We are still working on Hugh and Elara’s book.
There is battling. So much battling. Planning of the battling. Describing the preparations to the battling. Executing the actual battling. Scrapping the battling due to it devolving into clinical account of the battling. Starting over. More battling. Some heads being loped off.
Work work work. Workitty.
The computer fixed itself. I didn’t do anything to it. I shut it down overnight, and in the morning it miraculously worked, which is lovely because if it conked out, I would have no choice but go and buy a new one. And reinstall everything. ::shudders:: I don’t even remember my Dropbox password. Having watched the task manager for a few days, I have to say web browsers are eating up a surprising amount of memory.
Oh, I read an advance copy of a really good book by Jennifer Estep. It had badass gladiators in it. Loved. It’s called KILL THE QUEEN. (Mihir, if you haven’t requested it, you should. I think you might really like it.) I’ll talk more about it when I’m coherent. It had wereogres.
Let’s see what else? Gordon’s birthday is coming up. I ordered some goodies for him. The problem is, he will snoop. I know he will. So the question is, do I just surrender to the fact that he will snoop or should I attempt to hide things, which will be taken as a challenge? These things you contemplate after two decades of marriage.
Well that is it for now. I have made a blog update so you will know we are not dead. If you want some sort of decent content, ask some industry questions or something, because I have nothing in my head but battles and moat building at the moment.
Frances says
How in the world did you come up with fight in the last episode of Innkeeper? I have re-read it more times than possible and cannot imagine how you came up with it…much less wrote it? Do you have a background in sword fighting? Did you consult? How? It was amazing!
Juel says
I was wondering the same thing! I can’t wrap my mind around how it was planned out!
Tasha A says
Ditto this question!
Kimbeaux says
Ilona has mentioned watching videos for research in a previous blog–10+ hours in a sitting, presumably for one fight scene. Those descriptions are indeed amazing.
sarafina says
They have been doing this for more than 20 minutes.
Katherine Meservy says
Thanks for the update and the book idea! Have fun moating and fighting. Happy early birthday to Gordon. I would give him a challenge! We all need small challenges that are just for funsies in our life. 😀
Valz says
try to hide it. the snooping is part of the birthday fun (for him) lol it is not fun for you.
Ivy says
Hide his gift in plain sight. Clean cat litter container should do it, if the gift will fit in a bread box.
Saira says
ohh I like that. Or in the refrigerator…
ladyreadsalot says
smaller items in feminine hygiene packaging seems to work for me against hubby snooping but I like the cat litter idea too.
BevQB says
Yep, my favorite way of hiding things is in plain site. I hide things underneath my dirty laundry (which means only laundering a few things at a time so I can keep the basket full). I also put things inside generic or Amazon shipping boxes and just keep them in the attic with the other 9 million boxes up there. For small items, I often just put them in an Ulta bag (which wouldn’t work for Daughter’s gifts, if course).
fiveandfour says
My husband was super insulted when he overheard me saying I hid his gifts in plain sight near the household cleaning products because I was completely certain he’d never find them. He may have been insulted, but my success rate was 100% so I just considered it as being practical and realistic. (Why make things harder than necessary, you know?)
If only he hadn’t overheard me, I’m sure that tactic would still work…
Having said that, if I knew he couldn’t resist snooping, I would feel compelled to mess with him a bit by leaving false clues, enlisting help to get others to mess with him with their own false clues spoken “accidentally”, etc, because messing with your spouse is kind of required after several years of marriage (I’m pretty sure that’s in the vows).
Kimmelane says
You can have a lot of fun messing with them if you hide gag gifts. Hee hee!
Simone says
You two work so hard on your battle scenes – that is why they are so absorbing (the latest Maud one where everyone held their breath while reading lol).
My husband used to snoop and try to figure out what I got him. I had tracked down a CD and ordered it from Japan in advance of his birthday. He told me when I got home from work that he found it and how it was too much money for a CD ($35 which I could afford). I just thanked him for sucking all the fun out of giving him the gift. On his birthday he got a card and dinner. He hasn’t snooped since (15 years of marriage).
Laurence says
I love it!!!! Excellent move, really good.
Kimmelane says
Oh, good response! Very nicely done.
Shlomi Harif says
Hah! Your computer and mine must be in cahoots. It sat quietly off, last night, and is now obediently dowerfjvk dfslkdsklfj sdlkflkj0sdfkl-fsf. SDFkjs dkjd
*sigh*
Mary says
I read “It had wereogres” as “It had wereorgies” and did a double take. ?
Brooke Travis says
Omg! Ha!
Kimbeaux says
Snork!
Karen the Griffmom says
Bury in bottom of dog food container. I’m assuming you store your dog food in large garbage cans. Ours is in a tin trunk in the basement.
Tylikcat says
You could appear to surrender, but hide the best stuff? (Applied iteratively, increasingly good hiding places. Either they work, or it’s an awesome game…)
Sue says
I was going to suggest the same thing!
Something easy to find then harder and harder.?sue
Brooke Travis says
Oh, that’s a good idea!
Tara says
Agreed! Mis-direction is likely the best strategy…
Kelticat says
Someone that I follow once gave her husband a scavenger hunt for his birthday, with clues for the next location on the item found.
Caroline Adams says
Heh. All good ideas for dealing with partner curiosity for gifts.
My own experience? After many years of creatively and – occasionally non-creatively (i.e. using the boot of my car, to which I hid the key) – hiding husband presents, I snapped. I waited ‘til he was away and then hid the gifts in his own wardrobe (closet). He looked everywhere else for them (by then I had exhausted all other options), but did not find them. On this occasion, when he opened his gifts he asked where I had hidden them. When I told him, he mournfully noted that I had ruined the whole ‘game’. Since then, he has never gone looking for presents.
Be careful what you wish for! I miss that battle of wits in hiding gifts.
Randy says
Kelticat, I knew I should have read all the comments. I said the same thing, so you win hands down. Maybe while he’s out scavengering, the kids quietly show up.
tylikcat says
My father’s birthday is April first, so when I was a kid there was a certain about of pranking associated with it. One year we up a scavenger hunt – I was probably about five or six? – and I remember one set of clues were based on the circuits of one of his own chip designs, which I had meticulously drawn out by hand. Heh – I hadn’t thought of that in years 🙂 (I must have been six – it was after the kitchen remodel.)
Tink says
One of my brother’s birthday is also April Fool’s Day. My favorite was when my dad gave him a small anvil. Yes, an anvil. Big, heavy box, so he thought it was going to be a nice gift. Heh.
tylikcat says
I take it he wasn’t a metalworker? (I seem to recall some epic tales of anvil rescues…)
When my dad was young – and poor – apparently his best friend wrapped up a pipe and a rock, and my dad thought it was a bat and a ball, and then beat the kid up after he unwrapped them and saw what they were.
Only to find out his friend had an actual bat and ball for him around the corner.
(This is such a sad story – and probably says something important about my dad, too.)
Tink says
My dad was the controller (accountant) at a foundry, so I think he got the guys to make it for him.
tylikcat says
I spent a chunk of my teens in the SCA, and decent (larger) anvils were a hot commodity. And I recall some involved bit of gfish ( http://www.attoparsec.com/ ) rescuing an anvil from a barn with a bunch of his friends… though probably when he was in his early twenties and on a much tighter budget.
Tink says
Someone will do a scavenger hunt every few years at Xmas. I was the one on the hunt this year. I was stymied at the second clue, because my brother gave the clue to my nephew to put in his room. Have you ever seen how messy a boy’s room can be? Turned out the next clue was in an envelope on his desk. I had to jump over an air mattress, avoiding a stack of dirty clothes, just to get close enough to stretch and reach the envelope.
This year i did two different things with gifts. Instead of a hunt, I created a crossword puzzle with circled letters that revealed the location of the gift.
The other thing I did was a version of the Russian nesting dolls. It was a small present, so I wrapped the box then put it in another box with bubblewrap. Then I wrapped that box and put it in another box with packing peanuts. I ended up nesting 4 or 5 boxes, and each one was wrapped . He had no idea when it would end. Could have gone one more – i had another box – but I ran out of filler material. I was declared a meanie for doing that. I considered that a job well done.
Jellicat says
So glad I read the comments before replying! My husband is the same way. I usually hide 1 so – so gift and a “good” gift that I know he will find, then hide the “real” gift in the storage rental locker or “in plain site.” I covered one item in a school textbook cover (our daughter is school age) and left it on the coffee table for 2 weeks. He never realized what it was, then on his birthday when we were all sitting in the room, our daughter asked if he was ready for his present, got up, picked it up right in front of him and gave it to him. He was shocked, then laughed.
Snakatac says
Does one of the kids live elsewhere not too far? And can keep a secret in both senses?Have them hide gift at their place! So long as it’s guaranteed you can get it back on time for B Day!
Jennifermlc says
Our good friend was a terrible snoop. Her husband would keep her gifts at our place. We wouldn’t give her her gifts until the day of. She knew she couldn’t snoop in our place and it drove her nuts. So fun. ?
DianaInCa says
Doesn’t Kid2 live in the garage apartment? Have her hide it.
Teressa says
I wouldn’t mind an update on how your family is enjoying the Switch. What games do you play? I got one for Xmas and love it.
Cortland says
Glad the computer thing worked itself out. It MAY have been caused by Windows Update doing things in the background. Task Manager doesn’t overtly inform you of that. A large download would account for the disk usage issue.
I only know this because I went through the same problem not long ago.
MissB2U says
We have a few tough days ahead. I am re-reading Hidden Legacy which, as always, helps. So thank you for those books.
Do not trust the tech. It’s lulling you into a false sense of security.
My family loves it when I hide gifts because I always forget a few and they get discovered throughput the weeks that follow. Always nice to be a source of amusement for my kids…
Dave_5k says
One thought on the laptop – Windows 10 added the hidden feature of automatically, by default, changing the power button and shut-down menu option into a hibernate status as a new “feature” for faster start-up. I’d recommend turning this “feature” off as you have an SSD boot drive which makes the benefits minimal, and has risks of causing problems with some apps over time (as the system never fully shuts off).
Control Panel / Power Options / Change what power buttons do / change settings that are currently unavailable / uncheck the “fast startup” option.
Windows achieves this “fast startup” by never shutting down & instead always hibernating, which isn’t always desirable (this is one of the first settings I change, along with fixing all the privacy settings, when getting a new Windows 10 machine).
Inga Abel says
I also am suggesting, let him snoop the lame ones and hide the goodies. So you can say: Oh no! Now you found all the good ones! In truth YOU have all the best well hidden… Of course he might suspect, hmmm … Whatever you do: have a bit of fun with him! All the best from Switzerland! Inga
Bal says
Hello, I noticed the Hidden Legacy novella on Amazon. Wow!!! Thank you. I know nothing about it and won’t pressure you until you are ready to share but just thank you. I love that Hidden Legacy world you have created. Can’t wait!
Ilona says
Shhhhh.
Bal says
It’s so weird. Every now and again I look you guys up in the Kindle store (having already read every single thing you have written) and there it was…
Just looking at me. My precious (Gollum voice)
I will say no more until November!
Ilona says
Look below. See what you did. 😛
Bal says
Shhh you will let the Zeus out of the bag (see what I did there ?)
I wonder if I was the first to order it…?!
Tasha A says
Can only see on amazon.co.uk. no listing on the USA amazon site that I can find.
Tasha A says
Never mind took some digging but I found it!! Purchased!
Teresa says
Ordered. Yea
Lally says
Ordered.yah
BelleBok says
Got it! Pre-ordered… Yaay! Thanks for the “shhhh”.
Anne in Virginia says
Hee hee hee. I went and pre-ordered it even though it doesn’t have a title yet and I haven’t got the faintest idea of the story line. Thus is my absolute faith in the Authorlords that whatever they write I WANT TO READ. Besides, my birthday is in November and I am entitled to give myself a present I know for sure I will like.
The Book Devouring Horde should all go pre-order it and maybe we can push an untitled novella into the top of the Kindle list months before it actually comes out.
Anne in Virginia
Tamara says
I’m in line too! Already preordered. 🙂
Anne in Virginia says
For those who want to pre-order, type in Ilona Andrews in the author section, then Hidden Legacy in the title section and the first three books in the series come up on search and the fourth item is the Untitled Hidden Legacy Novella #1, punch the pre-order button and Voila!
Ilona says
Did I not say shhhh? I thought I said shhhh.
Kirsten says
Cats out of the bag! There is no going back now.
Sorry dear Authorlords
Kimmelane says
You can’t hide goodies from the Horde, either! LO
Patricia Schlorke says
*shh*…it’s on Barnes and Noble too—just pre-ordered it. *shh* 😀
Karen the Griffmom says
Ppppffffhhht! to your *shh*
Greedy Guts says
Didn’t work for me.
🙁
Simone says
Shhhh – be very very quiet – don’t let the Authorlords know I told you 😉 🙂 https://www.amazon.com/Unti-Hidden-Legacy-Novella-1-ebook/dp/B07BK3M7V7/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522181793&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=ilona+andrews+hidden+legacy+untitled
Patricia Schlorke says
My comment above….I’ll quietly repeat…*shh* it’s available on Barnes and Noble for pre-order….. *shh*.
Cindy M. says
Thanks for the link! I couldn’t find it by myself. I’m so happy now.
Amanda H says
It comes out on my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! *wiggle wiggle booty dance*
Tink says
::whispers:: Thanks for the link!
::normal volume:: Link? What link? I did not click on the link that I did not see. Nor did I inhale.
Jenn says
Hi Anne in Virginia! I’m Jenn in Virginia. 🙂 I also pre-ordered, with absolute faith that I will love it.
Anne in Virginia says
I’m in the Herndon-Reston area. What part of Virginia are you in? The members of the BDH are many and mighty and I do believe we span the globe.
Skippy says
I’m in Loudoun. *waves down route 7*
Zirraella says
Yesterday when I preordered, the rank an the German Amazon was 51 thousand something in payed. This morning it is rank 8616. Rank 34 in eBooks: Fantasy& Futuristic and Ghosts; rank 37 in foreign language books, again the Fantasy& Futuristic and Ghosts category and 620 in foreign language ebooks > belletristic.
The horde strikes again! 🙂
Also: *shhhhh*
Patricia Schlorke says
I’ll quietly say thank you for the birthday surprise (my b-day is Thursday).
Bal says
That shhhh escalated…..
Tina in NJ says
Wait! What?!
Aneira says
YES!!! That’s great news! I wonder if it’s about Nevada and Rogan or someone else? I can’t wait! I do hope there are more books in the future, though.
Cristina says
Chi! Prettyyy Chiiiiiiiiii with a cherry on top! I’ll preorder. Thanks for the scoop ?
popcorn says
Am I wrong in hoping this is Rogan’s and Nevada’s wedding and watching all the crazy leading up to/at it?!
Jo says
Drat drat and double drat. Not on amazon Australia which is only site kindle will let me in new Zealand buy from. I wanted to order too!
Wildthingqueen says
When I order presents, I bust don’t open the box it was mailed in. I leave that box in plain site and if someone asks, I say it’s laundry detergent or something. Works every time!
Stephanie Lachance says
If your family is like mine, snooping around to find a gift, surprises or candies has become a tradition.
I believe that having to work for it give us a sense of gratification greater than just having the person give us the gift.
I think Gordon, and every snooping person, love this kind of challenge.
Charley says
Will the moat have critters?
Hide a decoy. Amazon has fake present boxes…
Mamasaurus says
When building a moat, does one just make a really deep ditch? Or do they have to line it with something so the earth doesn’t absorb all the water? Never realized I was curious about this, but now I am…
Kimbeaux says
If it is continually refilled, as from a diverted stream, and on clay soil it might not be necessary to line it. Probably required for standing water/sandy soil.
Tom says
Also depends on the height of the water table… if it’s really high/close to the surface then it’ll auto-fill so to speak unless the water table drops in time of drought…
Mind you, you’d then have a problem with keeping cellars/dungeons etc. clear of water inside your moat!
Mayte says
Uf I hope so much battling don’t make it hard to read, for us non English people…
I hide presents at job and bring them home the same day of his birthday… you can’t do that but have you try to deliver to a friend house instead ?.
DianaInCa says
Good Luck with the gift hiding. My husband does not really like to celebrate much or get too many gifts. He doesn’t want to get older ? Like ignoring it makes him stay young.
Colleen says
I have a decade on you on the marriage front – we are 33 1/2 years into married bliss. And he’s worse that a snoop, he’s a mind-reader. He will inevitably pick up for himself whatever it is I had JUST purchased and/or ordered and hid away for his birthday/Christmas/anniversary present. I can either pick up something he’d NEVER think about purchasing for himself (and hope that is not because he never wanted it, but, rather he never thought of it and was thrilled with it because I am such a thoughtful wife) – or look him dead in the eye and say “If you buy that before {occasion date} I will kill you in your sleep and you won’t be able to enjoy it anyway. And, by the way, you will be so surprised when you unwrap your {occasion} present, won’t you?!”
Kelticat says
And that was how my dad ended up with two golf bags. One he bought a week before Christmas and one that my mom bought him for Christmas.
Simone says
Argh!! My Dad used to do that. I told him no buying himself gifts just before an occasion. He is hard enough to shop for and if you ask him he either wants a new car or new socks. So one year I bought him a toy Ferarri and about 12 pairs of new socks.
Kelticat says
Doesn’t Grace Draven live near you? I seem to recall you mentioning that prior to moving. She could hide his gift for you.
Julie says
Definitely challenge him…..and, yes, I’m thinking of Kate and Curran here.
Carmen says
My husband is not a snooper so it’s no fun. Seize the opportunity to pit your wits against your spousal foe on an annual basis!
Sarah P says
Can you turn hiding presents into a treasure hunt? Something like ‘since you love hunting for your presents you have until your birthday to find it/them or …’ Might be more fun for both of you 😉
Teresa Hughes says
New house, new hiding places. Go for it.
Susan says
I have both a password program and a spreadsheet where I keep important passwords. The password keeper sometimes fails to capture the input which is why the double coverage. It has saved me a number of times.
Have a great day!
Courtenay says
“Workitty”. Kitties don’t work. Kitties play. Spend some time looking at kitties. It will make you feel better. 🙂
Christina says
I have all my passwords written on index cards in a box in my tea drawer by my computer with a handful of my favorite recipes at the front. If I get run over by a truck (again) and die (not again), my family will be able to access all of my accounts easily and notify my online friends easily. Also, I can’t remember most of my passwords otherwise. 😉 We just finished settling the estate of an old family friend, and a list of sites and passwords would have made our lives much simpler.
I am in camp “Hide the presents!” He will probably find them, but he’ll have a grand time snooping about looking.
Jenn says
Are y’all still considering going to DragonCon? Because that would be freaking amazing!
Sorry for the out of left field question. I’m just super excited as I’ve confirmed my sitter and can actually say the husband and I are going, yay!
Margaret says
Hide the gifts. Really hide them, like make him crazy hide them. (Remember to remember where you hid them) He’ll love it and it’s so much fun when he finds it.
KC says
I have a vision of heads loping off down the field away from the battle. My chuckle for the day, thank you.
Kimmelane says
Me, too! LOL
Patricia Schlorke says
I am no fun with giving gifts. I hate waiting to give someone a gift. I want the person to enjoy the gift before the occasion. I’ve been like this all my life and wondered why. Then my mom told me that I was like her dad. When my mom was young, her dad took her down to their basement one year before Christmas to show her the new bike she was getting for Christmas. Made my grandmother mad. There are times I literally have to sit on my hands in order for me to not give someone a gift before the occasion.
I agree with the others. Hide them but don’t forget where you put them.
wont says
If you’re looking for a little relief, I would love to read about moats. Sad, I know.
Karenanna says
My husband says to go off site to hide. He is not so much a snoop as a seer, our first X-mas together he picked up each wrapped box and announced the contents: book, shirt, candy.
Cristina says
The Gift Treasure Hunt! If you can’t avoid it, at least make a game out of it. Best wishes ?
Randy says
If you really want to have fun, send him on a treasure hunt. Give him an envelope that starts the search with the bottom left drawer of the office desk for another note that takes him to a note taped to the back of the toilet that takes him to a tree out back that takes him… and finally ends up sitting next to you with you holding his present. And a glass of wine or beer.
Tamara says
The one and only time I succeeded against a snoop was in my teens. My friend was a guesser. So after careful thought I handed her her gift. She throughly massaged it and declared it was an orange taped on the top of a poster. I told her she was correct but she would never guess what her gift was. It drove her nuts. She finally presented me with a complete list of all the posters currently out. I told her she wrong. When she opened it she was so mad because the poster was in fact one on her list. That’s when I told her gift was actually in the card attached to the poster/orange. A necklace she was ogling for a long time. Score!
Aneira says
About the computer, I think you’ll be fine if you remember your email password. I had some issues with my laptop (blue screens) and ended up formatting. I lost some passwords, but I remembered my email password so I changed them from there.
And web browsers eat up a ridiculous amount of RAM. On a 2GB laptop I can barely have 5-6 tabs open before it starts slowing down. Though adblocking extensions might be partly responsible for that.
About Hugh’s book: Thanks for the update! I can’t wait! I’m sure the battle scenes will be great, your battle/fight scenes always are. To be honest I was kind of hoping it would come out on April 1, because it would be kind of hilarious, but I realize that’s not possible.
(Also about Hugh’s book, I have this terrible feeling that we’ll read it, love him, then read Magic Triumphs, love him again and then he’ll die, because redemption.)
I just read the synopsis for Kill the Queen. It sounds really badass. Added it on the to-read list.
What is Mihir?
Aleja says
I just installed “The Great Suspender” extension for my google chrome – it pauses tabs automatically and drastically decreases the RAM usage of my web browsing. I tend to have 15-30 tabs open simultaneously for my different projects and this works well so far. Might help?
Good luck with all the battles – they always turn out so well – so clearly it’s worth (says the consumer/reader) – so thank you for all the effort!
Catlover says
Send some to the kids and treasure hunt the other half. You are inventive! I have a new job, orientation tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works out. In addition to the others but still a break from 20 year olds ! Excited and nervous.
Heather says
Regarding passwords…
Have you looked into LastPass or Keepass? I use LastPass and have the app in by browser and phone so I don’t have to remember any passwords.
I even got my mom to start using it. Her previous method was scrap pieces of paper and a spreadsheet.
RowanCavadora says
In my family we hide the Easter Bunny not the eggs, so the size should be similar to a small/med gift. Some of the winning places over the years have been: #1- wrapped in plastic and taped to the underside of the toilet tank, #2- filed in the cabinet under E for Easter, #3- tucked into the U-bend of the bathroom sink. #4- Tied to the harps inside the lampshade. #5- braced against the upper curtain rod but shielded from view by the drapes.
The snooping can be made into part of the game. I would suggest wrapping everything first and then if he doesn’t find it, play hot/cold or give riddle clues.
Marnie says
Who’s Elara?
Aneira says
Hugh’s poptart! (In reference to this post: https://www.facebook.com/ilona.andrews/posts/1341586609243703)
Seriously though, the main female character of Hugh’s book. I think they get married, too.
Shadowspun says
For the present – if ordering it on Amazon – Calculate the delivery date for it to come – wrapped the day before his birthday – that way even if it is a little late it will still be there – then when It comes – in the Amazon box – tell everyone that it is his present and ask him to give his word not to snoop – he would be breaking his word if did and I believe that would bother Gordon – but if he only has a day that should not cause too many issues with his “must know now”.
Or do the treasure hunt with little clues- and tell him he can only do X# a day and he has to come to you open the clue – put the clues in a sealed envelope (with wax so you can tell if it has been opened.
kommiesmom says
Congrats on the recovery of your computer. There is a resemblance between cats and computers. They do the one thing that you absolutely hate just often enough that you can never get comfortable.
Enjoy the present battle. Every now and then, you win, and that makes it worthwhile. (Also, it’s very lonely when there isn’t a reason to hide the presents any more.)
So glad you are not dead. I am always happy when favorite authors are younger than I. That way, I won’t outlive them and be stuck with “But what happened next? I know there was more story! There has to be!”
Andrea A says
Have a sorta easy to find gift that’s a decoy and then have a really well hidden or disguised gift (maybe in friends house who delivers just in time for dinner?) Regardless have fun 🙂
DinNC says
If not already asked: what are the optimal dimensions for a moat? Respectfully, member BDH
Anne in Virginia says
All hail the BDH. I just checked Amazon rankings. When the news about the novella came out on the blog I checked the rankings and the novella was ranked at 29,266 and the sub categories were 796 and 849 and 1779. I checked again a minute ago, only a few hours since the BDH became aware of the goodness awaiting us and the ranking is now 2,891, a stunning drop of 26,375. The sub categories are 106 and 127 and 217. The power of the pre-order! Avon, take note.
Anne in Virginia
Patricia Schlorke says
Yep! Pre-ordered through Barnes and Noble (it’s $1.99 for the Nook).
Tasha A says
Wahoo!!
Tasha A says
Also it’s not cracked the top 100 for the sub categories. BDH strikes again! thank you so much for this!!
Tasha A says
Ugh *now!
Elizabeth G says
Is this the story Ilona referenced here KILL THE QUEEN or is this about the Untitled Hidden Legacy that is up for pre-order on amazon with a release date of 11/6? I think i missed the pre-order announcement for that one
Patricia Schlorke says
This is for the new untitled Hidden Legacy book. Someone mentioned it in an earlier post. Ilona told them “shh” since they had not announced it on the blog. Oh well….the surprise is here to pre-order. 😀
Patricia Schlorke says
This is about the untitled Hidden Legacy book that comes out in November. Someone had mentioned the pre-order in a previous post yesterday. Ilona said “shh” since it wasn’t formally announced (yet). It’s out for pre-order and the BDH knows it. 😀
Patricia Schlorke says
Sorry for the dual post. My work computer is s-s-low in getting the comments posted today.
Elizabeth G says
I appreciate being told twice than not at all! I went back 3 pages in main blog posts looking for the official announcement just to get an inkling of who the story was about. I pre-ordered it regardless and am debating taking the day off work already 🙂
Helena says
Yes!! Arrives in time for my birthday!
Katy says
Now it is at 2677. It took some effort to find. If you looking for it on either B&N or amazon google Hidden Legacy novella. Otherwise it is hidden.
Marsha says
Wrap it up. Put it in a box and wrap that with strapping tape. Attach lots of little bells to it so that it will be impossible to move the box without it being heard. Put this in another box and wrap that. Put it in a prominent place with a sign that says Happy Birthday
Henry says
I don’t know anything about the the way Window’s updates work, but the most recent updates did something to my router. I have to reset it to the factory setting. The tool to do that is a paper clip. Then it’s all good to go.
Susan says
So glad you’re not dead, hide the goodies and have fun doing it
Amy says
Would you ever consider opening up your worlds for other authors to play in either Kindle Worlds style or independently like Michael Anderle-style?
sarafina says
From what I’ve read from Ilona and other authors that is a truly bad idea. But I’m not an author.
Summ says
I’m not really an author either, but as far as I’m concerned, I have always at least a few problems with the worldbuilding of other people. There are always at least a couple of small things I would like to be different, and while working within those kind of constraints can be fun, it’s imho ultimatly better to create your own world with your own constraints within which you can work.
As a creator of such a world I can only imagine that, if I’d ever open my world up to other storys, I’d feel compelled to curate the storys other authors would write within it, and communicate with them what plotpoints can or can’t be done. I mean big stuff that affects a bigger part of the world, or parts of the mechanics/world that weren’t fleched out in my own work.
That would be a LOT of work and time spend on other peoples writing………
Another thing is the “ownership” of the story in a shared world. Who “owns” the story ultimately: the author or the creator of the world? Both?
Ilona says
No. Other authors can come up with their own original ideas.
Karen the Griffmom says
Right on! The dreck I’ve seen once an Authorlord’s vision is gone . . . Shudder.
Rena says
I like the elemental assassin series, I will have to try her new one out.
Hide them, otherwise you are giving in. Rent a storage locker somewhere. Do they still do that at somewhere like a UPS store? 🙂 Leave shipping receipts laying around as long as they don’t say what was delivered. It will drive him nuts.
Stephen says
? I stopped reading about spider when the daughters appeared (there are daughters of everyone in the series so it’s not a spoiler) does it get better because I felt that was the peak and stopped???
Lisa says
New house = new hiding places. I have inherited my mother’s ability to completely forget where I hid things so I now encourage snooping. Lol
Ooo, here’s a thought…….since you know he will snoop, why don’t you turn it into a treasure hunt.
Reema says
Yep, treasure hunt. My husband snoops too, so I hid his gift in the the trunk of his car once and then sent him on a geocaching adventure that led him back to his car. Took a while… but then I was tired after that.
Vindhya says
Great idea. Think of it as another birthday gift, apart from the goodies you already got him. Do tell us how it went.
Deb says
It’s a new house with lots of new hiding places. Go for it.
Emily says
My family has a grand tradition of snooping for gifts. But the thing is, it’s far more fun to get almost to the answer, and then get caught, than it is to actually find the gifts.
As a kid, I ALWAYS checked the door of the room where mom stashed the Christmas gifts. Until the day it was left unlocked. I opened the door, looked inside, and realized I didn’t really want to ruin the surprise. I just wanted to play the game. I still shake the boxes under the tree. But I haven’t touched the doorknob during Christmas-Birthday time since.
Kelly M says
Posts full of pics of the Authorlords’ four-legged compatriots are always fun… for those days when the mental blog-meter is at a nadir… 😉
Monina Cabanada says
Good luck on hiding things from a determined Snoopy Snoop!
My Mom had never won a snooping battle with my brother! She just finally gave up and stopped hiding anything from him!!!
Having said that, I hope you can find a place which he will have to at least exert an effort to find!
Advance birthday greetings to Gordon!!!
Nean says
I vote for hide them. There must be many places Gordon would never look, like in your knitting supplies. No, Gordon, she’s not actually going to hide anything in there.. Put that down!, don’t unravel her expensive skeins of wool… NM, don’t bother hiding things 😉
PS – 2 weeks ago I had an interview for a job with a different dept in the company I work for. It’s a big company with lots of different lines of business. It is with a group that is totally outside of my regular scope but I thought there is no harm in applying right? I got there 30 min early and didn’t want to appear to eager so I waited outside for a bit and perused my phone. Where I came across your advise to daughter 2 on her job hunting. At the end of the interview, just before I reached out to shake hands, I heard myself telling the interviewer of this blog I had been reading while waiting and Gordon’s final advise. Then I shook their hand and said, “hail hydra”. I start the job tomorrow. Thanks Gordon!
mdy says
? ? ?
Marianne says
Congratulations. ??Hope you really enjoy the new job!
Sivi says
Congratulations I the new job. All hail the MCU and the AL 🙂
Patricia Schlorke says
Congratulations!
Tink says
You’ve got how many dogs? You can’t train them to bury the goodies when Gordon’s not looking? 😛
Tink says
Thanks for the head’s up about Jennifer’s book. It sounds interesting. I like her assassin series.
sakinah says
I’m really happy to hear work is progressing on Hugh and Elara’s look. I look forward to escaping into the rich and detailed worlds that you create. On that note, we lost our daughter one month ago. I really thought we’d get a kind word, text or call from someone, but no one remembered except myself and my husband. In a sad bubble now–does anyone have a recommendation for something happy or hopeful to read? Thanks
Cheryl Anne farley says
I am dealing with my husband’s sudden death and estate in total chaos. I keep reading the edge series innkeeper and skin walker by faith hunter and the other series that features Rick. The complex world Building keeps me distracted and enjoy all the challenges. We will survive.
Sivi says
Sakinah and Cheryl Ann. I’m really sorry to hear of both of your losses. It may be that others didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make it worse for you today @Sakinah without realising that sometimes talking about and remembering all of the fantastic memories can help.
I remember the paperwork when my mum passed away yrs ago. It feels never ending @Cheryl Ann, but it does slowly reduce, just takes longer than most folk would think.
In terms of books that always brighten my days outside of the AL’s offerings. Have either of you read Terry Prachette’s disk world serise? Complex world building and humourous observations of the human condition in each. I’d recommend the Guards serise within the bigger diskworld serise
Julie says
Or Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. That book makes me laugh every time. Print edition, not digital because the footnotes at the bottom of each page are hilarious and the digital version (at least the one I have) places them all at the end of the chapter, which just doesn’t work. Hands down, the funniest book I have ever read. You need to be a bit plugged into British humour though.
Snakatac says
Sakinah & Cheryl Ann, I am so sorry for your losses, and that people didn’t do better. I remember being one of those untouched people – not ‘in the club’ of having suffered a loss and being clueless about what to say/do past the actual burial. Wishing you healing and support.
Ilona says
::hug:: That is just a complete nightmare. So sorry.
Corrina says
I’m so sorry for your loss. Patricia Briggs just put out a new Alpha and Omega book that’s on my to do list.
Tania says
Sorry to hear about your loss Cheryl. I hope you have lots of support to help you through. Hugs.
Marianne says
Sakinah and Cheryl Anne, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Sending virtual hugs to you both. Sakinah, my advice to anyone asking for reading suggestions would first be anything by Ilona Andrews, then Patricia Briggs Mercedes series or Alpha and Omega series. You might also try Kelley Armstrong.
Patricia Schlorke says
I am so sorry for your loss Sakinah and Cheryl Anne. I understand what both of you are going through. I’m not sure if you like romance novels, but if you do, Nalini Singh has her Psy-Changeling series, her Guild Hunter series, and her Rock Kiss series. They are all excellent reads. I agree with the others that anything by Ilona and Gordon are a great escape.
Char says
I am So sorry for your losses. I am sending virtual hugs and pats. I will keep you all in my prayers.
Ilona says
I am so sorry for your loss.
ms bookjunkie says
I’m so sorry for you losses, Sakinah and Cheryl Anne.
I have an acquaintance who gives grieving friends a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
I’ve been known to audio binge Lois McMaster Bujold, Nalini Singh, Nora Roberts, Patricia Briggs, Patricia C. Wrede, and Ilona Andrews (to name a few) in times of stress. Agatha Christie is also soothing, so meticulous and ordered. (Assuming it’s a reread/re-listen.) Just start on book 1 of a series and keep listening/reading. (Series are good because you know what to read next. No decisions necessary.)
*hugs*
Tink says
I had to come back and tell you I loved that cat video you shared on your Facebook page. It’s hilarious.
Tasha A says
Yup it was so great!
Corrina says
I still remember the year my dad put my mom’s gift in a paper bag, stapled it shut and set it on the tv for two weeks. It was hilarious because she didn’t have to snoop but still couldn’t know what her gift was. I’m always surprised they are still married. LOL
AndrewC says
Hide ’em. At one of the kids houses. Or buy a large tool box and chain that sucker up before putting a lock on and using a key. Then leave it in the office where he can see it. And don’t forget to add a couple rocks or weights off the bench to throw him off. Or hide the real gifts off premises and buy some cheap presents, like socks and underwear (like tighty-whiteys or men’s thongs) and a box of crappy pencils and leave them for him to snoop for. Then when he’s all bummed out about the thongs you can spring the real presents on him later.
Susan M says
Do you have a place you store plastic containers, etc in the kitchen? My husband would never find anything in that cupboard… Also, very top shelf in my kitchen pantry… You must have a place like that…obviously I vote for stealth… Good luck!
Jessica Haluska says
Could you have the gift shipped to one of your daughters? The one that doesn’t live with you. Or do they both live with you? Anyway, that’s what I do to thwart my husband’s snooping—ship it elsewhere ?
Martina D. says
Hide them. In Germany it’s tradition to go on treasure hunt for Easter goodies. I don’t known how you do this in the US. But maybe the same? So Gordon can hunt two times. My kids want their Easter hunt every year.
Lisa Smith says
I would hide terrible, in the worst taste fake gifts on-site in clever places and hide the real gifts off-site at someone else’s house. Like a Kid or if he has keys somewhere else. Example of clever on-site location would be weatherproof box on roof. Visible or not with binoculars depending on how diabolical and acrobatic I was feeling. Maybe single sheet of paper inside saying “Aw you’re cute ?” upon discovery.
Alannah says
“Not much going on?” Good grief! How much do Authorlords do on a busy day? 😛
Love you to the moon and back xx
Annabelle says
I read a fun book about gladiators recently. The Wolf of Oberhame series books one and two by Autumn Hadley. It’s about a princess who was kidnapped by her wicked cousin and forced to fight for her freedom in the gladiatorial ring. Leyli is brave and clever and doesn’t wait to be rescued. I don’t have the words to explain the awesomeness.
Sivi says
Hi. I tried to look those up, as that does sound good. But had no luck on my kindle. Do you know if it’s in ebook format yet?
Kemkais says
Hi,
I made a search and the book title is “When We Were Kings (The Wolf of Oberhame Book 1) ” by Auryn Hadley. It looks quite good.
Sivi says
Thank you
Annabelle says
Hi, book two is When we were dancing.
Sivi says
I downloaded book one after the snippet caught me in its grips and wouldn’t let go 🙂
Just finished it and have ordered book two. May wait to start reading it as I’m not sure what the anticipated release date is yet for book three. A great recommendation. Thank you ?
Marianne says
Wereogres? i’m In!! ?
Throw the gauntlet down!! You have already been given some great ideas by people with far more devious (I love it!) minds than I have. Part of your gift to him is the challenge you present him in the snooping dept. !! Your creative imagination will have no trouble keeping Gordon busy and guessing. I am certain of it. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall observing the ensuing fun! ?
lara bryers says
Just wondered if you’ve read Seanan McGuire with her urban far stories or her alter-zombie-plague-virus ego Mira Grant. Fantastic worlds and complicated characters.
lara bryers says
* fae not far….
Bill G says
Excellent news, except for the need to scrap much work. When I hear of moats, I immediately think of moat monsters; any chance you could contact the Wizard of Id for professional advice on their needs?
Tom says
Our family always snoops, so we now pop to the library on the way home from a shopping trip and wrap the presents immediately!
We also take great delight in trying to disguise presents as different things – Dad once visited a charity shop and bought some old china, then dropped it a few times, put it into freezer bags and then wrapped them in a box with the real gift (a book or DVD I think it was) – once wrapped up he left the present in his wardrobe…. a few days later my sister was found crying next to it, convinced that she’d broken her birthday present! (She was about 10 at the time)… she didn’t snoop for a few years after that and then went back to bad habits!
We’ve hidden them with neighbours – which was fine until the year that both my parents and next door decided to buy bikes for their children – Dad hid next door’s bikes in our garage and vice versa – I was convinced that I was getting a girls bike and not the boys bike that I’d asked for that I didn’t even bother unwrapping it on Christmas Day, just left it to the end…
Lauryn M says
Hide, hide, hide!!!! Snooping is not about finding, we don’t REALLY want to know what it is! It’s about the search and feeling so smugly delighted when we figure out what devious routes your mind took!! Or, so I’m told. :-)))
Small ramble: Love your updates. LOVE them. Love the comments you make throughout our comments that demonstrate you also read them. Stupefying, really. I admire, enjoy and revel in your creative scope and your down to earth humanness. I think I might actually have memorized great swathes of your books because I enjoy the worlds and characters in them so much I reread and relisten until they have become lifelong friends. (Which then also includes Renee Raudman, whose voice of the characters was the final step indelibly imprinting then on my mind).
I don’t write many comments; others are so much more clever. But I read all your blogs and updates and all those clever comments, and quietly appreciate this added beauty in my life.
D Lm A says
That soundless moment between exhaling and your next breath as your vision focuses on the carnage. Heads, limbs strewn about you, bodies, guts. Your knees go weak and you stiffen knowing that once you go down you may not rise again. Grateful that the reek of . . .
I will rip your lungs out you wretched little 4 legged claw, leave my damn furniture alone, damned cat . . . and its not as if they’re even sneaky or try to be slick with the snooping, they try to make you hot & cold
. . . his head flew, slamming into the breastplate . . . the kids will give it up
You’re all kinds of distracted, its your minds way of making decisions without bothering you. Enjoy the peace.
Debbie says
2 things.
Securesafe – love it, been using it for 4 or more years, on all my devices. It saved my life.
Hide the presents. That’s the best part and the hinting experience will be an additional present!
Laura G. says
I had the same computer issue with Windows 10 running. A google investigative searching (not an IT person!) found the cause to be that your Window search feature was constantly running causing my hard drive to be at 100% capacity (frozen screen) or that the browser would just shut down. If you go to http://www.dirvereasy.com there is a fix for 100 disk usage in windows 10. If your comment section accepts links, the fix is at the link below and is the first option to disable the search feature…
https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/100-disk-usage-windows-10-fixed/#temp
Patience says
Let the gauntlet be thrown! Got any ceiling tiles?
Sherre says
Industry-ish question: I’m writing my book, but I struggle with conversation and witty banter. It all comes out super flat and fake sounding. Nothing feels realistic and I just feel like I’m missing something. How do you make your character interactions and conversations in your books seem so entertaining and yet real at the same time. I’m sure practice is involved, so I don’t expect an easy fix, but any insight you have would help. I’m thinking of taking a creative writing class at my local cc to help me improve, but until I can gather those funds, I’m still staring at my seemingly unnecessary conversations in absolute disgust.
Sherre says
And my suggestion is to still hide the gifts. I was a snoop as a kid, and i barely hold back the urge now. Disguise them as something else, and wrap them quickly. Then hide them in somewhat plain sight. My mom always hid them in the dining room, where we all ate dinner, in a trash bag, strategically hidden underneath and between the stacks and stacks of placemats and table cloths. We could see that there was something there, but always assumed it was just more boring tablecloths. It wasn’t until I was older that I discovered the secret, and only because I actually had to look through the tablecloths for something I needed
mary howell says
Sherre, Enlist a friend who makes you laugh to help re-write the dialog. It is a big part of the strength of the Authorlords. Only schizophrenics can handle both sides of repartee and still win. eSmiles, Mary
JoAnn Arnold says
We would have one gift that had to be found through clues. They would get the first clue and follow it to the next clue etc until the found the gift. It was fun to send them past the hiding place several times before the last clue. Depending on the weather the clues were inside and out. The neighbors must have thought we were nuts with people and dogs running around the yard and into and out of the house.
Michael says
On the computer front. If it is a desktop, try blowing out all the dust with compressed air.
Richard Cartwright says
Industry question. How do you get inspiration for a fight scene?
Hide the gift. Just not anywhere suggested on the blog. Gordon, being the methodical chap he seems to be will check every spot suggested.
Lynn says
Suggestion: If possible, keep Gordon’s gifts offsite! Friend or neighbor’s house… kid’s car if it’s non-perishable. Mine snoops too!
dawn says
it’s possible that your browser is being used to mine cyptocurrency
https://www.wired.com/story/cryptojacking-cryptocurrency-mining-browser/
Tink says
I thought of mentioning that, too. I saw the story a couple of days ago on KrebsOnSecurity.com.
Jovan says
You could give the money to the college kid and tell her what to get and to hang on to it until his birthday, or get a PO box… I have the same problem with my hubby, his birthday is April 9 and I’m talking him skydiving ???
Karen the Griffmom says
Ppppffffhhht! to your *shh*
DorothyB says
About your PC fixing itself, this happened to me last week with my phone, a new BlackBerry, which stopped sending emails. It received emails, it sent texts and did all the other stuff. I turned it off and on! I spent a long time in the settings menu. I looked online for help. Five days later, all the emails went through. People started replying. Mystery.
Tiffany says
Potential Blog topic: The Life of a Book
I have always been interested in all the steps of getting a book from idea to finished product. I feel like from reading the blog I have a decent idea on the writing pieces of the process. However I’d love to hear more about the steps it undergoes with the editor, publisher, etc.
Teresa says
I have wondered also about the steps to publishing and how long it really took for that first niggle of interest.
lea says
Too bad that you are so newly moved. Before my parents died, I used to hide stuff from my kids and husband by taking it to my parents house. After they passed, I had been settled in my home long enough that I knew neighbors who would let me leave a box in their garage for a week or so. The garage works better than in the house because no one thinks much about a box in the garage and visitors to the house seldom go into the garage. Now my kids are moved out and I can hide small stuff in my craft supplies but large items still go to the neighbors.
Katherine says
As a gift snoop, I vote hide them. Snooping for gifts from DH is half the fun. 🙂
Casey says
I say go direct challenge with the presents. Get a trunk, buy a length of heavy chain, buy a ridiculous pad lock, insert presents into trunk, wrap with chain, lock chain into place, set whole mess in prominent place in home. Boom Done.
mary howell says
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE buy a new computer now. The slowdown was an early warning from your computer. Disregard it at your peril (and the BDH’s peril as well). Before your current computer dies, move essential stuff over. Transition is easier if you have both boxes functional. If you need a new computer (as the signs indicate you do), the price of a new computer on standby is small in comparison to the cost of lost workitty work work time. Have mercy on us Authorlords!
P.S. Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie has a cool solution to a moat problem!!! (-;
Teresa says
I love her books too.
Smileygirl3090 says
You should hide stuff for hubby in the yarn stash or the sanitary products cupboard and then very conspiculously “hide” one thing in a clothes cupboard.
JenS says
A word to the wise: feminine hygiene products. Often overlooked, never pawed through. Just sayin’.
Amy Ann says
I have a question re: Hidden Legacies. I don’t know if you have addressed this already or not, but have you considered writing a short story about Arabella transforming when she was a baby? It was mentioned that her pediatrician was one of the few people who knew about her ability. (And why did they keep that big secret I wonder?) So I’m imagining what that scene was like. Was it like the scene in The Incredibles when the baby was kidnapped by the bad guy and went through a series of transformations? It would be amazing and hilarious to see the reactions. Was she getting one of her inoculations and lost her temper? Was she a mini Beast of Cologne, cute as the dickens, or larger? Who calmed her down?
Teresa says
It would make an amazing short story or novella.
Kathy says
Hi, I bought the Black Parade and yes I too enjoyed it! I hope the second book is just as well done as the first.
Asus Router Customer Service says
I got there 30 min early and didn’t want to appear to eager so I waited outside for a bit and perused my phone. Where I came across your advise to daughter 2 on her job hunting. At the end of the interview, just before I reached out to shake hands, I heard myself telling the interviewer of this blog I had been reading while waiting and Gordon’s final advise