Guess who is not going on a fun Florida trip, which she has been looking forward to for months? Me! Hays County now has a confirmed case of coronavirus and has gone to a state of emergency. We are in a shut down and so we cancelled our vacation.
Today I will be linking to an informative article in Washington Post about the computer modeling of the social distancing.
If you can, stay home. If you can’t, wash your hands and try to give your fellow humans a lot of room.
The HEB and other grocery stores are in a complete chaos. This reminds me of Russia so much. You have money but no goods to buy.
We are editing Emerald Blaze still, and now is a good time for reader questions. There is a reread happening on Facebook Fan page, too, and there are some discussions there.
Onward to the email.
Why don’t my comments show up on the thread? Latest was some suggested reading.
Have I done something wrong?
Cathy
You’ve done nothing wrong. The website is cached every few minutes, which means that your internet browser saves a screenshot of the site and then serves it to you. Sometimes it means that your comments take about 15 minutes or so to become visible.
I love the details from Russian mythology that comes out in the Kate Daniel series. Any recommendations where to go for more?
Candice
Go to the original source. 🙂
This is a good book to start with and it retains the cadence of the original, so it will read slightly oddly but you’re getting the “feel” of what it sound like in Russian.
I think you would like Grishaverse, because it’s kind of Russian.
James
I think I would not. I am sure these are excellent books, but I was born in Russia and I come to books based on Slavic mythology with a different perspective. What may not be a problem to someone from US becomes annoying to me.
For example, most names in Russia have a shorter version used by friends and family. Kind of like Andy for Andrew or Lizzy for Elizabeth. Do you know what is the shortened name for Grigorii? Grisha. So instead of great Grisha army, in my head I ready Baby Grigorii army. One of her continents is name Noviy Zem. This is a butchered version of Novaya Zemlya, which is New Earth in Russian. Zem is a partial word, which in Russian grammar is called “root,” which is used to form words that have to do with earth or ground. Pod-zem -nyi – subterranean. Zem-noy – terrestrial. The urge to correct the spelling is overwhelming, even though it is completely intentional on the part of the author. It’s small things like that which completely alter the reading experience for me. 🙂
We expect out trip this summer will be cancelled.
Virtual hugs and tea.
I also gave myself some time to come to terms with a cancelled vacation. Had been planning a trip to the South Pacific many months and booked the cruise (yes, a cruise) years ago. We’re still playing cancellation chicken with the airline since I don’t know exactly when they are going to cancel the flights and hopefully refund my money rather than holding it in credit.
It may help to know that the option was taken from you, though you may not have wanted to go by Friday seeing the numbers and news where some people aren’t social distancing, especially in tourist areas.
Yes, a lot of other people are having much bigger problems, including us being in a triple digit hotspot yesterday. But let’s give ourselves a bit of time to acknowledge feelings and work on mental health.
I relate with Ilona about the grammar and spelling part. I’m a native Spanish speaker, but I read a lot of books on English. Some of them contain words or phrases in Spanish, and the Urge to correct the author kind of ruin the book on the majority of the cases. I would suppose that it’s true for all the people when they read in their native idiom.
Also , I’m waiting for news about my trip to the Riviera Maya. It was going to be on June, to celebrate my birthday, but I don’t know if it’s going to be possible to go there, but I’m with my fingers crossed because it’s three months away…
Please all, stay safe. 🤗
Sorry, just realized that I posted in the wrong place… How do I erase the comment? 😳😭
Patricia Briggs had a note at the front of one of her books once where a German fan said that a German character’s German was terrible, so Patricia told the fan that he had just volunteered to be her German-language expert. I can certainly understand reading something that’s supposed to be in your mother tongue but was obviously written by someone who wasn’t a native speaker and how annoying that must be. I only speak English and I get annoyed when I edit something where the writer doesn’t understand its versus it’s. (Seriously, people, it’s not that hard. Pun intended. )
Thank you so much for posting even though you are not going on your long awaited vacation. Working from home to me means isolation and it’s nice to hear from others. Hang in there everyone!
I’m sorry that you can’t go on your vacation! (I can’t offer hugs now, so cyber elbow bump. 😉)
It might not be possible, but if you’re able, maybe you can have a little vacation at home and only do things that bring you joy (and no chores). 😊
What about the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden? Katherine Arden isn’t Russian-born, but according to her profile she has visited and majored in Russian literature (among other things). There is a LOT of Slavic mythology in the series, though I wouldn’t know enough to attest that it’s genuine.
Naomi Novik’s books are incredible. Uprooted is so quietly creepy, and Spinning Silver has more twists and turns than you would expect in a novel of that size.
I get what you mean, though. As a Filipina, reading others integrate the culture into their works can be touch and go. One instance that sticks out to me is a female lead who cussed in Tagalog, by translating the word “sh*t” into the Tagalog equivalent. Except I’ve never heard anyone use that as a cuss word, and it was so jarring and weird that I couldn’t finish the book.
I loved Arden’s series.
i remember starting the book thieve and being so put of by the German cussing in in it i didn’t finish it even so all my English friends told me it was amazing.
I thought of The Winternight Trilogy as well.
“It’s small things like that which completely alter the reading experience for me.” And that’s how I feel every time someone butchers german in a book. I’d much rather they invented some language than mistreat my native one 🙂
YES!! That’s how I feel about Chinese, and I’m not even that fluent. Take Kung Fu Panda. Master Oogway, sure. He’s a turtle. Master turtle is just fine. But Master Shifu?! Shifu means master, so you have named a main character…Master Master. :facepalm: Don’t get me started on Mushu the dragon in Mulan,,,,
…yeah, this is me, and I can’t read this without hearing a bunch of my friends laughing for me for grumbling at the movie.
I can relate!
But Ilona and Gordon did an excellent job with Italian in Sapphire Flames 😏 so how can I not give them 6 out 5 stars?!
I think it’s entirely possible for dedicated authors to use foreign languages and get the spelling and grammar correct (if desired for the context). Ilona and Gordon are such dedicated authors, plus they have excellent editors and beta-readers. That’s why a new Ilona Andrews book is bought, sight unseen, the moment I can pre-order.
If, on the other hand, you’re a lazy author and just want to use a foreign language because it’s cool … then problems start. Either the text in the book is mangled already, or it gets completely destroyed in the audiobook.
A very much beloved paranormal series of mine has a clearly nordic character speaking german. That in it’s own is a bit weird, but hey, maybe he was on an extended century-long vacation there. But then the audiobook comes – and I fully know the author has little to no control over the narrator – and they pronounce the german parts in a way that I didn’t even recognize it as german first … That’s just pure laziness and inexcusable in my opinion. I would NEVER dare to deliver such shoddy work.
I guess I’m expecting better from all authors and narrators. Either leave the foreign languages out, or learn to use them correctly.
Very sorry to hear it. Our summer holiday in France at the end of June also looks dubious…
I think until August or later most holidays are in doubt.
Mine’s in May so that is almost definitely out.
Oy!! No vacation?!! Sending you hugs and “stay well” thoughts!!
In college freshman theater literature class we read Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”. It took me three readings and then listing out the characters to figure out names and exactly how many people were actually in the play, because everyone had a formal name – first, middle, last – and then the familiar name. Also, some of the married women did not change their last name to their husband’s last name, but kept their father’s last name (maiden name). A very different reading and cultural experience for a child who grew up in late 20th century American culture (1960 – 1999).
Ah lock down and travel bans. Fun times. I was so looking forward to 10 days in the Scottish hills, just me, the dog, 3 horses, a crazy cat and some chickens. Utter bliss. But that was to take care of my Aunt’s place/animals while she and my uncle went to California. Which obviously is not happening now. So no Scottish retreat for me either.
Just waiting to hear if work gets closed. I work at a riding school so I’ll still be working, horses need cared for, but…yeah. Could be a very tough couple months.
So sorry to hear your vacation got cancelled. Emergencies getting declared everywhere. People going on strange buying crazes. Sigh.
Since I’m also now staying at home from work (took my vacation time to better avoid chance of infection), will use it wisely and indulge myself into all my hobbies – reading books/manga, watching all the movies, shows, anime & dramas I want, colouring till my fingers hurt, replanting my precious flowers and so forth.
I’m not really all that worried about having to stay at home, because I have all of these things I like and can easily do at home, so I’m actually kinda happy I can use the time for them as much as I want.
And can still go outside for a walk in the woods or to the sea.
Ah yes, Grishaverse. While I wasn’t born in Russia, we are neighbours and since we got lots of Russians staying here after Soviet Union fell, it’s kind of impossible not to know at least some Russian, thus I definitely agree that knowing the language makes it quite difficult to read a butchered/mangled version of it. Like…uuuuuugh, that’s…not how it is…not what it means…
I hope you stay healthy, don’t work too much and also find ways to indulge in your hobbies to pass this crazy time 🙂
I guess it’s time to invent ‘fantasy vacations at home!’
Sorry Florida is a no go. (These are definitely weird times, but at least no Kate Daniels monster critters yet, though I loved every delightful one.)
Our trip too has been canceled as well😔, so understand all frustrations.
It went in a roundabout way. We live in Arizona, have 2 tweens (10 & 14, just turned) and all 4 were flying to Miami. There mom (that’s me!!) & dad were boarding a ship for island fun and champagne dreams and the kids flying up to grandparents in Orlando. See this was our 1st vaca without kids in over 5 years..woohoo!.. First grandparents had to cancel, due to health scare (understandable) so booked kids into cabin with us and cancelled their flight. Then our cruise is cancelled. Then they cancelled school for 2 weeks…😂 I feel like cancellation is the word of the year. I reread your books…ALL OF THEM, they keep me in my right mind.😁😁
I paid for my April Italy holiday the day before the shutdown 😖
I am now hoping for a week in Whitby (where Stoker had Dracula land in England) but the way things are going in the UK, that’s also out. Sigh😷
Rescheduled hip replacement surgery.
Ummmm… yay?
So sorry about your vacation. You two don’t get many, so it must be a much bigger hit than it would be for old retired folks like me.
Take heart – there will be other vacations. Yes, we know, you wanted *this* one and we wanted you to have it. Y’all have had a rough spring and the break is needed.
Sending you platonic hugs and virtual tea and cookies. (Absolutely no sanitizer needed.)
We have Florida plans for the second week in June. I fully expect it all to be cancelled.
So very sorry about the trip. I know how much you guys were looking forward to the rest.
Oh very cool on the Russian Fairy Tales link, I just added it to my collection. Thanks.
Went grocery shopping today. No frozen veggies , very little meat.
I am now hoarding cat food. Few breads. Have some in freezer.
Allergies are starting here, I get them, and I will be sneezing and a small cough. Yikes.
They are considering everything in NEW YORK . STAY HOME !! Possible curfew soon.
Can’t find hand sanitizer, wipes or gloves anywhere .Or toilet paper.
Over 100 cases in Queens where I live.
I live alone w 2 cats. But I have friends and one neighbor asked me if I need anything .We have a good support system here. But .
May go with friends to rural Pennsylvania. Will take cats, food and Ilona Andrews books paperbacks .That is my priority.
We are adaptable, we will survive.
But I miss my mom. So much.
Shelves were pretty bare when I hit grocery store today as well (California), limited basics (no ground meat or frozen veggies) so I stocked up on wine. That may be one of my new essentials.
I just don’t get the toilet paper hoarding thing……
I don’t either. I was able to get some as part of my stocking up due to rain and not knowing if there will be any toilet paper when absolutely needing it. ☺️
I know what you mean only because it happens in English as well.
I remember a book wherein the author referred to a herd of moose,,, they are solitary creatures, and the mothers run their babies off after about a year. (A pack of coyotes,,, nope they are solitary as well)
Further down the road, sorry, but that’s distance ,,,
It isn’t only foreign languages that get butchered.
Where we live, the coyotes run in packs. I hear them outside frequently and they come into the yard too (we live in the country). Maybe it depends on the pronunciation. 😉 I’m not familiar with Southwestern coyotes (ky-o-tees), they may be solitary, but our Midwestern coyotes (ky-oats) group up. 😊
In Idaho the coyotes definitely run in groups, I call our local one the “gang.” And, while moose will be seen in the same area, they definitely do not for herds.
Staycation is the new “vacation” right now. I started my new job last week and today got shut down by the state for two weeks. I’m still earning a paycheck though, we’re scrubbing walls and cleaning the place top to bottom. Talked to my son and his kids are out of school until April 7. The military is no travel for 60 days and his group, always on call, is out until the end of March. Is this ” cognitive dissonance”?
I have a dear friend who works for a hotel in Florida. The hotel is closing as of this week for longer than a month. Cancelled vacations mean complete loss of income for some folks. Many, many hotels in Florida and other states are closing–along with restaurants, libraries, schools. This has a terrible impact all the way around. Stay safe.
Our six county area here in CA just ordered shelter in place until April 7. Stores, banks, sanitation all still open. Looks like I’ll be reading more than ever…
Our trip to Scotland is on indefinite hold as well. We still feel lucky to have good support and our health. Stay well all and this too shall pass!
Our Girl Scout troop (I’m a coleader) has been saving their cookie money for the last thee years to go to a camp in Iceland this summer. We had a per-girl-average of over 820 boxes to get everyone qualified. It’s in late July, so I’m thinking that a. We’ll be ok, or b. We’ll have far bigger problems at hand. I know which one I’m pulling for, and not just for the girls.
Hope erevything works out well
I am soooo sorry about your trip 🙁 I can only imagine how much you have been looking forward to it after several hard months working and at home.
I have to say the Washington Post article with the computer modeling is a very well written and powerful visual as to why social distancing is so important at this time. We are in Washington State and all our schools and restaurants are now closed with no gathering of over 50 people. Hard but important measures. The life we save by staying home may not be our own.
Well here in WA there are lots of closures ,schools shut down ,my husband working from home…which I love…
Great time to take a moment and see what you guys are up to on the blog..
Very sorry to hear about your vacation, my husband also had to cancel a trip to visit his father …and so it goes…not complaining I have my horse….
I may restart a few of your books ….
Regarding fairy tales I have so enjoyed your Babba Yagga spelling mistake I am sorry..
, when reading Orson Scott Card I have also run in to his takes on some of these Russian characters…
Perspectives are all so different as are backgrounds….
As a central Floridian, it’s not much fun here right now, so you’re not missing anything. All the theme parks closed, the governor issued emergency closures for everything else, and were just in wait-and-see mode. I can’t even get a Publix sub without risking my health. 🙄
I had to move my ticket to Europe this week as well. They didn’t want to refund my ticket and they changed the date. I had to pay extra 250$ for change! or I lose the ticket. So unfair but I heard some people had it even worse
I commiserate with you. My first of three bonefrog challenges to get my trident just got cancelled😖 I’ve been working towards this for months, but on the bright side i get to train for it until November😆 i look forward to reading about your cabin fever antics, you guys are not only amazing authors but sound like awesome people to have a friends. I wonder what a backyard barbeque at your place is like😁
My son works at Universal Florida and had to do overtime to shut down his ride. At my age I get to be a kindergarten teacher to a granddaughter. I keep saying I am needed but it does get scary out there. Honestly in this situation I would rather be home. I understand though about the vacation. This year is our 50th anniversary and looks like no celebration. Maybe we will celebrate at our 60th. Take care.
Trip to Florida also canceled – with our long winters in the UP of Michigan, look forward to the Vitamin D blast every spring, as well as the peace of the ocean and beach. But when you’re in the lifeboat, lifeboat rules apply…Hoping that our collective sacrifices will help slow this juggernaut and save some people, while looking ahead to better days to visit the sea. Hang in there and thank you for providing the world with topnotch worlds to get lost in!
Maybe you can have an extended vacation after all of this blows over.
I’ve a question . You came over to the US in your teenage years, right? Do you think more in English or Russian or both? I’m bilingual. We came over when I was 7 so grew up in the U.S. I’m 45 now. For me, I probably think in English 95% of the time.
How about the everyone else? Just curious.
I’m not from Russia, but became functionally trilingual (french & Spanish – complex family ugh) starting around the same age and I think in whichever language I am speaking or reading. It makes for great confusion when I have been reading something not in English and respond to someone with very grammar impaired English.
What language do you dream in?
I have a friend from Vietnam who arrived in the US in the late ’70s who says she dreams in Vietnamese about half the time.
I got that for my return trip. Scrambling to come home now.
My son had all of these fun things he was scheduled to do on his vacation canceled. His vacation started last Friday. I told him just to enjoy the downtime, and I do believe I heard his eyes roll at me.
Of course the eye rolling thing could have been when I suggested a couple of things he could accomplish around the house – kids.
😀. Take time for yourselves and enjoy.
I was super excited about my trip this week – a 3 day pie making workshop. Instead I’m staying home and cleaning the basement, because public health wins out. Even over pie.
The WaPo article explains things quite well, and today they had one regarding why so many cities, counties and even states are shutting things down. Folks, quit your partying for a few weeks! I also understand your annoyance certain book settings. I spent 25 years in Alaska. People, please at least VISIT the place before you make it your setting!
Hopefully you will have a stress-less staycation. Not Florida, but…
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post. I am sorry your much looked forward to vacation was cancelled.
However, as I point out to my very demented very Negative Nelly 76 year old Mother, when life gives you lemons make lemonade. TV has her convinced that we all are all going to die tomorrow from Coronavirus. Well she also thinks President Trump walks on water just to give you prospective.
So have a great fun stay-cation. Enjoy your family— kid1, kid2, Gordon and others, home and pets. Make cups of tea and be a BDH member. And I give you leave to say “why bless your heart” to all that irk you .. after all you live in southern USA too.
A ha ha chuckle— Jupiter, the cat, caught and killed a bird this am. It was presented to Titan, the dog, as a Pack present while he and I were lounging on bed listening to rain. It was carefully deposited by them under top quilt for safe keeping after Titan checked it out. Took a while for me to clean up the trail of little feathers from dog door to my bed after I buried carcass once they went out.
🤣🤣🤣 I met my now daughter-in-law (a vegetarian due to not hurting animals) the night my hunter cat brought me dinner (a lovely bird) and howeled until I came out and admired it, then tried to scramble in with the bird past the poor girl to take the bird to the kitchen. Mayhem!!! But she’s awesome, and married him anyway. Cats are hilarious!
I’ve been cancelled for my trip to New Zealand as well, sob.
I hope you and your family stay well, and that we’ll get our vacations soon!
Here’s hoping that kindness reigns!!
The poor translation issue? I put a dvd in as background noise one day and my player had a quirk where it will randomly decide to play the subtitles on a movie. Generally in French. This day it decided on English subtitles. On an English movie. And those weren’t the words they were saying!
Aw bummer – sorry your vacay got cancelled. I was planning an 85th birthday celebration for my father for June (he’s in Calgary and I am in NYC). The party would include his friends, family and neighbors. It helps I haven’t paid for anything yet but June looks suspect at this point ….
Well now is a good time for me to study that foreign language with the online lessons.
I’m so sorry your vacation got nixed :(. It’s a real morale crusher. We live in Denver and my husband had a case or two of covid19 in his building at work. Almost everything is closed, libraries, museums, schools… it’s stressful because of the uncertainty and artificial food shortage (same amount of food, people are just buying more per capita) and it oddly also feels like a fresh start, time to recenter I guess. 🙂 We have the time either way, so we might as well make the most of it.
My husband and I had planned on going to New Zealand for the World Science Fiction Convention in July. We both work tech and were asked to come. However….. it looks like I won’t get to go. Oh well, I have lots of books to read! Stay well and enjoy your “staycation”
Yes, we too are dealing with cancellations….2 meetings so far for a group that we belong to, and we are on tenterhooks about our convention for that group this summer, and for my book-fair before that, not to mention our road-trip vacation a long one after the roads are clear of snow…….we are just going day by day.
I relate with Ilona about the grammar and spelling part. I’m a native Spanish speaker, but I read a lot of books on English. Some of them contain words or phrases in Spanish, and the Urge to correct the author kind of ruin the book on the majority of the cases. I would suppose that it’s true for all the people when they read in their native idiom.
Also , I’m waiting for news about my trip to the Riviera Maya. It was going to be on June, to celebrate my birthday, but I don’t know if it’s going to be possible to go there, but I’m with my fingers crossed because it’s three months away…
Please all, stay safe.
Sorry about the vacation.
We are in Australia now in the state of emergency, but they still don’t test everyone.
I can relate about reading butchered russian. It’s so annoying that I will most probably drop the book even if it’s good. Personality I’ll consider it bad because of it. You’d think that asking someone to help you translate 20 russian words into proper phases should not be a problem for an author considering how many russians live in America, but apparently it is… I’ve drop Aurora saga by G.S. Jennsen that way.
Sorry about not getting to leave. Since you work from home all the time it can probably be a little claustrophobic. My husband spent part of the weekend setting up an office area. Instead of traveling this week they are doing virtual meetings and phone calls. Our youngest has been switched to online classes for the foreseeable future. As someone mentioned earlier they are closing the Bay Area counties, so our big house will probably start feeling small soon with four of us here.
Good Luck everyone
I understand Ilona completely. I am French Canadian but I only read English books. (So I can keep my English) But when an author makes her character speak French, 99% of the time the phrase is wrong or really weird. It makes me want to write to the author and give her the correct spelling or the right phrase.
So here are (true) stories about people being decent:
One of my aides is trapped in home quarantine in Florida because neighboring person presumptive positive. She went for spring break and she’d be okay (campus closed for rest of semester) but she didn’t take her laptop.
A friend of a friend who lives about an hour away cleaned up an old laptop, stuck in a wireless card (that bills him!), made a Costco run and dropped off the laptop, groceries, dog food & toys and laundry soap. He won’t accept any reimbursement, says that he hopes that people will remember that we live in communities and our choices have resonance, and he appreciates the opportunity to act on that knowledge himself.
Another one of my aides has a client who is 91, homebound and food insecure – he’s entirely reliant on meals on wheels, which is kind of sketchy right now. She ordered 14 bento trays and some microwaveable freezer containers and we made 30 cups of soup (tomato, ham and bean, chicken noodle, minestrone and potato leek), 15 batches of oatmeal, 15 egg bites in mason jars and 30 mason jar desserts (cheesecake, pumpkin pie, pecan pie) and she stocked his freezer. Now every day she is taking him a bento box with fruit, veg, main dish and random snack. She isn’t getting reimbursed or compensate in any way (although I did manage to talk her into pillaging my overflowing pantry for the soup etc) – she just couldn’t stand it.
There are so many really good people doing their best right now. I feel lucky to know some of them.
the movie War Games was totally ruined for me when they flew to Salem Oregon and then drove to Portland from there. After which they took a ferry to a privately owned island. The whole thing was obviously filmed in the San Juan islands, so why couldn’t they set it there? I just kept thinking, “If they can’t get basic air traffic and geography right what else is glaringly wrong?” Unable to suspend my disbelief after that point.
Thanks for the link the Russian Fairy Tales book; I’ve added it to my wish list.
Sorry your much-deserved vacation had to be cancelled. Could it just.be considered postponed to fall when hopefully this craziness will have ended?
I was going to be home anyway for the next few weeks. Just got out of rehab for a badly broken ankle. I probably won’t be able to drive for another 6 to 8 weeks, but that will give me more reading time. It’s time to reread Hidden LEgacy and Innkeeper.
Currently, my trip to Greece in 1.5 months is NOT cancelled. Apparently, epidemics are not covered by trip insurance. Thanks AAA. Honestly, I don’t think we need a refund, just let us reschedule when things have settled down.
It’s scary just now. I’m a self-employed chocolatier and get most of my income comes from fairs which have all been cancelled. Luckily I paid off my mortgage some years ago and have a pension for income. My sister is a chiropractor and she’s treating some of her patients for free until their income starts again. At least this situation is bringing out the best in people (as well as the worst 😔).
As far as cats are concerned, one of mine keeps trying to cheer me up by bringing me presents of my balled-up socks! No idea why she picked on my socks, but no sooner do we put them away than we hear this wailing coming from the stairs and, lo and behold, the socks are back in the living room 😁
I do not know much about other languages, but have issues sometimes with verbal imagery in English that sometimes escapes the editor. Opening line of a book supposedly set around 800 C.E., Norse/Viking era, started: “The gunmetal grey sky…”.
Really? You don’t use colours of things that have not been invented in the world you are writing about! Weird things like that can jolt you out of enjoyment of a book.
This is why I enjoy your books so much. Very good writing and consistency on details throughout, and a sense of humor.
I really e joy “reading” audible style. That way I can do housework and enjoy hobbies at the same time. I love the mythological characters you bring to life and hate waiting for the next one. But no worries … your stories are worth the wait;)
I’m sorry to hear about your vacation. I had a long awaited event cancelled this past weekend… It was my midwinter break (yes, I know it’s almost spring but we’ve got another 4-6 weeks of winter left up here in the great white north.) I was really looking forward to it… for months… sigh… we’ve already had the virus and are over it… so it was annoying… but I get it. We self isolated when we were sick… sigh…
I also get what you’re talking about with the language. I worked with a Chinese pharmaceutical company to redo their web site… 145 pages of technical Chinese chemistry translated into English by a non-native-english-non-chemist speaker. I had an American chemist who would talk to the translator who would talk to the original chemist then explain it my chemist so he could explain it to me so I could rewrite it. I’m NOT a chemist, I’m a computer geek. It was a serious … uh… experience for which we were not paid nearly enough.
Oh no! Hope you get another chance for vacation!
I’m really sorry to hear about your vacations! Will they refund you or reschedule ? Let’s pray that everything comes back to normal soon and that it doesn’t get worst.
I do have a question, if you want to answer. I don’t know if you already answered this (I have you with an alert in Facebook but sometimes I miss the new entries in my notifications) and I don’t wanna sound pushy or anything, but I just read the whole Kate Daniels series again (I love it!) and I was wondering if we will get a story for Julie in the future, or a continuation for Derek’s. I’m guessing most probably it’ll be in the future, since you guys are busy with Hidden Legacy and it would probably be too much, but I just wanted to know. I’ll read the previous entries to see if you already comment about it. Thanks!
There was one ,few years called magic stars grey wolf series 1 and then nothing more. It is Julie and Derek. But something is missing between when Julie leaves with her great aunt and she meets Derek. That book does not exist yet. I will have to reread it.
Magic stars is before magic triumphs, before Julie leaves.
I reread everything recently and I was thinking that maybe the authorlords had planned to reveal some more in the next two Hugh books?
Yuck to not having a vacation. Too bad you couldn’t drive to Florida to get away.
When I go out, it’s interesting to see people’s faces when they see me wash my hands in the ladies restroom. I wash my hands like a surgeon (I was trained to do that when I interned in an operating room in St. Louis). It’s priceless. 😁
My mother is a surgical nurse. She did part of her master’s work on sterile washing technique. To this day I can only use one side of the towel on each hand.
Two occupational therapy students washed their hands in the proper way (just like we were taught and is on all the posters) While we watched another person just wet her hands in the bathroom and use the hand dryer today. Cue locked gazes and eye rolls.
We had to cancel our trip to Florida also. I’m so bummed out, we go every year to visit my parents and they live in this very quiet little town on the gulf coast. It’s the best, most relaxing vacation and it sucks we can’t go so I feel your pain!
What’s one of your favourite things to eat that has made it into a book?
Your food descriptions always make me hungry 😋
me too!
So sorry about your vacation plans Ilona.
Y’all have been working really hard too…..
We were supposed to go to Kentucky during Easter break but I guess that’s toast now!
Everyone take care!!!
Yep. Kentucky is pretty well shut down unless you want to pick up lots at the McDonalds drive thru. my niece got married Saturday and they left for KY Sunday afternoon from Tennessee. They were back here early this morning (Tuesday) since all the museums and restaurants were closed.
So sorry your trip was cancelled.
Keep well, everyone!
Sorry about your vacation.
We cancelled our plans and I told my daughter we are having a staycation 😂
Oh how the tables have turned! I live in Hong Kong and for weeks now friends and family have been gently mocking me. About the masks, the working from home, and the panic buying. Well the atmosphere here has calmed quite a bit now, the schools are mostly taking a hit, but the bars are doing well. Sure, we can’t leave but everyone’s super into hiking now and going for picnics. Sorry your vacay got cancelled.
I have a friend who landed in Hong Kong today and who sent me a video of just how empty the airport was. Unbelievable!
We are supposed to go on our first family vacation ever in May. To Hawaii. I have never seen the Pacific Ocean and my daughter who is 11 has never flown. I am slowly coming to terms it will likely be canceled. It was part of husband’s work conference we were going to tag along on. I know we are not alone in coping with the disappointment and lost money. Someday we’ll talk about these crazy times I guess.
I grocery shopped today and thankfully most things were there and the environment was calm. I live in Massachusetts… the tally was shocking! I never shop for more than a few days at a time so yeah… made me grateful I could do it. A year ago I would not have had the luxury!
Hang in there all. I see lots of folks doing virtual yoga, dance classes etc… puts new meaning in the “dance like no one is watching” saying!!
Good luck with edits IA!!
We own a small tour company and have been utterly overwhelmed with the number of cancellations the last few days. Of course, we understand the reasonings but it is devastating to our bottom line. Our employees are out of work and we honestly don’t know if we will still be in business when this is all over. I’m trying to stay positive, but there are bouts of fears and tears.
I’m so sorry. I know this is a terrifying time for small business owners. I have neither solutions nor suggestions but I wish you all the best. Please take care of yourselves.
We “rescheduled” a river cruise tour in France by rolling it into next year. Our travel agent was able to talk the company into keeping our down payment and just rolling it into next year. We are fingers crossed for May 2021! Hopefully that will work out for all concerned.
San Francisco is currently shelter in place until April 7. My coworker had to cancel her wedding. I’m stuck in my studio apartment alone. My mother died a month ago so the person I’d usually call is gone.
Monterrey Bay Aquarium is doing a livestream of the tanks.
Met Opera is doing daily streaming operas starting today.
Sorry you lost your mum. I know how hard that journey is when she is one of your best friends. Hugs.
I’m sorry for your loss. It’s difficult and hopefully you will find someone to connect with during your isolation in this pandemic. Again, sorry for your loss.
I don’t know if it would help, but a number of online bookclubs have been starting up, some video conference based, some text?
(I’m going to be doing a Robot and Brains Zoom thing for kids, plus I’m working a lot… I’m hoping to spend some time online with an adopted niece and nephew planning out content, since I have no lack of content, but they can help me decide what is cool for their age range. And their mom needs a break.)
Sorry about the trip- the best laid plans, and all that. My parents were supposed to visit, but we decided that they’d better isolate to be safe- they’re in their 70s, and as disappointed as I am not to see them, I’m glad they aren’t risking it. (I’m also glad they’re not risking being stuck in my house indefinitely. I love them, but long-term cohabitation would not be comfortable.)
On the subject of Russian fairy tales, one of my best-loved childhood books was a collection of tales from the (by-then-former) Soviet states (“A Mountain of Gems”). Most were Russian, many were not, but all were very different from the Western European stories. That book followed me to college, grad school and beyond. I’ll have to give your recommendation a try.
OMG, ageee on the language thing, I hate reading books that have Russain language (except Kate books). Once read a book where the hero called heroine bayo bayoushki bayo as a nick name. All I wanted to do is to sing the song . Takes me out of the stroy every time.
Feeling your pain here in Santa Clara as we shelter in place for 3 weeks. They are finally rationing toilet paper at the stores so if you get there early, you might get some. We joked about buying an RV this past weekend. I know my spouse wishes we did now😂
Hello from the East Bay. 🙂
There was no bread in Safeway this evening. Even the bakery section was wiped clean.
I had gone to get chips. Can’t be at home for 3 weeks with no junk food!
Try looking up the “no knead bread” recipe from the NYT.
Popcorn is junk food, isn’t it?
I was trying to shop yesterday in South Bay in Santa Clara County and there was no flour, no buttermilk, and no eggs. I guess people were going to make biscuits. Good thing I planned on Dublin Coddle and red cabbage w/ mushrooms and nuts instead of corned beef because those were going quick.
My store had no flour on shelves on Saturday which really surprised me, we had some bread but no tortillas and we have a huge display of them usually. I figure the next time I go it will be right when it opens.
I am in South Bay also.
I had to cancel my Big Bend Astrophotography trip, my Texas Spring Wildflower Trip, and a couple of other outings. The astrophotography trip was the one that hurt the most… finding those dark bortle skies… during the dry season, for milky way shots, star trails, and captures of zodiacal light with all sorts of landscape and objects of interest to play off of for interesting photo compositions. *sighs deeply* It’ll be a year before I can make the attempt again of all those factors aligning.
I’m sorry you lost your fun Florida trip. Both of you, I’m sure Gordon was looking forward to the escape from Texas allergies.
Thank you for the Russian Book recommendation for fairy tales and some of the slavic mythology. Book recommendations of folk tales and mythology is always recommended. I’m pretty well verse in Norse/Germanic/Anglo-Saxon and that is why I cannot watch History Channel’s Vikings, it’s like nails on a chalkboard. Doubly annoying, as one of my ancestors is a real historical figure they portray in the show’s storyline. I don’t have that issue with something like Marvel’s Thor, as it’s clearly inspired by, but a crazy wild story of it’s own, versus something trying to pass itself off with a certain level of historical accuracy.
I’ll leave you with stars, it won’t make up for Florida, but it is pretty to look at. 🙂
Awesome photo!
@DianaInCa – thank you. ^_^ After 3 years of failed attempts (clouds rolling in) last year I had several successful milkyway outings. ^_^
Gorgeous! You’re very talented.
I just cancelled my trip to Japan. Have been looking forward to it for months, I was supposed to go with the boyfriend to see the cherry tree blossoms and eat lots of sushi. I am completely aware while writing this that I sound like a selfish, entitled brat since a lot of people are sick but part of me can’t help but feel resentful.
On the other hand, I am now working through my entire Netflix backlog so that’s nice.
Oh, I hear you.
My sister lives in Seattle, and was supposed to be taking her son to Japan to celebrate his twenty-first birthday next week. For a long time it wasn’t clear whether she could reschedule or get refunds… And my nephew was bummed (and worried the restaurant he worked at was going to lay people off)… Finally that all got worked out, and there was a brief respite. And now the circus school are is a coordinator/director at is closed, and she’s not taking pilates clients, and everyone is just hunkering down. (She’s putting up in home work out videos for her students.)
I had HAMILTON tickets….. sob. sob..
I totally feel with you. My holiday trip to Spain was cancelled yesterday. In Europe we´re close to a complete shut down. All my competitions are cancelled for the next five weeks and counting. Training is forebidden as well. I just wondering what we´re seeing here.
Take all care and be well
Sorry about your vacation.
I was supposed to go to Israel for Passover, to see my son. He moved there in Sept. and I haven’t seen him since. We bought tickets last Sept. When Israel said everyone who arrived would have to self quarentine, we tried to change the flight. The airline was imposing a $300/ ticket fee. I started a twitter campaign for them to end the fee. They did, but now I have to wait until Sept. to see him!
My husband works in a hospital and I am terrified he is going to pick up the virus, everythime he goes to work! We all need to band together and help eachother (even online) instead of being selfish right now!
Your comments about the Russian names remind me of a Star Trek story I read a long time ago where the character was named Edentata and he came from a planet called Tandenborstel. Which is the Dutch word for ‘toothbrush’. Very funny to the author, but annoying for somebody who doesn’t just know biology, but also speaks Dutch…
Sometimes these little things can just totally burst the ‘suspension of disbelief’ bubble.
Anyway, commiserations to anyone who had to cancel events and vacations. And thank you for the recommendation of the Russian fairytale book.I love fairytales.
I think it’s kinda funny that a character named no teeth, came from a planet named toothbrush.
+ Dutch gets butchered often. In films they often talk German instead with a bad accent. Toal bummer.
I’m sad your trip was cancelled and hope you can get there soon.
I found “https://www.earthcam.com” and have enjoyed my mini vacations with the cameras from Ireland, Germany, Florida, Hawaii, etc. They are more interesting than much that is on network television.
Thanks for the Washington Post article – good to know. I’ve been sucking up the news like crazy, and have to force myself to shut down my laptop and phone. I found a 1000 piece jigsaw in the bookshelf the other day (I’m living in temporary furnished housing until my condo closing next month) so I might start that. I also have tons of sewing projects to start/finish/work on. Hope everyone is finding enough to do!
I am finding it very hard to focus on any one project. The basics are fine. Cooking, spot cleaning, laundry but I just can’t get “up” for an “I’m off work and can’t go anywhere project”.
I just got home from a trip to HEB. (Cypress TX) Plenty of food there today. Not as much variety in the produce dept., but everything except toilet paper and tissues was available. I think they’re working hard to restock.
I’m sorry about your plans. If it helps at all, some European airlines are already canceling flights in MAY.
Hey, if it helps at all, Austria is reinstituting their draft. They’re already sending out to people who completed their social service within the last five years, and anyone under 50 is eligible. My husband was worried until I pointed out that by the time they get to the 40-yos, we’re going to have so much worse to worry about.
It’s the ostentatiously “careful” people who are making me crazy. For example, a woman in the grocery store this morning yelling at people who came too close (within 2 meters), but also stood with her cart in the very middle of the aisle. Several times, different aisles. Presumably so that she would have good excuses to yell at those people who then tried to get past her and came too close.
This may come as a shock, but many of us do not find social media a safe or comfortable place to be (example, Facebook’s refusal to keep other governments from interfering with our politics, or in general, from screening out blatant lies, and bullying. Twitter continues allowing anything to be spewed out from their site, lies and bullying, hate, as well, and I’m not pointing fingers politically. It is pervasive world-wide.)
Until there is a site geared to being kind to one another and screening out the hate ( as is done so well on this site, and could be used as a model) we will not be a part of social media.
Why can’t the same information that authors and on-line markets want us to go to their social media sites for, also be in their newsletters and accessed on their websites?
Many times I get a yarn store or author’s email asking me to go to a social media site to get a special deal. But My email address was good enough for them to reach me in the first place, so why can’t they link me to their website for this ?
I’m not saying not to use social media, I just think the same stuff should be able to be accessed on the website.
Bummer about your trip.
POSTPONED. Keep telling yourself the vacation is postponed. You are still looking forward to it because it is merely postponed! Still, sorry it’s postponed. Interesting details about Russian. I never knew that’s where you were born. Have you been back to visit?
My son has called in the supermarket on his way home. In our innocence we assumed that he would be able to do a normal shop (except for toilet rolls-why loo rolls???) but it looks like the apocalypse has arrived. 6 pictures of various empty shelves from the expected loo rolls to coffee and frozen potato products.
This is England, which, as of this morning was NOT on complete lock down.
Wonder why the frozen potato product??? I blame those videos out of Australia for the TP phenomena! You cannot eat the stuff – its not life or death…
We’re NW of Atlanta. My husband just called to tell me his business, home improvement store, will be closing at 6pm every day so they can fill the shelves and if needed 80 hours of sick time. I work for a competitor. Will probably have the same when I go in today. Our stores are busy with folks buying items to work on those projects they’ve been putting off in the event they have to quarantine. In the meantime their kids are running up and down the aisles. The schools are closed to keep them safe so the folks bring them with them shopping. The parents think if I see their children I can magically pull out the masks that were sold out 2 weeks ago. 2 women that I passed in town going into an antique shop with their broods in tow accused us of keeping the masks for ourselves. They asked how they were supposed to protect their kids without masks. Another customer answered to keep them home. Especially the thirteen yr old girl who evidently hadn’t been taught to cover her face when she coughed.
I usually go see my mom for her birthday in April. She lives six hours away, so I only get to see her a few times a year. But it’s likely I’ll skip that this year 🙁 We have a family trip to North Carolina scheduled for the end of June, I hope this is all over by then. It is at a cabin in the woods though, maybe we can go and self isolate there instead.
We were supposed to go to Egypt in the end of May. We cancelled as it might interfere with rescheduled exams of my son now I am googling pyramids and sigh…
Hi, Ilona! I work with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazard prediction models for a living. The WaPo simulation made good (if only general) points about “social distancing”. Minimizing the time spent co-located with others, whether you are infected or not, minimizes the probability that you will either get sick or make someone else sick if you are infectious. The drawback to social distancing is that it will take time to work – time that depends on the specifics of COVID19’s ability to be transmitted, how long an infected person is infectious, and other parameters. Using the flu as an analogy (not a great one, but not a horrible one), it wouldn’t surprise me if it were to take 3-6 months for this pandemic to fade. Hopefully, it will be on the short side. After all, SOMEBODY has to make the toilet paper! And food.
Thanks for the WP article. Any guesses why the virus is called Covid 19?
Our operatives in the U.S. have known about this virus for at least 3 months.
There is a very informative “60 Minutes Australia” Youtube on this virus that everyone should see to get the facts. It explains a lot including the probable pathological origin of the virus.
COrona VIrus D-something 2019. Or was that a rhetorical question?
Thanks for that. 😏
I get the part about not reading fiction based on russian stories – my native language ist german and I so hate english books with characters supposed to be germans, but speaking so bad german, that it is absolutely unbelievable.
It makes listening to ebooks very intersting, too – sometimes I have to stop and get the book to figure out, what the words are supposed to mean.
Hope you and your family get through the pandemic times without problems.
I hate to be the one to say it, but it’s GOOD that you can’t go to Florida right now. Our favorite authors need to stay home and avoid this virus. We need you alive and well for years to come. Your books bring us sane hours as we read them.
In Ohio, I went to the Pain Management Clinic for my spinal arthritis, and I was not allowed in until my temperature had been checked. I thought that was pretty funny because it wasn’t all that warm outside, and I was checked the instant I walked in across my forehead after walking in through air temp in the 50’s, but they did it, they were happy, it’s done. ALL bars and restaurants are closed in Ohio. They closed the casinos. All sports events are either cancelled, postponed, or held without spectators. No concerts. Zoos are closed. Schools are closed from K-12, as all colleges are prohibited from holding classes with bodies in seats in a room. 24-hour stores are closed at night now to clean and sanitize and restock shelves. Food stores have limited stock. In an unreal twist, the whole issue of toilet tissue is getting ridiculous. Fortunately, it being winter even now, I have that on hand because when it snows, we have to deal with not having a plow on our street, and I have, in the past, actually been forced to stay home for a full 4 weeks because travel was impossible. The trouble is, this hit without warning and I didn’t stock up on everything before it hit. Hand sanitizer is a thing of the past. There is none at all in any store, but oddly enough, I saw tons of it at the doctor’s office and at the lab where I had to have a blood draw to check if I can take the medicine the doctor wanted me to try. Many office workers took their computers home to work. My son is at home working for weeks to come already. My husband started working in a new place yesterday after ending a job in another place last Friday. I sent him to the room where he’ll live during the week this time with a spray bottle of alcohol, his usual hand sanitizer he always has because he has to move from job to job all the time, and my thermometer so he can check his own temperature every day. He scoffed when I told him to take a spray bottle of alcohol, then he considered it and remembered just how well they do NOT clean rooms in extended stay motels, and he took it and sprayed and wiped everything from door knobs to the TV remote the minute he arrived. Before he touches anything, he stops and thinks whether he cleaned it or not, and if he can’t remember, he cleans it again. Sanitizing wipes are impossible to find, but it’s the alcohol in them that kills the virus, so that works.
I have to go get cat foods and litter and bird food and horse food, I would love to get a trillion pounds of meat, but I have to choose carefully there, and then I’m just plain going to stay the f*k home for as long as I can. I need a new thermometer for home while my husband is away with the only one I had here. I need stuff in cans to give me a bit of variety in my diet. Once I get everything, which is not so scary when they publish that they are watching a few people, but all tests for this have come in negative and nobody here in this county actually HAS it yet, I’m done going out. A temp check daily will be the only real change in my routine.
My only real aggravation is that my oral surgeon cancelled everything I need to have done because nobody’s allowed to do any surgery that can wait until we see how this all plays out. They need hospitals empty of anyone who might catch this in case someone brings it in. They want all beds empty. Since he has his surgical suite in his office, he should not be covered in that ban, but he decided to ban it and now I will continue to hurt and suffer until at least mid-May. *sigh* A word to the wise: A broken jaw does not heal well without something to hold it in place, which requires surgery. And oh, yeah — it hurts.
I’m sorry your vacation has been cancelled! It might be necessary but it still I don’t have a specific question but wanted to share that my mom was going through a really rough time at work at the end of December so I recommended your books to her and she’s been on a reading binge ever since.
She started with Hidden Legacy (Grandma Frida is her absolute favourite) and has now moved on to the Kate Daniels books and she’s having an absolute blast. She reads them on her lunch break and when she comes home and if she’s making dinner/driving she is listening to the audio version, lolll. I don’t know how she keeps track of what spot she’s in but it’s definitely made the past few months a lot better for her and is something she really looks forward to so thank you!
that comment should say “It might be necessary but it still doesn’t feel good and makes a rough time worse. Hopefully everyone will work together and flatten the curve and you’ll be able to take your vacation!”
I lived in Russia for over a year, teaching English. The students wanted to give me an honorific title which usually consists of your first name and then the name of your father with the suffix which denotes masculine or feminine. In feminine case it is -ova. Unfortunately my father’s name was Weldon (Swedish) so I was Gail Weldonova. (well done over?!) I just had them call me Mrs. Gail.
It totally sucks that you’ve missed your vacation. But on the bright side you haven’t got there and everything is closed.
My heart goes out to all the people in the travel and hospitality industries as I think this is going to hit harder than the financial crisis in a lot of ways.
I’m in the UK and supposed to be going to see Clint Black in Nashville in May and i’m expecting it to be cancelled one way or another. Just happy that even though I may lose a bit of money my family and friends are so far fit and well. Got to look at the bright side 🙂
Completely understandable not to read Russia-inspired books. But it does remind me of a fantasy novel Series called the Bear and the Nightingale, which takes place in Russia in the 1300s and goes very hard on all the Russian words and myths, to the point where I have to do much googling to keep up.
You tell them! About the use of Russian and other foreign languages in books. I recently read a book where a big-bad-scary-Russian-head-mobster dude was named LeschevA. (Probably Grigori LeschevA, but I don’t remember the first name for sure.) Then I read a book that kept insisting that surname Vulkov meant ‘wolf’ in Russian, instead of Volkov, and also a book that was supposed to be about a Ukrainian family in USSR, but kept using words like kielbasa (not kolbasa), pierogi (not pirozhki), and descriptions that made clear that the author had absolutely zero understanding what is kasha and thought that people put “kielbasa” into buns like hotdogs. And don’t even get me started on people insisting that ‘Misha’ is a female name in Russian specifically. Ugh, I can rant non-stop about how I can’t understand why some people won’t spend 5 minutes on Google to make sure they at least get a character name right, if they want to have a foreign character…
… On a side note, I also know Japanese on native level and I’m sorry to say I’ve seen you use Japanese wrongly in Kate Daniels books before…
On weird Russian in fantasy books: being Russian too I completely agree in general, but I read the Grisha books and actually liked them – they are kind of have “old Russia” sprinkle flavoring, but are not insisting on being specifically Russian. So mostly it didn’t bother me (well, except for the author’s strange idea that Russians routinely eat hearing for breakfast). What does bother me is when people describe knee inversion in werewolves – people, look at your dogs and cats, their knees are the same as ours, what you are thinking is facing backwards is the heel, which is backwards in people too.
I enjoyed the Grisha books but I understand completely why you didn’t. Most times I see some French in an English book, there is something that makes me wince and then I can’t suspend my disbelief anymore. I have thought about setting up a service: « will provide correct non cheesy French in exchange for free copy of book »…
In fact, I don’t even want a free copy of the book, I just want the French to be right!
I am sorry you missed going to FL. We deliberately planned for vacation in August due to virus but don’t know if that will be a possibility even then. I hope you will still be able to go at some point sooner rather than later.
I am so excited you posted the Russian Fairy Tales book. I have been looking it for years. When our kids were young, they read voraciously. We would check out the max number of books, 100, every week at the library. Fairy tales were a serious obsession with our oldest daughter. This was her favorite book and it suddenly disappeared from the library. I remember asking the library about it and saying I think it was just Russian Fairy Tales but they would always say they didn’t have a book like that. This was back in the days before the internet. I can’t wait to order it! Thank you so much for posting the picture of the book!!!