Is there a possibility that the Baylors’ dad was actually a Prime with a subtle ability to increase the magic potential of people around him? All of his descendants are primes and the boys he helped raise seem to have higher-tiered abilities than one might expect. If there is no indication that his wife and her parents got a boost, maybe it would just affect people who are still developing.
No.
In the HL series, there are hints that at least a few people had magic before the Osiris Serum got started. Can you tell us a little about that?
Osiris Serum is theorized to awaken latent abilities, meaning that people already had these powers but they were either too weak to be used or locked behind some sort of evolutionary biological wall. Nobody know precisely why or how Osiris Serum affects human bodies, but the legends of magic must have had some basis in reality.
Is that a topic that will be explored in future books?
No.
Have you guys thought about writing more in the Magical World of Hidden Legacy? It’s a fantastic world and would love to see more stand-alone books.
We are writing Ruby Fever right now. It’s set in Hidden Legacy. :wags eyebrows: You should buy it when it comes out. I need to pay for the roof damaged by hail and insurance says it’s $100 under our deductible. 😀
How did Alessandro race up all those flights at the end of Emerald Blaze after his epic fall? Catalina was winded.
You have to remember, Alessandro is in a superb shape and his magic shields him the damage one might incur from falling. The height is a factor, as we all have seen in Emerald Blaze. Catalina doesn’t train the same way, because she is primarily a mental mage with fencing as her backup. Her physical conditioning, while good, is nowhere near Alessandro’s training regimen.
Look at it this way: before COVID, I could routinely do upward of 3 sets of 30 squats per workout session and maybe break a mild sweat. I have done 3 sets of 10 squats last Monday, and I was walking funny for most of the week because my thighs were on fire. When you train a specific muscle group, it responds. If you stop training it, you lose some of the endurance and strength associated with it.
Arabella can also run up the stairs without being winded. 🙂
In a previous snippet, Alessandro knifes someone (granted an anonymous assassin) and Catalina doesn’t even raise an eyebrow. Is this really in character as you have set up so far in the previous books?
“Exposure to violence at high levels or across multiple contexts has been linked with emotional desensitization, indicated by low levels of internalizing symptoms. … Theoretically, desensitization to violence represents a form of habituation, a well-established type of non-associative learning that results in diminished response to a stimulus after repeated exposure (Rankin et al., 2009). Thus, for instance, witnessing community violence would initially elicit strong negative emotional reactions, but after repeated exposure to community violence these emotional reactions would be dampened, resulting in less emotional distress. “
Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior. Sylvie Mrug, Anjana Madan, and Michael Windle
“What Is Character Development?
In fiction writing, character development is the process of building a unique, three-dimensional character with depth, personality, and clear motivations. Character development can also refer to the changes a character undergoes over the course of a story as a result of their actions and experiences.”
Masterclass, How to Develop a Fictional Character: 6 Tips for Writing Great Characters.
Hehehe. “Is this really in character…” Hehehehe. Oh, fandom. I love you all. 😀
I am wondering if Cornelius and Mathilda have their guesthouse on the Baylor Family Compound
Yes, of course they do! That’s how Baylors roll. 🙂
Love the “No” answers and how the Baylors roll!
We need more silliness IMHO – thank you!
You are amazing! Thank you for sharing insights and development that the casual reader (me) doesn’t think about.
I been wondering if Arabella will get her own trilogy?
Hey Renee,
The latest update on a possible Arabella series can be found here https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/flowers-and-questions/
“The only thing we would be willing to shop right now to New York is a possible Arabella series, which wouldn’t exactly fit into Avon’s lineup.
Romance is a great genre, but it comes with certain tropes, just like any other genre. One of the tropes is having the hero and heroine identified early on. People like to know who to root for. Arabella’s books would feature several possible love interests and we are not sure who she is going to end up with. We could do a series through one of Avon’s sister imprints, but right now we are not ready to discuss it. We need to get some things off our desk, like the second Iron Covenant book.”
Hope this helps 🙂
Nooooo! Stephen!!!
<3 Thank you very much for more HL insights
We are writing Ruby Fever right now. It’s set in Hidden Legacy. :wags eyebrows: You should buy it when it comes out. I need to pay for the roof damaged by hail and insurance says it’s $100 under our deductible. ????
No worries with this for me, HA. I buy any and every scrap you publish, read and reread numerous times, and currently am actually NOT READING because all the other authors I love (a very precious handful or so) are, like you, working on a book at the moment. This is monumental, since I have read daily since I was 6 years old. It’s kind of freaking me out.
I’m with you in this boat. It’s so bad that I actually looked up when the authors I read in Kindle Unlimited will release new books and made a list of dates to get out there and get those new books because I’ve read so many of them so many times already. I had cataracts removed from my eyes this month, and with one eye or two, I kept reading. I remind myself of the comedian who once said that it only takes about 4 hours for him to read a book, so he had a hard time figuring out why it took so long to write one. Considering how long it takes me to compose an e-mail to a friend, I know I have to wait, and yesterday’s medical tests say I can buy green bananas again, so I will buy Ruby Fever when it’s released, but I’m not confident enough to pre-order anything.
Try Seana Kelly’s “The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar”. That’s Book 1. Book 2 is already put too.
Regading the “desensitized” thread … as I recall from the snippet (can’t quote exactly right now), Alessandro tells Catalina that this is them, their normal, this is what their life will be. Also, some people (and I think Catalina is one) are externally very calm … or focused … in a crisis, no matter what is running around in their head screaming.
Just when I needed a smile. You post and I feel it’s just for me
Of course Arabella could make it only one step, Especially since shes a winner lol. but the roof probably wouldn’t survive.
I’ve been thinking about the number of talented individuals in HL who are people of color, makes perfect sense as the 19th century period when the Osirus serum emerged would have been a time when the power structure in Europe and the Americas would have initially ‘experimented’ on their minority populations. Nice karma that the survivors ended up as elites.
Thank you
@Ilona and Gordon
Apologies for this being off topic but I am not sure if there is a better or preferred place to ask a question. Do you guys write Chernobog as being a god of evil? Or is he simply a neutral force of destruction and/or chaos that can be good or evil depending on the context of the situation?
The Slavic Pantheon is very complex. So there is Yav, Nav, and Prav. Yav is the world of humans, Prav is the world of the gods humans find beneficial, and Nav is the world of the gods humans find dangerous. Nav is where Chernobog exists. Nav is the first line of defense against Chaos that would devour everything.
Chernobog rules Nav while his twin brother, Belobog, presides over Prav. Chernobog is darkness, Belobog is light. The two brothers are the sides of the same coin. Our existence is split between day and night. Without winter, there can be no new growth.
Is Chernobog evil? From the point of view of the humans, yes. Is he neutral? No. He has a purpose and he must fulfill it. But those who wish to understand mysteries of the world pray to Chernobog. He is the god of mages and scientists, those who cultivate critical thinking and those who rely on their intuition. One must strain to see in darkness and to navigate Chernobog’s shadows, but the bright, never-ending glow of Belobog’s temples is blinding, for the god of light tolerates no shadows or doubts.
huh. thank you!! That is a fair amount to think about.
A few things about the description though confuse me.
1) I don’t understand why he is considered evil if his purpose is to stave off world ending chaos.
2) I don’t get why if his purpose isn’t specifically evil, why Roman has to constantly talk him out of “crazy shit” like killing 3 people instead of 5. Or how about killing no one … etc.
3) Light and dark are often used as metaphors for good and evil. But when describing them I am not sure how you mean it. Is he a god of literal darkness? If not, I don’t know what is meant when describing him as a god of darkness since we’ve already established, his purpose isn’t evil. It’s to stave off world ending chaos.
And as always, thank you for writing such fantastic stories and giving as much of your time as you do to your fans. You guys are amazing. Again, thanks.
I honestly give no thought to what you may or may not do with what I pay for one of your always reasonably priced books. Whether you get your roof fixed or buy a Tesla to one-up the neighbors is your business. If you were idiots who spent every dime on cookies, it’s your money, once I pay it for what I want to own. I am just so THRILLED to know that there is now a good chance that I will still be around to read Ruby Fever when you are done beating it into submission that I’ll snap it up on the day it’s released. I thank God for the medical miracles I’ve gotten, and I thank God that you two are still around to write for me to read what your minds come up with. And yes, it’s personal to me. You write to entertain me! Among others, of course.
Be well. Be happy. I don’t care what my neighbors do for a living, but what you do will benefit me greatly. You hold my sanity in your hands, because reading really good fiction is what keeps me as sane as I have ever been.
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your troubles. I am willing you the health and humour to enjoy more of whatever takes your fancy! ????????
How does it feel to read your own book? How are you supposed to feel?
Are Leon and Berns dad two different people?
(As when Bern explains Leon’s conception to Rogan, he says something along the lines of our mother’s boyfriend at the time. Also since Leon & Bern have totally different appearance)
Also will the Dad or Dads identities will be revealed?
Hey Snigdha,
Leon and Bern are biological half brothers :).
“According to our mother,” Bern said, “he was conceived because she was too wasted to remember a rubber”
Mad Rogan stopped chewing.
“I was conceived because my mother split bail. Her boyfriend at the time threatened to call the cops on her, so she had to do something to keep him from doing it” Bern said helpfully” Andrews, Ilona. Burn for Me, Hidden Legacy. Avon, 2014. Kindle Edition, page 193
Thank you for the answer.I appreciate it.
And I am sorry for asking a bonus-bother question.
Is Lenora Jordan Caesar?
😀 It’s not often I think I can channel Ilona, but in this case… “Wouldn’t you like to know hehe.”
Nice try anyway, but you will have to read the books to find out 😉 .
(Giggling) I love your response. It was totally worth a try 😉
And have no fear, I belong to Book Devouring Horde. So will definitely gorge myself on the upcoming book/books, whatever the series. House Andrews always serves Michelin Star worthy feast of a book.
So grateful to you guys. Be safe.
Hehehehe;) author author ✍????, it is so mutual
I absolutely love the Legacy series and eagerly await the next book. But I also truly loved The Edge series, the idea of people livI got in the conjunction of two worlds…ours, with technology…and the other world, ruled by magic. Any chance you might write more books for that series?
I’m rereading Innkeeper right now so I’ve been wondering if there are Inns in Hidden Legacy or Kate Daniels.
Wow, now I feel like I don’t participate enough. Is it okay that I just read your novels to enjoy and look forward to reading them with out ask technical questions since the only guns I’ve ever shot were a colt 45 which knocked me on my a** and a semi automatic which I liked. (Military friends looking for a lsugh at s firing range…need I say more?) Neither of which could I hit the side of a barn with unless I could touch the barn and throw underhand. I love all your books and your snippets without the averant detail orientation of other devout readers (devout readers do not hate this happy reader).
They don’t grade us on participation. We can sit in the back row and read quietly under the desk, and they will never call on us unless we raise our hands. Unlike my first grade teacher Sister Frances Patricia, who gave me detention repeatedly for doing the same thing (also repeatedly, it must be admitted).
Happy Readers! Love it 🙂
I miss the Baylor’s ????????
I am only leasing my money until it gets to you. I will be happy to move out as soon as whatever you write comes out.
BTW, am I the only one who reads one of your books and then it’s “in my favourite series” and then another one of your books comes out in a different universe and suddenly that’s my favourite series?
And no question bc I know I can’t get the answer. I’m still trying to figure out how Linus Duncan is connected to the Baylors. Did Grandma Frida have a fling?
Huh! I guess that’s a question.
My theory is that Grandma Frida is related to Linus. Maybe an older sister who wouldn’t toe the House line, eg married someone they didn’t approve of? Like Kelly Waller (without the evil)
Linus (who as far as I recall is white) is certainly not Penelope’s father
From Burn for me: “Grandma Frida’s parents came to the US from Germany. She was dark haired and light skinned naturally. Grandpa Leon was from Quebec. I didn’t remember much about him except that he was huge and dark-skinned. It caused some issues for both of them, but they loved each other too much to regret it. Together they made my mother, with dark hair and medium brown skin.”
When Nevada thinks she saw Rogan in the middle of the night, it is possible she did, and he ran around the building to hide as she runs down to see him.
I” m sorry its so hard to write ruby fever but I” m still hoping for books / story’s on Arabella and some of the other familymembers and / or characters too like for instance Leo and Mathilda (not necesarily together)
And I”m looking forward to discovering what strange mix-magics the children will develope …
This is not in any way to tell you what to write (I will read it all) but it seems like you have been getting a lot of Hidden Legacy comments and I just wanted to say that I adore Catalina. While I always love your characters they are often fun for me because they are so far from what I can imagine and have this incredible confidence (even if other parts of their lives are not perfect). It is so rare to find a main character who was not raised to be in charge, is not sure of what she is doing (or if she wants to be doing it) but does it because it needs to be done and I thank you for that. It is nice to see someone someone growing into a role and making it her own.
I love the answer to the first 2 lengthy questions. “No!” Tell them, Ilona!
Heads up Andrews! If your insurance sent an agent to survey damage, even if you do not have a payout, they usually charge that as a “claim” to your insurance. This won’t be a factor if you don’t have many future claims but with the weather in Texas it could easily become one. We had them look at our roof where they decided there was no damage but it was listed as a claim. This seems to be a routine practice (a nasty one)among insurance companies.
Random question! I just saw the same pic of Nevada/Rogan used by Suzanne Wright as the cover of a book (at least on Audible) called “The Favor.” Was that a stock photo? I just hope it isn’t a copyright thing that it is used there. I am so put off that I can’t even try it, that pic is engraved in my brain as Nevada & Connor <3 <3 Horde Member for life
No copyright issues here ????, no worries.