ILONA ANDREWS

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Busy Monday

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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.

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Comments

    • +100! At first thought, these characters are so busy being dangerous and all, funny might not work. But I could imagine something hilariously goofy happening, leading to a glorious release of all that tension.

  3. Agree with you on the “neither.” I’m in the French Quarter, far far far away from any Cracker Barrel or Waffle House, so it’s a nice smorgasbord here to choose from.

    The cover is gorgeous. Looking forward to this one!

  4. Good luck knocking out your to do list! I can relate. It’s mid-day and I’m still working on item #1 of 4. Sigh.

  5. So looking forward to this book!

    Checking things off the to-do list, awesome. I often cheat and write them onto the list as I get them done, so I can check them off immediately, and it looks like I’m super efficient. This is probably why not as much gets accomplished around here.

    • I do the same at the end of the day. Write down everything I did accomplish. That way I feel better about getting something done, even it wasn’t my original list.

  6. I think you should give yourself kudos for the workout, shower, and taking care of admin e-mails. Exercise and I are mortal enemies. Or maybe it’s admin work of any type and me being mortal enemies.

    It must be some cardinal composition of feline DNAs, particularly of the house cat varieties, that they appear grumpy 97.8% of the time, along with their “Take me or leave me, but you better take me or I’ll shred you to pieces anytime you come near me” attitude.

    Sending best of good luck wishes on a terrific day and week.

  8. I feel you about the wrap. Cheesecake Factory used to have a noodle dish with peanut sauce that I got every. single. time. Then they removed it from the menu. Seriously? They have 30 pages in their menu and they remove the *one* thing I loved? ::sigh::

  9. Laughter is sexy, imho. Laughter + sexy times can be…. memorable ????

    And now I want a Greek wrap too!

  10. I know I pre-ordered the book, but every time you share it, I have to click it, just to double check. Or quintuple check. ????

    I’m relatively new to audio books, but before I heard my first one, I thought there would be more than 1 narrator. Like a man and a woman doing the parts. ????‍♀️ ????

  11. Just wanted to acknowledge that getting in both a workout AND a shower before lunch is #winning from my perspective. 🙂 <3

  12. I gladly volunteer for an ARC if you need reviewers????

    Have a lot to do, yet here I am, checking your blog again…

  14. I looked at link and noticed the Audiobook is now for sale as a single disk MP3. And for a reasonable price, so I preordered. Also Fated Blades is #1 in “Exploration Science Fiction” whatever that is.

  15. Happily my Monday is almost over (6:52pm here in UK) and although it started hectic, even, well – unpleasantly let’s say – it did improve. But tomorrow is Tuesday and soon it will be Friday and I think this is how come time passes faster as you age – you wish it all away for the weekends, bedtime and holidays!

  16. I get eARCs to review on NetGalley and edelweiss but I don’t have a blog so it’s hit or miss on getting approvals to review. Avon was kind over SF and EB though and I loved getting to review them. Mostly have reviews on Goodreads, Twitter, and FB.

    But I don’t put up eARCs on pirate sites either. Send away if you need a review! 😉
    Just kidding, I’m sure you’ll get slammed with offers.

    • Oh, and I’m still so in love with that cover. I bought the print from Luisa for my Christmas and I’m glad I did. I think it’s the best one I’ve seen.

  17. Good luck on getting everything done you need to do today. I’m glad I got the limited edition print that is now the cover for Fated Blades. 🙂

    Not much longer for the book!

  20. Still finishing up last week’s to do list … Putting on laundry and the slow cooker while I am whacking things out. Makes me feel like I’ve got some backup for the chores. Spent a lovely couple of hours the other day, recharging in the garden and getting ready for the hopeful rain at the end of the week. Hopefully my oven will get fixed today, so I can get baking again!

    Looking forward to Fated Blades and those future sexy scenes. I remember giggling and bedroom life going rather well together!

  21. Pretty cover! I am laughing at the Waffle House/Cracker Barrel inclusion, did people actually email wanting to know your preference?? I guess neither would be considered very romantic for a date night. Good luck with the rest of the to do list! Working out and showering before 11 AM is a productive day in my books.

  22. Good luck with your to-do list. This has been a very Monday-ey Monday. My internet went out for several hours (I work from home so this is BAD!) and I am now way behind on what I wanted/needed to accomplish today.

  23. *raises hand* Trusted reviewer! Right here! So much trust! All the reviewing!! ????

    Sending you good vibes to get through your to do list today!

  24. I went to City Hall this morning to turn in my ballot. OMG the line was out the front door way into the parking lot. I went to the head of the line all the while all the while stating “I am not line jumping I just want to get some information”. A kind lady gave me the number to the Election Board and thankfully I got to go right in still yelling “I am not line jumping I am just dropping off my ballot”. Everyone was there today because it was personal property tax day and everyone waited until the last minute to turn in their payments. Then I got home and read a nasty email from my HOA. Why folks on the board feel the need to provoke homeowners they have over a barrel I don’t know. Then I worked out with my trainer. Now I am getting mad all over again remembering the HOA.

    I would luv a fight scene were the local HOA was gutted with a horrible painful death that lasted a long, long time. It would make me very happy. Aaaah…I feel better already.

    • Ok, now I want a POV from Rogan at an HOA meeting requesting something for his house. Or from Nevada’s POV as Rogan request something. 😛

  26. I don’t know if you realize how much your blog can do for people! How many author sites offer up a blog that is laugh snort inducing?!
    I save up a couple of months at a time and then binge read them like a novel. I try to wait for a crummy day so I will heave some relief.
    Anyway, just a sincere thank you for the smiles and snorts!!

  27. Sigh. My cholesterol is also high.

    I only recently realized that simple carbohydrates have a worse effect on LDL than saturated fat.

    Trying to retool the Thanksgiving menu.

    I did find some awesome first cold press olive oil from Firenze (Florence) at Costco (first press has the highest omegas) and it smells & taste amazing.

  28. This is completely unrelated to this post but I was just listening to the new Imagine Dragons song, Cutthroat. If ever there was a song for Roland, this is it haha.

    • I listened to a 20 second section of the song. Liz, you are spot on that it’s a song for Roland. It’s perfect for all the scenes with Roland and Kate, but especially when Kate and Curran go to the Swan Palace to get Christopher and Robert.

      Also, it’s a wonderful song for Hugh and Curran when they fought on the castle. 🙂

  29. I offer to be a reviewer 🙂 I review for Amazon and promise to post to all the sites that allow advance to publication date reviews from the hoi polloi (apologies if my greek sucketh). In other notes, I am now grandmama to three beautiful black kittens who will make someone beautiful forever halloween kitties! I have pictures!!! Please someone want my new grand baby kittens!!! If you live in Kansas or close, and want a forever kitten, please let me know. These are very high grade familiar quality babies!!!

  32. For what it’s worth, Im a NetGalley member, and I’m trustworthy and would love to review the ARC if you’re interested????

    Oliver is so cute, I can’t wait until I can get a pet one day. One of my dreams!

    Hope your Monday gets less hectic as the day wears on! Or at least your week:)

  33. Crabby in … hmm is it Madeira Beach or Treasure Island, right on border across Johns Pass from the John’s Pass Bubba Gump and Hooters. Anyway, delicious Shrimp Ceviche, or calamari appetizer cooked just right. Be sure to go upstairs to see bar hand carved 40yrs ago by local artisans with gorgeous wood.
    Sit and look at the Gulf of Mexico or Johns Pass before the bridge that lets you into the gulf. So many baby dolphins hanging around so long, and the sailboats waiting for the bridge to rise so they could go into the Gulf.

  34. I don’t understand ConvertKit. After a year of using it, I still had to stop and THINK every time I wanted to do something, even as simple as send a mass email.

    I switched to Active Campaign and it’s so intuitive for me. I don’t need to figure it out, I just send. Integrations are easy. You can do a whole lot on the Lite plan, too. Since you don’t have e-commerce set up and don’t need deep-dives into analytics with a shopping cart, you can probably use Lite indefinitely.

    But some people love ConvertKit and as soon as they get past the learning curve, they’re off and running.

    Good luck. Choosing an ESP is low on my list of favorite things to do.

  35. For all you tea lovers out there. Lisa Shearin sent out her newsletter today and reviewed her new favorite tea cup and reviewed some teas. She also mentioned an infusion type cup also.

  36. I can understand about Waffle House and Cracker Barrel, my husband’s favorites suggestions are, Papa John’s, IHOP, Friendly’s. At least he doesn’t think these are date night options.

  38. Why do the powers that be not pay attention to the original book? For one of C.J. Cherryh’s series (Gate of Ivrel) despite the POV being male for the entire series, they chose a female reader. I hated that so much I have never listened very far into the audio. I support my authors as much as I can so I never returned them. It’s a shame because I loved the the point of view so much in the book and can’t get over the narrator. C.J. Uses a tight single POV usually so this means almost all of it was in a male perspective. Bummer

  41. Had been saving Blood Heir because while I love every one of your books, Kate Daniels has always been my favorite, so I hoarded it. (Bad habit that will piss me off when i die without having read my favorite authors’ latest novels. ) Anyway, had a bad few days, really needed to cheer up, so I read it and now I am jonesing for the next one. Please, oh please, you awesome authors, please wave a magic wand and give me the next Julie/Aurelia and Derek book soon, like now. On behalf of her, I want her to see her mom soon, too, lol.

  44. The cover is gorgeous! Everything about it is appealing, the blazing warm colors, the way his shield interacts with the font on your names, the edgy-cool styling of the couples futuristic (and wearable) clothes, the intensity of their pose… all of it draws you in and makes you want to know more. Well done!

    I’m with you on restaraunts; I prefer to dine out somewhere that serves cuisine that I can’t reproduce or match at home. I want time to unwind somewhere beautiful and to lose myself in the tranquil ambiance of my surrounding while savoring lovely food… and coffee, freshly brewed coffee…

  45. The cover looks amazing and fresh.

    I remember when I was a teenager, Wendy’s came out with pita wraps. I used to get the Classic Greek Pita (it was tough being the lone vegetarian when my entire family was otherwise omnivorous!!) and I absolutely loved it. I don’t know why they took that away, but my world has never been the same 🙁

    Please don’t let me be a bullet point hanging over you! Take your time in responding to me, as I’m only a lowly reader and will take any of the crumbs that fall from my fair lady and gentleman’s hands (I think that’s a quote from an old book) regardless of when they fall. Also the email I sent you was suuuuuper long.

  47. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post.

    Dang. Now I want a Greek gyro and Mr P retired and closed his place during pandemic. Restaurant business is hard.

    Liked your list of things to do. Sounded like my never ending farm one. But we must be alive and well. ????

    Enjoy Fall season with Gordon. Winter is fast approaching.

    Your ha ha. Nearby there is a group home of 9 months who have had major issues remembering every Tuesday is trash pick up day by county contractor. Sheriff made a visit on a unrelated matter two weekends ago and since then trash and recycling carts have been roadside by 6 am pickup days. I am sure it had nothing to do with the multitude (at least 10) of buzzards sitting around property in trees. ????

  48. Fantastic news, sooo pleased you found someone and I’m sure Aaron will be amazing ????

    I’m ready to pre-order

  49. My vote for Chicken and Waffles. If you are in Arizona, Nevada or Texas, try Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles. They have the best waffles I have ever tasted which are accompanied by crispy fried chicken. Syrup is added by the customer.
    Another local restaurant Mark’s sadly did not survive the pandemic. He also served gourmet level chicken and waffles; instead of syrup his was topped with the best sausage gravy in the greater Phoenix area.

  53. 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. ????

  55. 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!

  56. “Neither” I am on Netgalley and would love to review the book. My username is kc5747 email is [edit Mod R]

  57. 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.

  58. 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!

  59. 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.

  60. 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.

  61. 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.

  62. 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.

  63. 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.

  65. 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.

  67. 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

  68. 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.

  69. 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!

  71. 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. ????????

  73. 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!

  74. 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.

  75. 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!

  76. 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! ????

  77. 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?

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