Heh, you thought there was something good in this post. There is not. Okay, so maybe the little bit of excitement. Let’s take these one at a time.
Erika Tsang liked Wildfire.
She said she liked it a lot, especially the frying pan. The edits are coming back to us sometime later in the week, so the book is not a total gut, and we’ll do our best to stay on track for the announced release of August 2017.
Nancy Yost liked the proposal for a new book.
And that’s all we are saying about it. Still needs work.
Kisscon in Austin.
Avon is doing a Kisscon in Austin in March, specifically on March 23rd. Details are to come, but it will be held at Book People and they will have some White Hot ARCs. We’ll be there, together with people much cooler than us. They’re still hammering out the details. More on that later.
Hugh D’Ambray
Still happening. Gordon, for some odd reason, really wants to do it in the serial format, like the Innkeeper, but it is a very violent book with a lot of explicit sexual content, because that’s how Hugh rolls. If we do it, we’d have to lock it under an 18+ warning and we may limit readership.
Kate 10 Release Date
We are looking at May of 2018. Before you scream, here are the reasons why:
- We’re pretty fried and we want to write a good book.
- We have two new books coming out this year, which means a lot of additional publicity, and we want to be there for important things such as our youngest – hopefully – graduating from high school. Knocked on wood and spat over my shoulder just now. When your kid tells you, “I want to do IB,” and you say “Okay,” you don’t realize exactly how much work IB courses are. She has a 4.4 GPA but so much stress.
- It takes about 6 months from turning in the first draft for the editorial process and printing process to happen, and the 2017 is already scheduled, so if we forced a book in at the end of the year, we’d be taking away marketing from someone else. A little more on the way it works: publishers have a monthly budget. They can only put out X number of releases per month, otherwise books conflict with each other and releases from other publishers. There is only so much retail space. It’s similar to the movie business. If there are too many similar movies, they eat into each other’s profits and publicity, because there are only so many movie screens. The first solid opening they have is May 2017, where we wouldn’t conflict with Patty or Anne Bishop. We don’t want to compete with other Ace authors. We also don;t want to compete with ourselves. With two books scheduled, adding a third means risking you guys getting sick of us.
- But the main reason for the delay is that Kate and Curran have fundamentally changed. There was Kate, then Kate and Curran, and now there is Kate, Curran, and a baby. What powers will the baby have? How will he affect things? We have to figure all this out and it takes time for things to line up. We’ve got the first couple of baby scenes and they are funny, but nothing concrete yet.
Innkeeper
We don’t know if we’ll do a full length book this year. We may, however, do a couple of novellas, in the same format as always. So watch this space, we’ll have more for you as it develops. It’s kind of going to be a very sporadic year in terms of actual work, because of the added publicity demands, so Gordon and I are hoping for shorter projects. It’s easier to do a 25K novella than a 95K book. We used to be able to travel and then jump right back in, and now it’s been three days since the conference, and I’m still stuck on the name for Hugh’s new horse. Good news, Charlottians (?), we’ve wrecked Tryon Street. Now it’s just like Atlanta… 😛
UK Paperback Issues
We are aware that UK readers have difficulty preordering mass market edition of White Hot. We notified our publisher, and they are on top of it. This will get resolved. If you are ordering hardcover version, it is NOT an actual hardcover. Again, it is NOT a hardcover. It’s a paperback in stiff binding that is sold to libraries in US. We do not know why Amazon decided to mark it as a hardcover.
I think that’s everything.
::falls over::
I hope the new book is another Nevada/Rogan book. Pretty please?
I’m actually kind of hoping for a full length book of how Dina’s parents met. However, as mentioned in the other post, if Ilona and Gordon write it, we’ll buy it, so whatever it is, I’ll pre-order it as soon as a link is provided.
Yeah! The story of Dina’s parents would be awesome.
Also yes – I loved the little excerpt when Dina’s mum bought the inn. It would be a great lead-in to them being found if we could be a little more invested in them as individuals. I’m sure they’re off doing something awesome-but-secret-and-can’t-contact-anyone.
Where can I find the excerp where she bought the house???
Here: https://ilona-andrews.com/gerard-demille-and-helen-meet/
Thanks, Tink for the link. 😉
Gaah, I don’t know how I missed that snippet but good Lord above I need more! My mind is just spinning with questions and I NEED to KNOW!!! 🙁 The mark of a good Authorlord : the ability to make your readers froth at the mouth for more. Well, I’m off to re-read Clean Sweep!
With the Hidden Legacy releases I’ll be very happy, and not that you aren’t great, but there are a ton of authors releasing books this year. 2018 will come soon enough. Is Hugh’s horse another Friesian and how about naming him Bucephalus (-as or -us)?
Yes, and that’s another excellent point. With two new books, if we add a third, we’re risking reader fatigue. 🙂
You know, I thought about Bucephalus, but it is such a pain to type.
After the first time use a shorter nickname like show animals?
Bucky.
A child nicknames him Bucky and Bucky loves the nickname so much Hugh is unable to call him Bucephalus because Bucky won’t respond.
I am mostly struck by the thought of the series of circumstances that would put both Hugh and a child in these relative positions.
Stable boy, no?
If they’re in a fairly, um, settled situation, I suppose? I guess it doesn’t have to involve Hugh being nice to the kid as much as just recognizing that he’s doing his job (Hugh does seem to be a fairly competent manager, he’s probably read the Evil Overlord’s Guide.)
I’m rereading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books now, and this made me think of Death’s horse, Binky.
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
YESYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[edited by Ilona because very long words break the site for mobile readers]
-os?
🙂
Thank you, that was supposed to be the first variation, but my fingers slipped or I just hadn’t had enough coffee yet. Couldn’t Ilona set up a macro where she’d just have to type Alt-B or something and the full name would appear? Although Bucky’s better.
Bucky for a call name?
Set up autocomplete! You’ll type Buc and Word will finish the word for you.
There is no such thing as reader fatigue with your books. You could publish a book every day… ok, that would be too much, but let’s say a book every month, and we would read them all! 😉
Thank you! 🙂
Reader fatigue. Silly Authorlord!!!! Author fatigue — now THAT I get!!!
Well since Bucephalus means Ox-head Hugh could just call him Ox.
What a Fun Fact!!
Or Blue, if you really want a long way around to a nickname.
If Bucephalus becomes the name for Hugh’s horse please don’t use Phalus as a short name. You probably could in the 18 and over crowd in a weekly read but in a full length book…..that would be tricky.
Thanks for the update can’t wait for the new books glad you guys are pacing yourself. Keep up the great work… now excuse me while I go back and listen to the Innkeeper series. ^-^
I thought the whole post was exciting. Good luck with everything, looking forward to whatever, whenever! In the mean time, love the posts and re-reading your work!
I am just looking forward to whatever you write, whenever you write it. Thanks for all you do.
When you get to book 10 of any series, I imagine it gets harder to keep things fairly fresh and interesting. Better to take the time needed than ‘phone it in’ like many authors do when their series get long in the tooth.
I’ll take an Innkeeper novel, novella, whatever. I’ll take it.
Ooh I love the idea of a Hugh weekly edition! Sex and violence yay! And your workload makes me sweat just to read about it. Selfishly, I’d much rather a well rested authorlord-produced Kate, Curran and superbabe (will he be a shifter? Is he a god? Curran ate a god, and Kate basically is a god, so… So many questions.) So waiting is good.
And double and triple yay for new secret project and more Innkeeper. I’m kinda pleased you’re only doing novellas, as it won’t make me twitch about having a bound 3-book edition just as book 4 is announced. Let me get my hands on it and pet it first, please.
Hugs.
” . . . And squeeze it and hug it and call it George.” Sorry. Automatic family joke response. Second your post. I just want our dear Authorlords happy, healthy, and relatively stress-free ( all hair still on heads, and nails gnawed only to first knuckle).
Yes – and George is how it shall now be known. I like your tradition. And when George turns up in the post, it will like it too.
Heh. Not exclusively a family joke when it’s Looney Tunes.
Or does your family joke have a different reference?
Hugh as a serial would be awesome!
“…and I’m still stuck on the name for Hugh’s new horse…”
Wait, is that why you asked for suggestions for girl and boy names? 😛
No, that was for the secret project thing.
So, vacation’s over ? Thanks for the abundance of good news, surprises and all!
Hugh, yay!
We can wait for K&C baby 🙂
I figured Kate 10 was probably going to hit next year 🙂
Even with that, you guys are working really really hard and we’re all grateful.
A weekly Hugh serial would be awesome and I hope you find a suitably awkward name to give his horse, because having a lethal warrior urge “Mr Snuffles” forth into battle would be worth the price of admission.
P.s. Hugh and Kate had nearly identical childhood training…does this mean Hugh was put through Ballet lessons as well?
I am now picturing Hugh in a tutu. This made my morning.
I can’t wait for all the amazing things you two are putting out! You definitely shouldn’t apologize for Kate 10 coming out in 2018. You’re already doing so much this year, and we are all so very grateful. Thank you!
I also love that you’re trashing new cities. I haven’t managed to destroy enough buildings in the book I’m writing right now, so I’m taking vicarious joy in the destruction you wreak. Although it is fun discussing which Seattle bridge I should blow up. Especially while riding the bus. The other passengers get the best expressions on their faces. 😀
Well any Seattle bridge would cause havoc. How about sinking either of the floating bridges?
You’ve seen the lovely simulations of a potential collapse of the old Alaskan Way viaduct during an earthquake, yes? I mean, they fixed that, and even if you blew it up you wouldn’t get the rest of the earthquake, but it’s some pretty awesome havok. (Though I just read the best paper on the effect deglaciation is likely to have on vulcanism – less lohars, but more frequent erruptions. Whee.)
I think it depends on what you’re going for. Immediate loss of life? I’d aim for one part of the I-5 / I-90 interchange, I think – time it right, and you could get lots of cars falling down onto even more cars. Property damage… yeah, a floating bridge, probably, depending on how much you took out, and how. (Oo! Or you could collapse part of the I-90 tunnel!)
For pure poetry, though, I think I’d go after the Aurora Bridge. It’s stately. It has history. (This might have something to do with having lived for a couple of years in a housebarge at its base before the suicide barriers went up… There was a time when I didn’t know the difference between a wet jumper and a dry jumper. Then a fifteen year old girl jumped to her death in my driveway one morning.)
Just don’t hurt the troll. Unless it’s fantasy than the troll could come alive? http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2236
The troll is right up near where the bridge stops being a bridge and becomes a highway again, and I’d tend to read that as one of the more structurally stable areas. (It’s also pretty far away from the part that’s actually over water – it was several blocks up hill from my housebarge.) There’s room – it’s a lot of bridge.
(Also, after Rachael and her group worked so hard to get the suicide barriers up… still, blowing it up in fiction still sounds grand. I’m still haunted by that bridge. I think eighteen people jumped while I lived under it? Some day I’ll do something with it.)
Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry–for that girl and for you. What an awful thing. I moved here after the barriers went up, and I’m very glad they’re there.
I’m currently partial to the I-5 bridge near UW. Like the Aurora bridge, it’s tall and visible from a lot of places, so it would look spectacular falling. Destroying it would feel satisfying because the traffic is always terrible there. I’ve also already had one person fall off the Fremont bridge and I have a scene planned for the I-90 tunnel, so I feel like I need to spread the fun around. I think a lot of fantasy authors focus on the Aurora bridge because of the troll, too. As much as I love that guy, I’ll probably leave him alone.
I hadn’t even thought about knocking over the Viaduct, which is funny because I worry about that thing falling every time I drive over it. I have an airborne tag scene there but no destruction so far. Maybe I should fix that. It might be fun it if leaned a little.
There are a bunch of exciting announcements! Thank you for sharing your timetable. It sounds hectic but rewarding for me the reader ? I like the idea of a serial Hugh **sighs** but I do understand your concerns – looking forward to it either way!
Keep the baby safe please! I am a first time mom of a 2 year old, child endangerment stories hit all my stress buttons. Fallout 4 just about wrecked me with the son plot, Witcher 3 with the missing adopted daughter, egads, protect the children!!!
Love your books, will pretty much buy and read and love just cause it says Ilona Andrews…. But now I am worried about the fictional child…. Sigh…
Omg i can so relate to this!!! And i agree 100%!!!!
There are many reasons why I use a dog leash to tie myself to strollers when I push them. I don’t have human children yet but I am the oldest sibling and I do have baby relatives.
Appreciate the update and thanks for all you do. Take your time, we can wait. It gives us something to look forward to. I can occupy myself with the kate books and clean sweep books on audible. Love listening to them. Last of all graduation is a big deal. Enjoy it and don’t forget the grad party??
Thanks for the update. Please try to do Hugh’s story I know it will be complicated, trying to redeem Hugh. I miss the Innkeeper. I was craving something from you,so I re-read Magic Strikes (one of my Favorites). It is so good, forgot how much I loved it. The flirting,the battles, the dialog, everything works and is so seamless.
We don’t want you and Gordon to burn out, so keep the schedule that works.
Glad you have another secret project, already looking forward to whatever you right.
Don’t forget Guardians of the Galaxy 2 May 5th. It already looks great.
Thank you again, and I am sure your Kid will graduate.
Looking forward to all the new releases and especially more info about Hugh. 🙂
Waiting for something good is okay. We managed to survive waiting for Hidden Legacy so we’ll survive waiting for Kate 10. Take all the time you need!
And I freakin’ spoiled myself for that last Kate Book ;-; It’s my own fault, it’s been out for so long and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to read it.
Thank you so much.
I am really excited about your writing plans.
I personally think Hugh should have a giant American Donkey like Cuddles rather than a horse….maybe “Snuggles”
Would this ruin his hard core dangerous image?
Wow, that is a lot of announcing! I’ll look forward to Kate and Curran whenever you schedule it for! While I love the books, I’ve stood firm that I don’t expect you two to run yourselves into the ground for them. We’ll be here when the books are ready! Never feel you have to ask us for time to live your life! =)
Wow, Hidden Legacy Series, Hugh Book, Innkeeper, KD, and Secret project book! Lots to look forward to. 🙂
I wonder if we will we get a Wildfire first chapter/snippet though. Will it be too much spoilers with the White Hot and Wildfire releases so close to each other?
And we are actually going to get baby scenes!?! I kind of expected it would be tackled in the epilogue or something but now, bring it on! 🙂
Wow – anything you write is fabulous and whatever you decide we will be happy with!!! I think Hugh as a serial will be fantastic BUT then it won’t be longer which might be a disservice to him if he is redeemed!!! Cannot wait for the two books this year I have to say Legacy is my favourite series of yours, I love it and cannot wait to see how the story develops!!!
I am curious since Hugh is in the world of Kate would that not then fall under your publishing contract? I thought the only reason you where able to have Innkeepers free online was because it was self published? How does that work?
As several have said, have $$$, Will pre order when they appear! Will also stalk the web site for great news and new content! Be safe and happy! Enjoy the kids.
I have to honest in that I really don’t want Kate 10. I seem to remember that it would be the last in the series. I know they will appear in other books but it would be the end of them as center stage. I look forward to Hugh in any form although I truly enjoy a serial. Hugh must be difficult to write considering who and what he is. Should be great fun. Take as much rest as you need. Enjoy the graduation as it is a one time deal. I look forward to the next books.
Just want to say thank you for all the news..so many things to look forward to!! Totally into Hugh as a serial and I’m just so excited for Hidden Legacy 2 & hopefully 3 that book 10 in ’18 doesn’t even bother me..we all want you both in the perfect frame of mind for that!!
Again, THANKS!
Hugh’s new horse should be called Kate. 😉
Kidding…maybe.
…or Roland…..
Anyway! If Hugh’s book was in Inkeeper format (and I hope it will be) I’d be so excited. Omg. Just thinking about it makes me excited.
Or go the whole hog and call it Nimrod 😉
I love the idea of Innkeeper novellas; there could be a series of adventures as everyone searched for Dina’s parents. I would especially like it if some of the secondaries, like the Horde or Cookie, pursued the quest. Oh, meeting with the assembly would be awesome, too.
I am happy about Kate 2018. I have a 2.5 year old and it’s pretty shocking how smart (and computer savvy) they can be (and brutually honest). I can’t even imagine the chaos a magical baby will bring. Maybe he or she will talk early. Very fun.
With respect to Hugh, I would love some Curran POV if there is redemption offing and paths cross.
Wow. That’s a lot of wonderful news. Really looking forward to Hugh’s story 🙂
Two new books and possible novella ! And Hugh! It will be an exciting year even without Kate!
Thank you for updates!
Props to Youngest on doing IB. That’s an awesome curriculum, and all the IB kids I’ve known have been really cool.
(My first exposure was a 16 year old who got it into his head that I was going to teach him Chen because his grandfather had been a Chen practitioner and died before he could teach him. Apparently kids who read wuxia novels do not listen when you say “Kid, I am not the teacher for you, may I recommend some others?” OMG, that kid.)
If you do decide to do some form of serialization of Hugh’s story, I will jump through a fairly large number of hoops in order to read along. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here with the rest of Team Damaged but Competent Characters… (Uh, like, there is a team? I will make tea.)
Otherwise… reading this, I realize how ridiculously easy I am. I figure if you all are working on something that’s new and different, you’ll be having a lot more fun and that’s going to show in the writing. Really, half the reason people shower you with gifts is that fans live in fear of all the awesome authors they have know who write a few great books and then start phoning it in. Your quality has been consistently high. Take your time, write what you love… is there anything we can do…?! (Ye gods, magic baby. It’s been a while since I looked at the Infancy Gospel of Thomas – like, really, not my area – but my takeaway is that powerful babies are exhausting and Joseph really doesn’t get enough credit.)
*Hears about a team* *Waves and jumps about* I’ll bring the cookies! Yay! What are we teaming about?
Well, I was proposing Team Damaged but Competent Characters, as that’s one of my catnips – but I’m all for the formation of arbitrary teams.
I’ll bring Jim Beam. Or Maker’s Mark if you are picky.
Deal. I’ll bring nigori sake on alternate evenings? I suspect mixing the two would be a terrible idea, as well as just wrong.
(I previously said I don’t drink, but, well, exceptions exist.)
I’m in. As a minimum to try sake and Maker’s Mark. Damaged character analysis will be way more interesting when drunk enough to set the world to rights.
So as we’re now drunk team, along with cookies, I will bring an offering from my people – cider, probaby. Make a lot of that down here in the west country. Can also be used to create said damaged characters in the first place.
Cider was my favorite thing to nurse slowly while avoiding get drunk with my old biochem lab. (Loved them all, but they had this alcohol affinity… and I can’t deal with training with alcohol in my system 😛 But important conversations happened in the pub.) I figure sweets are handled – flatbread and nibblies, then?
“Analysis”
Flatbread only really works with humus, but humus isn’t good with wine, whisky or cider. May I suggest we all go for an awful takeaway meal at 3am? Obviously having solved the problems of the world and thought up some excellent story ideas/plot holes/character extensions.
Wait, what’s this club for again?
Flat bread only works with humus? Humus isn’t good with wine? Clearly a trip to Turkey is in order. (Though if we’re going to go with the alcohol theme we should end up breaking into a historical site late at night and and drinking raki. There’s a story about the basilica of st. john in efes*, and me, and a bunch of village women and their children and a guard with an uzi… Good times.) I can’t say the timing is ideal, though!
However! I wholly endorse awful takeaway at 3am. That seems entirely thematically appropriate. (I mean, good takeaway would be even better, and how often am I even up at 3am?)
*Every* club is also about food. (Damaged but competent character club seems like it should probably involve a lot of drinking, but darn… um, yeah.)
* Ephesus, if you prefer. One of the oldest Mosques in Turkey is also there, as well as the temple of Artemis at Ephesus – it’s a pretty mixed purpose sort of place.
I have never been to Turkey. Greece – yes. Turkey – no. This trip is becoming essential to both my culinary knowledge AND to hearing this crazy uzi tale of yours. I mean, wow.
So, to the planning for the Damaged But Competent Characters club. I am more than happy to break into historic sites at night. I have form for this. In France I was repeatedly shouted at for interditting. Interditting is excellent and ought to be practiced by all. Whether or not we’re all (all two members so far) drunk at that point is irrelevant.
And now I must hear about interditting. My resources have failed me (it did not help that my French lab mate left right before I saw this.) What?!
(I enjoyed Greece as well, but Turkey rather more. Then again, it’s a lovely time to visit Greece, and not such a great one for Turkey – and the last time I was in Turkey I narrowly avoid a riot and was slightly bled on. – which I don’t mind if it’s for a good cause, but from my standpoint this was pretty random. This makes Turkey sound pretty wild, and it mostly wasn’t, I just lived there for a bit.)
I haven’t spent time in France, though! …I am starting to imagine a culinary tour of ne’er do wells. (Oo! It would be a lovely tie to connect with ne’er do wells in Berlin – and Italy!)
‘Slightly bled on’ – how reasonable of you not to mind this if in a good cause. Your life sounds very exciting. Riots are definitely cool, if you not the one bleeding.
Interdit means ‘keep out’ or ‘forbidden’ and is found on signs on gates and intriguing pathways. I take this to mean ‘there’s something much more interesting up here we want to keep people away from, except for YOU Jolie, come hither.’
A tour of Europe is now in order for the DBCC group. It’s so interminably grey at the moment though. We may do better to wait until spring. Ah – unless we go skiing. Lots of places with good slopes in Italy and Switzerland. And SUCH lovely foods.
Well, it was not my cause, nor my riot. I was in the old city, on the way to a book store… and then I was on my way away from the riot, which was moving very fast. (There was police brutality! Er – riot police showed up, and were over run by the riot, and it was brutal. You might understand why I was so motivated to avoid it!) The person who bled on me was moving quickly enough that their blood was airborne and splashed me as they went by. I’m reasonably sure they were Alawis, but what was most notable is the extent to which people wanted to bullshit me about the event. When I made it back to the Hippodrome – I was in town for the weekend – some time later, there were streetlamps that were twisted up. Of course, I say Turkey was safe then, unlike now – but there something of a civil war unfolding in the Southeast, so it depends on what you mean. Still, I’d be more worried about going back now.
Okay! I think I understand your priorities when it comes to touring cities and interpreting the extremely helpful signage that is put up for people like us! (A WWII veteran once told me a similar story about how they used to give him and his fellows maps quite helpfully marking out the different places they might go on shore leave by a similar method!) I am in favor!
Hm… I do have a cousin in Switzerland,* as well as an old friend from Seattle now residing in Italy… Food and misbehavior!
* Who I actually speaking with me, so whom I’d be happy to drop in on. Actually, I’d been wanting to catch up with her…
I’m glad your cousin is speaking to you, I remember before you saying you had family issues. One fewer hostility is a win. And bonus points to them for living somewhere lovely. They can join our club.
The riot sounds terrifying. As much for the brutality as for the fact people wanted to hide the facts from you. That’s horrible.
We can leave Turkey off the list. It’s (mostly) not Europe anyway so it doesn’t count.
Both sides of my family are generations deep in issues an estrangements and people being thrown out and disinherited (though my father’s side seems to be especially good with the latter – my mother’s side have a slight edge at the bitter lawsuits).* They’re also both kind of huge, so even the subset of people who I a) know b) want to know and c) are speaking to me makes for a reasonable number. It was a little easier when I just paid attention to my younger sibs and a couple of other close relatives and ignored the rest of the mob, but for some reason the last few years I’ve been getting perspective on the chaos I came out of. I’m a little sad about losing some of the cousins I grew up with to family divisions – but they’re all adults now, and I’ve tried to quietly make it clear that I don’t partake in the politics. (I was the catalyst of a bunch of ugly politics, so that’s a hard sell. I don’t have regrets, but it’s what it is.) I’m a lot more sad about what seems like too many people dying far too young – childhood and young adulthood sorts of too young – but that’s mostly a shake my fist at fate kind of thing.**
Geneva cousin is from one of the more stable branches – she’s an accountant, who’s been working for MSF, though she’s taking a break (I think because of all the crap that’s been going down for MSF – I haven’t heard the whole story there.)
I think we have something like a plan. I do trust you will come up with a subversive agenda for France. Are there other places you would recommend? (My sister’s dear friend / adopted sister is spending a lot of time in Tblisi right now…)
Heck, maybe a recurring event, hitting different continents? I mean, we could do a culinary tour of Sichuan alone. (If we do do China at some point, would you object to stopping by Chen Village, in Zhengzhou, in Henan? It’s no where near Sichuan, but the sister of my Chen master is a travel agent in the area, so we’d have an in…)
* I’d say it’s the stuff of nineteenth century melodrama – it really is ridiculous – and then it would occur to me that this is not only true, but it’s kind of unfair to a major work of literature. There are yearly enactments.
** And the Japanese health care system. And likely my father’s parenting. And definitely family genetics.
Why not extend past Europe! So as a starter for ten we have France (Languedoc region, of course), Italy (hilltop-hopping around the villages of Tuscany), Germany (Bavaria is awesome), then Switzerland next. If we’re talking culinary delights then really we have to continue east as we pick up our members.
I’ve been to Beijing and Hong Kong so would LOVE to fill in the gap between. The shredded duck I was served in a ‘friendship’ store on the way to the Great Wall still gives me nightmares now (beak, feet, feathers) so I’d happily replace that memory with newer ones your Chen master’s sis can recommend.
Re your crazy family – write the book! Dramatise that as a form of revenge / getting it out of your system. I’d go to the movies to see it for sure.
Now I’m thinking South East Asia would be awesome for R&R after the manic food tour / subversion-having. Yay/nay?
I am totally with you. That sounds like such a great itinerary. Let me think now… if we’re not doing Turkey, then maybe around the northern side of the Red Sea – Eastern Europe (I grew up hearing fabulous things about Hungary), then Georgia, again on the basis of gossip, then some combination of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan depending on local conditions and our tolerance for local politics (but at one time I spoke all of those languages to various degrees, and at one time I had local friends though I don’t know how many are still a) still local and b) still alive. (That sounds more ominous than I mean it – I know at least a couple passed away from entirely natural age related issues.) And then entry into China via Xinjiang (another place where in theory I have friends, but in practice I think most of them have settled in the west, and quite a few are getting on in years anyway… Aiee. That’s actually quite depressing, when I really think about it – including people I’ve lost touch with, and haven’t been able to find, and who are now in their seventies) and we can more or less keep heading east. (Assuming that having once had slightly political Uighur friends doesn’t mean I’m barred from Xinjiang. I have *far* more Han friends, these days, but somehow I suspect that doesn’t matter… Mongolia is also pretty awesome.)
And then you are quite right – R&R in southeast asia. Can we stop by Bali? A friendly acquaintance whom I respected from many years ago said he loved it but needed to leave it because it was the most demon ridden place he’d ever seen, and I’ve always been curious. (I don’t really expect my experiences to match his.) I’ve heard really great things about Thailand, too. I used to have a Malay study partner, though again, we’ve lost touch…
re: the family, I was thinking of a particular book – Ramona – which is fairly well known, and partly inspired by members of my matriline, four generations back. (So, my great^2 – I think – grandmother sued the author, for defaming her, quite publicly. Good move, gran!) There are in fact annual plays based on the book. I was doing some research before visiting the city my great^4 grandfather helped found last fall (for a conference) and the family history is ridiculous. I’d heard a few stories growing up, but I’d thought they were exaggerations, and no, the truth is so much worse! I have thought about writing up some of the stuff from my immediate family, but I always have a bunch of writing projects competing for limited time. And seriously, family makes science look awesome.
(Okay, confession, this last weekend I guess I did start putting together notes for one family writing thing, sort of. A poem – my most unsavory writing habit! and in this case, more confessional than I tend to – based on an incident from my childhood where my mother cut off the outer seed coating from a whole bunch of apples seeds and fed me the pips, one after another, when I was about six. I don’t know what she was trying to do, and as it happens, despite rumor, there isn’t actually enough cyanide in apples seeds for this to be an effective poisoning technique, if, indeed, that was her aim – though, if she used not that many more and ground them up, maybe? I’ve found the images interesting, and have kind of wanted to do something with this one for years, but have been stopped by a wall of WTF?! But I think I might have found my trail of bread crumbs, as it were.)
So much exciting news! Love to see the Hugh book as a weekly serial. Hugh’s new horse, how about Goliath, which was the name of the horse in Ladyhawk. Or Rutger, the actor from the same movie.
Another horse related question. Hugh’s old horse the stupid stallion currently living with Kate, Curran and Julie. He’s also sharing pasture space with Julie’s Gypsy Vanner mare, and Cuddles the giant donkey jenny. So….. are we going to see two bouncing baby foals? One horse , and one a giant black and white Hinny? For non horsie folks a mule has a female horse mother, and a donkey father. Hinnies have donkey mothers and horse fathers.
Good luck with the new series. The secret one. It will be wonderful too.
Never heard of a Hinny before. I looked them up. They’re cute, so thanks for that!
Today is Lupercalia. Roman festival of well, strange weird plain crazy things…. go read up on it. Anyway, the holiday has enough crazy for Hugh to fit right in. Lupercus is the god of shepherds so maybe that could do? Lupercus. You can scream that around on a battlefield and its doesn’t sound bad.
Eeeeeeee. I’m excited about pre-ordering White Hot and pretty much anything the Authorlords give us. Like others I’d prefer you took time to write a book that you’re satisfied with, rather than meet a nominal deadline. Unless it’s 10 years & the 3rd book in a trilogy, of 800+ page each books. Then I’ll get all grumpy pants and step away. Not that you can tell I’m resentful or bitter. ?
As an IB alumna, I say congrats to your youngest for going that route. My senior year was a big push to the final exams, because I was also taking AP courses, I had two weeks of two tests a day. I can say that the AP/IB program prepared me for college and I’m forever grateful that I took on the challenge.
As someone else said – there is no such thing as reader fatigue when it comes to your books (at least for me). 🙂
We may, however, do a couple of novellas, in the same format as always. So watch this space, we’ll have more for you as it develops.
Thank you for the update! I have a question, which I hope doesn’t come across as rude… I have a super hectic year coming up, so I probably won’t be able to follow author blogs much. I don’t want to miss any future news about Innkeeper novellas, but as it’s the only series of yours I’m following, I was hoping there would be a way to only subscribe to those updates. Would any novellas be posted on the same Innkeeper site as before? (If yes, the easiest solution would be to just keep that site on RSS feed.)
Also: Thank you for all that you do for fans. I hope you will also be able to get some much-deserved rest and fun with kids this year. 🙂
There area couple of ways to follow. You can RSS the site or you can just signed up for blog updates here, because every time we post a new segment, we always post the reminder on the main blog, so you will get an update with a link.
Thanks for the updates!
The last Kate ended in a good spot, we can wait.
Although, considering all the other goodies you have for us this year, we aren’t really waiting at all!
Very curious about the mystery project. And super excited!
Thank you for all the updates! Totally get it about the kiddo stress as our youngest is also graduating from High School. Waiting to hear from schools is dragging on.
Yay!!!!…Tryon St needs a remodel! !!
Am I the only one wondering about the frying pan comment? Either way, thanks for all of the info and all of the books!
I do not want to wait until May 2018 for book 10. I also do not want the series to end. So torn!
So much good stuff. I am really excited to see how Hugh comes about. And I am excited for White Hot coming out in a few months.
Thanks for the updates !
And no Rebecca, you’re not the only one wondering about the “frying pan” comment (I read the news with ” a frying pan ??????!” in my mind during the whole process …).
I’m really sorry to ask this but I’m really really curious about this and I can’t find again the article which was speaking about this. And the “this” is : Burn for me is going to be rereleased in March if I’m not wrong. But what does “rerelease” imply ? Does it mean : Printing the book again without any modifications ?
I don’t know why but I kept thinking that there would be some changes in this new version of the book so, you know, I was really excited to reach March (yeah.. I guess i just love this serie of yours xD). But now.. Since I can’t find that blog post about it, I’m not so sure and I feel like I’m being excited for nothing Oo’ (I’m starting thinking that I just imagine the whole things…)
No I remember that post too (it was a thing), but perhaps they decided not to do that since we haven’t heard anything about it after that initial post.
If I remember correctly, she said the release would have no additions. It would serve as a promo for the second book. It may get new readers to the series, etc. I THINK it was publisher who wanted to reissue #1, followed closely by #2 and #3 fairly quickly. I may be wrong. Old age and it is past my bedtime. No matter, I am thrilled to get anything and everything they write.
Thank you for the update. And I will be happy to send you a copy of my birth certificate or drivers license, whatever you need, just to be able to read whatever you print online about Hugh. !
I’m excited about all the new books and novellas to read. Take your time and write a good book for Kate 10. Your devoted fans will wait for a great book. They will be very disappointed in a mediocre book so take your time.
Also, however you write Hugh’s book, serial or actual book, I’ll be reading it. Whatever format works for you, works for me.
Wow, that’s a lot of output you guys are doing! I’m officially putting myself in for first in line on the Hugh series. Love that guy.
Thank you so much for the update, but egads that sounds stressful. Congratulations to Kid 2 on her perseverance and dedication – I have no doubt she’ll do well. Kudos also for you & Gordon regarding your submissions. So glad to read that everyone liked your work.
I had been wondering about Kate’s pregnancy and whether we’d read that with the epilogue taking place after his birth. Reading about a magic baby is much better- so many possibilities. I’m happily anticipating the hijinks to come. Oh, who’ll babysit when Kate goes back to work? Fun times, indeed.
Unlike most other posters, I don’t really want to read Hugh in a serial format. I trust you implicitly and believe his story will be so engrossing that it will prove difficult to put down. Delaying it in weekly (or whatever) doses will wreak havoc with me- if only because I’ll want the whole story at once and will be making grabby hands for more as soon as I’ve finished the most recent installment. I see a lot of rereads in my future. Good thing for me that I love your work. 😉
All fantastic news but
HUGH. “Swoons”
I always see the scene where he has Kate in the pit and you describe him sprawled(in a good way) in the chair and I have to take deep breaths and remind myself Kate could be dying?
For the Hugh book – when you say limited audience, do you just mean 18+ or do you mean a select audience. I really want to read that one.
Same. No actually, I need to read that book.
I’m an IB librarian and I have spent A LOT of time with IB kids and their projects. It’s a huge stressor and eats up all the free time, but great training for college. Has she started her EE yet?
If that’s that enormous paper, she has been done for two months. 🙂
Well we expect no less from the child of two famous, prolific authors…
WOW! If she were my student I’d give that kid a cupcake! Heck, a whole cake plus a parade! That’s awesome. She should be really proud of herself. I always have about 10 students that have come in last minute to double check sources, citations, etc. And every year there is one child who thinks they can write a quality 4,000 word research paper in a week. (FYI, you can’t)
I know this is sad, but they pretty much told her that her paper is at the top of her class. It is 4,000 words. She wrote it in a weekend. 🙁 ::sigh:: Admittedly, she knows the subject really, really well, but still. I am all about a week or two of research, then slow progression. She sat down on Friday and powered through it by Sunday.
I’ve done IB. Ib’s a LOT of work. And an excellent experience too 😀 Still the EE is traumatizing 😀
Happy to hear about Wildfire’s reception. Not surprised! Frying pan? Was there a snippet about this? If not, maybe there should be. (Hint-hint.)
So looking forward to the two Hidden Legacy releases this year in 2017. Thank you. I re-listened to Burn for Me a few weeks ago in anticipation.
Patty Briggs, Anne Bishop, and Ilona Andrews. Ace CLEARLY has the best authors!!
Hugh as a serial sounds awesome!
As a Charlottean, I’m looking forward to discovering what you’ve done to Tryon Street! Did you menace Uptown as a whole, or some other part of Tryon? (It’s a long road that runs north-south for many miles, slicing right through center-city, but also reaching far beyond in both directions. I live about 5 miles south of Uptown, where Tryon is a main street, but it also runs about a block west of my home.)
May 2018 for Kate #10 will make a nice 47th birthday present for me. Thanks in advance!
The baby’s powers…. Hmmm…. Will Kate #10 feature a pregnant Kate, or will the baby already be born? Or maybe a bit of both? Inquiring minds want to know.
?
Valdimar for hughs horse 🙂 lol love the name thought id throw it out there
Sorry to comment but Valdimar sounds to much very much like the famous Valdemar universe of Mercedes Lackey (guardians as horses embodied). So I would prefer a different name
Huh, now, see, I read that as a typo on Vladimir… (uh, spelling’s not my strong suit, without the red squigglies, all would be lost.)
I was thinking it was close to Voldermort.
Still gotta go with Spot, myself. Ahh the classics.
I’m actually relieved you’re delaying Kate until 2018. I get nervous whenever my favorite authors start to release books TOO quickly together; I worry they’re being pressured by agents/publishers/fans and the quality – and their quality of life – will suffer.
I had a favorite author as a teen. She turned out quality romance after quality romance, every year. The first time I didn’t “love” a book from her, I chalked it up to a fluke. Same with the second and third time. She was still an autobuy for me until 4th consecutive meh book. I still check her books out from the library, everytime, hopeing against hope that old spark is back. It’s not yet. I still own all of her older romances and reread them often, so it’s not a case of my tastes changing – a lot of her fans say the same thing. I’ve always figured she got burnt out, which makes me pretty sad…so I’m always oddly happy when authors I love say they’re going to take it slow, or take a break, ect. I would rather not have a book for a year or two from you and have you come back strong with another awesome story, than have you burn out :-).
Whew! What a lot! I look forward to novellas and snippets and serial chapters. What a marvelous cornucopia to look forward to.
I can’t wait for the frying pan. Your comment reminded me of Patricia Wrede’s “Frying Pan of Doom”, now I am going to have to go back and re-read her Enchanted Forest books.
There is no conflict, if you, Patty and Anne released books next Tuesday, I would buy three books. And be a very happy retired person.
The other thing is the novella length releases. I really enjoy them. I like the price, I like the freshness of them, I like that they usually expand and explore a minor player which adds to the overall arc.
Hugh as a serial gets my vote, and I for one will never forget that the novel started as an April Fools gag, love it.
Joe
I am oddly okay with the delay for the Kate book. I love the series so much that I dont want it to end just yet!
Every time I hear about the Hugh project I think that you are joking. It sounds like such a crazy spin-off. But if anyone can make a Hugh romance work, you two can.
“With two books scheduled, adding a third means risking you guys getting sick of us.”
???
HA HA HA HA HA Ha Ha Ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (giggle, giggle, snort)! That’s hilarious! That’s like getting sick of breathing, or sick of chocolate, or sick of bacon. An impossibility! Be we gratefully accept whatever you give us, and happily send you our money.
Please keep up the great work!
LOL I was thinking exactly the same thing. ^^
Yeah, me three. 😀
No pressure, though– Take all the time you need. We’ll be here :).
No reader fatigue here. After reading other posts about the name for Hugh’s horse I had a silly thought. Why not name the horse Peaches? I can hear the snickering now (I’m laughing as I type). ?
As to not getting to Kate number 10 book until next year………….fine with me.
Why would we scream about Kate in 2018 when you’ve given us so much this year already. And now so much to look forward to. Even if Smeagol wantses the precious he knows it can’t be rushed 🙂 Thank you. You both care about the quality of what you put out while some writers grind them out and don’t care. You spoil us as always
I don’t really know the the inner workings of Hugh, but I’ll admit it’s fun to speculate. I think maybe Hugh’s horse would be an important relationship for him. Like a partner who has your back but doesn’t judge. The most important event in his life was when het got picked up off the street by Roland. So I wonder if his horse’s name would allude to that somehow. I think they met in Paris? So calling the horse Paris might be too obvious–too revealing. Maybe Troy if it’s a stallion or Helen if it’s a mare? Or Seine. Which many English speakers might think he’s saying sane. Anyway. Looking forward to hearing what Hugh would name his horse! Yay!
And yay for all the other stuff too!
Your comment reminded me of an English character in a Carla Kelly book who names his horse Ney after the French General Ney he chased around in the Peninsula War. It’s a good idea you have, I thought a name that connects Hugh, Kate and their guardian/teacher. Can’t remember his name!
Voron!
Thanks for all the updates! ? So considerate of you to think about the other authors when making the decision on when to publish. I’m so excited for the releases that you have this year, and for the additional Hugh story (woohoo!) and would happily wait for the next Kate book if you guys need more time to work on it. I’ve been trained to wait by Megan Whalen Turner, who is one of my all-time favorite authors because she takes YEARS to write books. It’s been seven years since her last book and we’re finally getting a new one this year. I’m pretty sure you and Gordon wouldn’t take seven years to finish the next Kate book.
Or Robin McKinley. Always hope she may revisit a beloved character with another book, but it just don’t happen…Sob, sob.
Oh yes, I’m still waiting for Pegasus 2!
Unfortunately Robin Mckinley recently lost her husband after a long illness.
I’ve been wondering what’s happening for Lorna Freeman as her fourth Borderlands book has been in the pipeline for a long, long time…
Yes, I’m still hoping for a new Freeman book,too. I’d also love to have her first two books in Kindle format (or PDF or any other way I could get them electronically). Amazon only lists book 3 for Kindle and I am wearing out my second copy of Covenants.
I understand we are getting a new Kencyrath book later this year. Huzzahs for that. (Gates of Tagmeth in October if I remember correctly.)
Or Naomi Novik. I thought I’d die waiting for the next temeraire book.
Same for Kristen Britain and her Green Rider Series. Luckily book 6 comes out next month. Than I only need to wait another 3-5 years for the next book.
Thomas Harris, one could almost say he got one book every decade. 🙂
Black Sunday (1975)
Red Dragon (1981)
The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
Hannibal (1999)
Hannibal Rising (2006)
Regarding Kate Daniels 10, its still based in Atlanta right? For the love of Southern food throw a Waffle House mention in there somewhere.
Or Cracker Barrel.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Kate 10 The final book in the series? Why do I feel like I read that somewhere? Anyway, we appreciate all you do, and the care that you take with your work. We’ll happily wait…
Yes, it is. 🙁 At least final one that has Kate and Curran as the main characters.
Need more info on Hugh’s horse… I assume it is not a noble steed as that is not where his life is at right now… Maybe a cart horse he saves from an abisive owner? Thinking of poor Ginger in Black Beauty- a high spirited mare past her prime as a “gentleman’s riding horse”, reduced to pulling a taxi. Beauty sees her cruelly whipped by her owner, and shortly thereafter sees her dead on the street…. Perhaps something similar for High’s new horse and he heals it out of pity? Good start for his redemption …
More likely a mean horse he “appropriates” after dealing it’s owner a grisley death >:)
When I was in IB, we had a phrase-“IB therefore I BS”
Only way I survived.
And I never even used the IB diploma. -sigh-
My niece had to quit the IB program. It was tearing her apart. She went the AP route and was fine.
What is Kisscon? Romance writers unite?
I can hardly wait for Hugh’s story!!!
Good news about Wildfire. I hope the edits go smoothly.
2017 will be a great year for IA fans because we have White Hot and Wildfire to look forward to. We can certainly wait till 2018 for a new Kate book.
Unlike many of the BDH ( book devouring horde) I am ambivalent about Hugh’s story because I can’t forget his responsibility in Aunt B’s death and the treatment of Christopher. However I am sure I will buy the book because if any author can redeem Hugh the the IA writing team can.
I like the idea of a couple of Innkeeper novellas in lieu of one full length story if that makes our Authorlords’ workload more manageable during 2017. I, for one, would love that intriguing snippet about how Gerard met Helen expanded into a full story. My memory of the snippet is that Gerard wants a woman to buy the house because she will be more easily ” managed”. Put that together with Dina’s observation that if anyone could make someone “rethink an invasion of earth it would be our mother ” and I can hear the fireworks already as the relationship develops. I wouldn’t mind learning more about Maud’s adventures before and after being exiled to Karhari as well. Plus, projecting ahead, assuming Maud ends up with Arland I would love a story about them. The Innkeeper universe is fascinating and I believe there is potential for many “side” stories that don’t make it into the main story arc of Dina finding her parents.
Gordon and Ilona, please don’t take on too much. We want you happy and healthy.
Frances, if the Innkeeper is going to be novellas this year how great would it be if they were prequel? I agree, I want to see the back story of Dina’s parents.
Congratulations on your youngest daughter’s drive, grit and grades! You need to enjoy this time with her and forget about pleasing your avid fans. Please remember we would like frequency but prefer you maintain your excellent standards and don’t push yourselves beyond what is reasonable. Your fans will always be here to buy your stories. My auto email notice that Innkeeper 3 was available made my day! One request, as I am 64 I think I can take a little sex and violence in Hugh’s story. Please do not limit the 18+ fans from access to any serial.
Amazon needs to update their info re release date of July 25. But no matter. You have treated us with a lot of snippets and sneak peeks 😀 and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your blog site. It’s an understatement to say it is refreshingly pleasant to visit.
I did not read the other 100 comment before so forgive me if its been asked already. Do we have a name for Kate and Curran’s baby?
I did and AFAIK it hasn’t been mentioned.
Maybe named after Curran’s dad. It for sure won’t be Roland.
Hahaha. I was thinking the same.
This is lots of good news! Yay, looking forward to all of these great things 🙂
Wild Eyed and Wicked-actual show horse. Love all you’ve thrown out there and no way we’ll get tired of your books. Congrats on your daughters grades.
WE&W was a great Saddlebred (was twice the Thoroughbred equivalent of the Triple Crown champion winning the five-gaited championships at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show, the Kentucky State Fair World’s Championship Horse Show, and American Royal horse show) was sadly poisoned in 2003, I think) and had to be euthanized. As far as I know, the culprit was never discovered.
Who would poison a horse? And, why for God’s sake? That poor animal.
(Yes, I am aware of unethical & greedy people killing horses for the insurance money, but still… So wrong.)
Dear Ilona and Gordon,
While your supportive and nuturing attitude to other authors must always be admired I must dispute one of your arguments for not pushing into the publishing queue based on whom would be losing market share. You mentioned Patty (Briggs I hope), and the wonderful Anne Bishop, I pre-ordered years ago. No loss for them. Hands up all who have also done this, publish away ?. Of course I have no rebuttal for exhaustion, stress and family commitments. So will just have to hang out for 2018…. sigh
Thanks again.
H
It’s exciting! So much to look forward to. Congrats to your daughter! Will you be at NolaStory Con in September?
Whew, I’m tired just reading to you list the upcoming excitement. Which, I’ll safely say, didn’t even include the excitements of regular life. I’m just thankful for what’s being released is going to be released at whichever pace you guys can manage. Please don’t burn out, I’m always thankful that all your work two is high quality work.
The expected issue I guess is the expectation. Say if I only read the Kate series, I’d hypothetically be disappointed to have to wait 1.5yrs for the next book. But as you probably realize, most of us are Ilona Andrews fans, and read everything you write, so it’s more like several books a year. So I’m good. So glad White Hot will be released soon. I get by when I need a IA fix by going back and reread… always good.
Yes congrats to your daughter! That’s a big accomplishment to be holding a 4.4 at the end of IB! My daughter is a junior in IB. Can totally sympathize about how much work the program entails. We pray she can make it to graduation! Thinks about transferring out every year, but always decides to stay.
1.56 woman in Germany danced in her living room after reading this.
—
You guys are awesome *heart* So much to look forward to.
I am ridiculously excited about White Hot and Wildfire! Definitely my 2 most anticipated books of the year! I’m also really looking forward to Hugh’s book & love the idea of it being in serial format, it’s always so much fun following your serials 🙂
Inkeeper novellas sound intriguing too, does that mean you’ll branch out into some of the side characters? Of course I’d be happy to read more about Dina & Sean but I think a Maud, Arland & Helen story would be amazing & I’d definitely like to know more about Dina’s parents too. Such a huge world to explore & endless possibilities.
Kate 10 will be worth the wait and we’re going to have plenty of new stories from you to tide us over this year. We would never want to see you guys burn out so it’s important that you find a good work/life balance.
You two are unbelievable badasses. Epic creative mojo going on in this post. I hope it feels as good as it looks from my seat!
My son started IB his junior year, it’s a lot of work but a lot of reward. The CAS project has been the worst though. Between having to do multiple after school activities and the paper, he has had doubts a few times, lol, but he’s stuck with it.
Is it a metaphorical frying pan, as in the place they started before they went into the fire? Or is it more like a nice 12″ Griswold?
Can’t wait for the releases this year and I always love a good novella or two. Hopefully if you guys do a limited reader list I get to be one of the lucky ones. Oddly enough I think it’s one I’d really like in the serial format. A weekly Hugh update lol.
Thanks for the laugh!
As an avid fan & reader/buyer of actual books when you write them, I am always content to wait until you feel the time is right to write/publish anything. It’s your work, so as far as I am concerned, you get to decide. I’d far rather have the one you feel is good than something you felt pushed to get out.
CONGRATS to your daughter… wow… lots of work. Man I can’t even wrap my brain around schoolwork… too darn long ago. These days work rules and just keeping up with that drives me topsy-turvy.
You guys have so much coming out this year that it feels greedy to expect more.
Your readers would never get tired of you but there is truth in that I am sick of sports teams that are constantly in the news and I am a sports nut.
Hugh’s horse and the horse name…. I can’t even name my pets without staying with a one syllable word.. something easy to yell at my pet to come. ( My remaining pet is my cockatiel who is 25 years old)
I would have named him Spot if it didn’t remind me of a beagle.
We have a 10 month old red and tan Doberman named Titan. That might be a cool name for a big ole beasty horse for Hugh…
I can wait for the book in 2018, I want everything to be perfect in the Kate and Curran universe. Bye the bye, I’m kind of partial to anything with my mom’s last name (as I’m sure you can tell from my email of TryonA@shaw.ca), so why did Tryon Street have to go?
I would love it if the Hugh book is NC-17 for violence as well as sex because I would really like to see Hugh suffer….at a minimum at the NC-17 level(:
Oh, dear, yes, that exactly. I mean, I am up for him being redeemed, but I kind of am brewing coffee and making snacks with which to enjoy him marching through hell to get there. I don’t know if I’ve felt this degree of lighthearted anticipatory bloodthirstiness since Monsanto chick.
Too funny! I completely had to laugh about how gleeful you are waiting for Hugh’s book. But than so am I.
“That’s how Hugh rolls”… I wouldn’t want anything less! This is going to be an awesomely hard wait《grin》
What about Ares for the name of Hugh’s horse? It’s grandiose and to the point.
IB is a huge time investment! On the other hand, my son got his IB diploma, was accepted into his first choice college program and now works for Google, so it’s probably worth it. Hope she still takes time to enjoy some of the “end of high school” events.
I think I might just collapse after Wildfire. I KNOW it will be great and it will come in the same year as WHITE HOT!! I don’t think my excitement will allow me to live the full experience of Kate #10 after reading the Hidden Legacy series ?
So it’s definitely a good thing that you can take your time to do your job, your health always comes first
Wow – I feel exhausted just reading your list. I am looking forward to reading everything that comes out this year. Happy to wait for Kate 10 – you can’t rush perfection. A powerful baby can create havoc from Tabatha on Bewitched to Q Junior on Star Trek Voyager. That’ll be fun.
Congrats to your daughter on her school work. She sounds very smart and motivated. We didn’t have IB classes back when I was in high school in the 1900’s. I did, however, get to take classes at the University my senior year that weren’t offered at my high school (Calculus etc.).
Looking forward to Hugh and Innkeeper serials.
Thanks for all you do for your readers and for keep us in the loop.
Thanks for the update! You are hands-down the best authors I follow for keeping your BDH informed. I might not like having to wait so long, but I can deal with waiting until May next year ‘cos I understand the “why” behind the timing.
Congratulations to your daughter too, sounds like she has taken on a monster of an academic year and is successfully slaying the beast!
Thank you for all your hard work.
Please don’t make Hugh’s book a serial. He deserves his own juicy story. I love Innkeeper but sometimes I lose the flow of the story when it’s serialized and there is just no way I would have the willpower to wait for it to be published to wait to read it. I’ve very much looking forward to Mad and Nevada’s story continueing. They are a great couple. Also, I laughed out loud at the image of Kate and Curran with a newborn, oh how the mighty will crumble…. By the way, I thought you guys were taking a vacation………
Wonderful. I want whatever you think is ready to let us see, when you think it’s ready.
congratulations to kid 2 – that’s really impressive.
given your schedule, it appears that she comes by that drive honestly.
given how many of my favorite authors take YEARS for each book, I continue to think it’s silly for you to apologize for *only* managing 2 full length plus a few side projects each year. don’t over-do. we, the book devouring hoard, aren’t going anywhere.
huh. I see hugh as one of those guys that hands the reins over to a minion and doesn’t think about the horse again until next he requires it. is the first hint of redemption that he cares for his critters?
Some vacation you are on. As most of the Hoard, we’ll take what ever you put out at the pace you set. Oh, we’ll piss and moan, but that’s frustration with our own problems, looking for a high from your work to relieve us.
M West several years ago indicated House Wars would end at # 6, and that was Oracle. She apparently wrote so much, that effort had enough words for two books. Oracle came out in mid 2015. I anticipate War will come out soon.
All good authors need to set their own pace to keep the readers begging for more. Andrews, Bishop, Brennen, Briggs, Bujold, Gilman, Hodgell, Hobb, Huff, Hunter, Lackey, Linskold, Moon, Novik, Sagara/West, Shearin, Shinn and Stein keep me checking their blogs and/or Coming Soon lists. There are about thirty more I look for, but not with that much diligence.
Burn for me is $0.95 on kindle australia.
That’s right – 95 cents today…
So excited to have Kate and Curran to look forward to in 2018. Already have my pre-orders in for all your books this year. Take all the time you need…thank you for giving me something to anticipate!!
Happy with the new schedule, rather have you relaxed and happy than trying to kill yourselves making a tighter schedule. We have been with Kate and Curran so many years now, what’s a few more months to get a spectacular end to the story. Problem is, I don’t want it to end!
Can’t wait until the next book-naming competition, the other really fun interractive part of belonging to this BDH.
Please get the rest that you need. We will be here when you get back!
Wow that sounds…not busy at all ??? Seriously, best wishes though I’m sure you guys will come out on top as always. Hugh as a serial would be awesome though definitely understand your concerns about explicit scenes so if I have to wait for the book version, I will happily.
I love the serials books. I’m not sure what locked means though. Does that mean you’d only let some adults read it?
So, the Hugh d’Ambry serial form..Yes, Please! .but I can wait if it comes out in regular book form…if you release a snippet or too on the blog.
Very exciting times for you. Good luck to your child on the IB program, and thanks for keeping up posted on the new releases and new series!
Take as much time as you need for Kate, we’ll just happily re-read (once again) everything we already have ^^ Rest, family & just plain fun is needed in everyones life 🙂
Besides, we’ll have White Hot & Wildfire this year! 😀
Oooooooh getting a Hugh chapter every week would be beyond amazing! I’m supporting Gordon’s idea 100%!
I hope you’ll come up with a way to let those above 18 read it 😀
I can totally take a photo of my passport if that’s what’s needed to prove I’m legit to get my hands on Hugh XD
I just want to get my grubby little hands on Hugh anyway I can – serial, wait for a book, don’t mind, just really happy that he is going to have his say.
It would really make me laugh if Hugh’s horse had a prosaic name like Fred or something similar, Hugh is so about image. Sorry, it doesn’t matter what you call the horse now, it will always be Fred to me.
Chortling madly to myself. It’s Friday of a very long, stressful week and I think I’ve lost the plot.
I’ve been thinking along the same lines, but I added the twist of having the horse named Kate. Then he could wince or glare every time he thought about it.
Me too. For some reason a horse named Chet that he constantly tries to rename, but thw stubborn horse won’t have it, is stuck in my head.
Just what I was thinking! Hugh trying to rename it but the horse won’t respond to anything except it’s original normal name.
I was thinking Hugh trying to rename is something like Chretien!
Months before we find out -IF we find out- about Nevada’s “terrible person” grandmother…
sighs.
Thank you for the exciting update!
A new serial this year (or any year) would be excellent, be it a Hugh serial or Innkeeper novellas. I, too, would love to learn more about Diana’s parents or maybe her brother who has been quite distant so far.
And the new secret project – is it totally new or wasn’t there some announcement regarding a new Kinsmen book? Inquiring minds want to know…:-)
I’m all for a Hugh serial story. As I’m very over 18 sign me up. ?
I have not laughed so hard, since…your last book. “Risk you guys getting sick of us” Rolling on the bed with tears and I may never see the cat again laughter. The work you put into your books shows and I eagerly await the next. Next week you say? Whoohoo! In a few months? Whoohoo! Next year? Whoohoo! The future is looking bright.
Rest assured that we hard core Ilona and Gordon readers will wait as long as it takes for any of your books! Just gives us something to look forward to. Will we have to show I.D. to read the serial for Hugh??? Please put me on the list, I’d hate to be locked out. Thanks for all you do and don’t forget to relax a little.
Awesome sauce!!! Drizzled over mounds of utter deliciousness! *sigh* Can hardly wait for the upcoming literary feast of several courses served over the next year plus: snippets (amuse-gueles), blogs (remise en bouches), novellas (a la carte), Hidden Legacy novels (double entrees) and KD 10 (best dessert ever)!!!! I plan to dine slowly and savor every bite—-becoming replete and happily satiated! A toast to the Chefs! ?
What happened to Kate’s dog. She did not appear in Magic Binds. Did she die? I missed it.
Grendel kind of can’t die. He’s more spirit than anything – or at least he hung out with Bran until Bran died.
Hugh D’Ambray in serial format? Oh no! Think of us audiobook people! (With serials, audios seem to be relegated to the bottom of the pile, coming out months after the complete book is released.)
As for the rest, well, super excited about the new book!! And if waiting for “White Hot” for 3 years hasn’t killed us, I think we can wait an extra year for Kate 10. 🙂 Take care of yourselves and your family.
Thank you very much for the update.
A name for Hugh’s horse…hmmm…. Sadly, we have just lost our lovely black greyhound, Rappel (we called him Rapi). As well as the English meaning, Rappel means ‘speed limit’ in French and my German colleague told me that it means ‘ants in your pants crazy’ in German. All these meanings suited our Rapi’s personality: maybe this would also be a good short-ish name for a suitably ornery horse for Hugh?
My Dad use to have a stallion named Rooster. Beautiful horse, but very dangerous to ride. He would rear up and spin when close to trees just to hit the rider in to the tree.
A. I am willing to wait for quite a long time for you guys to put out another book. I am old enough to remember when it took 2 years or more for ANY author to publish any kind of book. I think you and Gordan are some kind of author wunderkids to be able to put out so much co tent in so little time.
B. WHERE CAN I SIGN UP FOR THE HUGH BOOK! I am 53 years old so I definitely qualify as over 18. I do not want to miss this book! I am willing to sign in blood and/ or give up my first born. With visitation rights.
C. Yay! New projects! I look forward to hearing more about them.
Now, rest and recover for the next exciting chapter in the lives of our favorite authorlords!
How about “Chabal” for Hugh’s horse name? Hebrew word meaning to destroy. Or “‘Abad” (Amaraic) which is somewhat similar in regards to perishing.
I’ve been bingeing on Planet x-Nibiru stuff this weekend….the internet is just chock full of fascinating things that are akin to watching a train wreck.
Or “Toqeph”? For power and strength…
Last bunch of horse names for Hugh—French ones and masculine. That’s my auto-thinking but even better if horse is a female….and I don’t have any names for her. ?
Vincent…..or Emil…..or Orson?
For Hugh’s horse, if he is another Friesian: how about Raven? Reaper? or Reiver? I’m not sure what’s going on with all the R names, but they are all short, easy to type, and carry appropriate connotations.
I wanted to suggest that the baby’s power should be a throw back to Kate’s mom. Like Rowena only stronger… And male. Or female: she did change th future. It’s murky now. Maybe the baby is a girl now.
Anyway, the baby makes you want to make it happy. And only Kate and Curran are immune.
Curran ate the animal god thing. So maybe throw some of that in there. Wonder what that would do.
I have just re-read the initial chapters of White Hot. I am so excited! I suspect you have to balance your creative surges with creative burnout. I cannot imagine the struggle but am just grateful for both of you and your ability to transport me into the worlds of your characters!
And as a parent whose final child has just finished school my advice is that a path will open for them that allows for them to continue developing their gifts and skills. And as our kids can expect to live such a long time, even if it takes them a few years to find that path they are blessed with the gift of time.
You still need wishes for good luck and strength however. And chocolate. Possibly more chocolate than you thought was Possible! Good luck!
Personally, I don’t think I can do the serial format for Hugh. Why? Because I really really really want to read Hugh and I just don’t think I have the patience to wait between installments without aiming spoilt poorly directed curses your way. Probably better for me to wait for the book anyway.
I get where Gordan is going. And I think it’s a great idea.
I just don’t think it will work for me.
I actually decided to quit reading the Hugh snippets for this very reason. I’d rather wait and eat the entire horse all at once.
Can you tell I’m really looking forward to this Hugh book?
And news of a “Maude book” would be extremely welcome. Okay, but just sayin’… 😀
You guys are so busy!, but it’s very exciting. Take your time with family, your books and publicity. I can wait to read them all whenever they are released.
Write whatever you want, just please keep writing. I have yet to read a novel from you that isn’t on the favorite shelf.
I for one am grateful for every word you both write. Your humor tickles me. There’s just enough heat and the conflicts are always perfectly integrated without being manipulative. Anyone who disagrees should be beneath your notice. I have read all of your books Several times and will continue to do so until May. I was in a funk today and reread Sweep in Peace. You’ve written books that suit every mood. You spoil us with your extras. But no matter what, please take your time. Enjoy the freedom that being a NYT bestselling author affords. Happy authorlords write better books. And enjoy these very interesting years with your children. These years are so important. You’ve given them all the love and resources to become the amazing people they will turn out to be. Stay close and marvel at what you both have created. We will always wait for you. Knit! Write! Sleep in! Loose weight! Gain weight! Make love! Read! Play video games into the wee hours! And write some more. Your writIng has saved me during the most challenging periods of my life. You make a difference everyday. I am humbled by your gifts. And I am grateful.
It’s wonderful that you guys take the time to make sure that your stories grow in the time they need. Hail the authorlords! 🙂
Hugh as a serial je is definitely genius idea! I for one would happy click over 18 if that made it possible.. 🙂
The future is looking bright indeed! I get two releases this year from the awesome Authorlords?! *Happy dance*
I eagerly await any stories that you wish to tell because they are simply That Good. Please take the time to refresh and enjoy yourselves. I can patiently wait (I really can no matter what that little voice says!) until you are ready to give me more to enjoy. The fact that you have projects planned and have let us know about it just means I have that much more to look forward to.
I look forward to adding to my Hoard!