ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

You are here: Home / Blog / Snippet: Your Name is Shame.

Snippet: Your Name is Shame.

Blog, Snippet POST A COMMENT by

Sigh.

I can’t believe I am doing this. Okay, so it’s 2006. Magic Bites is written, but not published. We are not under contract yet. The book is in limbo, dying softly somewhere in the Tor slush pile before our then agent sent it to Ace.

I’m alternating between the bouts of giving up and trying to work on the sequel. This is the first scene of that sequel. I found it in my inbox when looking for something else. Kate is not even Kate. She is Vera.

How bad is it? It’s bad.

::clears throat:: I present to you this ugly in the interest of science. People often ask us how our writing was when we started. This is how it was. The snippet is unedited, as is. Read at your own risk.

I crouched in the bushes watching flies land on a cow carcass. They swarmed over its mouth, crawled on the milky-dead eyes, and bred on the crimson mess of entrails spilling from the ruptured stomach. I once read that the human nose becomes fatigued by strong odors and blocks them after prolonged exposure. I’ve been sitting by the cow since sunrise. It didn’t smell any better.

A hint of cramps tugged at my legs and I shifted forward, kneeling in the dirt, careful not to rest my weight on my saber, laying in its sheath on the ground in front of me. Above me in a poplar a wild pigeon crooned with mind-numbing persistence. A fuzzy bee landed on the purple cluster of kudzu flowers two inches from my ear. I watched it crawl into the bottom flower, sending purple petals into shudders. A few breaths later the bee reappeared and took to the air with a loud buzz, missing my cheek by a hair.

Just me and the cow. In the torrid heat of Georgia in August.

It had been a good-looking cow, I reflected. Brown with a patch of white curly hair on its forehead. Now it lay in that familiar dead cow pose – on its side, legs together. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a dead cow, with its guts ripped out and claw marks on its back.

Something rustled through the kudzu to my left. I reached down, finding Slayer’s hilt, breathing deep and quiet.

The rustling came closer. I rocked back into a crouch, saber in my hands.

The tri-lobed kudzu leaves trembled, parted, and a fat spotted tomcat sauntered into the open.

Dammit.

The cat made a straight line to the cow and proceeded to lick the congealing blood off a soft clump of intestine. Help yourself, why don’t you.

I lowered the enchanted saber back into its spot. I thought I made no sound, but the cat paused and stared at me with round yellow eyes, looking perfectly scandalized as if he were a host at a banquet and caught me trying to gain entrance in muddy shoes. I stuck my tongue out at him. He stared at me for another strained breath, making sure I understood the depth of his outrage, and went back to licking the innards.

The pigeon kept cooing. I wished the cat would get off its butt, climb the poplar, and shut it up. He was too fat to catch the pigeon, but at least the damn bird might decide to find a different perch.

Minutes dripped by, long and viscous like honey. The cat began washing his whiskers.The pigeon cooed. Across the clearing a squirrel ran up a white ash, moving in short frenzied bursts, and made its way to the end of the branch. The buzzing of fly wings blended into a quiet hum.

Beeeeeep!

The squirrel dashed away in blind panic. The cat jumped into the bushes. The pigeon shot through the canopy of the poplar leaves and vanished from my sight.

Bloody hell. I ripped at the beeping cell phone from the loop of my jeans and put it to my ear. It shouldn’t have rang – most cell phones no longer worked, not even in the strongest of tech waves. Apparently nobody mentioned this simple fact to my Order-issued cell phone, which my boss required me to carry. If I had known it would ring, I would’ve left it in my car.

“Yes?” I hissed into the phone.

“Vera?” Ann’s voice sounded tiny.

“Now isn’t a good time,” I whispered.

“I need your help,” she said. There was a faint quiver in her voice.

“Are you in danger?”

“No. Maybe.”

“Where are you?”

“At my house. I don’t want you to kill yourself getting over here… Just come when you can.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow.”

I pushed the disconnect button. The most poised person in my life had a quiver in her voice. She was the only person I had left that even remotely resembled family.

Everything else would have to wait.

I picked up Slayer and rose. A dark blur plunged at me from the poplar with preternatural speed. I spun out of the way, whipping Slayer from its sheath and slicing in a single motion. The tip of the saber grazed the creature’s back. The beast landed on a tree trunk. In an instant the long serpentine body snapped around the tree. Clawed lizard-like forepaws pierced the bark. The beast raised its feline head and hissed at me, pink cat maw gaping wide, four inch fangs glistening like sickles against the red tongue.

The sharp black scales sliced against the bark with a faint whisper, as the beast gathered itself. Yellow cat eyes stared at me with hunger and fury.

The beast contracted like a spring.

I showed it my teeth.

It lunged. I dove forward and down, on one knee, thrusting up with Slayer. The enchanted saber caught the soft flesh under the beast’s ribcage, carving through scale and muscle like a knife through a ripe pear. Hot salty blood and innards spilled over my face. The beast’s momentum carried it forward, and I split it from midsection all the way to the tight tip of the tail. It smashed into the bushes, breaking the stems and spraying crimson over green leaves. I took a step forward and saw it, panting and bloody. Its filleted tail jerked, crushing the brush in impotent fury, left, right. Big mouth hissed a vicious promise. The tail halves flailed once, twice and fell, sliding weakly against each other. Slowly, reluctantly, the creature’s black head lolled to the side. With a shudder, the beast clutched the ground with its clawed fingers. The yellow eyes dimmed and went out, snuffed out by death.

Since I had a working cell phone, I could just as well use it. I punched in the numbers with sticky fingers and plucked a soft clump of bloody flesh from my hair, while the phone rang.

“Mrs. Hartzell? I’ve got your tatzelwurm. Yes, you could probably let the cows out. Tatzelwurms are solitary, they don’t like other tatzelwurms. No, I don’t see a problem with your boys picking the body up, I don’t want it. But if you could have a bucket of warm soapy water ready for me when I get down there, I’d really appreciate it.”

I stuck the bloody phone back on the loop of my pants, cleaned the Slayer, first with leaves, then with the hem of my T-shirt – it was ruined anyway, slid the saber back into its sheath and started down the path. With luck I could get to the farm, wash up and make it back into Atlanta by the morning to ask Ted for a leave of absence. And if the Knight-Protector refused to give me one, I would leave anyway.

NEVER MISS A BOOK RELEASE

Join 30,000 Subscribers

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO
PUBLISHING NEWS

New book releases, give-aways, and appearances.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO
BLOG UPDATES

Free fiction, snippets, and funny stories.

Read our Privacy Policy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Funny! Cats do outrage better than almost anyone. Dogs seem to do hurt surprise the best.

      • I see the thought process there, but my first thought is that it sounds a bit too much like a superhero name and a bit too much of a giveaway since our girl is trying to live under the radar 🤔

  3. Am I first?!???
    It’s NOT crap, Ilona!! It’s not quite as polished as your usual, but it’s great!

  6. Vera? There at the end though, that was pure Kate. As always, thanks for the behind the scenes bits. No shame in an unfinished piece.

  7. Ha! I get why now, so much more experience the richer, you would consider it bad. It’s definitely… unpolished 😉 But there are still those flashes of really good writing already in there that hooked the entire BDH and then some!

  8. I would have still read it. But then I think I found you guys when you were already pretty stable. My intro was Julie’s short in Apple for Creature, Magic Tests I believe.

    • Mine too!!! Thats awesome 😁. Also no offense intended but i like the name kate better!

    • My entry was a short story from Andrea’s point of view. Then I started at the beginning.

    • My entry point was Dali and Jim’s short stories because they were included in anthologies.

      • Mine too!

        The anthology Night Shift which I had bought because of Nalini Singh.
        It had the 2nd Jim & Dali story, which was my 1st.
        I even remember the sentence that made me fall in love with IA.
        It was Dali describing Jim as not just being a badass, but a badass who wrote a book for badasses on how to be a badder badass.

        I even liked Jim in that story, because of how he treated Dali.

        After I started reading Kate my fondness for Jim disappeared quickly.

    • My into was Iron Magic, as an audiobook. It was so awesome i had to go and read the series so i could read about all the things Hugh eluded to in his past. Imaging entering a series were you see the redemption of an antagonist first. 🙂 But the writing had me hooked immediately, and i promptly devoured all Ilona Andrews works i could get my hands on. To the point using access to a Floridian Digital public library from my home here is Eastern Canada (thanks to Snowbird In-laws that qualify for a library card). And despite the cover of Hidden Legacy. I never would have pick that up looking at the cover. Good thing i got over the cover;). The Inkeeper series is the first digital books i ever bought. They weren’t available at the library and i HAD to have them! I’ve gotten my husband hooked on IA too, and always reread them and recommend them to anyone i see reading 🙂

      This work shows great ideas, the style we all love, and the power of editing and polish. Thanks for your time and efforts. Good things get better with practice. Keep going, we’ll all be here!

    • I found it interesting that Vera became Kate but Slayer was still Slayer. Ah, poor Slayer. You were a good and faithful sword.

  10. (stares) The start to now.. and what you must have been thinking at that time in your life. Fascinating. I was always BDH..now its nearly obsession.

  11. ooohhh thank you for sharing. this raising so many questions, like at what point did Vera have her name changed to Kate, given that this was the possible sequel you were working on… and working cell phones.
    I liked it, thank you for sharing.
    just because of the name I’m now picturing Kate v1 aka Vera- as the trench coat wearing detective from the North Vera. so that adds a while other level of giggles in my head.
    As she would have added the word ‘pet’in at some point in the phonecall. 😁

  12. This gives me flashbacks to growing up on a dairy farm, and the barn cats were always willing to give the vet an “assist”.

    • Reminds me of a friend’s heeler mix that got into the blood from a euthanized 1100lb animal, unbeknownst to my friend until the dog staggered up the stairs, collapsed, and passed out for 18 hours. This was at least six years ago and he’s still going #heelerstrong.

  16. I should point out that I am not an expert in anything. However, I would buy and read this.

  17. No shade against any of the Veras of the world but I’m glad you went with Kate! It feels weird having her go by something else! Anna’s name seems to have stayed close to the original.

    Also it’s interesting that cell phones used to be a bigger part of the story! I always find it a unique part of the worldbuilding that everyone needs to use landlines in this series.

    • I also feel this way about the phones. It always factored into the “problems with tech” aspect of the world building. And would we have had the saucy conversation at the diner involving a naked dinner?

  19. You’re selling yourself short. It’s got a good hook, especially since it’s the second book.

  24. Vera. I just can’t.

    It’s a silly thing to get stuck on and I really enjoyed going back in time for this snippet.

    Shaking my head over Vera. It’s a perfectly good name, but it’s like hearing all the names your mother almost used on you!

    • That is it exactly! I was almost Jessica, which is a perfectly nice name but is not mine. It always makes me hiss a little.

  26. BDH: Whoo-hoo, insight to early writing of Kate (aka Vera in this version)!

    Ilona: *head in hands bemoaning this writing version*.

    BDH: We’ll buy even this version. Plus, it’s not crap.

    Ilona: ignores the BDH. 😀

    Well, we all have to start somewhere. 🙂 I’m just glad you and Gordon stuck with it to get to where you’re at now.

  27. All this post proves is that you have a higher standard for yourself than we require to enjoy your work. Of course, we are always our own worst critics. I smiled at the small details, including the fuzzy bee and “Vera” not flinching violently at proximity, amongst other things.

  29. I’ll take any snippet, even one you deem bad. I must say I’ve read much worth in some urban fantasy books, unfortunately.
    I’m so glad you went with Kate! Vera rings like a thriller kind of name to me, most probably because of Ruth Rendell 😉

  30. I just don’t see her as a Vera. Vera’s can be dangerous, but verbally, mentally.
    Kate is short and to the point. Like Kate – “lets’s just get this done.”

    I can see why you would not like it.
    Great detail, but to me it doesn’t have the “pop” of Kate’s later hunting scenes.

    I wonder how Magic Bites read, before the editors got a hold of it?

  31. Definitely not shameful in my eyes, I enjoyed this snippet. Have to say glad the name Vera wasn’t kept, just didn’t seem to fit the character, especially the whole name. 🙃

  32. Thank you! I see the thought process for Voron as the last name but now I’m trying to remember why she’s Daniels in the series. Also does House Andrews not realize the BDH will read anything they choose to share? We love them

    • Voron chose Daniels for Kate as something very common.
      In real life, I believe it was House Andrews’ editor, Anne Sowards, who suggested the name 🙂

  33. Bad? LMAO I love it!
    Ok, there are some word & sentence tweaks needed, but it
    really gets the “bored waiting” point across.
    Seriously, not bad, not bad at all.

  34. Glad you settled for Kate , your writing style may not be as polished as now but I for one found it enjoyable and would read it with great pleasure, be kind to yourself x

  35. It isn’t crap, it simply isn’t polished to the level we have come to expect. The IA voice is here, and it is decent writing. This also hasn’t been edited either.

    IME crap writing is writing no matter how much you polish it, is crap. This piece is not crap, it is a piece that with polishing could be really good.

    Sure, probably the first draft you guys come out with these days is light years better than this& this would take a lot of work to reach your current standards, but at its core it is still decent writing.

    Writing like music is a process where you get better by doing. This is separated by 17 years of the writing process, writing, editing, proofing. I also have found when I read after writing , that I look at what I am reading differently, and it reflects in my writing later ( I am no pro writer, I write for my own enjoyment). When you read with ‘the writers eye’ it is different than casually reading I found (and obviously, this is just my take).

    Reading this is kind of like looking at a piece of music Mozart wrote when he was 7. Despite popular myth, the stuff he wrote as a kid wasn’t what we consider Mozart to be. Like your snippet, it isn’t crap, it actually is pretty good, but it didn’t have the oomph his music started having starting about 10 years later. Mozart has he gone back could have taken that framework he wrote at 7 ,and given it the oomph. on the other hand, if it was crap, he couldn’t have. On the other hand adult Mozart would likely look at the early piece ,roll his eyes and groan, just like you did:)

    • 100% what Bill said. All of the elements of a great work of fiction are present, it just needs a little TLC to become excellent. The scene is still compelling and gives you a deep sense of immersion in Vera’s life, it’s just a bit rough on getting there.

    • When Terry Patchett published Carpet People he said it was written by two very different people: himself at 17 and himself at 43. Still a very good book but you can feel a difference from the rest of the writing he was putting out at the same time.

  36. Wow. I would have kept reading this version. I have to admit, the name change to Kate was the right way to go.

  37. So what was Kate’s mother’s first and last name?

    So what was Voron’s last name? Or is Voron his last name? Then what is his first name?

    Thank you for the peak into what became Kate Daniels.

    • Kate’s mother’s first name is Kalina- I don’t believe we are ever given her last name 🙂

  38. An interesting piece from the slush pile. I missed the snark. But helpful to see how much you have progressed.

    Thank you

  39. I see Kate in Vera. For me, Vera is the older British detective. It is always informative to see our thought process from years ago. It was fun to read-thanks

  41. It is still so much better than the novel I tried to read last week from a local author. I can (sort of) see why you don’t like it, but it is still engaging and evocative!

  42. Vera??! The only Vera I know is an eighty something Russian woman, so if she had stayed Vera I’d have had all sorts of feelings.

  43. Considering that I am from a little town in the southwest tip of NC, I can vouch that Vera is a good, fairly well-used Southern Appalachian name for those of us 50 & overs; however, Kate just SOUNDS stronger and right. Did Gordon come up with that name? I know he grew up in this neck of the woods!

    Thoroughly enjoyed that little bit of KD history.

  44. Thank you for sharing that. I understand how hard it is to do that when it’s something you’d rather not have see the light of day and the scutiny of others. It was the spring board for Kate and the lovely series that followed, so that’s the good thing. Glimpses. It was fun to see. Thank you, again!!!

  45. Not bad. I do like the name Kate better then Vera but if her name had been Vera all along I would still want to read what comes next. 😁

  46. I love to read early works because it allows me to spot where the raw talent shines through.

  48. It may not be as good as what you two write now, but I didn’t hate it. And I’m so glad you changed her name!

  49. Ohh, hot salty blood. I was just about to eat lunch. Maybe I’ll wait. Thanks for the snippet. Y’all have made an interesting journey!

  51. I also read the Schlock Mercenary graphis novels. If you want to see improvement, look at the illustration of the first volume vs the last. Wow, just wow, the improvement is massive. So also you guys.

  52. Thank you for this, I enjoyed it. Of course, your sharing has created tons of questions, when did Vera become Kate is my first.

  55. Yes, it’s rough, but it’s still better than several things I’ve started reading and given up on recently. I’m so glad your agent sent Magic Bites to Ace.

    Also, my great grandmother’s name was Vera. She was pretty baddass, so it still kind of tracks.

  56. It’s good to look back at these early efforts to show you how much you’ve grown! Very happy Vera became Kate 🙂

  58. You had “it” then, too.
    Like every other thing I’ve read from you two, this snippet grabs you and yanks you into the character’s world. Immediately. No choice. You are *there*.

    I am so glad your agent and editor recognized how rare this is. My life would so much poorer without your books.

    Thank you for sharing this older piece of storytelling. It’s not as polished as your recent works, but the story is still there and it still hold together.

    (And your editor was right – Kate Daniels is better.)

  60. Cool snippet – it’s interesting to see the evolution of Kate.

    Two very random thoughts as reading: the phrase “ripe pear” always makes me smile because of Eddie Izzard (So you think, “I’ll take them home and they’ll ripen up.” But you put them in the bowl at home, and they sit there, going, “No! No! Don’t ripen yet, don’t ripen yet. Wait til he goes out the room! Ripen! Now now now!) and any references on your part will always trigger “PUT DOWN THAT COW!!!” for me 😀

  62. Perspective. For Ilona Andrews that’s a hang your head moment. For my writing skills it’s War and Peace.
    Perfect cat attitude writing.

  63. Wow, thanks for sharing! I’m so curious about the plot line with Ann (Anna? Greg’s ex-wife?). She disappeared so quietly from the main books, I’ve always wondered about her. Great snippet, if you find any more, I’d love to read them!

  65. I am glad you changed the name to Kate – AND I STILL LIKE IT! THE WRITING STILL PULLS ME IN! Seriously, I would read it.

  67. Thanks for sharing even though you think it’s bad. It was very interesting to read this beginning snippet! Here’s what I thought:

    1) This is not nearly as good as HA writing is now…but I would for sure read the whole book, and it’s still better than most things from other writers. And I loved the cat’s attitude…so realistic!😁

    2) I like ‘Kate’ better than ‘Vera’. 😂

  70. “It had been a good-looking cow, I reflected.”
    *lol* ok that is hilariously clunky.

    “Magic Bites” was the first book i read from you guys and i fell in love with “here kitty kitty” of course unedited isnt brilliant. but you guys always make it great. and yeah you grew and got better but that doesnt mean this is ugly.

    thanks for sharing

    • Actually, if you’re someone around cows on a regular basis, that’s not at all clunky. Even if you only go to the county fair for the fried dough, any reasonably observant person will consider some cows better looking than others. City residents notwithstanding, there are plenty of readers to whom that statement makes perfect sense.

  71. P . a . t . i . e . n . c . e , Thenoverinseconds. We would have read it, but I think I’m happy that editing has made it better. The focus was split that most people might find a bit difficult to believe, even for The Character that became Kate: anatomy prevents vision that close and intense, speaking from medical study perspective. Than you, for the earliest snippet! 😁

  72. That was a very good description of a boring stake-out without saying so. My only question was whether the saber was enchanted or not.

    • 😂😂😂
      Yeah, that’s what I picked up on the most – otherwise, thought it was great! 😀

  73. I love it, polished or not. It’s not so much how it looks, it’s what is under the hood in car speake, and you guys have it all under the hood.
    Good thing Kate didn’t hear that name. First she would have aarhed you, then wapped you with an amehe and set you straight “it’s Kate, hessaad, mine, don’t forget it”. Of course she must have, because now it’s Kate.🤨
    Thanks for everything you two write for us. No other Author I know has done this.

  74. I always felt that Ann (assuming she is Greg’s wife and Uncle Stupidhead’s mother), had more to say. The few inklings from her early prediction and fashion sense (good dress) made me want more. Calling on Vera/Kate seems out of character with her militantly out-of-sight stance. Thanks for showing us a piece of the working copy.

  76. I’m not a writer but this snippet seems unpolished to me in comparison to your published works.
    Thank you for sharing and for subsequently spoiling us with high quality writing!

  78. There are authors out there who on their best day can’t even reach the level of your writing on your worst day. 😉
    It does feel like it’s not up to your usual standard, but the elements that make your work great are there already.

  79. I enjoyed it–but it got me to thinking.

    When y’all write, who drives the keyboard? Do you? Does Gordon? Is it a “I’m writing now and you will have to wait your turn at 2pm” kind of thing?

    Thank you for the glimpse into no-longer-known-as-Vera/Kate. I like thinking she felt like she could call Kate:)

  80. Ummm, okay…so, this makes me doubt myself again. I’m beginning my journey as a freelance editor of fiction, and I don’t really see anything wrong with this. Clearly, I still have SO much to learn.
    Thanks for sharing.

    • It’s actually not that bad. A lot of the reactions you are seeing are because I said I was embarrassed by it. People are actively looking for something that would cause that.

      But if you were my editor, I would need you to tag this paragraph for sure. This is long and choppy. It should be broken into several paragraphs and it must read smoother. It’s not quite clear that the creature is passing over her head. There is definite over-writing happening. “Impotent fury” and ” vicious promise” don’t fit the tone of the fight. 🙂

      It lunged. I dove forward and down, on one knee, thrusting up with Slayer. The enchanted saber caught the soft flesh under the beast’s ribcage, carving through scale and muscle like a knife through a ripe pear. Hot salty blood and innards spilled over my face. The beast’s momentum carried it forward, and I split it from midsection all the way to the tight tip of the tail. It smashed into the bushes, breaking the stems and spraying crimson over green leaves. I took a step forward and saw it, panting and bloody. Its filleted tail jerked, crushing the brush in impotent fury, left, right. Big mouth hissed a vicious promise. The tail halves flailed once, twice and fell, sliding weakly against each other. Slowly, reluctantly, the creature’s black head lolled to the side. With a shudder, the beast clutched the ground with its clawed fingers. The yellow eyes dimmed and went out, snuffed out by death.

      • Oh, I see. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve learned something already. Thank you.

      • I hear what you’re saying, and I agree. However, as a professional editor who daily deals with a lot worse writing than this, I think it is still pretty good.

  81. I am bewildered by the “shame.” Your ability to describe a scene so completely that I can dang near smell the dead cow was just as powerful then as it is now. Plus the little slings and arrows of humor as the reality of the-world-as-it-is smacks face first into a dramatic moment. The pigeon, the cat (I agree with the commenter who said “cats do outrage better than almost anyone!”), the bee, the PHONE RINGING…

    This sounds just exactly like the Kate we first meet who has to lug the proof of a completed job back to the Guild when Jim takes off for Pack business. Aside from the name change (thank you!) I don’t even see that much need for additional “polish.”

    Accept your verbal strokes of praise from the BDH gracefully – you know darn well we’d buy it and enjoy every word! 🙂

  82. It’s not your usual polished work, but I still really enjoyed reading it! Thank you for sharing with us.

  86. Okay, where’s the next scene with Vera and Ann? I gotta know what Ann’s problem is. I mean how am I gonna sleep tonight?😁

  88. Not as smooth as your later work, but I still enjoyed it. Kate fits her better than Vera.

  89. This was fun. Thank you for sharing! I can see clear pieces of Kate’s voice, and it’s interesting to see how the world building shifted.

  90. I agree with Kathy, Judy S, Sabrina and Keera! This may not have been your best writing but I like it. Your editor would have wanted changes but honestly, you’re an excellent writer. You and Gordon create such gems, ones that I have read and read. If you opted to re-release all of your novels as hardbacks, with lots and lots of illustrations, I would buy them all.

  92. Kate in any form or by any name is amazing. It would have hooked me in if you had gone with it! You two are fantastic. ❤️

  93. That snippet would have hooked me in. Your descriptions are always so vivid and colorful

  94. hmmmmm. Did the cat turn into the tatzelwurm?

    I enjoyed the snippet but your newer works are better….

  95. Thank you! I enjoyed seeing the early version of Kate v1.0 in raw, unedited format. 😀

  96. It may have been unedited, but I still enjoyed it. Though now I want to know more about Ann and this side mission. Also interesting on the cell phone because I don’t remember her carrying one in the series, but maybe that got edited out for posterity.

  98. Hello,

    So is this what Kate would be like if she had stayed in the order academy??

    Ted was still Ted though and I think Ann probably turned into Anne (Greg’s ex wife)

    You can see the bits of Kate shinning through and i’m glad that Sarat (kates first sword) was no longer called an enchanted blade but given a name.

    Just searched the website and came across this old post about Swords and Cossacks July 2017.

    https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/more-sword-videos/

    Very interesting, i love how you know so much about your family history (and history too).

    thank you very much

  99. Opps, just read comments, Slayer was Kate’s first sword, i don’t know why i keep forgetting that name.

  100. I liked it! I’m glad Vera became Kate. She has been my favorite fictional character for over a decade. Never doubt your gift!

  103. You’ve shown so much growth. You’ve created a world that I can’t get enough of. I read/listen to every book you’ve published over again every year. I can’t get enough.

  106. If Kate has a cell phone, it shouldn’t beep like a pager 📟. It should stealthily vibrate or play a blaring ringtone. What happens to Ann? More? 🙏

  107. I had the image of the Tatzelwurm so clear in my head that I just ‘knew’ it had a feline had, before ot was even mentioned.
    Then, I wondered how I knew that. after using the big G, I finally found the answer: it is a mythical creature of my home region. Feeling stupid now. (=.=)

  108. Vera makes me thing of the actress and I will forever remember her from being in “Roar”.

    Ugh, and now I’m sad about a show that was canceled over 20 years ago.

    May I have another snippet to cheer me up? 😂

  110. I feel dumb since I dontsee a difference in your usual and Im scared to post this in case it causes an aploplexy.
    BUT
    BUT
    Hear me, you were amazing since the start thats why 🙂

  111. My entree to the series was Magic Bites, right when it was first published. I remember thinking it was pretty good and so I’d pick up the next one. I honestly can’t judge what is better technically about #2 but it blew me away. I didn’t think ‘this is better edited’ — but I did see characters evolve, relationships progress, and the world come even more to life. Kate became more than a wise-cracking bad ass to me and Curren more than alpha bo-hunk — book by book. Appreciate the peek in to the writing process — and the fact that your writing is so good I forget it and just READ!

  112. I like it. It‘s a normal day in Kate’s life, besides her big adventures. And I can feel the heat and sweat and her discomfort.

    I see no shame 🙂

  114. Thank you for sharing this! I think it would feel very vulnerable and I want to express how much appreciate being able to see your process so much. The beginnings of such an incredible series!! I am so grateful you stuck with it.

  116. Okay- so I feel like this is the beginning of “what happened to Kate’s (Vera’s) relationship with Anna (Ann)” thing. Because Anna was a huge character in the first book but doesn’t really show up again- except for a comment that they had a falling out. I’d love to read that short story!

    Anyway- it may be a bit wordy and gruesome but it’s better than I can do. Thanks for always sharing the good- the bad – and the ugly.

  118. I’m ashamed that I didn’t know kudzu has flowers. I mean, it’s not like I’ve lived in TN and GA my whole life or anything.

    About Vera Voron — made me go check the name of the brainy girl that hangs out w Scooby Doo. (Velma, BTW.)

  119. I didn’t think this was bad. I love all of your books and worlds. I would buy any book you put out without reading anything about it. I have all of your books as you are one of the best authors out there and I re read all of your you and Gordon’s books regularly and never ever get tired of them!! ( ALL OF THE WORLDS)!! I cannot write or even try to as you can tell just by this but I like this and still would have bought it. When I cannot find new books I like library or buying I always go to re read one.of your series and end up reading all of them over again. They never get old to me. Thank you for your snippet.

  120. Are you kidding me? That was great! I was captured immediately. I don’t remember reading about this beast and I would have missed out. The colors of its mouth, eyes, the way it moves, ah the predator moves. Thanks for sharing.yeah she needed a single syllable hard sounding name. KATE! You guys were right. Thats a great no BS name.

  121. I liked it! Your dry humor and cat-oriented disposition came through very well. Thanks for sharing.

  122. I’m laughing because I’m imagining this cat as Curran’s predecessor.first series … he would be so insulted… second series… he would simply raise and eyebrow 😛

Skip to content