ILONA ANDREWS

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New Art from Luisa Preissler

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I always wanted a painted family portrait. For sheer coolness of it. I am pretty sure Baylor sisters wanted one too, so we asked Luisa Preissler to paint one and here it is. It is absolutely amazing.

Click to enlarge.

Isn’t that just gorgeous? So thrilled with this, I can’t even tell you.

And she put in so many Easter eggs, little details from the series that only a reader would know from the dresses and jewelry, to the signs. Like how many can you count?

If you are one of many Luisa’s fans, I’m hoping that prints will be available shortly and I will link them when they go up. The portrait has been put on the wall on the Hidden Legacy page.

In other awesome news, EMERALD BLAZE won 1st place in Swoon Awards both for PNR/Urban Fantasy Category and Book of the Year. Yay!

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Comments

        • Probably the most concise description of the three of them is in Diamond Fire:

          “Both Nevada and Arabella were blond, but Nevada’s hair was closer to clover honey, while Arabella’s resembled gold corn silk. I was the only brunette in the family, besides Mom. Right now the similarities between my two sisters were really apparent, and if you didn’t look at their faces, Arabella seemed like a shorter smaller copy of Nevada.” Andrews, Ilona. Diamond Fire, loc 328, Chapter 1. Avon Impulse Harper Collins 2018. Kindle Edition.

        • Nevada is wearing the pearl of the Aegean. Lol! I’m so glad she decided not to stow it away in in her grandmother’s toolbox forever ????

          • Lol sorry about this friend but i got to be one of THOSE people.. It’s actually called the Tear of the Aegean. Also it’s a diamond not a pearl.

  4. At first glance I see the necklace Connor gave Nevada.

    Have to look for more goodies when someone’s not likely to walk into my office.

  5. Ok, I’m probably going to need to buy that. She’s an amazing artist. I still think Blood Heir is the best cover of the IA books and that’s despite rating Emerald Blaze (those colors!) pretty highly.

  6. The Tear of Aegean!!! I’ve noticed the other “easter eggs” but I’ll let others join in the fun too 🙂

    This is awesome!!

  9. I pictured the Tear being bigger.
    And, of course, Arabella is holding her phone.
    I think Shadow should be happier, given He is being held by Catalina.

  10. Ahhhh!! So glad that prints will be available because one day I’m going to have a library in my house and this is going to hang on the wall of said library. I love it! Luisa is a brilliant artist.

  17. Wow! I love it – she is truly talented.

    I’m always amazed when you write how you do such a good job giving the characters their own voices. Catalina sounds so different from Nevada. And Julie is different from Kate.

    Congrats on the award! I love Catalina’s story arc and love, love, love Julie’s too.

  23. Congratulations! And wow. I am a professional artist, this is truly superb. Love all the Easter eggs! Makes it sooo fun.

  25. Great portrait! Congratulations on the Swoonie awards! Always nice to have confirmation your hard work is appreciated! ????

  30. Yay! Congratulations on the awards! They are so well deserved. I love the new artwork. It is gorgeous and fun.

  32. So beautiful. I love it when the artists vision is the same as mine.
    I see at least 7 eggs. Too cool!

  33. You guys are on fire! Congratulations!

    I could not love this portrait more. Just everything about it is wonderful.

    It’s impossible to pick one favorite part (so, so many!), but I am quite charmed by the sticky for the Hut of Evil.

    It made my morning to see this work. Brava to the artist, and bravo to the two of you for bringing us these fabulous, kick ass stories.

  34. Luisa Preissler is SO talented! I love all of her work. Plus, you can tell she is a real fan w/ all the details she puts into her pieces. Having a true fan do the art is the only way to go, in my humble opinion. ???? #MoreLuisaPreisslerArt

  36. This is absolutely fantastic! Such terrific work. Their personalities come through so well, and the Easter eggs are spot on and so fun to pick out as well. Love it!

  39. This artist is truly gifted! What an amazing painting! I hope you have her paint a family portrait for you. And wow on the diamond info.

    In a Nora Roberts blog post there is a picture showing a painting of her and her husband as Rick and Ilsa in the final scene from Casablanca. I thought it was a fun idea.

  40. Congratulations on your wins for Emerald Blaze!

    Luisa’s work always impresses, and the Baylor sisters look stunning here.

    But you know what I see, a opportunity for more family portraits. We need the guys too!

    Ha, love the Hut of Evil post-it note. 🙂

  41. OMG GORGEOUS!! Yes, if it becomes a print, I need this! The picture I didn’t know I needed. ???? I can’t believe how well she nailed them. I knew who was who the second I clapped eyes on it. Love it LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much for sharing!! ❤

  46. Love the painting. I have not looked for the Easter eggs since I am work right now. Maybe later I will look for them.

    I agree we need to the guys, Grandma Frida, Penelope, and Rogan (if she hasn’t done one of him). Put in Alessandro too.

    Congratulations on your award!

    • I am at work. I told one of my co-workers this morning, I can’t spell or think in English. Too many numbers going through my head. 😀

  47. Wow!! So cool. They look like what I imagined, or close enough to it! Just wow. I love that they drew the dog as well.

  50. This is really cool. I’m glad you mentioned the Easter eggs or I might have missed them. I didn’t picture Nevada looking quite so sultry. I guess wearing that diamond would give any woman an extra dose of self confidence.

    • You kidding? I imagine Leon is taking the picture, Nevada’s first thought was “really guys, now? really? My hair’s full of cement dust (which I shook some out before entering the office), and I’m covered in bruises! Good thing this wall is conveniently propping me up!” then Connor walks over, behind Leon, & gives Nevada “a look”

  54. Oh my God, the necklace! And the signs! I love it!
    And I’m so happy that they look all a lot how I have impictured them in my head. Arabella definitly the most, what is actually kind of funny.

  55. Wow! This is amazing! I never taught much about their appearance in “real life”, but I can totally picture Catalina and Arabella exactly like this!!
    Love the details too: hope there will be an Hut of Evil in the new mansion as well!

    Congrats for the award: Emerald Blaze is more than swoon worth!!

  56. Oh wow, the portrait is amazing! I see Shadow, the Tear of the Aegean (??), and Arabella’s blue dress, her laptop, and the cell phone that she’s always on. Aaaaand I also see the tank printed on the arrow pointing to Grandm Frida’s motor pool, the Baylor Agency sign, and maybe the warehouse intercom buttons? Love everything!

    Also, congrats on the Swoon Awards!

  58. Congratulations on the Swoon awards win!
    The picture is awesome. I’m going to have to really study it to find all the Easter eggs.
    Hope everyone is healthy and you guys are able to de-stress daily.

  60. OMG the post-it sign for the Hut of Evil!! 😀 The details are amazing. Of course Arabella has her phone out!

  61. Love Luisa’s works! And congrats on the Swoon award – Emerald Blaze is TOTALLY swoon-worthy! I’m already more than ready to devour Ruby Fever haha.

  62. Wow this is so stunningly wonderful …. Catalina’s expression really stands out to me. Beautiful…

    And congrats on Emerald Blaze. ????????????

  64. Love, love, love! Do you think you need her to do one of Rogan and a pregnant Nevada? I think maybe yes, lol.

  65. Recognized them immediately.
    The dog, diamond and phone was easy to spot.
    I thought Arabella would be shorter.
    But I love she is in her double breasted navy dress. And You got Catalina holding Shadow.That scene in the abandoned mall was so important, so telling about Catalina and Alessandro.
    Nevada looks so confident.
    Luisa has done a beautiful job.
    Congratulations on Emerald Blaze winning . Well deserved.
    You bring such happiness to everyone who reads your book.
    Thank you.

  66. Wow. Just wow! What a talented woman Luisa is. I love her work and its so wonderful to see beloved characters come to life in this form

  70. Huh. My company is blocking me from getting to the Swoon Awards website; it’s categorized as a Malicious Site. O_O

  72. I almost didn’t look at the portrait as I did not want to have my mental images spoiled. I’ll be darned: there they are! The portrait firmed up my somewhat nebulous imaginings. It’s great.
    Congratulations on the award. And another thank you for the connections to the colored diamond postings. I sold fine jewelry for over a decade. loved working with the colored stones and so enjoyed going back over the text and illustrations. My favorites for diamond colors were intense pink, and fancy yellow. The fancy yellows just seem more lively to me than the whites, while pink tourmaline and morganite can provide nice pink gems at a small fraction of pink diamonds. Boy, I enjoyed this blog posting.

  73. The portrait is absolutely wonderful. It was easy to pick out who was who. And, they look like real people (because, of course, they are). 😉 Loved the Easter eggs. So much fun looking for them.

    Congrats on the Swoon awards. No surprises there. It was well deserved!

  76. The picture is gorgeous. Is that the 1st or 2nd best ‘client interview’ suit that Arabella is wearing – for the 1st and closing interview respectively? And has anyone spotted a striking resemblance between Catalina and Natalie Portman?

    • Arabella is wearing the blue dress she wore when they questioned Stephen Jiang in Emerald Blaze :).
      “Arabella picked a blue dress with a plunging neckline that miraculously exposed no cleavage. It had lightly padded shoulders and lines that signaled trench coat rather than dress, with lapels, fitted sleeves, which she rolled up, and a skirt that reached to midthigh. She cinched the whole thing with a light gold belt that should have been gaudy but somehow looked elegant and paired it with high-heeled gold sandals.” Andrews, Ilona. Emerald Blaze, page 245. Avon Books, Harper Collins 2020. Kindle Edition.

    • OMG I had the same thought!!! Which is fine by me because that is one really beautiful woman.

      • That was supposed to be one comment higher – Catalina does remind me of Natalie Portman

  77. Wow just stunning painting and yay for the win, I must admit Hidden Legacy is one of my favourite series ????
    Congratulations

  78. ☀️ Catalina: Shadow in her arms ???? with expensive bracelet and her mother’s appearance.
    ☀️ Nevada: Connor’s necklace and dressed for a day of “car vigilance” with no make up and characteristic blonde hair and tanned natural skin combo.
    ☀️ Arabella: Dressed to get payments from clients with laptop and mobile close, expertly applied make up on.
    AMAZING. I love the artist took the extra time for realism. It works incredibly. Worth every penny.

    • And now for bonus points about the setting: Hut of evil and the path to grandma’s tank and the B.I.A plate above a brick wall un memory of the warehouse. I LOVE IT ❣️

  80. These are so great! I love the sticker and sticky notes in the background too.
    You guys already have a your own shelf on my bookcase. So I might start buying prints and give you guys a wall.

    Congrats for the win! Loved that I could vote for more than one book without guilt. The Pnr/Uf category are my top two authors. You guys and Nalini Singh!
    Congrats again!

  83. The portrait is fabulous!
    Arabella seems to be wearing the outfit described in Emerald Blaze when she, Catalina, and Cornelius interviewed Steven Jiang. It is exactly how she was described. So fun!!

  85. Oh my this is so gorgeous! Amazing! And now that you mention it, an update to my family’s portrait gallery is long overdue… ????

  87. YES! What amazing art, it’s like they plucked that image from our collective brains.

  88. I Love this!! ????They all look so amazing!! All the little details are so fun too. And Shadow looks adorable all serious and ready for business lol.

    I always pictured Catalina with slightly darker skin tone though. I thought her grandfather on her mother’s side was black, and my image of her came from there. (Please correct me if I’m wrong!) I was probably also just reaching every time she mentioned her and Leon were the darker ones of the family, since I have tanned skin and wanted to relate to her in some way lol!

    This is seriously so awesome and I can’t wait to reread the books again and picture them like this ????

    • Hi Natalie. People can have a range of skin tones and lighting plays a role. Here is Catalina vs Halle Berry. Halle Berry has a white mother and an African American father. So her skin tone is not unrealistic. But you can picture Catalina however you want.

      • How funny, I actually pictured her with skin tone just like Halle Berry! So you’re very right about lighting making a difference. And I didn’t mean to say it was unrealistic, I promise!

        I know that people with mixed parents can come out with a range of skin tones (my dad has dark skin, and while my older sister and I have tanned skin, my little sister has light skin tone like my mom), so I just meant since Catalina’s grandfather was African American, it wasn’t too out there for me to picture her with skin tone a little darker.

        And I fully believe reading is subjective, and in that, people can picture characters however they wish. I’d never argue with someone who pictured Catalina with lighter skin tone. I only meant to share my own image of her and what influenced it ????.

        Thank you so much for replying and sharing the comparison! I appreciate it so much!

    • Hey Natalie, I had the same reaction! One of the things I love about this series is the multiracial, multicultural, international array of characters. (So many other series do not.) I was disappointed that the art doesn’t clearly reflect that.
      That said, I love seeing the sisters together, and the super-accurate details are fun.

  91. Wow! Love the artwork! Congratulations on the Swoon awards!

    I am always happy when I get pictures with all our kids in it. Never thought about a painting. Now I am wanting a family portrait.

  92. EEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I love it when the hair/eye colors match the character book descriptions, and to have an actual outfit as described in a book…*swoon*

  96. I think, beyond the incredible writing, Luisa’s cover art on Blood Heir helped sell the book to newbies. I’m not ashamed to admit I pick up a new author based on the covers. And Blood Heir has a beautiful cover. If I hadn’t already read everything, I would definitely have picked up the book based on that alone.

    And THIS? *mwah* gorgeous!

  98. Love the that the “Hut of Evil” sign is on a sticky! It points to the impermanence of the location since it’s a functional destination rather than a fixed destination. Such nuance. ????????????

  100. Ngl, I totally want a Luisa version of the avon covers with the shirtless Rogan. She imbues such expression into her art that it would be hilarious.

  101. Congratulations on Emerald Blaze.
    And thank you for having that portrait done by Luisa, it is so beautiful! Still stunned by it, as I am by her other works, especially Kate and Julie.
    I always felt the Avon book covers gor Hidden Legacy are nice but they were lacking a little of the Baylor sisters spirit. Both Nevada and Catalina have so much more depth and nuance and in this portrait I can really see them and Arabella in all their vibrancy.

  102. Love it! Fun to see all the Easter eggs as well.

    Congratulations on the Swoon Award wins, very exciting!!

  103. Congratulations on winning both Best PNR/UF *and* Book of the Year in the Swoon Awards! It’s richly deserved.

    And the portrait! Luisa is a genius, and you are very generous to share the result with us. Thank you.

  104. Catalina is holding Shadow, Arabella is wearing her take-no-prisoners, pay-me-now suit, and I love the hut of evil and garage signs!

  105. Huge congratulations on winning the Swoon Awards! Best of the year, no less. The BDH is totally proud of and happy for you.

  106. That is such a wonderful portrait of the sisters! I love all the little details she included, such as the symbol for Grandma’s garage, the Hut of Evil, etc. The way each of the sisters are dressed, the dog, everything is so perfect. I will be happy to order a print to place over my bookcases, where I have everything that you have published.

    Thank you for such wonderful books and congratulations on finding such an outstanding artist for this portrait!

  107. Beautiful portrait! My only quibble is that it seems to me that Nevada and especially Catalina are a bit too pale. From what I recall from their descriptions, Nevada is fairly tan and Catalina is supposed to have the darkest skin except for her mom. Still, that’s just my opinion… 🙂

    • Hello Ron,

      Please see answer above from Ilona
      “ People can have a range of skin tones and lighting plays a role. Here is Catalina vs Halle Berry. Halle Berry has a white mother and an African American father. So her skin tone is not unrealistic. But you can picture Catalina however you want.”

  108. Wow!! That is gorgeous! Definitely can tell that the Baylor girls are sisters.
    Is Nykie the model for Shadow? Both such cute dogs!

    You should do your family portrait, whether painting or photograph. I have the photograph our family took in the 1970’s that is of my paternal grandparents, my parents and all four of us kids. They hung in grandparents and parents dining rooms for years. (Rescued both copies when we cleaned out mom and dad’s house several years ago.) Not sure which of my nieces and nephews will eventually get them, probably whoever has the most interest in family photos/history. Important for you to have now of your family, and to pass along through your family as an heirloom.

  109. Congratulations on your awards! ????

    The picture is gorgeous! I hope you have the actual painting hanging on your office wall (or at least a print of it). ????

    • 🙂 You’re thinking of Kate’s dog, Grendel the attack poodle.
      Catalina’s dog, Shadow, is a mixed breed.
      “One of her parents had to have been a dachshund and the other a Scottish terrier or some similar breed” Andrews, Ilona. Sapphire Flames, page 117. Avon Books, Harper Collins 2019. Kindle edition

  112. Arabella’s whole outfit, w/cell phone and laptop, were what was described of how she looks when she goes to collect.

  113. I love this. The Easter eggs are amazing. Did anyone notice the Bailor Investigatve Agency logo? Yeah, really – SHE DESIGNED A LOGO FOR THIS.
    Did she read the books or did she paint this with descriptions from IA?

  114. Congrats on the Swoon awards! That’s so lovely!

    And Luisa does such beautiful work! I’m so excited to see it as a print!!

  115. Wow! That’s some wonderful stuff there!! So congratulations on the award times two! Well deserved. Also, I totally love that painting. She is an amazingly gifted artist. I really love the expressions on the women too! The signs are great. Thanks for sharing.

  116. Yaaaay, the beautiful Baylor girls. All unique yet a slight family resemblance, and so elegant. Each with something that is important to them. Better than Charlie’s Angels!
    Shadow is adorable. Luisa Preissler is so talented.

  118. I could identify Nevada by the attitude, didn’t need any Easter eggs. Arabella I knew because of the Hair color. Somehow thought it would be Catalina in the suit though. Can’t say why exactly

  119. OMG she does artwork for another really good author Rachel Aaron. i must say I’d love to buy this as a print and one of grandma frida in the garage,

  120. Ok, we a picture of Mom & Grandmom. These ladies are gorgeous and I’d love to see where the genetics came from.

    This is so much fun!

  121. So pretty!
    I’m determined to make prints from Luisa’s site my next splurge item. I don’t know where I’ll put them but there are at least three things I’m eyeing.

  122. Love it! As an artist, it’s always fun to see how another artist interprets the character’s appearance, based on the words of the author. Luisa is an amazing, gifted woman.

  124. Congrats on the Swoon awards!

    It has never even occurred to me to buy prints of cover art before, but this one might just be enough to tip me over the edge.

  126. Amazing portrait and award news! The beauty is in the details for the books and the portrait. 🙂 what a lovely finish for the day!

  127. Omg! What an awesome portrait of the Baylor sisters! I absolutely adore it. Especially the fact that Catalina is holding Shadow. What a cute doggo!

  128. It’s absolutely perfect. I can’t stop looking at it. Wow. I am usually not this taken by cover arts bit this is something extra.

  129. She is so immensely talented. I already have 2 of her Kate Daniels prints and will totally get this one when it comes out. Love Arabella’s belt!
    Also the Hut of Evil sign and the Tank sign. So damn cute!

  132. Very cool artwork! I’m currently re-re-reading the Hidden Legacy series in a vague attempt to not lose my mind. Much appreciate all your work.

  135. Great picture, but, isn’t Nevada a bit too…white? She’s 1/4 black (probably) on the maternal side, and her father should have had somewhat dark skin as well. Take a look.

    From Burn For Me:

    Grandma Frida’s parents came to the US from Germany. She was dark haired and light skinned naturally. Grandpa Leon was from Quebec. I didn’t remember much about him except that he was huge and dark-skinned. It caused some issues for both of them, but they loved each other too much to regret it. Together they made my mother, with dark hair and medium brown skin. We didn’t know a lot about Dad’s family. He once told me that his mother was a terrible person and he didn’t want anything to do with her. He looked part Caucasian, part Native American to me, with dark blond hair, but I never asked. All of those genes fell into the melting pot, boiled together, and I came out, with tan skin, brown eyes, and blond hair.

    • Hey HMC,
      As Ilona said above, everyone is free to imagine the characters as they want, this is one artistic depiction- people can have a variety of skin tones and lighting plays a big part too.
      I hope this helps ????

      • So, Nevada has the coloring of Mariah Carey and Catalina the coloring of Halle Berry. That helps me get it.

  137. OMG this is soooo awesome, I love how Catalina reminds me of Natalie Portman and how they really reflect the way I imagined the Baylor ladies to look like.

    Luisa is soooo incredibly talented, I love her work!

    • Oh GOD! that would be glorious! And another one for Innkeeper! We need more Science Fantasy in our lives!

  142. The signs on the wall! Arabella’s dress! Shadow/Nykie! The Tear of the Aegean! Everything that this illustrator does is beautiful, but this is unbelievably gorgeous!!!

  143. How lovely!
    Now I can’t wait for the Trio of Men that made their lives “more exciting”!
    Rogan, Alessandro and mystery man N°3…..

  144. LOVE it! 🙂 it’s amazing. Besides the amazingly in-character portraits I especially the ‘hut of evil’ sticky note and tank mechanic sign. I love the business logo for Baylor Investigative Agency, I haven’t seen that before. Nevada is wearing the necklace Rogan gave her and dressed nicely but practically, and Arabella has a phone and is dressed to the 9s, but I can’t figure out why classy Catalina is holding a dog. My brain must have leaked this detail. ^_^

    • It’s her dog, Shadow, who she saved during the mall fight scene in Sapphire Flames. She is a great comfort to Catalina and features extensively in her books. I hope this helps 🙂

  146. A great portrait!

    I liked all the little details. Since I didn’t see it mentioned elsewhere, I’ll say the custom BIA logo on Arabella’s laptop really amuses me.

    • And hah, someone else did notice it! It’s the things you catch 5 seconds after you press post.

  147. And the tank in the sign is very specifically a German WW2 Panzer IV Ausf. G . Got to respect the attention to detail (O.K., so it’s not Grandma Freda’s Romeo, a 1960s M551 Sheridan).

  150. Congratulations!????
    Awesome artwork done on
    awesome characters by awesome authors!

    Love it!
    Especially the way the art shows the characteristics of boldnes in her stance, a softness to Catalina, and a slyness to Arabella.. they are all really well depicted and pretty close to character.. beautiful!
    ????????????

  152. Really beautiful artwork showing the Baylor women. I wonder if she would do the whole family, as this is one of the most interesting, talented, eccentric and diverse families that has ever graced the pages of a book.

    Also, do you do maps at all?? I would love to see a map of the new and upcoming Baylor Compound. That way, when they are attacked or things happen at the Compound, I can look it up and have even more fun following along with the action in the book. Or pictures??

    Wishing House Andrews lots of happiness and joy this coming year. Peace and blessings to all of you. And, thank you for your wonderful written words that we all love so much.

  153. What a gorgeous artwork! It is such a thrill seeing the Baylor sisters.
    And congratulations on the book award!

  154. Love the picture! It captures them beautifully!

    On a random note, I was re-reading Wildfire the other day and was wondering if you ever wrote the scene where Arabella jumps from the helicopter from the perspective of those on board the helicopter. Would love to read that, if you ever feel moved to write it or share it.

  155. Luisa’s fbook page has no examples of her work on it. Was just admiring a Kate Daniels painting on a different page.

  157. That is pretty d*cool. Huh. I am now thinking of all the books where I would love a candid family scene or family portrait. This one is so good, though.

  158. I see the Hut of Evil postie and the Tank sticker.
    Catalina with Shadow
    Arabella, dressed to the 9s (which is her everydaywear) with her laptop and phone
    Nevada, dressed a lot more practically, with her necklace

    Am I missing anything?

  160. Love it!

    I got Catalina right away, but was wavering between Nevada and Arabella.
    I defaulted to Nevada in the middle because Arabella is the shortest, but for some reason, my brain did just not compute Nevada having wavy hair. (I’m sure it’s described somewhere, but as a natural blonde with VERY straight hair, I think my brain refuses to combine “wavy” and “blonde”. I’ve seen it, but when I read “blonde”, I default to MY hair texture. ) Then I saw the Tear of the Aegean, and my thought was, “I thought Arabella would be shorter.” LOL!

  161. It amazes me how talented some people are. They look as I imagined them. I love this series, so much fun to see them in the “flesh” all together.

  164. It’s pretty obvious. Catalina has the dog, Arabella with the laptop and phone and that leaves Nevada with the necklace.

  165. It’s so beautiful, I just keep staring at it, I love Luisa’s art
    Thank you for sharing it with us ????

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