Saturday email box: Why are you not answering our questions???
Me: Post saying have fun discussing stuff; good job on catching stuff; no, it doesn’t really help at this point, but that’s okay; some of the stuff was kind of deliberate, because writing stuff happens. Sorry, tired, will get to emails later.
Today email box: WE ARE SORRY.
Me:… I can’t win.
Horde, the spoiler thread is for you. What you discuss there is also for you. 🙂 It is all cool as long as you don’t be mean to each other.
We are glad you liked the book. 🙂 You are awesome.
No, we still have no news about the fourth book. You will know when we know. I promise.
We are finally home. We are going to get take out Chinese food and I am going to build my first base in Empyrion, to which I’ve been looking forward to for 10 days now. We are really tired, so we might take tomorrow off to rest. Jeaniene Frost made fun of me and said, “Oh go ahead, go crazy and take TWO days off after a ten day tour and two releases back to back.”
All of our friends are smartasses.
Looked at houses in Jacksonville. Didn’t dig it that much, but we like St. Augustine. We may have to research the area more thoroughly. We saw new construction by Landon and I would’ve bought that house on the spot, I loved it so much. Loved that house. Then we drove out of the little tiny subdivision to see what was around there and no. Nope, nope, nope. So we’ll have to pay more attention to the neighborhoods, and figure where in St. Augustine we wouldn’t mind living.
My parents live in St. Augustine, Anastasia island. It’s a little less humid there than the main land.
You know how they say that to judge a person all you have to do is look at your friends? If your friends are smartasses…
(And for the record, my friends (and family) are all smartasses, too.)
I don’t have to look at my friends, I know I am one. 🙂
*sends hugs* You are appreciated 🙂
My only real question is this: How you come up with such great monsters? Honestly, these are awesome 🙂
I agree Arabella as the beast of C. Even as a baby beast. Precious. Zeus wonderful. I love your monsters.
And Matilda and Zeus! Squeeeeee!!!!!!!!! ?????
I think it was said in Wildfire that Brian’s power manifested at 3 or 6 months. If babies can show that young, then how old was Arabella when she first changed? And was she still breastfeeding at that time? O_O
I laughed and laughed. You are a hoot.
That would have been a shock! I weaned my daughter at eight months because of the teeth…
Rest well!
Welcome home. I loved Wildfire and cannot wait for any other books you write. Saint Augustine is wonderful. I would not mind living there but I will miss you living in Texas.
Just make sure it’s not someplace that will be underwater in 10 years!
That information (sea rise & flood zone s) is usually on the county web site. Rest well! Thank you both again!
Orange Park is a nice place to live (or was, when I lived there from 1995-2004) and isn’t too far from St. Augustine. Also it’s the location of a great private school, SJCDS, (if you’re into private school for the kiddos) where I personally attended for 8 of my academic years. Just throwing it out there if you’re open to looking at nearby cities 🙂
Some family members live in Orange Park. Its Great and they go over to St Augustine beach all the time.
Hmmm, does Augustine vacation in St. Augustine? (Sorry, not sorry 🙂
No, we vacation in Orlando. 🙂 Usually at little known bars in dark corners in theme parks. RIP Enchanted Oak…
Wow, totally missed the joke.. LOL Mornings are not my thing!
I am glad you found a place you like. Rest, Don’t mind our rantings. They are not much different than the ones last year and the year before. But, I do love them.
Bought the book yesterday afternoon, finished it this morning. I may have to read the series again this week.
Thank you! Your word-smithing and world building skills are Awesome!!!
Wow. You had the willpower to wait almost a week to buy it and read it?
As usual ,you have written another wonderful book .Hidden legacy is not only a great fantasy book, but a touching novel about families , born and made . Mathilda has become another sister like Nevada and Arabella and Siren Cat . Leon’s growth and realization of his magic is complex and real . I want to thank your whole family, including Kid 1 Kid 2 and all the pets . You create complete worlds with love and fighting and striving to overcome fear and obstacles mental and physical. Thank you for letting us have another great journey.
And I want more, anything just more. But rest, enjoy and regroup we will wait . Thank you again.
Jacksonville has grown a lot in the last decade, so it depends on what you are looking for. St Augustine you mostly have to worry about living to close to tourist area’s, seedy areas and the beach for hurricanes. Somewhere in the middle of all that is lovely 🙂
You can win, and do win. Your BDH adore your books, the worlds you build, and you as the fabulous Authorlords. I think the sorry emails are because no one wants to upset you. I think there was some confusion as the BDH discussion and FAQ thread was interpreted by some/many as you answering questions in the thread. I thought it unlikely as you were on tour. Thanks for the clarifications about some things in the next post. I’m not up to date on the spoilers thread, so have no idea if you have posted within that conversation. As an aside, I do find it somewhat hilarious when people post something along the line of “It is obvious that xzy means abc”, not “I think xyz could mean abc”. I’m of the firm belief that only the Authorlords actually know what is truly obvious!
Thank you for another fabulous book. Enjoy your downtime, even if you are naughty and stretch it to a whole two days. I had to laugh at Jeaniene Frost’s comment! She rocks too.
Welcome home. I hear a pillow calling your name.
Yes, this.
Yep, and a very soft blankie too. 🙂
I guess if your heart is set on Florida go for it. But I found my piece of heaven on lake Keowee in South Carolina, only 2 hours from Atlanta. Keowee Key, a gated community with a little something for everyone.
Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island to the NE is just gorgeous and so laid back but the beachfront houses are ridiculously expensive.
My in-laws had condos on Anastasia Island. I spent a month or two there every winter until the child / children started school. It was a great break from winter in the North East. It also has enough variety in weather. We saw everything but snow. The beaches used allow cars. We would drive south to the inlet and search for clams.
No bed like your own bed!!! Yes, go crazy and take TWO days off!!! You guys deserve it!!! Thanks for doing the tour, though!!
No bed like your own bed!!! Yes, go crazy and take TWO days off!!! You guys deserve it!!!
Welcome home!! Congrats on surviving your tour and congrats on a truly awesome book!! I love it hard. I hope and pray for more books. Bc this world is awesome and I love these characters.
St.Augustin is a wonderful beach, and I love Naples!!!
Welcome home – there is nothing like your own bed when you are tired ?
Try and at least have a day for yourselves…bet you don’t last longer than that!
Happy writing ?
Yes, you have to think of you, it’s the most important gift you can give yourself.
So enjoy the next few (or not few) days off, pamper yourself and have fun!
I did that for my birthday: went to Cannes (we live on the French Riviera) on Saturday evening with my oldest daughter and paid for 2 lounge chairs at the end of the deck of one of the Luxury hotels (Majestic) to watch the awesome fireworks from the British contestant.
It was great!!! and I loved it.
(http://www.festival-pyrotechnique-cannes.com/en/public-price/sm-art-pyrotechnics-0)
Check out Saint Johns ( yes, St.Augustine is in St.Johns county ) but the area of Saint John’s encompasses Switzerland and Fruit Cove, great neighborhoods there. Also Nocattee and neighborhoods on 210 , all about 20 min away from St.Augustine . And there ‘a also Rivertown. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
I know it’s outside your control but I really hope you get more books in the Hidden Legacy series. I was in the middle of reading something else but when I finished that and dived into Wildfire I ended up taking a half day off work because I stayed up so late finishing it!
Good luck with the move, wherever you decide to go.
LOL I did the same thing!
I don’t blame you in regards to Jax. Look at the Vilano Beach, Anastasia Island and World Gulf areas. Nice areas that are close to everything and have varieties of houses and prices.
Welcome home. Take all the time off you need. Ignore all of us. 😀
Wait. Homes by Landon. You don’t mean… Nah. Couldn’t be.
Rest up. We love you.
Heh. She said “Augustine” too. Clearly it’s a conspiracy.
Now you can escape falling asleep to Forensic Files.
My sister really likes St. Augustine. She’s lives close to University of St. Augustine which is a PT school. It’s decently close to the beach too.
Wanted to chime in with how much I loved Wildfire! Such great story telling.
You guys really deserve at least a week off! Take time for YOU so you don’t burn out!!
Good luck with house hunting, we’ve been doing that in our neck of the woods – so stressful.
Enjoy the down time. Doing promotion things can be very draining. Take a couple of days to relax, sleep, play games and putter.
Ilona maybe you can find a new knitting pattern for you to try or work on one of your trees? This is besides you getting your game play on. Do you and Gordon play each other or is it you against every else?
Zeus needs a mate, or to be sent home. Vincent, the idiot, simply wanted a tool, and didn’t care about what he got, as long as it was scary, powerful, and obedient. Zeus is intelligent, and now finds himself dragged, alone, into a totally new universe. Nevada and house Harrison either need to get a summoner prime to pull a mate willing to bond to Harrison across, or send Zeus back to where he came from! Since the bond has been set, the latter is a sub-optimal choice.
Also, a note on riding in a tracked vehicle: it is actually closer to riding in a vibrating Cadilliac. The treads are flexible links that lay over any rough ground (hence the term “track-laying vehicle”). Unless you are hitting tank obstacles, large trees, and the like, the combination of flexible tracks, rubberized road wheels, and opposed torsion bars results in a very smooth ride. This is to help the stabilized gun tracking system stay on target through all sorts of violent maneuvers, and means that the occupants get a smooth ride with the potential for radical changes in direction. Granted, the old aluminum-hulled Sheriad M551 is a bit lighter than even the Sherman, since it was meant to be able to be air-dropped to support the 82d, but it still rides pretty smooth. It just failed in its design objective as a good airborne support vehicle, because air-drpping it resulted in 100% of the frames being warped, which results in 100% transmission failures with 14 days. It is also not water-resisrant, which meant it frequently suffers shorts in the turret boxes when it rains (like in Viet Nam). All in all, the Bradley is a much superior replacement.
Zeus is a made up animal. We get to keep him. Besides he carried Matilda home.
Agreed. And, he may choose any creature he wishes as a mate. He shall not be limited by stereotypes to his own kind 😉
welcome home!
I’m re-reading the series, and just realized that they had to kill a bunch of whatever Zeus is in book 2, and am now sad.
Yes, I felt the same way – too bad Cornelius wasn’t there to bond with them.
Hope you get all the rest you need. Sorry to hear you are leaving Texas.
Jacksonville is terrible. (And I’m not just saying that because my mother-in-law still lives there LOL.) Try Pensacola. Beautiful beaches, great downtown, low cost of living.
Check out the trulia website. They show the crime statistics. Take a look at Jacksonville beach. The only problem with the pan handle are the hurricane issues. You can also go on crime reports.com.
Thank you so very much for this series. It is as fantastic as I’ve come to expect from you.
As a comment on moving to Florida, my sister and her family AND my parents live there. My sis in Naples, which is beautiful, and my folks just a short distance away in Bonita Springs. My nephew attends Florida Southcoast University in Fort Myers, which is a beautiful school. All three municipalities are pretty close together.
I would suggest checking out Punta Gorda, near Ft Myers, which is real nice.
Several things about this area; you’re near a large airport for easy travel, and it’s on the gulf coast which I personally like better; a little more sub-tropical with warmer water if you like to ocean swim.
Also, the storms have to come up the gulf to hit that area, which they certainly do, but it tends to usually pass above that area. Whereas the Atlantic coast can get a bit wilder.
Of course, this is a Cape Codder speaking, so at least I’m on the water, if not tropical. It’s great here too. We still get snow, but our winter temperatures tend to be more temperate.
Anyways, I hope you find the perfect home.
Many people from north Florida favor Amelia Island.
I understand Sarasota is one of best places for many factors. But it is a trip to get down there from the rest of US. If your kids are going to Texas Universities, its an inconvenient trip for visits. The Florida Panhandle is a lot more convenient for visits, and it has great beaches. Now, on to the Innkeeper series. Since you self published, sort of, on your blog, were your sales for the Innkeeper series less than your books that went the regular route? I’m worried you mght not do more if the other books sell more books.
loved wild fire we need another book to find out who Caesar is btw palm coast is a great neighborhood many different areas with salt canals leading to the intercoastal waterway half way between Daytona and st Augustine with flagler beach a near by
Just finished WILDFIRE and, while I, too, would dearly love to read another 20-30 tales set in this world, I want to thank you for giving your readers an awesome and bone-deeply-satisfying ending…just in case. It was an amazing roller-coaster ride and romance and fantasy/paranormal adventure. Thanks so much.
So I have had the flu the last week, yes, I know, it is summer. But I just have to be different and get it in the summer, in Texas. I have been miserable. So I have been laying on the couch, feeling like death warmed over, watching some interesting science and history shows. One was on sink holes. Apparently sink holes are a huge, major thing in Florida. They are every where and it didn’t sound like you can get sink hole insurance coverage. People’s house just drop into them all of the time, along with people and cars, and anything else in their way. It was frightening. The first thing I thought of was you and your family moving there. So, please look into that before moving there. It is scary. It does happen in other parts of the country but it is really bad in Florida.
Well, you’ve been home two whole days now. Are the voices in your head clamoring to get out yet? Don’t know about you but I’m perfectly happy to ignore laundry and walking around suitcases until I’m down to the last comfortable pair of underwear which forces me to actually do something functional again. Enjoy the downtime! Great book, here’s hoping for #4-#10, after all if Kate gets 10 books Nevada should to (college isn’t cheap)!
Wildfire debuted at #2 on the USA today bestsellers list. Just sayin’
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, RAH RAH RAH!
Squee!!
I agree!!
How about Key West? It seems smart and lively, the food is good. Hemingway liked it. 🙂 I think Amelia Is. will be underwater before too long, and Jacksonville . . . I can’t think of a neighborhood there that is fun enough for you.
My husband and I live in Merritt Island, Fl. We both agree that we although we enjoy our home and neighborhood if we had it to do over again we would not buy on a barrier island or close to any water. Global warming is not a joke and is definitely effecting the coast of Florida. My sister-in-law and her spouse love the St. Augustine area and had planned to move there in the near future. After researching the issues that some people had with their sewage systems after hurricane Mathew they changed their minds and are staying in Gainesville, FL.
Florida is a beautiful state and I would love to have y’all closer. At the same time I would encourage you to do your research and be cautious.
Wow, love it! I haven’t found a series I couldn’t put down since Cat and Bones (tell Jeaniene thanks for those!). I love the Hidden Legacy books. I knew I should slow down so the book would last longer, but I just couldn’t seem to do it. Please, please, please tell me your looking to write more books in the series!
*writing…
I had the wonderful experience of exchanging a few words with Ilona, Gordan and Jeaniene when they visited the Bookmark in Jacksonville. They were kind enough to sign the back of my tablet (silver sharpie) and pose with me for a photo.
We moved from Orlando to the Mandarin area of Jacksonville last summer. We live on a large peninsula the extends into the St. John’s River just before you cross the bridge over Julington Creek into St. John’s County. Ilona and Gordon, if you are still considering Jacksonville, you may want to look here. The area has tremendous natural beauty. There are existing subdivions as well as several infill subdivions where beautiful new homes are being built. The proximity to the river keeps the area cooler, especially in the evenings, and the location is close to everything—publc libraries, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Publix, Barnes & Noble, restaurants, excellent hospital, I 295 and I 95, etc. There is a historic museum park right on the river with the home of one of the early settlers as well as an active community group dedicated to preservation of the history and beauty of the area. Having said all of that, a careful review of the flood maps is a critical task before buying in the peninsula. There are a few pockets of very low areas, largely adjacent to wetlands and creeks, where flooding would be a real risk in the event of a hurricane
To end this, thank you for the many hours of enjoyment your books have provided to me and so many others. Thanks as well for the very interesting blog entries devoted to the craft of writing. I hope all of you love Florida and that you have a great time while you are here. Speaking as a native Floridian with a deep love of the cultural and geographic diversity of the state, I would not live anywhere else.
St Augustine has a lot going for it. Just choose your neighborhood carefully. You are going at it the right way, dive in, check a place out thoroughly then decide. And I really don’t believe you will have to worry about sea level anytime in your lifetime. SInkholes-maybe. drowning seacoast-not so much. Florida has been not much more than a chain of islands at various times and at other times higher and drier. It all goes round. Or you could just buy a houseboat and say the Hell with it all.
Thanks for the books. The last two were just pure delight. I would kill for a rogan POV of all of it . Okay maybe not kill but I would totally bake a chocolate cake, if ever you come in France. I might even read the translation just to see if it’s good ( the title thought: “dynastie” O.O) . Good luck for the house hunt!
Saint Augustine is beautiful. I love it there. I have several family members who live in Palm Coast, which is maybe 30 mins south of St. Augustine. It’s a nice area, nice beaches, definitely suburbia. You might want to check it out if you’re cool with non-urban.