ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Finished. And a Snippet.

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Putting final touches on Diamond Fire novella. Yay! We will be done today.  The draft is finished, we are just cleaning it before sending it off.

Here is some Leon for you.

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Gunslinger with two gunsValentina’s House Catering was in New Braunfels, a very German town in the middle of Texas.  We had interviewed larger catering firms from Austin and San Antonio, but Mrs. Rogan trusted Valentina’s and so that’s who we went with.

I parked in front of an old brick building.  Leon got out of the passenger seat.  Arabella was still in school, and today she was crash-writing a two-thousand-word essay, which was assigned to her a month ago and which she had started this morning.  Leon was my battle-buddy for this mission and he was thrilled.

“Cake shop,” he said.

“Yes.”

Leon let out a long-suffering sigh.  “Are you sure that I’ll be enough?  These places can get pretty rough.  You walk into a cake shop and then some gunslinger tells you, ‘You ain’t from around here, partner,’ and the next thing you know, you’re in the middle of the street, your horse is dead, the bad guy’s got your girl by her hair, and you’re down to one bullet.”

“What is going on in your head?”

“It’s a dark, lawless place, Catalina.  So dark.”

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Comments

  1. OMG, so perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this snippet!
    Hope the hands are continuing to heal and you are felling better.

  2. Thank you! Snippets are reeeally appreciated! Leon is hilarious ?
    And congrats on finishing Diamond Fire!

    • Add +1 to the above. Thank you for sharing your wonderful characters with us. I admit to rereading your books many, many times. (And l’m always disappointed when I get to the end-lol).
      For all the gripes and complaints you get please remember that there are more fans that love your work than the ones who wouldn’t be happy if you tucked them in and told them a new story every night. Please, keep up the good work, and feel better soon.

  3. Thank you, now no more typing. Go somewhere with Gordon and relax! Let your fingers alone. Iron and Magic blew me away!

  4. Omg Leon! Hahaha.. I love your finishing sentence!

    Can’t wait for more Catalina *squeeeee* and a certain someone who looked like a roman general’s son about to enter the gladiator(or something) for the first time *double squeeeee*

  11. How fun! I’m looking forward to Diamond Fire more than Kate 10! Thank you for the Sunday snippet. I hope Ilona enjoys the mermaid suit.

  12. This one is going to be so much fun, watching the trouble Catalina et all are going to get into. Thanks for the snippet! Enjoy your “downtime”. 🙂

  14. I was surprised there is no Nevada input. Will she not appear which would be weird as it is her wedding isn’t it? Or have I missed something? I was looking forward to Nevada as the main character as there are a whole lot of questions I have. Catalina is fun too but too young for anything definitive in the way of relationships. I do like that Leon is coming into his own and no longer feels like such a loser. His sense of humor is dreadful and it matches mine. Good snippet.

    • They’ve mentioned in the past that it wasn’t going to be a Nevada novel but more a transition for Catalina.

  17. Thank you for the snippet, they are always a pleasure 🙂
    And congratulations on finishing Diamond Fire!

  22. Thanks and I hope the fingertips continue to heal. Maybe the dictation will become comfortable soon? I sure hope so cause this is hilarious and awesome and omg fabulous painting. The watercolor is beautiful. Keep healing and hopefully have time for a spa day?

  23. He he he!!! So dark… Lol! Thanks for the snippet and congrats!! I hope your poor hands and fingers continue to heal, Ilona. I enjoy your and Gordon’s blog so much. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

    • Creator bless and keep you both. How was the mermaid tail? I hope your hands are continuing to do well. Thank you for the snippet. Leon’s point of view is always one of a kind. He’s not just marching to a different drum he has a whole band out there in left field.

  25. Woo hoo to being about done at this stage!! Yay ? Leon might be my favorite… lol.. when he grows up… fun character to imagine …like George and Jack

  26. Thanks for the snippet. I have a Hugh question, if Julie can’t refuse a direct order from Kate and Voron couldn’t refuse Roland than I would think that Hugh can’t actually disobey Roland either but he turned him down when Roland asked him back. Elara is so going to kill Roland…..,? or is she…

      • Exactamundo. That’s why Roland just about fainted when Hugh made the blood needle while hanging from one arm in Nez’s Hold.

        • Is it that simple? Would Kate be so anxious about her command over Julie if it were that straight forward? Can’t wait to find out. I love these stories.

          • I just read Magic Slays where Kate cleaned and bonded Julie’s blood with hers to save Julie from going loup. Kate didn’t want to break Julie down to have her as a weapon to point to someone. This is what Roland did to Arez (the first Preceptor of the Iron Dogs). That’s why Kate went ballistic when she found out that Roland was talking with Julie and told her what Kate did to her.

  27. Love it. The news that ‘Diamond Fire’ is finished, and the snippet. Now I’ve got to wait for the book to see if my suspicions are correct, about the hazards that will be found in or near the bakery.

  28. Oh, yeah – love the shot of that pair of percussion revolvers. Will someone be using such things? Perhaps magically enhanced ones?

    • With all the shooting that lot does? Bill G, a six-gun simply doesn’t carry enough bullets! 😉

  29. Love it. I can hardly wait until I can read it. Thanks for the snippet. I hope the hands are behaving.

  32. Totally Leon
    he has that 360° surround sense, no matter where he breaks out, he brings it back on point
    YOU
    have that survivor glee. Congrats on Fire! , gotta nag, was snippet dictated? I hear, ‘you can handle this’ you are enjoying knowing how you are going to move forward.
    Go enjoy yourself, fly, float, stomp . . . U grown > •¿•

  33. Congratulations!
    AND thank you for a really happy way to start my Monday despite the rain soaked streets outside!

  34. Leon is a riot. I could hear the background whistle and see the tumbleweed roll across the street. I love it.

    Congratulations that Diamond Fire is done.

    How are your fingers feeling?

  37. Love getting some Leon – thanks!

    I am really curious about Rogan’s mother, especially since she has been stealth so far.

    Hope the healing continues!

  38. ??? I ❤️ Leon so hard! Congratulations on finishing the book!! I know how hard y’all’ve worked and I hope you can get some R&R. Thank you for the snippet. It was delicious.

  39. Leon sort of sneaks up on you . He reminds me of Ascanio , except Ascanio was raised to be the golden boy and Leon never though he was going to be a Prime. But both have that same sense of humor.
    Glad you finished Diamond fire and your hands are improved . And snippet on Sunday
    And looking forward to meeting Connor’s mom .
    Will Matilda be a flower girl?
    Who will walk Nevada down the aisle? Her mom?
    Will Nevada carry a bouquet of Carnations?
    Loved how you snuck in that her Grandmother also loves carnations.
    Take care of your hands and family
    Thank you.

    • Leon is flipping adorable. And something about what you said got him mashed up in my head with the snarkiest and most worldly of our UTAs (and bestower of the best nickname ever of my partner in crime.) This is probably unfair to everyone involved, but I’m tired enough to think it’s hilarious.

  40. In your books the side characters become as interesting and beloved as the main characters. I find myself wondering about them. David Latimer being one. Leon has always been a favorite. I relisten to him narrating the attack scene in Wild Fire quite often.
    ” Oh No! My brains are leaking!”…snicker..

  41. I hope your hands are much better. Catalina should just throw him in an innertube and tell him to lighten up. I think my favorite part of the Hidden Legacy is the Nevada’s family interaction.

  43. Thanks so much!!! Hope you can take a break and rest your hands enough for a full recovery.

  45. Love, love, love it! I was really laughing out loud!! Love all Nevada’s family, the interaction is wonderful and hilarious.

    Hope the hands are behaving & congrats on finishing Diamond Fire 🙂

  46. Awesome snippet! #Leonlove
    Speedy & lasting healing wishes right to your fingertips. I feel your dictation pain with Dragon Naturally Speaking 😉 you’d think it’d gotten better at interpretations after all these years LOL

  47. Perfect timing! I just finished a re-read of the Hidden Legacy books.
    So very delightful.
    Thank you!

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