We’ve received many requests and questions about Kid 2’s work and what is it about and when can it be available.
Once in a while, there will be a successful writer who will come out with “My child wrote a book!” and they will use their platform to promote their child’s book. Full power to them. When you have a platform, why not help your child out?
That probably won’t be us. At least in the beginning.
Now don’t get me wrong, we’ll help with advice, we’ll allocate money for ads, and we will use whatever knowledge we have to help her write a good query and sign with a good agent. We are very proud of her.
But people are mean. They will call her a nepo baby, they will say that we wrote the books for her, and they will compare her work to our work, and on and on. Yes, advertising her work here would likely give her a big jump in sales, but at what cost? It is far better for her to launch without the baggage of Ilona Andrews attached.
Thank you so much for your interest. She was very touched that many of you asked, and she sent over a small snippet of an older work, not connected to anything, as a thank you. She says, “This is what I put mom and dad through while in school.”
Yes, she was that bad. Don’t ask me about the time she performed an exorcism.
“Are you mad at me?”
I put my stress ball in my lap and turned to my niece in the chair beside me, staring at her over the brim of my red-tinted shades. “I’m not thrilled.”
She slumped back against her seat, groaning. “Can we just get it out of the way now, please? I hate when you brood.”
“Okay. First of all,” I started. “I don’t brood.”
“I don’t want to fight. I had a really bad day.”
“Oh no! What happened?”
“Nessie. Don’t tease me.”
“This is the second time this month that I have had to drop what I’m doing, rush here from the Circle, and sit in this chair – awaiting to be informed of what a lousy guardian I am.” I straightened my cloak. “You can suffer my teasing.”
“Everybody’s overreacting! It wasn’t that serious!”
“Mhm.
“Nobody here can take a joke,” she grumbled. “Too bad their rich parents can’t buy the kids at this school a sense of humor.”
“Haley.”
“They’re so soft! I have to walk on eggshells around everyone!”
“Haley,” I tried again.
“And for being one of the ‘top performing Arcane Art academies in the world,’ this place is so behind! All the stuff we’re learning right now, you taught me and Griff when we were in freaking pull-ups!”
“Haley.” My stern voice came out. “You chased the headmasters’ son down the hall, with blood dripping from your hands. Whose blood, frankly, I’m scared to ask.”
“It was ketchup.”
“Well, they all thought it was blood. Probably because you were maniacally laughing and chanting, ‘I am blood mage, the madness calls for blood! I am blood-
I saw the lady at the front desk staring, the warmth draining from her face.
Damn it.
I smiled and waved. “Go Vampire Bats!”
She turned away, shaking her head.
“Great,” I hissed under my breath. “Now the front office at your expensive new school thinks I’m a blood mage. Friday’s PTA meeting is going to be a blast.”
“It was just a joke,” Haley muttered. “Everybody didn’t need to freak out.”
“Kiddo, you were frothing at the mouth.”
She threw her hands up, auburn curls bouncing around her freckled face.
“I already told them- it was soap!”
I blinked. “Soap?”
“Hand soap. The foaming kind, from the dispenser in the girl’s restrooms.”
I dragged a sweaty palm down my chin. “You poured soap in your mouth?”
“Sugar Citrus Breeze- blech.” She made a sour face. “Didn’t taste like sugar.”
“No, I don’t imagine that it would.” I sighed. “And you did this, willingly?”
“Yup,” she replied, popping her lips.
“To make it look like you were unhinged?”
“You’re always saying Dad’s problem is he can never commit to anything.” She looked me dead in the eye. “I committed.”
“I’ll be committed, if you keep this up. Between this charming, little stunt you pulled here today, and your brother terrorizing his classroom last week with the reanimated corpse of their beloved pet hamster -“
“It was a bunny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, bunny -“
“Sir Hops-a-lot, Duke of Carrotown.”
I sharply inhaled. “I can’t keep doing it, Haley. The Circle has been falling apart at the seams for weeks, now. You got to help me out.”
She looked away, her upper lip quivering. “… Sorry.”
I stared at the stress ball in my lap. Thin, purple fabric, all faded and torn. Yellow, stiff foam seeping out from decades old cracks. It had taken a lot of abuse in the last two months.
“So why’d you do it? “
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m hormonal. Or I really am crazy.”
“Hormonal? Definitely. Crazy? Eh… too early to say.” I would tackle the topic of not calling people crazy another time.
“But I probably am. It runs in the family.” She frowned. “He started it. He’s always calling me a blood mage. Says I’m gonna turn Corrupt. Like Mom.”
Little bastard.
“You won’t.” I draped my arm over her. “I won’t let you. Either of you.”
She rested her head on my chest. “But if I did… would you still love me?”
I held her tight. “Yes. We’d just put a muzzle on you and carry on. We are Cowls. Like you said, it runs in the family.”
Yes🙃 definitely runs in the family. Thank you.
Utterly charming!
Wow – for an early effort, this is an amazing snippet. Best of luck and we hope there’s, at least, a proud announcement when the new book’s out for sale so the BDH can swoop in and enjoy it.
You cleverly have turned the BDH’s attention to Kid 2; now maybe there’s time for a bubble bath and glass of tea? Welcome back, Mod R!
I’d read this in a heartbeat. Thank you kid 2.
Wait, no, hold on – i want the rest of that snippet! What happens next!
No but in all seriousness, it was quite enjoyable, thanks for sharing~
wow, really good – think it really foes run in tge family. hope all success to her publishing endeavours if this is a representative sample. Impressed!
Love the excerpt!
I get where you are coming from on not advertising her work here. I think I would feel the same as a parent and I know for a fact I would feel the same as a daughter. I want my work to stand on its own two feet. I have enough doubt without wondering if people bought my book just because they liked my parents.
First, that was a F U N read!!!! I actually want more, I want to know what happened to that kid, and more about the family. And what’s the Circle? I’d buy the story right now.
I hope Kid 2 gets at least a Patreon site going soon, and will soon be publishing.
Smiles, and may you both, and she, and we all have a fabulous time riding the creative energies of the Green Wood Dragon year!
Love it! Kid 2 definitely has inherited the writing genes and has a bright future as a writer! I give you a lot of credit HA for helping her out while at the same time letting her stand on her own merits. 🥰
As a mom, the hardest thing I have had to learn to do is to stay out of the way instead of trying to always make things too easy for my girl. And I’m still always working on it!
In any case, here’s wishing Kid 2 the very best of luck! Maybe when she has debuted and has successful sales you could give us a little hint or six? I would love to read more (as would the rest of the BDH, I’m sure!) 😁
If that’s Kid 2 early work I can’t wait to read what she’s doing now. I respect your stance, you both not wanting to add any additional hurdles or drama for Kid 2 journey. But still being there for support 😍
Thank you for sharing the snippet! I love it.
Thank you to Kid 2! That was a lovely gift for a dull day.
Hope she gets all the good things!
Seconded!
The snippet is great! I can’t wait to see the new book she’s written.
FWIW, I agree with your thoughts on supporting, but letting her do things on her own.
Plus, you know the Hoard will support her.
Good luck Kid2!
Runs in the family is right on. if this is an early, not so good piece of her writing, then as a dedicated reader I want to read the whole story and hope for a sequel. I’m sure you know she has talent, and I’m also sure that you are as proud as punch of her. So I will wish her God’s blessings.
Loved the snippet!
Ok, I would buy that. Make sure she gets on KU, please, I need more good reads lololol
Wonderful to hear a new voice!! I would love to read more of her work and wish her all the best. Hope you can give us the news when her first book is published.
Please thank her for this boost to my morning.
That was Awesome! Thank you for sharing.
I loved this. I would love to read more. I do look for other authors occasionally and would love to try your books. Where can I find more?
Kid 2 is not published yet 🙂 , so unfortunately there isn’t more of her work I can link.
I like it 🙂
Well it seems like talent runs in the family. This had me interested.
Maybe a hint when she gets published!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 love it! definitely not a nepo baby. learned good story telling from her parents. this would be an awesome novella for her at some point
Thank you kid2. I liked the little snippet and would happily read more. Do you have a blog? Continue to write you have a great start no matter who your parents are.
Intriguing and funny. It reads like something is would definitely purchase.
Eh, I don’t blame her. Stephen King’s son did it too, now no one can say he didn’t earn it on his own merits.
I like it, go Kid 2!
So excited! I’m always looking for more books and authors to read! Your glowing recommendation of Jessie Mihalik has led to me picking up a book and falling in love with another author. Hopefully her debut books is well received and she develops a deticated following.
Good for you Kid 2/Mod R! I always love your posts and you’re so funny, it was always obvious you could write!
Thank you for my share of the compliment, but I am not Kid 2 🙂.
I am no Kid, no relation. This is all House Andrews’ youngest daughter, her talent and achievement!
Mod R, you are House Andrew‘s adopted honorific crazy cousin – exactly what the Horde needs to keep us in check. 😉
That was fun!
Thank you Kid 2. You have talent, I’m looking forward to reading your first book.
Absolutely love this! Too bad there isn’t more. 💗
Can you not be sneaky & circumvent the cries of nepotism by gently nudging other author friends of yours in kid 2s direction? I know Jessie Mihalik haunts your blog and often does book recs *hint* cough *hint* 🙃
I think I’ve seen Angela Knight (if it’s the same one I’m thinking of) comment on here too. 😉
I had the same thought…
🙂 nice.
It runs in the family, indeed…
Kid 2 definitely has your talent to get readers hooked with only a few lines of text.
So, you will not tell us the title of Kid 2‘s book? Challenge accepted. We are the mighty BDH. We WILL find out one way or another. Resistance is futile!
Lovely story, good conversation rhythm, grounded in compassion and humor and love, with titillating and offhand references to very interesting things/backstories to come (hm why a guardian, huh an Arcane Arts Academy, we are Cowls what’s that). Well done snippet — left me wondering and interested, and a bit sad apparently there won’t be more to come. Yay Kid 2! xxoo
I really liked this snippet! thanks for sharing! Go Kid2! and I would pay to read this story – it introduces an interesting character in Haley, a bit mysterious one in the uncle! I look forward to more snippets and to her first book!
Is there a pen name she’ll be writing under, so that we can follow her, look for her?
thanks again for sharing!
We will likely not know her pen name, at least to begin with 🙂
If THIS is an old piece of work from a much younger Kid2 then I suspect we’ll easily pick her out when she publishes. “Debut author hits NYT best seller list” will probably be the headline. And that will be without help from IA/BDH!
Looking forward to her debut and another awesome series to read.
I would buy it!
I hope you’ll tell us her name when her book is published so I can find her books. 🙂
Thank you!💙
Excellent. I would love to read this.
Thank your daughter for the snippet
I already want to know more about the Cowls
When the time is right leak her nom de plumb somewhere so we the bdh can enjoy a new author
This was delightful. I fully look forward to seeing Kid2 rising up completely on her own clear talent. One day when the internet connects the dots between you, we’ll all shrug and say “that makes sense” then keep reading. Thank you for sharing.
House Andrews produces a lot of Primes. 🙂
🤣 I cackled as much though the story reading as I did through our numerous “hint” requests!
I thoroughly enjoyed the piece, and hope the absolute best for Kid 2! 🤞
I won’t add any begging. I won’t!
👍👍
Auto correct 😡 nom de plume
I usually hate autocorrect. I got a bunch of chuckles picturing why someone would have a nom de plumb though. Thanks for the laugh!
Thanks for the great snippet! I read it twice and giggled all the way through. I take it the exorcism story contributed to your stress created grey hairs. Parenting “creative” thinkers isn’t for the faint hearted, but they sure make life interesting. Now when I see young kids and teens being themselves I thank God mine are grown up and raising their own. I call that earned payback and smile.
Aahh, that parental curse: “I hope when you grow up and have kids of your own, they turn out to be JUST LIKE YOU.”
That was a cool snippet. Thank you and her for sharing a little of her work. Not that you need it, but I wholeheartedly agree with your reasoning. Living in the shadow of your family and always having your works compared will do her no favors. It may help her sales, but it would be detrimental in the long run.
Now I want to read that book! Such an unfair tease.
Sounds like you have good solid reasons for keeping your kid’s name separate from yours. However I’m a reader always in search of another good author. And I liked that snippet quite a bit….
I like the snippit It was interesting and at 72 if I live long enough I will enjoy her books as much as I have yours
Hey, I’d buy that. Sucked me right into the story, and I wanted more. Doesn’t matter whose child she is – she can write.