OUR STORE: SHOP HERE

ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

You are here: Home / Blog / Vellum Updates and a Bribe Giveaway

Vellum Updates and a Bribe Giveaway

Blog, Give away, Innkeeper Chronicles POST A COMMENT by

We will start with a brief vellum update and then switch to the giveaway. I am bribing you.

Some people saw me testing things on Facebook this morning, and I wanted to explain it before any misunderstandings occured.

It’s our first time printing vellum so we made some decisions that slightly complicated our life.

Our original vellum, the one that is advertised in image below is printed on 40lb vellum. It’s thicker, the colors are brighter, and it is exactly 6×9 so it fits into US hardcover.

It fits in the book, but it is thicker and it is a bit of struggle to make it stay. It should have been printed slightly smaller.

We have now tried 5 different printers. At some point, I invited Grace Draven to the house to get unbiased opinions.

First, we dropped the white border and settled on the size that would fit both UK and US hardcovers.

Next we found a thinner vellum at 28 lbs that still shows the beautiful colors but is much thinner and lays better in the book.

We have one more batch coming to us before finalizing the no-border vellum. After that, the no-border vellum will be available as a separate product. We don’t want to throw it out there before we have pictures to show you.

We would like to give you options at the fulfillment.

  • You can choose to stay with the original vellum with white border. We printed a ton of it and we have it in stock.
  • You can switch to the no-white-border version at no additional charge. It is a one for one swap.
  • And those of you who would like to get both, border and no-border, will be able to grab a set of no-border vellum at a discount. We will just stuff it into the same envelope, saving you on shipping. The add-on pack will be available only with a regular order.

Once we have finalized this second variant, we will send you an email through the store explaining how to choose your options. If you run into trouble, please email us and we will sort it.

A little warning about the fulfillment: we expect it to take several weeks. We have in excess of 2,000 orders. Kid 2 is stuffing maps into the envelopes as we speak. We even put Rito to work.

We appreciate your patience.

We will start shipping after 07/08, and if you get worried, email me through the store and I will be able to tell you your place in line.

Also I now know way too much about vellum.

Giveaway Bribe

We have received beautiful collected editions of Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 from Subterranean Press. It is a gorgeous book, and we are very grateful to Subterranean for reissuing it.

(And also an unexpected gift of the wonderful Sencha Tea! A giant bag of it. Dear Geralyn, thank you so much! It is appreciated beyond all reason.)

This collector edition contains Clean Sweep, Sweep in Peace, and One Fell Sweep. Clean Sweep is currently available free in our store.

This is your chance to grab one of these copies. The giveaway will run until 07/09 and the winner will be chosen on 07/10.

  • US only – unfortunately, it is a massive book, and shipping it internationally will be a nightmare. House Andrews will host other international giveaways soon.
  • To enter, please let us know in the blog comments who is your favorite character from the Innkeeper Chronicles.

PS Mod R:

Ilona wrote this post, but I am changing author to myself so she doesn’t get the thousands of comments alerts – House Andrews are on the last scenes of Maggie 2 and they need full focus!

Please read the instructions before making your comment, I have had to void so many entries in the previous giveaway.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. My favorite character is Dina. While I love so many of the others definitely her!

    • I haven’t read it yet (I’m slowly reading your backlist), but I have loved all of your books so I know this won’t be any different!

      Thank you so much for the chance, I would love to have this one so I can annotate it once I start reading it 😂

      • Oh goodness!!! I will choose Orro, but I also love Cookie!

        Thank you so much for yhe giveaway and I just have to ask. Does that mean Subterranean Press will be releasing the set again and you received a copy?

        • I believe that these are copies from the 2nd printing after the BDH pleaded and howled to have Subterranean print it again. Subterranean hardly ever does a second printing. The might of the BDH is awesome

          • Yep. I ordered a copy when Mod R mentioned it way back in January. They sold out fast from what I understand. I should be getting it any day. 😁🎉📚

    • I LOVE so many of the characters but I have to go with Maud. As a mother, I can relate to how she feels and how protective she is. She is also badass!

      Thank you for writing such wonderful books and lovable characters!

    • First post ever…but a giveaway is too good to pass up!
      While I love the many characters in the Innkeeper series I have to go with Arland.

  3. I love all the characters in Innkeeper Chronicles but every scene with Orro makes me extra happy. Thank you for all the wonderful books and swag!

    • Caldenia! I love it every time she offers to eat someone and I loved the recent reveal of her back story and her reunion with her family!

      • Oooo giveaway!!! But I have to pick a favorite character? It’s like trying to choose a favorite child? Caldenia , Orro, and Maude popped into my mind first in that order. I think I’m going to go with Maud. Can’t wait for her wedding!

  6. The horde appreciates your dedication and waits chalantly. ; )

    My favorite Inkeeper character is Dina. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

  7. Helen and her ripper cushions is my favorite character. She is exactly who she is with all the conviction of a little kid.

  8. Orro is my favorite. Especially when he is trying to replicate fast food, but is incapable of lowering his standards enough to actually do it.

  10. My favorite character is Beast!! I would absolutely love to get some POV from her!!😍😍💜💜🐕🐕

  11. My favorite character is Orro. I adore his eccentricities and would love to try his food.

    USA based.

  12. Gertrude Hunt is my favorite character, with Magnolia Green as my big OH MAN WAIT NO moment. I love the amount of personality in the inns <3 Dina is, of course, best non-transdimensional character.

      • My favourite character is Maud. I’m always so impressed with her dedication and fierce nature protecting Helen.

  17. I absolutely love all the characters, but Gaston is one of my favorites. My first Ilona Andrews series was the Edge series and getting to read about George, Jack, Sophie, and especially Gaston again is wonderful. He is such a unique character and was written to be so much fun.

  18. I am going to say that my favorite character from the Innkeeper Chronicles is Orro.

    He popped first into my mind when I read the directions, but if I stop and think about it, I have so many favorites…

    Confirming I am from the US.

    Thanks for the update on Maggie. I am sure I speak for most of the BDH that we definitely want HA to concentrate on that rather than on the Blog.

  19. Orro is my favorite character. He’s just such a fun twist on the dramatic chef personality, but he’s also so loyal.

  20. Thanks so much for the chance! I’m new to the series and just started Clean Sweep so my favorite is Dina…so far….;)

  22. Love Dina! Best character. Also, dying for one of the Owl Crate This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me books. Sold out so fast!

  24. Oooh! I adore Caldenia. The Funyuns. The snark. The bloodthirstiness. She’s a delight.

  25. So many characters and you want me to pick one? That’s like asking which kid I love the most!

    I’ll go with Orro today because in the graphic audio his voice actor is hysterical and never fails to make me laugh. But ask me tomorrow and you’d get a completely different answer.

  28. I have a hard time deciding between Orro and Caldenia. HA does a mean supporting cast. But truthfully I love them all!

    Today I feel more like a disgraced chef than an intergalactic war goddess, so I choose Orro. 😂

  30. Oh it’s soo gorgeous!!!!!! and I’m reading the Innkeeper Chronicles now *grabby grabby hands at extra awesome edition!* 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
    But I can’t enter. *cries in International*. Not mentioning my fave chara cos I don’t want to cause Mod R a headache by looking like I am entering the giveaway.
    All the best US Horde!!

    • I love all the characters so picking one is hard. Dina, Sean, Orro, Helen, Maud, etc.

  35. Dina is my favorite, though Helen is a close second. I would love to have experienced the inn as Helen. It would be magical to see the inn through a child’s perspective.

  36. my favorite character has to be Helen – but I love all of the characters and their depth!

    • Wilmos is a favorite. Steady as a rock and doesn’t play games. Gives you what you need, not what you want.

  38. Ug, pick one?!?!?
    Uhhhhh, (changes mind 5 times) …
    Dina. (Maud is a close second.)

  39. I don’t have a favorite character *yet* because I haven’t gotten my hands on this series yet. But I have been fully converted to the Ilona Andrews books and I’ve just completed TKWNKM and Hidden Legacy and they are INCREDIBLE! So I will now be dedicating my life to reading everything by Ilona and Gordon.

  41. I’m currently rereading the series and there are so many great characters to choose from that it’s hard to pick just one! Today it’s Orro but who knows about tomorrow??

  46. My favorite character is Orro. Exiled and grumpy, but lives to cook and bring happiness through his dishes.

  47. I would be remiss not to enter given I have been listening to the entirety of the Innkeeper audiobooks over and over all year 😭

    As a vampire girl™️, my favorire character is Arland.

  48. How in the world do I choose just one? Like, there are so many good ones. Caldenia is so wonderful. Equal parts ruthless, brilliant, and loving. Mysterious and dignified and down to earth. I love her. Then there’s Maude, doing bad-ass stuff while raising a whole little person who is a future bad-ass. Orro and his drama and skill. It’s too much. I can’t choose.

  49. This question is so hard! The Inn Keeper books are my favorite! I think I have to pick Maud. She endured so much, had to be so strong, and managed to not let that impact Helen. I was so happy for her to find her HEA. Thank you for this world & those characters.

  51. Adult George. And I know he was technically an edge character, but having him pop up as an adult and rescuing Maude was such an awesome weave together of worlds. I can imagine a whole theater full of horde fans screaming simultaneously in the film version. Oooh now I know what to reread next.

  54. Yay for vellum! Also, my favorite character has always been Caldenia. Which made me feel kind of bad when everyone assumed she was a very bad guy. But now I feel justified.😁

  59. My favorite character is Gertrude Hunt as we know her through Dina. The sentient building trope is one of my absolute favorites and my happy place is just imagining myself visiting Gertrude Hunt and enjoying being taken care of in such a complete way. I would move in and they would never be able to make me leave!

  63. Oh my god, making me pick a favorite Innkeeper character is like picking a favorite child! I have a massive soft spot for Dina’s mix of empathy and resilience, but I also adore Orro – with his gruffness, Shakespearean dramatics, and delicious, delicious food. Mmm.

  65. I love Dina, but Maud is my favorite! Nothing like a story about healing from total betrayal.

  66. The Innkeeper, Dina, is by far and away my favorite character in the Innkeeper Chronicles

  68. Pick a favorite character?
    That’s like asking me to pick my favorite book! Inconceivable!

    But, if I have to choose, I’m going to go with Dina. It was a hard choice, but I love how she gets in her own way. But has the strength of character to see it and achieve her goals.

    (PS how goes the new home decorating?)

  70. It’s so hard to choose, there are so many amazing characters! I think for now, I will go with Caldenia. I love her wit and her bloodthirstiness! (Commenting from the US)

  71. Favorite Innkeeper character is probably Orro, but they are all amazing.

    Thanks for the opportunity! Bribes are never required, but they are fun!

  75. My favorite from The Innkeeper Series is Sean….he just rolls with all the new worlds opening in front of him, but always returns to Dina….

  76. Dina is my favorite because like so many others, I want to be her and have innkeeper powers like her when I grow up!

  77. Always up for a good bribe. While I love all of the characters, Orro has a special place in my heart. His growth, from disgraced red clever chef, to stalwart defender of Dina and the Inn makes me love him.

  78. My favorite character is Dina! She’s so sweet, calming, warm, and also a bad***

  81. I appreciate all of the characters, but I find Orro endearing. He is such a mix of drama and vulnerability. I teared up at the mango scene.

  82. I change my mind all the time, but I love Dina the most today. She’s quietly competent, which I enjoy seeing in a character.

  85. Favorite character is Maud, followed closely by Orro. Love a badass and a drama queen (in that order).

  87. My favorite character is Arland (although the Inn itself is a close second lol)

  88. Hello!

    Favorite characters are Sean and Costco lady. Sean is funny and deadly. Even though Costco lady showed up only for a litle in book 1 I liked her immediately.

  90. My favorite character is Maud. Love her resilience and general badassery!

  93. What a great giveaway! My favorite character has to be Orro! Nothing quite beats his cupcakes and exquisite creations as a red cleaver chef

  94. Here is my entry for the giveaway:

    1. My favorite Innkeeper character is Gertrude Hunt. (I have so many favorites, actually, but without Gertrude Hunt, there is no inn and therefore no Innkeeper, so she wins!)
    2. I live in the US.

    Thank you for everything you do for us. Wishing you luck and perseverance in the remaining work on Maggie 2!

  95. So hard to pick a favorite but I have to go with Orro. He’s so funny with his interpretations of earth television 🤣

  96. so many excellent characters in this series! caldenia is first for me, followed closely by dina and helen

  97. It took me an embarrassingly long time to decide, but honestly? Arland of House Krahr 😊. Plus the Hiru, and the space chickens ❤️

  98. All the beloved characters out of the Innkeeper Chronicles, my favorite is Helen. She is a delightful child and show such grace and dignity during her ripper cushions.

  99. So for those who have bought UK editions of the book, should we keep waiting on ordering vellum?