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Vellum Updates and a Bribe Giveaway

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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

  2. Hello, Andrews family! ☀️ Hope you’re all having a fantastic summer!

    This year has already been an absolute win—we got This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, and we got to hang out with some amazing Primes! 🥹 And I’m still completely obsessed with The Inheritance. Seriously, thank you for giving us these incredible books and characters that have taken up permanent residence in our hearts (and minds).

    I know we’ve got TKWNKM 2 coming in 2027, and trust me, I’m already counting down. 😂 But… should we be bracing ourselves for any other exciting surprises? Are we getting another trip to Baha-Char? Do we need to start shopping for wedding attire in case Maud finally says, “I do”? 👀💍

    And while we’re asking completely reasonable, totally chill questions… any plans to visit Wilmington or Kentucky this year or in 2027?

    I’m definitely not trying to plan my life around Andrews family happenings. I’m simply trying to manage my chalant. 😇😁

  3. Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren
    She keeps everybody on their toes, and manipulates the players like a chess master. Her Funyuns addiction mirrors my own. Love them on hamburgers.

  5. Tough question, since I love many of the characters, but have to say that my favorite is Tony, for his love of food and his unassuming nice guy/scary ad-hal self.

  7. Honestly I haven’t gotten a chance to read Inn Keeper yet but I’m sure my favorite character will be whomever is most like Bug or Dali.

  8. Oh so hard to pick a favorite! Helen amuses me terribly. Dina is fabulous. Gertrude Hunt is an unfolding mystery.

    Too many to just choose one!

  9. It’s definitely difficult to choose a favorite character. I love the Inn itself as a character. But I’m an animsl lover to my core, so I am going to say Beast.

    Thank you for the opportunity to enter.

  10. My answer changes depending on what day it is, but at the moment I think my favorite is Arland. So charming. Such a model vampire knight. So good with Helen.

  11. It’s so hard to pick a favorite from this series. I think I have to go with Helen, just because she makes me smile and sometimes laugh out loud.

  13. Caldenia. Ruthless, highly intelligent, supremely self-possessed, a fine mentor on occasion.

  14. my favorite character would have to be Maude with Maude/Helen as the best combo. ❤️

  21. Hello,

    My favorite character is the inn.. the roots. when she was very hurt it was the where the inn held her in the roots to restore her. 🥺 also a very supportive and awesome being.

  22. My favorite character in the Innkeeper Chronicles is Caldenia. She is deliciously charming and deadly.

  24. Dina is probably my favorite character. I appreciate how relentless she is. And that although she is not a warrior, she still fights very hard for what she believes in.

  25. First I thought Dina of course, then Sean because well werewolf, then Maude-human defeats vampires, then Gertrude Hunt as an entity, reading other blogs the human police officer Marias is always fun, although i don’t remember much of his wife. Actually I like almost all of the characters. Claude’s absence until recently has been annoying like only a brother can be.

  28. Hello, I came over from Instagram to comment on the blog for the giveaway! The Innkeeper Chronicles is my favorite! It’s become a comfort read/listen.

    My favorite character of all of the book is Dina DeMille. I love a main character with a head on her shoulders!

    The most fun character is Orro, I love his drama! He’s the perfect comedic relief and I love the voice actors work for his character.

    Honorary is Beast, because this breed is finally being properly represented! 😀

  29. Maud the Red, aka Matilda Rose, Lady Demille, mother of Helen, Maven of House Krahr, the Sariv, the Learned One.
    Because Maud is fierce, and I love her relationship with Dina. And I want to see Helen grow.
    Chances are slim, but I’m in the US and would treasure a physical copy 🙂

  30. I think my favorite is Dina, though I love this series, so it’s hard to choose!

  31. My favorite character is long-term guest Her Grace, Lady Caldenia; she’s just so clever and savvy!

  33. The First Scholar Thek, is my favorite character from the Innkeeper Chronicles.

    • So hard to choose a favorite. I think if I had to choose just one it would bb Maud. I like how she is both a strong survivor /fighter and also manages to cleverly navigate and manipulate interspecies politics. Plus, with Maud comes Helen❤️

  34. Dina is the first character that comes to mind with Gertrude Hunt and Orro following close behind. Dina and Gertrude are an unstoppable combination and Orro provides comedy with heart.

  38. Maud is the character I wish I could call on when I need an older sister to defend me. I hope we get to see more of her!

  39. Got to love Orro! His range of emotions and sweeping changes between quiet determination and loud ranting gives me the giggles!

  41. My favorite Innkeeper Chronicles character is Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren. Fierce, intelligent, witty, scary. The backstory with Kosandion in Sweep of the Heart was unexpectedly poignant.

  42. I just reread them all a few weeks ago and loved the beautiful illustrations in the digital copies! You have created such wonderful characters that it’s hard to pick a favorite. For humor that can involve a swift palm to the face, Orro. For the tear-inducing backstory I’ve been waiting for, Caldenia.

  44. Sean and Dina, they balance each other well and are the heart of the story 🙂

  45. I’m having difficulty chosing between Maud and Karat. I’ll say Karat for now, since I want to see more of her! Maud’s book was so good, I’d love another Vampire interlude lol.

  50. I can’t decide between Gertrude Hunt, Dina, or Orro overall. The others are all loved very much as well, and are my favorite depending on my mood and which book I’m in.

  52. I enjoy rereading this series, and so many of the characters are entertaining — it’s difficult to choose just one favorite. But I have to say that the interaction between Maude and Arland make them two of my favorites.

  53. Orro is my favorite character. not only for the food, but the steadfastness and drama. I love that he suddenly had to look after Helen and instead of hiding in the kitchen, he started engaging her as a sous chef. it was a great way to distract her from a new environment and uncertain situation when her mom couldn’t be there. You’ve done an amazing job of building layers of meaningful character development with only a handful of scenes to work with.

  54. I love so many of the characters! But if I have to choose, I’d say my favorite is Caldenia ka ret Magren 🙂

  55. I love so many of the characters from Innkeeper, I could say one of the big ones like Dina, Sean, Maud or Caldenia… but amongst Space Chicken Scholars and Ladies from the Temple of Desire … I have to say my favorite character is probably Sunset the Hiru. I imagine him flying above his new home with Moonlight by his side.

  57. My favorite is definitely Arland. who doesn’t love a knight who’d travel halfway across the galaxy and happily take on as many challengers as the universe can throw at him to protect the ones he loves?

  58. If I have to pick one I’m going with Dina because of her bravery, loyalty, creativity, and heart. (Thank you for these stories, I have so many books to read that I don’t reread many, but I do reread these.)

  59. My favorite character from the Innkeeper Chronicles is the one and only, Dina Demille!

  60. US reader here. How to pick just ONE favorite Innkeeper character is impossible! But I’ll be basic and say Dina – for being so young, she is SO wise and confident and strong, and don’t even get me started on that encyclopedic brain of hers! How she could have learned so many galactic languages (barsa barsa) and remember the proper terms of address for so many different peoples boggles my poor mostly-unilingual mind!
    Innkeeper is my go-to comfort read/listen!

  62. favorite character: Sean Evans

    thank you for this giveaway! I love the engagement on this blog and have found other great books though comments.

    proud to be a member of BDH

  64. I was gonna say tough choice until I realized that Gertrude Hunt itself is sentient, so my favorite is gonna have to be the inn itself. Followed by Beast and Orro!

  65. Ohh favorite character- it’s like picking a favorite child. I think I’d say Dina, though. Sean is a close second though.

  69. My favorite character is Sean if i have to choose between them. I love this series and all the characters.

  70. My favorite character is Dina, but that might be because we mostly share a name😹😹.

    I also probably know it back and forth because I listen to it on graphic audio all the time😻

  71. My favorite character is…(This is so hard; it’s like choosing which godchild is the favorite! Every single character is so well developed and unique. So loveable!)

    Because I am re-reading the Innkeeper Chronicles, and I am at the “Sweep of the Heart”…

    Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren (Letere Olivione)!

    The reveal of the reason for her Inn-imprisonment cut me deep. IYKYK!

    But Gaston is also a very, very, very charming character in this book. And can’t forget my Beast, lovely Cookie, and hint of Gorvar!

    Also, I love leopards and Cyanide, and her date portion is goldmind.

    I won’t even go to the obvious picks like Dina, Sean, Maud, Helen, and Arland.

    Final answer:

    My favorite character is Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren (Letere Olivione)!

  73. Maud the sieve! Homegirl has been through it kept her and her daughter alive. Avenged her loser husbands’ murder and married a bad ass prince!

    Brenda G

  75. My favorite character is:

    Obvious answer: Dina
    – The darling of Innkeeper Chronicles.

    Non obvious answer: George
    – The secret master mind.

    • Yes, he is like a Gamemaster who creates a domino effect!

      Kinda spoiler…

      And I love that he has Someone to worship.

  78. Dina is my favorite. I love her sass and how much she grows over time. I think Orro is my second favorite though.

  80. I think the First Scholar is my favorite InnKeeper character. So wise and just hilarious to think of a chicken as being wise.

  84. Maude is my favorite. Her strength is amazing and I love a woman who can take care of herself, stand on her own feet, and is choosing a partner because they enrich her life. I think HA writes all of their main female characters with these traits but, for some reason, Maude just speaks to me the most.

  86. I would love to be Dina, but I have the biggest soft spot for Arabella. Arabella is my favorite character.

  88. It is hard to pick one fav character, but I love Maud so much. It would b awesome to win, but either way, I may need to reread again…

  89. I really like First Scholar Thek as a secondary character mostly because those scenes are so funny! Space Chickens for the win!

  91. Maud! Give me all the political drama knowledge while wielding a sword!

  92. There are so many awesome characters, so to simplify I’ll have to go with Orro. They hopefully won’t take it personally to end a tie with him right?

  93. Caldenia might just be my favorite . Classy , ruthless , but still caring in her own way . Her relationship with Dina is both funny and endearing . I love these books !

  94. I would have to say either Caldenia or the Inn. I love magical houses and inns 🙂

  95. It’s hard to choose but Dina is my favorite character. But if the main character doesn’t count, I think I’d have to choose Orro. The dramatics! And I want to try his food.

  100. Aarland I love Aarland. oooooo I hope I am not too late!

    Sending my book obsessed love to House Andrews. May your home continue to be blessed in all the creative ways.