ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Now is Your Chance

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Hi Everyone,

Mod R here. Hope you are all enjoying the festive season!

The lists. I keeps them.

First thing first, since some of you are still wondering: please check the blog on Friday, 31st of December, for the second instalment of This Sweeping Heart, the new Innkeeper blog serial. We will find out more about Sean, the most coveted werewolf in the known Universe!

Secondly, one of my mod tasks is to comb your comments for questions and blog article suggestions. Everyone has been very lovely and focused on spreading joy this December- which, as it turns out, is bad for the question business hehe. So please help me out with things that you would like to see on the blog in January.

Are there any updates on House Andrews you wish to hear? Something you want to know about the books? Do you have any burning writing questions you want to discuss? Is there some publishing business issue that’s been bugging you? Post your questions about these or any other topics in the comments and I’ll make a list, check it twice, and get it to HA.

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Comments

  2. What is Tulip from Blood Heir?

    I think I read about her herd in one of the later KD books but I can’t find it now.

    Thanks in advance.

    • I think it is still unknown, I recently combed through all the KD books recently and the eating habits of Tulip are pretty particular. And because IA has not specified what Tulip is in Blood Heir, they probably want to keep the intrigue, otherwise they would have referred to it in an offhand way

      • “The magic command whipped Tulip into motion. She reared, pawing the air. The faint outline of a horn shimmered on her forehead.” Andrews, Ilona. Blood Heir, Aurelia Ryder 1. NYLA Publishing 2020. Kindle edition, page 131.

        Not specific enough for you, Momo? Hehehe.

  4. Will there ever be a short story on how the Baylor parents met? it would be really interesting to see how Grandma reacted to that too.

    Or a first meeting between Alessandro Sagredo (Mr Catalina) and Conner Rogan (Mr Nevada) as its so obviously there is previous tension there.

    Alternatively a boys day out with Conner, Alessandro, Augustine and Cornelius maybe with them trying to fix something without the Baylor ladies finding out.

        • Leon would shoot it to fix it. LOL. Rogan would roar at it. Alessandro would try to stab it sneakily. Cornelius would sic his magical tiger/feline with tentacles (Zeus) on it… Connor would teleport it out somewhere like a pond lol…and Augstine.. I don’t know WHAT he would do to solve the problem… LOL. But yes that would be lovely … 🙂

    • I think there is a story already on how they met but more details on how they actually became a couple and there story would be nice 😀

        • I would love to read more about the Innkeeper parents too
          As far as I know he is aware of her but she is not aware of him yet
          And she doesn’t seem to know about inns yet either

          And I have to admit, I favor Maud and Arland over Dina and Sean
          I like the Innkeeper books but I keep going back to Sweep of the blade

          And then ofcourse there is Klaus and the arbitrators

          And we still don’t know what happend to the old inn

          So many questions…
          So few answers…

          (But loving the suspense)

        • Maud and Dina’s parents? there was a short story, as I recall… He was still a ghost, trapped in the inn…

    • That sounds so interesting. Maybe the reason they will not be writing this, is that we won’t be able to handle them all in a scene together…

  6. I’ve always wondered how you came up with the names for your characters. Baby books? Do you look at name definitions? I know research is done since it was mentioned recently but I was curious since there are a lot of characters in a lot of books and there doesn’t tend to be overlap.

  7. Can we get an update (with pictures please) on Minou Camille and the other pets? I’m completely charmed by her and a bit awed her humans named a small whirlwind after a Category 5 hurricane… TY and happy new year!

  8. I just want to know if they had a good Christmas and if Ilona is planning a wonderful New Year holiday like she had as a kid. Well wishes and blessings

    • Oh I was a little fast there. Happy New Year. I am hopefully going to see my friends in Sweden that I haven’t seen for two years due to covid. I so hope you get a peaceful new year with loads of pretty yarn and tea and no drama (other than the written part).

  10. So I have always wondered if there was a character or a storyline in one of the book series that Ilona andrews wanted to explore more but there was either no time or no way to work it into an existing story.

  11. Also! Dina says her inn specializes. I was wondering if that was something the assembly publishes when they give their stars

    • I would love to see the Inn Directory.

      Is there a geographical region assigned to each Inn or a specialization?

      Like the Holy Anocracy only welcome at the Gertrude Hunt? Same with the Hope Crushing Horde? Or can they go anywhere like the Merchants (are only lees Merhants?) Or only certain Inns have full time stables?

      • I would also like to see the inn directory, and/or a brief history of inns on Earth, as briefly mentioned when discussing Treaty Stay? I know innkeepers are secretive, but someone has to collect and publish their reference books.
        Also, now that I’ve seen it, I can’t get it out my head, a magazine cover featuring Sean as Sexiest Werewolf in the Universe, the sort of thing you might look at while waiting for checkout at Baha-char.

    • I think this was suggested by Mr Rodriguez in the first book- Dina went to visit him to ask about stalkers and hw was telling her about an inn that specialized in difficult guests.

  12. How do you decide how long a series will be or when to write something again in the same world versus starting a new world? Is that based on your creative juices, industry reasons, or both?

  13. Oooh, I would love to know how Author Overlords name their characters. Are all names/characters decided before the novel is started? I always struggle with that – tried writing with a placeholder name to at least get the scene down, but it was so difficult. A Brunhilde will have a different character and manners than a Bluebelle, no? Or is it just me?

  14. Is there any chance of a KD box set for the whole series? It would be lovely to have them all in a nice collectors release or something!

    • Especially since book 10 in the series is a different size paperback and that’s been driving my ocd tendencies crazy 🤪 (I am very much aware that’s a publisher thing and IA has no say in this – but maybe their editor/publisher/whoevermakes that call also reads this blog 😉 )

    • This would be awesome. I only have KD on Kindle and I always get keepers in paper, so I need a paper copy. It makes me unhappy when they don’t match, so a boxed set would be an auto-buy for me.

  15. No good ideas or questions here (sorry, I promise!) I just wanted to send wishes for a happier, healthier, and just all-around better 2022 to House Andrews, Mod R, and the entire BDH! Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed! 😂

  16. Is this Innkeeper serial going to be the last one in the series? I have a dubious memory somewhere of „only one more Innkeeper book“.

    • Ok, this is one extremely easy answer I can handle myself: until there is no official announcement (I’m talking “it’s in the Release Schedule news”), nothing is definite.
      House Andrews haven’t announced anything regarding this being the last Innkeeper, so it isn’t 🙂

      • But wait…didn’t Ilona say in the podcast thingy (the one you transcripted for us) that there was only going to be one more Innkeeper? You noted,Mod R, that everyone were commenting (and wondering) (and being dismayed) by that little remark by Ilona. I KNOW that I was dismayed by it.

        • No, they did not. They said “probably” and had an open discussion with us about plans and where they are atm. They also said “yes” in the same interview regarding more novellas or short stories in addition to a full length novel.

          BDH, I love you all, but we must all understand that there’s a difference between official news that is set in stone and talking about possibilities 🙂

          Otherwise I don’t see why House A would continue with the same degree of transparency with us.

        • “You noted,Mod R, that everyone were commenting (and wondering) (and being dismayed) by that little remark by Ilona. I KNOW that I was dismayed by it.”

          We told you our plans were fluid. Meaning they could change if we got a good idea.

          Also, before you guys complained about no innkeeper; now you are unhappy there is innkeeper. Poor Mod R.

          • Whew! Thanks so MUCH for clearing that up (BOTH of you!) I wasn’t trying to be (or sound) needy, I am totally on board with whatever you decide. It’s all just part of being one of the BDH we just can’t help wanting MORE of every thing that you can give us. 😊❤👍

            • I was thrilled, surprised and excited to find the Innkeeper offering! Lots of cheers and yays! (Do you begin to feel a tad like Catalina sometime, with the BDH threatening to devour you?)

          • I will love any Innkeeper you wish to write. I will love any book you wish to write. I love this new Innkeeper so far. I look forward to December 31st. I love that you’re going to do the installment thing.

            Okay, okay. Phew! Enough. I know it’s too sugary, but I am truly thankful that you exist in my universe!

  17. I would love any recipes! Honey cake? I made the Apple cake, DELISH!! I love meringue (pavlova is my favorite) so this was a win win recipe. Thanks, Ilona! Love you guys!

  19. I have a question…
    With the Texas political climate ,
    To some of us at the other side of the country it looks rather repressed….how it it for House Andrews to live there?

    • Please, no politics here. I love that the BDH is a politics free zone. Also, as someone who lives in Texas and does feel repressed, I can tell you that politics makes for unpleasant “conversations” among “friends.” I do appreciate your concern for what is happening in Texas, and I am so grateful for HA and alternative world stories.

  20. I’m hopping up and down excited about the new Innkeeper book – my BDH friend in town and I will be having a good time these next several months discussing and speculating. And, as soon as it’s listed available for pre-order, I will.

    The only thing I can think of that I haven’t seen anybody say anything isn’t about Innkeeper, though. It’s in the Kate Daniels world. I have a great fondness for Luther Dillon. He’s not my absolute favorite – but my absolute favorite is actually a pair, and I like what House Andrews is doing with Derek and Julie so far. I know they will get out of whatever happens to them alive and together, and I’m sure that House Andrews will come up with something even worse than I’ve thought of. They have every time so far.

    But, as an individual, I like Luther Dillon. He seems to like his life as they’ve been showing it to us; but when everything is all wound up, I would really like him to have his own HEA. There’s never much about his personal life – he mentions sisters and nieces, and I’ve always had the impression that at least one of his sisters is a real drama queen – but it would be nice to know he’s got somebody in his life who cares about him and understands about his work schedule.

  21. Thank you, Santa ModR! 😀

    Definitely whatever home life updates HA are willing to share! How is Kid1 weathering the pandemic? How is Kid2, all the pets, and the lawn orphans? Did everyone have a good holiday and enjoy their gifts?

    In the story arena, if HA were going to create a new series, what sort of world would excite them to work with? Would it be similar to something they have done before or go in a whole new direction?

    • I like the home updates too. I’m always impressed at the line between sharing enough to make me feel like she’s a neighbor without feeling like I know too much of her/her family’s business. Most of my Facebook friends don’t walk it as well. 😀

  22. Are there any further book recommendations either from House Andrews or the BDH? I know authors can only write at a human pace and therefore something that takes them months to create can be read in a single day. I don’t want to pressure House Andrews but need more to read that is close to their level of creative quality.

    • Agreed, I’ve never been lead astray by Ilona’s recommendations. I’m just not a big gamer or knitter, so I love the new books she points me too.

    • If you like Innkeeper, maybe I could help a bit to bridge the time between Fridays.

      I recently found the Youtube channel of “Anton Petrov”, who brings space- and extraterrestrial life-related content, based on newest scientific papers and very well explained.
      _Every_single_day_.
      For years.
      He also greets his viewers with “Hello, wonderful person!” 🙂

      So now I watch Anton Petrov for my daily look out into space and set a crown for it on Fridays with Innkeeper.

      • Sorry, I forgot to mention – Anton never wastes your time!
        Not with sponsored content, nor with discussions of his personal life or any trivial knowledge.
        He gets strait to the point, explains the newest discovery in 15 minutes and terms that also a non-specialist can understand, and leaves you in awe of the miracle that our universe is.
        Very inspirational.

        • Nice! Thank you. I have been reading Universe Today since they began back in the early 2000’s when my daughter was small and going through a “space” phase. She grew out of it, I’m still hooked. 🙂

          I will add Anton Petrov to my “fun stuff.” 15 minutes a day is tough, but maybe while I do dishes after dinner…

      • I love Anton too! Woot! BDH unites in fandoms!
        ParallaxNick and SEA are great also 🙂
        I actually stumbled onto Anton from ParallaxNick heh

    • Gordon’s recommendation of Stephen Graham Jones’ “Mongrels” (werewolves, but not as upbeat as Sean from Innkeeper).
      Also, Scarlett St. Clair’s “King of Battle and Blood” (vampires, and a very strong female lead). Scarlett was on the authors panel on December 18th.
      (Also, there were several more recommendations from Gordon, but I don’t remember the blog date. Sometime this recent fall.)

    • When I can’t get high adventure mixed with low comedy, I like my genres thoroughly mixed, with characters who seem like real people – one of the things I most appreciate about House Andrews.

      I stumbled across Celia Lake in 2019. She writes about characters, mostly in the 1920s, though there are books and stories set earlier for assorted reasons, and I know she’s planning to eventually write about some of the characters as they deal with WWII. They are citizens of Albion, a magical version of England that is intertwined with the actual one in many ways. I enjoy her writing immensely.

  23. Knitting / yarn updates!

    I injured my hand recently, and while I’m trying to knit thru it, it really gives me a lot of empathy for Ilona’s hand problems.

  24. Did y’all take the popular suggestion and read the MURDERBOT SERIES from you fellow Texas author Martha Wells. Love me some Murderbot.

      • Now seems a good time to pop in and say Thank You, Thank You to all of the BDH who recommended Lois McMaster Bujold over the years. She has been mentioned often in this blog and I really don’t know why it took me so long to get started. Now, I’ve just about finished all her works and it’s been a fabulous ride. Thanks again all, and stay safe.

        • I can also recommend T. Kingfisher if you like Lois McMaster Bujold. Some of T. Kingfisher’s stories have a very Bujoldian flavor (I know that is not proper grammar, but it gets the point across). I will warn you, though, unless you like horror, stay AWAY from T. Kingfisher’s horror stories. They will raise the hair on the back of your neck! The one horror story of hers I read was “The Twisted Ones.” Yikes!

          • Oh, second that!!! The Twisted Ones nearly did me in. Slept with the light on for a number of nights. Yikes!

            The paladin series and the clocktaur books are wonderful and I’ve just started to dig in to her YA stuff.

            • I know what you mean! Every time I see a deer now, I think of The Twisted ones!

              I also enjoyed the Clocktaur books, and the Paladin books are great. No horror, just good, solid, and gripping adventure stories with believable and likable characters.

        • Been reading Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric & Desdemona series in order. Love her world building and humor. (Still love IA best… just saying;)

    • Really, off comment, but why do they need so much firewood? This has never been noted in any other books. Is it for heating or for GH to create all the different rooms (since she is a “tree”)? Do all Inns need lots of firewood? Otherwise, best wishes and thank you for supplying a bit of joy in an increasingly dark world.

      • He he he he.

        We have been called many things, the BDH, but “patient” is not one of them. And that’s on purpose 😀

  25. Well, since you asked…I’m curious about the brother who showed up at the end of Maud’s book. What’s he been up to? Is he ok & just visiting, or did something happen that he feels the need to show up on his sister (sword fighter extraordinaire) planet for a specific reason?

    Thanks 🙏

    • My fingers are crossed that Klaus showing up means that everyone is off on an adventure to find their parents. But, how would that work for Dina? She obviously can’t leave the Inn for too long–are there substitute innkeepers or some way for innkeepers to go on a vacation?

    • He can’t just be visiting, right? He hasn’t been gone for long enough yet, and there are those rules about not being able to see your family if you join the Arbitrators, like he explained to George when he recruited him. He’s either breaking rules or has gotten an exemption for some important reason. Or has he been gone longer than I think?

      • The only prohibition is about not visiting your home planet, not seeing your family :). As Klaus comes to Maud on Daesyn, not Earth, he’s ok 🙂

        “Perhaps the man was insane. But if he wasn’t…

        “You will receive extensive training and be granted funds to maintain your own staff. Sadly, you will be forbidden from seeking independent sources of income until your term of service is over. Nor can you return to your home planet until the expiration of your contract.”

        Andrews, Ilona. Sweep in Peace, Innkeeper Chronicles 2. NYLA Publishing, 2015. Kindle edition, Prologue

        • Speaking of Klaus, when Maud mentioned “Deaths she imagined, she wrote her name but not Klaus” Why is that?

          Btw, since I don’t write much here. I just want to say that thank you for the joy you guys bring and hope the new year will be a better year in every way for everyone.

  27. Are there any plans to re-release the collector’s edition of Innkeeper 1-3? Or will there be a set of 4-6 coming down the road? I missed out on the paper book set and would like to get one. Thanks! 😊

  28. I’d love to read more about Maud and Arland. Will there be more books?
    I know she’s still a child but will Helen ever get her own book when she’s an adult?
    Do we ever find out what happened to Dina’s parents?

    • Yes please! The backstory of Dina’s parents has always been a source of curiosity and some frustration (of the best kind!).

    • Oh.. I would be interested in Helen’s book! I imagine she would have some fun adventures with her (likely-to-be) werewolf cousins

      • werewolf cousins & vampire little siblings! When/if do Maud & Arland have kids of their own?

        When/if will there be another Julie book?

        When does Catalina book #3 come out? Does Arabella get a series? More on the side characters please!

  29. I just reread Sweep of the Blade and I’m desperately yearning for a revenge novella/novel where House Ervan gets their reward for being the kind of a$$hats that they are. Maybe I just want more Helen…
    Is there any hope for me?

  30. I been meaning to comment that you, Mod R are wonderful and quite knowledgeable about the IA universe. THANK YOU
    I believe that no decision has been made yet regarding Arabella’s story, I love her !

    • would give pretty much anything House Andrews requested for an Arabella arch….please please please, I have great tea (Murchies in Victoria), great chocolate (Rogers and Purdy’s) and well, you name it I’ll give it…..vote for Arabella story

  31. I’m still wondering about the woman that helped Dina kill the dahaka. Will she ever learn that she is not crazy? (I was also thinking if she might be the Officers wife, but that might be one coincidence to much…)

  32. How do you pace yourself? Do you have a schedule? Do you wake at 3am and have to write something down? Inquiring minds and all that?

  33. I love the little peeks into the lives of the Author L…lovelies. The day to day frustrations that plague us all. My particular favorites are the daydreams of KD fans barreling through the room wearing pots and pans armor. Got my Wok right here dear. Hope all is well and warm among the BDH top to bottom.

  34. Will there ever be a way to get Fated Blades not through Amazon. I have an issue with them so I do not order through them. Just wondering.

    • The paperback of Fated Blades seems to be available for preorder through other retailers (B&N for example) and hopefully the physical audio will be in libraries.

      • I ordered Fated Blades for my library and the librarian said they could get a paper copy. Librarians have their ways!

  35. Oooh. If possible, I’d like recommendations for video games that are just about exploration instead of combat.

  36. No questions right now. Finished putting together a new work desk, and my mind is mush.

    I hope everyone has safe celebrations on New Year’s Eve. Can’t wait to read the next installment of Sweeping Hearts. The working title sounds like a soap opera. 🤣😎

  37. It’s awesome that the newest Innkeeper is being serialized on the blog, but I thought House Andrews was writing the second “Iron Covenant” book. Are they writing both at the same time?!

  38. I am awfully fond of Cornelius. Will he ever get a short story? Will there be a love interest for him or is that even possible for the poor guy? Is bonding with his wife a one and done?

  39. Also, I would like to know more about this Russian tea with raspberry preserves that Ilona was drinking please. 😁

  40. I want part 2 of the “how Ilona came to live in the States” story 😅😂

    Nosy broads like me never forget missing details.

  41. I have a very random minor question that’s been bugging me. Why is rancid spaghetti sauce the go-to way for HA to make a protagonist stinky? Did something happen in their lives that made it a memorable foul odor? It’s in Burn for Me and in Bayou Moon.
    Thanks!

    • 2 mentions that are 5 years apart in a career that spans 15 years does not exactly make something “the go to way” in my humble opinion 🙂, but I will ask.

  42. I really enjoyed the two posts I saw helping the reader develop her NaNoWriMo book/plot ideas. Were there any more in the series? Either continuing those thought exercises with her or helping another candidate would be fascinating.

  43. Please can I have Roman? He didn’t arrive in my stocking, but I’m holding out hope that Santa evicted him from the sleigh because the staff kept trying to eat him so it’s just taking him longer than planned to arrive.

  44. I’m curious about House Andrews’ book collections.

    My parents are in the process of moving for the first time in 40 years, with the accompanying process of culling their book collection, and it made me wonder what other book-lovers keep through every move or choose to let go of.

    • I’ve moved my book collection from current state to WA and back: my stepdad wasn’t so fond of bringing it back(as it had more than doubled), over some hairy mountain passes, in winter(the trailer Pushed us down one side!). Only a total destruction or my passing, would see the dispersal! I will have some long-held, handheld entertainment, at hand, if ever The Grid were taken from us.

  45. I asked this in a previous blog but it may have been missed. Where does the first Julie/Derrick short story fit in this current series? The one where they solved a case together

  46. I love the in depth thought that goes into the world building by house Andrews and I’ve always wanted to know how much was done in advance and how much is on the fly/as needed? The first Kate book seems to have a sorta different world than the rest in small detail, though obviously the broad strokes are v similar.

    • +1 on the topic of world building.
      It is one of the things I enjoy most about all the series. For instance: families have hereditary magic…and this concept then transforms the Hidden Legacy world from ours on so many levels. The politics, the houses, the special high school, the law and policing, genetic testing, loveless marriages, social media, hiding certain powers, militarizing other powers, assassins, and house warfare, omg! So fabulous.
      Or the many complex alien cultures in Innkeeper. So good!
      How do they create such rich, intriguing alternative worlds?

  47. Were you serious about considering a move to Virginia? I’ve lived here in the mountains for years and really love both the climate and [most of] the people.

  48. Is there any way to get a copy of Fated Blades for a Kobo reader?
    I have tried searching on http://www.kobo.com . Lots of hits for Ilona Andrews, but none for Andrews Fated Blades.
    I do not want to subscribe or get a Kindle.

    • You can order the paperback of Fated Blades on Barbes&Noble, but the ebook version is an Amazon exclusive.

      • I have a iPad, downloaded the kobo app, ditto kindle, just so I could get Fated Blades. Useful when you live out in the back blocks of Australia.

    • I was able to get Fated Blades on my iPhone via the iBooks app since I too do not want Kindle. I also get Bujold’s Penric novellas that way.

  49. Will there be an updated list for what books will be released next year? I saw comments about an Innkeeper book, but I haven’t seen anything on the upcoming releases page!

    • If it’s not on the upcoming releases page it means it’s not official/hasn’t been fully sorted out.
      When all details are known and a date can be confirmed, it will appear there.

      • Amazon shows a release date of August 23, 2022, for Ruby Fever. I’m a BN user and haven’t checked there yet.

        • The official release of Ruby Fever pre-order is coming 🙂 and involves more marketing details.

  50. Hi, I just wanted to know if there will be a sequel to Blood Heir and if yes, then when will it be released? I am really interested in Derek’s story and am eager to to find out more hopefully.

    • + a gazillion.

      Wishing everyone a peaceful and fulfilling 2022.

      Ilona and Gordon, thanks for all you gift us.

  51. How did Ilona and Gordon decide to start writing on the topics they did? I mean, I remember some blog posts awhile ago when they talked a little about their first efforts, but how did they end up in the urban fantasy/ fantasy romance/ mystery romance or whatever category each of the series should fit in? How do they make this decision as they start a new series?

    Thanks for asking! Looking forward to whatever they write about.

  52. …I almost asked if the lawn orphans also shovel driveways, and then I remembered, oh yeah. Texas. Right. Probably not such a thing there.

  53. I’ve always loved the book recommendations on the blog -if you have more, I’d love to hear about them. Also pet pictures.

    • This is like Stolen Valor in a way. Someone who has no talent and can’t possibly do what you do, so he pretends he can make it better by affixing a change. Disgusting. Infuriating. Should b arrested.

  55. Hello,
    Can’t wait for Ruby fever, part of the excitement is perhaps finding the beginnings of Arabella’s storyline. Will we see someone who can properly get under the cool and kickass Arabella’s skin?

  56. Dear Santa, please could you ask HA:

    Are there going to be anymore Rogan POVs? Specifically when Neva is on her ‘date’ with Schaffer or that conversation he has with Pancakes when they realign or when he asks Pancakes to be his best man?

    Could there be any Pancakes POV for anything? That could be fun..!

    Updates and pictures on your pets and kids’ pets especially Arthea(?! Not sure on spelling)

    What stuff HA are reading, watching and playing?

    If you could go and visit any country, place, landmark, natural wonder etc… , where would you go and why?

    Phew
    That’s all.
    Thanks Santa. Amazing work this year and fingers crossed for an amazing 2022 for you guys x

  57. Ok, been doing re reads of KD and just did Magic Stars (Grey Wolf Book 1), are there anymore coming? Just curious

    Also just finished HL and I think (though don’t want it to be) Linus is Caesar, just a one liner mentioned by him to Nevada (whilst at the hospital after the gunfight where Leon’s magic shined) and ‘someone’ said the same thing to her evil grandma in the last sentence of the book Wildfire.

    • No, Grey Wolf is not really a series, it was just an option at the time. The further adventures of Derek and Julie will continue in the Aurelia Ryder series 🙂

  58. I agee with those who want more of Cornelius, Roman and Maud. I really enjoyed all of IA’s books and would be happy to get any new stories in any of the series.

  60. I’m not trying to put things on the plate of House Andrews, but there’s a part of me that just thinks it’d be fun and amusing to watch a video segment of Ilona comment and play the game based off their book. And by the way, I don’t watch people play games, its just she has a way of entertaining and it seems like it might be fun. And to listen to commentary from Gordon too. (Side note, bet the game publishers would love that promotion :P)

  61. Hi! Random question- will we ever get a short about Ghastek? Part of me just want to see him have a happy ending. :). Also curious what’s really up with Ghastek and Rowena. Are they friends, coworkers, been married for years with a puppy? Thanks!

  62. I’d love to know the status of Blood Heir #2!? Is it going to be continued, or still TBD?? I was hoping based upon the old poll done a few weeks ago it would be the next book to be written by House Andrews, but it seems like InnKeeper is now being worked on once again.
    Thanks,
    Bri

    • My thoughts on that poll was that it was an indicator of interest, not a democratic “vote” that would decide what the author(s) would be working on in the next couple years. I am hoping that the authors work on what seems interesting to them, as well as what looks like it will sell well.

      That said, I kinda want it all … so whatever, when ever.

      Time to go thaw the hummingbird feeder again … we usually don’t have weather this cold up in the Pacific NW, and the little things are demanding to be fed. Cats are demanding that their hummingbirds BE fed, too.

  63. How about Status Reports, though not Too Personal; the pets’ health, the plants, like the African violets & the lemon tree, the human kids, the yard, and what ever Gordon collects. Am certain Ilona was well blessed with teas & yarns, so any New stuff introduced she now enjoys? Does/do any of the residents/Mod-R Doodle? Pics to entertain us, Please?

    • Yes, I was wondering if Kid 2 recovered enough from the flu to participate in the family Christmas and how it went. I love it when Ilona gives us “snippets” about what’s going on in her life, like her father’s response to the Christmas basket she and Gordon sent. Hearing about the adventures of the pets is always fun, too. I was also wondering how the edits on Ruby Fever are coming, since Ilona said there were a lot of them. Are she and Gordon are still hating the book as much or are they just tired of dealing with it? Either way, hang in there. This too shall pass. And take some time off to enjoy your birthday Saturday! Wishing you a wonderful, relaxing day.

  64. Was thinking about Santa – would he have god status in Kate Daniels’ world? Would all the kids get presents just for believing when Magic is up? What would happen if Tech took over in the middle of delivery? Just thinking about it.

    • OOOH that’s an interesting question.

      And howd you go with Santa? is he it’s own thing, trying to tie it to some of the old Wild Hunt figures where we get the reward/punishment naughty/nice from.

      —
      Not the same KC, nor a Doppleganger.

  65. Apologies if these have been answered elsewhere and please ignore anything that irritates, I’m not precious. These are my brainstorm questions :

    How do decide on a narrator? I loved the voice in Iron and Magic.

    Is there a reason you usually tell the story through the female lead? Naturally I emphasise better with my own sex, but Huw was a good surprise. I’m guessing you tell the story from his pov as there was such a big backstory to deal with. Would you consider doing it again?

    I finally realised the link between The Edge series and the Innkeeper series. Duh 🙄 . How far back did you plot this link?

    You stated you weren’t going to write any more Edge books. Will that affect how you plot the Innkeeper series? How far in advance do you plot?

    You said the Edge wasn’t popular. I haven’t read them all (yet) but (to me) they seemed a bit more grim than the rest. Maybe it’s the swamp setting. I see each series setting in my mind in different colours, sepia, dark with splashes of sunshine, modern colourful and hard edged etc. Do you see pictures in your head when you write? How easily do they translate to the page?

    Have you ever been tempted to kill off a hero/heroine (please don’t)?

    • What? I just finished The Edge series and didn’t see the connection between it and Innsweeper. What is it? I’m dying to know!

      • George and Jack from the Edge are the Arbitrators George and Jack in Innkeeper when they grow up. Together with Gaston Mar and later on Sophie (Lark) in Sweep in Peace 🙂

        • Also when Dina takes Sean to Baha-char the first time (Clean Sweep p. 182 in print version) she sees George and Jack walking on a side street and Sean says “That bird smelled dead”

  67. Whenever I hear “Do you have any questions” without limiting to a specific subject, I’m tempted to reply that I really wonder what ever happened to the Anasazi People. And so now I’m wondering if there could have been a brief, small Magic Wave that destroyed their livelihood or their lives. Or even some demonic entity that swooped in and ate them.
    Ah, my; I’ll never know.

  69. I keep wondering if we’ll ever read about Augustine Montgomerys much younger siblings? Have they (secretly) been introduced already?

    Thanks house Andrews and Mod R for all you do! Much love ❣️

  70. I would like to understand the printing issues experienced in 2021 and 2020. We keep hiring that printers are struggling to keep up their schedules, but I don’t understand why. Is the paper imported, for example?

  71. I see there has been a title change to the Inn series serial, to “Sweep of the Heart”?

    However the authors wish to name it, looking forward to the story. I did like the first title “This Sweeping Heart”; it made me think of country song “This Cheating Heart”, which made me think “Texas” … which was probably the intent.

    Happy with anticipation for Friday’s installment.

    • No, just my brain deciding to read it and then retype it wrong because where would be the fun otherwise? It’s still This Sweeping Heart but I owe Ilona a chocolate now 😀

      • 🙂

        Thanks — and you are allowed typos, it happens. I appreciate all that you do to sort the blog, ask questions of readers, moderate comments, and fish for topics of interest from the BD Horde.

        … so I shall still have “This Cheatin’ Heart” playing in my head as I read each installment. May have to write a filk-tune set of lyrics for myself, as the storyline progresses …

      • Mod R: LOL! I liked “Sweep of the Heart” as a title…I thought House Andrews was still working on the title from last week and this was the new choice for this week. It’s a nice parallel to “Sweep of the Blade.”

  72. Would it be possible to have like a short pov of Sean meeting Dina for the firs time or one of Alessandro meeting Catalina maybe? Anything really enjoy reading the blog posts! Hopefully everyone had happy holidays and a happy new year!!! Thank you 😊

  73. A while back, Ilona asked for recommendations of syfy military authors/books. I know she is a prolific reader, but if she has never read Tany Huff, her Valor series, she should try it. It is ultimately an eight book series, but the first one, Valor’s Choice stands alone and is very good. Also got me hooked on the series.

    • Also can we get a tailored list of all book recs to certain categories—I literally fell in love with SYFY because of a book she mentioned on here years ago, Rachel Bach / Aaron!! I know it’d be a huge undertaking but also looking for more SYFY female pov is like finding a hair on your chin after you swore you’d never have them🙃😉😆

      • For SciFi with strong female leads, Elizabeth Moon has a couple of series and Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have an amazing series with strong female characters. David Weber’s Honor Harrington is great, but his later books require wading through a HUGE amount of speculative detail on military hardware. I loved Ann Aguirre’s Dred Chronicles, but it’s extremely dark. Catherine Asaro’s work is wonderful too, but also somewhat dark.

  75. Hello Mod R,
    I’m from Austria and always wait impatiently for the books to be translated into German. How does the translation work and will there also be a translation of the Kinsman Universe books? When will the books Sweep on the Blade and Sweep with me be published in German?

    • Hi Marion,

      House Andrews does not control the availability of the books in other countries, nor the speed or accuracy of translations. Your local publishers and retailers control that. If you would like to read their work in your language/your country, please email a local publisher who publishes fiction similar to their books and let them know you would like to read IA on your terms.

      House Andrews are always happy to sell foreign rights to other countries, they want to have the books be available as widely as possible 🙂

      I hope this helped :).

  76. Inn keeper is my favorite series. It’s like coming home everyone I read it.
    Burning questions:
    1) do Sean parents approve of Dina?
    2) fighting for their lives, watching planet blow up and then trying to transition to Earth- Sean’s parents seem to have adapted well but do they still travel off earth or have ptsd- how r they coping?
    3) Are werewolves being hunted by the sun Horde?

  77. I am curious if house Andrews or their publisher or team have any dealings with which books are picked up by libraries? Especially audio books through the library app of Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla? I have recommended books before through my library and eventually some of them materialize but I am not sure if it is because of my recommendation.

    • The individual libraries or library consortium chooses which books are part of their electronic collections. Often they buy specific collections of electronic titles that best match their constituents’ demographics or reading behaviors. However, many public libraries that use Overdrive or Libby or Hoopla have ways for their patrons to offer recommendations. If you’re not seeing titles by your favorite authors, then talk with your local librarian. 🙂

  79. Please please please can we have an update about Julie and Derek?!? I love their story so much and am over here rereading and rereading 😍

  80. What is your writing process like with Innkeeper? It’s serialized so do you do more planning, is there an outline, how does that all work? Also do you work on another project concurrently with Innkeeper or is it just INNKEEPER!!! All day every day fir the duration? What does this mean for the Hugh 2 timeline?
    Thank you! Sorry this is a lot

  81. Morning,

    I often have questions about the how to write. I love just receiving the books and having no expectations about what I’m about to read. I like being in your worlds. Now my questions about the how;

    Do you plot your books and character arcs before you even start?

    How often have you had to work in plot devices and then later integrate them throughout the story so it’s not just seen as a way to advance the plot?

    Which one of your many characters do both Ilona and Gordon identify the most with?

    How do you develop the personality of characters who are least like yourself?

    Do you often take notes just talking to people or family and think this would be a good dialogue in the book?

    How long does the writing process usually take for you?

    Do you sit down and just write or do you have a storyboard you follow?

    How much do you research when writing? Is it disruptive to your writing process?

    When during your process are you the happiest and most content?

    I hope that’s not too much :).

  82. I would like to know if there was a possibility of getting a book in KD world where the main character would be Conlan? I would love to read about him.

  83. I would love to know if Roman will get a book. For publishing questions, Fated Blades was the first book House Andrews exclusively published on Kindle. I was wondering what they thought about the results. Would they do this again? or it makes more sense to publish widely and not limit yourselves to Kindle?

    Will they ever put any books on Kindle Unlimited? Even for a limited time like a month or something?

    Will Arabella get a book? I’d love to see more about the Beast of Cologne. Will Leon get a book?

    Are we going to see Maud from Innkeeper in another book? I’d love to see her confront her ex husband’s parent as the Maven of Arland’s house.

  84. Hi. What genres or types of stories would you like to write if money was/were not a consideration? Do you have story ideas that you really like but don’t think they would sell? Being self employed how do you manage your time?Are you good at grammar? Thank you for sharing about how you feel about life right now. What is your favorite color and why? Hope you and your family are well and glad you get to be together.

  85. I always adore the little snips about House Andrews PETS!
    Never intrusive about direct family things or writing secrets 😜, but always entertaining and „Extra“!
    It‘s always lovely to hear about the backdoor visitors, too! Laughed so hard with the vision of the deer in the cat-feeder!
    Have a happy and healthy New Year everyone!
    Love and hugs from Switzerland!
    Inga

  86. Mod R I have a publishing type question. Why do all publishing houses release books on Tuesdays? Is it an especially auspicious day? Is it some type of agreement between publishing houses? Is it just a random decision made way back when? Inquiring minds (like mine) want to know. And besides, you DID ask. 🙂 😊👍

    • It’s partly tradition now, but the original reason has to do with the fact that the NYT bestseller list is based on sales from Tuesday to Monday, so it maximises a book’s time to rake in the sales and qualify.

      Hope this helped 🙂

      • I have a question related to this – sometimes book rankings will be posted on the blog. How important are bestseller lists versus other types of marketing? How are pre-orders captured?

  87. Hey Mod R,

    Can I campaign to be a werewolf femme fatale suitor? I would shower Sean on with Tech, compose odes on his flight skills, and hunt by his side by the light of the moon 🌙

    I could be a Ninja stlye stalker, popping up where you least expect me. That girl guide coming up to the Inn with a wagon load of cookies? Just a clever disguise 🥸

    Orro’s grocier order seems heavier than normal? That’s just me, hiding out in a sack of flour and what do you mean heavier? Are you saying I’m fat? Just because i weigh more than ground wheat germs? Because I’ll have you know, this is all muscle… and maybe a wee bit of make-up, some clunky heals, a few pounds of jewels… oh and a bag of books along with a stealth flashlight to read while in transit.

    Any whos, I am everything a wolf could want. So pick me!

  89. This isn’t a question, but I would love a calendar with some of the lovely art from the IA blog posts and serial episodes (from any and all of them, not just this new serial). And/or from the various artists who have done covers and other artwork. It would be great to have a new picture to enjoy every month – or even just stare at when I can’t get my brain to work 🙂

    Or maybe there has already been a calendar and I just missed it ???

  90. I was wondering now that Fated Blades has been out for a while, how the authors feel about using Amazon as the publisher. They seemed to be very positive about it initially. Are we going to see more of their work issued through Amazon?

  91. It was mentioned once in the blog that the next Dina’s book might be the last of the Dina Sean arc. Is Sweeping Heart going to be it?

  93. I was listening to Catalina’s books (for the umpteenth time) and I had a question about how House Andrews comes up with the arcane circles that are described in the books. When an arcane circle is needed in the story, does whoever is writing that scene draw the circle out on paper, then describe them? Or, do they visualize the circle in their mind’s eye, and describe them from there? Or, is the process something else entirely?

    I apologize if this question has been asked and answered elsewhere in the blog and I missed it.

  94. I’ve always wanted to know if Saiman’s cousin, Adam in ‘Retribution Clause’ got his hea.

    It may be a short story but the characters are so real and I just want to know what happens next…to be fair my response to everything House Andrews writes!

  95. Question: Is Emily Rankin still going to be the audiobook narrator for Ruby Fever? (I really like her!) Only asking because Audible has it listed as TBD.

  96. Do you also write In Russian? And if you do which do you prefer? My father is bilingual and so are my husband and eldest son. People who can fluently speak and read and write in another language, to me, are fascinating and super smart. What was the hardest part of learning to write in English? What are your Russian and American traditions (not just Christmas) that are each distinct, what has blended, and what hasn’t made the cut? Things of this nature. I absolutely love leasing about new cultures because that is how we can have more peace and love in the world.

  98. In Diamond Fire, Xavier invites Catalina to play tennis. If she had played, would her magic make her hit the ball every time? And if he (or someone watching) had said something mean, would her magic turn the ball into an on-target weapon?

  99. Question – I was reading a book on Kindle (probably Unlimited Kindle) and saw in the copyrights something about no-digital-rights. What does that mean? I feel dirty now … and I like the Author. Is this bad? How can I support her? I did buy the book – but it was only 99 cents, and I still feel dirty. Why would she not have digital rights? Thank you! Tiffany

    • Hey Tiffany,

      Could I please get a bit more info on this, did you perhaps see this disclaimer?

      “At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM)”

  100. I was wondering what kind of attitude/relationship Gordon had to romance novels before they begun this journey writing novels that all have a romance plot woven in. And if his attitude has changed during these years? The IA books are of course much more than pure romance, but since they are so very well written, I thought they must also both? have some knowledge of the genre. Would Gordon like to recommend some of his favourite romance novels to us? And why are they his favourites?

  101. Would Ilona please take another Twitter like challenge? –> “Here are stories of people’s lives as written by “Ilona Andrews.”Except it is for some of the minor characters in the novels (maybe BDH can vote for 5,10,20…).

    Initial Suggestions Stella Davis – Blood Heir; Lord Otubar – Sweep of the Blade , etc.

  102. Things I’ve wondered about in the last 24 hours:

    -Is there any chance at all of a Leon book or at least a Leon HEA?

    -Does when I preorder a book influence best-seller rankings? As in, is it better if the BDH all preorder Ruby Fever at the same time, or do the orders accumulate to a total before the book’s release?

    -What kind of squirrels does Dina have? I have spent an embarrassing amount of time over the last few days researching Texas squirrels. Really, so many things I’m supposed to be doing and I’m looking up squirrels. If it’s hot, why are they in their nests? Most squirrels sleep stretched out on branches when it’s hot, nests are for rearing young or keeping warm. Unless they are flying squirrels, pretty sure they are in nests no matter what the temp, but then they wouldn’t be active in the daytime anyway. Or are we talking ground squirrels? ‘Cause they would for sure go nap in a burrow. So, I kind of decided they must be ground squirrels. Am I right?

  103. I always love pet and house updates. I also want to know how Ilona’s hands are doing. I’d like to know more about the food in the books. The scenes with things like passion cones and Orro’s cooking are always fascinating to me and make me hungry. I love reading about the food and I would love hearing about what they like, don’t like and think about writing about food as a part of their world building.

  104. Yay, new instalment! We are so spoiled, thank you.

    Hi Mod R! Thank you for all of your hard work, I love all the additional fun content you provide beside moderating. 🙂
    I’d like some book rec blog post in January. Those are always fun and I find so many good staff this way.
    Happy Holidays!

    • Me too, and I will lobby for it!

      I haven’t been able to get into a book and not DNF in a couple of weeks and it definitely left me feel uprooted and listless.

  105. In the infamous Applebee’s scene (Magic Shifts), Ghastek is completely flummoxed by Roland’s voice while Rowena is far less affected. Is this a result of her own siren/glamour power?

    It’s a headcanon of mine that would be awesome if it were canon. Also, if House Andrews is ever feeling incredibly generous and they have the moment, a Ghastek/Rowena snippet? I will literally happily wait a decade just to get 500 words in their POV.

  106. Yay! Random question time!!!

    What are Ilona’s (and Gordon’s, I mean, it’s not like he can’t have favorites, I’m sure he’s visited and/or partaken of many Russian delights) favorite Russian foods (processed foods or prepared meals or homemade delights) and/or ingredients that you can’t get in the States? What dish does Ilona make most often from her childhood? (I looooove it when there are random recipe posts, can you tell?)

    Were any knitted/crocheted gifts bestowed this year in the Andrews’ household? (pics, pics!!)

    Do the dogs (and other assorted pet-type critters) each get their own stocking and/or gifts?

  107. Re-reading the Kate books from the start. In the first book, Curran mentions that the wolf alpha couldn’t come to the battle with Olath(?) because he stepped on his kids’ Lego and fell down the stairs and broke his leg. In the 2nd or 3rd book, it was mentioned that Jennifer had been alpha for 2 years. So did her husband have other kids before they mated or was that just a continuity problem, because there wasn’t enough time since the previous alphas had retired? And when writing, who is your backup to catching continuity errors? Would that be the publisher or the editor?

    • This has been clarified several times.

      Daniel was married before Jennifer and had children. His parents (the grandparents) took the kids when they got married, which is part of Jennifer’s resentment, as it was a vote of no confidence.
      Who needs a continuity error filter when clearly the BDH is happy to manufacture some even 15 years post publication hehe 😛 ?

      • That’s what happens when you reread books – you catch stuff you didn’t catch before. Sorry if it was a repeat question. I don’t remember this being discussed before.

  108. Are you considering putting together several of the Innkeeper Stories (after One Fell Sweep) into a single hardcover book by Subterranean Press? I got the first book and would love the rest in that format.

  109. You know what we are looking for! Everything!

    With “Innkeepers”, it’s more of Dina and Sean, then Maud & Arland, plus finding their parents, and, heh-heh-heh, everybody wants a show-down with that awful worthless house that threw Maud & baby out.

    Sneaky peeks — any peeks – of Kate & family, to know how they are doing. I miss the Daniels world.

    Hugh, Glorious Hugh! Next book.

    Blood Heir Books 2 and etc.

    Hidden Legacy – more! more! more!

    SIgh … I know it’s not fair. But I am an addict and a faithful member of the BDH. The plots and twists and easter eggs and dangling threads in each and every creation just leave me wanting more. Nuff said?

  110. Did the Lawn Orphans get an Xmas bonus? A package of shirts?

    When I’m making up stories, I have to feed my imagination by learning something new. I love combing through well written non fiction- seems I like stories no matter the source. Any recommendations?

    Fiction seems to have waves like fashion. Seems like we had a taste for the Gothic in the 70s, Regency / Historical in the 60s and again in the 80s, Vampires, Urban, then Paranormal..what’s next?

  111. I love hearing about new teas, recipes, and (of course) house porn – some of the most original MLS photos I’ve seen have come from this blog.

    Has HA ever considered opening an online Baha-Char store? Or a post or 2 with mock products? I kind of see that in line with the Twitter threads from Kate Daniels (which I loved) and the April Fools joke that became IRL book #1 of 2 (or 3?).

    Other things that would be fun to see in the Blog – weird stories and music recommendations (especially for HA writing/recommendations).

    Wishing everyone a restful week and a safe and happy new year!

  113. Ok this may be a silly question but in Magic Triumphs Roland was yelling at Kate along the lines of “You deliberately disobeyed me” and Kate said “Yes Mufasa” to which Roland replied “Do I look like I’m in the mood for jokes?”

    Was he mad about the joke because he understood the reference or because of her tone? I just find it hard to picture Roland doing normal people things like going to watch The Lion King.

    P.S. This question has kept me up at night since reading the book.

    • Another question. How do shapeshifter numbers grow(those under Curran’s rule that is)? I’m currently rereading KD world and in the first book iirc there were 337 shapeshifters. Then over 500 in the second book and 1500 in the third one I’m reading. Are they born at an exponential rate or do they join the pack in large numbers? The reason I ask is because there doesn’t seem to be that much time between the books so how does the pack grow so quickly.

      Ok, that was a few questions hehe

  115. Something I’ve been wondering for a while… how did Dina get ahold of TWO bottles of Pappy Van Winkle’s Bourbon in book 1? That stuff is about as hard to find as the holy grail, from what I understand.

    Also, I totally agree with whoever asked for the return of the Costco woman.

  117. Question!! I know some authors focus on one series at a time and some work on a bunch of different projects at one (like HA), but wouldn’t it be easier to work on just one at a time? That way you don’t have to go back and continuously reread after working on a different project? Or does it help with burnout? Tell us your secrets!!

    • You’re right on the money with the second guess. House Andrews answered this before, sometimes writers reach project saturation and it’s beneficial to switch what they’re working on 🙂

  118. By the way, I am very impressed the direction Innkeeper is going. I really hadn’t seen the possibility of any other than who are the latest guests this week. But a whole new opening into the Sean and Dina storyline. Wow. I really like it. One of the things I really liked about the KD stories was how the depth and strength of character of Curran kept unfolding.

  119. At the end of One Fell Sweep, Dina has been summoned before the Assembly. In two books since then, no mention of the outcome. Will we find out what happened?

  120. Happy Holidays and wishing all a happy new year! Hope the season is going well for HA and Mod R and all of the BDH!

    So much pressure ….questions…..will we ever definitively find out about Hugh’s parents… Asclepius and …and how they met etc? This assumes that he will find out of course

    I figure we are going to find out about the cow sooner or later, will it ever come out ?

    Switching book series: will Klaus ever get a Klause centric book/ serial

    Switch again:
    Ruby Fever….how is the editing going?

    Non book related
    Favorite present given and favorite received?
    Any special new years plans

    Thanks

  121. Hi, I am still curious about why the vampires in the sweep series have fangs and are called vampires. Do or did they ever suck blood or energy or use the fangs? Just curious why they are called vampires. Thanks
    And happy holidays.

    • Hi Sandy,

      I think you missed a bit in Clean Sweep 🙂 . The vampires of the Holy Cosmic Anocracy are the basis for Earth’s legends of vampires 🙂 , not named after them. As Dina says, myths spiral out of control.

      “Vampires, huh?”

      “Mhm.”

      “I heard a heartbeat and I saw one of them sweat. They’re not undead.”

      “No, they’re a predatory strain of humans. We are situational predators and omnivores. They’re carnivores.”

      “How do they get mistaken for corpses?”

      “They have thick skin. They don’t blush, their core body temperature is lower than ours, and you saw how pale their lips are. They also tend to put themselves into stasis in coffin-like modules when they know they’re going to be stuck on our planet and they’ll have to wait for a long time to be picked up. Sometimes they bury these modules because they don’t want to be accidentally found.”

      We started back toward the house.

      “That’s a long way from a walking corpse,” Sean said.

      “Myths tend to spiral out of control. Do you howl at the full moon and steal maidens to devour?””

      Andrews, Ilona. Clean Sweep. Innkeeper Chronicles 1. NYLA Publishing, 2013. Kindle edition, Page 111.

      Hope this helped 🙂

  122. This maybe a strange request but I’d be interested in seeing a few pictures from Ilona’s creative folder. In the past, she has shared images of inspirational dresses for the Edge books or the musical Playlist, House Andrews listened to while writing Kate Daniel’s books. I’m impressed a beautiful dance sparked their last book.
    Not sure if Gordon has a creative folder or not but I’ve wondered for awhile what “bribed” Action Figures help produce Curran POV. Hehe! Pictures please.

  123. My question is about HA. Why/ how are you so cool? I’ve bought every story I could buy, I’ve probably read everything on the blog, and I’m always happy when a new post drops, whether it’s holiday wishes or a snippet. I don’t understand how you always level up my happiness. But thank you!

  125. I would love an update on George and company. Also a nice hello from someone from the Edge series . Seeing Kaldars and Williams kids getting into trouble, with Richard to the rescue.

  126. Thank you, mod R for the post. I will tell Titan that Friday he gets his Ilona Andrews innkeeper fix. Well when he was a puppy I was reading innkeeper Friday snippets so I read out loud to him and rubbed his tummy. He was spoiled. 😆

    No burning questions at this moment but I am sure my fellow BDH can come up with some for you.

    Although I am curious how Christmas was for lawn mowing orphans aka mafia. I think about them every time I pass by local golf course subdivision. The local HOA decreed only season depicting flags (no Christmas, no thanksgiving flags but winter season flags) and the professional sport team flag flyers took exception to.

  128. Hi Mod R, I would love to know if HA will bring out the character Adira Kline in future work? Could she end up in her own book/series?
    Thanks!

  129. Does Leon ever find his special person? I know he’s currently gun-sexual, but I can’t help wondering if he’ll ever find someone who appreciates him and his wonderfully unique sense of humor. I’ve also always gotten vibes that he’s either asexual or gay, and would love to learn more.

    I do think any kind of story from Leon’s viewpoint would be amazing. Does House Andrews have any plans of giving him a short story?

  130. Will there be any Alessandro POV snippets for the blog in advance (or after) Ruby Fever? I have to say, the Rogan POV on the blog are one of my favourite things to read ever, because I love that we already have Nevada’s POV. I can think of several scenes where we already have Catalina’s POV that would be amazing to “see” from Alessandro’s perspective. The morgue scene especially!

  131. At one point Conner tell Nevada that an aquamancer in the desert will get tired faster than other people because his power will keep trying to find water that isn’t there. If Nevada is isolated far from other people, will she get tired because her power try to find people who aren’t there?

  132. I love that you think we need a reminder to check the blog on Friday. HAHAHAHAHAHAH! If I check it less than daily, I am crazy busy. And with an Innkeeper installment waiting? Not to worry!

    • Hehe, that’s the spirit 😉 . But some people did ask if we were going to get more after the story started on Christmas, so I thought I’d remind everyone that it’s a blog serial 🙂

  133. Hidden Legacy question (because I can’t wait for Ruby Fever!):

    Is there such a thing as the reverse of a failed vector, were a bloodline becomes more powerful with each generation instead of losing power? Mostly curious about how Gisela managed to produce Bern, an upper level significant, and Leon, a prime.

    • “In approximately seventy percent of the cases, magic passes from parent to child without a significant change in power,” Mad Rogan said. “A few descendants, about three to five percent, show a sudden uptick. The rest lose magic with each generation. You can see traces of this pattern within the same family. Even if both parents are Primes, there is usually a variation in power among their children.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Burn for Me, Hidden Legacy 1. Avon Harper Collins, 2014. Kindle edition, page 242

      You can also read this on Prime genetics https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2021/on-primes-and-prime-genetics/

      Hope this helped 🙂

  134. I remember something about a full cast audiobook by some other producers and not the Audible Company.
    Is there anything further to report?

    • Do you mean for House Andrews books in particular, or as a job for multiple authors? I need more info please.

  137. Will you be giving Leon (Hidden Legacy) any short stories or POVs? I love the unique character you have built for him and am interested to see how he might handle a romance. Also, with no small amount of fear, same question for Bug.

  138. I think it’d be really fun to have personality/ character “which character are you” or “how well do you know this universe” quizzes! I know those can be a lot of work so no worries at all if it’s not time practical 🙂

  139. The recipe for Dina’s Apple Cake includes an instruction followed by ‘like Dina did’. But that portion of cake prep wasn’t shown in that scene. Was the scene stopped earlier than planned or does the rest of cake baking follow in the next section of the story?

  140. I was wondering if there is further information on the full cast audiobook Ilona mentioned a while back. I cannot remember the name of the company that was producing it. Thanks 🙏

  142. I’d love to see a list of book recommendations – I know Ilona has asked and shared some suggestions but what about a list. I’m always looking for more ideas. Thanks for reading this, even if it is a terrible suggestion 😉

  143. I would love to know which wuxia and palace dramas House Andrews has enjoyed this year and is looking forward to in 2022. After revisiting old blog posts this fall, I downloaded Viki and started watching some of the dramas that Ilona mentioned or commenters recommended. It’s weird to admit, but I feel slightly bitter that I’ve been missing out on so many cool stories for so long. I’m so grateful to this blog for introducing me to these genres during the pandemic. Now I’m very curious what new-ish dramas House Andrews has enjoyed and which forthcoming ones are on their watchlist.

  144. Hello and Happy Holidays! 🙂

    I want to preface this by saying that I totally understand that House Andrews has a lot of projects in works and I will definitely read anything they come up with but I just wondered:

    1) Is there a chance for some scenes (either from KD or Blood Heir) from Derek’s POV?
    Maybe not now, since his story is spoilery at the moment, but later during/between the Blood Heir series?

    2) How about some scenes from Alessandro’s POV?
    In particular, I think his conversation with Victoria and his team up with Linus Duncan (both from EB) might be very interesting to see! <3

  145. Ooh I have questions!

    Will there ever be any more stories from Derek’s perspective?

    Any release date info for Iron Covenant #2?

    How is the Edge connected to the Innkeeper world, is the Edge version of earth a parallel world? It’s been driving me nuts for years, I’d love some clarification on this!

    After the Hidden Legacy and Innkeeper books are finished, do you already have an idea for a new series?

    Thanks so much!

    • Hi Charlotte,

      Here is Dina’s explanation to George on the issue of Edge Earth vs Innkeeper Earth (ours) from Sweep in Peace:

      “I can tell you that I know every world this inn has reached so far, and your coordinates are not among them. Furthermore, you are asking for a portal to a world that is very similar to ours. That world is another Earth that exists in its own tiny reality, splintered from the majority of the cosmos. It’s like reaching into a pocket on the universe’s coat. I don’t know the capabilities of every inn on Earth, but I can tell you that my father always told me that creating a door to an alternative dimension like that could not be done. It would collapse the inn.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Sweep in Peace, Innkeeper Chronicles 2. NYLA Publishing, 2015. Kindle edition, 45% progress

      They are indeed parallel dimension versions of Earth :). Crossovers in Innkeeper are possible specifically because of the existence of the Inns, which grow into other dimensions and realities, like Yggdrasil. No, the Inn is not in the Broken and it doesn’t all happen on the same planet, as is a popular fan theory 😛

      I hope this helped 🙂

  146. I would love to see a story with the first interaction Dina had with Caldenia. The relationship shown in the first Innkeeper book is a mature one where they both have come to compromises after getting to know each other, but some incidents show Dina never forgets what Caldenia is capable of if given a chance. I would like to see how the original arrangement was made and the first couple of months that they lived together in a Inn with few other guests to distract them from each other.

  147. I don’t know if its in here yet, but is there, or is there going to be a story on how Dina’s parents met, beyond what was given in the original three innkeeper books? Not to be greedy, just curious, it sounds like it would be a fun story. Is Arabella going to get her own story? Again, not trying to be pushy just curious.
    Other than that happy holidays to you and yours in House Andrews. You guys are awesome.

  149. I want to know if Bug has a low register power that allows him to handle the swarm? Or did he never register and has a higher level power but never knew and it allows him to handle it. Basically does he know how he can handle the swarm?

  150. I just want to know what was Hugh doing in Argentina (by Roland’s request)
    Maybe that was already answered, but i freaked out (in a good way) when i read it! Started to imagine how they could use all the folcloric backgrounds we have 😅

  151. Are there going to be anymore books detailing the lives of Mod and Helen? They are my two most favorite characters.

  152. What is Linus Duncan’s relationship with Catalina? In Sapphire Flames, when Alessandro and Linus met for the first time, this exchange happened between Alessandro and Catalina:

    “What exactly is your relationship with Linus Duncan?”

    Alessandro looked at Linus, then looked at me, then looked at Linus again, opened his mouth . . . “What is it?”

    “Sono un idiota,” Alessandro muttered. And he’d just called himself an idiot. While I agreed in principle, he hadn’t done anything particularly stupid right this second. Something obvious must’ve occurred to him and I wanted to know what it was. “Do you want to enlighten me?” “Never mind,” he said. “Your godfather is walking over, and he looks unhappy.”

    Will this mystery be revealed in the third book?

  153. How is Turin Adin 7 feet tall when Sean (and probably some of the others that have served) is shorter? The armor is described as very form fitting and the picture doesn’t look like height enhancement is an option.

    • We don’t know anything about the stature of previous Turan Adin 🙂

      “The werewolves had three basic modes: their human form, which has the highest dexterity, they called the OPS form –operations; their wetwork form, a humanoid, wolflike monster for close and personal combat; and the OM, on-the-move, a covert form for rapidly and quietly covering great distances.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Clean Sweep, Innkeeper Chronicles 1. NYLA Publishing, 2013. Kindle edition, page 88

  154. Please, could we have more author /book recs?!! A lot of my (other) fave books have come from the HA reviews!

  155. Will there ever be a tame competition similar to the Olympics in any of the books? I’m thinking of athletic events on the side of whatever society defining event is driving the arc in the story.

  156. At some point will Sean meet any surviving Sun Horde? This is more of a rhetorical question, but if Werewolves are seeking Sean, might not others…?!?

  157. Squeal! I would love to see more knitting, or the yarn stash, or pictures of tea with yarn, or knitted gifts on kid 1 or 2, or knitting items on pets ♥️

  158. I thought of one.
    What characters have been hard to let go of? Either literally (death/series ended) or more like characters you didn’t want to cut scenes on, that you had even more of their personality that you wanted to show in the books but couldn’t, I imagine this is a struggle sometimes with side characters you really like?
    Similarly, any disagreements between you two of what a side/secondary character is like, would say, or wouldn’t do with a scene.

  159. Hi Mod R,

    you once asked for our suggestions regarding short book descriptions. Did anything come out of it? If so, which ones did you choose?

  161. new Innkeeper blog serial -!!!!????

    Like Sweep of Swords were we get a chapter ever week or so? Yeeessssssssssssss!!!! Thank you House Andrews!

    And if I am misunderstanding this it’s too late, maximum hype velocity has been achieved.

  163. Thank you for the polite inquiry Mod R,
    It would be great to see some pet pics and get updates on their current status… (except for the spider, they freak me out). Also, once upon a time, Ilona mentioned her secret lair full of gel pens. Any chance we can get a glimpse into this magical place and learn her favorte brands? My daughter has just discovered the lure of the gels and now everything she writes on is in vivid rainbow colors or delicate pastel glitter pen.

  164. Will Grace of Small Magics ever become a full-length book? I absolutely love that story and would like to read more…please, please, please. 🙂

  165. I have two related questions connected by the same scene in Magic Triumphs. The scene I refer to is actually one of my fave quickie comfort reads. In it Kate and Curran are trying to pitch an alliance to a meeting of all the magical power brokers in Atlanta in order to defeat a powerful threat from another dimension. One of my favorite parts is Nick Feldman’s extremely snarky response to said pitch. Dark horse Nick is actually pretty freakin’ hilarious, and (1) I was wondering if there’s any possibility of a story centered on Nick, especially since he does have a complicated quasi-sibling relationship with Kate.

    Nick’s needling is interrupted by Hugh’s dramatic entrance bearing a sack, and suddenly I was reminded of a certain high Vor lady’s entrance into a similar war council with a sack–my other favorite quickie comfort read. So my question is: (2) was there a conscious effort to reference Bujold’s Barrayar or am I just hung up on dramatic entrances with sacks?

    I’ve been reading your stuff for years but following your blog for only a few months, so if this has come up before, could someone just point me to the post? Thanks.

  166. Just curious of Ilona and Girden are introverts or extroverts and if you are how do you deal with the fans and the attenion? Did yall ever imagin that you would be this popular or have to deal with this much controversy? I love everything you write and will be grateful for anything to come.

  167. Am I the only one who prefers Dina to Maud?

    Don’t get me wrong; I adore Maud and Helen and Arland and their whole arc. I love the same things about Maud that I love about Kate. And about Sophie. And about Cerise. They are all strong, fearless, badass women who handle swords with exceptional skills. They are clearly developed as separate, individual characters who happen to have a lot in common.

    And therein lies my point. Dina is something new and unique in the House Andrews oeuvre. Nobody else has her powers, her abilities, or her limitations. I love her southern accent, her eccentric (and unique) permanent houseguest, her hilarious (and unique) chef, and all the strange and wonderful beings that we meet in and around the Inn. I do love Maud (and Kate, Sophie, and Cerise), but Gertrude Hunt is where I want to be. If I could, I would make my home with Dina, Sean, Caldenia, Orro, Beast, and Olasard, Ripper of Souls. I love Maud, but I live for Innkeeper.

    • I like both equally! Just each of them have a different feel. We’ve also been with Dina’s story for longer though, which I think is what makes Maud so interesting. We have a lot left to immediately explore in her world (i.e world of Krahr)

  168. How do you decide when to reveal information about/aspects of the characters to create their specific character arcs, relationship arcs and the emotional experience you envisioned for the reader?

    How do you know what to hold back, and when to introduce hidden motives, layers, secrets, history, etc?

    What should be backstory and what should be on the page?

    Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! 🙂

  169. I’d like to hear more about Blood Heir and what’s going on with Julie and Derek 🙂

    Happy Holidays, everyone!
    And maybe game suggestions?

  170. This isn’t a question, but I would love more Curran, Sean, and Conner POV companion pieces to the books.

  171. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, looking forward to the New Innkeeper serial (yay💃doin a Happy dance umm on the inside 😆) love to know if the there will be more books with Nevada and Connor as the main points of view again? Don’t get me wrong way looking forward to Ruby Fever. And will Catalina get an instalment? Actually any news, info, updates on house Baylor and there world. Also do we find out about Claus’s Visit to Maude? I could go on these are my fave series. May I take the time to Thank you very much for your work I appreciate the adventures you take me on through your writing 🤗 Also love hearing pet updates here I’m little fur baby Coco

  173. Were Gordon or Ilona ever fans of the 1980s She-Ra and/or He-Man (MOTU)? I’ve been wondering about this since they named one of the sahanu assassins “Adora” in Kate’s books, way back when.

    Yes, I know the name means “adored,” “beloved,” or “gift,” but it’s not a common name, and most searches for the name bring up She-Ra fan sites.

    I guess this falls under other BDH readers’ questions about how you choose names for your characters. I enjoyed the explanation (in book) about how Julie picked her new name.

  174. Is their any news on Hugh and Elara? Will their series continue or will we see more of them in the Aurelia Ryder series?

  175. Topic: crock pot vs air fryer vs instapot? Or is it really “just get the crock pot …the others are just fads that will gather dust eventually (with that wok from forever ago)?”
    Topic: thank you for more Innkeeper, and any chance for clues on Dina & Maud’s parents in this? (the snippet with Gerard a trapped spirit was so much fun!..and now I need to go reread that again!)

  176. Well, a general question, now that House Andrews is free of contractual obligations, are they thinking of other story lines?? I love KD, Innkeeper, Kinsmen, Blood heir, Hugh but the authors incredible skill and imagination could produce some new magical books/world(s). So are there “dream books” on the horizon?

  177. Mod R – I am so curious about your work with House Andrews. What is your job description and tasks you typically do? Is it full-time or part time? What is your typical day or week like? What defines success for you?

    • Hi Marta 👋

      My official job description is Blog Moderator for the Ilona Andrews author website, which is a part time position.
      My duties include reading every one of your comments, forwarding questions to House Andrews or handling them when I know the answer, and moderating those that may disturb the peace in one way or another (which is not as controversial as it sounds 😉).
      I also make a summary for each comment section, with the funnies, recommendations and main feedback generated by the previous blog article. That’s usually how my work day starts 🙂. Once a month I put together a blog prompts list from your questions and topics, which hopefully helps Ilona decide on a few of the posts.
      I also get a TON of perks, like reading books early and interacting with different people in the industry or moderating interesting events, and torturing Ilona with memes late at night. I don’t know which god disguised as a beggar I helped but clearly someone blessed me hard!
      Success to me looks like doing what you like and not dreading your work day. I’ve been in that dread situation before and it very negatively impacted my health for years. Right now I’m pretty much pinching myself every day to make sure this job is actually real! 🥰
      There 😅. Much more detail than you were after, I’m sure!

      • May I inquire how you found this wonderful job? I’m on the lookout for beggars that need assistance but in the meantime thought I’d see how else to get such a position.

        • Beggars? 😀 Tell me more!

          I was on Ilona’s radar as an ARC reader and superfan 🙂 – I know it’s not very helpful, as connections take time to forge, but from my own experience I can say it’s worth every second.

  178. I would love a nice, juicy snippet from Ruby Fever

    Oh, and an update on Camille Minou, the adorable kitty with thumbs.

  179. I first want to say I am so excited to get back to Dina, Sean and Orro! Thank you so much for all you do!

    I know you had a hard time with Ruby Fever and all…but Catalina and Alessandro are my absolute favorites! I just wanted to know if you don’t end up doing Arabella books (well even if you do…) do you think there is a possibility of there being some shorts of the Baylor family in the future? Especially with Catalina and Alessandro? Or Leon?

  180. Are we ever going to see more of George, Jack and Sophie? Maybe Gaston? They just have a special place in my heart and I can’t let go… 😆 Would be interested to see if George/Klaus appeared in more innkeeper???? Are we ever going to learn more about the abitrator side of thing? It’s just…. I need to know that George/Sophie became an actual thing you see. 😛

    Though I have a feeling this question will just be answered with “we’ll see, you have to read”…

    I’m too greedy 😂

    Anyway, thank you for generously agreeing to answer out questions 🙂

    • +1 would love to see George and Sophie get their happy ending! (Or some other kind of closure…)

  183. Just extremely happy to be back into the Inkeeper universe, mainly Dina & Sean’s story. Can’t wait to read more.

  184. Ia drawing a blank on when we first learned about Sebastian North. I did a quick search through the Innkeeper series but couldn’t find it. Also, do you know where I can find the short of Dina’s parents meeting? I remember reading it and now I can’t remember where I read it.

  185. Hello. I know I read the story of Dina’s Mom rescuing Gerald from an old house, but I don’t know the title of the short story, or where I read it. Is it available on this blog? Or maybe it’s in an anthology? Help!

  187. I’ve been rereading KD and have a few questions: What happened with Dorie/Mulraddin’s murder trial? Did Hugh turnover the tape to the People before teleporting out? Did Kate and Curran ever get their lodge getaway that was postponed due to being kidnapped to Mishmar?

    In Kate 9(?), she fights someone with plastic inserts in her armor and it got me thinking about plastic production in this world (weird I know). Is new oil production even really happening all that much for them? I know they use it for cars and other things, but for non essentials it it just insanely expensive? Or is there a ton of recycling? Which then led me to this thought, given that forests and wildlife are coming back aggressively, the human population took a significant hit, and gas powered things can only work 50% of the time, is climate change basically not an issue anymore? Or is it still a problem, but people worry about it less as krakens may figure in people’s daily lives as much heavy flooding?

  188. So I was replaying the Chapters version of Burn For Me and an ad for the Atlas Obscura Article on Russian Pastila popup up.

    Turning apples into Marshmallows?? What is this magic?? Which got me wondering:

    1) Have you ever had them and are they as good as they sound?

    2) If yes, are they as much of a pain to make as they sound from the article?

    3) If you’ve made them, do you have a favorite recipe?

    Here’s the article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-make-pastila

  189. This question may be too personal. If so, I understand any lack of response. 🙂

    Is “Gordon” merely a device in furtherance of the authors’ joint pseudonym, or does he go by that name in real life? Perhaps a holdover from his time in the navy? (I know we all went by our last names when I was in the navy.)

  191. I would love more game recommendations from Ilona and Gordon, specifically if there are any games that they like to play as family, couple, or parent/kid bonding activities? My oldest child, now 13, is into D&D, Magic The Gathering, reading anything involving dragons and/or sword fighting, as wells as puzzles, word games etc. I love fantasy too, but can’t get into either D&D or Magic enough to really enjoy it with him. I’ve been on the lookout for a computer game we could dive into together, and that might entice him out of his teenager-cave to play with me. I imagine that this is something about which House Andrews would have excellent suggestions. Please?

  192. How do you work as a couple? What do each of you bring to the table? Do you ever have very different ideas on how something should be written and if so how do you come to an agreement?
    I’ve read and listened to thousands of books since I was a little girl and I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a book more than one published by Ilona Andrews. Thank you for the hours of escapism and enjoyment!

  193. When exactly did Julie change her name to Aurélia? When did she become Erra’s heiress or only afterwards, when she took Moloch’s eye?

  195. I enjoyed Days of Swine and Roses, would those characters ever appear again or is that story a one-shot deal since it’s kind of like a precursor to the Hidden Legacy world?

  196. Just want to say thank you first. Best wishes for all in the new year. Will happily read whatever you want to post, or write. Have a huge wish list, but no matter what you write that fills it, I’d just add more. (which is a huge credit to both your abilities) As for questions have alot of them too, but only two I’ll ask
    Is there going to be a few more POVs, either Innkeeper, Hidden Legacy, or Kate’s world?
    Last question can there be another outtakes and/or short story, analog…if it isn’t to much trouble.
    Thank you again for all your wonderful stories, and may you have a great New Year

  198. There was a trip a while ago to NYC to meet … the publisher? The editors? And part of it went well and part did not, I think? I think an element of the meeting(s) was upsetting, with a few subsequent days of bad feelings. Maybe it was a plot direction or a new book series proposal that did not take? Maybe it was about money and none of my business. Has enough time passed that that situation can come out?

  199. Oooh I can never remember any questions when the opportunity arises… hey, I know! How does Alphas: Origins relate to Innkeeper in the House Andrews Multiverse? (Hehehe… fine, just kidding 😀 Although I can see how the vampires and the otrovars could have sprung from… ok ok no spoilers! BTW I did love A:O and would like to see more from that world – sometime. No pressure!) Can’t remember a single question though, and I HAVE thought of some when reading, will have to remember to jot them down!

      • Oh oh oh! I thought of one! Or TWO! Ok, in White Hot, the South African mercenaries were supposedly hired on Dec 14th – which was the same day Cornelius hired Nevada. So were they basically hired the moment he walked into the warehouse? I’m assuming the mercenaries were hired by the conspiracy people and not Victoria…

        Also, will we get to know more about who Leon’s dad is? Or if that is in any way significant?

        Happy new year y’all and looking SO forward to more IA stuff! Anything really! 😀

  201. I very rarely submit questions, so here is one from me. Thank you for your work Mod R! 😊

    You’ve shared before that the latest HL novel was a tough one to write. Could you share something about it, maybe a scene or a character, that brought you a moment or moments of joy while writing it?

  202. i’d like to read short excerpts of how christmas/holidays went for kate, curran, conlan, ghastek, julie and hugh

  203. I would love to know how the decision is made to write in the first person or the third person. What are the pros and cons of each?

  204. Hello! I see a previous comment about a “boy’s night out”. How about “girls do lunch and shopping at Baha-char”? I recommend Dina, Maud, Karat, Sophie, and Adira. They could have such fun! I would also be interested in seeing Lady Ilemina stop by the inn and have lunch with Caldenia—that would be an interesting chat. Oh, and many thanks for recommending “Magic and the Shinigami Detective” by Honor Raconteur. After reading it, I went on to read several excellent books by Ms. Raconteur. Thanks, again for all the enjoyable characters and House Andrews works.

  205. Okay, question for the ages:

    Dark Fantasy and Villains

    First, does House Andrews have an opinion on dark fantasy? (Some do, some don’t, some have different definitions, but House Andrews is generally articulate when they choose a position.)

    Second, where do the House Andrews’ multiverse stand in relation to this? (For some series/projects, this could be a sliding scale, depending on the book.)

    This question is aiming for Iron Covenant, btw.

    Ultimately, this is a question about the unique challenges faced in creating Iron Covenant. Hugh is introduced as a villain in the Kate Daniels universe. You’ve written before about moving him from antagonist to protagonist. Hugh and Elara come from a vastly different perspective than most of your other protagonists. How does this perspective impact the structure of the story?

    I feel it’s not realistic to ask if the characters will change, because then it wouldn’t be the same story. One definition of dark fantasy, however, is to write a character who is normally a villain (a witch, an ogre, a vampire, etc.) as the protagonist. But can a villain be a hero?

  206. Yey! Here’s a LIST of what I want to know. Hahaha!

    1. Has Camille the cat done any antics lately?
    2. Has the Slytherin boyfie done any Slytherin antic lately?
    3. I forgot to ask last Halloween but I’m really curious, did the Lawn Mowing Mafia Trick or Treat’ed on Kid 2’s house?
    4. More Roman? Please? A family holiday perhaps? I want to know how the volvhs and the witches curse when drunk.

    Thank you lots.

  208. Love Innkeeper, so happy there’s more!

    – How many weeks is the new serial and will it then be published as a book? What’s the timeline on that?

    Thanks!

    • It will be published as a book, as all previous serials.
      It’s still being written, so I cannot give an answer on exact timelines- it will depend on final length and edit time 🙂

  209. I’m so excited for the sweeping heart serial!
    I love the blog, it’s a nice mix of questions, slice of life and of course stories <3

  210. Does a metamorphosis mage like Arabella have any abilities that are enhanced with circle work and chalk? Just wondering.
    Happy new year!

  211. I would love to be able to read the spoilers from the event I was not able to attend. It’s been driving me crazy!

  212. Questions- how do you handle wtiters’ block? Do the various critters in the three households get along? How did you find your voice when writing. You’ve shared a bit about recharging yourself, can you share more? When do you take your xmas decorations down? Also thank you both for the hours of joy you’ve provided.

  213. I, at least, would like to see some kind of resolution of 1) Dina’s missing parents and their inn, 2) the Mukama, and 3) the campaign (?) against the ad hal/Assembly. Will any future Innkeeper books seek to resolve these?

  214. Do we ever find out how Rogan’s father died? I know the books say he survived multiple assassination attempts, but I don’t think it says how he actually died. Thanks.

  215. You’ve probably fielded this kind of question before, but I was wondering about your editing process. How much overlap is there usually between first draft and final? How do you know when something doesn’t work? What if you disagree with an editor or beta reader? What is the first thing to be addressed in the first stage of revision? Are there usually scenes you feel particularly attached to or where you know they express the characters really well? This has always seemed like a great mystery to me. Thank you for your work and my best wishes for 2022.

  216. Re the new snippet – how do all the werewolves know about Sean? I thought the fact that he was Turan Adin was a secret?

    If it is now known – shouldn’t there be a bunch of reporters, assassins, bounty hunters, top fighters and recruiters showing up as well?

    Apart from being the child of 2 Alphas there is no other reason for him to be famous – and it seems unlikely he is the only 2nd generation Alpha, or that so many would want to be with him just because of that?

  217. The authorlords have been generous with talking about the money side of their business. I’d be interested in hearing about how the KU book did versus some of their self-pub releases before on Amazon. Thanks ModR!

  218. Heh, heh, hehhhhh. What yarn purchases has Ilona made recently? Any special knitting Christmas gifts?

    I’m very happy the Innkeeper is alive and well.

  219. Dear ModR,

    I wish you the best of the holiday season. I just saw your request for suggestions re: blog topics; here is my response.

    Gordon’s point of view on just about any topic, but especially relating to the joys of living and writing in Texas.

    Ilona’s very pragmatic insights into what it means to lead a complex life.

    Cats. Dogs. Visiting wildlife. All three of the former in chance encounters that result in amazing photographs – like the invasive Deer Horde.

    These are my favorite categories of topics, and I hope they serve you well!

  220. I am wondering why the shapeshifters have so few children. You would think that with chance of kids going loup and the violent nature of the world they live in, families will need to have many children just to replace themselves. Further, there is likely not much in the way of birth control, right? So it would make sense that people would have 8, 9, 10 kids. My husband’s father was one of 11. So I was surprised reading that all the main characters have only one or two children. Why is that?

  221. Oh, thank you for doing this!

    Will we find out why Bug became a swarmer?

    Cute pet videos are always appreciated, too! My toddler loves the ones of Camille (though we watch them on silent just in case there is any grown-up language)

  222. Reading everyone’s comments got me excited to chime in too.

    Would love a story for grown-up Leon and his dark horse status. But I’ll take Arabella first, heehee, since she is before him in line.

    I also vote for a Roman story where he gets his true love and HEA.

    I guess for the record, I *adore* The Edge novels. They were my first IA novels. Is there analysis or author commentary on them somewhere in the blog archives? Somewhere while reading the comments in the car on the way home a few minutes ago (I wasn’t driving, no worries), I saw something that said they didn’t sell well or weren’t as popular. Thoughts on why? They’re on my absolute favorites bookshelf–literally.

    I find the writer business posts the most fascinating, but I’m not sure what to ask because I don’t know what I don’t know, eh? I’d love some discussions in troubleshooting when the writing stalls or figuring out what needs fixing (stronger secondary characters? More fights? More introspection?) when it’s not flowing. How much leeway do you leave in your plotting to explore fun, spontaneous bursts of genius (which then might require other adjustments)? How do you plan emotional development and character arcs in advance? How did the NaNoWriMo thing turn out?

    As an unrelated side note, I just finished rereading the ferret heist last night. I am still cackling. One of my favorite IA scenes ever.

  223. I am re-reading Emerald Blaze and was amazed at the detail about the construct in the Pit. The detail was somewhat overwhelming ( I was listening to it on Audible) and I found that I needed to go to the book to re-read the descriptions in order to try to see it in my head. I’d love to know how Ilona and Gordon create these creatures. Is there a backstory? Do they do a mock up with string, bailing wire and other random items in order to visualize it before putting it in the book? Fascinating!! Can’t wait for Ruby Fever!

  224. Oops, ok, forgot two things.

    Love the knitting and the yarn life snippets. I knit too.

    Are there any new series/worlds under serious consideration? Don’t worry, I’m thrilled for more story for any of the existing worlds. But curious minds are curious….

    • Hey Amanda,

      All of Kate’s books exist as Audible audiobooks. Unfortunately, complicated issues relating to copyright mean they are not available consistently outside of the US. House Andrews and publishers are working to address this issue and they understand how frustrating it is.

  226. Do Ilona or Gordon have any favorite fairytales or folklore?

    And who knew about “gigil” (one of the untranslatable words in Sapphire Flames)?

    • Filipino / Tagalog word. I am always surprised and delighted when I see Filipino culture/heritage in stories.

      • I knew it was Tagalog, but I was wondering if Ilona or Gordon knew of it before. I think they had either a manananggal or tikbalang as a monster in one of their stories, but I don’t remember.

  227. I have a question about Emerald Blaze. Catalina is worried that her grandmother could have hurt Alessandro. But since he is an antistasti that Albert Ravenscroft could not affect, why would Victoria be able to harm him?

    • The power, intelligence, experience and sheer cruelty differences between Albert Ravenscroft and Victoria Tremaine are so vast I feel like I could easily write about this until next year 😉

  229. Yay!! –I do have questions!! (sorry I am late on the reply)

    Would it be possible to provide a video, PSA, a how to etc. on how to do a home repair, a small project or just plain craft with (well, really without) your multitude of animal companions interfering?

    also — Does Gertrude Hunt allow the gray cat access or does the Inn discover the cat has gained access to different rooms?

  230. Ok ill be a huge pain! Im really dying to hear how maud and arlund pan out, hugh and elara and julie and derek. Is there any timeline for their new books? Am i being too greedy and rushing things?

  232. Hi,
    My question is does Richard Mar get his original face reconstructed back after Charlotte changes his features for their mission in Steels Edge?

  234. I Just realized that almost all your books seem to occur over just a few days or 2 weeks or less. I’m just wondering if this is something you do on purpose or if it just works out that way? For example David Eddings or Raymond Feist often have books that can take place over months or even years.

  235. I know HA mentioned they have fulfilled their contractual obligations for Hidden Legacy series. However I was wondering if they wanted to self publish an Augustine spin off *fingers crossed*would they be allowed to or does their previous publisher “own” anything written in the Hidden Legacy world & therefore they cannot write further Hidden Legacy series/spinoffs without their publisher’s permission? If so how does that work?

  236. 1- more pets and visiting wild/tame animals are always appreciated!
    2- roman. please. his sense of humor and level-headedness with everyone except his family appeals to me.
    3- the ferret heist was absolutely my favorite scene. i re-read it every so often and it still delivers!
    4- thank you for writing, and sharing your stories with me.
    5- book recommendations, because writing is a lot more work than reading. and i want you to have time for family & pets & hobbies.

  237. How about a playdate with Helen and Marten?

    How about Bug finds his new four legged friend? (Dog, not cat. And I’m a cat person.)

    Howzabout some Roman?

    What does Orro cook for a New Years party?

    What are Ilona and/or Gordon’s comfort breakfasts?

    And, my daughter says if Ilona likes Stardew Valley, she might like Slime Rancher. Says it is very cute and fun. (I wouldn’t know as I last played a computer game 30-ish years ago. I’d spend all night playing…)

    Happy New Year to all.

  238. Nonsense question, just for fun. What would an IA multiverse look like? Would George’s Aunt Maud get along with Dina’s Maud? What would happen if little Helen met the Edge’s Helen?

    Spoilery question next. Is there a significance to an Innkeeper’s robe going dark when power is used? I thought the dark color was only for the ad-hal, but I think there were scenes where both Gerard and Dina had dark, billowing robes.

  239. I wonder about which stories influenced House Andrews when they were young and if they think it reflects on their writing. I wonder if Ilona’s Russian upbringing influenced her childhood book choices. My earliest recollection of reading was an illustrated collection of the Snow Queen and the Little Mermaid and so I also wonder if there are childhood books that the BDH have in common. Kelly

  240. 1. Any idea when the BDH could expect publication of the non-Subterranean Press print editions of Small Magics and Kinsmen Universe? I see no sign of them on Amazon, and I haven’t noticed any further posts about them since the initial announcement in September, I think?

    2. How do you get to be a beta reader for HA books? (Any of them, I love ’em all!)

    Thank you to House Andrews for writing such lovely books and to them and Mod R for running a cool, funny blog that’s steered clear of politics when the world has become such a crazy place.

  242. My question. Do we get a chance to see more of George, Jack, Sophie, Gaston and Klaus? I am wondering if Klaus and George work together as a team with Klaus being like a handler for George. Sorta like the A-Team rescuing people across the multi-verse.

  243. Hi – I remember reading a short story about Elara long before Hugh came around. I’d really love to read it again, and any others that might have been written about the White Lady. I believe it might have been included in some collection (not HA), but I can’t remember which one – I’ve read dozens. Can you help?

  244. Have you watched Yellowstone? It’s like they read your books and made a cowboy Hugh DAmbray with Rip. He’s not blood but worships Kevin Costner like Roland. Very interesting. Also, you should have a who would win question, like Kate versus Sophie and Cerise vs Meade.

  246. I will start with a thank you 🙂 I just started listening to your books on the german audible Platform and am hoocked.

    My question is, do we get any chance that you will write a pen and paper adventure in the magic universe one day? It would be SOOOO amazing to have tha magic and technic change throughout an adventure. It would be a blast to play it.

    <3 reguards from Germany, Jill

  247. Has there been any thoughts on having a section with actual pronunciation for names in the different series? I noticed the authors say character names differently than I hear them in my head and there were some comments during some of the zoom chats that other readers think so, too.

  249. In Sapphire Flames, Catalina asks Linus why Benedict is allowed “to operate” and he says there is a great many things he wished he could change. I know that he being “Caesar”is popular, but can he be Caesar if he dislikes what Benedict is? After all look at the type of people Caesar employed. Is it brother against brother? **sigh…**

    Thank you for the best stories.

  250. I love how you say “House Andrews,” like they are one of the holy space vampire houses or something. Which makes me think of all the things that might go with that. Such as a motto, a heraldic device or badge, etc. What might House Andrews things might be?

  252. Has there any thought be given to writing an Arbitrator series with Klaus & George, Sofie, Jack, & Gaston?

    Will Orro discover grocery delivery? And/or will the Inn grounds develop more gardens & livestock to accommodate it’s influx of guests?

  253. Will there be any short stories from Nevada or Connor? Or Kate or Curran? Anything from Derik? I would love those!

  254. Still dying to know rest of story of how Dina’s Dad met her Mom & got unstuck from magical trap 😊

  255. Does House Andrews ever eat shuba?

    (House Andrews is responsible for my interest in Soviet, Ukrainian, and Siberian cuisine. Probably.)

  256. What creative decision about world building and/or character development have you most regretted or would you like to go back in time to amend? Obviously, as Authorlords*, you change “minor” details** (like Arrosa’s Prime status), but have you had to create awkward explanations/leave out awesome ideas because of something to big/connected to change?

    Basically, what alternative stories and scenes /didn’t/ we get to read because of continuity? And what good things only happened because of a creativity-inducing continuity-related obstacle?

    *and I use the term advisedly
    **your milage may vary

        • George the Arbitrator and his retinue (Jack, Gaston and Sophie) are all crossover characters from the Edge series, as the adult versions of Rose’s younger brothers.

          They feature prominently in Sweep in Peace, but we also catch a glimpse of them in Clean Sweep and they get referenced in most of the other books.

          I hope this helps 🙂

  259. Two Innkeeper questions that have always confused me–

    1) Dina gets poisoned by the Lees, and Sean makes a deal with Nuan Cee to get the cure. But like how is that even fair? Shouldn’t that be Nuan Cee just paying her back since it was his people who poisoned her in the first place?? Wasn’t that part of the contract etc that he would have agreed to as a guest? Harming her technically affects her ability to protect the other guests, so surely it’s their fault? I don’t see why Sean should even owe a favor to Nuan Cee.

    2) In the first couple Innkeepers, Arland & the other knights get surprised by coffee and don’t know what it is and get…. free xD. But also, I think in Sweep of the Blade, it’s also mentioned in the who Vala tree party thing that Maud gets invited to that she used to have other vampires get into a “drinking contest” with her ending with them drunk and her needing to pee lol. But I guess I don’t quite understand why if these vampires know about coffee, Arland/others wouldn’t? Was he just sheltered?? haha

  260. Do you think we’ll ever see Roman fall in love? Would love to see the person he ends up since he is such a contradiction, a black volhv and with such a happy personality. His match would have to be just as interesting.

  261. First of all, I know I am way behind on asking any questions and it is probably too late. I am constantly behind on everything! It’s the story of my life! First I would like to say thank you for giving us new little snippets into life at the Inn. It’s been fun! Okay, my question is, will there be, or has there been any additions to the Origins Story? Maybe another snippet in an anthology book? Or did I miss it somehow. Which is totally possible. Karina, Lucas, Henry and the gang are intriguing. Also I would like to say that I totally understand that you can not possibly keep up to all the demands of your many fans, even as super human as you two must be! LOL I also probably have some questions about the edge series, but I should probably finish reading those before I start questioning things! Thanks for sharing all your creativity with us and putting up with such crazy people! 🙂 Charmayne

  262. We’ve been introduced to Claude, recruiting George as an Arbitrator. Listened to Dina’s rumination about the childhood and adventures with her brother after their parents vanished. We have gasped at the cliffhanger last words of Maud’s story.
    Do we get to know Claude in his own story similar to Sweep of the Blade? Or further prequel about the parents?
    ♥️I really love these books.

  263. i wonder what happened to the snippet of when Nevada informed Rogan that she was pregant.?

    • Hey Marcia,

      The “My Favourite Truthseeker” snippet is no longer available. The wider scene was reworked for EB and the pregnancy reveal removed altogether.
      This is due to extremely negative reactions regarding Nevada’s pregnancy and how she was “pregnant wrong”. Some readers called her offensive names.
      House Andrews feels that pregnancy is a vulnerable enough state in a woman’s life and the last thing they would want is their pregnant fans reading cruel comments about choices, weight gain, appearance etc.

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