Hello, everybody.
We’re back from the tour. Yay! We had a blast at DragonCon and met a bunch of cool people who read our books.
The tour isn’t as exciting as it sounds. It’s awesome to meet readers – that’s our favorite part – but the tour itself is a bit tiring. Get up at 6:00 am, get dressed, get picked up at the hotel, get to the airport, check the bags in, go through security, maybe eat some airport food before the flight, fly, grab the bags, find the driver, get to the hotel, check in, fall flat on face for an hour, if there is time try to eat lunch (mostly there isn’t time), get dressed, get picked up for signing, sign and talk until 10:00 pm, get to the hotel (the restaurant is closed by then), wash up, pass out, do this again in the morning.
Tour is work. Contractually obligated work. Which was why we were all very surprised when some of you proposed that we should take time away from our busy schedule to actually do some work, so you can have Innkeeper. And when Brandi corrected this, some of you decided to take her to task.
It is not your job to take anybody to task here. I’ve tried explaining, I’ve tried being patient, and my patience done ran out. You complain, I ban. We have reached the level of zero tolerance.
Onto the FAQ. We have received many emails, questions, complaints, thanks and it’s been a blast. Some of you loved the book. Some of you didn’t. Some of you wanted more people/less people/different people killed. Some of you mourned the end of the series, some of you declared us hacks. A lot of you wanted a longer book.
Dudes. It was over 100K. Like 110K, I think. We had reached our upper contractual limit and then some. 🙂
But it is so fun to see so many of you really care about the series. Thanks, guys.
I looked through FAQ and most of the questions can be summarized as “What happened to X?” and “Will there be more?”
The plan was to follow this book with a Christopher and Barabas free novella, exploring the aftermath. The injuries, Jim’s moral dilemma, etc. The stuff that didn’t make it in due to length, a kind of extended epilogue. We wrote a very draining final book that was epic in scope and it was almost universally loved. That is amazing. There are some people who didn’t care for it, which is to be expected with the last book, but most of the readers adored it. We are so glad and we know you are eager for extras.
Unfortunately, we are both exhausted. We are really, really, really tired.
So continuation plans are on hold for now. Because of this a lot of FAQ questions can’t be answered. We could, but it would be a spoiler.
Here are some brief answers. Yu Fong survived. He was slated to appear in Julie’s trilogy, which is currently on hold.
Ascanio wasn’t in the novel because there was nothing for him to do in there. We could have him walk onto the page and say, “Hi, I am Ascanio” and stand around a bit, but then you would be complaining that he had nothing to do. And you would be right.
Curran didn’t hunt divine animals randomly. He went after divine animals who were causing an issue by eating people and would be destroyed anyway. Remember, all those were Guild jobs.
Kate is still in-Shinar. She doesn’t have the land or the huge reserve of magical power it provided.
Roland is not stuck by himself. Hugh, Kate, Julie and Conlan will visit him frequently. Roland can’t leave the realm because he absorbed the anchor. Look at it this way: Neig was the captain of the ship. He could leave it whenever he wanted. Roland is the ship. He will never walk on dry land again.
Kate and Curran are no longer part of the Pack. Their decision to leave had consequences. Doolittle’s, Dali’s etc first priority is the Pack, not people who walked away and abandoned it (from their point of view) no matter how deep personal friendships are. The Pack is life and law.
I hope that clears things up. The rest will have to wait until we have recovered.
On the personal front, the floor we had put in in December before we moved was put in badly and has to be redone. Ack. There is no point in going after the guy who did shoddy work – it would be pointless as he would simply declare bankruptcy and move on. It sucks but we are chucking it under live and learn. It’s been ground down and there is powder and concrete dust everywhere. I am trying to be zen about it. Zen and vacuum.
Also, once we picked up Sookie the bulldog from boarding, we discovered a limp. She started panting in pain and we rushed her to the vet. She has an infection in her elbow. There is no marks or cuts on her leg, so we are mystified as to how this happened.
As bad as it is, our HOA reported that a neighbor ran over a 4 foot rattler not too far from our house, so I am relieved it’s not a snake bite.
Hopefully the list news will come in tonight and if so, we will share.
I can only imagine how exhausting all of this has been. That said, I just wanted to thank you both for such an amazing end to the story arc. I join the many that are 100% (can I say 200% because that really is a better representation) satisfied. Am I sad…. yes. Did I expect to be….yes, my favorite character of all time’s story arc came to completion. But wow, was it a perfect completion. I enjoyed every second of the book!
Please enjoy your downtime. Please take the time to rest and recover. It is well deserved!
It was time for an end.. every series has to end or it gets stale. I am happy you have fun writing, and I hope it never becomes a chore or curse. That is the worst thing that comes with being a writer.
+1
I really agree with this! The book was great and I remember something you said a while back, that Kat and Curran Ave earned their happily ever after! And Conlan is so sweet and funny it’s just awesomeness!
Rest – rejuvenate – and enjoy being seen! ?
That was supposed to be sent. I totally remember typing that in! LOL
I give up! Hahaha!
Thank you both for Magic Triumphs. I loved the maturity of the characters, the flow of the story and for me this is a neat bow tied around the complexities of Kate and Curran, two of my favourite characters ever.
I have been gasping for more Inkeeper and thank you once again for not only a great story and wonderfully complete characters, but also for doing it as a freebie:)
Ohhhh, Yes!!!
People complained to Brandi about the lack of an Innkeeper episode??? You’ll have to give me a moment, because that is insane. On behalf of all the readers who love and adore you and understand that you were on tour, I apologize.
I loved “Magic Triumphs”!!! Actually, I have already reread the book twice. I like how you handled Ascanio and his increasing responsibilities as a bouda. It’s nice that he has turned into such a wonderful young man, and will definitely be alpha male of the boudas some day.
I was blown away with your solution to the Roland situation. It was obvious that Kate didn’t want to kill her dad, though if push came to shove, she would. This way, Roland has a chance to hopefully grow a little. Maybe lose some of his world-conquering habits?
Please take time to recover and enjoy life. You earned it. That being said, I do await the next book with excitement. Just don’t kill yourselves, hurt your hands, … to write it. Some things are more important.
+1 I couldn’t have said it better.
I agree with Saira. Kathryn says it most excellently!
+1 – I was horrified when I read the email with people complaining about no innkeeper, what they think you guys are robots who can just keep going? Rest up the BDH will willingly wait ?
+1
Sorry to hear about Sookie, I hope she recovers quickly.
I like the ban idea. I am not sure why consideration for others is becoming rare, but there should be consequences.
And, while I would love more Maud, why not take a break from everything through the end of September? That would give you a good chuck of time for your fingers and spirit to rest and heal.
Thanks for a great series!!!
This is the first series that I have re-read in its entirety from book 1, and let me just say thank you for bringing us the world of Kate Daniels.
I, like the thousand, millions out there, would love to hear more of the characters, may it be a spin-off or novellas (Conlan? Baby B? 🙂 )
But I agree that you take a rest, and celebrate the end of this wonderful series.
We’ll be here patiently waiting for the next books that you will write.
I completely agree with this comment. Stop letting a handful of Bitter Bettys bring you down. You guys are awesome! If we don’t get new Innkeeper until you’re ready to write it again then so be it. Rest, relax, take care of life and your hands. Cheers!
Thank for the answers hope your floors get done right and your dog gets better
I loved the book. I have loved every book in the series and I thought your solution to Roland was perfect! Kate and her family still get to have a relationship with her dad – I felt ill at the thought that she’d have to kill or box up her dad in a way that cut him from her life completely. He loves her, and just like all parental relationships, he really was doing the best he was capable of. Family. It’s complicated.
I’m sorry people were jerks.
I hope Sookie gets better quickly .
Thank you for being awesome and being you.
I loved, loved the final book. I read it twice back to back lol which my husband thought was weird. I had to keep explaining it was the final. I will love any novella’s in kate’s world you deem to allow us!! We are worthy!! lol I despise the haters too and am so happy you ban them!! Feeling like Martha here. lol and last note, poor puppy!! Hope Sookie gets better soon!!
Thanks so much for these answers! And thank you so, so much for all that you do for us. Your books have brought great joy to my life. I am always amazed at and grateful for all the time you put into free stories and the Innkeeper books for us. I’m sorry there are other readers who feel entitled to them. You always seem to have so much pressure – I hate to think that readers are the source of that or are contributing to it. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you! You guys are the best and Magic Triumphs was a wonderful ending to the Kate and Curran arc. xoxo
Did you take a minute to revel in the massive achievement that was a _successful_ ten-book series? You earned it. It was glorious, and I’m only just coming off the high. And I inhaled that book cover to digital cover the day it was released.
Part of me looks at how that ended and think, well, maybe we will have some quiet Cutting Edge Investigation stories. You guys don’t do typical procedurals, but I think you *could*. Procedural + mom-life + magic = win. That’s for someday, though, and a change in direction that may or may not feel different enough to not be as much work?
So I just bought Destiny 2 and have been murdering everything in sight, and it made me wish for you to have a few dozen hours of downtime for yarn or murder or what have you 🙂
The book was wonderful conclusion to a magnificent series. Do not let anyone tell you different – everyone has an opinion but I never understood complaining to people who are trying to give you enjoyment. As to Innkeeper –
it is almost like crack! Seriously! But to DEMAND installments? Wow – just Wow! I have enjoyed and purchased everything of your writing I can get my hands on and probably always will. Thank you for tons of enjoyment
I loved the book! This is a world you both have created in your minds, if anyone else tried to write it or dictate what happened, it wouldn’t be your world. And it was a fabulous ride. Thank you both so much.
Hope you get some rest after the tour, cause that sounded exhausting.
I love this books so much!
I loved Kate and Curran in this book. I’m sorry I live in Europe and could’n see you.
I am a little sad for Derek, Julie decided to leave… I hope they will be together in the end.
Enjoyed the family unit interaction on Magic Triumph!
Great solution for Dad (Roland). But I have to tell you that Conlan stole the show so to speak! Adorable!!!!
You did good pulling together as many characters as
you did into this final book! I mean, how many years have you guys been writing this series? How many characters have you added during that time? If you’re ready to wrap it up and move on, to concentrate on your more recent series, more power to you. I love your newer ones.
I have to admit though, that for me between the last two books, Iron and Magic was the best for me. I’ve re-read that the most. I will also admit that the narrators voice has a lot to do with that! That was a brilliant move on y’all choice of narrator!
P.S. Looking forward to the next Innkeeper installment!
First, I can’t even imagine the extent of thoughtless abuse that Ilona, Gordon,
Brandy, et al, receive on a daily basis, and still want to continue to blog and give us FREE stories. Why can’t Slime disguised as comments and emails come in Slime-Colored print so it can just be disposed of before robbing the receiver
of valuable time and emotion? Maybe someone could write an anti-slime program that could deliver all that foul disease-spreading rot straight to the Slime Box like the Spam Box.
Second, When I read that the focus is shifting from the main characters we’ve all come to love, to other characters, I get exited to go down a new path in the same familiar environment. Think of how George and Jack and Gaston left “The Edge” and came to “The Innkeeper” and how our wonderful Maud Arland and Helen have taken the adventure down a whole new path.
We loved the three tangential Kat Daniels books with Dali and Jim, Raffael and Andrea, and Julie and Derek, even though Kate wasn’t there running the show. Book #9 ended with the witches mentioning the White Warlock. And now Kate’s story is morphing into the Iron Covenant and more. Roman, for example, is a hilarious character and I’d love to read his raked-over-the-hot-coals-of-love story.
I’m looking forward to reading Nevada’s siblings’ stories in the familiar surroundings of Hidden Legacy.
I trust the ALs to entertain me with whatever they want to write, and will wait patiently until they feel like writing it.
Please join me in thanking them for all they do to enrich our lives and let them know it’s OK to take the weekend off without the pressure of posting on Friday.
We’ll all still be here when they are ready.
Congratulations on the best selling lists!
We are not surprised. ?? ❣️ ?
You said it beautifully, Chris. Thanks for expressing my feelings better than I ever could.
And thanks, Ilona & Gordon, for creating such amazing worlds, peopling them with such realistic characters, and allowing us to share all their incredible adventures!
+1 ♡♡♡♡♡
I like to think that if anyone could figure out how to separate the dragon Magic from their own,it’s Roland. It may take a thousands of years and it would like moving a beach one grain of sand at a time. But I think he’d be able to get himself out of this predicament. Slowly siphoning the dragons magic into a vessel outside of himself. So that he can then be the captain of the ship. He just seems like the type of character that would never stop trying.
Thank you Ilona Andrews for all your hard work and sharing your stories!
I would like to comment on the complains, demands or unkind messages. It is not my intention to make apologies for anybody and I do not approve of such messages.
However, I also do not approve of unkind comments towards these people. Hating a hater just makes another hater.
Also, I must say that I do understand how these messages came to be: Reading a good book creates emotion. Not everybody is good at dealing with high emotions, mostly because nobody taught them how. Banning them, if it gets too much is fair. But they probably don‘t understand the implications of their emotional reactions and don‘t represent the bulk of the readers.
MAGNIFICENT!!!!! OUT OF THIS WORLD FANTASTIC!!!!Thank you for the best series finale ever, or ever will be, written! Can you tell I just got it from the library and devoured thisbook?! Thank you!
My mom and I both loved “Magic Triumphs.” Mom was late coming over one day last week because she couldn’t put the book down. Thanks for your work — we’ve bonded so much over at least three of your series, and the wealth of Kate Daniels-verse stuff is a gift.
Ban ’em! Hope the dog is okay. Keep giving us free stuff, please!
Congratulations on the placement in the best seller list. Hopefully, it moves on to #1 !! I have Triumphs on my Kindle but haven’t read it yet. Starting over (again) from Book 1. Loved this series!! Love Innkeepers. Love everything you write!! You are fantastic writers….great dialogue, great world building, just great! Thanks for sharing all you do. Ban the ungrateful and insensitive! They won’t appreciate anything you do. Hope you get some good rest, hope the pup gets better soon, hope the floor get repaired and is beautiful ………….. best wishes and thanks so much for everything.
Thank you for your hard work on an amazing series. ❤❤❤
I’m glad that you will be doing more stuff later for the other characters to give closure. Ending a long series that have acumilated many loveable characters with their own depth and stories is hard. I will be patiently waiting for you guys to relax and enjoy your well deserved sucess.
I have fun recharging yourself while I reread the books and go destract myself with other things!
❤ ❤ ❤
Just need to say that I have read a lot of series, particularly trilogy’s. Most run #1 book is terrific – #2 book is good – #3 book is so bad it made me wish I had never read #1. It got so bad that I just stopped reading series – I couldn’t take it. (C.J. Cherryh was an exception) Anyway Magic Triumphs is the best – the very best finale book – maybe because it doesn’t wrap every single thing up in a bow. I don’t know why but its the first finale that I have read over and over again that feels true to the whole series. Thank you so very much.
Sergeant Gordon never did like the floor anyway did he?
As a fellow dog (/pet) owner and fellow money pit, I mean HOME, owner, I am so sorry about your pup and your floor. Best wishes to you with regards to both. Loved the Maud snippet, and will wait – patiently – for more, whenever you feel up to it, whenever that may be.
YES!
I’m down with your level of tolerance. It’s been over a year of explaining & you’re still polite.
Welcome back, welcome home, sit down, relax, order yor comfort, breathe.
I’m hoarding your books, got em, haven’t read them. This way i’ve got something to enjoy.
Good to hear about Julie, i will enjoy her development. Looking forward to what your mind produces for novellas etc.
I appreciate your communication with us. I sorrow for those who take that to mean that your writing is not separate from your communication. The writer writes, i appreciate your writing. Thank you.
Loved magic Triumphs!
And as a grandma that just sat through my grandson’s tantrum (in his carseat!), the thought that I was listening to the “sad song of his people” made it much easier to endure 🙂
Thank you!!!!
Just wanted to say I thought the way you dealt with Kate’s Dad was inspired.
Trapped and Kate didn’t have to kill him. I also liked the way you intertwined Hugh’s and Kate’s books. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between them and picking up new details everytime.
Thank you!
Thank you for thsee updates, and I loved the book! It (obviously) made me sad because of some of the deaths, and I can’t wait to read more about the Pack and other characters.
However…Derek is okay, right? I’ve reread the battle scene a few times, and I can’t tell if he made it!!!! I think he did, but I’m not sure, and I can’t imagine a world without Derek! ?
Also…anyone complaining and/or being snarky about Innkeeper or anything you guys post BLOWS MY MIND. What are they thinking? Don’t they understand how wrong that is?
Lastly, THANK YOU for a wonderful series and HEA for Kate and Curran. I laughed out loud during parts of their last book, and can’t wait to get more glimpses of their lives in other books. Oh, and I’m super happy you reopened your blog comments, too. ?
I said it before. B did a great job keeping us up to date on your tour. I really like her writing style and how upbeat and motivating it is. She has a solid, unique voice. That said. How are your hands? I hope you were able to rest and sooth them on the tour p. Your hordes are hungry, but can march and stand inspection first.
+1 ?
I finished it today and really enjoyed the wrap up to Kate and Curran’s arc. I like the set up for Julie’s stories and am looking forward to reading the second Hugh and Elara story that lead them up to this book.
Oh gosh, I am so sad that this is the end of the series. It’s like the last scene of LOTR where Frodo left for the Undying Lands and I’m the one on the shore waving goodbye.
I decided to savour slowly, absorbing evey word written rather than devour MT and it was an Experience. Every word, moment and scene was perfect and not wasted. It was so intimate because the jokes, the interactions between beloved characters, only those who read the series will understand them having been voyeurs of their lives throughout the series.
I laughed and cried and laugh cried. My fiance was subjected to me pointing out every details that stood out for me. I love Kate as a mother. I wished there could be more scenes with Curran being a Dad. I love how they have to deal with regular stuff regular people go through (laughed like mad over the phone call issue and my heart broke for Dali but I’m glad there is a solution) while dealing with a death or life crisis.
I love how Curran and Kate have grown as a couple. They understand the choices that both of them had to make to save each other despite not liking what the other did. Rather than argue about it, they accepted it as being who each other were and instead chose to be kind and loving.
There is so much more to say but I shall end it off here cos I have an appointment with Sunshine Realty to see if there is a house for sale in near the Lennarts.
So I’m kind of late to the party so to speak but I find myself wondering something about Kate based on Conlan. In Magic Triumphs, Conlan can form blood claws without really any trouble. I’m curious if Kate did similar things around Voron but ultimately stopped trying different things because he told her to hide?
Also, thank you for your books. They are always very much appreciated by me and my husband. We actually, when we first started dating, would read your books on skype calls because we were still dating long distance at that point and they are some of my fondest memories, reading and reacting to your books with my husband over Skype lol.
I’m always late reading, but I wanted to tell you, I love everything y’all write. I sit and wait for the next book to be released. Yes, I cried like a baby during several parts and at the very end because it was over! But I wouldn’t trade for anything. Like all good writing, it takes me to places and on adventures that I can’t go on. AND I LOVE IT! Rest, my friends, you deserve it! And prayers for a speedy fur baby recovery!
Since the series is over, will we ever find out about the 2nd man Kate ever slept with? I remembered years ago, on the forum, someone asking about that, especially since Kate (after Derin) became very conscious about making sure to never again sleep with someone she didn’t know was trustworthy, and the answer hinting something but I can’t recall what anymore.
Thank you for everything this series is. It has kept me company for ten years and I have never followed close enough to rememebr the relsease date. I mean it’d be in my Amazon waiting for me to remember and then I’d devor it in 4-5 hours. Thi stime I waited to buy a few days then kept it a few more until it was raining and just savored every word. Then I was wanting more, so I did want any one should do. I started book 1. Your books are and a few others are what I have decided to keep of a thousand plus books I had as I have become a bit nomadic and moving books is heavy…I was bought a kindle for which I have resisted endlessly..but I digress. Thanks! Love everything you guys write.