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Magic Tides: Slice of Life

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You can preorder and read an excerpt of Magic Tides here. There’s a Kobo link too.

None of this would’ve happened, if it wasn’t for Gordon’s birthday.

It was the beginning of April, and as my husband’s birthday wound down, he and I ended up outside by the pool talking about things one thinks about when their candle count reaches a certain number. Work, kids, where we are in life, what the retirement might look like one day, and then the most serious question. Are you happy?

Happiness is a moving target for most of us. We hope for happy, but most of the time we are satisfied to be content. Some of us might even settle for just not being miserable.

Despite the constant spikes and plunges that come with daily life, I’m happy, so I kind of thought he was happy as well, but you never know unless you ask. Maybe I was wildly off the mark. So I asked, fully prepared for something like, “No, I hate it here, let’s move to Northern Georgia and change our jobs to pottery makers.”

Gordon smiled and said, “I’m happy. This is it. We’ll probably never retire and kids will never stop having problems, but this is great. This is our HEA.”

And then we went inside to finish celebrating.

For some reason, that set me thinking about HEA in general. Each one of us has our own version of an HEA, and it’s often not what other people might expect. I once read about a retired couple that lived their lives on a cruise ship. They just kept moving from one cruise ship to another. You couldn’t pay me enough.

So what would Kate and Curran’s HEA look like?

It would be peaceful, right? Because they deserve it. But would that be too boring for them? These are people who lived through monumental events. Often, they made those events happen. And post-Shift world is filled with danger and tragedy. Sooner or later they would come across some sort of wrong that needed to be corrected. It just doesn’t seem probable that they would sit on their hands.

And what about their son? What about his relationship with his grandfather?

On April 6th, almost nine months ago, I happened to be browsing Wikipedia for something unrelated and stumbled onto an article about a mythological figure. It wanted to make itself into something in my head, but I had no idea what. I sent it to Mod R and asked her to save it for me. She did.

The year kept rolling. There was the grueling marathon of Ruby Fever edits and publicity, with Sweep of the Heart being posted simultaneously. We planned for SoTH to be a novella, but it became very clear that it developed into a dazzling tour of the many strange things in the Galaxy. It was both rewarding and creatively draining.

Once Sweep of the Heart ended, I sank knee deep into preparations for the merchandising store and in my confused and exhausted daze, I then had a Brilliant Idea™. Amazon has just switched from mobi format to epub, which means Kindle would now read epub files. Why don’t we do a short story about Kate and Curran’s HEA in progress and put it up for a couple of bucks on the merchandise store?

I shared my super brilliant idea with Gordon who sighed at me. I then shared it with Jeaniene Frost who started laughing at me before I even finished it. She’d paused to ask me again how long I thought it would be and when I told her “under 15K,” she laughed some more.

Five weeks later there was a novella. Technically, it qualifies as a short novel since it’s over 40K. And as we were writing it, all sorts of things naturally developed. The old plot threads progressed and grew. New characters popped up. It was as if a fictional world that had been left on pause started up again. It was very fun for us.

But it’s still an HEA, so this novella, hopefully not the last KD novella we will do, isn’t dealing with the world-shattering catastrophes. Instead of the entire continent being in danger, there might just be one person who desperately needs help. The stakes are smaller but no less important and much more personal. It’s a slice of Kate and Curran’s life as they try to do what’s right and what makes them happy.

We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we liked writing it.

Mod R’s BDH Questions List

And now I’m going to tackle this, because according to Mod R, there are all sorts of burning questions.

Will it be released in paperback format?

Yes. The final proofread is complete and the files are in the system. We will post a link when ready.

Will it be released in audiobook format?

We found a narrator we like, our agency has reached out regarding her availability, and we will let you know if it’s a go and when it will happen. It will NOT be released on January 17th. This post explains the difficulty of selecting and booking an audio reader.

Basically, if we waited on audio, you wouldn’t get this until summer or fall and we wanted to start the new year with a fun goodie.

When will you release in Germany, in Brazil, etc?

Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to hire translators and distribute our books in non-English speaking countries. The publishers from those countries must contact us and purchase the rights to translate our work. As of now, nobody reached out. But this is a surprise release, so that may change.

Will it be a new series or just a one-off novella?

I’m going to stick to our rule of not telling you what we’re working on. So time will tell.

What is the timeline of Magic Tides?

Two years before the events of Blood Heir.

Does this new series mean there will be no more Blood Heir books or Hugh books?

I like how optimistic you guys are with “new series” in there. No, this is independent of both Blood Heir and Hugh. Among other things it is laying groundwork for Blood Heir 2.

Will we find out why Julie stayed away from Kate for so long?

This was explained in detail in Blood Heir, so you might want to give it a quick reread. Julie wanted to be independent and to see if she could make her own way without being the adopted child of Roland’s daughter and the former Beastlord. Then she learned of Moloch’s prophecy which states that if she comes into contact with Kate, Kate will die.

It is generally our rule to not explain how to interpret our books, but let’s make an exception here. This was written during pandemic and posted on the blog, because BDH was in a very bad place. Julie has magical COVID. Just like millions of us who couldn’t visit our families during that time, she can’t go home or the person she views as her mother will be in extreme danger. Staying away, no matter how painful it is, was the most responsible thing she can do. She is being a good daughter who placed her mother-figure’s life above her own needs and wants.

I’m missing a lot of information between Magic Triumphs and Blood Heir?

That’s by design. Julie and Erra went away, had many adventures, and settled in California. Everything else is a mystery.

Will it only focus on the 3 (Kate, Curran and Conlan) and new characters from Wilmington? Do get to see any other old favourites?

There are some. That’s all I will say. But mostly it’s a new cast.

Can we get an update on when the merch store will open again? And can we please know in advance the date when it would close again too (if it’s not too dependent on stock availability)?

We expect to open the merchandize store around Magic Tides release because we want to offer you some Magic Tides items. It will probably stay open for about 5 business days.

But will there be audio?

https://youtu.be/d1xdZlMyDF8

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I’ve decided to embrace “There will be an audiobook” as a meditation mantra 😀 , I say it enough times a day to count, so the video is very apt hehe.

      • Hi Ilona & Gordon, I have had a shitty 2022…Reading the excerpt for the book has lit a tiny spark of genuine joy in me after an amazingly long time…Jan 17th can’t come soon enough…Thank you so much for keeping me sane…

    • A work colleague told me yesterday (how apt) that you have to tell people 7 times for it (the training in this case) to stick.

      Im up to 5 with a few people so i’m grinning and bearing it until 7.

      • Thank you so much for this post and for Magic Tides. It was such a wonderful surprise.

        I am glad we don’t know what you are working on next. There are so few GOOD surprises in adult life that we should embrace them when they do happen.

    • thank you for the informations and all the explaining.
      love the video, will definitely use it during one of the workdays to come.

  3. Re: the merch store. We never got the international version. Will we? I understand running it was a great deal of work, so this is a hope, not a demand or expectation.

  5. My 6-year-old grandson recently told his mother “James asked me to push him off the top of the slide, but I didn’t do it. My first kill needs to be better than that.”

    • Oh my. Grandchildren do come up with the most interesting views of their sense of humor sometimes!

  6. its like the month of semester where the answer to almost every student email is its in the syllabus or go see our course coordinator.

    • Oh my gosh that brought back memories of when I was a tutor and teaching assistant. I kept getting asked the same question to the point I had to do a mini lecture during my office hour. My department chair heard me lecture and smiled.

  8. I have a random not necessarily on topic question for house Andrews.

    I was reading Brandon Sanderson’s State of the Sanderson Post recently where he basically talks about the year in review and plans for the upcoming year. I am one that bought the kicker starter campaign with all the cool stuff released quarterly.
    He was talking about how Audible is giving authors a really crappy deal – especially indie/self publish. So he made his kicker starter books only available to Spotify and speechify to try and help break up the monopoly audible has on the audio industry.

    What are your thoughts on this?

    I personally don’t have an audible account. I read too much and listen too much and it’s too expensive. I have to get all my audible books through my library which means I must be suuuuuuuuuper patient sometimes.
    If the prices were lower I would totally buy them because I have some books that I prefer audio over reading and like to listen to them repeatedly. But at the same time I want the authors to be compensated fairly.

    Have y’all considered doing something like what Brandon is doing? Or is the wage gap/ profit loss risk too much?

    Just a curious fan. I read everything y’all put out anyway ????- I just wish I could buy it in ebook and Audio instead of buying the ebook and then waiting for the audio to be available on my library Overdrive.

    • Hi Meggs,

      Brandon Sanderson says a lot of business-related things because like us, he is a business-oriented writer. But you have to take into account that everything he is saying is relevant to him and his particular situation with his Kickstarter. Some things that he says are not necessarily applicable to other authors, etc. and some of it is industry-specific.

      For example, he is upset that Recorded Books is distributing through Audible. That’s kind of like being upset that a clothes designer is distributing through Wal-Mart. Recorded Books is an audio production company. They make audio books but they don’t really sell them that much. Yes, their margins might be much higher through direct sale on their website, but Audible is where the audio readers are. We can’t really expect them to ignore a major retail outlet.

      He isn’t wrong in that the Audible is a major player in this space. They have high discoverability through their partnership with Amazon, they have been in the marketplace for a long time and have a dedicated customer pool, and they have the credit system which makes them attractive to the consumer. He isn’t wrong that the terms Audible dictates are not as favorable to authors as those of other retailers.

      However, all of this is the author problem and not the reader problem. How each author navigates it is up to them.

      We chose to work with a distributor which makes our audio books available through 60 different retailers. Audible is one of them. So is Spotify and Speechify. Brandon focused on retaining as much profit as he can, which is great, and we focused on availability, which is also great.

      Which brings us to the most important point: as long as you don’t pirate the audio book, please don’t feel guilty about enjoying them on your terms. Borrowing from the library is great. That means library paid us. ???? So you are supporting us through your library and we are very grateful for that.

      • Thank you for answering this! I recently came across his opinion on audible, as well, and I was curious about House Andrew’s take on it.

      • Thank you so much for focusing on availability. That emphasis has had a direct, positive effect on my sanity for the past few years.

      • Thanks for answering my question! I was really curious as to the take different authors have on this and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to me.
        As an aspiring writer it really interests me to see the business side of this industry ( frankly it’s intimidating ) from a variety of authors in different places in their career and in different categories (established vs breaking out vs traditional/self pub)

        I have a card at 3 different libraries and I always recommend yalls books in every form at each one – sometimes the smaller libraries need the display of interest before they pick up books. Happy to support y’all in the ways I can!

        • Same. Even though I buy the hardcopy and/or ebooks myself and rarely listen to audiobooks, I still recommend yours to my library in all three formats (recommendations go to different places for each format). I figure every little bit helps. And helps keep new ones coming…

      • Thanks for answering this question. I was curious about your thoughts on audible too. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the business side of things on the blog.

  9. I love the idea of a slice of life. I don’t want Kate to almost die again. But yeah, they would help their neighbors and community with monsters and magical issues. They wouldn’t ignore it all just to sit and rock on the front porch. Hopefully there is porch-sitting in between the helping of the neighbors though.

    • Ditto. A problem I have with some authors is that they tie the books together in a long arc but they never end the arc, so you kind of lose interest in it because it never ends. Especially a certain author whose secondary plotline is a heroine constantly trying to choose between 2 guys. I lost interest after 17 books because that was just dragging on too long.

      I thought the Kate books to-date ended at a good point. It completed the arc related to her father. I like the idea of standalone books because you can write them at any point without having to worry about what happens in the next book, so I will happily consume as many of those standalone books or novellas as you enjoy writing.

      • I gave up sooner than that. Anyone who could do the marathon on those books, all I can say is wow.

        It got to the point with a new book, I could just read the beginning, read a little in the middle, and read the end. I got the gist of the book just by doing that. That’s when you know a series needs to end (it’s that bad).

  10. Reading Gordon’s words about your own personal HEA just makes me so (weirdly?) happy – so well put and you guys deserve it!!

  12. The BDH isn’t great at understanding that undeveloped details are intentional. If we’ve read everything, and an event is mentioned that we don’t remember, it’s because more things happen in the world than can be included in a narrative. It’s okay not to know all the details of that event. This is actually how life works. Sometimes, you just have to accept that something happened that you know very little about. It’s not as though all subsequent actions and events will now be baffling. Just move forward. It’s going to be okay.

  13. I am glad that you are happy with your HEA.

    My husband and I are kind of in our HEA, but children with brain tumors, children moving their families temporarily in and out of our guest house while they are in between jobs, helping with grandbabies and with home renovations on our children’s houses, retirement sure is hard work.

    Things would change if we were physically unable to be so active. And that will happen someday.

    HEA’s are kinda elusive sometimes.

  14. Just curious. when did that clip from a while ago (where Kate was trying to get Conlan into school) come into play?

    • I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking, but it is the beginning of the novella 🙂

      • The interview with the school administrator was posted as a snippet.
        It sure feels longer ago than April, but that could just be that my year dragged!

  15. I hope the merchandise producers are all stocked up on products. I predict a profitable January from just the BDH orders. (I’m still enjoying my calendar from last year.)

    • It’s a quote from the person who asked it. If the first language is not English, things will be translated awkwardly sometimes, we usually don’t modify the question. But I take your point here 🙂

  17. On January 17th I have my first appointment with a hematologist. This will be a lovely distraction. Thank you

  18. Thank you for that slice of life – or two since you shared a slice of your life and are sharing a slice of Kate’s 🙂

    I love the idea that HEA can be messy and imperfect. Just like us!

  19. I love you guys and your personalities so much. The sound bowl meditation made me laugh. But also if you ever have a chance to go to a sound bath class, DO IT. It’s the most relaxing brain reset ever. Happy day to everyone

  21. I love the Brilliant Idea TM hehehe! Ah the laughter of friends and family, so heart warming. It’s great to hear that you both are happy with your professional and personal lives, frankly. Happy authors keep writing fun stuff to buy! And thanks for the info bits on Magic Tides.

    I’m counting the days for the new novel/novella/whatever you want to call it!!! Isn’t it here yet? Arrrrgggghhhh. I’m actually quite excited that you found an audiobook narrator! I don’t mind waiting for it to come out. It will be something else to look forward to in my new retirement (which I am enjoying immensely!).

    Cool! The store will open again shortly. I love my BDH mouse pad so much, it makes me giggle every time I sit down at my desk. Have to look at more stuff now

  22. Thank you for the updates and answers. So very excited for this new (series) story.

    I am so happy to hear you and Gordon have achieved your HEA, which does not include retiring. Besides the BDH appetite, that means to me that you truly love what you do and are fulfilled by it. That is awesome. I have come to believe that the best HEAs are self-determined. I wish you and your family many years of health and HEAs.

  23. Somehow I had no idea that magic tides was coming out on the 17th!!! So close! I assumed February at the least. I still haven’t read sweep of the heart because I’m waiting for the audiobook to come out so looks like I’ll have a fun January 🙂

  24. Well you kept this quiet!! Thank you so much for more Kate!

    Is there anywhere to preorder it? In ebook at least? i’ve looked around and can’t find it.

  25. Ok, I understand we’re not meant to know more about what Julie was up to, but what about Derek? I don’t understand what happened there? Will we get answers about that?

    • Patience, fluffy grasshopper!

      Blood Heir was Julie’s return book from Julie’s perspective. We got to know as much as she knows and she couldn’t know much, because the whole point was her (self-imposed) isolation.
      Derek will feature in the sequels and we will learn more ????. Looking forward to the courting myself hehe.

      • Evil villain triangle hands and finger taps.

        I’d feel bad for Derek’s unique ways of courting but after the last book, also for Julie. Both have relevant reasons to them for being apart the way they have, in no small part to wondering if the other person likes them back or were not at a place to act upon that, and also seem to have grown on their own. They’ll probably be much more interesting and stronger together now than teenage angst werewolves vs vampires type pining.

      • Swear word Mod R! You know the Horde doesn’t like the word patience. ????????????????????

        *Psst I don’t mind waiting because it gets us more books.* ????

  27. Yay! Thanks for the update. I put some things on the merch site on my wishlist, thinking I’d buy anything not gifted to me after the holidays. In other words, I missed out last time, but I’ll be ready for next opportunity!

  28. I am interested to know if Julie will run into Red now that they are adults. I feel like they have unfinished business. I think that would be really fun to see Red go toe to toe with Julie now that she’s come into her own.

    • He wouldn’t show up until a flare, I don’t think. I’m trying to remember in Blood Ties if it mentioned when the next flare was due. But yes, it would be great to see his reaction to how much power she has now.

      • Buying popcorn for the take down if Red ever meets Derek … after Julie has decimated him first.

  29. In my mind HEA for Kate and Curran would involve a lot of action, just on a more personal level like this kidnapping, which really seemed to brighten Kate’s day. Not the – dragon who is going to destroy the world – I have to become a god to save you – I need to claim the entire city of Atlanta to save it – etc – kind of problem, but a simple “sort out the bad guys and make somebody’s day better kind of problem.

    As for Roland, welcome to having difficult relatives. They still have Conlan’s teenage years to live through.

  30. Thrilled y’all are living your HEA!!

    I love my new mugs – every time I read Vicki Baby…on my mug I just giggle and smile. The first time I read it I had a gut laugh it was awesome!! I bought 3 mugs and rotate – I think of the amazing BDH community I’m in and feel very blessed! We rock!!!
    Can’t wait till the 17th!! Happy New Year everyone!

    • On the one hand, I was looking forward to placing a large order. On the other hand, if it’s severely limited, I’ll feel guilty taking opportunity from other people. I think I’ve balanced it that one of each item I would actually use — like coffee mugs — would be ok.

  31. I love the concept of looking at what an HEA looks like in regular life (and I think Gordon nailed it), and also the importance of small heroics and solutions. That is really what matters in life–fixing the problems that come to you.

  32. Looking forward to reading it. I love little stories like you described–helping one person to me is saving the world! Thanks much for writing it and sharing it. Individuals and pets make my world go around.

  33. So excited for a new book. I’m in maternity leave and reading has been hard. Focus, I have none.

    My Cutting Edge sweatshirt was my Christmas gift to myself and it brings me so much joy. So, so much joy. Thank you for sharing such amazing stories with us and for the merch store.

    • Congrats on the baby!

      Just in case you need to hear this today, “You got this, Mama!” and “You’re doing a good job!”. ((Hugs)) ????

  34. January is always a let down after the holiday. So now a new unexpected “holiday” on 1/17. Thank you for uplifting my winter spirit. I have to say I hesitated on the merchandise and so happy to hear it will be back. Glad you are living your own HEA ❤️

  35. Mod R,

    Can we please circle back around to the Hugh books? Trust, I understand the fickle ways of the Muse, but it’s been four plus years now since the first novel. Such a richly crafted world full of complex, well developed characters deserves to breathe the air again. And if breathing new life into this world leads to an audiobook, I hope Steve West is once again available (though I understand the process is involved and nothing is guaranteed). His narration is fabulous! 🙂

    Thanks for your time and patience! Happy New Year!

    Yvette

    • The sequel to Iron and Magic is in no danger of being scraped and all efforts will be employed to get Steve back! He was truly iconic as Hugh!

    • I seem to recall Ilona remarking fairly recently that they have the second Hugh book entirely plotted.

      I will possess my soul in patience. And I don’t care if that’s a BDH swearword.

      • It’s safe to wait for official updates about the status of projects ????. Things are figured out but I don’t think “entirely plotted” was quite the point.

        • I didn’t look up what she said, I remarked on what I recalled. And, since I know several authors in my own personal life, I am well aware of the difference between having the plot line and having the finished manuscript.

          I have no problem with waiting.

  36. Happy & healthy new year, HA, Mod R & BDH.

    I am committed to my Nook, so have not been able to read Fated Blades. Does Amazon’s switch to epub mean they will re-issue most books in epub?

  37. “Gordon smiled and said, “I’m happy. This is it. We’ll probably never retire and kids will never stop having problems, but this is great. This is our HEA.”

    OMG. I love Gordon, can I say? I know he’s not fictional but this is a truly lovely thing to say and it sounds like the HEA that it is. What a “keeper” as my grandmother would say.

  39. Happy new year to House Andrews, Mod R, and the whole BDH! Best wishes for a great year with good reads and yummy foods.

  40. I’m glad you and Gordon are happy where you’re at at the moment.

    When I saw the Magic Tides count down clock on the website, I started to smile. I’m wearing my Cutting Edge t-shirt right now. I wore my BDH shirt on Monday. I’m glad I work from home.

    Why do I get the feeling that there’s going to be a small Cutting Edge branch opening in Wilmington? ????

    • Ooooh, good question – who’s minding that store? Andrea or did it get handed off to one of the Mercs?

  41. Oh my gosh, this is exactly what I hoped for! My favorite scenes in KD and HL are the weddings. The big parties where everybody just takes a moment to relax and interact. Conflict drives story, I get that, but your characters are so vibrant and layered and *real*, it’s nice to see them in their “off” modes too.
    I don’t necessarily want world saving angst for the Lennarts, but the Return of the Asskicker sounds like great fun!

  42. Thanks for the updates, including the background music ????.

    Yesterday, turned into my second Christmas as I received a book And the mugs my Kid ordered from the merchant store for me. So today I am sitting happy waiting on the next storm to slam thru the Bay Area.

  43. is it just me?
    I listened to the relaxing tones…..and the water sounds …then I of course had to pee…????I need non water related relaxing sounds at my age now.
    Can’t wait for the book though always need something “good” to read. I seem just to be finding fillers right now not my next great series obsession..????

  46. I love the fact we only find out what you’re releasing when it’s almost ready to go – it’s a fab surprise and only a short waiting time (clearly I have never learnt the art of patience)

  47. Love Gordon’s answer re: happiness.

    Am so looking forward to Magic Tides and all the other (mostly) super-sekrit stuff you’re working on. (Especially Hugh 2!)

    Signed,
    Happy member of the BDH

  48. In 1989, a Hong Kong pop singer at the very peak of his brilliant career, decided to retire at the ripe old age of 33. It was in the midst of the mass exodus in HK, when everybody who could immigrated.

    So this singer moved to Canada and had the most idyllic life, lovely house, huge backyard, the occasional deer popping into his backyard. This lasted about 6 years. He hated his average Joe life.

    Retirement of do-nothingness isn’t for everyone.

  51. For the record, I don’t always want stories about world shattering catastrophes. One apocalypse after another gets to be too much, in my opinion. And I have often thought about how the characters I love would handle smaller problems or even just the mundane challenges of life sometimes – those last can be kind of funny. So, I’m excited to read this new novella.

  53. Gordon’s bday brought us more Kate???? and he plans to never retire. Go Gordon!!

    Having a crisis at work and one of the things getting me through it is my pre-ordered novella. I love and buy everything you write but Kate is special. Thank you for all you do HA.

    • I prefer a slice of daily life over bigger and badder plot twists. I love Jim Butcher, but he keeps putting Dresden through the ringer , and the plots keep getting far afield from his original Wizard for Hire. I really enjoy Dresden’s everyday adventures, as told in Side Jobs and Working for Bigfoot.

  55. “I like how optimistic you guys are with “new series” in there.”

    LOL, every time you swear it’s a short story, a one off, a lark, I mentally rub my hands together and cackle because it means it’s definitely a full sized novel and most likely a series. So excited!

  56. “I’m happy. This is it. We’ll probably never retire and kids will never stop having problems, but this is great. This is our HEA.”

    Way to go Gordon!!!

    I couldn’t agree more that an HEA isn’t really an end but appreciation of the now and joy in the journey going forward.

    Thanks for giving me some of that joy in the form of your books!

  59. Please, please, put the name of the book on the spine for this one. My local bookseller dislikes carrying books where there is nothing on the spine. (And, yes, he asked me to mention this because he can’t sell any of the previous, unlabeled, novella unless people ask for it.)

  60. Oh, goodie, you’ll be reopening the merch store. I have a birthday Jan. 19th…will we be getting “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty” this time? Puh-leeze?!

  61. I’m looking forward to this Kate novella!
    And I would love to read HEA or “daily life” stories from Innkeeper (challenging guests, Sean learning the ropes, culinary adventures with Orro, Maud at work, etc) and Hidden Legacy (any of the cases mentioned in passing, Arabella goes to grad school, a Leon noir, etc).

    • As you can see from all the purchase links to various retailers, it is not an Amazon exclusive ????. The ISBN should be available soon to libraries and indie bookstores.

  63. Especially happy place today: the holiday photo cards from my cousins’ kids, featuring their kids and sometimes pets! (My first cousins once and twice removed.) I am very lucky and blessed!

  64. Ha, weirdly singing bowls played an important part in the last book I read (a murder mystery set in Salem with but not sure I’m allowed to name other books in the comments so will refrain from naming the book).

    Thank you for writing another Kate story! A great way to start 2023.

  66. You, Ilona and Gordon, are absolute best! Thank for taking the time and energy for the “care and feeding”of us BDHers. I teach at a university and our first day back in the classroom after Christmas Break will Jan 17. __Magic Tides__ coming debut has lit a fire under me to get my syllabi done and all that annoying stuff we have to now post online up (because expecting students to keep track of a “hard copy” of the syllabus with the included assignments is simply unfair—sigh . . . yes, I am that old), so that I can binge read as soon as novel/novella (?) appears! Thank you!!

  67. the audio clip made me wonder about something. Magic use is usually portrayed as requiring a lot of concentration and attention, often honed by some kind of meditation. But Kate strikes me as someone who would strike someone who asked her to sit and ????‍♀️. How does Kate develop her mindfulness and attention?

    • Can’t remember which book, but its one where she lived in the keep, she’s training with both swords doing figure 8 movements with them and its seems like that was her zen place.

      And then Barbaros walks by and is freaked out by her doing it. So good 🙂

  68. Ilona and Andrew, I deeply enjoy your work.
    Mod R you inspire to do online moderation and build a fun and informative space.

    Reading this post made me smile so hard. The singing bowl made me laugh out loud.

    Thank you for this community you have built because of your exceptionally entertaining work and open and relatable slice of life posts.

    Cheers to us all for 2023. May we be richer in every way that matters to us individually.

  69. So is the merch store a buy it now or never? I’m confused, as I’d like some stuff but avoided the first rush for reasons. With new products becoming available, with the old go away?

    Very excited about Magic Tides, and looking forward to Hugh 2, Brass and Magic.

  71. How would one get a digital copy for a Kobo? My mom has a Kobo and it would be an awesome surprise if I could manage to get it for her. I sort of wish she had a Kindle because it would make my life easier but any help would be appreciated thanks!

  72. Not sure if you have already mentioned this, but finally what is the word count of Magic Tides?

  74. Aw, I’m so happy that you are both happy and recognize your own HEA. May you have many more decades of it.

    Also, I cackled so loudly when I saw the “Remove all Negative Energy” title of the video in response to the audio question. Thanks for the laugh!

  76. Thank you so, so much for this.

    It’s been so long since I listened to a Tibetan bowl and chants, I’d completely forgotten what magic they work. I’ve even caught my kid propped on the doorjamb listening several times.

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

  77. I am so glad you and Gordon are HEA. I consider myself blessed and two kids also, they are both in a good place as are the grandchildren. Married 41 years and we are still living the dream…a continuing HEA. Can’t wait for the book, God Bless you and yours in the New Year.

  78. I love each and every offering from HA, and look forward to each new installment, snippet, and of course the books! I have to ask, did I miss why Derek was away from Atlanta, and what happened to him while he was gone? I think I’ve read everything, but maybe I missed a piece? Or has this not been conveyed yet? Thank you Ilona and Gordon for transporting me into these wonderful alternative worlds to hang out with incredible characters!

    • Derek’s intervening years are a purposeful mystery for now. He left Atlanta and he is the Beta of Ice Fury, under a new name. Why? It’s for us to read on and find out 🙂 (but there are hints for those sharp of eye and quick of research mwahaha)

      • You’re right Mod R about the Derek hints. I’m mentally going through the argument Julie and Derek had towards the end of the book, and Derek let a lot of stuff spill out of him. Plus, Namtur’s scene outside the house is another hint. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who didn’t read the book (who could that be? I don’t know.). 😀

        Yep, I admitted Mod R is right.

  80. BDH strikes again! Our illustrious House Andrews confirmed plans for Blood Heir 2. ok, so this was probably confirmed before the rule was in place, but I’m grasping at straws here.

    • I went and looked, and it’s real close to actual goose turds. Disturbing. If you can ignore the name, it’s a rather nice muted green.

  82. “It was very fun for us.”

    this is what I love to hear!

    I hope this describes every writing experience you have now that you are out of contract and don’t disclose what you are working on.

    hoping for a happy fun new year.

  83. Ooh! More adventures with “school”. Recess, class projects, field trips, choral/drama presentations and parent involvement groups (PTA) all done Kate style.

  84. I still think Magic Triumphs is one of the best ends to a series I have ever read. I’m totally ok with a glimpse into their retirement every now and again, no need for world events.

  85. What makes a book memorable is not how long it is, but what you take away from it, what you learned, what you remember long after. Having come away from 2022 with 214 books either read or listened to ( I found yet another list I had forgotten about on Hoopla and another in a tiny notebook, New years day) I was having a discussion with an Audible CSR; she asked which author was my favorite. I told her that I had read or reread 4 of Ilona Andrews, and about 10 or 12 other author’s works that were so memorable that I could just about remember them scene by scene. But what was so special to me was that kernel of wisdom that each one had about life and our interactions with each other. Like in “One Fell Sweep” when the bad guys had made up their gods and then set out to kill them. Who would ever do such a thing? HMMMM.
    My DH was reading something on the internet this morning and said, “Who believes this stuff anyway?!!!” I said, “I think that most anyone would say that about someone else’s religion or their brand of politics”.
    Remember the two religious leaders on two opposing sides in “Sweep in Peace” who were stuck in the same room, preparing their dead, and how they came to empathize so strongly with each other?
    Or how Maud had that one crystallizing moment of consensus with Arland’s mother when Maud said that she just wanted to be useful and worthy on her own
    merit and wanted Helen to have her own worth as she got older?
    Those are the moments in a book that are everything to me.
    You can count on House Andrews to have at least one stunningly brilliant moment
    in everything they do, even one line on a T-shirt. Even in a snippet.

    Speaking of Helen, I am dying to see see what she gets up to as a teen-ager after Arlan and Maud have fought a few of life’s skirmishes together.
    OK, I admit it, Great characters come to life for me and keep existing somewhere,
    forever.

  86. So glad writing Magic Tides was an enjoyable experience for y’all.

    I am currently re-reading all KD World books in preparation for the new release. So nice to be back in this world.

    Back in December, I ordered Official Member of the BOOK DEVOURING HORDE stickers and they arrived today. I attached a picture of it on my kindle so hopefully it comes through on this post. Love it!!

  88. How wise of Gordon to say that about HEA, And thank you for sharing it with all of us.
    Some people i know think they have to wait and wait, but i’ve always thought that HEA is when you are grateful for where you are at any time.
    One thing i am grateful for is finding your writings.
    sooooooooooooooooooo
    blessings for your continued HEA.

    • happy New Year to you ilona, Gordon and mod r. thank you so much for all your books, I continue to read and re-read. Just a moment of hmm, if you need an real live person to play Arland, you should ask Trevor Lawrence, quarterback for Jaguars.

  90. I have been waiting for YEARS for the KD series to be translated into Japanese so that I can share my enthusiasm and squee with my friends…I mean Hidden Legacy is being translated why not KD????

    • They are different genres, so maybe the Japanese pub house was not interested in UF as much as Romance ????

      • Thank you for the reply!
        Ah, I see. That is too bad since we seem to LOVE UF in mangas and novels in Japanese. But I won’t give up my dream to be able to share my joy in KD world someday with my friends.

  91. Lovely post. I always want to hear about the after the HEA life. I am so looking forward to this book!

    On another note, I’ve been wearing my BDH sweatshirt all over the place but have not been accosted by excited fellow hoarders! Where are you guys?! I did get asked about it in the grocery store checkout line so I happily (and probably too excitedly) educated the checker and bagger on the joys of HA. Maybe 2 new readers? 😉

    • One living in Charlottesville, VA. I did intro sister and niece in Asheville, NC, to HA. But, the BDH is all over the world (yah, us!).

      Thank you to Ilona, Gordon and ModR for the joy you bring. 2022 is, happily, in the rear view mirror, thank goodness!

      Gordon and Ilona’s HEA conversation is such a gift that I told my husband about it.

    • I’m in Fort Worth, Texas. **Waves**

      Education is key to bring in possible new Horde members. More for Mod R to wrangle. 🙂

  95. Thanks so much for posting this. This backstory just made me glow. What I love most about BDH stories are that they encapsulate a wonderful hopeful slice of life, that entrepreneurial spirit of fighting against the tides and trying to make tiny grains of sand on the beach kind of impact and sometimes it makes a sandcastle of difference that crushes under the waves and sometimes it’s an Atlantis under the ocean which can make a huge treasure find of a difference to the lucky few (or many). And that’s what it feels like is the real life backstory — that sometimes the HEA is just continuing to fight the good fight. Which definitely feels true for me and mine (two kiddos under the age of four, a partner, a dog, a cat, a house that is constantly trying to fall apart, fighting off constant lack of sleep and just make it all work). So thank you for being true to life. That’s what makes your work so meaningful impact for me and all the family members I have who love and infect — cough, I mean, convert others to House Andrews.

  96. I love when you answer BDH questions because I usually get a great mix of information and humor.

    That last Q and A had me laughing out loud tho!

    By the way so excited for the novella and the merch store (whenever it becomes available)!

  97. I have already pre-ordered the Magic Tides Book – could not have come quick enough for me. I love anything KD and have read the series numerouse times. I was beside myself when I heard we would be getting another KD book! YAY

    Just one other thing, I am not a real fan of audio books, but thought I would have a go with the Inn Keeper series. I don’t know if others are like me, but I have a vision of what Dina would sound like and it did not coincide with the person who is narrating the audio story. She sounds so much older. I think I will audio for a while.

    • There’s no edit for comments one posted, unfortunately, but please don’t worry ????, everyone here is a friend, we’ve all had typos sneak in especially when autocorrupt gets involved hehe.

  99. I’ve got Magic Tides on order. Cant wait! I love the characters, worlds and stories you’ve created. Thank you so much!

    I’m so happy for you and Gordon and the life you have together. It’s think it’s amazing you’ve realize you’re living your HEA. ???? ❤️

  100. Woww I’ve read the KD series a dozen times 10 times, and literally just read Blood Heir (I’ve been saving it for Xmas holidays). Like a junkie in withdrawals I came to the website to see of there are any bonus scenes to read, only to find this post at the top of the page! What a treat! I’m so excited!!
    On a more personal note, I haven’t been to the blog in a while, but it’s so nice to see that you’re feeling enthusiastic about writing again. I’m seriously so happy for you (and for me hahaha). Thank you for the books you write and the work you do ????

  101. Dumb question, no doubt, but which Wilmington are they living in? It was probably made clear in some book if there is a Wilmington connection before moving there, but I missed it or forgot it.

    I subconsciously assumed Delaware, either because you said so or because I am closer to it and occasionally drive by on the way to elsewhere, but it then occurred to me that there is one in NC and it is closer to Atlanta.

  102. I mean George, not Arland. Trevor Lawrence could play George not Arland. please excuse me on earlier post. Have a great year.

  103. I love your explanation of the HEA being unique for each person and agree. HEA is like success, different for each of us. My HEA involves my children , grandchildren, family and friends. Those are the things I value and love. Everything else is icing on the cake, nice but not necessary. I love your books because your value of family and friends shows in each story. Thank you for your books and this blog.

  104. I just tried to order the ebook again. Will wait untill you send the notice that the print book is orderable too.

  105. Thank you so much for another amazing story I loved it!
    I am happy with the new releases and at the same time sad, because I don’t know when in my country I will read the complete series of Kate Daniels, Hidden Legacy and the other series of Ilona Andrews.
    I ask for information and question the publishers responsible for their emails, and I get no response, it’s sad, it’s frustrating, it’s stressful. Since Editora Saida de Emergência Brasil belongs to Editora Arqueiro, all its rights for translation projects and book publishing are also hers, including the Kate Daniels series, which so far only has the First Volume published here in Portuguese. Same situation as the Hidden Legacy Series, published only the First Volume by Universo dos Livros.
    The only two first volumes look at me sadly from the patreleira, and I have already lost hope, patience and peace of mind complaining to these Publishers.
    No more stress, I’m going to take an English course, buy the next volumes in the original language and problem solved.

  106. Thank you for explaining the Julie not seeing Kate thing. It helped a few things that hadn’t clicked into place in my brain settle in better.

  108. I just want to tell you guys how much I love your work. I’m seriously addicted! I just finished sweep of the heart and it was such a fun read. I tried to drag it out as long as I could, as I’ve reread all your books already and now considering going back and rereading a series again….honestly it’s a dilema because other authors just don’t cut it anymore. I’ve tried a couple other series since finding yours and just no. They don’t have the same imagination or intelligence. Besides you guys, I’m still loyal to a couple of other authors. I never finished the Desert Cursed series from Shannon Mayer, I suppose I need to go get caught up there (and I know I will love it once I re-immerse myself).

    Anyways, I’m so happy to hear that you are in your HAE, as you doing your job brings us readers so much joy. I will absolutely keep buying your books, novellas, and will even purchase some merch (not usually something I do) to support the cause!

    Any hints of what else you’ll be working on this year are greatly appreciated (though I guess that’s not something you do)

    Best,
    Sarah

  109. I just saw the video is private, clicked, and I was linked to many Randy Rainbow you tube clips.

    Does the link here to Randy mean he came to NY via an Inn?

    Or does it mean he is Roland’s secret gay son?

    • Hi Barbara,

      YouTube recommendations are based on the user previous views, so Randy is all to do with you and not Tibetan Meditation sounds, which is what the embedded video was about before it was privated 🙂

  110. Hello and thank you for Magic Tides. I purchased the paper book from Amazon and they delivered it to me yesterday January 14th around 4pm. I read it cover to cover that night. It’s nice to know what Kate, Curran and Conlan are up too! Great read.

  111. So I got the notice that Magic Tides was available right after midnight, so of course I couldn’t wait, and read it right then. Rough getting up when my alarm went off 🙂 Love where you’re (hopefully) going with this story thread, looking forward to chapter 2, and the next Hugh and Julie&Derek books as well

  113. Thank you for the new KD novella! I hope there will be more, somehow I never get bored! Just a promising start to the Willmington years, isn’t it?

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