ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Nothing Changed

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I was looking for something and came across this post from 2009. Literally nothing has changed. I am slightly shocked.

2009

Okay.

I am going to open the document, use my supreme mental powers, and the book will write itself.

Me – knitting.

The book – writing itself.

We’re all clear on everything, right?  Everybody knows what they have to do.

::opens document::

Any time.  Aaaaaaany time now.

Any time.

2020:

I am having the devil of a time getting into RUBY FEVER. I just don’t want to work on it. I don’t want to work on anything right now, period. Also I just started knitting a new crop top for the kids. Not sure who will claim it.

2009

Gordon demanded a hair cut.  Because you know, 1/2 inch of hair is too much.  So now I cut it all off, and he has a high-and-tight.

2020

This morning, only a few minutes ago:

Gordon: I need a haircut.

Me eyeing the 1/2 inch of hair on his head.

Gordon: It’s time to cut it all off.

2009

Jeaniene sent me GODIVA chocolate.  I just want it to be known that I am getting chocolate, yarn, and Book Nook for Christmas.  Clearly, I will be losing no weight the following year.

2020

My life is a loop. O_O

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Comments

  2. You need to decompress. No vacation makes you gloomy. Take the holidays. Think of family and yourself. Then try getting back to work after the new year.

    After all you banged out Julie’s story pretty fast. Catch your breath.

  3. That means you have a happy comfortable life that you enjoy. Nothing wrong with that ????. Enjoy the chocolates!

  5. Hard to get away from “the same old thing” these days. Take some time off for something good! The sun just came out here, after three days of gloom; it’s hard to sit inside and work.

    By the way, it’s not writers block until drops of blood start to form on your forehead. (Robert Heinlein)

  6. Clearly your mental powers didn’t fail you, they just transcended the space-time continuum.
    Also, mmm Godiva.

  9. This year we need to have some stability.Traditions are comforting.
    Sending out Christmas cards, making cookies, bringing out the old Christmas ornament make me smile.
    I read certain books over and over again. I know when I read your books, they will relax me and make me happy.
    We all need happy.
    Blood heir is a book I am purchasing.
    Looking forward to the next chapter of Kate Daniels universe. It will be awesome.
    I can’t wait!!
    Happy holidays everyone.

  10. Monastery Candy is made the Trapistine Nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey. It is how they help support the Abbey. They have a website and Facebook page.
    They make my favorite chocolate covered caramels. The chocolates are unbelievably delicious!

    • I love the nun candy! (Perhaps irreverent, but that’s what we call it.) Plus, you know it’s good to help support them. Yeah, totally only buying for support, not to eat all the deliciousness that they make……. Mmmmmm……. ????

      Have you tried their caramel or chocolate sauce? I really want to, but it wasn’t available last time I ordered.

  11. Sounds pretty good to me. Especially the chocolate part. Obviously you need more chocolate, possibly more tea. Don’t worry about the resistance to getting stuck in and doing things. This is a worldwide reaction to overload of stress ( more chocolate right now!) I’m not kidding. My circle of contact is not as wide as yours, but everyone is having a devil of a time making themselves do the things they need to do. Or even the things they’ve always enjoyed doing. And those are the folks who haven’t upped their intake of anti depressants or really, really, need to do so.The whole world needs more chocolate and a big sigh of relief about now. I’m sure you’ll have the chocolate and we will all hope very hard for the sigh of relief.

  12. This is hilarious. We are living in a time warp. I’m just hoping this doesn’t mean we’ll be repeating the year of quarantine and COVID a few years from now!

    • Beat me to it!

      If you can’t find a groundhog, tell Gordon to grab a raccoon and he and the coon can take the Alfa out for its yearly jaunt so he can justify keeping it. (The Alfa, that is, unless you really want a raccoon, Gordon.)

  14. If no time has passed then you must have figured out the secret to eternal life. It will be interesting to see what your blog says in 2031. ????
    I’m going to go knit now.
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

  15. I just told a friend I’m not talking about weight for the next 2 weeks. But it’s going to be an ongoing conversation for the next 6 months after that… 2021 is going to be a year… But hopefully not a Covid year.

  17. I can relate to this. 2020 is a crazy and loopy year. I can’t say “was a crazy year” since we have a little over a week to go.

    I hope you, Gordon, and the rest of your family have a great holiday season. Hopefully 2021 will break the time warp. 😀

    • Now I have “Let’s do the time warp again” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show in my head. :p

      My answer: Nooooooo!

    • Oh, man, I can get behind that idea! +1000! Surely it’s time to check back with Dina and Sean? Hee hee.

  20. That is hilarious. I especially love the thought of you knitting a crop top and hoping someone claims it.

    I have given up on losing weight during Covid, and upped my exercise routine. It doesn’t make my clothes fit better but I do feel stronger and more balance. So gone is chocolate guilt.

  21. You need a vacation. Everyone else gets one (except my DH who is working Christmas day) so why shouldn’t you?

    I vote shelve Ruby Fever until Jan 2. You will be refreshed & revived & inspired.

    Best wishes for lots of chocolate, knitting, & tea.

    Have you tried Silent Night from Smith Teamaker?

  22. Too funny! I’ve tried the “writes itself while I’m knitting many times.” Sadly, it doesn’t work for me either. But, attending a meeting while knitting below the zoom camera? Totally works.

    There. All that unproductive meeting time redeemed.

    Merry Christmas! I won’t say happy New Year yet. I’m sure I’ll need my IA blog fix before then.????

    • I’m old enough that I learned shorthand while getting my legal certificate. I kept up with it. During meetings, I would be diligently writing in shorthand. People assumed I was making notes. Instead I was doing my shopping list or if the meeting was bad enough, writing down honest comments on my co-workers or the incredibly bad ideas. Especially talking about whether it would be cost effective to ignore regulations in front of the compliance manager, i.e. me. Fortunately, the fines were usually high enough for them to decide to obey the law. Also great for writing out my passwords and posting them in plain sight.

  26. I guess you could refuse to think about “Ruby Fever”. No, not touching it. Not thinking about it. Every time it comes up, change the subject.
    The harder you work to avoid it, the harder it will be to avoid. (If you try not to think about the large elephant in the room, you will be able to think of nothing else?)
    It might be worth a try.

    The more thing change, the more they stay the same? (Sorry, I can’t do it in the original French – and I’m not sure how exact my memory of the translation is.)
    I am quite amused that you have already had this Christmas. I hope you got good presents (in addition to J F’s chocolate) in 2009.
    I also hope you are safe and sane this year, no matter what went on the last go-round.
    Take care, and have fun!

  28. Clearly the problem is the book TITLE … rename it “Chocolate Haircut” and you’ll have it done in no time! 🙂

  30. Any loop that contains Godiva chocolate is a good one.

    This year the big ‘change’ is Hubby made me a gluten free fruit cake and soaked it in booze. Had one slice last night, having another tonight to celebrate the Solstice and our hopes for a better year ahead.

    I’d add chocolate to that, but it sounds weird with fruitcake.

    Several of our long distance friends have asked that we celebrate new beginnings with them as best we can over the net from now until the end of the first week of January. Kind of a mutual ‘hang in there’ sharing art and funny memes and whatever we can find.

    I think it’s a great idea. Here’s a painting I just finished from a Skillshare class. A Scottish Lake. (oops! It’s too big. I’ll try again later.)

  31. Omg that’s too funny! I’ve frequently had those deja vous moments, but haven’t been able to catalog them since I don’t keep a journal. Or blog, in your case.

    My unsolicited suggestion, take a day off and do something fun while the weather is decent!

    Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season to you both and all the family! Same to all the BDH, too!

  32. Funny. And Yay for chocolates! I read in your 2009 Christmas list “book nook”.
    This is the first I have heard of a “book nook”!? I googled it and they are so cool! What kind did you get? Merry Christmas☺

  33. Not a bad loop to be in. At least your chocolates arrived, my packages took off to parts unknown. They may show up in the Spring.

    It’s as close to traveling I can get…

  35. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post.

    I will trade you a day. The dynamic duo went walk about last night. I awakened at 4 am to a horrid dead thing stench. The mighty hunters had stolen a well marinated aka very dead rabbit from a coyote stash and had brought it home to share with their sleeping human (me).

    Titan is still pouting about his prize being taken away. The cat…. well, cats are more devious about revenge. You know when inside house in toilet papered and dog can not reach toilet paper storage cabinet….

    But chocolate sounds really good any day.

  40. It sounds like you should learn how to write by knitting!

    Like the knitting lady from The Tale of Two Cities. But not through weaving, like that crazy weavers guild assassins movie from a while back (Wanted, I think). Apparently, textiles are pretty bloodthirsty. Might work for a book with ruby in the name.

    Or maybe not. Getting it edited could be a nightmare. (Plus the whole don’t let your hobbies become obligations thing.) But the thought amused me, hopefully you’re slightly entertained.

  42. « My life is a loop. O_O » Which brings us to the logical question: How was your year 2010? This way we will know what to expect in 2021. 😉

  43. Darn! I was just putting Lindt chocolate into my kids’ stockings (they’re 26, 20 and almost 17, so it’s fine to do it early), and congratulating myself that I was resisting eating any of it. Now, I’m wavering. :o(

  44. You need to relax,recharge and have Gordon get you Neuhaus Belgian chocolate:)

    On the other hand, if things never change, you will cut Gordon’s hair, eat some chocolate, knit some sword covers, then will write a kick ass book.

    Wait until after tonight, observe Jupiter and Saturn having an affair in the sky,then it will flow:)

  48. Héhéhé ????
    PS: don’t tell anybody but I think we’re all the same ????????

    Take care ????????!

  51. Knitting, Chocolate, haircuts, and bestselling books. There are worse loops to be stuck in.

  52. “I am having the devil of a time getting into RUBY FEVER. I just don’t want to work on it. I don’t want to work on anything right now, period” – so don’t. Give yourself some breathing space.

    I know we are all super extra in the BDH but we also know you need to take a breath.

    Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.

  53. My Facebook memories show me the same pictures of my family holiday baking adventures from different years. I love seeing the traditions moving into the future.

  55. My brain has been objecting to getting work done all month. I’m so over it and hoping that entering 2021 will magically fix this for me.

  56. You and Gordon,your books and your family have helped me through some dark times.When my Mother was dying,I would check your blog and the FB page of Orphaned .Wildlifeat the end of a hard day.From 2003 to 2013,Jimbo the Kodiak Bear and
    all of you gave me reason to smile and
    be happy.You still do.The comments are happy making too.Except for a few ratbags,who don’t understand
    good manners towards the host and
    hostess.Thank you Ilona and Gordon
    for making this year brighter????and I
    Wish you,your families and everyone
    who follows you…A VERY MERRY
    CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  57. The shock of seeing what I was doing in 2009 and realising the same was in repeat now. Thanks facebook.

  58. At least your loop doesn’t include anything or anyone being hurt or sad. And I would gladly have chocolate in any loop. Seems a bit slow compared to your books????

  59. Gordon knows that there is no shorter haircut after a straight shave, right? Makes me nervous for the loop of 2019. But chocolate tends to make things right again…

  61. Wasn’t it Steven King’s Tommyknockers(?) that had the typewriter that typed the story as the writer thought it? He wrote that decades ago. Why hasn’t anyone jumped on that idea?

    • Aha! The idea has come to people. They call it “voice recognition” and the computer types whatever you say. Except sometimes, it doesn’t. Heaven help us with homonyms and odd names and words foreign to the language it knows. My sister thinks she’s fooling someone into believing she types her e-mail, but an English Lit with a Doctorate does not confuse “to”, “too”, and “two”, so we all know. Not to “rain, rein, reign” on the parade, but you have to go over everything it types with a fine-toothed comb before you can release it. During a momentary lull in my sister’s dialog with her iPad, her dog barked and the thing obediently typed “f***” (but without the asterisks) because that’s what it heard when the dog barked.

  64. It could be worse. Though the writing issue would be a problem if I didn’t know how many books etc. you and you partner in crime have written in the last 11 years.

  66. ‘What goes around comes around’ … my mum used to say.

    I don’t mind if thats chocolates .. weekly dose will do, thank you . ????

    Merry Christmas & may family love & joy fill your house this season. ???????? ???? ????

  67. And a nice loop it is except for the book writing itself! Take some time off and enjoy Christmas! Looking forward to reading your new book in January.

  68. Last year at this time I was working in Hangzhou; it was a regular class day, and we had been warned not to talk about Christmas in class or display any Christmasy things in our office. I put Frosty the gdmd snowman on my door hehehe. It’s a political town and most of my students were connected as well as the admin (except my boss, who was American). This year, I just came back to the other side of the world after the door closed for 10 months and I taught online. I have been teaching 60+ hours a week since last February. I’m done. I totally hear you Ilona. So the question is, do you program in good down time on a regular basis? I think that I need to figure out better how to do it (the workload is too heavy here, but I’m figuring out a way to lessen it) and to adhere strongly. Remember the Yin/Yang symbol? The tadpoles blend into each other, and there’s no yang (strong vibrant energy) without a good dose of nurturing and relaxing yin… Now to go lie on the floor for about a week. Grading done. Semester over (now on a Murican schedule even though still in China).

  70. Life is circles. Circles, circles, circles. But hey, if you’re happy and get good chocolate, does it really matter? ????????‍♀️

    (I may be having a very apathetic day….)

  72. Y’all have a peaceful, laughing and loving holiday. Put the book away for a bit. Eat the chocolate. Knit. Watch movies. Take a breath. I will be rereading your books which removes me from the present world for a bit. Thank you for that relief.

  74. You’re probably right, but it was a good year, right?
    Better than this one certainly. 🙂
    The best thing about looping from 2009 is that all the days are the same.
    Christmas is on Friday, just like it was in 2009. LOL

  75. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I’m reading Steel’s Edge today, and counting the days until your next book comes out. I can’t wait. ❤️

  79. Hey IA
    Take a break
    Have fun
    Enjoy the holidays
    No need to do something you don’t want to
    Let’s take a breather ????

  81. Sounds about normal to me. Will it break your deadline to let the book go for a week or ten days?

    Merry Christmas! And may 2021 be everything you hope for.

  83. Here is something charmingly different for our esteemed authors and the BDH to view:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiRZPSX4QCY

    I have no association with the creators or benefits from recommending the short film; I just adore the story and the characters. I hope they make you smile too.

    Happy Holidays and a Re-Freshing New Year!

  85. My husband does the exact same thing as Gordon, only he goes a full inch, and down to bald. And I HATE it. He doesn’t have the right skull shape for clean shaved. Sometimes I can convince him to let it get as long as 1 1/4” before he starts talking about how it’s time to buy round eyeglasses and tie-dye shirts because he’s such a hippie.

  86. I too am reliving the past. I read all the KD books, via the library. Now I am reading them again. Only difference is this time I bought them.

  87. This is way too funny! I feel like this whenever a “revisit this day 5 [10… 15…] years ago” photo pops up in my notifications. HAHAHA.

  88. It’s not a loop, it’s New Game +. You still have all your skills, but the storyline remains unchanged except for the newly unlocked hidden bosses.

  89. You can’t write Ruby Fever with all the stuff going on right now, no matter how dedicated you are to getting it into motion. We’ve got Covid, we’ve got vaccines that may or may not work, we’ve got holidays where most of us will spend the days alone, and Gordon’s long hair is impeding his thinking process.

    When you announced that Blood Heir was done and packed off to the publisher, I told you to take the time until after January 1 to recharge. Blood Heir came out fast because you had taken YEARS to consider what may have happened to Julie when she rode off with Kate’s grandmother. Ruby Fever has to tie up a lot of loose ends in Catalina’s life, and it will take a lot of consideration to do that, so don’t try to write it until it has had time to gel into something worth writing in your head. I would personally love to read the finale to Catalina’s story, but you have to write things that are on your mind. Suddenly, your mind is clear of Julie, other than to wonder if it will sell. It will. And after you take some time off, you will turn back and Ruby Fever will write itself and you can put it into a file and that will sell, too.

    Now everybody should keep this in mind for future reference: When you get old, you can’t eat the things you love any more. Your body rebels, and all that weight you think you need to lose will fall off your body because food will lose its appeal. I got sick, and it happened to me, and I am desperately trying to regain some weight as I make clothes to fit my new scrawny body just in case I never get that 45 pounds back. My doctors warned me that my organs would stop functioning if I didn’t start feeding them, so my diet differs from your weight loss diet, but it’s a special diet, just the same. Eat the chocolates. Feast on holidays. Sleep as much as you can.

    Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. said it well. “Death tugs at my ear and says, ‘Live. I am coming.'”

  92. I totally related to your post in regards to wanting to get of this merry go round ???? except for the knitting I’munable to knitting to painful unfortunately. As such I do more reading I am looking forward to Ruby Fever but hey if you need to take a break from writing, better for you to rest and relax ????, Hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas & New Year with thanks
    Sincerely

  93. That is absolutely the funniest post yet!! Take the holidays to relax, decompress, knit and enjoy your family. You deserve it. Have a Happy Holidays to you and your family. May your New Year be more peaceful and have many books that write themselves!!

  95. Enjoy the sameness. Especially if its chocolate and yarn and a book nook.
    Does Gordon also complain about his head being cold after the hair cut. Hubby has been in the USMC 18 yrs now and half inch bothers him too. But even though he run hot, he will complain about hisnhead being cold after his weekly cut and even sleep with a his uniform fleece watch cap.

  96. 2009. My twins were 2. I would drive them 30 min to Wimberley so they would fall asleep, then sit in the parking lot of a quilt store and read Kate Daniels (or Nalini Singh) until they started to wake up. Then drove back home (30 more minutes of quiet, yay!).

    When they entered elementary school I drifted away from reading. This year they are 13, and home ALL THE TIME, and I discovered there were 5 more books in KD I hadn’t read. And the Innkeeper Series! And Nevada!1 And Catalina!11!

    So you have saved me. More than once. I do not mind at all if you repeat your awesomeness of 2009.

    Also, Catalina seems like the type to enjoy letting someone else take the spotlight. Let her have a break, let Jules take the pressure off, enjoy the moments of peace available to you. It’s not like we’re going to love the next book LESS if it takes longer!

    Put your own mask on first. Also, eat your favorite chocolates first. And have a lovely holiday.

  98. Savour the similarity and enjoy the chocolate. There is not enough chocolate in the world right now.
    Sadly I’ve got no similarities happening right now. I’ve certainly never had a Christmas where after watching the news we get worried that no fresh goods will be available due to France blocking our border and 500 freight lorries trapped at Dover. Not to mention there will be zero Christmas family visits due to London being in tier 4 restrictions.
    And I really hope I never have a similar time again. I’d rather read history than live it. I currently know four people with confirmed covid19, 2 of those are really sick, one doesn’t even feel slightly unwell, the fourth is just mildly ugh, and a further three other people I know have got symptoms and taken tests but have no results yet. It’s scary times we live in. We should all appreciate the things we’ve got and remember those we’ve lost and send love to the those we still have.
    Keep safe everybody and enjoy the holidays.

  99. Have you tried Neuhaus chocolates? Years ago they had a store in a very upscale mall in Orange County, CA and it was literally the best chocolate I’ve ever had. Amazon sells it now, if it hasn’t changed I HIGHLY recommend. The hazelnut chocolates, drool..

  103. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I was amused by your timelessness. Thank you to you and your family and your wonderful team who shares such lovely stories and thoughts.

    I hope this New Year is full of beautiful memories, great food, many cuddles and laughs with each other and your children and fur babies, and all the crafting, reading and gaming that your hearts need.

    Thank you for making 2020 a happier and more entertained year than it could have been!

  104. Well, if you need anyone to drive aimlessly around Houston in the next two weeks for Ruby Fever “research”, let me know. I’m on break and have plenty of time to kill in H-town.

  105. After this shittastic year I’d consider myself lucky.

    My husband thinks I’m losing my mind. I bought a sage and lavender house cleansing kit off etsy to remove the bad 2020 mowjo from my house/life

  106. Sounds to me like you just know how you like things to be. Godiva Chocs, check; Short hair, check; book writing itself, check. Perfectly normal.

  107. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the BDH and to House Andrews for all the good reading and feeling of community you all share. I want to thank the person who recommended the You Tube video “Satan’s Perfect Match”. Best laugh I’ve had in a while. We are almost done with 2020, see you on the other side.

  108. This year has been especially difficult for the entire world with Covid which exaserbated any personal and family issues for,all of us, complicating things even further. This is traditionally ‘take a btreath’ time so take it. Knit, sleep, cook, do whatever YOU want. 2021 is coming soon enough. ❤????

  109. There will always be books to be made, yarn to be knitted and hair that needs to be cut…personally, I think how much time and money I would save if I cut my hair short that often, instead of having to dye it every month – my hubby probably wouldn’t like it though 😉

  111. I am concerned. Have you hidden your chocolates yet? You have children, if they see those boxes you are doomed. Every time I get a box of chocolate and do not put it under lock and key my rug rats take all my goodies. I wish you good luck on getting to eat your chocolates before the hordes.

  112. Hi Ilona (and Gordon)
    I have to say, I am a huge fan of all of your books. I keep expecting to open a book and eventually find out this is the one where I finally don’t 100% love it, and I never do. I love the characters, the worldbuilding, all of it!
    I also love the relationships; they are well written and healthy, which can be hard to find in fantasy and sci-fi.
    I have recently come out as gay (lesbian) and have been trying to find some kind of representation for well-written female relationships in fiction at all, much less/fantasy sci-fi. Needless to say, in this genre, it’s hard to even find well written women, much less LGBTQ+ ones.
    While I know you and Gordon are both straight, you have included gay side characters in your books before; do you think there is ever a possibility of including a gay main character? Especially a woman?
    Thanks so much 🙂

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