We have a week of digging into writing up ahead. I’d decided to poke around the next chapter on Sunday and once I finished it, I realized that I had forgotten to do what I originally planned to do with it. Instead I got distracted by pretty monster descriptions. One drawback of working in a long series is knowing that you have mentioned a particular creature somewhere, but not being sure which of the 10+ books it was. By the time I was done combing through things, I got completely turned around. So I need to tackle that scene today and get it to where it needs to be.
All of the brainpower is going into writing at the moment so coming up with blog topics is a little harder. That’s when you can help us. If you have questions about writing, industry, books, hobbies, and just general fun topics you want discussed, please use the comment section to suggest them to us. It will help us keep the blog entertaining and take a lot of guesswork out of the process. Because otherwise you’ll just get updates on how Harney and Sons Valentine Tea is basically just their chocolate tea and the dangers of too many pattern choices on Ravelry resulting in a pattern-selecting paralysis.
In my defense, I picked a pattern for the fingering yarn, but then I found a bag in my bedroom chest of drawers that had sport weight alpaca blend in it. It is so soft! Now I have to have an alpaca blend cowl, so I had to go back to Ravelry and got stuck in a pattern swamp. Spoiled knitter problems, heh.
I always love to hear about the fur babies!
I second that request with lots of pictures. Your furry family are just so adorable.
+1 for fur babies!!
????
Same! I love the pet updates 🙂
Yes! Fur baby content always welcome!
DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plus, what has the local wildlife been doing lately?
As a firm member of the “would read your grocery list” society, anything you choose to share with us is always delightful. Whether that be snippets, industry info, knitting stories or just blowing off steam.
That being said, I am now invested in the knitting conundrum. Do update us if you find a good pattern!
Well, its that time of year for me to start seeds for the flower baskets and pots for the summer as well as Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. A lot of work and having a tough time getting motivated. It is also time to transplant African violets as they are now leggy and sprouting babies. Supposedly it is recommended to cut back and replant annually – which I haven’t done and probably why my violets are pretty big. However, when I do repot I usually end up with more African violets and I have pretty much run out of room to place them – I hate tossing plants. Ugh. So, how are your African Violets doing?
This year I will attempt tomate de arbol from seed. Love the flavor!
This was what came in mind to ask about too…except mine was:
Uhmmm so how are the plants doing?
I tried my hand with planting a few flowering plants last year and killed them all. I’m sticking to planting fruit bearing trees around the land now. LOL.
I have a mental image of a litter of baby African violets mewing and peeking over the edge of a cardboard box at the grocery store complete with a sign drawn in crayon that says, “Free to a good home.”
Love this Rosie!
You could probably bundle them up and set them by the curb with a free sign. Around here it’s always iris bulbs and Hen n chicks
My gran used to put the extra plants in the basement until they died and she could bring herself to throw them out! My African Violets need repotting and I need some space to start my seeds. Thanks for reminding me!
I’m curious about how much interaction there is between audiobook narrators and the authors of the books they are reading. Once the audition is passed, do the narrators have much contact with the author in terms of finding out about pronunciations of unusually words or names, or do they just go with their own interpretation? It seems as audio books pick up in popularity, it is becoming more and more time consuming (and expensive) to hire one, based on your comments and those of other authors. Some authors seem to have a relationship with their audio readers, and others no. Would love to hear an author’s insight into this new process they have to engage in, especially as you seem just to have gone through it. But only if you find it interesting to discuss. Otherwise, any topic you deem interesting is welcome.
I second this.
I am also curious about this. I know it can be a touchy subject as some readers do NOT like when pronunciations change and will say so in their reviews ???? (so no judgement if you don’t want to go there).
I believe in the past I’ve read PSAs from you that say something like “all names are pronounced correctly and as the author intended” (please correct me if I am off base).
Is part of this allowing the performer artistic liberty/leeway to make it their own? Or is it in/outside your control?
Thanks for all of your insight into the writing/publishing/marketing process. Always fascinating and appreciated.
Third it I do wonder about the audio reader and the pronouncing of names. I think you mentioned that you have no control over who the narrator is if it is a book under contract vs when you self publish.
In either situation do you as the author give instructions or briefs into the world and how the characters behave or is it all left up to the reader to decide?
Also since the KD, InnKeeper, and HA worlds are so large and intricate do you have a Bible of who the characters are, what they like and dislike what events they participated in so when writing new books you don’t mess up what is canon?
As far as a Bible that is a term I got from series such as Star Trek that the writers have a “Bible” of what the world is like, characters, events so new writers don’t mess up what was already created.
I am currently listening to Iron snd Magic and was floored by the narrator, who generally has been great, making Andrea sound Italian or something. It was a bit jarring. Is it an oops or deliberate?
It was an error indeed. Steve West, who did a fabulous job, was guided by the surname of the characters.
Love Steve West even if he did make Andrea Italian. I really hope we get to hear him again (but I understand if we don’t).
That’s exactly what I was thinking when I started reading this subthread. I loved everything else so much, I started doing a suspension of disbelief jigger/dance at the beginning of that section on re-listens.
I second, hearing how you go about cataloging the vast amount of information from all of your amazing worlds. I have such a book on Anne Rice’s worlds. And the “Annotated Chronicles” (Dragonlance Chronicles) from Weiss and Hickman. Not the same, but enrich the reading experience.
Have published anything like this and I missed it? If not would you consider it?
In the audiobooks I listened to I noticed that the word “golem” changed pronunciation from one book (featuring Erra) to the next (featuring the Lighthouse Keepers). I was happy for the change, but did wonder what prompted it.
Me, too.
I can not for the life of me tie a knot and hope it stays tied, so knitting, and all assorting sorts of activies are beown me. BUt i love to hear about yours. Fur babies are always a must. and any thing else you wish to opine on is just fun to read.
Hope you have a good week
My shoe laces keep untying. I even double tied it and it still unravels. This is especially annoying since I work in a warehouse and walk up/down the stairs daily. I finally googled my problem. So far, it mostly works. Unfortunately, the very tight shoelace slowly but surely starts loosening my shoes where it feels like my shoe might be left behind if I ever have to run. Yep, shoelaces are tied but… For now, I will keep tying my shoe laces like this.
Bubble laces.
They work!
Bubble laces are great… but I use lace locks — like the squeeze lock on the end of a bag or hoodie/ jacket string. You just thread the lace through it, squeeze the button and slide it to the base of the shoe lace, tighten / loosen laces as needed.
I love to read everything you publish. 🙂 Your posts just make my day; it doesn’t matter what you’re talking about.
But I really love your industry and writing-related posts, so it would be awesome if you could share what happens during the editing process (developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, etc). I’m really curious about that!
Also, how do you deal with scrapping lots of words? Do you use them somewhere else? Or are they just delete and bye forever?
Thanks so much!
+1 I love hearing about the behind-the-scenes part of writing and the business of it
Your comment about having to look through previous books got me wondering about writing software. Do you use a basic word processing software or are there writing tools for authors? Did you have to look through actual books? Or do you keep soft copies you can search through?
I do a lot of technical writing with just word processing software and have felt the pain of having to search previous writings. And I don’t have a rabid audience to appease ????????????
If you guys could choose what world you’ve created to live in, which would it be and why?
+1000
I will love to read anything about Hugh… ( I’m french, and was very proud to see Hughes Capet in your book !)
I’ll second that!
Yes, yes, yes. More about Hugh and Elara!
+1 and Lord Soren’s backstory.
Also, in no particular order: recipes – especially family ones, crazy Texas crap, love your stories about your family, what do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t writers, what’s next in the home maintenance/improvement arena.
And Otubar’s.
yes, yes – I’ve always wondered how Lady Ilemina and Otubar ended up a couple –
+1 on Lord Soren and Lord Otubar. Do they get along, or are they like two grouchy old male cats who mostly ignore each other?
Yes indeed, Lord Soren and Lord Otubar, and who is/was Lord Soren’s lady wife? And if she is deceased, does he have a current lady who is amused by his crustiness? Is there an Old Babes’ Club where the ladies get together and let their hair down a bit with some fancy coffee drinks? And do they have for barristas? I keep seeing these videos on Instagram with cute bartenders doing juggling with drink shakers and bottles … maybe there’s a coffee version in the Old Babes’ Club?
And there are no cats on that world!!! Can we get to know what Lady Helen’s fur babies are like? And how/where/when the children are taught? And what subjects they are taught, starting at what ages?
And Maud’s horse-like creature that she promised to ride more often?
And who makes the armor, is there a story there, is this a very class-distinct society?
Smiles, thanks! And happy knitting …
I have always wondered if your girls took riding lessons, or if you or Gordon rode? Your horse descriptions are amongst my favourite snippets and I have wondered if it springs from a love of the horse in general or specific horses that you might have known.
Thank you and happy writing ????
+1
I am the same but with crochet patterns. I can’t knit anymore because of arthritis but crocheting is good. Getting lost in patterns is a good vice and has no calories.
My mother wanted to teach me to knit when my oldest was a toddler – at the time his alphabet soup diagnosis was: ADHD – severe, ODD – severe, OCD & Sensory input – mild.
I looked at her and asked, “Who exactly are you wishing to be killed? Me or the toddler?” Cuz me & knitting at that point in my life would be *dangerous* very, very dangerous.
Instead, I found the joy of crocheting, no sharp objects and easy to do with very little patience needed.
I would love to acquire some new patterns.
Query: Is Raverly a place to go for crochet patterns or is it just for knitting?
🙂
Ravelry has crochet patterns. You have to make an account to access many of the patterns, and some you have to buy. But the account is free and many of the patterns are also.
They also have crochet patterns. I found a crocodile stitch mermaid blanket pattern there.
Ravelry has tons of crochet patterns.
I totally get your response to learning to knit. I learned crochet first, and even after several classes cannot seem to be able to pick up knitting. Part of it is that I am left-handed and none of my instructors really were comfortable teaching a lefty and mostly it is because after crocheting for years knitting took too much patience and concentration.
I can’t comment on the left handed learning process, but as someone who learned crocheting in my singles and knitting only … recently. Knitting didn’t click for me until I learned the Continental/German/Picking method, because I tension the yarn in a similar manner and hand as I use for crochet.
I now use a hybrid of Continental and Portuguese/Arabic styles.
Yes Ravelry has crochet patterns but I cannot recommend the site if you have any kind of neurological issues at all. They did a surprise overhaul of the site in 2020 that cause a lot of health issues. A lot of designers, myself included, were either forced to leave or chose to leave because of the issues and the way everything was handled.
Love Tunisian crochet. Such a nice weave!
Have you tried Portuguese style knitting? It is a lot easier on the hands and wrists in general. If you can find them, square needles help too. Verypink.com has a whole section of video tutorials on Portuguese knitting. I taught it to a crocheter who claimed she “couldn’t knit with those sticks,” who now can do a nice knit and purl with the Portuguese style knitting. She is excited. I share it with everyone I know. It is the fastest and easiest purling style too. Some people purl a project in the round inside out and then flip it for finishing and wearing because it is so fast.
If you write it I will read it. I know that doesn’t solve your quandary of what to write though. I would love to hear about all the steps/timeline a book goes through from the writer finishing the first draft to it being in our hands. What steps are the same for traditional publishing vs self published?
I always enjoy your writing insights. For example, does being a writer affect how you read books for enjoyment? For example, I used to work in editing, so when I read fanfiction, I find myself mentally re-writing sentences and making internal comments about a paragraph before I can continue reading. At times, I have to stop reading for a while to get myself out of the mindset.
Always love reading anything you choose to write about 🙂 but one question that comes to mind is – I can’t remember where I read it, but I feel like you once mentioned that if you could re-write Magic Bites, you would change quite a few things. It’s my favourite book, the start of Kate’s epic journey, so I always wanted to know what those changes would have been? Major changes or just tweaks? (If this has been addressed somewhere else, my bad!)
I wondered this myself and also wondered if those “wished for” changes would be incorporated into the Graphic Audio production or if it will follow the book.
And will that be the same for all the future GA productions? A little tweak here and there or just follow the book?
Recently, they mentioned that “Magic Bites” shapechangers morphed to the more modern shapeshifters by “Magic Burns.”
And, yes, it is one of the adjustments to be made in the GA release, if I remember correctly.
You once mentioned orchids. I have 3 that are gifts from dear friends. I never expected them to do well but they have rewarded me with blooms at this time of year several years in a row. They are my quiet joy.
H&S’s Hot Cinnamon Spice is delicious. You should give it a try.
Now see that’s what makes the world go round bc I do not like it( much disappointment) but I really enjoy a number of theirs- current favs are tower of London, and the decaf vanilla black tea(comada or something like that)
Right now I like the H & S Celebrations, Tower of London, Christmas blend, and the Blueberry Green for a green tea. I’m still working on the needlework of the unicorn tapestry, Sight, and working on some cross stitch cards to break things up.
Yes it is! One of my favorites too. And Chocolate chai.
Harney and Sons teas are my fave! I had a chance to go to their store in NYC right before the pandemic and it was delightful.
My favorite blend is Soho! Coconut and chocolate black tea. It smells DIVINE and tastes delicious.
Can we get a dumb ways to die edition for the different IA universes? ????
What would that entail, please? 😀 I’m not familiar with the concept, but it sounds fun!
I’m not sure what Hanna had in mind, but something like “attempt to swim in a ley line” would be a dumb way to die in the KD universe. 😀
Or swim in Kolinda’s ocean would be a dumb way to die in the Innkeeper universe. 🙂
Hi Mod R, “Dumb Ways to Die” was an Australian rail safety campaign with a horribly catchy song… must be somewhere on Youtube now. I haven’t thought of it for years and now have the song going round my head!
So how would this look, would it be based on deaths that already happened in the books or a new list of made up careless deaths possible in the universes 🙂 ? I’m just a bit hazy on what the OP is asking in a blog post format? Sorry, I am slow today ????
My guess would be Hanna meant the latter – ridiculous rhyming ways it would be possible to die. There were various spoofs of the song and video. Actually I’ve just found it has a Wikipedia entry, so you might like to read that or watch the video. You will get the idea of what it’s like pretty quickly… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_Ways_to_Die
Found the song and video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw
This will help clarify dumb ways to die, also kids adults + magic = many dumb ways to die.
Ask Luthor I am sure he knows. he he he …
my thoughts would be The Darwin Awards for KD world!! ????
https://darwinawards.com/
Maybe a top 5? like KD: go into the sewers of Atlanta and scream at the impala worm and try to run away.
or even have people from the universe narrate the dumbest way someone died that they know of.
I am in the camp of “whatever you write and/or post is fine by me”. 🙂
This is probably a spoiler for Magic Claims (or Clams if you prefer) but I noticed when I am on the main page of the site, I read that Curran wants a moat for Conlan. Does Curran get his moat? If he does, I can just hear the bragging rights to Hugh (“my moat is bigger than your moat; my moat is bigger than yours”).
I remember in Magic Tides Kate says they did go visit Hugh, and that is where Curran’s desire for a moat came from. She didn’t say Curran wanted it for Conlan.
Now I’ve got that duet in my head:
Anything you can do, I can do better,
I can do anything better than you.
Oh no you can’t!
Oh yes I can…..
The admin in me thinks having a creature/character database with characteristics, backstory, and book/page references would be time saving.
Yes, I’ve seen other writers post about having “story bibles” to easily search for continuity, character traits, etc. Is this something that y’all have considered? If so, what steps are involved in creating it.
Thanks!
I would love to hear about your travel, particularly any international travel. Or perhaps a travel wish list?
I also love any recipes that you may have to share.
You need a series Bible with a list of all the monsters, their descriptions, book and page numbers. Also with all the characters and spells.
Thanks for all the work you do on the blog in addition to your books. It’s fun to see what you have to say.
I wish there was a way of liking or +1-ing a topic I also want to hear about without having to add a reply.
Short specific question: was Keelan in any of the previous Kate books? I have to admit to not remembering him.
No, he is a new character in the Wilmington Years series 🙂
What about Jynx? She sounds familiar…
Not Jynx either. The Wilmington Years cast is kept different from the Atlanta people 🙂
I think there was a Jinks in the Mercenary Guild who wanted to be as tough as Kate. But wasn’t, of course.
I thought the same, but it was the mercenary Goth pixie from Magic Shifts named Juke. In the part where the giant knocks the top off their HQ and Kate thinks Julie is there
“ask Luther”
OMG I’m dying LOL over here!
What’s a culture or mythology that you haven’t explored yet but sounds interesting to you?
The first time I saw mention of an aswang in a fiction book, I got so excited that I dropped the book and went down a rabbit hole of Filipino mythology. Same thing happened when you mentioned kali/escrima in one of the KD books, it’s like a friendly little wave seeing snippets of your culture.
I would love a mythology post. You write about so many obscure mythos I would love to understand where to find more information on pantheons and weird mystical creatures that came from them.
Oh yes, +1!
I’m no help. You write it, I’ll enjoy reading it. ????
Hope you all have a productive and happy week ☺️
I always enjoy your updates on what you are watching and/or reading, I have found lots of fun new books and series and webtoons thanks to your enthusiastic descriptions ???? New video games, rediscovered video games… Do you play board games at all?
and, as other people have mentioned, the stuff about the cooking and the knitting and all that is definitely enjoyable to read!
And while this is more ModR’s thing ???? those quizzes are always a lot of fun too!
Love to hear your takes on your different hobbies in progress or even abandoned. Yarn stash issues, fur babies and of course, whatever is annoying you . It’s good to realize other people have stuff happen and coped with it and we are not alone with problems and joys.
Just saw picture of somebodies yarn stash- entire room had bins, totes , shelves and bags of yarn or every color , weight etc. The chaotic mess made me feel better about my mess.
Does Gordon have hobbies ? does he have favorite dishes that he cooks ? what is the world according to Gordon ???
I would love to hear some stories about food mentioned in thr books or real life recipes in your households.
What I really want to know is if the Harney “Tumsong 2d Flush Darjeeling” is worth the $100 price tag. Maybe it’s the next rare good Dina can use for barter at the bazaar.
In your opinion, what would it take for the e-book industry to allow independent bookstores to be able to directly sell e-books? What are the biggest barriers? I love reading e-books but I miss being able to directly support my local bookstores!
Kobo ebook retailer used to have a program supporting independent booksellers, in conjunction with the ABA. They would share a small percentage of sales, but for the store I used to work for, it was an accounting nightmare. (I’ve been out of the publishing industry for 6 years now, and LOTS have changed since then!)
I am a suckered for updates from you on pets, cooking/recipes … just about anything! I am Pinterest suckered and am madly cleaning, decluttering, and organizing for an event this week so welcome all solidarity there!
Solidarity, O cleaning/organizing sister! Wishing that you get all the key visible thongs done, and whatever more you can without exhausting yourself. And that your event is thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by all. 🙂
I’m always happy with pet updates.
It’s probably too big a question, but I’d love a “state of the industry” insight from you. Self-pub versus trade pub, the rise of AI, the decay of social media, etc. As someone who did okay-ish with self-pub the last handful of years I sometimes feel like I missed the chance to do well enough to survive this next phase. But at the same time I know so many writers who had setbacks here or there who persevered and made it happen that I hesitate to just throw in the towel.
Also, I love all the crafts, dogs, and food posts, too, so those are always welcome. I basically just need good breaks from what I should be doing.
Hi, I live in france and I have always wondering why there is not the number of the book on the cover (for series).
In France, it is like :
“Kate Daniels, book 4 : Magic bleeds by Ilona Andrews”. It is so helpful. So, why english book don’t do it ?
Thank you !
I second this!! sometimes it’s done sometimes it’s not. it’s so frustrating when 4/11 books (for example) are numbered but none of the others. makes it especially hard on a Kindle. when they are all just in a list?!
That is entirely up to the publisher of that edition I’m afraid, aided/hindered by the systems in place in that country. As metadata specialist (or “wrangler” as we tend to call it ????) I can tell you: it’s like herding cats, trying to get all the data lined up!
For items that don’t need to “fit”, especially switching up from fingering to sport, I would just go up a needle size or 2 and cast on. But I like to live dangerously like that.
Thank you for letting us make suggestions and ask questions.
I have a quick question. Do either you or Gordon have a degree in history or a minor in it. Or is it just something that interests you as a writer because so much of your writing in Kate Daniels is based off of historical myths, people etc. I am just curious. I have a master of arts in history and teach. And I love the inclusion of history in your books.
Hello fellow historian! I have a bachelor of arts in history focused mainly on early American history. I decided not to keep going with the history since, at the time, I was told that the field of history did not pay very well. So, I went an entirely different route. 🙂
lol, Patricia. You are right it did not pay very well. I like to think that I did make a difference by being a teacher. I am retiring after 29.5 years this May. I do have a pension though so I believe it does balance out in the long run.
I love reading whatever you want to write about. Maybe a few recipes. Thank you for Dina’s Apple Cake! Delicious!
From the blog I would love a “Character Description” weekly post! Like this:
Name : Dina MiddleName Demille
Fab Color : Blue
Fav Snack : Apple Pie
Fav Book Genre : murder mystery
Biggest Pet Peeve : Guests not wiping their shoes before entering the Inn
Guilty Pleasure : Pickles in peanut butter
And then maybe a picture of your favorite fan art of the character, or pictures of an outfit they would totally wear etc.
I have a couple of questions that might be fun to answer:
1) ModR, please redirect me if this has already been answered — I love how so much mythology is laced into House Andrews’ stories. What are your favorite myths / sources and (maybe?) why did you gravitate to those?
2) If you could have a year to just travel and everything else magically took care of itself beautifully, where would you go and what would you do?
Ah, Raverly the great big rabbit hole where many hours are lost!
I’m wondering if you’ve ever mused the idea of a tabletop RPG based on the Kate Daniel’s setting.
yes yes yes, love it! Would totally buy it…
I have a question about special editions. I recently discovered subscription boxes like Illumicrate and The Broken Binding. The special editions are amazing! I didn’t previously realize that I would in fact sell my soul for stenciled edges.(:
Are there any plans to offer any of the series as special editions? Would that be something that you do or something that the publisher does?
I can answer that because it was discussed here https://ilona-andrews.com/2023/signings-and-pretty-books/ recently: yes 😀 !
Pretty editions are coming in a few months, from Subterranean for Innkeeper (here is the previous one they did https://subterraneanpress.com/the-innkeeper-chronicles-volume-one-by-ilona-andrews/) and from Arcane Society for an Iron and Magic and Blood Heir bundle.
I’m in the middle of a re-read of Kate and decided to listen this time because I’m trying to finish a baby quilt I decided to hand quilt instead of stitching in the ditch on my machine. I’m up to Gunmetal Magic. I just want to say I LOVE ANDREA! I had to stop listening for a minute a little while ago due to the “this is the hand that slapped Aunt B” part to pull myself together.
The question I have is…..do you guys just have to stop and giggle sometimes??
I usually just hand quilt a design in the plain squares and stitch in the ditch for everything else. I used to hand quilt everything but now save hand quilting for special projects. I’m sure your baby quilt will be beautiful and well worth the effort when it is done!
That sounds lovely. I have hand quilted a couple of items with my husband’s (at the time) grandmother. I loved sitting at the frame and listening to her stories while we quilted. But since then, my quilting is done by machine. I also listen to my favorite authors while I quilt or work on hand sewing. And yes sometimes I stop and just listen and laugh. Especially when it came to those ripper cushions.
Oh, so you didn’t want questions about spoiled knitter problems? I was going to ask about how you pick the right yarn for a project? And what would you recommend if someone is allergic to animal fibers but still loves soft, beautiful yarn?
I make baby blankets from Caron One Pound acrylic yarn. It washes well and is very soft. For practical reasons, I refuse to make baby anything that isn’t washable.
Thank-you, I will look for it in my local shops. I make doll stuff and small lap robes.
I totally agree ???? I can’t imagine telling a new Mom that the blanket needs to be dry cleaned. ????
Or having to block it every time it’s used.
Lion Brand Pound of Love is also really good for baby blankets. It’s listed as a 4 weight, but I find it’s a little closer to sport weight, and it’s pretty soft. I get great results with a 5.0 mm/H hook
I use Red Heart yarn. It’s 100% acrylic, washes and dries beautifully. To make the blanket one of a kind, I use variegated yarn, with a solid color border using half double crochet. ????
We could always do a composition of the most ridiculous pairs the BDH has shipped or something like that. I mean that has never caused the comment section to self destruct. Steel Rose Steel Rose!!!!!
I am reading Nevada story again then on to Catalina. My question is when was there a description of Linus siren powers. I am old and my memory is not what it use to be????????. Thank you
Specifically Linus? He doesn’t have a very powerful Siren gift, but he is described as charismatic and “beyond reproach” several times, both in his Prime Duncan and in his Caesar aspects, and that is his Siren at work 🙂
Mod R yes
I know Nevada got her Truthseeker powers from Victoria and Arabella powers from the surrogate so I assumed that Catalina got hers from Linus but he’s shown using his main power with the weapons. Is siren abilities a passive power? Just wondering. Thanks
Linus is a Dual mage, he is a Prime Hephaestus and has a lesser Siren power.
Catalina inherited her Siren gift from his family.
Thank you!!!!!!!
My crocuses came up and started blooming on Saturday! I have daffodils starting to poke up in my garden and it’s still February. I’ve had crocuses blooming through the snow before but never quite this early. I live in central Illinois and I’m sure we will be getting more snow later. Usually we don’t put plants in until after Mother’s Day in May. Last year I started yellow tomatillo seeds in my deck window boxes in mid May. They did better than the ones I started indoors. They followed the sun and were used to the wind and had stronger stems. I did keep them out of the hot sun and kept them watered. They transplanted well and produced enough for me to freeze baggies of them to put into chicken soup this winter. I cut them in half before I froze them. Neighbors got some fresh.
Ravelry can be overwhelming. I try and narrow down the search as much as possible so I don’t have pages and pages of options to look through when I need a pattern. I have avoided heading there to look for a “simple beanie” pattern because I know I will have too many options.
This morning, I thought that coming up with social media content must be a challenging part of being “in that world.” This past weekend, I took two classes at a fiber retreat. One was on spinning luxury fiber, so I thought what was your most luxurious fiber experience? Maybe that wouldn’t be a full post? Sorry!
I would be fascinated by a post on the different places you have lived and the positives and negatives (especially the non-obvious ones) to you of each place. Nothing controversial or deep or that would take a long time, just basic stuff. So Texas positive would be maybe warm weather and negative would be scorpions?
I’m not moving anywhere or anything, just seems interesting and relatively easy.
I’m a huge fan of the Innkeeper series but this last was the first I read in weekly installments. It was so fun! Any plan for when you’ll start the next one?
I always get a kick out of recipes from “the characters”. How’s Kate getting those veggies into her MEAT MEAT MEAT family (I too have this challenge LOL). What’s Roman cooking up to impress a date? TeddyJo has been around for a long LONG time. What recipe does he dream of cooking and sharing and eating still after all these centuries? What recipes did Aunt B pass down to Raphael and Andrea?
Ok I’ll stop. Cheers! 😀
Ooooh I like this idea ????
As a mental exercise, I write for fun. But, my snippets keep getting connected so I thought, why not put them intentionally together? Unfortunately, I don’t have an organized approach to building a story though I know the structural pieces. Do you have a plot schematic or spreadsheet or something which keeps the details and scenes on track? Keeping the chaos under control is necessary for peaceful living at my age. Thanks for any insight.
I can appreciate the pattern paralysis! I have the same issue. I have been organizing my own yarn (there’s waaay too much) and have started printing the pattern I want to use with the wool and packing it all together. Ravelry is both a friend and an enemy as is reddit. I see so many pretty patterns and must buy yarn! Please share your projects!
I’m always so curious to hear about your writing process, specifically how who decides the dialogue and interactions. Do you each take one character and then banter back and forth with one another, generating their interactions? Your character development is so on point and I always super impressed!
I am also interested in how you write together. Do you divide by characters or chapters? How do you edit? Do you start out with an outline of the story?
I enjoy reading about anything you share (tea, knitting, animals, kids, frustrations). It’s a nice break in my day!
+1
yes! i’m curious about this too!
Have you got any good hints for agent query letters, or how to find one?
I’ve self-published eight books on Kindle, and with my new series (that isn’t self-published yet), I’d like to try traditional publishing, but all I’m getting are rejections. My self-published books get decent reviews, so I think my quality can’t be that bad…
Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Kristin Nelson (https://nelsonagency.com/pub-rants/) has a lot of good information on her site about query letters, finding an agent, etc.
Lol! I would love to see the finished cowl. My brothers-in-law ride motorcycles and one Christmas I bought them alpaca wool socks. They immediately went all Gollum on them, called them “my precious” and have continued to tell me how much they love them on rides on cooler days. I just got those because I didn’t know what to get the hooligans for Christmas ????
What’s a plot device you hate? for instance I hate the easy alternate time line/ world plot. the one where its just a play on opposites. oh no the good guy is now a big bad guy and the meek girl is now in command of the alternate universe agency ect.
Random topics to cover –
Pancake day is tomorrow in the UK. Do you guys do pancake day and with what toppings?
Three key items you would take with you on a desert island?
Heels or flats?
Favourite animals in the wild? Why?
Which of your characters would you kiss, marry and cuddle?
Research rabbit holes.. where is the weirdest or funniest place you ended up from one topic to something completely different. I once started researching something for work on how to care for a certain plant we got in that kept looking like it was dying but wouldn’t all the way and ended up with an all woman Japanese warrior unit.(12th century I think) would have to find the article again. Who knows where I would end up.
LOL, that’s pretty much every trip to Wikipedia for me.
I haven’t knit in a long time, but I would like a baby alpaca sweater. I haven’t seen one that I really love and the sizing of things on Etsy seems to change Has anyone knit with alpaca yarn? Not sure if i can with two trigger fingers but I am thinking about it
I haven’t knit with 100% alpaca but I can pass on what I learned from LYS owner.
She was teaching a class and the pattern was a long cardigan that called for a 100% alpaca yarn in either sport or dk wt I think. She explained that alpaca doesn’t have the elastic memory that wool does, wool can be stretched & bounce back to its shape/size but alpaca just stays pretty much stretched out. This is especially noticeable in something bigger in the length. So a very large gauge swatch washed/dried/hung up for a few days can help prevent surprises, or if daring just plan to knit the sweater & sleeves shorter than you want and hope they grow enough. I don’t remember if there was a percentage to expect it to grow or not.
For something like a small cowl & the weight is resting on shoulders it isn’t so important. Unless it is one of the really big infinity cowls that can be wrapped around the neck 2 or 3 times or worn open and long. That type of cowl could grow from its own weight if worn open.
I’m curious to learn how you plan for something you are writing. Is there a detailed outline? Just a rough story timeline?
I have pets and I always like to see and hear about other peoples pets so I always enjoy your pet post
A list of all the evil creatures Roman has to fix. It’s like he is the Dr. Pol (reference to TV animal doctor) of Atlanta but for the weird.
I appreciate anything you choose to share with us, but if you could share more recipes and pictures of tasty stuff, i’d love to read them. 🙂
I saw the picture of the book you were using for the Curran research and I wanted to ask what amount of reading you do for research. Do you read the whole book? Or do you pick out what you need?
I am curious about what type of scenes are the hardest to write and which ones are the easiest (and why).
I would love to read about how you as a pair can write together. The division of the work. Who do what.
For some reason I have a picture in my head of a study whit a big writing desk and a computer. Gordon is sitting there hammering on the tangents.
Ilona are sitting in a a big comfy armchair whit the feet up on a ottoman. A side table whit a pot of te. In her lap there is some kind of knitting going on. There is a open fireplace whit dogs and cats snoozing in a big pile.
So while Gordon is typing away Ilona talk and fantasize about what is or should be happening.
I know this picture can not be true. But I would like to know how it really works.
How is Camille the cat? Does she continue to squeeze under doors?
Monkeys at Texas zoo “borrowed”. Made the local news here. The first thing I thought of was your Kid1 and Kid2. Disclaimer: I know they would not do that, but the thought amused me.
Always love animal stories/ updates. A while ago you had people look up Florida man headlines and share the weird ones. That is always good for a laugh! Interesting recipes are always fun!
The best kind of problem indeed. I’m getting ready to do an across-the-world move and need to get rid of yarn stash. So hard to choose what to keep! I’m trying to focus on keeping hand dyed yarn. What a lovely conundrum I have.
I’d really enjoy hearing more recommendations about what books you enjoy reading, especially stuff that’s not in the fantasy space (although those are also quite welcome).
Writing industry content is also very interesting to me, particularly since I’m self-published and interested in getting an agent for my next book!
I would love a book recommendation or review from you. I thoroughly enjoyed most books you recommended and I am out of reading material and so rereading The touchstone trilogy for a third time (I’m pretty sure it was recommended in one of the “what are you reading” posts)
You made me go look at their Valentine’s Tea, though, as I love both their Chocolate and their Chocolate Mint teas.
I’ve been dying to ask this but have no idea how to independently reach Mod R to ask. It’s about Cornelius ‘singing’ in “Ruby Fever” during the parking lot fight in front of the Office of Records building (sorry, I missed the real-time comments because I didn’t listen to the audiobook until two weeks after publication). Have I missed something? Was there ever a discussion about Cornelius being able to sing like a Siren? I went through the “Ruby Fever” comments and didn’t see any reference to Catalina hearing a song during the fight and turned to see it was Cornelius singing. Explanation, please? Thanks! 🙂
Cornelius does not sing like a Siren, he sings like a Pied Piper ????.
His power is explained in White Hot, when he similarly sings to calls the rats against Olivia Charles:
“When my grandfather came to this country,” Cornelius said, “he took a new name, one that would be familiar to his new countrymen.” Olivia crossed her arms on her chest. “Our real last name isn’t Harrison. It’s Hamelin.” A low sound like the noise of a waterfall came from behind us, insistent and oddly disturbing. “We’re not named for the place where we were born. We’re named for the place where years before Osiris serum was discovered our ancestor became infamous for his magic.” Cornelius opened his mouth and sang a long wordless note.”
Andrews, Ilona. White Hot, Hidden Legacy volume 2. Avon, Harper Collins 2017. Kindle Edition, page 383
Thank you so much for clearing that up for me! It’s been a while since I’ve read Nevada’s trilogy. I’d forgotten all about Cornelius wanting vengeance for his wife’s death and the cast of characters involved. Have a wonderful evening! ????
P.S. Thanks and HUGE kudos to you for doing the voodoo that you do so well. ❤
Whether it’s Cornelius or Catalina, I’m always wondering what the one note IS. That urge was especially strong while listening to the audiobooks. Not that I expect them to sing on the audiobook. (Well, perhaps Graphic Audio productions could go for that.) I finally just imagined a high C.
How did you both decide you wanted to WRITE for a living? And did you ever imagine you would be as successful as you are?
I am food oriented. As such I’ve noticed that you mention korean food in both the Kate series and in your regular life. Where did this love of Kfood come from? Also! Have you seen this giant yarn trend thing? You can make a purse with your hands!
Tuna!!!
My brain is melting from grad school and lesson planning. Apparently I am one of those people who doesn’t listen when friends say it’s too much to work, go to school to finish my degree, and raise a family at the same time. I have to experience it to understand what they are talking about. Luckily your blog, whether about characters, plot holes, knitting, animals, science, or anything really helps me relax.
Also, Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea is one of my favorites and they have now made it in a chocolate bar. Yummmm
Love hearing about your children (love the lawn orphan story!), all the pets, and if you’ve cooked or baked anything exotic lately. thanks for all your hard work. just reread Hugh 1…. I’ve been holding off on a full Kate reread for a while. maybe when Hugh 2 is ready, I’ll go back to the very beginning.
I have a random question that popped up in my head that may have already been answered while I was reading Magic Triumphs. Is the battle scene where Hugh and Kate touch backs in the middle of fighting what was predicted in Magic Rises (book 6) by the dancer?
It is one version of it, yes ????.
Your books have interesting vehicles in them. Hidden Legacy has all sorts of armored cars, Innkeeper has Marais’ modified cruiser and the Ku boost bike, Kate Daniel’s has hybrid magic/mundane cars. And there are a lot more examples.
Is one or are both of you fond of cars/vehicles and this inspires the creativity? Or is this a result of diligent world-building and a lot of research?
I would like to know if “Leo” i the Magic Claims excerp is a historical person & if so which.
Bad autocorrect!
White should be “which”
Pretty picture to contemplate:) Russian Fire Dragon in Acrylics.
Beautifully done!!
This is stunning!!
With Alpaca I would filter by fiber type on Rav. It’s a gorgeous fiber and I have the same alpaca cowl in DK plan but it behaves differently enough that a filter would narrow the choices and get a better end project.
Would be interested in knowing what your routine is like – do you write daily at the same time each day? Do you do big chunks of intensive writing in spurts? How do you set goals/targets/schedules?
More generally, what are your daily or weekly rhythms like, being full time writers+parents+pet owners+… ?
Agree on the mythology question – how do/did you choose which ones to use?
Yarn question – how do you organise it, how do you keep craft supplies from getting out of hand?
Always fun to hear about the pets! Also, I loved the interview series you had going. That was really entertaining.
Ravelry–I strike at thee from– no, no, I cant help it! Hubby wants to know what I’m doing. I’m looking through Ravelry at the patterns. An hour later, still on my tablet, hubby walks by, whatcha doing now? Still looking at Ravelry, I mutter. He doesn’t understand! First you have to figure out what you want to look at, then look at them, cause there’s always a lot… When you like the ones you want to delve further into, then you have to look at the weight/type of yarn–do I have any of that? Do I want to start hunting online for a yarn I will absolutely finish. I swear! That starts more turmoil–colors, prices, where can I hide it… it’s just a mess.
Given the basis of many if not most of your magical creatures, do you feel you are experts on folklore yet? How do you decide which lore to draw from in a particular book?
Random topics –
Which fictional pet would you want in real life?
Which named vehicle would you want in real life? (Romeo?)
What does Gordon think of the show Physical 100?
Most important/useful survival skills each character has?
Thanks for everything!
As an avid reader, tea drinker, and fiber crafter (knitting, crochet, weaving, no spinning), I love all these random topics. If you need help on Ravelry paralysis, let me know. I have spent a LOT of time on it deciding on patterns, perhaps we have similar aesthetics. By a LOT of time, I mean hours daily for a few years. But yeah, lots of suggestions.
It’s not too late to create a concordance of characters and monsters. You could hire someone, since you’re so busy, or get it from a fan. (I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has already created one.)
I have 20 bins of yarn in the storage room upstairs. and 10 downstairs. and I have $175 in yarn sitting in my shopping cart at Knitpicks. Some I need to finish a sweater I have going for me, some for an Afghan that’ll use up an entire bin of bits and pieces and I can work on it until the Christmas knitting starts. And maybe some for another sweater for me.
I don’t need new patterns. I need to knit faster.
Good luck with the writing. Since you asked for it, topic idea!
It’s very easy to convince my female friends to read your books but a lot less simple to try to convince my male friends to do so. Sometimes it’s the cover that puts them off (shirtless men are not helpful)and other times it’s that the genre of fantasy romance seems to be a bad word to those of the male half of our species! Any suggestions on how I can convince them to give you a shot?
Zombies. You describe in the Kate series how belief in certain monsters and grannies stories bring those things to life. So. Because zombies -like vampires- are a popular trend these days, is there a chance of zombies in any story you do? Or, are the vampires of Kate’s world the equivalent of said zombies? Really am not hoping for zombies, just curious what your take is on them. (Most of your “monsters” and God creatures come from legends and myths. I’m not certain zombies come from either.).
Zombies originate from Haitian/Creole folklore 🙂
I’d love a post on language, grammar, expressions, and colloquialisms!
Is there a particular aspect of the English language that confounds you? Do you ever agonize over what word to use in a specific sentence?
The Oxford comma, yea or nay? (I’m for it all the way myself.)
Are there expressions you use all the time in speech that you try not to overuse in writing? Any expressions you love or loathe (e.g., I despise the expression ‘more than one way to skin a cat’)?
Have you ever confused by colloquialisms? Does writing for an international audience limit your use of them in your writing?
*been confused by
Yay Oxford comma!!!
Love Harney and Sons tea. Paris decaf is my current favorite.
You are wasting a ready resource. If you are searching through your own books, the BDH will gladly find it for you.
I’m just here for the snippets lol.
I do like posts about what you’re enjoy on Netflix or whatever streaming channel… I just started Flower Crew which I’m really liking. ????
I have decided I need to take up either knitting or crocheting, but I dont kniw which one. Have never done either. I’m outdoorsy and I like the idea of making my own hats, fingerless gloves/mittens and sleep socks and also making sets to donate. Which would you recommend.
Oh, good question.
Most of the people I’ve met seem to do best with the first one they learn.
I think crochet is more fudge-able, because adding and subtracting stitches really doesn’t show in the fabric like it can with knitting. Crochet stitches just don’t line up in the same manner.
Knitting seems to be something that experts can do by feel, not having to watch every stitch (especially with long rows of purl or knit stitches). With crochet, especially once you get into more complex stitches, you have to insert your hook into funny places and wind yarn X number of times! In other words, crochet doesn’t seem to reach the mindless meditation stage that knitting can.
Crocheted fabric is thicker, because it uses twice as much yarn per stitch. So if you want fluid and drape, you need very thin yarn crochet (I don’t want to wear anything larger than sport weight myself). Knitting can be fluid even with thicker yarns.
Knitting can unravel easily, and it can be tiresome/frustrating to get a row back on needles, with all the loops turned properly. Crochet does not unravel in the same manner, and you have to put in a bit more effort to rip. Unless you are doing tunisian crochet, you only unravel one stitch at a time.
Crocheting (right handed, working right to left) with knitting yarn (S twist) can be frustrating, as the yarn unwinds during crocheting and you can split the twist easily while stitching. Crocheting (right handed) with Z twist yarn is much more comfortable as we tighten the twist during stitch creation. Unfortunately, Z twist yarn is VERY hard to find … as in one or two yarns a year may be released in Z twist. And you cannot depend on manufacturer pictures to tell between the two (they will invert photos for display … ????). I assume that knitting with Z twist carries frustration as well.
Tightly twisted yarns (or even single ply) are much easier to crochet than loosely twisted.
For myself, working with a single hook for smaller items (socks, mittens) is easier than dealing with small circular needles or 4+ needles. But, you will find a much larger variety of knitting sock patterns than you will crocheted sock patterns.
I love looking through stitch bibles for both crochet and knitting, so that is where I might start looking. Check them out from your local library, if possible.
Enjoy your newest hobby.
I hope a knitter first responds … I will love reading their perspective!
How do you design the physical books you self pub? Do you hire someone to do it? Who are they and how do they work?
Hi Oshi, Do you mean the covers of the books or more generally the formatting/printing? ????
Well, I’m in the camp that says “reading the grocery list” (he he!), but: pets; work, school, and other adventures of Kid#1 and Kid#2 (provided they okay that, of course); tea and food adventures you and Gordon have been on; local book events (libraries and bookstores) vs conventions; your favorite places to vacation.
I would love to hear more about how you guys divide the writing as two authors working together. Do you work together on every scene or do you each work on your type of a scene?
I had a cochlear implant put in last November and it’s been nothing short of miraculous ???? One of the ways they advise to practice this new way of hearing is audio books. Makes sense but I’m listening from an iPad so I’m kind of stuck in place. Knitting to the rescue! I’m making a fun kid sized blanket knit from corner to corner in all left over multicolor yarns. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. Can’t wait for the new Kate book!
I’ve been re-reading Kate’s series lately and have a burning question that has really been nagging me, what exactly did Mahon do to the Jackals? I don’t recall reading any books or novellas that included the Mahon/Jackal story and was wondering if I missed it or it was intentionally left unexplained. Any answers would be most welcome!
I would like your top ten list of favourite fictional monsters/creatures! The ones that have been mentioned in your books.
Recipes please!
As someone who is going to Wilmington tomorrow..I am going to look for Kate!
I enjoy your recipes
I would like to hear more about Gordon and his time in the military. Clearly it comes through in so much of the writing. What were the best lessons/things he learned from the military? What were the worst? Any funny stories? Clearly he’s got memories. (“Pinch me, Penelope, it’s Forts Sill!”)
I am totally in love with Catalina and Alessandro. I guess no question…was just re reading their stories and wanted to say it! Lol!
I don’t know if it was mentioned before but will you guys be doing Inn interviews again? That was a lot of fun!
Oh boy the comment ” ravelry pattern swamp is so true! A good problem to have but doesn’t lend to making it easy to find one. ????
I’m always happy to hear about yarn, patterns being considered, and spoiled knitter problems. I’m especially happy to hear about your various types of yarn, both owned and coveted, as that lets me go down a rabbit hole of yarn exploration that is different from the rabbit hole of Australian small business yarns that I normally frequent. I’m now of the opinion that browsing for yarn and patterns are legitimate hobbies of their own.
I would love to see a compilation of recipes from the dishes cooked in Hidden Legacy, Kate Daniels, Innkeeper Chronicles and The Edge series. I recently re-read Rudy Fever and I am so curious if the fajita skirt steak marinade is real and what spices it has in it. I was always curious what the burgers made with swamp seasoning would taste like. I have noticed that the description of food has become more and more complex in your books so I am guessing a lot of this must be based on real recipes ????
The recipes for both are already on the blog ????- here for the fajita https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/its-thursday-yay/ and the Edge burgers https://ilona-andrews.com/2020/edge-hamburgers/
They can all be found with the aid of the search function or the topic tags ???? (Cooking, Recipes- any of them will take you to the right place)
I have a solution for you on the monster search. just casually mention the monster in a post and reference a book – it doesn’t matter which one, say book X then say or was it Y. Sit back and let the BDH do the heavy lifting while you work on your alpaca wool shawl
What are Gordon’s hobbies? I can’t recall hearing about any, but I’m sure he has some!
I always love recipes. I’m in the Pacific NW, so your Texas recipes are really different for me.
Hi! not sure if this was already addressed before but I’ve always wanted to know. Did baby Kate never do the glow thing like baby Conlan did? or was she cloaked?
I was wondering if you listened to the Fated Mates podcast episode (crossover episode with Heaving Bosoms podcast) about Burn For Me? It was very funny and they always say the nicest things about you guys.
It would be nice to receive some new recommendations about series. Maybe some Asian ones? The last ones (Alchemy of Souls, My life again, and The princess) were awesome.
Last spring, did someone in your family plant tomatoes in a wheelbarrow? I thought that was a pretty great idea — plenty of dirt, move it in to the shade on the hottest days. How did that turn out?
I have a favorite cowl, and it’s dead simple. I don’t think that there is a formal pattern: it’s just feather-and-fan pattern worked on a provisional caston in a long strip, as for a scarf, and when it got long enough (or when the yarn ran out – I don’t remember) did a 3-needle bindoff.
Any other favorite pattern would work just as well. It’s the yarn that makes it warm and pretty.
Hi! Everything you write is of interest! I was curious to know how you choose the animals – Cuddles, the attack poodle for example. and how you get the inspiration/information about the creature/monster in your books. Like the Lamassu? as an aside, will we know if the child of Desandra will be told not to eat human meat? Thanks!
Your post brought up a question I have had when reading your different series. How do you keep track of all of the info you have written, such as looks of characters, actions they have taken, histories, etc. do you chart it ahead of time, keep a journal, wing it? Thanks for the many hours of enjoyment. You guys are they types of authors a reader feels they know and would be friends with in person.
awhile ago you all ran a blog with book/author recommendations from which I got some tasty treats to tide me over by waiting for your next. could we run another of those please.
I would like to know if you use an embroidery stand for your cross-stitch. I have a 16×24 project I’m working on using a 17×17 square clip frame; it is slightly unwieldy. It would be nice to sit on the couch and not exhaust my left arm holding the frame for hours. Any suggestions?
Also, I wonder if Martha has ever tried to teach Kate to knit. In Magic Triumphs when Kate mentions to Luther that she had a lot of time on her hands to read about botulism, honey, and other baby related things. She might have taken up knitting or crochet. That’s a scene I pay money to read: Kate attacks a skein of yarn with Sarrat out of frustration because stitches keep dropping.
Hi, I just wanted an update on the next Aurelia Ryder book? Derek is my favourite character and I was interested in getting to know more about his story. Thanks.
House Andrews have decided to not announce what they are working on until the books are ready for preorder ????. This is to manage both their workload and fans expectations. For more details, please see https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
The Aurelia Ryder series will continue ???? and it was confirmed it will feature more of Derek’s story. A few intervening pieces of the worldbuilding puzzle are introduced at the moment through the Wilmington Years novellas.
As soon as any official updates and release news are known, they can always found on the Release Schedule page https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
I have been fascinated by wire wrapping jewelry since I first noticed it. An artist from Europe is offering a free four week class through Facebook so I signed up and bought my supplies over the weekend. I’m sure there will be an interesting learning curve involving sore fingers and lots of frustration but I find the artistry fascinating. Now to find my stash of beads “just in case.”
I would love more Inn-terviews, particularly one with George and Sophie. Or Conclan (with a cookies sampler platter!). Or Roland (how do you feel about being trapped in a pocket dimension because you commit serial filicide?) Or Jim (how do you like being the Beast Lord and having your oldest friend hate you?) Or something random and fun with Grandma Frida or Ascanio or anyone…
I should have said I was curious about your collaboration with your husband? I know you write as a team. What parts do each of you do? Do you outline or are you pantsers?
Oooh. How are the menagerie doing? How is Artha. I miss the animal stories.
I hope you all are doing well.
Will you please,please write a story novella on grown up Jack from the Edge series? George gets his HEA but but Jack…nothing. I just love the Edge series and the kids were marvellous characters..so please think about it .
Question for the blog- critters! Where do you find inspiration for your original creatures like The Head in Magic Triumphs, how deep does the internet rabbit hole go when you research things like the shadhavar, etc etc.
pattern selection choices are a huge problem! I went in to find a pattern for a friend so I could show her what I planned for the yarn she gave me (Aggregate shawl, short rows galore) and nearly BSoDed because of all the other things I found while filtering. aaaah!
re: the monster finding, do you keep a series bible at all (probably not an option now with so much backlist someone would have to sort through). My memory is a sieve , I have to plug everything into a wiki as I write and I *still* nearly sent my MC into a foreign country nekkid.
Do you guys ever play out a fight scene with your pretend swords or spear? I try to wrap my mind around some of the movements but I am so dependent on visual cues that it never comes to fruition . Just curious .
Read anything good lately?
How did you get into knitting? How long did it take before you could make things that were useful?
+1 on more Inn-terviews ????
I’d be interested to hear more about how you pick locations for KD world. Like why did you pick Wilmington versus other cities on the eastern seaboard? Are there other cities in the US you want to write about but maybe don’t fit the storylines?
Hi! I have been so curious, ever since I read Alphas: Origins, as to why that series wasn’t continued. And then why it was “controversial.” I mean, I could take a guess, but would like to hear from you guys if you’re willing to share.
+1
Cooking/ Recipes have you been making more treats? Also show the colours of yarn. I do not craft, but I do love the pretty colours of yarns & wool. Love seeing the finished products.
Couleurs = yes I’m a Brit. ????
Sorry, typing issues. I spell it “colours”
In the post shift world, from what and how is fabric made? From there how are clothes made in?
Have you read the Orkney saga and the magical, man killing woven shirt? The magic to kill someone was put in as it was made, I’ll not spoil what happens, it’s typical Norse saga happenings.
I’d love to read about magical fabric makers and the antics it could lead to.
I have a question about the ownership of the guild. When Kate and Curran moved did they sell the company? Or are they still owners but no longer see to the day to day business aspect, and no longer take any jobs? I know cutting edge closed but wondered if the guild is now solely Barabas and Christopher?
Your answer is in Blood Heir 🙂
Fooooooodddddd! I’m always looking for different ways to our herbs and spices together or different recipes to work from.
Blog suggestion 1.
What books would you recommend to people that would like to learn to write? Not only about building worlds and character, but creating plots.
Blog suggestion 2.
Can you speak about how you begin a new book idea? Does an idea come to you out of the blue, then you build on it? When you begin a book, do you start with an outline, then create plots and subplots? I’d love to hear about your process.
Your writing is marvelous. One of my criteria for a good book is that I can read it again and thoroughly enjoy it again, and again. I’ve read some very badly written sci-fi and wish those writers would learn from you. Your books are very clear, the worlds and characters are developed so well. The reading is so smooth. All kinds of interesting twists and turns, before the ending.
I have been retired for 1 year on March 1, have loved reading for pleasure since age 7, and sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy and comics were always my books of choice. I found the 1st Kate novel (I’m terrible w titles) last fall – and I have now read all of your novels except Hugh’s. Your universes are phenomenal, richly detailed, and I love that I don’t feel as if I’m reading a book that I have read a dozen times – although differently titled.
Anyway, I am from a tiny town in western NC, near Sylva,and I knew that someone in your team had knowledge of the area and proximity to Atlanta from your novels before I learned more from a few earlier posts. I would love to know what from either of your earlier lives pointed you to the myriad aspects of this genre? If you have answered this a thousand times, apologies – I am a novice to the site and your wonderful “yarn-spinning.” Thank you.
I’m always happy to read about knitting, cooking recipes, pets, and tea.
If possible, please – more interviews.
Being able to learn more of a character’s character is awesome.
FYI – thank you for mentioning Harney and Sons tea company. My husband drinks green tea several times a day and I got him the jasmine pearls because of your recommendation. He loves it and we’ve been ordering Harney and Sons teas for the past year and a half. Have unopened bags waiting in the pantry. Then I sent my daughter some of the tea flavors that were not our favorites. Now she is hooked on Harney and Sons. Never would’ve heard of them if it hadn’t been for you. Again thank you.
Love hearing narrative posts about House Andrews updates, writing challenges in your process, as well as house falling apart challenges, kid stuff, fur babies, life goals, philosophies and any fun back stories of The Fast Times of House Andrews.
Basically storytelling behind the scenes in documentary/reality show style about the life, style and times of House Andrews and tea/yarn/cooking challenges. It really provides life and context to how you ideate storylines and characters because art imitates life and life can be so entertaining from your viewpoints. Also it helps distract from the constant spiraling disaster that is my own house of wonder and chaos. ????
I love whatever you post, but I am always looking for author/book recommendations, and K-drama, J-drama, and and C-drama recommendations to tide me over until your next book! Your recipes are awesome too. 🙂
‘Pattern-selecting paralysis’ (I’m totally familiar with it) is definitely a First World problem. Sometimes when I look at the world around us that makes me stop and think about how incredibly lucky I am to have such problems.
I’ve often wondered if authors keep spreadsheets of when characters appear, names, family connections, unanswered issues to resolve later. Is that something Mod R does to help keep track of all the threads, characters and creatures?
I always have wondered about yours and Gordon’s process for writing books. Do you each take a scene and do it with the other one later adding to or editing it? Do you do a storyboard kind of pre-writing said that as each of you writes certain scenes so the book moves forward? I’m pretty sure I read that Gordon writes the fight scenes. Does that mean Ilona writes another type of scene? Do you write in the same room at the same time? I really can’t envision how you two actually produce your level of work.
And in keeping with the above, how did you create your process especially in the beginning, when you were newlyweds, with kids, and jobs? Any funny stories or major glitches along the way?
You did not read that 🙂 . I’m going to let House Andrews answer this obviously, but in short, no, there is no division of scenes exclusively written by one person, it’s a discussion and collaboration 🙂
Peggy, that is not how we write. We do not divide the scenes.
Any food comments and recipes you’d like to share. I really enjoyed your blog on tea a while ago.
What research/experience did you do to portray the equines in your books? There aren’t many, but I think the ones you have are well done! I have spent a lot of time with horses, and some time with mules and donkeys, and always appreciate an authentic equine “horsenality” in my fantasy books. Do either of you have experience with equines? Or friends/family who do?
I mean, animal pics and/or updates and/or stories of their amusing antics are always a win in my book.
Also, more details on that gorgeous dyed aida fabric you were cross-stitching on!
Favorite Andrews family recipes are also always delightful!
I’m still loving the Harney & Sons Platinum Jubilee tea that I ordered way too long ago, never did try the Valentine one. (I love tea and I want to drink more tea – and be the kind of person who drinks more tea – but I always default to coffee if I’m not paying attention so my tea sometimes lasts a bit beyond its ideal shelf time.)
I would love to know more about the background of Elara. I know I read a short story about her at some point and would really like to read it again, if I could remember which anthology it was part of…
There is no short story on Elara published in an anthology 🙂 – there used to be a snippet of Iron Covenant 2 on the blog which dealt with a scene from her childhood but it has been archived and is no longer available. We will learn more about her in the sequel! 🙂
I have a question about one of your characters, which may or may not be interesting to other readers. At the beginning of the Innkeepers series, we discovered, almost incidentally, that Spider finally met his well-deserved end. Thank goddess! But I still want to know if his psychotic niece, Helena (who had a fondness for skinning people alive) ever met her fate, and if so, how. I don’t know why she sticks in my mind, other than you two tend to create memorable characters. Thank you.
I love the character interviews
I’d love some more writing blogs. I am trying to edit one of my novels right now and I’d love to hear your thoughts on editing – self and with your editor. How do you know what to cut? When to flesh something out? Do you map out the pacing to see if there are lulls? Any other tips?
I am not sure if this has been answered but how many books can we expect from the Wilmington series! Also is it hard to let characters go after writing about them for years?
last question will Catalina get her own books in hidden legacy?
Catalina already has her own trilogy in the Hidden Legacy series ????- here for the overview of her books Sapphire Flames, Emerald Blaze and Ruby Fever https://ilona-andrews.com/hidden-legacy/#ironcovenant
Got a lovely surprise today- Magic Claims is available for preorder on Kindle! Of course, once I preordered that, up came Jennifer Estep’s next Galactic Bonds story, which I also must have. Kindle is so dangerous to my bank account.
Hi there – I’d love to know more about the animals in your house.
i’m always happy to read about tea and pattern hunting! i recently found a video on how to make little crocheted monarch butterflies. but the video is in spanish with no pattern. so i just watched the video a bunch of times and wrote down what i saw her doing and was able to figure it out. i’ve just made my 8th little butterfly, everyone who sees one wants one. i tend to get lost down the rabbit hole of pinterest for pattern hunting more than ravelry. but i have enough patterns saved that i will never get through all of them before i die. and still i search for more!
i love reading about all the animals and their shenanigans. and seeing pictures. recently i had covid and my big dog who is absolutely NOT a cuddler, kept coming and standing on me, taking her own sweet time before laying down and cuddling with me. since she didn’t have any practice at it, there were tons of awkward cuddles. (OOF! are you trying to turn my boob into an innie?!) (aaaand thats my bladder, now i gotta pee!) (are you trying to smother me? – after curling up on my chest she rested her head across my face.)
i like the recipes and pictures you share of things you cook or bake.
and i am curious since we know some of your hobbies, what does gordon do in his free time?
Now I want to know how to make the butterflies.
How do you choose where to begin an opening scene for a book?
I would love to hear more about where are you come up with ideas for specific creatures and technology and someone. For example, I love your concept of vampires in the Kate Daniel series. How did you come up with that? Is there something made you think about it or did you just stretch your mind and imagine a non-Bram Stoker Dracula? Or the concept of the solar system in the innkeeper series? All those different planets and how each one works. I’m fascinated by creativity when it comes to these things and I would love to know your thought process for creating these.
Sorry for the typos! I was trying to balance typing on my phone and listening to my four-year-old grandson complain about having to go to the potty.
You need your own AI that you can feed all of your writing to and then ask it questions about what you have and have not covered.
I’m fascinated by the history in Kate’s stories in general, but specifically about Semiramis. I would love to know if there are any resources you’ve come across that would appeal to a not-usually-a-history-person, like a book that isn’t super dry? Or a great documentary? And/or .. would you ever consider doing a fictionalized biography of Semiramis?
If you could make one of your books into a movie which would it be? Along that line which actors would you most like to see play your creations?
I totally agree with your comment about Ravelry!! Not only are there too many patterns but then you pick one and you don’t have the correct yarn weight of the right needles, which is insane given how many I have!! Currently working on a cowl practicing my color work. Do you do color work?
Ooooohhhh, Alpaca! You must find just the right pattern. Alpaca is my favorite after Musk ox. Both are so soft. I am in a sock knitting mode so, no Alpaca right now. Enjoy your knitting!
He he… I have a suggestion for something you can assign to the amazing BDH. Make a catalog of all the monsters and their basic descriptions for you and cross reference it to the books by chapter and page (in case the page number is different per type of book – paper or digital). Then when you need a description, you just check the catalog. We all have read them multiple times and love you so… 😛
I totally understand the problem of knowing information exists but not where. Except mine is with my photos of plants. I KNOW I have a (very specific) shot of a honey bee on a native butterfly weed with this lighting (near evening when the air is soft) in my photo hoard, now which year is that filed under in August?
Thank you for creating wonderful worlds where good triumphs over evil.
Hi!
I’ve always wondered about what happened to the space station and astronauts, etc. during the shift. What if there was a station on the moon or mars? It’s the same universe but they would be further away. And the satellites, Voyager 1 and 2, sent into interstellar space in the 70s.
How would the shift affect them? Or if there are aliens, would it affect them? Like is the shift a local phenomenon or is it universal?
Oooohhhhh, great question!
I was renovating a room and dealing with an erratic carpenter, all while reading about your house renovations. (I sent many empathy vibes your way throughout your fiasco.) As part of my reno, I donated my parents’ bedroom set that they received as a wedding gift in 1958 (and still in good shape), to Goodwill. Both of my parents have been gone for a decade, but I felt like I gave away a piece of our family history.
So, my question to IA is: do you have a piece of furniture (big or small, functional or not) that means so much to you?
seems like there should be a BDH crowd-sourced ‘beastiary’ that you could reference for the details of what monster does what and appeared where. ????
Could you post, or repost, how you both decide who writes what. Do you divide by character, by type of action, or what. I really enjoy your books. I’m quickly running into the problem of having purchased most of them. I’m worried I will run out of things to read.
We haven’t done any character interviews in awhile. Those are always fun.
Speaking of Ravelry and general yarning, I am a basic crocheter, haven’t done anything more complicated than a granny square but need some textural elements for an activity quilt I am creating. I wanted some crochet curlicues for octopus tentacles. Making three dimensional crochet was so intimidating to me thought I would need to get someone else to do them. It turns out they are just tight tensioned stitches built onto a chain. I’m using single stitch but I’ve seen them in double and triple stitch. In bygone years, my daughters were given a little earmuff with curlicues on each side that suggest hairstyles with side ringlets. (Pretty cute when they are pre-k)
Has anyone else had experience with these? Ilona? (I’ve only seen patterned knitted wearables from you.) I found an easy YT tutorial and have only just started practicing. They don’t easily curl for me. Tips appreciated.
A crochet Kraken would be pretty cool. NSum
Advice on making a compelling villain
What shows do you watch on the Vikki app? I am guessing you have it since Catalina and Arabella watch it.
Always love the blog. I made Dina’s Apple Cake. It came pretty and tasted good. I think it may have needed about 10-15 more minutes in my oven though. The cake was a little pale and the apples still a bit crisp. I’ve not done a meringue before, so I was tickled that it came out nice.
I’ve just finished reading Iron & Magic for the second time. In the front it indicates that there will be 2 more Iron Convenant books to follow. Are you intending to write some more on Hugh?
The Iron Covenant series will continue, yes ????.
As soon as any official updates and release news are known, they can always found on the Release Schedule page https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
I would love to hear what you think about gardening. Any weird plant adventures?
First, I love your books. Second, I am software developer, highly analytical and a problem solver, not a writer, so please forgive or ignore this if I am way off in left field or something you already do.
When I read your blog post my mind went to your problem of having described a monster/creature before, but with 10+books, remembering that creature. You need a database or at least a spreadsheet of all the creatures, per series, with their description! Then you could go right to it. You probably already have something like this for characters, so why not creatures or any other things you reference all the time? My fingers are itching to start making it for you, with all your wonderful characters LOL.
Will there be any new frin(n)terviews? It was great fun that we could vote for the characters we wanted to have next in these interviews. And it was always very interesting to get to know the characters a little better ????
If you are researching monsters anyway, maybe a monster of the week?
Thank you Ilona Andrews for the post.
Mother came down with Covid 2 weeks ago and the medications have negatively interacted with her senile dementia/ diabetic medications. So I have been rereading The Edge series. Thank you for writing those.
You mentioned somewhere that HA is a “blotter”(?) – you plan your stories – as other authors write “on the fly”.
How does this planing look like? Is it like “we will have 3 acts, lets fill them with content”? Or how do you proceed from an idea to a book? Very curious ????
Plotter ???? is the term. As opposed to “pantser”, people who fly by the seat of their pants, making the story up as they go along.
The most recent blog post has a short masterclass of developing an idea into an outline ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2023/agent-queries-and-rejections/
Recommendations of ebooks/books, manga and shows are my favorite posts. I’ve been introduced to several books and series I absolutely love as a result. Thank you so much!
This seems to be something a few others have requested, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you have methods of keeping track of your characters, places, etc. to avoid mistakes in describing things in your work? While I’m picturing you with an amazing rolodex of information for each of your series, is it actually a crazy spreadsheet or the dreaded desk full of post-its? Is it backed up somewhere?
As someone transitioning from a full career of technical/report writing to now prepping for a history-based dissertation, I’m finding (for my writing process anyway) that there are significant differences between the two approaches for keeping track of information as well as just what is generally considered acceptable progress. While my annotated bibliography skills are now amazing, I am saving every article I have in one growing folder because I am so scared I will forget/lose it if I create subfolders (and you don’t need to know about my growing book pile). I know everyone’s methods are different, but am interested in learning more about yours.
Thank you!
1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
2. First date stories?
3. What’s it like to write with someone? Does someone do most of the typing?
PS–Thank you for never having a giant scorpion in your stories. I kid you not, moving back to TX has a giant shudder included with the move, all due to the evil buggers.
Of course you got pulled into your monster description! You write the prettiest, most alluring monsters anywhere. With even the scary ones, the love of animals and fascination with their oddities and quirks shines through.
Comment at large: Nora Sofyan (Achrati) narrator of Sweep of the Heart is far and away the greatest audio book Rader ever. She brought so many different characters to life with such wonderful and distinctive voices. Too many readers have just variations of low voices for men and high voices for women. Nora is a true voice actor!
I’d love updates on:
Artha
Lawn Orphans
Spring season dinners
Fun vacations planned
Fun books read
I enjoy reading whatever you write about on the blog.
I love your books, and even before I had read the KD series I read about Adam and Sirnoun. I know it’s a novella set in the K D world. My question is ( and sorry if have already answered this and I missed) would you ever consider doing a spin off or back story for both Adam, Sirnoun and POM insurance. Thank you for your consideration a proud member of the BDH
you could always feed us the shorts from your treasure box.. we’ll devour them with glee????
The ranger cowl! It’s written for worsted, but you should be able to easily adjust the pattern for sport. Takes quite a bit of yarn, though ????
I have always been curious how collaborative writing works (I’m sure it’s different for every team) but could you share how you and Gordon often approach writing as a team?
I have a question – not sure if this is the right place for it.
I was just re-reading Blood Heir, and since Kate and Curren are now off living their happy ever after, Roland is locked up, Erra is off building her new life . . . did any of them ever go and deal with Mishmar, or at least remove and free granny’s bones? I feel really sad for her locked up and forgotten.
If you’re still taking questions I had one on anthologies.
I’ve noticed that in the past you participated in a lot more anthologies (Hexed, Night Shift etc). Is the shift away from that style of book because of an industry shift, because you’re more established authors now, or something else entirely?
I always had a love/hate relationship with anthologies and have always been curious about the process of getting them together behind the scenes.