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ILONA ANDREWS

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Did you press the corpse with your finger?

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“I heard you were moving to Maryland and starting a tea farm. 😂”

“As I read this I wandered if this post would have been something that Catalina would have posted on her extremely exciting Instagram. 😀 “

Not mad. I thought the comments were funny, so the kitty is tongue in cheek. 😀

Let me tell you what my professional life has been like for the last 4 days.

Web searches:

  • Compact gun
  • Lightweight gun
  • First aid for gunshot wounds
  • Gun shot wound to torso
  • Collapsed lung
  • Gun shot wound to extremities
  • Tourniquet maximum time
  • First aid gun shot wounds
  • Rigor mortis timetable
  • Livor mortis timetable
  • Livor mortis duration
  • Is livor mortis permanent
  • How long is livor mortis observable

Email from Jeaniene Frost: Look, here is an article with the finger pressing the corpse. Did you have her press the corpse with her finger?

Image from Death and Kinetics

Email to the medical expert: Where could we shoot him and do we need to make up a sedative?

Medical expert: Long email, also urine.

Me to Gordon: We need to add a puddle of urine. Also torso wound won’t work.

Gordon: Makes sense.

Me: A paramedic emailed not that long ago about the bleeding out from a femoral artery. I could ask him about the first aid for gun wounds to extremities.

Web search:

  • Glock 43 clearing round problem

Gordon: It’s not a problem. You have to forcefully pull it back. It’s fine for her to have one.

Me: Okay, also how does she leave if the siege protocol is engaged? Like does she run? Is there a delay of like 30 seconds?

Gordon: What we be the purpose of the delay?

Me: I don’t know…?

Gordon: …

Me: …

15 minutes later

Me: I mean, technically he could do that, right?

Gordon: There would be briefings. I say we go with it, because everything else is too complicated.

Me: How many bullets… Did she add one to the magazine after chambering a round?

Gordon: Why would she do that? She is MS. It’s plenty.

Me: One, two, three, seven? No, six. Because one is in the gun…

Gordon: We have to name the drug something.

Me: You have to google it. Because we made up Equizol and now UK made it a real drug.

Gordon: ?

Web search:

  • Equizol

Gordon: Ha.

Me: Yep. It’s used for treatment of ulcers in horses.

Web search:

  • Styxine

Me: I see a moth, but that’s about it. I think we’re good.

Gordon: And done.

Me: End of scene. Wait, did we add the urine?

So you will take posts about tea and you will like it.

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Comments

  1. Heehee. You guys are so funny. Really makes my day when I read one of these posts. Also, I enjoyed the tea post.

  2. “Yep. It’s used for treatment of ulcers in horses.”

    And I laughed and I laughed…

  3. Wow! Besides the urine, do u also hv to worry about bowel evacuation?

    There is so much to know about guns and weaponry in general. I wonder if the guy/gal who just bought a hand gun at a gun show knows even 1% of what y’all know?

    I will take the tea post. One of the best. Now can we discuss how u make ur Chicken fried steak? ????

    Love the cat!

    • LOVE chicken fried steak! Best IV had was at the hotel restaurant next to the Alamo. OLD historic hotel.

    • Yes. If I remember correctly, you would.

      HEEEHEEE. I’m glad my brain isn’t the only one that went there. Just glad it hasn’t gone to how corpses can naturally saponify….yet.

  5. I enjoy your tea posts, and i don’t even like tea.

    Knitting posts, on the other hand, fill me with unfulfillable desire for pretty yarn rarely available in Europe. I still want to read them though.

    • You could take up spinning. (I just picked up a wheel, since I’m actually staying in one place enough for it to make sense, and spinning cuts way down on the soul sucking effects of zoom. But I’ve been doing handspindle spinning since I was in my teens…)

      I knit and weave (well, I did, looms aren’t currently in my possession), but TBH, I like spinning the best and have plenty of weavers and knitters in my circle, and plenty of folks growing wool bearing critters around here. Next up is custom colorways for friends.

      • Hey Tylikcat! Question: I do a lot of knitting holding double and even triple strands. Needless to say it’s rough on the hands. Do you ever ply multiple strands into one for friends? Do you think I could do this with a hand spindle?

        Thk!

        • I have a friend that uses a drop spindle even though she has a wheel. She has done three strands though two are more common.

          • Yeah, I don’t expect to stop using my spindles – I just had a new one made to my specs! – I just wanted to increase my production.

        • Hm. So, while I wait for the last replacement piece for the new wheel to come in, I’ve been hand-plying, which I’ve done a fair bit of. (Right now I’m self three plying a bunch of thread I spun for my sister.) What I haven’t done is ply yarn in which the twist has already been set?

          At the very least, I’d try doing a very loose twist, just to hold them together – the tighter the twist, the more you’re going to change the look of things. You’ll also want to look into S and Z twists – I overspin my yarn in one direction to make plying it in the other direction easier. But if it’s already loosely spun, make sure you’re not unspinning and damaging its integrity.

      • Tylickat – more info please! My 8 year old really wants to try this but I am not sure where to start with spinning.

        • Reenactor here and I can assure you that drop spindle is well within a 8 year olds capabilites. Get a bottom weighted spindle with a short shaft and a small dense spindle whorl (round weight). You should be able to find you tube videos to watch. Get precarded tops on Ebay or from a localfibre shop. I am UK based so can’t help with suppliers if you are US based.

          • Totally agree. I taught myself, in my teens, from a book.* But it’s a skill that was commonly taught to five year olds, and it’s very satisfying.

            I started with a low-whorl spindle, and now spin pretty much exclusively high-whorl. High whorl is faster, low whorl is easier to control? Spindles are pretty easy to come by, or to make (most of the ones sold on etsy are lighter than I like, especially for starting with, though I know a lot of people prefer lighter ones? I mean, I’ve taught people to spin using random garden tools before…)

            * Okay, I had been dreaming about it beforehand?

            • Oh – and many spindles can be used as either low or high whorl, and some are even intended to be used for both. (When I left Seattle, I gave away or gave to long term loan most of my spinning equipment, and only brought my very favorite spindle… which is designed to be switched.) I wouldn’t worry about that for starting out, though – get a nice, sturdy low whorl, don’t pay too much for it, and go from there

      • Drop spinning does look amazing. Hypnotic and amazing. I‘ve been meaning to try it when I next get a chance.

        • I find it calming. Also, tactile, which is especially great when I’m otherwise on Zoom all day.

      • Berlin. We have lots of lovely yarn stores with many artisanal yarns! Just they tend to be different ones than the ones available in North America.

  6. I love the cat pictures. Ok, I will take the tea post. 😀

    Loved the conversations between you and Gordon while trying to hammer out scenes in the book.

    Also, Equizol a treatment for horses. The things you learn while reading a post. So…Bug takes a treatment designed for horses. Hmmm…we knew he could be a horses behind when riled up. So… I will leave it at that.

      • So, there may now or at some point in the the future, members of the BDH who are using what Bug uses…

        • Some humans are already using omeprazole. The brand name in human pharmacy is Prilosec. It’s used for reflux. Very helpful when you need it, though it’s not a good idea to stay on it longterm.

          • I have been taking omeprazole for years… how is it bad long term and can something be done to counteract that if I still need the omeprazole? I will be getting my esopagus and stomach examined soon… had it done last year also… do not remember name of the test, but if I reflux into my throat, though rare, if normal acidity, it burns and hurts really bad. One time I could not speak for 20 minutes… really scared me. My dad had esopagus cancer after years of GERD so have concerns, but do not want to harm my body in other ways. Zantac made me sick… good thing since it can cause cancer.

      • I take the ‘prazole stuff – they’re gastro-resistant tablets used to decrease the acid in stomach and are part of the proton pump inhibitor family of drugs.

  7. For years now I’ve wanted HBO or Netflix to pick up the Kate Daniels series for a show or movie series (So long as it’s done well like Game of Thrones not done poorly like Dresden).

    But now I would happily watch the two of you talk through your style of writing.

    I liked the post about tea as well, for what it’s worth.

  8. Having seen and treated hundreds of gun shot wounds – depends on the round but for a compressible wound – put a tourniquet on it for a non- compressible wound – depends on skill of person giving first aid from open up the abdomen and put artery forceps on the artery to pouring TachoSil in to it.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7093954/
    Tells you everything you want to know

    • I read in a book that certain military stealth types use tampons to stop up bullet holes whilst in the field – not sure how true it is but…

    • I learn the most interesting things on this blog like tea, wound treatment, and real estate and livibility in Maryland. And that is just this week. 🙂

  10. This makes me think of that post from way back, when you talked about going to the office supply store to get supplies for brainstorming about the kidnapping in the book and tried not to horrify the clerk.

  11. I think you should sue for their use of the name Equizol? Wouldn’t it be under copyright protection? I think that would be hilarious.

    “Why did you pick the name Equizol?”
    “I don’t know, it just came to me.”
    “Did it come to you after you read Ilona Andrews?”
    “Um…”

  13. Ok, so the subject is tea……….

    Is there a tea equivalent of civet coffee? If so, tells us all about it…

    • Well, there is Lapsang souchong which is a smoked tea. I bought some once being adventurous. It was remarkably similar to drinking tea in the middle of a choking grass fire and not something I would recommend. I kept wondering why the kitchen smelled like I had overdone the toast and finally realized it was the tea, which I had not sealed in an airtight container.

      • Gorgeous stuff IMHO and one of the teas used in Russian Caravan blends to replicate the smoky taste the tea used to acquire when brought by overland caravan from China to Russia. Trick is not to brew it too strong and to ensure you buy the best quality you can find.

  15. This was hilarious! I wonder how many federal databases you landed on due to your fun searches? Lucky for you, your author status is a pretty solid hall pass, but still it’s amusing to think of some Intel person following your bread crumb trail 🙂

    I love these snippets!

    • Shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing searches for pressure cooker … went up. People were curious. But at the same time, it was becoming apparent just how much surveilance was being done on average citizens. A couple, one of which was a writer, received an official visit within hours.
      I wonder if the new reality of online monitoring has effected or suppressed writers online searching of subjects.

  16. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I thought figuring out marketing for a new company during a pandemic was bad!

    But if you need gun help, my husband is an FFL and can walk you through most gun things.

  17. I liked the tea post! And I hardly drink tea, being more of a coffee person. Also more knitting posts please! If you have time in your busy schedules of course. TIA!

  19. Don’t ever go into crime. They will check Google history and immediately put you both in jail!

  20. Drug names always fun. Here is a link for some common (generic) drug name roots to either avoid or embrace depending on your naming inspirations: https://blog.nclexmastery.com/drug-stems-prefixes-roots-suffixes/

    There are more and more details on some of them even – mab is more generic than umab, omab, ximab, zumab – which provide more information about the monoclonal antibody (how ‘human’ it is).

    Sigh. But helps figure out a new drug faster when you know some of the naming conventions.

  21. It’s been a long time since I touched a corpse. I was a Director of Nurses for MANY years in a nursing home (before taking a desk job) and I loved my residents. As they passed away, I was usually at their bedside with the families or I always came in to be with them. I also preferred to be part of the team that cleaned the body up. So when I think of touching a corpse, I think of paying respect to someone I loved. ????

  22. Of course! Absolutely, I would also love to see the rest of the results of teas that were too long to write about! I enjoy all that you give us! Thank you and happy hunting!

  24. Homeland security may be knocking at you door with questions. Or you’re on a watch list. Are you establishing your alibi with this post? All of your readers will vouch for you guys for the price of a new story.

  25. And this is why I read your stuff. It feels so real. Even a work of fiction has a grounding in reality that allows the reader to experience what the characters go through.

    Thank you for providing mentally and emotionally stimulating reading material.

  27. Good thing you don’t work for someone else and are googling on your lunch hour the IT department and Security would be meeting with you constantly……

  31. Lol, love the cat attitude pics.

    I am in a ongoing negotiation with my 6 year old about what pets she can have. We agreed on a fish when she turns 7, a cat at 13, and a dog when she moves out (for college).

    Last week, she had a nightmare that her hypothetical cat ate the hypothetical fish (which would be at least 6 years old). This required extensive discussion and midnight googling to determine whether fish tanks really do have lids (as they frequently don’t in cartoons).

    So, I appreciate reading your web search list, as it puts my midnight quest in perspective.

    • Tell your daughter I maintained lovely aquariums full of fish for years and had two cats as well. No fish were eaten! The cats loved watching the fish swim, too. I do recommend glass over plastic. A new kitten scratched up the plastic goldfish aquarium until she figured out she was never getting in lol.

      • But make sure it isn’t flying fish. Our cat never bothered the fish until we got ones that jumped alot was a kid so may not been flying fish but that was mom called them when she brought them. We had a mess, the cat was after them and in the tank more often then not. Of course he might have been avoiding them, they seem to want to commit suicide. The other fish didn’t like the cat joining them though.

  32. These posts are always may favorite. OK, I could live without knowing about livor mortis, but still…my favorite. I’m going to be giggling over this all day.

  33. I enjoyed the tea post. I’m not a big tea drinker, but my teens love tea. The teas you posted sounded delicious and I’ll probably purchase some to try. Thank you for the suggestions. 🙂

  35. Serious giggle factor. I always wonder what NSA or FBI think of writer’s search history.

  37. OMG! You guys are definitely on somebody’s Watch List somewhere!!
    I can just see the agents pouring over your various media, going “What’s their target! Timeline, we need their timeline!! We’ve got to get out in front, before they strike! These people are twisted! ????????”

  39. Whatever you want to write I will read.

    Tea: ooh I want some
    Kittys: aww
    Your writing process: fun
    Recipes: fantastic!
    Book recommendations: bring them on! This is where I’ve found the rest of the books I read while waiting for your next one.
    Any and all snippets/novellas/books: a very special present that I will repeatedly devour.

  40. I laughed so loud at this post! Then I read it to my dad. He said as a soldier and police officer he always put one in the magazine after chambering a round. I love the tea post.

  41. LOL
    Your books are definitely hard work. I am so glad that the two of you do this together.
    And I love Jeanine Frost!

  42. I hope you two are using Duck Duck Go for your searches. If not you better hope no one you know or a neighbor gets “whacked” ;^)

  44. I loved the tea post and am eagerly awaiting any future tea posts you may choose to do. I also enjoy your yarn posts, your work posts, and OK all the posts. (But the tea posts are the most immediately useful as I’m in the process of considering new teas!)

  46. so who is shooting whom and why – Catalina is an MS but normally not with guns … so is it her or Nevada? … speculation begin a new book – yipee..

  48. Thanks, you made me laugh and we all need a good laugh, and I guess a puddle of urine.????
    ps I like the cat pics ????

  49. Glad you’re getting it done and having fun. Ish. Sort of.

    I’m happy to volunteer as your personal research librarian –I’ve got 27 years experience! (I am only kidding. I mean I’d be willing to help but I realize you probably need to do your own research.)

    Have a great day!

  51. “Wait, did we add the urine” has me in stitches.

    Also, every time Jeaniene emails you something helpful like “did you have her press the body?” ???? I think you should help her out with her book covers. You know, ask her if she considered purple or blue tassles, that sort of thing. Fair is fair. ????

  52. This is probably my favorite blog post loooool. Thank you for sharing your process with us.

    Jeannine is hilarious

  53. Now I’m disappointed. I TOTALLY would have bought your Maryland-farmed tea.

    Also, I have once again learned something. I thought lividity was obvious. Now I know you have to poke at the corpse to be sure.

  55. The amount of work and detail that goes into writing a book never ceases to amaze. I can see why some authors don’t bother. Thats why I don’t read their books. I am sure that some government people read your books and would plead for you to be locked up with your computer and internet. These posts are such fun to read

  56. Ummmm I like tea, honest I do. I have bunches of teapots and tea cups and a variety of teas and everything. Ok my tea tastes may jot be as sophisticated as yours, but i am alllll for tea and tea posts

    And i never actually thought you were goingbyo move to Maryland ???? I just figured you were going to write a scene there for Julie’s series or something to do with the Order

  60. Just my two cents, but a Glock 48 would be the wiser choice if you’re concerned about round count. Shield Arms manufacturers a very reliable 15+1 magazine that is flush fit (I’d like to go into the technology that allows this, but doubt anyone cares). It’s the same caliber and grip width as the 43, but slightly taller in grip and longer in barrel. There is no downside to a longer barrel, as it has no effect on concealability and increases controllability. These are all objective opinions, but as someone who owns both guns, in addition to a lot more, I can promise that a 48 is the superior choice between the two. Very few serious firearm wielders think “just X rounds is enough.” The philosophy should always be to have more than what you need, in case stress or other factors lead you to waste ammo.

    • “Very few serious firearm wielders think “just X rounds is enough.”

      The MS in the post stands for Magus Sagittarius. For that person 10 rounds = 10 kills. They don’t miss. The weight and size of the gun are more important in this case. 🙂

      • A couple thoughts. First, I had assumed that “MS” stood for multiple sclerosis, and I wondered why you didn’t give your protagonist a G42 chambered in .380 instead. Still, if it’s really number of kills equals number of rounds, why not use a G44 and have her kill her opponents with a .22LR and have four more rounds in the mag?

        Second, as soon as you assume that you will only face X number of targets, you will be in a situation with X+1 (or X+2 or X+3). Guaranteed. As soon as someone tells you that wolves never have a pack larger than 8, some hunter posts a YouTube video where his trailcam records a pack with a dozen or more. So person who is knowledgeable about firearms will top up the mag after chambering a round. And carry and extra mag. And count shots so that they change mags when there is still a round in the chamber so that the shooter doesn’t have to rack the slide to continue the fight.

        Third, any person who shoots a lot will have a round chambered as soon as they load it — you may be in a situation where you need a loaded gun in your hand and not make a noise. Racking at that point is counter-indicated!

        You may or may not be able to use this, but some Glocks have a tactile loaded chamber indicator. The extractor sticks out slightly to the right if a round is chambered versus when the chamber is empty. This can be felt with one’s trigger finger reaching up along the slide.

        Fourth, Glock aficiandos are the Jehovah Witnesses of the gun range. Their Glocks “never” jam. If you ask them, they will tell you. And tell you. And tell you once more. (In fairness, I’ve never seen a Glock shooter have to clear a jam at the firing line. Not so for any other semiauto!)

        Fifth, think about the holster, please. If your protagonist is female and sufficiently buxom, then a flashbang holster hangs under her bra and is perfectly concealed. And a person patting her down will seldom think to pat under her breasts (even he’s a dirty old man trying to cop a feel).

        • I read your latest Admin blog post about commentators who claim expertise without stating their credentials.

          I apologize if I have given offense.

          I am a competitive shooter, but these days age (mid-70s) and hands that tremble ever so slightly limit me to competitions where the targets are relatively large and close — almost all of my shooting is North-South Skirmish Association, which uses black power and Civil War muskets, carbines, and revolvers (or replicas thereof). My concealed carry is a revolver partly because I have developed a tendency to let the gun rock back in my hand, both because that makes it easier to cock the hammer on a replica 19th century revolver (have you seen the hammer on a Navy Colt?) and to encourage caps on that I’ve fired on my cap and ball revolver to fall off the back of the cylinder and not clog the mechanism. This rocking back is called “limp wristing” and it generally leads to jams with a semiauto pistol. Since I don’t want to have a bad habit get in the way if I’m ever fighting for my life (which has never happened and I pray won’t ever happen) I go with revolvers. It’s also true that the tendons in my left hand are problematical these days, and racking a slide can be an issue except for S&W’s “M&P EZ” semiautos.

          There are levels of the game. I shoot better than most people and know a lot more than most people, but there are many people who know more than I do and people who may not have as much book learning about handguns but who shoot so well that they make me look as though I first picked up a handgun 15 minutes ago. I am no Massad Ayoob. If any comment I write disagrees with what he has said or written, he’s right and Ill be wrong. Likewise for anyone else whose advice or comments differ from Massad Ayoob’s advice regarding self-defense. I don’t know how well the two of you get on with Larry Correia, but he also knows more about guns than I do and probably can shoot rings around me.

          Anecdotal evidence suggests that my experience with Glock owners at the gun range is not unique.

      • Why does seeing the picture above remind me of a rhyme my dad learned in the Army? It goes like this:

        This is my pistol, this is my gun; this one’s for shooting, this one’s for fun.

        At first when he said it with a twinkle in his eye, I didn’t get it. Then it hit me, and I couldn’t stop laughing. Every time I think of the rhyme, I still crack up. 😀

  61. Post about anything that moves you to do so. You have such interesting subjects for your inspiration.

    Even if it’s not my thing, I’ll read it for the information. For instance, I do not drink coffee of any sort. (I do like the scent – I have a coffee scented candle.) I will happily read about the best coffee or most exotic coffee, etc. (Sorry, civet coffee just sounds icky.) The information has its own value for me.

    Texas is my home, my daughter lives in Maryland, I have cats, drink tea, have allergies, and read mysteries, it’s all good.

  62. Haha! I hope you are searching with some masking browser – either incognito mode, DuckDuckgo or some other way… I can’t imagine the ads/tracking cookies that follow you and what resulting ads you see (other than yarn).

  63. I will tell you that when I read a realistic story about something I don’t know about (liver mortis) that I do google it… because I have to *know*… also? I have sent emails to authors pointing out that the sun rises in the EAST while the ocean is in the WEST in Seattle so the sun can’t rise over the ocean unless they’re on one of the islands near Seattle, which is obviously not the case in the rest of the story. Also that alter and altar are different words… and just the other day that if someone is married to your sister, they’re your BROTHER by marriage not your UNCLE by marriage.
    I expect I’m many author’s nightmare fan… but just wanted to let you know that your attention to detail is, at least, appreciated.

    • And Affect vs Effect. Gah! Plus I guess editors not catching the “He took a deep breathe” or “She could not breath.” Yeah, versions of both seen in MANY novels…

    • My recent favorite was someone pounding a “steak” into the ground. All I could think was “Is it a t-bone?” lol

    • The mistakes can be subtle. For instance mounting a silencer on a revolver (the tiny gap between cylinder face and forcing cone cannot be quieted). And the sun in in your eyes if you face west in the evening, not east. Also July in Australia is winter. So I join you in appreciating the Andrews team for their attention to detail.

      Bonus — there actually was a revolver that could be silenced. Anyone else know what it was? Hint for Ilona: it was made in Родина

  64. My husband appreciated the bullet discussion. He always complains about gun fights not being realistic. He’s the worst.

    Love the peak into your process.

  66. Ilona,
    I hope you read this because I just want to express how much I loved Emerald Blaze. I have such terrible withdrawal right now! It almost hurts (and I’m definitely not being dramatic, nope not me). I mean all your books do that to me and I love them all so much! But something about Catalina and Alessandro, both individually and as a couple, is so mesmerizing. I just want to say thank you so much! Sapphire Flames and Emerald Blaze might be the ones I have read the most times in a row. I love the whole Baylor family and Catalina is so relatable (besides the magic haha). Just…thank you! Looking forward to Ruby Fever and of course, Blood Heir!

  67. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy reading posts like this one and about the tea. You both make me smile. Thank you & feel free to send more tea recommendations. (I prefer the Earl Gray or Morning Blend variety.)

    Side question…do you like Bubble teas? Have you ever tried them? 🙂

  68. Don’t you ever worry the FBI is going to show up at your door and ask why you are doing all those murder and mayhem searches? Made me laugh! Have a great day.

  69. This post was hilarious, and as someone who is researching many stuff I currently do not understand for a graduation project, it made me appreciate how at least I’m not on any government watch list. Yet.
    Also, please don’t worry, we love the tea posts. At this point I think most of us have come to expect them probably. There are many tea nerds out here, I would bet my last clean face mask!
    Hope you’re staying sane. Virtual hugs and kisses from the Balkan.

  70. When researching a compact gun for women go try some in your own hand. Men and Women can tell you all kinds of stuff but unless you feel it in your hand you can’t really know. Glocks are blocky and there is no other damn way to describe them.
    As a woman I can tell you I spent a lot of time trying out what the sales guy wanted to sell me. I finally found a Gun Store that also has a range and lets you rent guns to test. I chose a Sig Sauer P365 because of it actually being small enough to fit into my hand comfortably. It has 10-12-15 round options. It fits in to a small purse really well. I also have a nice middle of the back holster that sits at an angle so I can draw it with ease. Reminder all women can rack (pull the slide and load a bullet) almost any gun if you use the push pull method. Grip slide firmly and push forward quickly on the grip to rack the slide.

    • Yes, Debbie. Been there, done that. I am rural rural so one of first things I learned was gun safety and how to shoot. When I went to college in city the patronizing started. Up until then they knew Dad.

      Glock does feel blocky to me too as I have little hands. You have to actually shoot guns to know if they will work for you.

      • I agree with the blocky feel of the Glock. My husband really likes his, but I’m not that fond of it myself. Although, it seems like lots of law enforcement like them personally, so I would completely understand if that was the gun written in the book, it wouldn’t seem strange.

    • Please remember that gun preferences are subjective. Each gun is carefully researched and chosen based on story needs.

      Every gun in the book can’t be a Sig. This person can’t carry a Sig because a number of people in Baylor family carry one. Having too many similar firearms is confusing for the reader.

      That’s how we ended up with a problem in BFM, where we had too many firearms by the same maker, the copy editor asked us to change a couple for clarity, which we did, and then we ended up with a scene where a character thumbs manual safety off a gun that doesn’t have one. We got a sack full of emails about how we are maggots who can’t bother to do basic research.

      • Consider also Kahrs. The slide is very stiff, particularly before the gun’s been broken in, but the gun is very light and very thin.

        Consider also giving some people revolvers. They are harder to conceal, slower to reload, and more limited in their round count, but would give you and Gordon more variety.

      • I like the fact that you did give them a preference because it is very true in how someone will love or hate a brand. My hubby took me shopping for some weird revolver that shoots shotgun shells… I was dumb and said “Why” Hubby and our favorite sales guy say “can’t be traced” together. I just walked away and bought another Gun Tote’n Mamas purse for $90 because it has sparkles on it.

  72. Holy crap i laughed so hard reading this! My hubbys grandmas in hospital with a bad heart and no one can go in to see her because of covid. Her daughter only has a window of time to go in and talk with her about do not resucitate and end of life plans that she likes. Its horrible. Its honestly horrible. My hubby cant even be with his family becase we are not in the same province. Hes worried if he goes he will bring covid back to our little girls. I just dont know. Im sorry for venting like this.

  73. Love reading how you work together. Very enlightening! I have now learned the term “livor mortis.” Not sure what I will do with it. But, hey…education!

  75. *gleeful snicker*. I would happily spend a day sitting in the corner of your studio, giggling at the conversations you have…. okay, maybe not sitting in the corner, but flopped out next to the pet bed giving scratches… and drinking different tea’s and ‘liking it’. ????????????

    Thank you for truly lifting my spirits when I desperately needed it. ????

  76. I work in the OR, if you need another medical person. I’ve done plenty of gsw, stabbings, fence post impalements (abdomen and neck)… so many car wrecks, bull gorings, hunting accidents…. and fractured penises…. it gets kind of amusing the ways people find to hurt themselves… and “hold my beer, I’m gonna try something” is a real thing

    Also, blood will pool at the lowest position on the body (in relation to how it’s laying) within an hour. I know from organ procurements.

      • They are a bit depressing. You start with the patient ventilated, and the various organ teams (depending on consent, etc.) retrieve the organs in order of short term survivability, ending with the heart and lungs, with the organs rushed to where they need to be for donation. Part of the team stays to suture the donor back up and make them as presentable as possible out of respect for their life saving gifts.

      • You really don’t want to know what people will do. There was a patient who had multiple visits for foreign objects stuck in his penis when I was in medical training. Wires, screws, if he could fit it, it went up. Even in the psych ward, he managed to keep finding objects. The team couldn’t figure out where he was getting screws, until one of the psych residents went to get a soda from the vending machine in the patient area – and the front of the machine fell off due to lack of screws…

        Also stories of lightbulbs (and other items, but lightbulbs particularly dangerous due to what happens if they break coming out) in the rectum…

        People are very strange and trauma sees the strange. When I was an intern, I was asked, as the only female doc in the trauma bay that night, to do the rectal exam on a female patient who was refusing the exam from the male docs (it is standard as part of a trauma evaluation and she had fallen/jumped from a high window). I looked the male doc leading the trauma in the eye and told him ‘the prostate is normal’. He clearly had not tried to place the urinary catheter yet…

  78. I hope neither of you is ever on trial for murder because the prosecution would have a field day with your web search history.

  79. Your readers are smart and funny.
    Who’d of think it?

    I know you like Cats and PBS has a special running on them. Their teaser is the Pallas Cat. Omg, it’s the cutest grumpiest sneakiest looking wild cat ever.

  82. You just don’t know how much I needed a laugh today. I had to put my Pekingese to sleep yesterday after she had a bad reaction to anesthesia causing heart and brain damage after getting her teeth cleaned. I swear it’s like you know when your devoted fans need cheering up. It is always so fun to read about the interactions between you two and the thought process that goes into your work. As many have said, I’ll take anything you care to post about as it’s always entertaining. As an avid tea drinker I appreciated your thought and will be trying several. I am always grateful for whatever you post and look forward to them whenever your time allows.

    • I am so sorry to hear about your dog. Many blessings. May she find solace in her new, not-in-body form, and may you find healing from your grief.

    • My sympathies. Still, as pet owners we all must cope with the knowledge that the day will come when we take our friend to the vet and return alone. I’m starting to tear up just writing this and remembering. We all know how much it hurts, but they rely on us to end the pain.

  83. I will take the post about tea and raise you an article about a jetpack in real life: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/15/924021344/person-flying-with-jetpack-spotted-near-los-angeles-international-airport-again?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2p_BYsmoV_kaEN90PQWeCL7OzEGiFFBB-cdoTgjAZM04lVP-C2mLCxUmE

    Why? Because someone has an actual jetpack!! The thing those of us of a certain age dreamed about as kids that was so futuristic and cool.

  84. OMG. I don’t know which is funnier, the dialog or the cat. Among other things, I’m a retired EMT. I was reading this blog while drinking tea , laughed, snorted tea. Sadly there was no way I could explain to my hubbie what I thought was so funny. I’m sure it would keep him up nights. Probably with a chair under his bedroom doorknob, “just in case.”

  85. I am a search enthusiast. More searches! Almost as good as Kate/Curran Twitter.

    Also, tea is lovely. But you will need to funnel some FL weather through a wormhole to keep it alive through MD winters … or you could always import something special from the Edge. You could call it MeeMaw’s Bayou Blend.

    More paperwork here. Meh.

    Thanks for your posts!

  88. Corpses, weapons and wounds aside, I love the cat’s pictures ???????????? hello gorgeous ????
    Courage pour le boulot !! ????????????????

  89. LOL???? ????
    Wouldn’t it be interesting to have somebody look at your web search history ?????????
    I don’t mind the tea blurb while we wait for January!

  91. Give us more felines. ^_^

    Curran, Conlan, or just the house cat. Or ocelots. Or cougars. Really anything cute and fluffy.

  93. ????? I know what rigor mortis is, have no idea what livor mortis is. No, I haven’t tried googling it. Also, this post makes it really, really hard to wait patiently for Ruby Fire, just saying. I thought the tea post was interesting and will gladly read anything you care to post in the blog. Because you’re just that good. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to put something online for your many (addicted) readers.

  97. Why would a horse get an ulcer??
    Sorry, but I know zilch about horses, except what I have read in books.
    But know I am curious about horses and ulcers.
    Patty Briggs raises horses, and posted some lovely photos of her new foals.
    So she is the only one who might know about horses and ulcers. I rather look at her horses than google horse ulcers.

    Loved all medical, forensic info.
    I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist, but I think the smells would be too much for me.
    I barely made it through biology and the smell of formaldehyde.
    I like Jefferson bass and his books about the body farm. And Kathy Reich and Bones.
    So cool letting us see your thought process and research on your books.
    Thank you for the cat photos, I have cats and they can be very expressive, then a second later they saunter out with their cool ???? face on.
    ! Love seeing everyone’s tea choices, most people I know are only coffee drinkers. The only tea they know is Lipton(I hate it). So this was very informative and just fun.
    Thank you Ilona and Gordon for all the cool stuff you research and educate your readers.

  98. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the ROFLOL today. I went to early voting here in N.C. and I needed a laugh. Thank you.

    Parking was very stressful as Titan needs to be in Outer Mongolia. He is a big dog and the car is HIS car. He thinks LEO officers and military are acceptable people. Everyone else is suspect. He is a puppy mill rescue and came to live with me at 1 year.

    So when I returned to car an hour later Outer Mongolia was bigger. But now I can complain all I want since I voted. The 80 year old guy in front of informed me of that while his caregiver rolled eyeballs. Never said anything about long line or wait to vote. But was a very gregarious opinionated gentleman about everything else under the sun. ????

  99. Probably the combo of annoyed cat picture and dead body talk reminded me of this joke –

    A kindergarten student told his teacher that he found a cat, but it was dead. “How do you know that the cat was dead?” she asked him. “Because I pissed in its ear and it didn’t move,” he replied innocently. “You did WHAT?!?” the teacher exclaimed. “You know”, explained the boy, “I leaned over and went ‘Pssst’ and it didn’t move.”

    • ???? Thank you for this. It made me chuckle when I needed it. If his mom ok’s it, I’m going to send it to a young boy (friend’s child) that is currently in quarantine. I think he’ll like it too. ????

  100. “So you will take posts about tea and you will like it.”

    Yes, yes we will. The cat pics are hilarious!

  101. If the police ever check your search history you’d be under suspicion for possible murderers or serial killers lmaoooo. Love seeing into how you guys come up with the random names.

  104. I loved your tea post but I don’t know where to buy them in New Zealand. Trying to avoid shipping anything from overseas because it takes forever to arrive. So sad to think that you need insurance just to get treatment. We have public health which can be a bit slower than going privately.

    • Just as a clarification, Tania, you do not need health insurance to get medical treatment. The difference is who pays for that medical treatment: your insurance company or yourself.

      • Yes. My point is it is sad that people need to pay for insurance as I imagine many people wouldn’t be able to pay for their own treatment.

  105. Thanks for the giggles. It is really helping me take a break from the six math homework assignments my 3rd grader has to turn in by tomorrow….

  107. Yep. We like any post. Those were some gruesome web searches. You need extra kitty and pooch hugs today.

  108. This was heya funny! Talks about (icky, nasty, deadly) chocolate (things I’d die from) not so much. Prefer funny, insightful summaries of your writing, please and thank you. Always fun to watch you two work. 😀

  112. I just had a rather upsetting incident with my grandmother, so reading this post and the comments again helped lift my spirits momentarily. Thank you.

  114. 😀
    Hahahaha!! Love the pics and LOVE TEA! Really needed that posting right now.

    So wonderful to hear about your day 🙂 Gave me a great chuckle and insight. I teach middle school, here in Texas. My day is full of students saying “get away from me, you got Corona! Miss, make him / her move” to Me: “put your mask over your nose! No. Not over your eyes, …”

  115. ???? thank you. That was awesome. I have to show your web search list to my friend the former Army medic and current EMT. She may pee herself laughing

  116. I can imagine NSA web monitoring teams…we have a another possible serial killer…what do you mean check published works…crap it’s another author. Sheesh maybe we should lock THEM up…what do you mean my body will never be found if I prevent them from finishing the series? You will let them do WHAT to me for research? Nevermind…flagging it for ignore, just like all the rest.

  117. I love these snippets of conversation!
    They sound so much more interesting than grad school via Zoom. I’m sure in reality writing is only a little more exciting than any other office job, but hearing about it this way makes for a nice break from the headaches (literal and figurative) of my life.

  118. Thank you for a glimpse into your world. I like the kitty pics too. The second picture had me humming “Soft Kitty, pretty kitty, little ball of fur” like a contented Sheldon.

  121. First time to comment but I read the blog religiously. As a lurking trauma surgeon and self proclaimed bullet wound expert… please for the love of god don’t dig out bullet fragments. We don’t do that anymore! ???????? I always cringe a bit when I see a novel or movie stop all action to remove a bullet.

    Just in case one of our favorite characters ends up with metal bits in their body 🙂

    Thanks for all you do! Can’t wait to see what comes next.

    • No bullet fragments, I promise. But if you would like to weigh in on the gun shot wound, we can totally use more feedback. 🙂

  123. I laughed like an idiot at this post, mostly because you guys invented a brand drug name only for it to actually become a real drug!

    Also I know nothing about guns and I forget just how much research there has to be done if a character is running around shooting one and what happens if another character gets shot. Authors and serial killers probably have the scariest google searches. Thank you as always for your hilarious blog.

  125. Roflmao!!! Thank you so much for capping a pretty ok week with a hearty laugh. I thought tomorrow off would be the cap for the week, but nope. I am so looking forward to seeing this stuff in print in a sure to be favorite book! PS. Great cat photos, too

  127. Loved the insight into your process. And I was THRILLED to find out how to get the chocolate tea. Thanks.

  129. This so made me laugh – Fab….. if anyone ever investigates your web searches though ???????? thank goodness you are authors!

    Also I liked the tea blog… I went and googled them …. can’t find the chocolate one in the UK – sold out everywhere – you might of started a tea-rush!

  132. Love seeing glimpses of behind the scenes!

    My husband worked as a volunteer firefighter, paramedic, in law enforcement, and very well versed in guns so he’s always available to help if needed.

    • He owns a Glock 43. He says you probably know all this and your dialogue obviously wouldn’t be using the technical terms. But just in case:

      Gun wounds = Gunshot wounds. Also commonly shortened to GSWs (in both the paramedic and law enforcement world).

      “…forcefully pull it back.” More commonly used phrase to describe this action would be to “rack the slide”.

      To properly clear a Glock you must first extract the magazine, rack the slide a couple of times, then it is proper to rack the slide back until the slide lock lever catches and keeps the slide locked back so that one may visually and physically check the barrel for a round.

      “Me: One, two, three, seven? No, six. Because one is in the gun…”. More accurate to say “Because a round is already chambered”

        • Just wanted to mention I feel absolutely horrible and want to apologize. I was in no way intending to correct the language used in the post. I had assumed a technical scene was being written from the dialogue and was too overeager to help with the writing of it. Understood that this is your job and help with your job is only warranted when asked. Really really sorry!

  133. I forgot to address the tea portion. I love reading about what tea you drink. I usually buy from The Republic of Tea, but am always open to recommendations. When you share this sort of thing, it’s almost like being there with you. Thank you!

  134. Following in the steps of a few of the BDH even though I am a coffee drinker:
    Yes Ma’am, Thank you Ma’am, May I please have another Ma’am

  137. If you guys ever have your computer history hacked….oh well, just remember a friend will help you move, a GOOD friend will help you move a body.

  139. I love tea! Happy for tea posts. I am also a big fan of Harney’s Paris. My other favorite black is Ceylon and India. And I love their Morrocan mint.

    • Oh, love the Paris! I had a sample and immediately bought the tin. Moroccan mint is wonderful as well.

  140. The livor color turns greenish as the decomposition progresses. The color follows the blood vessels and makes a marbled pattern (called marbling).

  142. Love this post! Love my chocolate mint tea but I have to have either sugar or honey. Showed your post to my husband who got a chuckle out of it. Of course then he smiled and said I’m still in the doghouse. 2 days ago I bought home a feral kitten. We already have several cats. I was weak. Couldn’t help myself when this 6 week old calico bobtail was trying to sneak up on me with her back arched up. He scratched her chin tonight and told her he guessed she’d be staying around for the next 15 yrs. I’m a baaad girl.

    • Not bad! Anyone who takes in a cat and loves it is a good person!

      Be careful with your chocolate mint. I grew it one year, brewed it, let it steep far too long, and when I finally drank it, I had to go sleep it off. If you’re buying it commercially, it probably won’t do that to you, but picked from the yard and brewed, it really knocked me down!

  143. I would be useless where guns are concerned. Illegal in Australia for general public to carry guns. If you had one you would be arrested, charged and an extensive search into your background. There are few exceptions police, farmers but strictly monitored. Criminals seam to be able to get their hands on guns. Don’t know if people are aware but tea trees belong to the camellia family. they don’t have the same amazing flowers as other camellias.
    Loved the articles on tea. I don’t understand from your previous articles why people thought you where moving and starting a tea farm.

  144. ???? I can’t wait until I’m curled up on my couch on a cold January night reading about Julie!
    Love you guys ❤️

  147. Trauma and general surgery physician assistant here if you ever want any technical help. Love all your books and look forward to the next 😉

  148. Dear House Andrews,
    Between your posted conversation and the tea, I humbly and gladly take your conversation. It is almost like a scene in a story.
    Oh, take the tea and like it? Will do.
    Thank you for the smile.

  149. Lol I’m still in lockdown so I’ve started reading all your books again as I’ve got them all. I’m currently reading the Innkeeper series and think I’ll read it twice as it’s my favourite. I know you are busy with Ryder and Hidden Legacy but I was wondering about SN and your cat image reminded me of him more.
    I’m missing Dina, Maud, Armand and Sean but mostly Gertrude Hunt.
    Any update on that front?

  150. I like the tea posts! Really truly! The tea posts were fascinating!
    It’s amazing you can make tea! From tea leaves even!
    (There is a reason Australians have a bad reputation for the use of sarcasm. But we do really like tea!)

  152. This made me smile and reminded me of the stories my partner tells me of her work(consultant in Emergency medicine in poland and UK)
    My favourite is still that she performed more clamshell thoracotomies than anyone in Europe last year in ER. Gruesome

  153. This is fabulous. I love when authors share their recent search history. I believe both Patricia Briggs and Diana Gabaldon have done it too (don’t hold me to it, it was a long time ago that I think I remember this), and it always makes me giggle. I think you guys once shared yours, and then in the post begged the government not to come after you since it was book research. 😀 You guys really do make my day.

  154. cats, tea, gun shots… lol. Thanks for the laughs.

    Makes me imagine what your computers try to dish to you for ads with that kind of search history. haha. Do you have to use private browsing or some other data tracking blocker? I just know if I search for a sweater or boots, I see those same things then in every ad thereafter.

    good luck with writing work!

  160. Love, absolutely love the second cat!
    Here’s mine, very old and the boss of the house.
    😉

    Laurence

  161. Collapsed lung hurts like hell. Especially when the adrenaline is gone. They don’t put you u set to fix it in my experience of a partial pneumothorax.

    Love the tea and the cat.

  162. No, no, no! I will take posts about tea and tolerate them, but tea is not interesting at all to me. This? THIS is very interesting.

    First, two great photos of gorgeous cats. Second, the third novel in Catalina’s story is on its way.

    The cats are, as all cats are, stunningly beautiful. The photos are so crisp and clear that it seems as if the cats knew they were being photographed and posed.

    The conversations you post of you discussing how to write various scenes are so funny that it brings laughter to me. I know that it’s hard work to produce your books and get details correct, but it’s funny to me to see the lengths to which you will go to get things correct.

    Thank you for the peek inside what is to come.

  166. Ok. This post has nothing to do with the Innkeeper series you are writing but I just wanted to tell you both that I love it! I sure hope you write lots more! I started reading your Kate Daniels Series a while ago and so enjoy those books. (My maiden name is Daniels, ha) so I knew I would like your other books but I just fell in love with the Innkeeper world. Thanks!

  167. Oh I’ll take the afternoon tea , cream, no sugar. Scones & jam please with those nice little cakes that come with it????????????????. Thanks so much. But coffee no tea. And none of that stuff for horse ulcers either ????????????????????????

  168. I will like anything you write, actually. And I also like tea occasionally, though mostly I drink light roast coffee (Jamaican Blue Mountain when I can get it, though mostly Trader Joe’s).

  169. Lol…why does this remind me of a few earlier post? Happily will read post about tea, or drink tea while reading this. Love you and best wishes being sent your way…well by word not action but thank you…needed the laugh

  170. I love the banter! It reminds me of my office mates, working together….in person. The witty comments just aren’t the same via instant message. I miss the meaningful looks…..

  172. I liked your tea post! Just finished a glass of iced earl grey.

    I love all of your books and I’ve been grateful to have them during the pandemic. Thank you so much!

    P.S. I live in Maryland. I’ve lived here most of my life. It’s been called America in miniature, including political points of view, but the state has voted pretty reliably blue for a while now, which is a pro for me. ????

  176. I can just picture the two of you bouncing ideas off of each other as you’re writing your scenes. I read this post to my husband as he plays a lot of FPS games and he laughed. He’s never read your books – maybe he should. He keeps asking me why I want to know about different guns….
    Love it

  177. Gunshot wound to the femoral artory.

    My husband’s coworker was helping his daughter with a stalled car. They were car jacked. Coworker defended the daughter and car with a large flashlight. Robber became angry. He shot at coworker’s male dangley parts because he was very mad. He missed. He hit femoral artory. He left. Coworker did live but it was very close.

  178. Your quote was classic “Whisper Down The Lane”.

    OMG What a prosecutor could make of your searches and emails.
    “Honest, your Honor, we were just doing research for an Urban Fantasy novel.
    We haven’t left home in months, and even if we had, have you seen our work load? Who has time to commit an actual murder?”

    OK, just delirious here. Three months waiting for the motherboard for my Whirlpool washing machine to be manufactured in China (unintended Corona
    consequences ????) and doing laundry by hand, and finally today it was fixed, and it’s sooo easy to do laundry now. ????

  181. Tea is fabulous. Thank you.

    There is a jellyfish/ urine tale that had me in stitches. Well worth the effort.

  182. OK, that was hilarious. What a job you have!

    I also liked the tea post and ordered the jasmine tea you recommended. So there.

  183. ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks. I really needed a great belly laugh today. Once, I was a co-host on a podcast when we interviewed a lady who made realistic rubber blood puddles and spatter for the movie industry. So, I asked her, “uh…exactly how did you do the research?” Strange silent pause…”Oh, we spoke with a number of Pathologists.” Hmmm…

  184. Wow! I know I’ve always appreciated the detail you include in your writing, but this is incredible. I remember awhile back when you were wondering about the government (Homeland Security?) watching people’s online search history. I could imagine those searches setting off an alert somewhere.
    PS. I’ve enjoyed all your posts the last few months. The cats, the tea, we’ve now made Bulgogi twice. (The kids loved it!) Thanks!

  185. Hey! I loved the tea post! Even bought some I am patiently (hah!) waiting for… but I love almost all (giggles:honesty) your posts and I especially enjoyed the cat pictures in this one. I am familiar with both of those expressions.

  186. Thank you!
    I just finished an 11.5 hr working day, which was no fun at all (thinking of it, all my working days since about June are nearly always like this…) and just reading your post made me giggle, and now feel already way more cheerful for the little bit of evening I have left (it’s 9:30 pm now) ????

  187. it makes me wonder if the FBI and such groups have a special category for writers so that they don’t get constantly accused of being terrorists.

  188. It’s always a delight to get the glimpses of your writing process and the research that goes behind it! And just hearing about your takes on everyday things (like the teas!).

  189. Love it all and todays post gave me a real boost when I needed it as have fast referral gynaecology tests on Monday (3 to 4 hours including time with Obs/Gyn)!

  190. Does anyone here subscribe to an audio rental site other than Amazon Audible? They have so little in the sify/fantasy and romance genre. All of the authors I read are there to buy, but none to rent.And I go through 3 or 4 a week. Rarely watch TV.
    Thanks.????

    • Overdrive!
      Hoopla!
      Libby!
      All of them have extensive audiobook collections.
      (Depending on which library(ies) you use them with.
      I haven’t actually PURCHASED an audiobook for two years now. 🙂

  191. I love your posts as much as I love your books!
    Oh I know you were a little sad because you thought Ryder wouldn’t be judged on its own, but it will be brilliant and the haters don’t matter.

  192. I love posts like this and the tea. If I could make a request, could you write a post reviewing yarn? Or a basic dummies guide to beginner yarn? I want to venture into crocheting clothes but picking a yarn can be so intimidating. Most of the internet seems to dislike acrylic but as a newbie I dont want to buy some nice fancy yarn just to ruin it on my first project.

  193. Wow I love how thorough you both are down to the smallest detail. You both are the best.

    If you ever need info related to archaeology. I’m here for you,Roman military archaeology or ancient Maya.

  202. Your life is so full of sunlight and sparkles … (t-i-c)

    I am thrilled to take posts about an interesting subject that … almost got me to investigate. truly really uh huh but then you know i’dbe following and checking and getting all obsessive hmm????

  203. Too bad my father the Pathologist wasn’t still alive. He would have loved helping you out with the mediucal stuff.

  204. Hahaha! Oh goodness! Hugs to you both! Love it just love it. Cats are great at body language too! Hahaha! How much you wanna bet that someone reading this is thinking, “tea farm? What?” LOL

  206. This made me laugh so hard. And I think it’s amazing that you even manage to post to the blog so regularly, given that writing is your job. I even read the tea one, it’ll be useful someday.

    Thank you for the blog. And for the books. I just re-read KD and am starting at the beginning of HL again. Your characters are some of my all time favorites and revisiting them during this crazy time is comforting.

  209. I am a little mad at you about the tea post though. Your post was clearly malware of some kind and downloaded the site’s app to my phone.

    Then it placed an order for chocolate mint tea and chocolate chai supreme tea.

    That wasn’t very nice of you.

  210. Before I started following your blog (many years ago) I never thought about how much research it takes to write a book. Maybe because I usually don’t get so hung up with accuracy. I kinda roll with it. I’m so impressed! It makes me love your books even more because I understand what went into it.

    I love learning about stuff like that on the medical side. This post was awesome.

    Thank you for blogging and sharing not only info about the books but personal side as well!

  211. Ha! I absolutely love you two. Thanks for the smile of my morning! Now I’m off to that evil place that hold my paycheck

  212. I love you guys, you make me realize that my weird conversations with my husband are normal somewhere.

    I love all your books whither they make me laugh, cry or get me anger cause you killed/hurt someone I liked.

    So you guys keep right on doing what you need to do in order to write more books. Please and thank you with all my heart.

  213. Love that cat. I do love my cat but she wants to play with her prize a mouse and not kill or eat it…. Another clean up

  214. This morning, I was just thinking that I’ve missed reading your blog. Now that it’s evening, I’ve decided to check my email (which I don’t do daily).. I enjoyed your tea post. I love English Breakfast or Black Tea only when I’m sick. I didn’t realize there’s also chocolate tea! Thanks…. I also love how you both brainstorm to make your stories as realistic as possible. Another thanks.

  216. I love your response snippets! Especially when illustrated with cat pictures. Grin.
    Out of what must be a frustratingly long list of comments and questions, you and your husband gift us with glimpses into your life, random facts, interesting behind the scenes work and your time. Thank you!! You make the isolation better and easier to bear. Plus, we get proof that with excellent writers anything and everything can be made interesting! Well done and another grateful thank you!!

  219. I have this visual of a playground merry – go-round going round and round.

    I’m pleased with myself today, stained half the inside of my patio fence and it will be finished tomorrow. One more project checked off.

    Billings, MT got lots of snow on Saturday; dissonance check. So not missing snow and icy roads.

  221. The Glock 43 clearing round problem:

    That’s super easy to solve. I could have helped you with that. I’m a Glock girl (and have the T-Shirt to prove it). But, you have Gordon and he knows how to solve that and much more since he was in the Armed Forces.

    Anyway, if you need any more help regarding Glocks, I’m your girl and I’m at your disposal.

    Good luck with all that research!

  223. LOL. Crazy day! Some of us will take tea posts and love it. Forwarded to my two tea loving kiddos too.

  225. Hilarious!
    But after reading you guys, will have to give up my imaginary book writer profession, unless I also find my alter ego to reply to my craziness.
    Thanks for the laughs and smiles.

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