State of House Andrews: the copyedits for the Fated Blades novella are finished. It came in at 45,000 words so double the typical novella length. I will post more once we have the cover.
Blog prompts, here we go.
Do you have a favourite meeting with a reader or reader interaction? Something that marked you or changed the way you did things?
Not a favorite, but something that fundamentally changed the way we handle signings. We were signing, I don’t remember where, and this lady came up for the table. She was already pale and when she got to the table, she didn’t say anything. She just kind of turned green and started sliding sideways and Gordon jumped up and caught her before she hit the floor. Apparently, she was very overwhelmed.
Just so you are aware, when you are at our signing table, we are watching you carefully in case you faint.
Have you ever thought about creating your own book covers?
I can make a serviceable cover, but you know what? Professional artists are still better.
Do you carry around an idea notebook, or have a folder on your phone for when you’re out and about. Do you ever write by hand? Stationary goodies you like to have?
No. But I do have a relatively sticky brain. Stuff is retained well until I can get to the computer and write it in a file. Like this:
“You can rest assured, my lord, that if you are going to kill me, my death won’t spark a blood feud. My murder will elicit no grief or rage in anyone from House Martel. However, they will care about the political ramifications, which is why if you decide to dispose of me, my death cannot be accidental. It must happen during a battle with the enemies of the kingdom, and it must be public and glorious. I must die a heroine, my lord. My brother will garner sympathy as he publicly mourns his courageous sister who sacrificed herself for the good of the realm. His star will shine brighter. That is the only way you will escape the consequences.”
There is nothing else in that particular file, just this. If we ever write it, I know where it goes.
Music playlists- one for each series or depending on what you write (fight scene, emotional scene etc)? Do you have them on Spotify or Youtube, can you share?
Spotify. I don’t use them as often as I used to because Gordon and I changed the way we write to account for my hands, but I do enjoy them when I edit. Here is a playlist in the process of being built for the novel quoted above. I stick things in there when I hear something that would fit.
Music can be a very effective tool for getting the right mood down on paper.
Turn this on and read the chunk below.
He buckled a sheath on his hip and thrust his sword in to the scabbard. Hugh grabbed a length of black fabric from the chair and shook it open with a quick jerk of his hand. A cape edged with fur. He’d worn it when he first came to the castle.
He wrapped it on his shoulders. She took the leather tie away from him and reached for the other side of the cape and pressed it on the two metal studs there. Hugh picked up a helmet from the desk. It was a Roman style helmet with cheek pieces and a crest of black hair. A stylized dog snarled at her from the wide piece of the helmet that would be positioned just above Hugh’s brow. He put the helmet on his head. It didn’t hide that much of his face, but somehow it altered it. Two blue eyes stared at her with focused intensity.
She took a step back. Hugh was a big man, but the cape, the helmet, the armor, it made him look giant.
“You look like a villain in some fantasy pre-Shift movie,” she told him. “Some dread lord about to conquer.”
“Dread lord,” he said. “I like that.”
He would. “Won’t the cape get in the way?”
“The cape and the helmet are for Aberdine. We don’t have time to play politics. Once I’ve got the town, I’ll take them off when the battle starts.”
Something had been nagging her since the strategy meeting. “What you told me about the ley point made sense at first. But the mrog soldiers don’t hold towns, Hugh. They wipe them out and disappear. Aberdine’s massacre wouldn’t affect our access to the ley point. Why are you really going there?”
“They broke into my castle. They attacked my wife. They attacked a child in our home. The point of having a castle isn’t hiding inside its walls; it’s being worthy of it. It’s being able to control everything around it. They’re growing bolder. They’re taking larger settlements. They’ve got my attention now. They will wish they didn’t.”
In her head she saw him let Raphael’s knife strike him again and again. He was riding into battle. Anything could happen in the battle. All he would have to do is to not try as hard. To not step out of the way of a sword. To let himself get shot. She wanted him back.
“Preceptor?”
“Yes?”
Her voice was steady. The words rolled off her tongue. “You like making bargains. Here is one for you. Come back to me alive, and I will stay the night. The whole night.”
Outside the horns screamed and she almost jumped. There was something dark and primitive about the sound. A steady beat rose, thumping like a giant’s heart. The war drums grew louder and louder. She heard horses neighing, the clang of metal, the voices of fighters, all of it mixing with the drums into a terrifying marching hymn. Someone howled like a wolf, in tune with the horns. She turned to Hugh. He had somehow grown darker, grimmer, scarier, as if he emanated some imperceptible magic. The darkness curled around him, like a willing pet with savage teeth.
“Done,” the Preceptor of the Iron Dogs said.
And that’s all the questions we’ll tackle today.
Love this post…book has title, by Ilona Andrews, this year hurray can’t wait. Thanks for the music, worked better then what my mind had played when I first read IC. Lol now will play in my head on any rereads, and do mean thanks
Related questions about the covers. Is there a cover that you hate and wished could be changed?
I’ve seen ebooks that have a new cover but when I open the book, the old cover is there. So at what point do you (do you?) get control of the book back and can change the cover?
Reading it with the soundtrack was awesome. Best part, my reading speed magically lined up the line, “someone howled like a wolf,” with the sound of someone howling like a wolf. So cool.????
I think this would be a great addition to more books. Awhile back, I read Under a Graveyard Sky by John Ringo, and it had a list of songs at the back that were referenced in the book or influenced the writing. I do like the way the song influences this section of the snippet. If you ever considered doing the same, I am interested and would look up the songs to see how it fits.
The epic history of this song to Halo fans is also worth mentioning. The Halo 3: ODST trailer that came out in 2009 had this song in it, but no one could find it. Searches of the song revealed it was Lament by Light of Aiden in Welsh, but it sounded way different from the trailer. No one could find this version of the actual song used in the trailer until 2017, when it was released on this soundtrack.
For some reason that snippet from your sticky file about House Martel reminded me of the Lady of the Lake story from the Vorkosigan family by Louise Bujold, darn I think that it was in Civil Contract.
You guys are really the best!
Ahhh can’t wait to hear more about Fated Blades!! And thank you for the Hugh snippet
It was actually text from Iron Covenant, the first book.
This was a fun post. I appreciated listening to the different musical inspirations. Thank you!
WOW!!! The scene with Hugh struck into my heart, and I have chills running through my mind. WOW!!! I love your work. So good. And now I’m going back to the Inn Keeper book I was reading before I went to bed, to soothe my nerves. I keep rereading your books, for so many reasons, but mostly because I love them, and they help me go to a place where I am completely enthralled. Here isn’t real great, and we all know why, but there is so much better. Thank You!!
“… Fated Blades novella …” What?!!!!
Checked the publishing schedule – “Novella, to be named, Fall 2021”.
Oh good, a new book from the Brilliant House Andrews this year! (This house name cannot be mentioned without an accompanying superlative.)
Some snippets? Yessss.
Which world? OK …
This is a stealth project, so unlikely to be Daniels universe. Also not the right feel. No obvious magic.
Edge universe? No magical allusions about the weapons. So doesn’t match. Also, very clear editorial that the series had finished. The new weapon (seco) mentioned in the battle scene seems much more technological, changing from shield to sword? rather than a old tech sword that is enhanced by magic.
Kinsmen? Could be. But the battle scene was gory and the description of the meeting indicated something more medieval (more like Innkeeper vampires). Kinsmen is very high-tech, battles in cyberspace, mental magic. So probably not. At the same time, the “HSO” (Head Security Officer) is a bit like a CSO (Chief Security Office), as in the C-suite: CE[xecutive]O, CF[inance]O, CT[echnogy]O, etc. These are the designations now used in contemporary global corporations, instead of what used to be called Directors. Indicates a universe in which vast corporations reign. A bit like in the Kinsman universe.
Innkeeper universe? Could be, but Innkeeper has lots of different species, as in the Star Wars tavern scenes. The snippets have no description of other species. Also, Innkeeper books were written as serials, in the same way that Dickens wrote, with the books cleaned up at the end. This is a novella written and released as a whole. So, probably not.
Alpha – Origins? Unlikely. The world building there indicates Earth is about to become a very new part of a massive old civilisation. Also battles are magical, not technological.
A Mere Formality universe? Very likely. World building in the story included several groups that interact using warfare. Highly technological, allowing for the seamless introduction of new weapons. If this is the case, I wonder whether it will have the same NSFW elements 🙂
However, I think that maybe this is a new canvas on which the Andrews are about to inscribe/paint/enspell a different type of story. It might be linked in some way to other spaces, in the same way that Innkeeper and Edge are linked, without being the same.
Having written all that, I am so looking forward to the “Fated Blades” novella, and would be happy to be wrong in everything I wrote.
A little question/concern, no doubt you’ve considered already: “Fated Blades” is a series by Steve Bein, with some fabulous stories about samurai swords having magical aspects affecting in the fate of the user.
Ooh! Looking forward to new novella! Thank you in advance.
Love the music for the Huge scene. Another level of epicness added to one of my favourite books.
Though the nearest I get to writing is setting paper for assessment, I agree it helps. GoT soundtrack seems to help me when I have to set questions. I don’t know what that says about my papers. *Winter is coming*
Made my morning. Great start to a Friday. Thanks
Literal goosebumps reading that with the back track. Ye Gods!
My Spotify playlist for Blood Heir
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3EUNKofiyTiu8CcC6Z87U1?si=dYT9HyMjQBa4eKR-5gdicg&dl_branch=1
The first is coming home
Familiar places
Worried about being found out
Black sheep speaks for itself
Remains of the pack
Gods blood in + more (aka eye)
Bad moon is rising
Plan making
Demons
Huff+puff big bad wolf
Electric love; since he gave her the rose that she kept forever
Until we go down
Always
If it means a lot to you enter the gutter twins
Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post.
Thanks for the title heads up. We will watch it.
OMG, that soundtrack goes PERFECT with that scene! That was awesome.
Oh that was perfection especially with the music.
Nice
I love the sound track from King Arthur. Very effective for that snippet. Thank you!
Lovely. Thank you!
Wow. I just re-read this exact scene this morning around 4 am.
I’ve loved this sound track for a while now, and haven’t seen the movie it’s from yet. I’ll have to do that this weekend.
Looking forward to the new novella!
Ah, hello, hi ????
So ooo, umm I’m still saving Iron & Magic cause for the sake of sanity, or I may be, just insane … is that even the title … cause, it’s an ebook, so no more sniffing & stroking & petting …the book , anyhoo, you almost tripped my switch
So I took a moment to ask, the Hugh thing, is that (gasp) NEW ???? !
BE cause, for all kinds of reasons, but mainly because if it is,I can still keep Blood & Iron for emergencies or better yet, for total rewards ! !
Just curious, I got Julie, to back up Hugh, you’re writing stuff & even slogging to the finish of your ruby hate, just saying, the Hugh thing totally awesome
PERSNICKETY – nit picking perfectionist – to me it all comes down to … the ruby red hate, hump thing … crafting a book that inspires me as a reader to hang on & wait to read it until you have written & delivered something else I can get & hang onto … until you’ve written , som … repeat
Anyway just wanted to say
Thank you for your dedication to your craft & your standards, even when it makes you crazy
the Hugh thing AWEsome
Hey dlma,
The Hugh excerpt is not from a new book, it is from Iron and Magic, the first in the Iron Covenant series.
For a new snippet, head here 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/weak-sauce/
Hope this helps 🙂
Now I want to see all your characters on the big screen or even the little screen. It’s so rare though that film is as good as the books. I always feel trepidation watching the film version of a book I’ve loved. Sadly, it doesn’t always work.
Thanks for the play list. So atmospheric.
Great catch, Gordon.
Oooooo. I liked the music and the excerpt. Very fun together!!
I understand the fainting – I’m horribly agoraphobic. I once got a friend to take me to a signing with two authors I like at a Half-Price Books, but between the crowd and the unfamiliar location I ended up sitting there with my head between my knees trying to not pass out, instead of meeting the author or getting an autograph. Whee! I could still hear and enjoy the presentations, but still not my best outing.
(I used to be better, regularly attended gaming & scifi conventions. Even survived seeing a celeb suffering through the Worst Signing Event, Evar without passing out or fleeing. Amazingly, neither did the celeb, though I cannot imagine how she made it through the trauma. Denise Crosby, I still feel sympathy for you.)
We had a storm blow through and it’s started a headache, so maybe I’ve asked or read this before (if I have, sorry). Is there any talents in the HL world that negate magic? Like someone who non-physical magic just rolls off of. I was relistening to Nevada’s arc and was thinking Augustine needs someone who can’t be affected by his illusion magic. Whether a friend or a love interest. Like he uses his illusions to hide more than his real face. I always find him so annoying to begin with in book 1, then he grows on me by book 2. I just want to give him a hug and tell him it’ll be ok. He brings out my mothering instinct I guess haha (Don’t feel pressured to answer, just random musings that strike me when I read/listen to your books)
Question added to The List! ♥️
Alessandro’s Antistasi talent can negate magic around him ????.
And highly trained Primes can usually shake off the effects of mental magic faster.
Rogan can at least see where Augustine’s illusion is concentrated for example, if not necessarily see through it.
I fully agree with you though, Pancakes is definitely hiding a lot!
Have you guys ever thought to use soundbooth theater for the audio books? One of the series my husband is listening to uses it, they add sound effects and music to the audio book.
I like your ‘serviceable’ book covers better than the ‘professional’ covers.
Your images are like snapshots that capture a real sense of the smart, determined, and capable women you bring to life on the page. With frank gazes, squared shoulders, and battle ready garb, your pictures introduce the characters with fresh accurate images that pique the readers interest to learn more about the competent and competitive personalities that drive Ilona Andrews riviting story lines.
The covers are attractive, informative, and great at cueing the audience to the genre. I’d personally like to see your images on your books.
Love that you have a story coming out soon, I think my kindle is tired of me rereading all of your other stories. The Arthur sound track is one of my favorites and, I have to admit, Hugh is my most favorite of all of your people. It definitely was a hate-love journey with a bit of lust. Thank you for all that you do. Just sending at your stories is gift enough but, taking the time for posts, answering questions, and all the extras make reading your books that much more personal.
Hi Ilona. Are the pics of book covers you posted your work? They’re very, very good! Do you paint in oils, acrylics, watercolor or mixed media? Do you have models you ask to pose, or are the images pulled completely from your imagination? I’ve always wondered what your characters looked like in your mind. There is a veterinarian in our area who, I swear, is the physical manifestation of Kate Lennart (sorry if the spelling is wrong!) I’d like to ask her to pose for a painting, but don’t know how she’d react–especially if I asked her to pose w/a sword–& Kate’s crazy-eyed hard stare! Heh!
P.S. If I would do a painting of one of your characters, it wouldn’t be for sale. I understand and fully respect all your characters are copyrighted.
Ooooooohhhhh that gave me chills listening to that and reading the snippet. Thank you for that cool experience
Mere Formality IS in the Kinsman universe. I got excited at the thought that there’s going to be another entry in the universe and read them all again tonight, so I’ll be ready. Now I’m more than ready, I’m impatient!
I loved the kinsmen universe! I will have to reread too
Oh and yes, I’m still here and I’m still weird and mildly offensive but I’m still a fan regardless….
Hahaha its as if i was listening to my own playlist. You should listen to Adrian von Zigler – Accent Storm or For the King these are the best of the best
I can’t believe I am saying this. But I really like Hugh, now. I did not want to like him. I hated myself for liking him. But there you have it. Taking a character that was as mean as he was, and turning him into a hero is a huge accomplishment for a writer (writers). I take my hat of to you guys. This excerpt gets me excited for the next book. But not to worry. I will happily wait because I know that you have a lot on your plate.
Ooooo! I love that scene already and you made it better! Thank you! Now I need to reread that whole book.
The music for Hugh in Iron Magic is amazing!
That music fit perfectly for Hugh’s scene! The horns and beat came right on cue for me- what type of magic did you wield? ???? I wonder if music should be added for audio book audiences… ????