s series–hope there are more to come!! although i will happily take another Kate Daniels book in it’s place–see. no pressure!!
Hope the surgery goes ok!
In another note, that snippet was awesome. I just having a feeling that the woman coming down the halls is going to be Mrs. Tremaine, Nevada’s grandma. I mean, the keeper isn’t expecting anyone else and if she found out that Nevada was going to register as a House she would definitely rush to try and interrupt the proceedings. Just my theory!
Thank you for the snippet. You successfully left us hanging. I wouldn’t have believed that I could be more eager for the release date than I already was, but….
Would selling or donating the car and buying a “new” used car be more cost-effective/affordable? No doubt you’ve already figured out what is best and this comment is just another buzzing fly.
I hope that by now Baybay has successfully come through surgery and is recovering quickly.
The replacement chapter is going to flow for you soon.
You have a huge fan base, and we are all sending good vibes of various sorts for a speedy sale, at or above asking price sale, of the Georgia house.
If you pull out the items of clothing that you want dry cleaned for the tour, could one of the girls (possibly using your car) drop the items at the cleaners for you?
The way things are going in your life right now, even though you don’t love the grind of book tours, going on this tour might turn out to be a fun relief? Silver lining?
Here’s hoping and wishing that you are over the hump of nasties (as others have pointed out, the threes, but whatever you do, don’t say it can’t get worse), and things are going to be smooth, successful, happy, and fun!
Awe! The poor baby! My fiance has had large kidney stones… those suckers hurt!
Sorry to hear about Kid 2’s car troubles. I’ve been there…. many times…
And hey! At least breaking even is better than breaking the bank! 😀
Goodness… you guys have a lot going on lately, and sorry to hear about the problem chapter. It’s frustrating as hell to spend a bunch of time on something only to have to trash the whole thing. Between that and the stress of touring, I would be hiding under the bed in your place.
Thank you so much for the snippet! I think that Linus person will prove to be interesting… and I love that Keeper guy, he makes me think of a kindly old librarian who just likes to help and really really loves his job. He’s hands down one of the most adorable characters I’ve come across in a story.
It’s raining buckets here in VT today, so thanks for the snippet!
Thank you for the snippet and I hope the fan gratitude brightened your crappy day a bit. I’m counting down the days until this book comes out!
And in the vein of little moments of bright spots a little story… an author friend of mine who writes about gemstones and is kind of a “rock star” in that field brought out his latest and much anticipated book late last year. The first edition came out 20 years ago and this new one was hugely anticipated. It’s peppered with credited literary quotes, from Hunter S. Thompson, Ralph Waldo Emerson to Pliny, Aristotle and…Ilona Andrews. 🙂
I’m on vacation and don’t have the book on hand to look it up, but I’m pretty sure the quote was from the Edge series.
I’ll bet you never imagined being cited in a technical gemmological tome (yes, it weighs 10lbs so tome it is), did you?
I’m with you. We just moved from VA to NC the house sold in 5 days but is now under contract and has to be inspected and we’re terrified it won’t go through. We haven’t finished moving into the apt in NC and we had to leave right away to go on “vacation” at my mother’s house in FL for my kiddo’s bday. Then the day after we get back I have a job interview. But I’m not certified in NC yet because they won’t count my VA time UNTIL I get a contract signed. DONT ask me why. I don’t get it. I don’t NEED the job but I hate being rejected like whoa. I have to get back to VA and get doctor’s appts and dentist appts. Then close out the storage facility, move all those things out, call a junk van to pick up the last of the things in the house. And and and and somehow entertain my soon to be 7year old without losing my mind.
WHO AM I KIDDING? Already gone!
Omg, thank you. I pray everything works out in your favor.
I am with everybody . Some things such as plumber comingand exterminator coming yesterday more of a pain . The blessings are my 2 new kittens 4 months old, 5 healthy children 2 grands. I am not sure about the 7 year old birthday with bounce house and many friend we will see.
Loved the snippet!!! Hope things get better 🙂
Woohoo it is Siren!
There is nothing nicer than getting your hair and nails freshly done. Hoping the rest of the week is better for you and all the issues are sorted out. Baybay looks like she could take on Beast anyday.
My best wishes to Baybay (and parents!)
Days like your Wednesday just suck major hairy B. Those are the ones that once you go to bed you are thankful that you survived it. Remember that good rest is key to have the strength to battle the next day ahead. Write down a next day “to do” list before bed time to ensure you “empty” out your thoughts and not wake up in the middle of the night because your brain in going 90,000 miles per second.
In regards to the furry baby, try Creditcare. I swear I am not an agent or anything like that. I just got it for my family. It covers both two-legged and and 4 legged cost of health related services with no interest payments in different time frames.
Good luck with everything.
So sorry to hear about Baybay’s bladder stones! Poor puppy! Poor people funding the vet’s (and the mechanic’s) vacation home! I know all too well how a week can beat up on you, and yet you help the rest of us get through ours. Wish there was more we could do to bolster yours. Thank you for using your authorlord powers for good, and for your generosity. <3
What a crappy day you had. It sucked! Sorry you had to go through it.
Our central AC (15 yrs old) went out and it will cost $9,600 to fix. It took a month just to find someone to come and look at it. Nobody in NYC wants to do residential AC as commercial is more profitable for them. My hubby saved us $800 by ordering the compressor himself but it came damaged. By the time we get a new one and the repair guy scheduled it will be early August. Oh well, many millions of people survive without AC in the world so we can too.
Then yesterday my Dr surgeon said doing a revision operation on my hip would only make it worse, not better which was hugely disappointing. The original surgery was botched by a different surgeon. Trying a new Physical Therapist he works with to see if it will help. Fingers crossed.
But life is good – have a great hubby who loves his limping, vegan, critter crazy wife and my favorite authors give us snippets. Thanks so much. Less than 2 weeks to go until release day. Hooray!
Hope things brighten up for you. The snippet was a real treat for me. So can’t wait for the book to come out. Counting down.
Funny how these unpleasant occurrences lurk on the threshold of a Wednesday to fall on you like a ton of bricks. Hope today is better!
What is the old saying, problems never wait their turn – they just cluster at the door? I am hopeful that your week (and month!) improve steadily, that things are swiftly & smoothly resolved.
Thank you for the snippet. <>
That kind of day is “the suck”, I find remembering my blessings helps…
Like a wonderful snippet..many thanks
In my head i hear the click of high heels…and Jack Nicholson’s voice from the shinning saying “Here’s Granny”
I am so ready to read the next book.
Oh my — Linus Duncan. That answers a lot. And Bernard is applying as well — probably to be a member of the House (being of age) no matter what his magic rating is.
Hop your succeeding days go better. I am grateful for the snippet.
OH! Their trials are on New Year’s Day!
So looking forward to this book!
Thank you for the snippet!
And good luck with everything!
Eek.
Publishing day can’t come soon enough!!!
So excited for the book to come out!
Will say prayers for your fur babies and everything else on your plate now. See you 7/23 at the Ripped Bodice! Safe travels!
why don’t you and Gordon have a spa Day……hair, manni and peddi and finish with a massage you both need a break. oh yeah….nice soothing music. (its called “me time”)
Sounds like your having a really bad day. Understatement right? If your child’s car needs that much work would it be better to try and sell as is and get something cheap to get them by? I dont know what kind of car it is or how new it is. I DO know that shops really sock it to you so maybe you can call around for some better deals? I only say that because my Dad’s been a mechanic 45 years and I know how those stupid shops work lol. Another way would be to figure out what parts you need. Get the part #’s and go to rockauto.com cause girl those are the best prices you will EVER find on vehicle parts. Then find someone who can do the work for you at a decent price. If its a cosmetic thing like a wreck then just fix only what needs the car to function. I’ve had to do that before too. Hugs to Baybay and a speedy recovery. I hate dealing with house stuff. We just bought a house and it was tedious to say the least. So much crap goes into the process of buying and I am sure selling isnt much different. There is always someone who screws up. They got the wrong spelling on the seller on our house too and had to re-do everything! The selling market must be different where your house is because here in Kansas its a sellers market and those said sellers are making a killing selling their houses. They are more than likely getting what they are asking. I really hope things get better for ya. Looking forward to Wildfire! xo
Poor puppy. Hope you feel better soon. Good luck selling house. Thank you for snippets.:; :; :;
You both must be excellent jugglers to keep so many balls in the air.
Today you may need to remind yourself that you have overcome similar challenges and survived the associated stress.
Take a breath, throw in a load of laundry, have a bath (use the nail brush), and snuggle your dog. Now that you are relaxed, make a list of what needs to be done before your trip. (I believe that having a plan/task list helps reduce stress. You feel more in control of your life.)
Thank you so much for the snippet. I am gleefully anticipating the release of Wildfire. It’s been a great series despite the wait. I hope you decide to explore that world beyond the third book. A novella addressing events from Connor’s point of view would also be intriguing.
Connor’s
You both must be excellent jugglers to keep so many balls in the air.
Today you may need to remind yourself that you have overcome similar challenges and survived the associated stress.
Take a breath, throw in a load of laundry, have a bath (use the nail brush), and snuggle your dog. Now that you are relaxed, make a list of what needs to be done before your trip. (I believe that having a plan/task list helps reduce stress. You feel more in control of your life.)
Thank you so much for the snippet. I am gleefully anticipating the release of Wildfire. It’s been a great series despite the wait. I hope you decide to explore that world beyond the third book. A novella addressing events from Connor’s point of view would also be intriguing.
These snippets are so tantalizing… Thank you for posting even though it was a difficult day!
Thank you! I hope it gets better for you all.
Soon good…thanks for the snippet. Hope your tomorrow is better!
I had a weekend kind of like yours. Saturday, Kiska Dog licked the scab off her leg, bled A LOT and is now wearing the cone of shame. Sunday the Ca overheated, and needs a new engine. Very big “ouch”. I really really needed the snippet! Thanks You!
P.S. That’s not grandmother Tremaine hurrying down the hall, is it?
Let’s see… one of my older and friendliest cats had 2 lumps under her nipples, then had surgery. Currently awaiting biopsy results though the x-ray didn’t show metastasized areas. Fingers crossed on that one.
The medication prescribed to treat my gastritis made meeven more ill. Ten days out from discontinuing it, the dizziness & spinning still haven’t stopped, though thankfully the nausea has.
My father, whom I love dearly but occasionally want to slap upside his head for his stubbornness*, now has 2 different forms of diabetic neuropathy, one painless the other disabling. His lower leg/foot edema is resisting treatment and he can’t control one foot at all. Having ramps built for the yard this weekend and currently researching wheelchairs.
Will spend the weekend and first of the week cleaning out their basement (broken & flooded sanitary tubs) and cleaning his bedroom (hoarder tendencies) so vendors can come out and give us estimates on the plumbing repairs and stair lift installation.
*Please consider him a warning* : To anyone reading this who doesn’t monitor their blood sugar, or knows someone who doesn’t, his current situation is where you’ll find yourself someday if you do not. Even if you hate every aspect of your diabetes, and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t, please still put forth the effort necessary to live your best life in your best health- because it DOES matter. My father never took it seriously because his was ‘manageable’ with pills. And he is steadily declining right before our eyes. He turns 85 in late August, I’ll be shocked if he sees 86.
Ooooooooohhhh! How fun! I can’t wait for Nevada, Catalina, and Bern to knock their trials out of the park. I’m really interested in Duncan, too, as I hope he becomes a sage new ally. Maybe he can offer a father figure for Nevada and Rogan since both of their fathers have since passed. And, “I would be all the money in my wallet,” that the woman coming is Evil Grandma coming to try to steal Nevada’s house petition away, somehow.
Bet*
just wondering about the timing – I don’t think this sequence at the registrar is chapter 3 is it? The Keeper has a lot of information on them already, it is Christmas day so a few days have passed since the kitchen table meeting.
Nevada told Rynda she would go and see her husband’s workplace and family the next morning. So it isn’t holiday yet… so I assume there is at least one chapter between the family meeting and this one – going back to the missing husband case.
Also on re-read 3 I start to think people might be right about Linus Duncan being Ceaser .. well we will see 9,5 days to go.
Those high heels — could they be the evil granny? Henchmen wear shoes with soles that do not make noise.
Ruh roh. Psycho gramma’s here to play?