Sometimes summers last forever. This summer felt like it, a long marathon of hot days filled with work. We had gone to Florida on a short vacation what feels like a lifetime ago. So much happened. And so much of it has been, well, weird.
We sold Maggie and worked on the edits. Still working. The deadline is looming and we need to really knuckle down in these next 10 days. It’s weird that this book sold. It is even stranger that it’s so long and just keeps going.
We ran Sanctuary as a serial and released it into the world. It is strange that a book stuffed with Slavic mythology did so well. Slavic mythology is not well known and was long considered to be a barrier to readership.
We opened the store. ::slaps hand over the eye twitch:: Happy to report that we have cleared all of the refunds. There is only one order not in production and that’s because we are waiting on the customer’s response. While I tend to concentrate on refunds, my daughter reminded me that almost 2,000 orders have been filled without issues.
We bought a house. Never thought I would write that again. For personal, urgent, and deeply valid reasons, Kid 2 needed to relocate. We started the process of looking for the house on June 22nd and closed on the day Sanctuary came out. The new place is now painted, the floors upstairs are replaced and she is ready to move in.
Kid 2 almost fell prey to a moving scam. Certain things about the interaction with the movers she hired didn’t seem right, and when she called them to tell them that she would need to move the relocation date, the response was, “No problem.” Kid 2 has moved before. This set off all of the alarm bells, and so she did a deeper dive.
If you haven’t moved recently, changing the date is always a problem. The movers are booked in advance, and the availability of their trucks is limited.
I woke up to a text that said, “I think my movers might be wanted by the FBI.” Turns out they might be. They take people’s possessions and hold them for ransom until the customer pays exorbitant fees to get them back. If they don’t pay, the possessions are never returned. One woman lost 30 years worth of mementos of life with her now deceased husband. She was very grateful she brought his ashes with her rather than trust him to the movers. These people have no conscience. When the government shuts them down, they reopen under a different LLC.
There is a Facebook group dedicated to knocking them down. She forwarded the admin all of her details for his law enforcement file and called to cancel. When she’d made the original phone call, she went over everything in detail, with a list of the furniture, etc. and when she called about the cancellation, the response was, “So it’s just one room, right?” She told them that no, it was not right, that it was a 3 bedroom house and she had gone over the furniture list with the representative twice. “Oh, our software is old.” Sure, it is. You, by no means, planned to show up with a truck that was two sizes too small and then demand more money. Assholes.
Now the old house needs to be repainted and inspected before it can go on the market. We are going to take a beating, but it can’t be helped. At least the repairs will be cosmetic.
In the middle of all of this, baby kitten Noctis decided to have an intestinal blockage. Kid 1 had rescued Noctis. Well, Noctis kind of rescued himself. She stopped at a Dollar General – she wasn’t even suppose to make that stop – in the middle of a storm, and a hungry, rain-drenched black kitten crawled into her car. Noctis has since decided he is the king of everything, but he somehow ate something he wasn’t supposed to. I don’t know how, her house is pristine.
I woke up to a phone call. “Mom, my kitten is throwing up blood.”
“Vet. Take him now.”
“Already in the car.”
Our vet thought there was a linear GI obstruction, meaning the kitten had eaten a string and it got stuck. Baby Noctis, his X ray, and bloodwork went to Veterinary Emergency Group for surgery… And they decided not to do it. They took some ultrasound scans, and decided the blockage was partial and will resolve on its own. He spent two days under observation and is now home.
As Kid 1 was getting through the store customer service and being very worried about Noctis, she had a rough 3 days. Finally, once Noctis was home, she decided to take a long relaxing shower. When she emerged, she found one of her collectible dolls on the island, surrounded by other small dolls with a piece of paper on top of it.
Her sister had stopped by to retrieve her shoes. Just another moment of weirdness.
And then there was Covid. So we are up on our feet and moving around. Neither of us is running a temperature anymore and we are trying to do things, but we get so tired. I can’t even describe the fatigue. I carry on until about 2:00-3:00 pm in the afternoon and then I’m just done. Like standing is difficult kind of done. If I try to push through it, I get dizzy.
I am too tired to sit in a chair to play computer games. I am too tired to knit. Like what…
The Dragoncon is looming and the preparations for it need to be done. I was working on the postcards for Jeaniene Frost and us. I knocked hers out super fast. Since she sent all of the files and it was just the matter of putting them together. And then I got stuck on ours. Apparently, I really suck at book collages. After many attempts and working late into the evening, I finally put a version together and sent it to her.
Me: Maybe this one?
Phone rings.
Me: It’s the collage, isn’t it?
She: No, the collage is fine. Don’t take this the wrong way, but…
Me: Yes?
She: The way the QR code is sitting, it looks like a sinister turkey…
I laughed for like 5 minutes.
New postcard, a lot less turkey like.
Now I need to get somewhere with the totebags. We are doing a totebag giveaway with the purchase of our books. Need to finalize the design and put the order in.
We will do another schedule post tomorrow, since the first one didn’t get sent through the newsletter. We need to go back to Mailchimp, I think. Oy.
Well, onward and upward. Back to the editing I go.
I can’t unsee the sinister turkey 😁.
+1
+1
Sinister turkey is pressed into my brain now.
What kind of dressing would you serve with this? Malevolent dressing?
And menacing gravy.
I laughed with the sinister turkey response.
Maggie sold! Maggie sold! Maggie sold! I think that’s the BDH chant for the day even we know it’s sold to Tor. I think we’ll be chanting it until Tor releases it. Then it’s “whoa! What happened?!” by Tor. They are in for a BDH invasion which I don’t think they’ll recover from for a long time. 😀
Good luck with everything, including the edits.
You don’t even have to be a priest of a dark god to see a sinister turkey. Turkeys are scary. I was on my way to a clients house and two flocks, like 1950s street gangs, meeting in the road to have a rumble. I blew my horn to scatter them. They decided my big red Ram pickup was a mutual enemy and launched themselves at it.
Fortunately I was in a big Ram pickup and all they managed was to cover it with turkey crap.
Hahahaha, sorry your truck was attacked by a gang of sinister turkeys, but that was hilarious.
ok, that line just made my day, lol
I saw Cassowary- think enormous ancient velociraptor if it was an emu with switchblades for feet. These guys are fearless and carry a grudge !
You don’t want to see one in person. Taller than Roman with a giant bone mohawk hairstyle. (Yep it’s what I pictured the super bone staff as, that scared his usual staff into silence…)
Wuthathi Ngaachi (country) wildlife rangers in a 4WD (ram style SUV) with giant bullbars were chased by a very ticked off one for some time. They videoed it. (Find the vid on their Facebook if you’re keen.)
Don’t mess with cassowaries…
That is awesome
Maybe Roman needs a sinister turkey. I’m sure if one showed up it would be evil enough for him and he would add it to his menagerie.
Sympathy, but thank you. You have made my pile of annoyances seem much less difficult.
But would he ADD it to his menagerie or FEED it to his menagerie? Does Roman celebrate Thanksgiving? If so, does he insist on only sinister turkey for dinner? And what would the side dishes b that go with sinister turkey? Eviserated potatoes?
Also, the movers wanted by the FBI only adds to my determination that I’m never moving again. After dealing w selling my Mom’s house(from out of state), I told my husband that I’m done. Ugh, poor HA, dealing w all that on top of everything else.
I hope all of HA feels better soon! Just schedule in daily naps for awhile. Trying to push on, when you know you need to rest WILL make recovery take longer. Oddly, taking things slowly is the only way to get better faster.
We love the tumblers we bought! My tee shirts are being delivered today, and I can’t wait. A couple of the tumblers were created by request. I love them, and bought 5 different ones which we plan to use daily, replacing plastic tumblers. A couple things are taking some time to b delivered, but I honestly am just so happy with everything that I don’t care how long they take. Thank you for all your effort with the store! It was a lot of work, just so we had a chance for some awesome tchatskis. You’ve earned some rest; I hope the rest of your edits go smoothly! (Hugs)
LMAO — The sinister turkey is GREAT.
I’m glad all your lives are settling down, that Covid is in the rear view mirror and that Noctis is better. And yes everyone needs to be careful about hiring moving companies — lots of research is required. Hope you have a great time at Dragoncon.
I am glad you are feeling better. I am proof that one lives through this Covid, but it hurts. You are doing the best thing you can already – work for a while, then rest until you feel better. I wish I had a quick fix (for both of us!) but I don’t. I am quite a bit older than you are and managed to injure* myself when I was almost “better”. I am still working on making it all the way to “better”.
You have plowed through a tremendous amount of work this year (in 8 months)! You have the right to be tired. I know you don’t want to disappoint anyone by not being prepared for Dragoncon . Don’t waste effort worrying, you will be fine. You won’t allow yourself not to be great.
It sounds like your Kid2 had a lucky escape. I am looking at a move soon also and am glad to know about the scammers.
Take care – it sounds like Texas weather is about to take a turn towards “bake” in the near term.
Joy. I said I’d never move in August again. Though it may be Srptember anyway. Sigh –
* Right arm broken where it could not be casted – and I am not a lefty…
It’s just about the broil stage in the DFW area. Stupid high pressure system won’t move away from Texas.
Thank goodness for air conditioning!
+1
We are Canadian and I keep giggling at my daughter. She claims she doesn’t like extreme heat but visited Vegas July 13th (hot, hot, hot). She got back from a 2 week honeymoon in Mexico last night, again hot. Tonight she leaves at midnight for Dallas to do a veterinarian internship for a week. She flies home and starts classes a day later. She has a wedding a 9hr drive away the next weekend and again has to be back in class on the Monday.
I do not have that kind of stamina, or ability to pack. 😂
You need a PA. Or a Jeeves. That is crazy about the movers. So glad she did not get caught by that scam. Wishing you luck with all you have to do, followed by long, peaceful. recovery period.
And now I have By Jeeves by Andrew Lloyd Webber running through my head.
Cats – especially kittens – will eat the damnest things. I have a vet friend who told me he did an emergency surgery on a cat with a mass in her stomach. Turns out it was a ball of 32 hair ties. The owner thought she was just losing them. Watch those hair ties!! lol.
As someone who has been living with disabling, profound fatigue for almost 20 years, I beg you to respect the fatigue and the limits of your body. No matter how much you hate it, and how many things you’d rather be doing. Or need to be doing. Pushing through is how you make it last longer, maybe even forever (ask me how I know).
Long Covid has a lot of overlap with what I was eventually diagnosed with: ME/CFS. Though I think LC has the potential to be even worse. It can take months, or longer, and that seriously sucks but trust me that’s better than the rest of your life.
I’ll get off my soapbox now and go back to lurking (because that’s all I usually have energy for) but please take care of yourselves. 🙏🙏🙏
Sending hugs!! CFS is a miserable beast.
+1 I got long covid fatigue, tried to push through it, and just got worse. at one point my body stopped moving. I could see all the steps I needed to take and couldn’t do any of them. whack me over the head enough times and I eventually do duck, so I did start resting and listening to my body. I was luckier than Jess and saw a lot of progress on my fatigue after a year and a half post covid, even if I am working reduced hours still. I can at least move and do. but riding myself into the grave was not conducive to recovery.
Jess, the researchers are coming round to the hypothesis that Long Covid is just another version of CFS/ME. See https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-covid-indistinguishable-viral-syndromes-year.html.
My precipitating illness was Christmas Day night 2001. My doctors later said that probably an unnoticed cold virus had triggered all that followed.
For those with Covid/Long Covid: pushing yourself to get stuff done before you are fully recovered makes the post-exertional malaise worse. It’s called the push-crash cycle.
Sending love and thanks for all your hard work. Take it easy so you can recover.
I got hit by this moving scam when I moved in 2011, but I didn’t know it was a thing! We had moved a lot before this (military and multiple civilian) so it wasn’t new to me, I researched and got multiple quotes but we had acquired a lot more stuff over the 10 years in that house. They complained about how much stuff we had while packing though I had a walk through with the manager and showed him everything we owned so that I was sure there would be no surprises on the day. They loaded the truck and took all of our stuff to their warehouse then called and said they wouldn’t be able to deliver our goods at the price quoted because we had more volume than they had thought. After arguing back and forth I point blank said “so you’ve stolen my entire house and are demanding money to give it back, I should call the cops”. I wish I had but I caved because bad things were happening in our lives, my husband was already half way across the country (driving) and my 3 kids and I had a plane to catch. I did bargain it down but I paid and I still kick myself when I think about it. Luckily all of our things were delivered, on time and not damaged, so it worked out in the end but yeah, that sucked.
It is good to know the Universal Cat Distribution System is still working. COVID really does get better, it just takes time. Lots of time. And, I am not at all surprised that Maggie sold. No surprise here.
I envy all of you guys in US only this one thing – that IA events are not so far. 😂
Glad to hear you are recovering. 🥰
fighting the Covid beast myself this week. I feel ya. concentrate on getting better!
Having seen a turkey I am now stuck on bird imagery and am seeing a particularly humpy ostrich.
Maybe he’s actually a camel ostrich hybrid.
I dunno, I’m pretty tired and my arm hurts, but I’m going away for the weekend to Chester tomorrow so I don’t care.
Yay, historical ruins and hotel life 🙂
Our cat decided to eat a 3ft piece of string earlier this summer. My wife saw the last six inches going down her throat. A nice Sunday afternoon turned into a scramble to find an emergency vet as ours was closed. Luckily we discovered an actual animal hospital near us. Six hours later we get a very grumpy cat back including a baggy with said string and a bill for 4 grand. The cats still somewhat grumpy, but that’s her normal personality.
Oh no, what an eye-watering bill!
That’s no Turkey. It’s a walking stick!!
We moved 10 years ago & I said then I’m not doing it again unless you carry me out of here in a box!
Glad to hear you are feeling better!
Glad you guys are feeling a bit better!
We got hit by the moving scam in 2008, didn’t know then that it was a thing! We had to come up with 3K and only cash or postal money order. They held our stuff hostage for 3 days and said it was our fault bc we didn’t provide an accurate weight. That set us back financially for a really long time.
Sisters! Too funny!
wow, like anyone moving is going to be weighing all their stuff. horrible
I’m so glad Noctis is ok. Our Uschi isn’t eating. At first we thought it was the heat, because all three beasts are eating less. But I gave her pastrami off my plate today, she nibbled a teensy bit, looked at me sad, and went to sleep. Later, she passed on her regular dinner. Today is a holiday, but she goes to the vet tomorrow.
It’s almost certainly her teeth. She’s had a couple go bad before, and if she’s losing another one, the pain would prevent her from eating. Plus her breath is stinkier than normal (I wish I’d thought to sniff test before today). But I’m still nervous. When my last tortie stopped eating, it was because of a feline version of Crone’s Disease and she needed steroid shots every three weeks for years.
Fingers crossed for Uschi.
I can’t unsee the sinister turkey either. 😂
Would the same design you used on the post card also work for the tote bags (or do it in black and white if color would be too expensive)?
Keep listening when your body says you need to take a break. Staying healthy is our most important deadline. Take good care.
This was a very thorough update. Thank you for all the weird details. You have an interesting life.
If your fatigue continues please call your PCP. There are a lot of cardiac complications from COVID.
Love your family as much as your books. Feel well soon and feed us new stuff at your earliest convenience.
Hope you all feel better soon. The chrysanthemum design would look nice on a tote bag or maybe something from Innkeeper.
Wow! Crazy summer for you. A person / business I follow moved from Houston to Orlando (?) and his movers did the whole ransom gig. It took 9 months, but he finally got about 90% of his stuff. Lots of work and drama. My boss just let his team know that he has Covid…we were in meetings together 2 days ago…arrrgh. Hang in there, and you will have a fun Dragoncon!
Not sure if you ever played it but there are a pair of games on steam called Thea that feature slavic deities – Thea. More just flavor than any depth. I think it has sparked a lot more interest with how much Witcher took off.
Oooh, have to look into it!
I like the turkey version! #TeamSinisterPoultry
It a testament to your writing skillz and what an amazing character Roman is that Slavic Mythology felt totally approachable in Sanctuary. Who doesn’t love a black Volv and his little nasties?
ok, so who wants a story with someone calling his staff a sinister turkey?
Here’s what I took away from your blog today.
Pride. You need to look in the mirror and feel nothing but pride.
You and Gordon have built a world in which you can afford to get your daughters, who not only are both caring, loving people, but clearly love each other, out of situations which most of us are only able to wring our hands and worry about.
You have done this with your own hands and minds and determination. Forget all the store problems, the COVID problems, ALL the problems and take a day to just reflect on what joy you have brought to all of us and the kind and funny people you created. You both truly won at life, and we’re all better for it. Thank you.
Seconded.
Amen!!
👏
Thank you, but we are just a normal middle-aged couple trying to navigate the world of adult children and professional problems. Not better at it, not worse at it than anybody else. So it’s not about pride. It’s about surviving with some shreds of sanity intact.
🙂
🙌❤️
+1000
Thanks for being you and for your imagination and book prowess and life sharing.
+1
Take it easy and listen to your body.
I love “Sinister Turkey”! It needs to be in the next Roman story! 😂😂😂😂
Awww, I like the turkey! Feel better. We love you all!
Oooh, kitty is so cute. Hope he (and you) will be feeling better soon!
This post kicked in my organizational brain and I feel like I need to be one of your assistants 😁 Good luck and I really hope you get some down time soonest.
The funniest thing about the collage is that my first thought was that I had missed a turkey joke somewhere and now I was going to have to re-read everything looking for the book with the turkey reference.
I wonder if those are the same movers that extorted my daughter. They hit her with double the original fees, after the truck was loaded. Intimidation was a factor, even with my husband there. We ended up filling a complaint with Army Legal. it was a military move. She was reimbursed most of the overage.
Using intimidation is so low! Glad your daughter could recover some of the money!
That stinks! 🤬
Respect what your bodies are telling you. That helps everything get better faster.
My extended family of 16 adults, most local, typically counts at least four pickups and four trailers among us. I knew it saved money at moving time, but I never realized how much aggravation it saves us. That scam is just horrifying. Moving is stressful enough; buying and/or a house is stressful enough. Someone stealing from you at the same time? They’re lucky no one’s come after them extrajudicially.
So glad to hear Noctis is recovering. My 16 month old rescue kitty went in for his rabies shot last week. The vet found a new, significant heart murmur. Blood work suggests cardiomyopathy. This is likely genetic; the local population seems to be quite inbred. So far he’s asymptomatic, and still wrestling mightily with his canine big sisters before every meal. There’s a limit to how interventionist I’m willing to be with a cat who gets stressed on a 20 minute drive to the vet. As a friend said, he’ll have a shortened but happy life.
I love how your entire family supports each other at every turn. You should be very proud of yourselves.
I thought this summer, which is not over, was better than usual. It started late, lots of rain in June, even rain last week. However, it will not end until October, if then.
Do not push too hard. Everything can wait, except kitties vomiting blood.
I don’t understand why you don’t have someone else handling the admin stuff. Like the postcards. And the store.
I am a control freak like most writers. I do have help for the store, but one of the helpers is dealing with an illness in her family and the other helper got covid like me, so we had to play catch up.
As to the postcards, it is pure micromanagement. It takes less time to make them then to explain to someone else what i want made.
I know the feel of it being easier to do oneself than to try to explain. I make professional postcards for my work all the time and would be willing to help.
Wishing you all health including Noctis (which is a great cat name by the way). Rest up and feel better!
Still wiping my eyes from the sinister turkey and doll sacrifice.
Sinister Turkey.
Someone needs to make a meme of this for Thanksgiving…!
+1
I love the Sinister Turkey!
She’s not wrong about the turkey. Before I read her comment I was like, “What the hell is that thing? Some kind of paranormal, camel vulture?
And now, no matter your changes, I cannot unsee it…
Y’all ought to start scheduling 3 days per month, minimum, for emergencies. Just move all the good stuff around whatever days the emergencies hit. (I take care of both my elderly parents. I schedule 5 emergency days. Sometimes they use them up by the 5th of the month!)
I have only moved twice in my adult life. Both were short moves less than ten miles. We collected all of our pickup trucks and able bodied family. Horse trailers make great moving vans. They have ramps, rubber floors and are low to the ground.
None of us are physically capable of doing this again. And we accumulated so much stuff.
So glad that sweet fur baby Noctis is on the mend! Barbie’s sacrifice was well worth the result
lol
Prayers for your speedy recovery as well (not only selfishly for the quick edit completion of Maggie before deadline, but also because I am a compassionate human being). Perhaps more Barbies are required? Just saying…..
Sinister turkey.
Sinister turkey.
Sinister turkey.
BwahHAhaHAHA
I find myself just sitting and holding my knitting or quilting when I’m really tired. It’s like a functional security blanket lol.
I hope the fatigue gets better soon!
Well, despite the Covid, you are getting through more than I am in a whole day. Amazing. Hang in there. No fever is a win and making it to 2 or 3 each day is also a win. My sister has Covid and strep, ugh. Hysterical about the QR turkey. Friends are not to be taken for granted when they can spot that.
Umm maybe it would not be a bad idea to pray to the Slavic God of Naps? I am pretty sure all of y’all could use a nap, because that was a lot crammed in one summer lol. FYI I got my t-shirt and cold cup and LOVE them! I “might” have done a little happy dance…with a (loud)”I have merch!” song… My hunny was very amused by my shenanigans and general level of joy, lol
Is that Mona with Noctis, or did kid #1 get tapped to be a wildlife carer for a wombat?
Sending good thoughts for the real estate transactions. May everything be timely.
🏠🏡
That is Miss Mona indeed, the one and only 🤣
I’m glad Noctis is fine, and that y’all are feeling better. Hope the fatigue passes soon. Haha, the sinister turkey made me laugh, as did the sacrificial doll. I’ve heard of movers doing stuff like this; I’m glad Kid 2 avoided it at the last minute.
Almost 2,000 orders were filled, and squealed over, people did happy dances.
I completely appreciate your stance on the store, but I deliberately did a small order this time because Stuff Was Happening, and I’ll be regretting that decision for a long time. As I said on FB, I do want new books more. But my IA merch brings me great joy.
Also worth saying again – listen to that fatigue, lest it bite you in the ass for even longer.
Finally got to read Sanctuary, and ah yeah, so worth the wait!
Merch! Mercy is when you give us snippets *wink*
Hehe, smooth! Fixed it 😌
Hmm, Kid 1 sounds a lot like Dina. You know as Sean noted, “would get out of her car, in her best dress to help a dog”, or cat.
I almost think your life could be a story! Kitten, evil turkey, evil movers. Sorry about the Covid, it was my experience, the fatigue. Good luck with the edits
Sinister turkey comment was correct. lol
EVERYTIME your kids adopt a cat I want another one. I have a two year old calico (rescue). Stop showing cute kitten videos! Tuna included!
I needed the laugh… Between the sacrafice and sinister turkey you made my day😻..
Hope the baby is better, love all you do
Please don’t try to push through. Rest and tea and vitamins! I’m glad you’ve raised savvy children. I’m glad the kitten didn’t need surgery. I was delighted with Sanctuary and can’t wait for Maggie. And now I’m wondering if a turkey will,appear in a future story!
Thank you for sharing your gift with us, Ilona!
I truly hope you love your craft and it makes your soul sing because the books and these blog posts (about just life in general) are just so real – like we are all just hanging out in a coffee shop (that serves tea as well) – having a conversation over a cuppa…..
Please take care of you!
I didn’t even realize it was sanctuary. Totally saw a turkey! 🤣🤣
I’m so glad you’re all recovering. As others have said, and as I also know, listen to your body – it knows when you need to knock it off and rest.🤗
Thank you for the PSA – I had no idea about the moving scam.
I’ll be seeing that sinister turkey every time I re-read Sanctuary. 😂
Completely Off Topic
Reading a book today, good sexy scene… “say my name”
UNMOANABLE NAME RUINS SCENE.
I won’t say what name, but no, Not moan-worthy.
at least I got a laugh from thinking about HA moan criteria.
oh also, thought you planned the turkey, didn’t really understand why. lol
ROFLMAO! 😂 I can’t stop laughing about the “SINISTER turkey”.
You all don’t live life halfway, do you? I get exhausted just reading about it. I can’t imagine pushing through it, especially with COVID. Take it easy!!!! You need time to heal.
Noctis is delightful and a very lucky kitty.
As for the Gordon household, please rest when you need to. My husband once ended up in the emergency room. He tripped a fell while running with our large himbo of a dog. He was bleeding all over, but he got up. Why? Because he heard some Navy SEAL talking about how people only use a small percentage of their true physical resources. he got up, tried to start running again, and, he passed out. The paramedics came and I got there just as the dog was being sent to dog jail. Point is – you’re healing. Pushing too hard won’t help and might hurt
😂 😂 LOL 😂
It’s wise to rest whenever you need to. Everything I’ve read indicates that it is the best way to fully recover. I understand that it must be maddening when you want to finish your work.
My grandson was taken in by 2 rental scams back to back. I think young people are used to doing things online and Airbnb got them used to short term rentals online.
The problem is that without meeting a landlord or property management agent and using a check, there is nothing for police to track.
The second time they even had a code for the key lock system and took them on a tour by FaceTime as he walked through with his brother. They got their SSNs too.
We didn’t know this was happening until after the fact. It was so devastating. So I’m trying to spread the word so parents and grandparents can warn their young adults about it.
I hope that the authorities catch up to these movers.
Hoping your energy returns soon.
Re: Slavic mythology
I doubt that I am alone in enjoying stories from different traditions around the world. The same folklore repeated endlessly gets boring after awhile.
I came to Kate Daniels through that first encounter with Saiman and the volvhs who tried to kill him. I was immediately hooked by the chance to learn more about Russian pagans. The few times I read about Slavic traditions had focused on Baba Yaga and a would be cult leader misusing the tradition in Speak Daggers To Her by Rosemary Edghill.
Since then I’ve read a few more versions of Baba Yaga stories and bits of Slavic mythology but you’ve given them more depth and also a glimpse into communities living by them.
It’s so refreshing!
Thank you.
Thank you for everything that you do. I’m wishing you both a peaceful and speedy recovery.
Hiring good movers is hard, definitely something I try to get a personal friend referral for.
Your daughter may want to look into a combo move.
In a combo move, Daughter rents a uhaul or Pensky. Hires loaders from a local professional moving company to load the truck. Daughter (&/or healthy family member) drives the truck to the new place. Loaders from a local professional moving company are hired to unload . Everyone lives HEA.
A Combo Move means that you stuff can not be held for ransom or reweighed. It also can save you money. A truck driver/loader costs more to hire than a loader and if you use their truck, you are paying for truck time. Plus a moving truck crossing state lines =$$$$$. (My sweetie was a pro mover – this is how we will do our future moves. )
PS – Try to schedule your move (or truck rental) to be the first move of the day. You don’t want to be moving at midnight due to your appointment being pushed back for someone else’s moving disaster.
I second this recommendation. We did a move like this a couple of years ago. Worked great. The local movers (in both states) were fast and capable. The drive gave daughter and husband some adventure together.
FWIW, Penske was far superior to U-Haul. Penske rents mostly to commercial clients, so their equipment was in better condition and the rental process was more professional. IIRC the truck even came with 24/7 roadside assistance in case of trouble. Penske cost a tiny bit more but was worth it.
(1) baby Nocsis with the little jump and mew is everything
(2) thanks to Jeannine. I laughed and laughed too.
Mahalo for both moments.
I wish I could come over and give you all a hug! I promise all will get better!❤️ Hang in there and take one thing at a time. Best of good luck to you all❣️
oh, I am so glad Im not the only one who immediately saw a turkey!
Also, yay for catching suspicious movers, but boooooo on lofe being so hard lately. Hope it gets easier soon!
Next time you run the store, maybe for Thanksgiving, we want a sinister turkey tee, lol.
There will not be a next time for the store, House Andrews have decided to close it permanently. https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-end-of-the-store/
Awwwww Noctis! Adorable, but unwise in his dietary choices.
Well, at least y’all aren’t bored!
Your health is your #1 priority! Go slow to go fast. Disappoint everyone and everything so you can work and rest at your own pace. Say no. Cancel stuff. Ask for help. You are so much more than your productivity.
I know the store is closed forever, but I think a mug with a diappearing/reappearing sinister turkey ala Magic Clams would be awesome.
Best wishes on all your endeavors. take it easy at Dragon Con. I went to the Disney D23 expo and am still recovering.
The Cat Delivery System in action! Also, you are excellent parents.
Please, please, please don’t try to push through that kind of fatigue! It can become life- altering, career- ending, permanent, and more than physical. I’m sure you’ve heard of long covid and ME/CFS: pushing makes the first one worse and the second a miserable reality I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Rest! Put the knitting down, or if it’s soothing, just hold it and pet it while watching mindless Netflix. Let your brain rest as much as your body so they can heal so you can keep the life you’ve worked for. No one told me this and I will be paying for my Type- A driven ignorance the rest of my life and I don’t want that for anyone else.
Wow… just…wow! I didn’t read this until 16 August–talk about full catastrophic living. I sincerely hope you & Gordon fully recover. And those despicable fake movers! Argh! Wish there was some way to round them up & send them all to Mars.
I don’t have chronic fatigue syndrome, (just the chronic body-wide myofascial pain syndrome) but my daughter does. She’s had it since she was 9. She did a research paper on it for school at either 11 or 12 years old, and while completing the project she told me, “I know what’s wrong with me now.” We are certain it was caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. I always believed her, and new she would need a good long nap every day & especially after school. Only those who have it can truly comprehend what a Herculean–sometimes impossible task it is just to get out of bed in the morning.
So, again-I hope the covid clears out of your body & you get your energy back very soon…and all the other stuff can at least can throttle down a notch for you & your family. Sending good thoughts your way.
OMG!! I hope you have somehow been keeping a journal! I love your books, but your adventures as a Mom, Wife, and Author is best selling material!! I sooo look forward to your blog posts. Without fail, they inform, and entertain me. Thank you for ALL that you write. Books, and Blog. It helps all of us get through, together!
“We ran Sanctuary as a serial and released it into the world. It is strange that a book stuffed with Slavic mythology did so well. Slavic mythology is not well known and was long considered to be a barrier to readership.”
Personally… I love reading about other cultures mythologies. Greek, Nordic, etc. gods have been over done. I’m part of a paranormal book club that has been together for over 10 years and we have all started seeking out new areas within the genre.
Don’t push though it. Rest.
I’ve had covid for the last 2 weeks too. So tired. Wake up tired. Stairs too much. Hope next week is better.
I won’t repeat what others have said, just please, do not push through! it will make everything worse.
removal ransoms haven’t made it to the UK yet (I hope). Good grief, what scum bags.
I bought an iron online. Delivery made for yesterday. it arrived several hours later than promised but it arrived. I had an email today apologising for non delivery. I rang to say “but I have it” . The girl kept apologising and said my money would be refunded. I have the iron, I don’t need a refund! No matter what I said, she just kept reading from her screen. So, if I get a refund, do I try again or keep a free iron?
OK, so… yeah, I definitely see the turkey, but I have to say that IMO geese are the true birds of evil.
Glad you’re feeling better!! And it’s a good thing Kid 2 was not scammed by those movers.
in case you wanted to look it up, one of the Dead By Daylight killers has been likened to an evil turkey.
Also, I’m glad kid2 didn’t fall for the scam, and that you’re feeling better. Please take it easy.
Glad the turkey image was fixed. I had looked at it twice because it didn’t look right.
Hugs to both of you, sounds like you need it!
Wait, we like Roman and his critters, why would you think we wouldn’t love a sinister turkey? I mean seriously – Chernobog ? Critters? Roman? Sinister Turkey? its the perfect Thanksgiving Theme!
ZenHugs all round!
I hope you get over the fatigue soon. And I loved the Sanctuary book Thankyou for your hard work. PS. Beware sinister turkeys
Thanks for the sinister turkey! Laughed so much! I needed that!
Hope you all feel better soon! Take care.
Wish I could go to Dragoncon… Too expensive right now and too far away for me. Have a good time!
Now, thank you/s, my brain is holding on to the sinister turkey image. Seriously, I hope that things settle down for your whole family. I try and say the “ I need to be boring” prayer every morning.
Sorry I am compelled to ask! Is the sinister turkey evil enough?
Maybe you could sic the yard mafia on the movers. Loved the sinister turkey. Should be served with funeral potatoes.
I will probably be moving toward the end of the year. Already sold my house and all of my stuff is in storage. I bought the unwelcome mat for the new place. I also have the ‘can’t even’ t-shirt which perfectly fits my life these days.
Please rest and stay hydrated. Getting dizzy upon standing can be a sign of dehydration.
Post-Covid fatigue is real, and physical and brutal. I know you’ve a lot on your plate, but anything that can be put aside while you practice radical rest is worth it in the long run. It took two rounds of steroids to knock the inflammation down in these parts during the last round. I wish I could send you two weeks of “do nothing time” to rest those beautiful brains.
Sinister turkey. I think Klyuv might be offended being compared to a turkey.
Glad to hear you are feeling better. I am glad Kid1 found out about the moving scam I just would freak if this happened to me.
Have a wonderful weeekend. Rest up and I hope you get to enjoy the DragonCon as well.
Here is something to help bring Cheer to your Day.
I have been stalking the two libraries I am subscribed to on Libby for eBooks (aren’t kids wonderful!).
I found it 2 days ago and was immediately able to get a copy.
Why?
Broward County Library in Florida has 24! copies of Sanctuary! Yes 24!
this is off topic, but it’s the 18th of August so:
Happy name day Ilona :)))))
Thank you for all the amazing books, you rock :))))
Thanks Rufina, we certainly learned something new today! 😀
My mugs came. Much appreciated.
*giggles* at the sinister turkey!
glad kid 2 escaped the shady movers.
the covid exhaustion is real! and it sticks around for a few weeks after everything else has already returned back to normal. worst part is, you really HAVE to rest to get better. if you push yourself, it’ll drag out and take you even longer to get back to normal. much sympathies. it sucks being THAT freaking exhausted.
re reading Innkeeper (lost count of how many re reads now), but for second thought it was The Murder Beaks, then yep cannot unsee the sinister turkey.
Glad you guys are on the mend
think you might ever make it to MileHi con here in Denver, CO? it’s in October.
Your house will sell quickly. Someone from California (my state) will buy it over asking 😎.
After reading Sanctuary, I started hunting down other books with Slavic folklore, it is fascinating and I’m so excited to jump into a whole new body of stories!
I wish the BDH could help you. I know we all want to. Sending love and light
That would be a vulture… SINISTER turkey VULTURE. Always good to refer to the correct nomenclature when describing sinister turkeys.
Sinister turkeys, a.k.a., the American Turkey Vulture. Look ‘em up. I kid you not, they’re real!
Or, as a lot of us out in the Great American West call them, Buzzards.
We also refer to them as the “Roadside Klean-up Krew” perched on power poles and fenceposts along some of the loneliest roads, state routes, highways and by-ways in Nevada.
Sure, other western states have them, but we take pride in our buzzards. We have a parade and everything!
Good thoughts!
Take care.
baby Noctis ?
Big hugs to the gorgeous baby Noctis from Eva. She was a younger cat when she ate thread and it got stuck. Intestines are curvy, stuck thread is straight. Ugly story and $3000 worth of surgery. She’s fine now and a legend at the vet.
What a summer.
Wishing a much calmer fall and winter for you and your family, and thank you for the warning on moving companies.
I hate to jettison the rest of the furniture, but going down for my stuff still in TX this fall, and thinking I will either pack a cube (two stages, CubeSmart won’t let you drop a cube there, for obvious reasons) or stage in a friend’s garage and pack a big U-haul with my life.
Those moving villains cleaned out an old friend and her spouse after they left military life and moved back closer to friends and family. It was a nightmare–thieves never tried for a ransom, so was probably before they figured out people’s stuff usually isn’t worth that much for resale. Argh.
I think you need to hire more assistants! There’s so much you do that is beyond the writing and editing!
Love the sinister turkey story!!! ❤️
Roman needs new nechist. Basilisk has strong connection with Slavic folklore and he is birdlike monster. Sinister turkey need’s a chapter pls
Owww, your lingering symptoms are a sign you need to be taking it very, very easy for weeks if not months! Please talk to a doctor who knows about long covid. The dizziness is very telling
There are very good indications in research that if you have these symptoms, and you push through and keep working hard and taxing body and mind, the odds of them setting in, get worse. That’s what I did, I kept working despite feeling awful and I’m convinced (based on the available science )that it was a factor in getting long covid long covid ( to be more precise, of course long covid also hits people who are 100% relaxed, it’s about the odds)
The causes of long covid are not quite understood and I’m not trying to scare anyone, but there a good indication that stress worsens your odds when it comes to long covid, and this disease is so horrible that I don’t wish it on anyone, much less my favorite author.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to give yourself ample recovery time, but with covid that pays off extra, even if it takes 3 months longer to get back to your old self then you hoped! Still better than spending years at such a low level of energy😅
I am so sorry that you did not seem to be too well. Hope all is good with your kid and the settling into the new house went smoothly
I have fallen in love with that super cute doggy in the small video clip with baby noctis 🥰🥰
I laughed so hard at the sinister turkey. 🤣🤣🤣
While I totally understand your reasoning, I am (probably like many others) disappointed that there will not be an Arabella story for the Hidden Legacy series. Would it be possible for her to have a romance with someone from the United Native Tribes? I’d love to learn how they managed to resist the European invasion.
Thank you for all your books, I thoroughly enjoy them.
Lesley Cameron
Whangarei
New Zealand