“I heard you were moving to Maryland and starting a tea farm. π”
“As I read this I wandered if this post would have been something that Catalina would have posted on her extremely exciting Instagram. π “
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?
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.
“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. ????
This is probably my favorite blog post loooool. Thank you for sharing your process with us.
Jeannine is hilarious
Now Iβm 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.
LOL I love those kinds of discussions. Even better if they’re held in public.
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
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
Anything that brings a close to Ruby I support! Also, would be super excited for an herbal tea review.
I would hate to think what would happen if the police ever had to search your Web history lol
This conversation has seriously made my day! Thank you!
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 βjust X rounds is enough.β
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. π
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.
Conceal this! Just kidding. I had to do it. ????????
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. π
That pistol would probably give any man “gun” envy. ????????
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.
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).
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 Π ΠΎΠ΄ΠΈΠ½Π°
My husband appreciated the bullet discussion. He always complains about gun fights not being realistic. Heβs the worst.
Love the peak into your process.
I will love your tea posts, yes. Amazon is bringing me 2 of your suggestions now!
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!
I am so glad. π
I SO understand the feeling of withdrawal. I just finished EB for the second time, and now Iβm mopey and sad.
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? π
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.
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.
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.
Hahaha! I will take whatever post and love it.
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.
Sending love and support through the net to all of you…
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!
And knowing is half the battle! But they never told me what the other half is…
Personally, I loved the tea post. I went ahead and bought some. Iβm always looking for good tea.
*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 teaβs and βliking itβ. ????????????
Thank you for truly lifting my spirits when I desperately needed it. ????
I work in the OR, if you need another medical person. Iβve 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 βhold my beer, Iβm gonna try somethingβ is a real thing
Also, blood will pool at the lowest position on the body (in relation to how itβs laying) within an hour. I know from organ procurements.
Hmmmm… Organ procurements? Do I wanna know?
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.
so you have a lot of fractured penis stories?
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…
This made my day!
I hope neither of you is ever on trial for murder because the prosecution would have a field day with your web search history.
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.
Stupid autocorrect. “Thunk”
I like tea, honest….????????????
I donβt drink tea but I still liked it. I may start drinking tea. Okay
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.
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.
A paramedic in the UK has just demonstrated a jetpack heβs designed – itβs to get medical assistance quickly to people injured in inaccessible places, eg halfway up a mountain https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-54331994
medical jet pack – thatβs super cool! way more actual control than i expected. surprisingly more iron man than spazz.
also giggled about first jet pack post and…
love love love what you (ilona and gordon) write! laughter and many much cheerings up. thank you.
I give you “Please return the lemur you stole from the zoo”. He’s back at the zoo now, thankfully.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-searching-lemur-stolen-san-francisco-zoo/story?id=73629646
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.”
???? ???? ????
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!
You are amazing! Love you!!!
Right. Taking what we get. Liking tea posts. Yes, ma’am!
Corpses, weapons and wounds aside, I love the cat’s pictures ???????????? hello gorgeous ????
Courage pour le boulot !! ????????????????
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!
Snigger ????????????
Give us more felines. ^_^
Curran, Conlan, or just the house cat. Or ocelots. Or cougars. Really anything cute and fluffy.
I couldn’t love this blog p post more!!!!
????? 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.
Still haven’t googled it, but belatedly realized it had to relate to lividity. Duh!
π
Bahaha
The smug cat smirking smugly at the end is my favorite
Hahaha! I love the details in your writing. So good! Highly appreciated
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 everyoneβs 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.
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. ????
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. ????
“So you will take posts about tea and you will like it.”
Yes, yes we will. The cat pics are hilarious!