This has been a bit of a hellish week for multiple reasons, but I wanted to touch up on our upcoming Q&A.
First, I bribe you with a funny. Gordon and I game. Matt, Jeaniene Frost’s husband, also plays pc and video games. She doesn’t.
She called me this week and said, “Matt insisted that I send you this mug he found. He tried to explain it to me, but it’s too complicated. Anyway, he said you guys will understand.”
The mug just arrived. Look at this artifact and despair, for we are now so much cooler than you.
Legendary Coffee Mug
Souldbound
Offhand.
+135 Intellect
+130 Stamina.
Cream Socket
Sugar Socket.
Socket bonus: +155 Haste.
Requires Level 110.
“Keeps You Alert and Ready”
Equip: Increases your concentration by 35% for 90 minutes.
It is socketed. Matt, you are beyond awesome.
Now onto less awesome news. We have almost 900 people registered for tomorrow’s Zoom. The capacity is 500. We normally “overbook” like the airlines, because if 100 people sign up, only 50-75 will show up. Somehow 900 people signed up for 500 limited Zoom webinar.
So tomorrow meeting will be first come first serve. The first 500 people through the Zoom door will get to attend. It will be very informal. We will go straight into questions, which Mod R already sent us for review. There is a section called Whatthefuckery. I love you all, you do know these are characters and not real people, right? Please say yes.
So tomorrow, Aug 27, 2022 10:00 AM in Central Time (US and Canada). If you are unsure of the time, here is a converter.
There is still time to email Mod R with questions at modr@ilona-andrews.com. We are debating on whether the video will be uploaded because there will be spoilers in it, but probably yes.
The next thing is the Reddit AMA on Monday.
The last thing is the Houston Library Zoom appearance on September 6th, for which you can register here.
That will conclude the promotion marathon for Ruby Fever. We will be equipping the mug for the entirety of it.
Brief answers to really frequent questions.
Trying to shave off a little bit of the most common questions so we can have more time tomorrow. Spoilers below.
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We have some queries regarding how well Ruby Fever and Tapas Innkeeper Chronicles have done. We will know a bit more next Wednesday regarding Ruby Fever. We don’t have any frame of reference for the Tapas, so we honestly have no idea. They haven’t said anything one way or the other.
Arabella’s inability to do long division has zero bearing on her ability to use Gusto, QuickBooks, and Excel. Those of you who run your own businesses, when was the last time you divided anything you couldn’t calculate in your head on a piece of paper? Calculators and computers are wonderful things.
Dual mages are rare. This is becoming another “First.” For awhile, any time there was a slightly odd shapeshifter, BDH proclaimed that they were a First. There are only two Firsts. Three as of Blood Heir #2, and two of them are related.
There are actually not many dual mages, and those who are usually have a very weak secondary talent. The exception to this rule is Arthur, because as of now nobody knows if one of his talents is dominant. But Bern, Leon, Matilda, Runa, Cornelius, Penelope, Grandma Frida, Evil Grandma Victoria, Augustine, Konstantin, Michael (both of them), Mihail, Regina, all of them are single mages. Connor is a dual, but remember, this was very much by design of his father.
The Baylor sisters’ genetics is funky, so Catalina and Nevada are both dual, but Arabella is not. Metamorphosis is a very jealous power that leave no room for anyone else. Arabella is not a wereape and Mihail is not really a bear. Mages in HL do not transform into regular animals. They transform into Chimera-like monsters. Creatures that summoners pull out of arcane realm look weird, and so do metamorphosis mages. But people still try to associate what they see with something familiar so an ursine monster with horns becomes a bear. š
See you tomorrow!
I’m sorry it’s been a hellish week. Hope everything is ok. Loved Ruby Fever, did not register for zoom but I hope it goes well. Roman is my favourite. Need more Roman. Also + thumbs up to coffee mug, am going to search for one for my husband. God speed!
Heh. First. I know it’s only for inkeeper but ha.
*chanting*
HEA for Roman short story
(someday maybe please š
Excited for tomorrow and hope I get in! Thanks for the answers and hope you get some down time to rest and relax after the crazy week.
I am confused about one thing. I thought Linus was a dual, a barely average Siren & prime Hephaestus mage.
He is š . Slip of the hellish week.
What about the guy Nevada killed on the freeway and took the body back? He was a dual Significant Illusion mage and Average Psionic.
And that has a bearing on the list of people who are NOT dual magesā¦.in what way?
I think there was a little confusion due to bringing up the situation with the Firsts in KD. Some people (myself included at first) read it as a comparison of “dual mages are as rare as Firsts” and then were confused because there are a decent number of dual mages in the books, outside of the family and the given list. (David Howling, technically Rynda should be dual (White Hot p274 MM), Philip McRaven, etc.) Dual mages are presented as fairly uncommon, but not quite like Firsts. I think the comparison was just a little confusing. On reread, and with your response, it seems more like the phrasing was itself a response to reader speculation being similar, rather than the relative levels of rarity. Which is why some people might have been asking why duals are considered so rare when we have ample examples in the books that they’re not nearly as rare as Firsts.
On the other hand, saying something like “Prime duals are as rare as Firsts” would seemingly make sense given that there’s only Sturm seen so far in HL and likewise we only currently have Curran (and now Conlan) in KD.
Apologies for injecting myself into the conversation. I was just hoping to propose an explanation of the possible misunderstanding.
Oh, I read that as dual Primes, not dual mages of any strength.
Dual mage does not mean dual prime. There are almost no dual primes, we only hear of 1 in the whole 6 book series, Alexander Sturm in Wildfire.
Which of you is claiming the mug? Or are mugs communal property as in, whoever happens to grab it? =)
I hope it get in! We will be driving to Nj so my daughter will turn it on so we can listen.
Apologies in advance to everyone in the car for how annoying my voice is š
To those in the U.S., you have an accent. We Americans love accents, as long as they’re not American accents. Those we mock.
I have an accent to everyone, Iām not a native English speaker ????.
The kids have headphones lol. But they have heard snippets of every IA book. My oldest who is 19 but not driving with is has actually read all of KD and Inn Keeper.
Accents dont bother me or them either. I am from Trinidad and code switch between
American accent and my native accent even though both languages are english. My father in law is Chinese but lives in Japan. Different accents, sometimes languages are just a normal part of life for my family.
You have a great voice, bot in tone and how you keep the discussion going in a friendly way that leads to all the knowledge gems. š Your mug should have a +200 multi-tasking attribute!
Very glad youāve got this HA job.
Yea! To 200 multitasking! I feel like I run my Game that way.
You have a lovely voice Mod R, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Congratulations on having a Legendary Artifact! Does it have a Minor Curse of -2 to getting to bed on time?
Please post the video, even with spoilers. I think of spoilers the way Rooster thinks of balls of cheese. They are lovely treats that in no way affect my appetite for dinner.
I hope your weekend is wonderful and you get a chance to relax.
‘These characters are not real’ I subscribe to the belief put forward by Gaiman, among many- that if enough people believe strongly enough the imaginary becomes real. Given the combined strength of the BDH, I do believe there is an alternate world out there where Grandma Frida is fixing tanks, Runa is done sneaking in Berns room, Cornelius has another alien monster pet to sic on bad guys, Arthur is making toy weapons out of stuffed bunnies and the Baylor family is living and loving well. So to tell me they aren’t real? Ha.????
My cat is banned from TV at present in case she gets any ideas from ‘ a dream of 1000 cats’
I watched that with my cats hanging on me and really hoped they would not get any ideas.
I would not try banning my cats from anything – that will inevitably disappoint.
It’s how we got a hodag, after all.
Love this!
Have you read John Scalzi’s Redshirts? This is exactly what happens.
Please upload the video!! I realize there are folks who maybe have yet to read RF, but I would think a warning should be ok. Proceed at own risk hehe. I have to work tomorrow so was going to just listen along. I will go ahead and deregister as that will be easier on me anyway. No distractions in the lab, heh
Great mug!
Ooooohh now Iām going to obsess over who the new first is in Blood Heir ???? I know it isnāt Derek
Pretty sure that’s their son, Conlan. Could be wrong, though.
Oh, sorry. I skipped right over that “third as of Blood Heir 2”.
I was wondering about this too. Curran’s dad was a First. Was his mom?
Then there are Curran and his son Conlan. Was the Egyptian jackal in Andrea’s book a first?
āThere have only been 2 Firsts so far. Two of them are relatedā.
The third will appear in Blood Heir 2.
I’m glad there’s a Blood Heir 2. Mod R you have the best job ever.
I sure do ????
+1 ????
We get Blood Heir 2 *squeals with joy*. Does this mean Conlan gets a sister in Blood Heir 2? But only two of them are related? Who can this First be?
Iā¦really need that mug.
I’m definitely not a gamer. I understood the words, just not in that configuration. Can we get a translation?
Soulbound: cannot be utilized by anyone but you.
Offhand: to be equipped in the shield or secondary weapon slot.
Intellect: increases your smarts
Stamina: increases how much you can do
Sockets: add additional buffs to the already amazing artifact you’re wielding.
Haste: increases speed when sockets are filled
Must have a level 110 character or higher to equip
When used it increases your concentration for 90 minutes
Thanks!
+1
Thank you! That was very helpful.
I needed a translation too Tink. ????
Nicely done!
And I want that mug but for tea š
Thank you for that, I got a tiny bit of it from my old D&D past. But didn’t know lots of it.
However the same past meant I completely understood the translation ????
Ditto!
Right? Just found it on amazon. I’m in the process of ordering one for an upcoming birthday of a good gamer friend. It’s to expensive to get one for me as well but man I wish I could splurge right now…
I gave my dad a mug like that for christmas one year, we played WOW together, so I was so excited ????
Congratulations on getting almost to the end of this hellish week, I hope you can relax after the promo is done and that both RF and Tapas are huge commercial successes!
Ruby Fever is outstanding, so nuanced and emotionally satisfying as it wraps up most of the outstanding plot points from earlier books.
And thanks for the hint on Blood Heir 2! Something to anticipate ~
Love the mug! Thanks for all the details! Appreciate all the time you spent on writing this up
I LOVE that mug. If only they did one for Tea drinkers, Iād be on that like Nutella on toast.
I wonder if the Tea version can give a boost to Comfort rather than Haste ????????
Love the mug! I love that Jeaniene didn’t get it, but knew you would love it.
As long time gamers, I have been putting that (or a similar one) in and out of my Amazon basket. Unfortunately my husband and I have an agreement that only gifted mugs make it into the house now … he may be receiving one for his birthday … or the other option is if one breaks, hmmmm… š
BLOOD HEIR #2!!!
Yes, all caps.
I hope you decide to post the video! I’m a weirdo that loves spoilers though lol.
you are not alone. I love spoilers too! for me they are the amuse-bouche of entertainment … and I get so sad when I read a thread that claims to have a spoiler but doesn’t. š
Me too. Spoilers are like tasty surprise treats. They donāt ruin the experience of the book for me at all. ????
Thank you for all the lovely chances to watch you two. I would love a chance to see Gordon “let his hair down”. *Please* show the entire session.
I adore spoilers. They have no effect on my enjoyment of the upcoming whatever because I can never figure out how the leaked info could be applied. (Especially if HA is involved in the project.)
I thought I was out of luck for this book. I was not able to join Wednesday’s Zoom appearance and missed out on tomorrow – too slow, too slow – so I planned on seeing what I could and not worrying about it.
If I can, I’ll possibly watch more than one appearance.
Thanks again…
Who is the third!!!!
Is this confirmation???
Is my brain so fried I can’t remember the third???
I re-read I see my mistake…. it’s been a long week
Is Arabella the only metamorphosis mage who is rational when transformed or is Mihail also rational?
Also the kibbutzing about Common Core was spot on.
I think that depends on how you define *rational*ā¦ he did not seem all that rational before he transformed. š
But he is obviously a prime.
Finished the book this evening. It was awesome!
I am still Team Michael/Arabella.
Hope your days are less hellish!
how long will the zoom last tomorrow morning, do you have a hard end time?
Thanks,
Theyāre usually between an hour and an hour and a half ????
Please Please Please upload the recording of the zoom after it is done tomorrow. I agree a spoiler warning should suffice for those who donāt want to be spoiled. I am one of the 900 to register & would be heartbroken to miss the Zoom as I work during the week & cannot make it to the others. Thank you !
The characters are not real people?!? Shirley, you jest. ????????????
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”
Albus Dumbledore
This! Love this quote so much!
+1!
+1
I’m with Jeanienne on not understanding the mug š
Please upload the video incliding spoilers. No one is forced to watch it.
Pleeeeease put up the spoiler, I have so many questions and can’t attend, so I feel like I’d be missing out on so much if you don’t put the video up ????
My husband suggests to use a webinar or large meeting in zoom, when there are more than 500 participants.
I have no idea how that works, but he uses zoom work-related and was convinced that it is easy to do.
And please upload the video – there will be 400 people not able to enter, and (presuming I’m one of them) we will be so unhappy ????
Also as a non-native speaker it is a blessing to be able to rewatch some parts I didn’t understand directly.
+1000
Love the Mug…. just need to find one for myself now!
Have a fun Brunch, I’ll be waiting for the recording/transcript as I’m currently in a bus on the way to Scout Camp…no chance of Zoom in a field sadly!
*I’ll be waiting for the recording/transcript….if you’re able to post it, if not, I’ll just wait for the next books etc. to find out what was said!
Sorry hit post before finishing!
Thank you so much for Ruby Fever! Just finished it yesterday and still reeling from it. Cuold you please let us know if you record and upload the Q&A to any social media? Would love to see and hear you talking about your books!
Hey Flavia,
Ilona addresses in the post that they’re still debating whether it will be uploaded or not-if it is, it will be linked here on the blog, you don’t have to go hunting on social media for it š
question: are the zooms recorded and posted else where, say like youtube? if so were can we watch it and hear the goodness that you all are!
thank you for all your hard work, it is loved by all of us
hugs
so i posted the comment above before reading all the posts
please forgive me Mod R i will be more dilagent in the future
This is what happens when you write great books, characters become real and fans obsess over every detail of those fictional lives. It makes me laugh but you get the headache and the paycheck. Enjoy!
I didn’t realize the Zoom today was first come first serve , so sad . Please , please ,please upload it later so the rest of us can enjoy it too. I hope Ilona and Gordon’s week gets better.
How do I get into the zoom? I registered but did not receive a link and don’t see one here š
When I registered (last week) it gave me a webinar ID but no password or link.
That is the best. mug. ever. Need one!! Hope next week is less hellish.
Love love love Ruby Fever!
Sorry for the difficult week. Ruby Fever was fantastic. I canāt zoom, so Iām looking forward to the script. Spoilers are fine. Lovely even. Thank you. For such wonderful books. Iām not a gamer, so Iām with Jeaniene. No idea what the mug says, but enjoy.
Mod R, you have a lovely accent to this Midwestern American. Thank you so much for moderating today’s chats and for all you do in helping HA so that they can create more of the stories that we all love!
Not to sound creepy or anything, but your makeup was flawless. I was going to put fierce, but was afraid it wouldn’t translate well to other speakers. ????
Awww, thank you ????
Yes, Jeanine, I don’t get it either . Other than “Soulbound” being the fantastic first book of Bethany Adams’ “Return of the Elves ” series, and I love my Decaf Coffee āļøā£ļøāļøā£ļø āļøā£ļøI don’t have a clue. I use my computer and iPhone to read, listen, and order stuff, mostly books and yarn. As long as my last update works on my old 12″ MaBook and I can still get upgrades on my iPhone 11, I will be blissful. I don’t have time in my life to play games or stream TV. Apparently, if there is a mug celebrating a game about coffee, some people have time for it, But I just want to drink it- All Day Long!
I just figured that since siren grandpa is dual(and probably his paternal relatives as well) that he passed it on to his granddaughters, and they might pass it on to their kids.
Just wanted to say the Zoom chat was awesome! BDH who couldn’t be there, you need to find it and watch! Mod R you have been doing such a fabulous job, thank you. And are you actually Lina to look so spectacular every time we see you? I’m so impressed.
I am so sorry that you have had a hellish week and hope it improves. I try to just take things day by day and do what is in front of me when I’m in that situation.
I know you’ve heard this a million times, but I absolutely love this series and these characters. I’ve read these books so many times – and also your other series. They are such good stories and have been a joy in difficult times.
A Tapas question-did you have input in how the different alien species will look like? I have read a few chapters and am getting hooked but wondered how close to your vision the species will be. It would be a bonus if you did as it helps create a better picture in my head????
House Andrews are working very closely with Tapas and have a lot of editorial input https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/surprise-innkeeper-announcement/ .
There are certain style conventions of the webcomic format, like the chibis, the type of muscle frame, or the prettiness of the faces. Those are inherent to the art genre and the Innkeeper has to operate within that. But for example the werewolves evolved a lot from first concept, under House Andrewsā input, into something a lot closer to the Innkeeper world mood.
Thank you for hosting us!
Didn’t catch everything, but it was great!
(ModR you have such beautiful hair)
Yay. Reading this after the event.
Hadn’t seen this email. So glad I logged in on time as it was close. As I was traveling back from helping prepare our truck for Nottinghill Carnival tomorrow.
In answer to your question of :
” I love you all, you do know these are characters and not real people, right? Please say yes.”
Errrmmmmmm maybe not in some of our heads… but we love you all too, if that helps?
????????????????
Have a fabulous day!
This is on the wrong post, but I wanted to ask on the most recent. Does Gisela have any magic to speak of? I didn’t notice a mention of it.
I NEED to know where Matt got that mug. Both my husband and I are gamers.
HA (as always) is amazing. Thank you for sharing your work and worlds with us. I love each of them.
https://www.amazon.com/MMO-Mug-Legendary-Coffee-Ceramic/dp/B07TJZJ996/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2YND5NC25250C&keywords=Gamer+mug&qid=1661649608&sprefix=g%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-6
Thanks for the lovely zoom session- it was fabolous, so many things in context now. Also for me (european time zone) much more relaxed than the 2am session which was nevertheless totally worth the lack of sleep.
Thank you House Andrews for those sessions and Mod R for being our voice and asking all those questions.
Ruby Fever is a great book, and much sppreciated. Loved especially the harpy part.
Thanks. I hope it will be recorded as I don’t do zoom and didn’t sign up as I’m in New Zealand and the time didn’t work
Great webinar, thank you Ilona and Gordon for being so generous with your time. Ruby Fever is a fantastic book, I did the fast read, and will be reading it again soon. Mod R, you always do a terrific job, both here, and with the Zoom webinars. I really enjoy this community!
What do you mean not real? Leon is obviously real, as is Bug. Both Grandmas are so real. Pfft. Obviously you misspoke.
Question from a relative newbie to comments and total newbie to Tapas, but not to HA. Re Tapas character faces: What is the little “hook” mark often on one cheek, but not always there, and not always on the same cheek? I just found my own answer to my question about chibis, but can’t find the right question to Google for this.
Hey NK,
I think you mean the ādrop of sweatā symbol- see image attached, is that the one?
Itās the equivalent of the ???? or???? emoji- represents nervousness or discomfort, but also the relief āphewwā moments when you can wipe your brow after an intense moment has passed.
Thanks, Mod R!! You always have the answer for us! Yes, that’s it, and I did consider the possibility of sweat but couldn’t quite make sense of it that way. Knowing that it can be either tension or relief explains it perfectly.
PS: I’m trying again to include an image for me. We’ll see.
AARGH! I apologize, all! That’s not at all what I was trying to do. I was just trying to get my picture in the little ID circle instead of the “quilt pattern.” Sigh. If only computers would do what you want them to instead of what you told them to!
No worries, I can remove it if you want?
In order to get a profile photo, you need to head to Gravatar https://en.gravatar.com/. Create an account and upload a photo and then it will automatically pull it from there when you make a comment online ????
I loved Ruby Fever.
Spoiler alert below….read at your own peril.
I hope Arabella and the russian prince end up together. Their ship name can be ‘the monster mash’. Is that a euphemism? Not sure. Anyway, loved the book. Barnes and noble had it as a display which was cool.
+1 on monster mash – perfect.
Judging by the views on the free and last available to unlock episodes of the ānew realesesā column, Innkeeper seems solidly mid-pack. Way behind some of the super pretty Korean fantasy romance webtoons, but equal to others, and double the views of a decent number of other webtoons.
Iām sure tapas has complex data on how well its doing (and not all the new releases came out the same day), but as a long time tapas user itās seems like a decent first week.
The Innkeeper is a new comer to the Tapas audience, so being mid-pack in a new market is totally respectable. It would be fun to see the stats and watch it move up the rankings. I’m willing to bet that the second Innkeeper book makes an even stronger showing, there’s something really special about this series.
1. That mug is amazing. Well found, Matt!
2. Blood Heir #2!!!!!!!!!!
3. ???? whatthefuckery is absolutely right!
4. Yāall are just amazing.
Every.Last.OneofYou
Just finished Ruby Fever. AWESOME! I have to admit I wasn’t the biggest Fan of Catalina at the start but THE GROWTH?? WOW!
Now I meed you to do me a favor. Please tell me we get Arabellas Story aswell! I love the way she tinks and the Short Storys just aren’t enough.
+100
+100 on Catalina comment. Also looking forward Arabella story.
My week improved today: Ruby Fire arrived in my mailbox.
Now everyone go away, I have a book to read!!!!!
I had to work and missed the zoom.
Please post it as you have before.
We truly enjoy listening to your conversation and thoughts.
Loved the Q and A yesterday thank you ???? got answers to some burning questions I had since reading Ruby Fever (and had been speculating about on Facebook)
Since I probably wonāt make it to Zoom meeting, can someone help me?
I wondered for a long time what passive field of a telekinetic looks like. What is Connorās passive power?
Yes please upload video I couldnāt get in! Thank you for doing the q&a! RF was amazing and so sad that itās over. But I started a reread of innkeeper after it since I saw it was on KU. Then decided to buy the ebook since I had audible only versionsā¦love u guys!!
It’s a good thing that it’s for an off-hand slot; now you can vanquish your enemies with your weapon of choice whilst drinking coffee. The cream and sugar sockets give a nice variation bonus of stats depending on what’s used. In short; damnthatsanicemugwheredoigetone????
Have fun with the Zoom tomorrow!
A while back there was a blog post on all the stuff they were working on. Anyone by chance know how to find that again?
The Zoom session happened yesterday, this is a post from Friday š
You can always check the Release Schedule to find out any official, set in stone news about upcoming projects https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
House Andrews have decided to not announce what they are working on until it is ready to be published, in order to avoid pressure and disappointed fans. For more details, please see https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/on-being-difficult/
Does anyone know if the zoom meeting was recorded? Will it be available to anyone who wasnāt able to make it?
I’ve just finished Ruby Fever..what an awesome book!
You may have told us this in earlier posts…but is there going to be an Arabella story?
Thank you once again for an amazing story.
No promises, but probably ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/happy-birthday-to-ruby-fever-and-discussion-thread/
Love the mug. Here’s another one for your collection.
I love how Ruby Fever shows us that being intimidating is more important to being the money person in your house than being good at Math.
* slips in the side door and inserts a +100 Focus Tasteful Facetted Hazelnut Milky Amber and +100 Stamina Prismatic Raw Sugar Quartz into the sockets and slips away *
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post. I did not register for the Zoom as I had a family commitment. Sigh I hope all had a great session.
I did finally get a chance to read Ruby Fever and enjoyed it. Good job.
Thank you! For the book and the media stuff. Hopefully things are slowing down. To be honest I am having a great couple of weeks. My birthday was last week and I received book gift cards and Sees candy (family favorite). Plus this month has a lot of my favorite authors books coming out. You and Gordon, Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs, and Meghan Ciana Doidge. Plus J.D. Robb & Jayne Castle coming in September.
So I am a happy camper. I hope you get to take a break after the release.