ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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  7. Kind of demon-y, especially the hilt. I was thinking the mysterious old enemy that was mentioned for Kate 10, but now I’m thinking Candice is right and it’s for Innkeeper. Kind of the same feel as the earlier artwork, and I believe Ilona mention they’d be starting it back up this month or next month, so I’m thinking the timing is right for Innkeeper.

    I’m looking forward to whatever it is, even if it’s just artwork of a hand holding a sword. 😉

  9. Oooooo…. hmmmmm… stumped.

    I want to say Inn Keeper Universe, but no vampire would put such a scrawny vampire as cross guard. Can we have another body part?

    • It’s so pretty!

      I’m hoping it’s Innskeeper, just because I’ve been missing Innkeeper. Hmm… when last we checked in, they were being summoned to the Assembly, and who knows what goes on there?

      (As an aside – those horns! OMG – I mean, technically the hilt is set back far enough that it could be reasonable, but I would whack myself on the inside of the arm, kind of up from the thumb, it’s not even theoretical, I used to have a jian with an overly pokey hilt and ended up deciding that it was more trouble than it was worth – lousy blade, too. I suppose there is armor, and different styles, and people who are better / less klutzy / more self protective than me, but… ouch.)

    • Maybe Maud on cover of Innkeeper 4? Slender wrist, vampire armor & exquisite sword gift from Arland.

          • Not a hoof! Looks like those shoes ninjas and martial arts students who dislike walking barefoot wear.

            • I agree. Toes on ground heal up. And can I say “squeeeeeee!!!!” I’m so excited for a new innkeeper (esp with all the work you have to do 🙂

          • At first it looks kinda like a hoof. But the distance between what would be the hock and the hoof is too short for a hoofed animal of that size. Also, my screen isn’t that good but it looks like toes on that “hoof.” So I was going with the paw idea until I realized the “hock” could be a heel. Others mentioned a martial artist. Hmm, perhaps a hairy foot isn’t out of the realm of possibility?

      • Still say Inn Keeper, mostly because of colouring around the form. Could we have a hint? Male or Female?

      • *snicker* Now we’re all on the watch list…”here’s a group who is looking for body parts!”

        • It’s like a game show. “Can I have another piece of the board, please?”

          It does kind of look like a hoof, but I’m wondering if it could be someone in a boot standing on their toes, and we just can’t see high enough up the foot yet. That could be the heel at the top of the picture instead of an ankle joint.

          Not sure why someone with a sword would be standing on their toes, but that’s totally beside the point.

          We need like a 5×5 grid or something with the two squares filled in.

          • I agree with the boot theory!! Especially if you blow the size of the picture up. And also the armor does like something that would belong in the inn keeper realm. So exciting!!! Whatever it ends up being.

          • My first thought was hoof, but yes it does have a distinctive boot toe feel about it….. Hopefully no high heels though, just standing on tiptoe … Why, who knows?

        • Heh heh heh:) good point!
          I think it may be Helen, taking up her Mothers sword for some reason. She is pretty darn fierce!

  10. Looks like a writing assignment to me. Something along the line of ‘write a story for this picture’. Ugh, I can almost hear my college professor’s voice. Not my best subject. I’ll be very happy to read what ever you write!

  11. Don’t know who it’s for, but it’s beautiful.
    I’m looking forward to seeing more of it or hearing more about it…
    Thanks!

  19. The art style is very fun; thanks for posting.
    The engineer in me has to ask a question based on this picture: Wouldn’t the head’s horns cause problems for the user? i.e. stabbing the hand at inconvenient moments?
    Thanks for the fun peek!

      • WICKEDLY purty!!! ?. Who wouldn’t jump up and down saying “Yes, please!” if offered a sword like this?

      • That it is. I might even go so far as to say it is “Bad-ass”! Seeing someone preparing to use that sword on me would require a major rethink of my situation and how I can put more distance between me and the sword wielder.

    • On a serious note, probably not, because they are protruding at an outward angle about as much as a baskethilt. But also purty.

      • The hilt also looks long enough to be two handed, which would decrease how much it’s moving wrt the wrists. I start thinking jian because a) it’s become my favorite and b) there is a tradition of faces vaguely like that but they’re pretty far out there on the whipping things around your own wrist and arm scale. (A basket hilt wouldn’t work for that. Ahaha… ow.)

        …and I’m staring at this too much because I’m only mostly over a bug, and I’m supposed to teach in ten minutes. Speaking of swords.

  20. Strange orientation, possibly drawing from sheath on left side with right hand rather than in use? Non-human arm? Scales on hand & arm?

  22. I thought the demon head was part of the sheath. AS for the hoof, in Kate 8, wasn’t there a djinn that used to be a ghoul?

  24. This looks very Arland-armoury to me, so I’m lining up with the innkeeper lot and saying Maud.

    But a hoof? What is she riding? Do space vamps ride animals?

    That’s knocked me for six now.

  26. considering the 2nd body part i m thinking a centaur….very possible fr innkeeper, post second shift magic…possible fr Kate or Hugh too

  28. As a horse person, I would not call that a hoof. More like a “toe”.of course it is fun to endlessly speculate.

  30. Yes, Maud with wonderful talking sword .It’s a face and I say it talks. Don’t know if that is a hoof. Maybe. But I love the art and definitely the hand has some sort of armor. It’s December and a new Innkeeper would be a fantastic gift to the BDH. We have been waiting for a new Innkeeper, and I think our waiting is almost over. Thank you for the snippet.

  31. In the lone star State sits a husband and wife author team, cackling over their tormentations of the fanbase. As a pair that writes about shapeshifters, you’d think they’d know teasing dangerous wild animals / people eho have been worked worked into a frenzy may have unintended results. Like voodoo curses that leave you unable to stop writing until we have all the stories!

    That’s not the wind howling, it’s the chorus of the ravenous fans: “give us more! Give us answers! now”

    • Not wise. At least part one had a somewhat mollifying snippet. Which makes me think it’s a Kate world. Could be Julie, as she has the skinny wrists, but she likes the tactical tomahawks/axes. Got to be Maud, I suppose. Or someone new. In the Hugh world order perhaps.

  35. I hope it is another Innkeeper. It would be most welcome in the dark and dismal winter. I will have my books and yarn

  36. All awesomeness! I’ll happily read whatever it is or just look at the pretty pictures, whatever! I did like that grid idea someone floated earlier…

  37. We are looking at the front, toe end, of booted right foot. A hinge is at the outside of the right ankle. It must be Maude because the wrist and ankle are thin.

    • We are looking at the front, toe end, of booted right foot. A hinge is at the outside of the right ankle. It must be Maude because the wrist and ankle are thin. A second look makes me think it is a fastener rather than a hinge because it is too high compared to the sole of the boot.

  39. Ohhh what a tease…I also hope it’s Maude and/or Innkeeper 4. But I have a vague memory of Ilona mentioning a new ‘world’ w/dragons.

  40. I want it to be Lady Hugh. I want her to be a total pee-your-pants bad ass.

    Maude is possible.

    Dark Kate? LOL! Just kidding.

    JULIE? Cause that would be shocking!

  41. I too missed mysterious hand part one. From THIS post i am going for new bei g from Innkeeper. I do not think that is armor, at leazt not yhe put on kind. I think it is skin/natural armor. And that defjnitely looks like a hoofy boot.

    Alternate guess would be one nof the dragons from Kate.

  43. I go with Maud, but I think it’s too big for Helen, on her toes. As always. There’s always Sophie, but that isn’t the kind I’d sword I picturered her with.

  46. Agree: looks like it should be for the innkeeper series.
    Agree: wrist is way to thin for a sword of that heft.
    Agree: looking forward to another book from that series, but no where as much as Kate 10 or Hugh’s.

  47. You are a fiendish genius at throwing the BDH into a speculative frenzy. I absolutely LOVE the way you keep us dangling, and I bow to your mischievousness oh great author lord!!!

    The artwork is amazing. I am duly captivated and eagerly await your next enticement!

  51. If the answer is Kate 10, I vote for more Erra awesomeness! But I’m fairly certain it’s Maud. The sword and boot are super similar (minus the face) to the image of Maud and Helen in “One Fell Sweep”. Ilona did mention they wanted to do a Maud story… 😉

    • I don’t care if it’s Maud, Erra, Kate, or someone I’ve never heard of. As long as they keep writing, I’m happy. 🙂

      • Author Lords write = happiness
        Cover art = not required 😉

        I agree as long as this means one of their books is closer to being in my hands I am ready to cheer!

        Plus, no silly man/woman cheesy poses which is just a bonus.

        Sword art = kick some serious keisters (Yay!)

  54. Possibly Maud, but if so, she has terrible taste in guards – those horns are likely to slice open the wrist of the user! And, according to the last Innkeeper, she was presented with an “exquisite” sword by Arland. There is nothing exquisite about that guard or hilt. In fact, it is right there with “ugly”. About the only positive thing to be said of it is that the sheer weight of the metal creating the guard makes a pretty good counterbalance to the blade. And only someone with the strength of Arland would be able to swing it for more than a few seconds.

    • I would say that Maud would be able to use it for more than enough time that is one tough warrior!

  55. The hilt points to a two-handed sword which is usually carried on the back.
    1) The demon’s head is part of the sheath and will threaten anyone sneaking up from behind.
    2) Or the demon is bonded to the sheath and will be released while pulling the sword

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