It’s 11:12 am and I am so behind. All I accomplished so far was a workout and a shower and some admin email. Grrr, Monday.
We have the cover. Wooo! Still gorgeous beyond all reason. Buy link here in case you missed the first flurry of publicity.
We have found the reader for Fated Blades. We are going with Aaron Shedlock.
I am sure as I write this, someone is typing their complete displeasure with the way Aaron pronounces letter B or punctuates his sentences. I am not here for that. Aaron read a sample for us, and the 8 people involved, including Brilliance audio, us, and the literary agency that represents us all agreed he did a good job. He got Matias and his Ramona is well done.
Sometimes you get the best male narrator and they come to the female part and it dissolves into high pitched squeaking. I liked his Ramona.
Need to write the sexy scene. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I discussed it with Jeaniene Frost, and she made a joke, and now I laugh every time I think about it. Less laughing, more sexy.
Need do the newsletter today. Need to make a decision whether we are or not going to switch to Convertkit for our newsletter. Need to talk to IRS who is under impression that our CE has a different name than the one she does. She changed her last name this year and they are retroactively applying it to 2020. Why? Nobody knows. Need to review Issue 11. No, wait, did that yesterday. Need to respond to Erin, who sent over a new synopsis of her NanoWrimo.
Need to share Oliver meme from Monina on Facebook.
Boom, done.
Honestly, he is not typically this grumpy looking.
Oh, I have the link to secret Netgalley widget for Fated Blades. I am supposed to distribute it to trusted reviewers. I do not know who these reviewers are.
Need to answer if I like Waffle House or Cracker Barrel. Neither. When I go out, I strongly prefer quiet restaurants so I can feel special and flirt with my husband. I like Gruene Door in Gruene, for example, because we can sit outside or Takara in Cedar Park. I don’t really like Southern Style cooking, mostly because my cholesterol is high. I’m more sushi, grilled meat, and salad wrap type of person.
Alamo Theater used to have this amazing Greek wrap. They took it off the menu a couple of years before the pandemic, and I’ve missed it ever since. It was so yummy.
Okay, off I go.
I. AM. TRUSTWORTHY.
I live in Cedar Park and Takara is AMAZING – our go-to date night 🙂
Looove the cover!
I have to say, Oliver may be the most gorgeous cat I have ever seen. He’s so regal … and so FLUFFY! ????
I humbly submit myself as a trusted reviewer candidate. However, you are probably limited on how many you can pick and I’m kind of a nobody reviewer – no blog or anything, just occasionally review on Amazon and Goodreads – soooo you probably shouldn’t pick me after all. ????
Sounds like a busy day. 🙂
Oliver<3
Not gonna lie. Laughter during sexy times is THE BEST.
It sparks joy and intimacy in a different way than most authors delve into and I AM HERE FOR IT.
So you don’t need to change a thing unless you want to!
“Neither” I am on Netgalley and would love to review the book. My username is kc5747 email is [edit Mod R]
I apologize if I am being forward. I am a book blogger and I would be delighted to read and review for you. If you already have enough reviews, I will simply wait (im)patiently for the release date. Thank you.
Aaron is an excellent choice! Too bad we can’t all be excellent at everything! (like some think we should) You guys always choose well!
Takara?! The Baylor’s favorite restaurant?!?! The site of chopstick shaving, hidden arcane circles, and Victoria Tremaine and good tea, whichever is best?!?!
Takara is a common name for Asian Fusion bistros and steakhouses, but the one we usually visited is located in Cedar Park, Texas. Highly recommend. Absolutely delicious and flawless service. https://takaraaustin.com/ Obviously, we had taken a great deal of artistic license, and the restaurant in Hidden Legacy is completely fictional.
Seems like a pretty busy day, indeed! I can’t wait to hear Aaron Shedlock’s work! 🙂 And if you ever want reviewers, beta readers, any of the above, I’m sure there are some, myself included, who would leap to volunteer.
As to Alamo Theater’s Greek wrap, sometimes you can ask for something off-menu. And if they can’t do that, ask for the recipe. Surely they can manage one or the other….
And funny can be extremely sexy.
Perhaps this is a silly question, but why do audiobook readers do funny voices? I understand it helps distinguish different characters, and obviously not every audiobook has the luxury of a full cast audio, so differences in male/female voices and accents (perhaps) help the listener (occasionally I’ve found them distracting, but personal opinions aside). What is the industry standard/best practice for this? Most of the time who is speaking seems evident in the audio recording for the same reasons it is evident who is speaking when reading the book. Why is it used? Why is it sometimes not used? What is “enough,” and when does it become “too much”?
Congrats on finding a narrator you like!
We definitely want to avoid funny voices. Audio books are a performance and it’s natural that a philosopher chicken will not sound the same as a vampire knight. Different voices are entertaining and help the listener distinguish between different characters on the fly.
The trouble comes when the narrator takes things too far with the accents, for example, and people of particular national origin feel mocked. There is a massive difference between the real life Russian accent and Hollywood Russian accent. Sometimes things go sideways and if the issue cannot be resolved, we switch narrators.
I once read the male chapters as I didn’t like the male voice.
Imagining a vampire knight with a philosopher chicken’s voice now… hehehe…
I hope you send the NetGalley widget to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, as well as the usual trade pubs for us librarians (Kirkus, Booklist, Library Journal). I love Smart Bitches reviews.
Pfui! A plague on the houses of the naysayers!
Hahaheha
Sounds like you have an amazing start to your day to face all the other things that need doing.
I’m sure anyone you send a Net Galley widget link can be trusted as most of us who follow you and write reviews, love you guys and can’t wait to be part of any story you guys write.
I’d love to be given the opportunity to review the ARC of Fated Blades 🙂
As I’ve been to neither I can’t help. But it is annoying where your favourite thing is “improved” not really. Or discontinued. I try to stock up if I can.
Yes to the extra
Check out Chama Gaucha in North San Antonio sometime! It’s a really great Brazilian steakhouse. Literally all you can eat salad and perfectly cooked meats, but very very fancy.
It’s expensive but worth the splurge if you have something to celebrate. Yes, the signage is… a bit much. We almost didn’t try it – thought it might be too gimmicky. But it’s actually just awesome. So I forgive them the giant ring of fire.
Today I was checking off my to-do list: laundry, class, go help my mom clean out her closet, back to class, homework, go to store for Beaver craft supplies, make supper, attend an on-line meeting for a class group project, prepare supplies and create a Beaver craft demo, BOOM notice the basement bedroom has a soaking wet carpet.
Homework is now delayed. So, I inspect the toilet in the room above, inspect the furnace and hot water tank beside the room, look around back in the bedroom and discover the ceiling is dripping. Call husband who was at Scouts who comes home to discover there is a small crack in a fridge hose. Gee, I had only been complaining about the noise the fridge starting making in JULY! I was informed by my husband it was the fridge getting old and nothing was wrong. Now we need to clear out the bedroom, rip up the carpet and underlay, remove the drywall, take down the damaged ceiling drywall, replace the flooring under the fridge and possibly the beams. I am so mad as I should have pushed on the noise issue.
I am a student and my husband was laid off last month so extra cash is short. On the plus side he has the time for demo and rehabilitation work now. Sometimes it feels like it isn’t just two steps back but 4 giant leaps back for every tiptoe forward.
We will get through this but I just want to go outside and scream, scream and scream. So, tomorrow I ask for assignment extensions and we have the loan of a trailer for the weekend to throw everything out. One way to clean out the basement.
That sounds horrible, I hope everything you need to take care of now goes well and you can tiptoe forward a lot more!
The regret of thinking it could have been prevented if only one had done XY is the worst in my opinion. Hindsight is always 20-20. You couldn’t have known it was important to push the issue. Anyone would be mad in your situation. I hope for your peace of mind that you can let it go, though. Best wishes from Germany!
Will this be available on nook?
Hey M,
Fated Blades is an Amazon exclusive, it will not be available through Nook.
Here for more details https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/fated-blades-available-for-preorder/#comment-539088
Still love the cover! Love that his shield at that angle makes me think he’s giving the world an extra large middle finger salute. ????????
Ooo, I’m a NetGalley reviewer…I’m about 99% sure I’m trustworthy. 🙂
So funny, I’m German. My last name was Gruener (before I married). I have family in TX – must be your area- who brought us all Gruene T-Shirts for fun and giggles. So, now I feel like I „sat“ at the next table, while you were flirting, when I’m wearing my T-Shirt!
Sexy cover. Is it wrong that I now picture them doing a mock combat Dancing With the Stars routine? The cover captures that same intensity between the two where they gracefully flow through their moves while seeing only each other.
I am still in that stage of life where sometimes loud voiced little boys don’t spoil someone’s mood. Our local sushi house had private rooms and always make sure to let us have it if we call ahead. We love them!
This cover is really gorgeous. I also like the cover for Emerald Blaze very much, but still look forward to seeing Fated Blades in the newsletter banner! ????
Thing #1,000: please write another Innkeeper book. There isn’t anything you guys have written that I haven’t loved, especially The Edge series, and the Innkeeper was no exception. pleasepleasepleaseplease?
Hey Rune,
Please see here for an update on Innkeeper which will make you happy ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/kd-answers-yay/