You know how you take a few days off for vacation and there is a whole bunch of stuff when you come back? We spent some time dealing with all the cool and not so coll admin issues in New York, while visiting our agent, but we came back to more stuff. I swear, the emails are breeding. Gordon caught some sort of crud so I’m on my own today.
Business, business, business.
Okay, first things first. I’m supposed to tell you that Penguin Random House has a giveaway.
Enter for a chance to win the entire series.
Boom, done. Check mark off my list.
Penguin Random House is also doing a cool promotion for KD with libraries at ALA. Apparently, there will be bookmarks with a code that will allow you to enter a giveaway to win two sets of books, one for the librarian and one for the library, so if you are a librarian interested in our work, please be on lookout for that.
On to Avon news, the new novella will likely be called Diamond Fire and because of the super-speed of the preorders, they are working up a cover ASAP, so we will share as soon as we have something.
If you are a member of IA Addicts on Goodreads, we are doing a Q&A there and answering all the spoilery questions.
As an aside, I just sent an “ARGH. Um… No?” as a reply to an email and Brandi somehow managed to turn that into a polite and professional message. Yay, Brandi.
Games: nothing solid yet; however, we might get a casual game based on Innkeeper novels. It will act much like choose your own adventure books on 1980’s, and when we have more info, we will let you know.
On the personal front.
Kid 1 is gainfully employed. Yay! That means we are watching Nyke, her doggie, for a little bit to let her get acclimated to her new schedule. I took a picture of the squad for you. We are missing the other grand-dog Artha, but other than that, they are all there.
Nyky is part dachshund and part God knows what. Supposedly a Shih Tzu, but I don’t see it.
As an aside, see that dirty floor? The office still hasn’t been fixed, so that will be on the agenda: get the office wall repaired, get it cleaned, and also get the replacement garbage disposal for the kitchen. I haven’t cleaned the house for a bit, so it’s badly in need of vacuuming. Also tomorrow is a physical and the closing with official signing of everything. Hopefully, we can close on the house and that will be that.
Well, I’m back to Hugh and the horrible battle. See you later.
Is this the same battle you were working on before the NY trip?
Nope, this is the last battle.
Aww look at the cute herd of puppy!
Thank you for the update, I’m so excited for the Hugh book!
You guys are alive – YEAH. Buy a Roomba, that is my next big purchase, let it attack the dustbunnies
I saw a story about a guy that had a Roomba set to auto-vacumn at 1:30am. Well they got a puppy that ummmm….pooped on the rug, apparently just before the Roomba did it’s thing. That Roomba hit it and dragged it all over the house. He said he stepped into the living room early the next morning….yuch! So, puppies and Roombas…not so much.
I second this in a big way. My sister got me one for my birthday and my house has never been this clean. It’s amazing when something does the cleaning for you. We named ours Ruby. The kids talk to her. It’s adorable.
I want one too. Just saw a commercial and that’s it! It showed it picking up pet hair – YEA! I have 2 dogs one semi-long hair cat. I NEEEED a roomba.
Roomba is having a sale through May 12, Ms. Kim — see the website: http://store.irobot.com/default/robot-vacuum-roomba/?_ga=2.256049603.956951307.1525111259-234723393.1525111259. I clean out the bin every time it runs and bang the dust out of the filter. Every few runs I pull off the masses of hair that get wound around the ends of the beaters. Daughters are as bad as pets for hair.
At one point I had two of the things, because trailing daughter #2 brought hers home from school. I kept one upstairs and the other downstairs…. But then she took hers when she got married.
I have used Roomba for about 15 years. Just be advised that if you have pets, the brushes and front wheel will have to cleaned of pet hair EVERY time you use it. It isn’t hard and takes just minutes, but it is a chore that has to be done. Also, small vac, small dustbin. It, too, will have to be emptied every time. That being said, I can’t live without mine. I own two, one for each floor of my house.
Be sure to buy a Roomba for pet fur. There is a difference. I have 2 roombas and one is their pet series the other isn’t. I noticed the one for pets does fantastic picking up the fur on carpet, the other I keep where the floor is hardwood and tile.
Tempting….but how good is it at avoiding Legos? Lord knows, I’m not great at it, especially in the dark. 🙂
Roombas eat Legos like candy if you don’t have the toddler blocks. Mine gets pennies, cat toys, bookmarks. You name it – the Roomba will try to eat it. In one way, that’s great – you don’t have to sweep up the kibble or M&Ms or popcorn. In another, it’s a pain – drop an earring and you’ll never see it again if you don’t find it now…
I guess the trick would be to check the contents of the bin before it hits the trash,if you want the Legos back. Otherwise, “If you don’t pick them up, the Roomba will eat them and they’ll be gone.” (It might work. Maybe.)
It’s also a good idea to keep cords and the like out of range. Tuck the fringe on your rug underneath, too.
I use the opposite trick. If I can’t find it, I let the roomba loose and sift the contents. And when my kids were small, I was selective about what I sifted out. Legos, yes. Barbie shoes not so much. But then, if it hadn’t been for relatives, my daughters would never have owned Barbie by parental decree. I still use the process, dropped a screw and can’t find it? Roomba and a magnet will.
I have an Eufy, knock-off recommended by Consumer Reports. Half the price of the Roomba, and it burbles gleefully as it starts up.
Second this suggestion. Love my roomba. I have the regular kind but a couple friends have the pet one – apparently a bigger dust bin and easier to clean brushes. As suggested, set to clean regularly and you will always have a dust-bunny floor, free from all sorts of small detritus. Still have to wash it once in a while ? But it always looks clean-ish ?
Another vote for the roomba! We like to refer to ours as “our robot slave” and laugh maniacally when talking about it… there’s probably something irreparably wrong with us.
If people are looking to get vacuums (or other electronic/large purchases), I HIGHLY recommend this website.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-upright-canister-vacuums/
Plus, The Best Vacuum Robots (spoiler: Roomba is not their first choice, though it is two and three):
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-robot-vacuum/
It’s sort of like Consumer Reports, but free. Plus they integrate reviews from major online retailers into their decisions (like Amazon). And do their own testing.
A couple of the things I love:
1. They have a section for ‘Who should get this product’ and sometimes they say that people should not get it, depending on what their life is like. I like that they acknowledge that not everyone’s life is the same, so they can’t recommend the same purchases to everyone.
2. They offer different tiers of recommendations. There’s a ‘first choice’, generally a ‘budget first choice’, an ‘upgrade (expensive) first choice’, and sometimes a ‘first choice’ in the category they don’t recommend, but if you really want one, get this one.’
3. They explain all the tests they did, and go through all the research, so you know how they made their decision. Sometimes after reading it I make a different choice, as I value some aspects of the item to be purchased differently than they do. Sometimes I don’t even read this section, but just get the one they say to.
4. They have a section on ‘Why you should trust us’ where they go into the authors’/testers’ bonafides. The people involved are into whatever they are testing – they aren’t just getting paid by word count (I don’t actually know how they get paid).
And their Christmas lists are great too – I use them for birthday present ideas when I can’t think of anything. There will generally be something interesting, at different price points.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/gift-guide-2014/
Can you tell I really like the website? Sometimes I don’t need anything, I just go on the website to see someone do their job well, and to learn things (like how different metals conduct heat, and how this relates to frying pans). It’s dangerous though, as then I start to lust after all the things…
Plus they do kitchen stuff. Here’s one on Dutch ovens I like.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dutch-oven/
Woohoo. Appreciate. On another note first time every I got suckered into a serial. Great writer storyteller but her ebooks were sold in cliff hanger chunks for $4.99 each. Without clearly stating. My budget cannot afford anymore than the $20 already invested. Sad I won’t know how the story ends. Sad and angry I got conned. Thank you guys for not doing fans and readers badly. Better busy week for all.
So sorry you feel that way. I understand about budgeting for books. Have you looked at your library for the rest of the series? If you live anywhere in NY state you can also get a free library card to the New York City library (yes, anywhere in New York State) and they let you check out up to 12
E-books. I discovered this series originally in the YA section of my library branch when I was looking for something for my son.
Sorry- just read your post again and realized I mis-understood it. It Was a long morning at work and then waiting on hold during lunch trying to deal with financial aid at the college for my autistic son. Someday they might answer my question. Have a nice day.
I missed you sold the other house! That is wonderful. Just try and ease in as much as possible or you’ll end up sick like Gordon.
I’m so excited for more Hidden Legacy.
I agree with everything vinity says!
Thanks for the update!! I am intrigued by the game…
Photo number three, that dog is kind of angry….
Will he be jealous?
I love a large group of dogs!
Hope the trip was good! Yay for Kid 1!!! =) The office will be fine and here’s hoping everything goes smoothly for selling the old house!
Hang in there!
Awww welcome back!! That’s a lot of happy pupper, Nyke looks a bit Scottie ish and being from there myself I can say in all honesty I have friends whose dogs look like that ??. Gorgeous though. Good luck with the list!! Xx
I had a doubletake because at first I thought you said you had friends who looked like that. Glad it was the dogs. : )
Thanks for the update!!
Looks at all the doggies!!!! Love, love, love.
Thanks for all the info, go slow and take care of yourself. Try not to catch Gordon’s crud. 🙁
Thrilled you are selling the other house, that’s got to be such a relief to have it DONE.
With the rough coat the grandpup looks like it might have some terrier in it! Fingers crossed the cleaning doesn’t take forever! I can second the Roomba!! awesome things! And maybe a Scoomba to wash the floors after the roomba?!
My son had a Scooba. (Not sure about the spelling.) I was so proud he was cleaning his floors. (My late husband would have been empirical proof of the fact that dust bunnies are invisible to males.* They could have been knee deep and he wouldn’t have noticed.)
The textured concrete floors would be great for a mopping robot.
*The giant invisible dust bunnies are in one of the Mythadventures books. I haven’t reread them lately, so I can’t tell you which one.
Welcome back!!
Sorry you’re swamped and running solo today. Hopefully he feels better soon and the gremlins decide to stay away and you’re able to be uber productive with no fun side adventures.
May the Force be with you.
May the Fourth (Star Wars Day) isn’t until Friday. Which, hopefully, will also mean Innkeeper (but only if you can make it that far down on the list). 😉
Welcome back! I’m having the same problem today, my emailed multiplied and somehow I got new documents added to my folder. Is it magic? Is it like gremlins? Who knows. My husband and I want to take a kayak trip this summer for about a week, I’m a little afraid to do so.
Nyky looks a little like my friends daschund/lab. He has sort of the same beard thing going on. I’m voting for part Scottie or schnauzer in the breeding.
Nicely done Kid 1 on obtaining a job!
Sounds like the trip to New York was wild.
My friend has a roomba as well as the mop version and she says it’s great, unless you have a lot of low profile things.
Feel better Gordon!
Emails! My emails multiplied. Auto correct is usually never correct. Bah.
My husband used to get up early during vacations so he could spend an hour or two clearing his emails. That kept his people busy and him happy to spend the rest of the day enjoying being with us — the trailing daughters and I slept in anyway, so mostly didn’t even notice hin being efficient and effective. 😉
Soo much stuffs! Glad you got back from the travels ok!!
Woo! Book info! Woo!
That doggo is seriously a cutie! I’d say a dachshund and a terrier mix? Either way, what a sweetie. 😀
Our guilty pleasure? A cleaning service every two weeks. Worth every penny and we will give up something else in order to pay for it….
Even though I retired, I kept the cleaning lady. Every two weeks, well worth it. While she cleans I go play.
Hope Gordon gets better soon. Yay for the job for kid.
Who are those good looking dogs. Sweet.
I checked almost every day for a selfie from New York?
I work with my amazing lady who cleans. I spend 2 hrs sorting and tidying. She spends 2 hrs cleaning and we both finish together. I second the go without something to pay for her. Fortnightly rocks.
I love “super-speed of pre-orders”. Tell Avon they can have all my money as long as they keep publishing Hidden Legacy… in fact why don’t they post the pre-orders for the next 3 books…
Puppies and books and games OH MY!! Welcome back!! Missed you – glad things went well for you in New York…now BATTLE ON!
Loved this post since I got updates on KD, Innkeeper, Hidden Legacy and Iron Covenant! Now I’m just needing a Kinsman update sometime in the future to round it all out! 😀
So much goodness for me but so much work for you guys on your plate!
Damn that I’m a librarian in Sweden it would have been amazing to enter. In my case it would have been two book set to give away because I all reddy own all your books:-) keep up your good work!
I have the same question that I always ask about this stage in your new story announcements. Will “Diamond Fire” have an audio book edition? I am willing to wait to buy it that way, if I have to, and will get way more enjoyment out of the story as I “read” and “re read” the audio book as I work on my crafts. Either way, I can’t wait.
Second this.
I do not know! I will find out.
I didn’t even know there was an IA group so thank you for that!!! Keep away from Gordon’s sickness! And feel better ?
Ditto!!! And so excited about more Hidden Legacy goodness.
LOL on the Roomba idea. I have two Border Collies. If I got a Roomba their mission in life would be to herd it and keep it in a corner. I can see where killing off large numbers of people in various creative ways could be very therapeutic. Glad you and Gordon are back.
Pre-order novella? Where? How? I am currently in a “book hole” as I am having a harder and harder time finding authors that can write books that hook me and keep me intrigued. The simple truth is that there are very few other authors that can do what you do. So if there is a novella that I can pre-order and make sure it shows up in my queue as soon as it is available, and I somehow already missed that information, I would appreciate a reminder.
Thanks!
Go to Amazon and search IlonaAndrews. I just checked and the first listing is for Diamond Fire. That’s it. The price is $1.99 and it won’t be out until November, so you really haven’t missed anything. I’m assuming you’re in the US. Some members of the BDH have mentioned not finding it in Australia.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BK3M7V7/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o07_?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Until recently it was listed as Untitled Novella, due out November 6.
Just checked. Still not loaded on amazon Australia kindle. Its OK though. The bdh did its work and Avon have listened! I can wait to prep order.
Yup still not showing for purchase in Australia 🙁 🙁
Yikes! I saw novella, panicked that I missed something. Spent 5 minutes frantically searching for info only to find out that I had already preordered. Thank goodness I was finally on top of something!
The number of times I hit pre order on ilona Andrews and nalini singh only to be told I pre ordered it in Feb or March. Lol
I can relate. I’ve learned to put release dates on my phone calendar, with a note saying, “pre-ordered on ##/##/##” . Especially for authors that don’t have much online presence – so nice to see that reminder pop up!
I have an “On-order Wish list” on Amazon. When I pre-order something from my wish list, I move the listing to that list. Being a bit obsessive, I drag the listings into “coming soonest” order, too.
You can sometimes keep track of what you’ve pre-ordered on your email. I have a “preorders” file in Mail. I don’t know what you get with other platforms, sorry.
Ah great to hear from you! This was a happy surprise as I got out of my first engineering final. Will probably reread some innkeeper to feel better about myself later!
I just got out of my 2hr 45min World History final. I definitely need some Ilona Andrews therapy time. Think I’ll re-read Innkeeper (already re-read Hidden Legacy when I heard about novella).
Good Luck tomorrow !
Looks like you will have a similar day than us 🙂 Looking forward to signing on Pebble 🙂
Glad NYC was productive. I hope you a good time, despite the crud. Feel better, Gordon. Yay, kid 1! Yay, sold house! Welcome home.
Glad you are back with much accomplished
Your dogs are looking great. Great care givers for Gordon.
Soldier on.
Blast! Entries for US residents only. Sad face.
I second that ??
You don’t know how lucky you are, oh US residents!
Woe is me
Wow, what a lot of information in this post, I’m exhausted just reading it. By the way, I want you and Gordon to know that, 40yrs later, I’m going back for a History degree because of your 4th book in the Kate Daniels series. The information you provided about the Mesopotamia region, the ancient semetic history, etc., had me constantly researching. I took ancient Humanities (from pre-historic to Renaissance), World History, etc to learn more about the period. Now I’m becoming a degree-seeking student for a 2nd Baccalaureate all because of these books. I am so happy, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.
How delightful! Happy learning, Ms. Kim!
YAY for YOU!!!!!!
Wonderful! You go!
Go, Ms. Kim! I have my BA in History. My focus was on early American history from the end of the American Revolution to around 1860 (just before the Civil War (or if you’re from the South, the War Between the States)). If the degree paid well, I would’ve had a masters and doctorate in History. ?
Well luckily, I’m retired with a pension so I don’t have to worry what it pays. By the way I discovered (after I gave up History the first time around) that most of the State Department employees have History degrees. Everyone told me the only thing you could do with a History degree was become a teacher and there was a ton of competition for those slots. bah humbug! I should have persevered. A lot of lawyers start with a History degree.
That was the period of the Industrious Revolution which led into the Industrial Revolution. I’m so excited to learn about the Industrious Revolution this time around. I think it is key. Countries that have economic and political systems that encourage and reward Industriousness succeed. Those that don’t, haven’t.
That’s brilliant. Congratulations
Diamond Fire… awesome. All the best to you and family. Love you guys. There is no other author(s) of which I read the books, the blogs, the free stuff, and .. all the comments from the BDH. Sometimes I remember I’m waiting on Ian’s story and pop on over to Jeaniene Frost’s page to check for updates, lol…
Tryed entering, but it says my postcode is wrong [its not] and it dosent have uk option. Where can i enter propley please?
The contest is open to US residents only, unfortunately. 🙁
Worked since I was 15 and the single best gift I ever gave myself was hiring a weekly house cleaner. It took several years until I could afford one (late 30’s) but am so glad I made the choice. I hate cleaning because I cleaned and painted houses for several years. Now I work from home and can leave the house, go down to my workshop, and forget about stinky toilets and dog hair from 3 dogs.
Sounds like you sold the house. Congrats. What a load off your shoulders. Also, glad to hear the new book is getting a cover design. What a difference a week makes. :))
I’m with you. I started with a lady coming in once a month to do bathroom and kitchen, when I had just got past the eating peanut butter sandwich dinners. It was so nice to come home at night to a clean home. to not come home from one job to do another on my home.
KD Competition only open to US residents ?
Will there be an audiobook for Hugh? Did you find a good narrator?
You have fans outside the US too ! This giveaway is only for US residents it’s appears 🙁
It appears *
Wow, sounds like you accomplished a lot last week. Congratulations on moving the other house, check that off the to-do list. Good thing you cleaned up the other half of the yard and fixed the fence, that is a lot of dogs to keep track of! Are the cats impressed with the pack? Was Avon impressed by the numbers for an untitled and unadvertised novella? I’m thinking Maud will end up a full length novel, works for me.
I’m with the other ladies, having a cleaning service every couple of weeks even just for floors and bathrooms is wonderful. Knowing someone else was coming in was great incentive for me to take care of the clutter that life generates and spiff up the kitchen so the entire house looked shiny when they were finished. Mopping and vacuuming are my least favorite things to do. And a big congratulations to Kid 1 on her first career job! Welcome to the real world, some days being a responsible adult sucks but the most important thing to remember is the only behavior and choices you are responsible for and can control are yours. On that happy note, I hope you got to do something fun and relaxing while you were in NYC so it wasn’t all work.
+1+1.
Congratulations on all you got done. Forget ruumbas — get a cleaning service in to do everything – a one day effort. Wash windows, vacuum and shampoo carpets. Here in the UK, it’s about £100. Unfortunately, I have entirely too much clutter to use it but my daughter in law dis and she says it’s great.
Missed you guys – I do hope you enjoyed your vacation; congratulations on all of your accomplishments, and to “Kid 1” getting a job; tell Gordon to feel better soon and you take care of yourself. All will fall into place soon, as far as the office goes and any other hiccups that get in the way.
As I already own the entire Kate Daniels series (paperbacks 1-4 and all e-book editions to date), I wish good luck to all who enter the contest to win the entire series. They are in for a treat.
You came back!!!!!??????
We have missed you. We understand when you need time off from us. BUT WE MISSED YOU!!!!
+1+1+1
+1!!!!! It’s funny, I resisted checking out the blog since the last post, but I finally gave in today and I was so happily surprised to see this post!
i KNEW they were gone, and still had to check every time I opened my browser, just in case. 🙂
+1 to ask of the above
Wow! What a busy week!
Good luck with the writing and the other necessary stuff.
Have fun with all the puppies!
But did you have any fun in NY? Did you actually get that one day you thought you’d get, and if so, what did you do with it?
Welcome back, you were missed. Emails uggh! Get better G; yaaaay on DFire; yaaay K1; pupppiieeesss!!!! 😉
Congrats all around!
Kid 1 – first new job is both exciting and terrifying 🙂
Selling your house
New novella title – Diamond Fire sounds great
New promos
Gordon get better soon.
Hope you enjoyed your time in NYC.
It’s definitely gremlins that are causing havoc with the emails!
Diamond Fire is $2.84 Cdn on Google Playbooks – preordered!
Hope Gordon feels better soon and you don’t catch it.
O! O! O! Thanks ?? I just preordered too.
Ilona and Gordon and family,
Our house hopes you have a wonderful year.
My family hisses your way, because I have just found your books translated into French. They don’t believe I must practice French this summer.
This post is a treat on my forty second wedding anniversary take care of yourselves
Is anyone able to help me find the IA Addicts group on goodreads. Tried searching for it and came up empty
Look under the Community heading for groups. Search for “Ilona Andrews” as the easiest way to find the Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA) group.
Thank you Mary.
I’ve found the group and requested that they let me join… Fingers crossed 🙂
That is a lot of dogs.
Yea have no idea how to find the IA addicts on Goodreads ?
Happy house sold, happy for title Diamond fire sounds cool and a little like a nail / lipstick color. Reddish w / glitter .
Gordon get well.
Love ,seeing most of your doggies ! They seem to be happy with the new backyard.
And congratulations to Kid 1. Hope she likes her new job.
Just so happy to hear that things are moving forward.
And new Maud/Arland this week ????!!
Search for:
Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA™)
The official Q&A place is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19309214-author-q-a
And you can sort your shit out beforehand here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19314399-prep-area
Tried both of these sites but could not get anywhere.
This is an amazing pain in the ass. It says I joined the group, but will not let me even find the discussion. Maybe it will come out on Facebook someday.
I tried too. Didn’t get anywhere. That’s why I really, really like coming here. Goodreads IAA group can keep their group (which is private on the site). ? The BDH rules! ?
I had the same thing happen. Too sad.
First go in settings and put your birthday, after go in the first link, open in a internet tab, not in the app, and click in subscribe (or something like it).
You guys have my sympathies on the office. My septic backed up into the basement last November and just as I was starting to get my finished basement put back together after Christmas, a waste pipe collapsed. It took weeks for them to figure that out. Of course, they found it by jackhammering part of the basement floor. Since then, it’s been glacial getting people out to fix things. I understood the delay when the Northeast was hammered by Nor’easters for a month but now….please.
Best of luck on getting your office sorted and congrats to your daughter on the new job. Very exciting!
Wait. There’s a plan for an Inkeeper game?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ?
That was my reaction too!
Can I preorder this too? I am beside myself! Innkeeper game!!!!! Woo hoo!
I’ll with you guys
Good luck with everything!
Hi… I could see innkeeper game in tua old gameboy stale like pokemon or mario you kown… that would be superfun
Thank you for the update! I didn’t expect posts. I love the little peeks into your life and am an awe that Kid 1 is friend and has A JOB. I’m feeling old.
Welcome back! Congrats to the kid!
Eons ago a friend’s mother when pushed to her limits would throw her hands in the air and loudly exclaim, “Kids, dogs and husbands!” When I asked what that was all about she replied that I would know soon enough. She was right. I frequently do the same and remember her every time. And you got ’em all. Seem to be handling it quite well though. Feel free to join the chant. It is quite good at relieving minor to mid level stress..
Horrible battle???
Hugh’s book, as I understand it.
So how do you join IA Addicts so that we can see the answers to the spoilery questions?
Congratulations all around! I agree with the others about missing you. Gordon, get well soon.
The joys of the Horde…we buy before a book is out…publisher listens and works on getting cover ready. Diamond Fire…good name for the book.
Can’t wait for all the awesome reading to come. I’ll need it after my move at the end of May, especially after finding stuff from family members who are no longer on this earth. Sigh. 🙁
Congrats all around. You were busy! I definitely understand why you needed a break from Maud & Co.
Good luck to your daughter. Hopefully, she will not need it.
Get well, Gordon. There are smart remarks that need to be applied properly to the writing and we need your expertise.
Lovely bunch of doggies. Nyky looks like a combination of long-haired and wire-haired dachshund to me. (Aren’t there cats, too? Did you end up keeping your feline houseguest? I always wondered.)
Agree with kommiesmom, wire haired dachl has to be in there.
KId 1,
Congratulations! Getting the first job in your field is hard. Everyone wants experience and how to you get a job when you have no experience?
Thanks for the updates!
For the contest – Penguin Random House says win all nine books, but only lists eight on the website, and the photo only shows eight covers. What about Magic Shifts? 🙂
Welcome back. Sounds like your log jammed life is showing signs of positive forward movement. Congrats on getting a kid launched among other things. Hope Gordon feels better soon.
Love your pack, especially Nyky. So cute. Is the name a clever spelling of Nike? Or is it a mashup of the postal codes for New York & Kentucky?
Congratulations on all the good stuff happening. Gordon, get well soon. I agree on the wire haired dachshund observation. Happy for Kid 1. It is exciting to actually get a job in the field studied. I’m looking forward to the books forthcoming.
I’m so sad the giveaway isn’t international 🙁
Oh well glad you’re back!!
I totales agree. So we just can look trough the window like poor Cinderella 🙁
I’ll join you guys at the window… Luckily we all get to be part of the international BDH ?
Me too. Lucky US readers.
I was just coming here to comment that, I’ve read all of them as ebooks and dream on having them on physical form but right now it would be just too expensive because of currency conversion 🙁
Great that you are back, Gordon get well, congrats to Kid. Love the dogs, especially the frenchy. A new book is awesome!
There’s the sound of your voice again.
B well.
Thought about you
Live well, live free
Sympathy to Gordon on the crud. Been there, done that. Do not wear yourself out cleaning the house. Do a bit at a time and take breaks. New stuff sounds great. Congrats to kid, yay for pack of puppies with high adorability factor. And yay for you, renaissance woman – you shine brightly for us all.
Thank you for all your hard work, and for the insight on your home life.
Hope Gordon feels much better very quickly.
Thanks for the news, and congratulations on all fronts but the crud. Tell Gordon to take care of himself, and not overdo while crudded up.
Amazing how often I checked to see if you were back on line. Didn’t know I was so addicted, lol. Things seem to be shaping up for you, good deal.
Now I wish I were going to A LA next month. But I was a good sister instead.
Hope Gordon feels better
So happy to have you back! Congrats to Kid 1 …may she have the favor of her boss and her colleagues. Get well wishes to Gordon.
A game?!! Yaay!
Congratulations to Kid 1!!!!!!??????? Reason for much celebration. I hope it is a good fit for her and a great experience!! Her dog is absolutely adorable, as are the whole pack!
So sorry to hear Gordon has been struck with the crud. ???? Hope he is feeling better soon, and that none of you catch it!
Glad to hear of the successes, and hope there are more to come (successful house closing, for example).
It is always difficult to come home when you have been away. Not in that it isn’t wonderful to be back in your own nest, just that it seems like things pile up exponentially even if you think you have taken care of everything you can before you leave.
Good luck tackling your list! Keep up the good fight! RA RA RA! Go Ilona, go! You GOT this girl! (I am trying to cheer you on!) ?
So glad you are back, though sorry Gordon is sick. Hope he’s better soon. Congratulations to your daughter. Wow, you have a lot of dogs! I have 2, plus 2 cats, and can barely keep up with everything. You must be Wonder Woman! Really excited about Diamond Fire. Also have been missing Maud.
Take things slow with the house – you don’t need to tackle everything at once. Good luck with all of it.
About that new garbage disposal for the kitchen – if you or Gordon are DIY folk, don’t forget to punch out the plastic flanges to allow the dishwasher to discharge into the garbage disposal. If your dishwasher refuses to drain after the install, this is probably why. This is also how I wound up replacing my trusty Maytag dishwasher a few years before its time…OTOH, the KitchenAid DW we replaced it with was a huge improvement, so no complaints.
This post was all awesomeness. Well, except the bit about Gordon having the crud. Get well soon, Gordon! Or, as I tell my dogs: HEAL!
Speaking of dogs, Nyke is just criminally adorable. Those floppy ears slay me.
Congratulations to Kid 1 on the new job. And on having the coolest parents in the history of mankind.
Thanks for mentioning IAA on Goodreads. I stopped everything and raced over there to sign up. I bet that group got a huge membership boost after your post!
The possibility of an Innkeeper game is almost too much to contemplate. I just can’t believe it. I am not even a gamer and I am dying to buy and play it.
Fingers crossed for the closing. Hope all goes well there.
Were you able to do anything fun in NYC?
I just tried to sign up for the Goodreads group, and didn’t get anywhere since the group is private. You have to either be invited or wait for the group moderator to accept you into the group. Grrr…… 🙁
It’s annoying. I fought with it yesterday – the invite comes fast. However, today the Q&A came up. I don’t think they asked very good questions, and there were people who haven’t read all the books.
Nyky sure loves to be in pictures, very photographic. I would say Schnauzer would be in that mix. So cute! Crude is going around I am recovering from the crude my son shared with me. I hope you guys recover soon. Now, I have to reread all that exciting information you shared….
Crud, not Crude……ugh!
So I just joined Goodreads for this Q&A!
First thing to add to the want to read list?! THE UNTITLED CATALINA TRILOGY! SQUEEEEEEEE 😀
The number of emails that seem to appear after any kind of short break may become a new law of physics in our current times….either that, or we’ve have a mini magic wave and they are actually breeding like dust bunnies behind our backs 😉
Welcome home and congratulations to Kid 1 ??
Sorry to hear that Gordon is unwell. Fingers crossed that he gets well soon, and that the rest of you stay well.
Best of luck with the Battle… Both Hughs, and the work on the home office.
Congratulations to Kid1. I wish her well and that her future is as bright as Rose’s flash. Her puppy is very cute!
Good luck with the physical and the closing!
Congrats to kid1! I still remember my first job with affection. Hope Gordon feels better soon and glad to hear most of the NY stuff went well. The dog pack is great and I love little Nyke (have a huge soft spot for dachsies of all stripes). Best!
Looks like the give away is only for the US – not available in Canada – sadness 🙁 (not that I don’t already have all the books in both hardcover and ebook, but the paper wears out…)
Sad to hear that Gordon is ill. Hope things get better for you soon.
Nyky is definitely a terrier mix of some kind. Looks like some schnauzer or Scottish Terrier. Something with a wire coat. Large breed identification is my specialty, but I have a bit of difficulty with the smaller breeds. “Definitely a terrier” is about the best I can do. Also, “super freaking cute and probably snuggly as heck.”
I just had to wrestle my 100lb American Bulldog out the back door because he has to go to the bathroom, so I’m a bit jealous of your small dogs. Your frenchie is absolutely precious.
A giveaway for USA only? Guys, what about Greece? Oh, welcome back! It’s nice to hear from you again.
I love all of your dogs. I have three but would love more?
Oh my God, seems a lot happend in so little time ! Sending good vibes your way ~~~
Thank you for the snippet and I hope everything goes well 🙂
Awesome on the game! I worked in the casual gaming industry for years, and as long as the game developers have a good distributor, chances of success are high and might even get you some new readership
I missed you too! When your gone the BDH is gone . These people are my people. They are smart , caring, warm , encouraging of each other and honest. What more could I want?