Hello. My name is Ilona.
::takes ANDREWS off the name tag and melts into a pile of goo::
The release is done. The publicity week is over.
All of the orders in the store have been sent to production. We have lingering out of stock issues, but they are only affecting about a dozen orders. One of our T-shirt providers decided to go out of business, so we had to get that exact T-shirt printed with another vendor. Phew.
All of you should be receiving shipping notifications within the next week as the items are produced and shipped out.
If you have issues with your order, the banner at the top of this page will take you right up to contact form in the store. We are here for you.
::braces self for being pelted with broken mugs::
Do you ever get a song that just plays in your head, almost as if you have an internal Spotify that somehow activated? Am I the only weirdo? This morning I woke up, and this was in my brain.
Why? I like Backstreet Boys, but I don’t usually listen to them. Of all the stuff that could get stuck in my head, why this one? I haven’t heard it for years.
Quit playing games with my heart
Quit playing games with my heart (with my heart)
Before you tear us apart (my heart)
I’m chucking it up to the post-release temporary madness. This was such a wild release. We were so, so busy. And now we need to have a post-game conversation with our agency and then we can write.
Texas has been baking all through last week, with highs of 103 F. According to the weather service, the high humidity made it feel like 122 F. It was so smothering, and last night it finally broke into a thunderstorm. Everything is drenched.
Deep breath.
yayyyy you made it! Time for you guys and Mod R to get some breathing room!
Enjoy the break!
I was wondering how the heat was treating you…
Dear Ilona,
why don’t you try to replace this song with the Beatles “Let it be!”?
Congratulations to all you’ve achieved and have a nice and relaxing upcoming weekend.
Helga
P.S. We expect heavy rain shower of locally more than 100 l (metric European measure) overnight so that staying cool and dry is our first priority in Germany for the time being 😉!
Thank you. Thank you for the wonderful stories. Thank you for the amazing merch. Thank you for your patient follow through on every.order.
Thank you again for sharing the worlds in your heads, with the BDH.
Yes! This!
🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏👏
My t-shirt & mug arrived yesterday. Both in perfect condition. I love them!
Thank you House Andrews, Mod R, & everyone else formally that you do for the BDH!
I totally understand the earworm going through your head of a particular song. I go through it too, especially when it’s a song I heard a very long time ago, forgot about it, and then heard it again a few days ago to the point I had to go to iTunes to buy the song so I can get it out of my head. 😀
Texas heat and humidity…ugh. We’re all melting in the State. Then ERCOT, even though they know what Texas summers are like, tells everyone to conserve energy. Why can’t they just get their act together down in Austin and get something done about this grid? (That’s not a question anyone needs to answer.)
At least release week is up and the store was a big success.
Relax and keep deep breathing. 🙂
You are not the only weirdo – last week, it was Nickleback for me. Like, three days running. Eh 🤷
Take a breath. Take a breather. Enjoy the calm. Enjoy some me-time 🙂
Billy Preston for me, the other day – Will It Go Round In Circles:
https://youtu.be/W1TmIhddn0c
Sending you deep, slow, meditative breaths. You are wonderful and full of light and constant, peaceful energy. Try the Dali Lama healing chant. It is soooo calming and refreshing. I listen when I am walking (and frequently walking just in my home because the heat in Phoenix can be overwhelming). Of course, listening to your books does not calm me but the books sure brighten my days. Big smile.
Congrats on surviving all the release and store stress!
ModR – Don’t know if you’re still accepting potential merch ideas for the next set of goodies (months in the future when everyone has had time to rest!) – but while I was doing my re-read ahead of magic claims, I remember thinking I would 100% buy a mug or t-shirt with the Roman quote that was something like “Its not that I’m that evil really, I’m just beloved by evil things”
Thank you for all that you do!
That quote has great support for merch potential! (It’s me, I am the great support, and also the evil thing that beloves Roman 😀 )
Me also! But I understand that Mod R has dibs on roman.
I really did correct the lowercase r to uppercase. Really. Roman, Roman, Roman.
I hope Mr Mod R is understanding when Roman is near. 😍😍😍😍 (this is Mod R with Roman) 😁
+1
+100 I would buy any merch with that quote except a mug (the mug collection is outta control).
“It’s me, I am the great support” 😂😂😂 You’re such a hilarious and essential part of House Andrews. Thanks for all you do. The transcript was amazing, with comments and links and everything.
HA ! You haven’t had an ear worm until you babysit a toddler and have Baby Shark stuck in your head for at least two days. Lol. Anyway, the book was awesome and much appreciated. I loved it. More please of Wilmington!!
Oh baby shark is a real nasty one…!
I’m so glad the release went well. I always try to get friends and family into your books, it’s hard even though Kate is finished, it’s 10+ books and that’s hard for non-devourer readers to get started on. I always steer them towards Innkeeper, Hidden Legacy, or even Kinsman to get their toes wet in the hopes that they fall in love with your style as much as I have. Super looking forward to the Innkeeper comic as another INN (get it?) for folks! 😉
I’m in the UK and due to a toddler granddaughter CBeebies is on the tv a lot. My earworms this past week have been the themes to Go Jetters, Love Monster and the Hello song from Baby Club, but mainly Love Monster. Last week it was theme to Bluey (also CBeebies) and Gypsies, Tramps and Theives by Cher – a song I really dislike!
Received my order already! Three mugs came through perfectly and were packaged really well! Love it all!! Thank you!
The mug packaging was great: so simple and yet so secure!
I ordered a mug and a couple dishtowels from the merch store. They arrived quickly and in perfect condition. They are wonderful and I love them.
Wahoo!! my baby blue BDH shirt arrived I’m in lurve😍😍🥰 Can’t wait for all my other goodies I avoided mugs I’m hoping for a stainless steal type of the travel cups that have the coffee spout and straw hole in one cup for next release… My sister got me one for my bday and I love it. Coffee in morning then iced tea rest of my day or water if I make myself drink it..😖
What you all did was HUGE. Also, exciting and fun as heck. Thank you!
I hope. you can enjoy some down time.
Your subconscious is trying to tell you something 🙂
I got email notifications that some of my purchases have been delivered.
I want go to home! Waaahhhh!
I really liked the Zooms. I’d seen who Hugh’s father was before, but his mom was a big surprise to me. Roland is a terrible person, but Erra’s not much of a prize either. Filling in more of the backstory about Wilmington was interesting, and I’m glad Curran will probably get his moat.
While I’ve been coveting Hugh 2 for years, Kate-world in general has a lot of appeal also. Thanks again for taking the time to indulge us. And yes, it is now sucky Texas weather forever time.
I must have missed it in the transcript but who is Hugh”s father?
The transcript and all of its spoilers are here https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/magic-claims-spoiler-party-and-transcript/
Thank you for keeping the spoilers in the comment section there 🙂
We try so you don’t get mad at us. 😬🥸
Never ☺️!
For big spoilers I might hide a comment or two until everyone catches up though – so don’t be mad at me 😅
haha my husband somehow gets Ashley simpson’s pieces of me stuck in his head. basically anytime the word “pieces” is spoken he starts the chorus. its gotten so bad that my 4 year old AND my 2 year old can now also sing along and will sometimes break out spontaneously….we are starting to be known as the Ashley Simpson household😅
Take a day off and enjoy the break in your weather. Play with your dogs. Drink tea. Have a couple of nice meals. Breathe.
You seem to have several projects in the works, and it seems to me all of them would be the better for letting your brain have a rest.
I couldn’t resist the bag with “Don’t Make Me Deploy My Freaky Shit Testing Device”. According to the links involving the USPS, it is supposed to arrive tomorrow.
The Bel Canto Choir of Vilnius rendition of “Down In The River To Pray” is really hard to erase when it runs through your head. So many verses but a beautiful rendition! Try to stay cool and pamper yourselves. It’s over 90 degrees in central Illinois so no walk today. I have 3 baby showers to sew for so that will keep me busy. One boy baby and two I’ll do neutral colors for until my cousins find out what they are. I do like sewing! I found a bandana bib pattern that takes a folded 12.5 inch square of flannel and 2 pieces of velcro. Super fast to make.
thanks for sharing that version of “down in the river to pray” – it was lovely!
A very lovely version and I’ve spent an enjoyable evening exploring their back catalogue on YouTube. A real mix of pieces and great energy and enthusiasm from the choir and soloists. So glad you mentioned them, I would never have found them otherwise.
+1
My mugs came yesterday, all in one piece !!!
Thank you for all you do for the BDH!
What a satisfying book! In it I see a clearly marked doorway for an entire series with Kate, Curran and Conlan in the center. My hope is that our beloved authors skip through that doorway with glee surrounded by the cheers of their Book Devouring Horde.
Fingers crossed!
Ahh. Texas is pre-heating.
Hugs…..
We have had rain/drizzle for the past two days in Northern Virginia….we need the rain, but I work our church’s food pantry outside the past two days of rain….I don’t know when my feet will ever dry out……
Currently listening to the rain (in N Va) as I read this…hope your feet dry out!
The song that earworms for me that I started out neutral to. Unfortunately after it earworms me, I grew to dislike the song. All I have to is hear the opening words and it’s stuck in my head for days. The only cure is to earworm a song that I really like.
Enjoy the break!
No you’re not the only one who wakes up with random songs in their head. Sometimes I have to find the song and listen to it multiple times for it to leave.
My 9yr old made up a game where we get points for passing that song on to others in the house. 5 points per person for a song. 3 points for a random saying or line from a book or movie.
at least the voices in your head are human. For the past 3 days mine has been meowing “hello?”
I blame The Kiffness…again
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lwLLFbC1H0c&feature=share8
I have random songs that get stuck in my head, but I also have a recurring earworm that torments me since September of 2014!
“Deck the halls” randomly starts in my head and I have to sing it for a bit to make it go away, or it will go on and on for the entire day. And it happens sooo many times, it’s exhausting really.
The funny thing is, I love all Christmas songs, but this one is pure torture!
OMG Deck the Halls had been the ONLY song I heard for st least 20 years myself. About 2 years ago I suddenly realized another song was tuned in. Finally! Now I enjoy trying to figure out what triggers each new song that appears 🙂 So glad I was not the only DTH ear worm victim.
I often wake up with a song stuck in my head. And yes, it’s usually a very odd choice.
Oh I hear songs in my head all the time! Sometimes it something that got stuck but mostly I just have a soundtrack in there to things I do. Like when I walked in the mountains once I hade Iron Maidens Powerslave on repeat.
It were more songs before I went on a sick leave due to burn out but it’s still there
And now that you’ve passed on that ear worm to the BDH, you should be reasonably at peace to go back to your regular mental programming because now it’s stuck in our heads. 😆 Thanks 😑😘
Deep breath, cup of tea, some good chocolate, and peace 😌
Thank you for the most excellent book. I’ve read it 5 times back to back 😆
Ilona
Please send the Thunderstorm to Arizona, Pima county topi point where it will get me. We are in the 103 range today. Are being promised 109 soon. Thanking you I advance for the storm, and all your books !
seriously, last night’s storm was batshit bonkers. it came out of nowhere!
For no reason at all that I can fathom, I woke up with “SayNo More Mon Amour” playing on repeat in my head. The one that Rex Manning sings in Empire Records. Just…because?
So I can feel your pain.
By the way, the book is AWESOME and I love all y’all.
Enjoyed every aspect of Magic Claims. Now we here in SE PA are having damp, chilly 60-degree temps soon to be upper 80ies with high humidity. Relax, please, and enjoy modern comforts.
For times like these, I revert back to another of my fandoms’ mantra: “Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.”
Oof, that heat sounds *awful*! Here I am complaining about temps in the high 80s… Although the last two days have only been 70 F, which has been lovely in the short term but should probably be considered a worrying sign of climate change.
I was drifting off to sleep, and my wife asks what that noise is?
I was drumming the rhythm of the song in my head against the comforter, personal jukebox reporting!
ear worms are horrible things ( those songs that stick in your ear), at times I can’t believe what sticks.
I saw with the Texas heat, it is cooler than normal hear in NJ. apparently the hot weather is going to stay there for a while, pls be careful, they are predicting severe weather of all kinds.
loved you guys with Nalini Singh. I am sorry live events have disappeared , we got to one just before the pandemic, kisscon, and it was fun meeting you there even though it was brief.
The mug I ordered arrived safely intact today! It was the perfect gift for my sister who loves KD as much as me. Thanks for opening up the store!
Congratulations, good luck, and thanks. My hilarious Freaky mug is just fine. It arrived with the box dented *on the bottom* where the extra cardboard padding/insert saved it from any damage.
First off, no you are not the only weirdo who gets songs stuck in your head. The other day I walked around with Stacey’s Mom on continuous rewind. I also live in Texas and I swear we could cook dinner on our cars.
RIPPER CUSHIONS MUG DELIVERED TODAY!
WOOT WOOT!
Perfect condition.
My brother sent a link to The Singing Nun’s “Dominique” Sunday. I didn’t even click on it because the blasted thing is engraved on my brain thanks to our Francophile mother. So it’s been running in my head off and on all week.
Wishing you lots of relaxation and well-functioning HVAC.
“… -nique -nique -nique S’en allait tout simplement”
omg you’ve done it to me now! All I had to do was read the title ackkkkkkk 😭
Same! Aieeee!
At least 2 generations are familiar with that song. Mine saw it on the Ed Sullivan show and it has been used on a more recent soundtrack. And now I have to get it out of my head!
Freaky mug and 2 bags received in fine condition. The mug has already been used for copious amounts of tea. Thank you!
Ear worm: “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl”, performed by Lea Michele at the recent Tony awards.
Our dad used to start the Muppets song “mah nah mah nah nah” and the four of us kids would answer “ba ba da da” – drove our mom crazy. Every time. Never did catch us out, a great bonding moment!!
Today is Christmas in June: got my Keelan mug, Roman coasters (both designs!), and ferret heist magnets!! “Sky dreams of dragons” t-shirt arrived yesterday. The ferret heist design is so cute – he’s got his utility vest on and a screwdriver in his paw!!
💖💖💖
All very well packaged and the packaging is mostly (~ 95%) recyclable!
Thank you again for the merch store and all of the serious work that went in to it behind the scenes!!
Wow, so many posts this week! I’m glad the release is over and you’ve time for yourselves ( perhaps?!). You both looked so tired on Wed but were obviously doing much better on Sat. Thanks for all the info and bracing for being pelted with broken mugs cracked me up!
I got my coffee mugs today and not only were they not broken they are beautiful, great quality, I love them so much!! Thank you to all those who helped make the merchandise store happen!
I’m glad you guys get to destress post release now. I appreciate your work very much.
You are not the only weirdo. I get songs stuck in my head all the time. Or someone will say something and a word in their sentence will trigger a song in my head. Breath deep. Get that oxygen into you so you can write more. LOVE your books
I heard Belinda Carlisle at a restaurant about a week ago and have been hearing Mad About You in my head ever since.
The high heat and humidity is awful. I hope everyone is staying safe and hydrated. I live in MA and it was only 68 for a high yesterday. Pretty cool for the first day of summer. It’s warmer today and warming up but we are a long way’s off from that kind of heat.
My earworm this whole week has been Phillipa Soo singing “Helpless” from Hamilton. so I finally put the album on, great music to clean the kitchen too. did not get the song out of my head.
I keep trying other things. Rob Thomas didn’t do it. Leonard Cohen didn’t do it. Bon Jovi didn’t do it. I’m thinking I’ll have to break out the big guns and listen to the Moana soundtrack.
You could always get “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack in your head.
If Bon Jovi didn’t do it for you…that’s one serious earworm stuck in your head.
You have more than earned that Deep Breath! Zoom sessions were wonderful and the Conlan story on top of everything else going on – you went above and beyond!! 🥰
HA and Mod R do so much for the BDH – we so love and appreciate all of you and the whole support team behind you!
Congrats on being done with release week and orders, and having a moment to breathe.
My default song is “Under the Sea” from the old school little mermaid movie. No idea why. But yes, my brain often plays music for me when there’s no music on. Right now it’s “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez.
Enjoy your deep breath!
I woke up this morning with Pat Benatar’s Invincible stuck in my head.
Can’t remember the last time I heard it.
How do you insert a picture into a blog comment? Do you put it in the “Website/Blog Url” field, or is there some wiki-like tag you have to write into this comment box and then the path to the image??
The option no longer exist for adding pictures to the comments, I’m afraid.
Bummer.
Oh deep cut BSB. And the video! lolz I forgot about the water at the end. Peek 90s.
Congrats on the release.
You want a song that you can’t get out of your head and will drive you mad? Try the theme song from the 1960’s TV show Green Acres. Fun kind of a song of a fish out of water big city lawyer who wants to be a farmer. The cast was a wonder group of character actors.
Green Acres is the place to be
Farm living is the life for me
Land, spreading out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside
New York is vere I’d rather stay
I get allergic smelling hay
I just adore a penthouse view
Darling I love but give me Park Avenue
The chores, the stores,
Fresh air, Times Square
You are my wife, good bye city life
Green Acres we are here!
Soundworms defy understanding… mine usually end up being some obscure Victorian hymn.
Victorian or Edwardian eras for me, complicated by only getting the third stanza.
(Although it’s usually Thanksgiving hymns, not sure why, when it’s a full verse. Frequent visitor: “Come Ye Thankful People, Come”.)
I get American Pie stuck in my head.
I always have music in my head. not an earworm. more like a radio I have no control over. Earlier, it was stuck on a 90’s Lilith Fair artists station. Currently, it’s playing a Beatles retrospective. (🎶”Picture yourself in a boat on a river… with tangerine trees and marmalade skies” 🎶)
You’re not alone in waking with a theme song for the day. This happens to me all the time. In fact, I woke up this morning with the cover by Home Free for Shakira’s “Try Everything” blasting in my head. It is still there running in the background. 😀
My internal jukebox comes up with some doozies.
The strangest one to date is Rubber Bullets by 10CC.
Recently it has been repeating Oops, I Did it Again br Britney Spears with occassional bursts of Bluer Than Blue by Michael Johnson.
we’ve had a week of frosts and I’ve dug up lots of my garden to gets out the weeds and replant the plants I love. but it’s winter here
I have started to receive my merch. 2 mugs and a notebook so far. They are all great and the mugs were whole !
Congratulations on creating another fantastic book and surviving the book release chaos.
I have come to realize that my dreams usually have a soundtrack based on whatever my brain finds buried in the sub-basement of my memories. Which explains why I frequently find myself barely awake in the shower humming songs I have not heard in decades. Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes it’s a song I hated when it was popular, but it won’t stop repeating in my head…
Thank you for it all! Aaaaaand relax!
If you’re interested, my Book Devouring Horde mug arrived yesterday and I love it. I’m on the South Coast of the UK so was thrilled to get great merch without having to spend more on the postage than the item.
You guys are the best.
My BDH T-shirt arrived yesterday and it’s perfect! The material is so soft, even before washing. Awaiting the tote bag in great anticipation.
Thank you, Gordon and Ilona, for all of last week. You stated you’re both introverts so you must be absolutely exhausted now.
Your gifts to us cannot be overstated for the joy you bring.
Thank you, ModR, Kid 1&2, and Brad for last week’s joy.
Love the redesign of the office and how great the new tech support was.
ModR, extra, extra kudos for staying up until 2am to moderate the first Zoom.
I often have various songs running in the background of my brain. Sometimes it’s directly from hearing a lyric, others I hear something that reminds me of the melody then the random I remember a time in my past for some reason and that song’s connected to it. lol The mind is a weird and wonderful place.
Exhale. And again. Exhale longer.
You guys are amazing. I am so thankful that I am a member of BDH.
Come visit us in Tucson. No humidity. No cool thunderstorms either…yet. Just hot!
After the first time I ever heard it (2007 at the Interfaith Service for what became Netroots Nation), I had Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ going through my head for three months. Fortunately, it is a very nice song.
May I recommend “A Symptom of Being Human” by Shinedown? “Unpack all your baggage
Hide it in the attic where you hope it disappears.”
Hugs! And more hugs! You survived: release week, the store, and hellacious weather. Go relax. You deserve it!!
My mug came yesterday in perfect condition. I moved from Texas to Michigan 2-weeks ago, perfect timing!
I received all the Freaky Shit Testing Device bags I ordered this afternoon. My Daughters are in the BDH one waits for the story in print and the other reads the blog on Facebook. Two sons and a daughter-in-law are aware of the Andrews’ Universe, but they only read the books when they visit me. All five are getting one of the bags.
It hasn’t rained much this year in El Paso, and only the large central stalks of my Ocotillo have leafed. The small peripheral stalks look dead, they are not.
Of course, after looking at the Testing Device on the bag, I had to make one. Mine is about 15 inches long. It took about twenty minutes to trim a six-inch handle, free of spines, wear protective glasses if you do this, and cover the trimmed wood with several wrappings of heavy plastic tape. It’s not freaky but very wicked looking. It reminded of an old spy novel where Agent Smiley’s acquaintance was impaled on one of Big Ben’s hands.
Just wanted to say thank you again!! I loved Magic Claims so much…definitely in the top few of my favorites of all of your books. And then the Conlon short story on top of it? It made me cry happy tears! He’s such a special little boy! And if that weren’t enough, I’ve received most of my merchandise order (including an unbroken mug! 😁) and love it all…I smile every time I look at any of it!
So please, take more than one deep breath. Do something you love to do, have some delicious tea and cookies, and pat yourselves on the back for jobs well done. We the BDH love and appreciate you! 💕💕
I wake up with a different song in my head every morning. There is always a song running in the background at any given moment. If I’m in a good mood, I’ll be singing along out loud. ( Yes. Singing along to the music in my head). It’s why my British flatmate told me “You’re just a regular old jukebox, aren’t ya?” And hence, my new handle was born.
I. don’t know of any other person that has this, and it hasn’t been studied much.
Some good news, I’ve received my BDH fun mug, and my backup mug, unbroken! My tshirt and sweatshirt have also arrived. I’m in California. The website does a good job of giving you production and delivery updates. Thank you!!
I have a ferret on the fridge and ripper cushions on the couch, and a grin every time I see them
thoroughly enjoyed Wilmington II. thank you so much! looking forward to whatever is next!
My t-shirts got here today.
I am wearing “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty”…
I am delighted.
Trapped in side by the sunlight, I finally caved and bought the beta for Warhammer: Rogue Traders. I am practicing the virtue of patience while it ever so slowly downloads.
Completely off topic, but I’m enjoying a KD re-read (more accurately a re-listen) at the moment. I’m on Shifts right now and had to stop to share. I’ve read/listened to KD many many times. Even now, when I know these books so well, a single line can still send me into hysterics. “65 feet tall and your d*** is still tiny!” I hyperventilated from laughing, I kid you not. I got myself under control, only to double over again awhile later when Ghastek draws a butt for Applebees. Seriously, you guys are awesome, and Renee’s delivery of that line was perfection!
On topic, earworms. I could probably write a dang dissertation on them. Long time sufferer here. If I could, I’d send Kate after the jingle writers of the world. They are my Sunshine Realty. Anyway, as others have said, there’s a trick to driving them out. You need a song that either doesn’t stick in its place or one that you don’t mind having rattle around in your brain, best if it’s both. I use “Istanbul” from They Might Be Giants. It’s ridiculous, catchy, and fun. Fun is the important part. Istanbul hasn’t failed me in years. It even vanquished what I consider to be the worst earworm of all time, which I will not identify here. That would be mean, and someone might yank my BDH card! Experiment until you find the song that works for you.
All I wanted in life was the “here kitty kitty” tshirt. I was so disappointed when they became unavailable in the first store. But here they were! And I got one! The delivery was perfect, the size is perfect, and I am perfectly happy with my purchase. Just thought you’d like to know.
I got my notification on Friday that my tee shirts are on the way to my home.
What’s funny is they are on the way from just up the road from where I work at the Fitzroy Library!
Sometimes the world feels very small and cosy.
I’m looking forward to being cosy in my tee shorts.
Just finished first Sunday latte in my new BDH mug! Caffeine + BDH swag = joy Hope your morning is equally full of quiet joy.
It’s MAGIC!!!
I got the blank black mug, loaded up my Keurig with tea and VOILA it’s MAGIC CLAMS in all their glory!!!
SO COOL!!
I do a weekly group diary on Daily Kos – other people are in charge of the other days. For the record, there are quite a few members of the BDH who are also regulars on Daily Kos.
I mentioned having received my bag (I did say your merchandise site is intermittent). One of the people who read my post googled it. I think when you open the store again, you will have a new customer.
Congrats on making it through release week!
I often get songs stuck on repeat in my brain, but it is usually something that I have heard in the last week or so, but it does seem so random sometimes.
I saw that there was hail in Houston. I hope you are all doing well. I am trying to take deep breaths but keep choking on air. thanks again for the novella and all the Zoom parties.
My internal DJ is weird, too… and frequently makes very inappropriate song choices. For instance, here it is June, and the music stuck in my head for the last few days has been the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s version of Good King Wenceslas.
O_O
Magic Claims just arrived yesterday. Oh my. What a lovely book. Y’all do good work.
There is an old French song, “Plaisir d’amour,” that is a frequent tuneworm for me. Trouble is , I philosophically disagree with the chorus, and amend it to “Chagrin d’amour, ne dure qu’un instant; plaisir d’amour dure toute la vie, ” instead of the other way around. You’re looking at me blankly–Elvis used the same tune and sang new lyrics of “I can’t help falling in love with you.”
If you like Leonard Cohen’s Alleluia, try the Boys of the Lough singing a traditional Alleluia. It is amazing….. I enjoy getting it as a tuneworm over Christmas, especially when the alternative is “Santa Baby” and “Holly Jolly Christmas”!
Thank you for the books and the GREAT BDH mug. I had to explain to my sister what it meant. Love it. Whenever I drink from it, I have a smile on my face. 🙂
Relocated to Houston recently from Columbus, OH. I didn’t expect the heat to be so bad though I was warned about it. The rain just adds to the humidity. My short hair has gotten the fritz now. Not sure if it is better than the snow and cold in Columbus.
I have Internal Spotify as well! Sort of. Unfortunately, it only plays Eric Clapton’s
“Cocaine” on repeat. Why? I have no idea. I’m not particularly a fan of Eric Clapton.
(He’s great at his music, I just prefer other genres.) After watching too many After School Specials and crime dramas as a kid, I am kinda terrified of cocaine, so not a fan of it either. 😂
Fortunately, my IS only plays when I’m exhausted and stressed but can’t sleep, which isn’t too often.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love you anymore….I LOVE Backstreet Boys!!! 🙂
I love everything I bought from the store but I can’t wait till it opens again so I can buy more! Stickers! I love stickers I can put on water bottles!
A long time ago and a couple of states away, I ended up with “Zombie Jamboree” stuck in my head AND stalking me. For 6 months. Imagine having it in your head and finally getting rid of it after a week. Then it pops up on a new commercial or is in a movie you happened to watch. I would then get rid of it after another week. Then it would come on in the grocery store. It finally went away. This was back in the olden days with the CD clubs (get 20 CDs for cheap). I made sure my order didn’t have the artist (can’t remember which version was stuck on repeat). Order comes. Has a compilation “Best of” for Kingston Trio … with “Zombie Jamboree.” Sigh.
Hadn’t seen it posted so I thought I’d share the link for the chat with House Andrews and Nalini Singh with Ashland Public Library: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoAL-s__dE
Cheers!
I live in Tucson, AZ thank God and not in Texas. I don’t think I could stand that humidity anymore. I used to live in North Carolina where it was very humid but we didn’t get the triple digits thank God for that as well. I don’t know how you guys do it there. I would be melted into a puddle in a matter of seconds. nothing like feeling like a fish the minute you walk out the door…..
Have you considered moving to Ontario? The Great Lakes are almost the ocean. Few tornados and fewer scorching days.
🙏for your family in Russia.
I just want to say how much I enjoyed being in Kate’s world again. Thank you so much for writing these wonderful stories!
Congratulations on your massive achievements! Ya, the ‘ear music’ is often a thing. Right now it is for me one or more tunes by the Queen of Rock, Tina Turner. I had a dog named dancer. When her ashes were returned to me, the label said, “private dancer’. But that had been one of our names for the girl. It is okay. Leave it be and something else will replace it. Here hoping none of the replacements are insane, heh!
I received my shirt and cup after an exhausting 67 hour car trip. The box looked like it had been attacked by minions of evil. However, Kate and Curren were far more powerful.
I received my BDH sweatshirt! I love it, thank you. Now I have to wish for a chilly day. Thank you for making the extra effort to have this merch opportunity. Every morning I get a song in my head and it spins round and round all day.
My subconscious plays songs to talk to me. Not always, but sometimes. And then it plays them on repeat. :/
I’ve had that happen with a song. I’ve woken up for days with the same song on repeat for no conceivable reason. As for the mugs, I thought they were really nicely packaged and both of mine arrived without issue.
I had a fun little spending spree (I now have a winter Book Devouring Horde top, for instance, despite the current sweltering heat).
Thank you again for doing that, even though I know it’s a hassle. It was great!