Is it a serial? No. It’s going slow, and we are having to backtrack, so it is probably not suitable for serialization. However, people are really stressed. We are seeing an uptick in “My emotions are frayed right now, and the snippets are helping” messages.
The political ban is still in effect, so Mod R will be removing comments that mention politics. We are committed to keeping this blog a place where everyone can come to decompress, especially because spaces like these are in short supply right now. However, I wanted to address some of these emails. We see you, we understand that life is hard and you are struggling and stressed, and we are so sorry.
When the pandemic started, the economists warned that recovery would take 15 years. You can’t just hit pause on the world for months and not pay the price later. We did it to survive, but now we have to collectively try to claw our way back out of the pit it created. This is a very difficult process. It’s slow and painful, it affects every aspect of our life, and it makes everything so much harder.
I’m with you. I’m creatively discouraged and stressed. We’re going to take a financial hit later in the year due to unforeseen circumstances, and I’m not wild about that. One of my children is choosing to return to college to get her degree, because the opportunities she had previously evaporated. Gordon will likely need surgery. It’s easier to say what isn’t wrong with his shoulder – it’s not broken. I was on the phone for 2 hours trying to get a referral put through and I know my nerves are frayed, because I had to take a few minutes after that.
However, we are all going to keep going, because rolling over and giving up is not an option. So, for the foreseeable future, we are going to have something fun here on Friday. Something that will give you a break from the constant stress and daily grind. For now, it’s Hughday. Some Fridays, it might be something else.
If you have any fun ideas for quizzes, giveaways, or articles, please leave us a comment.
Chapter 1 Part 2
The depression gouged the forest floor, about forty feet long, twenty-five feet wide, and two feet deep. It was less of a pit and more of a hollow, vaguely rectangular, but without the defined corners or sheer walls that would point at a human with a shovel being involved. The edges of the hollow sloped slightly, as if some giant pressed their palm into the forest floor, and the ground at its bottom was bare and soft like a plowed field.
Hugh crouched on the edge and frowned. Around the shallow pit, a dozen Iron Dogs waited, holding their torches over it. The flickering lights played on bare bones arranged in the dirt. A lot of bones. He recognized femurs from at least two horses, wings from what might have been a griffon, and paws from a bear. A freakishly large bear, too.
The bones had been carefully arranged into a pattern. Here and there, the different femurs, radiuses, ribs, and vertebrae were bound together by copper wire and twine with little bone beads. This wasn’t a mass grave. This was something else. Something malignant, with a specific purpose.
He passed his hand over it, just in case. Nothing. With tech up, the bones were inert.
Hugh looked up, past the hollow, at the massive tree rising behind it, soaked in night shadows. An Iron Dog had thrust a torch into the ground by its roots and the glow of the fire illuminated a fragment of twine hanging from the bark, its end frayed. Someone had wrapped the same twine that secured the bones around the giant trunk and then sliced through it and ripped it off.
Must’ve been in a hurry.
He rose and glanced at Sharif, waiting on his left. The dark-haired scout master met his gaze. Yellow fire rolled over his irises.
“How old is the site?”
“Three days.”
The end of the most recent magic wave.
“Any scents?”
Sharif grimaced. “Wolfsbane.”
Damn. The sense of smell was the most acute and accurate of a werewolf’s senses. They memorized thousands of human scents. Normally Sharif would’ve identified the gender, possibly the age, sometimes even a chronic illness, and if he’d met them before, a name. Wolfsbane nullified all of that. It rendered shapeshifters nose-blind, and it stuck around for days after the other scent trails faded.
“Nothing useful at all?” Hugh asked.
“Their wolfsbane is very potent, so there is that.”
And the best producer of potent wolfsbane was a mile to the south, watching baking shows in her turret.
“Could it be someone from Baile?”
Sharif shrugged. “It could be. We followed the wolfsbane to a clearing a hundred yards to the north. It ended there.”
“What do you mean, it ended?”
“The trail stopped.”
“So the magic user disappeared in the middle of our woods?”
“I cannot say. The trail ended.”
Teleportation was possible, but it was inherently rare and extremely risky, and the magic was down. Yet another thing that didn’t make sense.
“So we have a magic user,” Hugh said. “The wave caught them mid-whatever this is. Something alarmed them, and they took off, leaving all their toys behind, and then disappeared a hundred yards north.”
“It was Tatter,” Sharif said. “That’s how Karen found this in the first place. She was following the pack, trying to map their hunting patterns.”
Tatter and Gold were the dominant breeding pair of a local dire wolf pack, and they were a massive pain in the ass. Tatter, a huge male with a torn right ear, clocked in at two hundred pounds. His mate was only slightly smaller, and she made up for it with viciousness and cunning. They led about sixteen wolves, making circles around the castle and the adjacent village by the lake. They were smart and patient, sending out strike teams to bring prey back, while the aging generation watched the pups. The livestock herders were having the devil of a time keeping them away. If it hadn’t been for the guard dogs, Baile’s herd would be half of what it was in early fall. He had had to heal two of the hounds just last week.
With magic down, whoever put this bone mandala together would have no chance against Tatter and his hunting pack. That explained why the magic user split. It didn’t explain what they were doing here or why.
“Tatter left a mark on a tree about ten yards out,” Sharif reported.
Didn’t touch the bones though.
“Is this some kind of witch ritual?” Stoyan murmured.
Baile was home to seven different covens. It was a good guess, but this bone arrangement gave off a different vibe.
Hugh nodded to the huge tree. “That’s an oak.”
Stoyan squinted at it. “Druids?”
“Probably.”
Pre-Shift Druidism was a folkloric speculation. A prevalent religion among ancient Celts and Gauls, Druidism relied on oral tradition, lost to time. What little was known about it came mostly from Roman records, written by biased invaders determined to conquer new territory. Historic druids revered trees, especially the oak, treated and induced diseases, composed poetry, and foretold the future by means of augury and sacrifice. That sacrifice wasn’t always chickens and rabbits. Sometimes they needed a little more juice.
Post-Shift, when magic became real, druidism, like other neo-pagan religions, returned with a vengeance. The modern practitioners patchworked it together from Julius Caesar’s journals, Taliesin’s poems, new age mysticism, and wishful thinking. Over the decades, the neo-druids codified their rites and holidays and set forth some fundamental philosophical tenets, but beyond that, the consensus on how to be a druid was rather shaky. Some of them waded neck-deep into the kind of evil shit that would get them exterminated if the public at large knew about it. He’d come across that kind of druidism before, and the experience was never pleasant. The dusk druids packed a lot of power.
There were druids in Baile Castle, and their leader, Dugas, was one of Elara’s closest allies. She treated him like a surrogate father. On a scale from 1 to 10, when it came to dangerous opponents, Dugas was around 12. During the battle of Aberdine, the druid had stuck to support spells and then used his staff as a club–except for one time, when he was cornered by three armored soldiers and didn’t think anyone was looking. Hugh saw him tap his staff on the ground and then the three men in front of him vomited tree roots and died.
Dugas took care to appear less dangerous than he was. Hugh had no idea whether the man was a dusk druid, but if that was true, he wouldn’t be surprised. He had never seen him sacrifice anything; however, Stoyan and Lamar, his other centurion, had. Or almost had. Elara chased them off before the actual act, but the night she came to get him, they saw a line of cows painted in glyphs and Dugas with a knife.
He glanced at Stoyan. The centurion leaned closer.
“When you saw Dugas with the cows, what was he wearing?”
“A white robe.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Druids wore special robes for sacrificial rites. They were blood red. It could’ve meant something or nothing.
He didn’t know how territorial Dugas was, either. The overwhelming majority of druids felt that the way other druids used their magic was none of their business. If they knew that one of them was doing terrible shit, they wouldn’t prevent it, as long as it didn’t directly affect them.
This ritual site was about a mile from the castle. Too close for any kind of comfort. Either this was done by an outsider, who didn’t fear Dugas or was confident he wouldn’t care; or it was done by Dugas himself or with his blessing. Either way, whoever had done it didn’t want to be identified, otherwise there was no point in using wolfsbane.
If this was Dugas’s handiwork, he was trying to hide it.
It could be part of the darker side of Elara’s magic. Dugas could be doing something with her blessing and instruction to keep it from them.
Hugh still had no idea what she was. Her people called themselves the Departed – again, he didn’t know why – and most of the time they were friendly and straight-forward, going about their lives. But then he had seen a time when they acted together as one, their magic united into a frightening whole, and that power had an ancient bite. The older the magic, the more power.
Hugh studied the bones again. If there was a choice between him and Dugas, he had no doubt Elara would choose the druid.
He could investigate it quietly, using just his Iron Dogs, or he could take it to Elara. If he took it to Elara, and this was something of hers that she wanted to protect, he would be putting his people at risk. But if it wasn’t and later she asked him why he found weird shit in the woods and didn’t tell her, he would have to admit it was because he didn’t trust her.
That would be the end, he realized. They would not come back from that.
She came to get him. She faced Roland for him.
Fuck it.
“Take the Polaroids,” Hugh ordered. “Sketch it, photograph it, and guard it. Nobody touches it while I’m gone.”
The Iron Dogs snapped to attention. “Yes, Preceptor.”
yes….I’ve been refreshing my browser for 30 mins. 🙂 It’s good guys, really good!!
I think 2025 will be an exceptionally long year for many people. Best wishes for Gordon’s shoulder, hope it is less damaged than they are saying now. The Hugh chapters are much appreciated.
Feel free to self publish that other new book and the BDH will gladly cover your financial burden for the year 😆 Sending good vibes for peace and health your way! ❤️
+1000 And – great idea, creating a safe online space for random acts of kindness and creativity, where the core culture is ‘don’t judge’. One comment – I quite like the idea that the Eastern practise of ahimsa starts with being kind to oneself. And the interpretation I came across somewhere random that the full version of the Christian injunction to ‘Love your neighbour’ is to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ – so we learn to love ourselves first in order to then be able to love the people on either side of us as well as (eventually) the person on the opposite side of the circle from us. I came across something in a recent podcast suggesting there’s a similar idea in Mahayana Buddhism, so it seems to be a recommended behaviour popping up in lots of places. Sorry – my ADHD brain has clearly vanished down a rabbit hole, so I’ll shut up now. Except – dear and much valued Ilona Andrews please be kind to yourselves before you try to be kind to the BDH. And yes, the only way we’re going to get through 2025 is by being kind to each other. Uh – I don’t THINK any of this is political. It’s not intended to be. But if it is please forgive my ignorance and remove it and if you have time drop me a line telling me I’d strayed into political comment, so I know for next time. The intention is just to encourage Ilona Andrews to take care of themselves first, and to express gratitude to them for creating a safe and fun online space. Thank you. 🙂
+1
Yes, so true. If we do not love our selves first, how can we love our neighbors? You must practice positivity. You must forgive YOURSELF first, then it will flow to others. It all beings with us “I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” Tolkein.
Thank you for those snippets
Could we have more snippets about Raina and her elderly dragon?
Will add it to the request/ideas list, but ofc it’s all up to the House Andrews and their inspiration 🙂
I think there were still more towers for Kate to investigate. Those were fun and complete in short form.
+1
+1
Yay! MORE Puffles!!!! Pleeezzzz? Eventually? Whatever is best for them of course, that is most important. But Hugh is awesome! Kate is awesome! Julie is awesome! All of Hidden Legacy is awesome! More of everything! Basically, anything and everything House Andrews writes is awesome! It’s a no lose situation, for BDH anyway!!!!
*sniggers and agrees whole-bodily*
+100
+1
+1
More, please!
Oh yes. +1
Yay! Thank you so much!
💜 so glad Hugh chose trust! Thank you for this
I appreciate all your work. Hope all goes well with you & the fam
+1! 🤗
+1
+1
+1
+1
Thank you
It’s so appreciated! Positive thoughts, good vibes, and all that jazz to those out there stressed and needing to decompress.
May HughDay live on!
✨️🌈🌹✨️ to all
Indeed: May HughDay live on!
Thank you for starting my weekend off right. That was awesome.
yesss!
First?
Thank you for the lovely post!! Hugh’s book is my favorite!!
Not at all, sorry 😀
Thank you so so much! Your generosity is amazing. These posts are such a gift to us and with how much you also have on your plate it can’t be easy. Protect your mental health too, but selfishly, thank you for doing these.
Well said, I agree 100%. Thank you, thank you HA.
Has anyone told you recently what wonderful human beings you both are? Even in the midst of your own troubles you show compassion to people you don’t even know. Thank you so much for giving so much! The horde is a gready beast and will devour anything you put in front of it, but please take care of yourselves and don’t drain yourselves dry…
+1
+💯
+1
Tea Time.
Always hilarious.
Thank you for Hugh Day. Prayers for Gordon’s shoulder. I so love reading Hugh again. Once again thank you so much.
Thank you! Day successfully brightened. ☀️
Thank you so much for all you do for the BDH! Your kind words made today a better day for me. I wish you and your family all the best in the world, and a speedy recovery to Gordon!
Awesome! Every time I read something created by you both I get lost in the story and then I finish reading and have to come back to the real world! Ha ha! I appreciate all that you do.
Hi I know this is super random and unrelated to everything but I found out I was pregnant this morning. It was super welcome news but still kind of unexpected and I feel so out of it today. Anyway, apparently I wanted to share with random strangers on the internet. Thanks for making this a safe place.
I hope it’s contagious! I’ve been trying for ages, don’t mind me whilst I rub against your comment hehe.
I hope it all ends up happy and safe for you!
I had a friend that was trying for a while, rubbed up on me when I found out I was pregnant. She had Triplets!! I kid you not Modr, I have the pictures, so be a bit careful, lol.
Congrats Jeannette, what wonderful news! Best wishes and prayers for you.💕💕💕
And I’m sending wishes and prayers for good luck to you too Mod R! It took us a looooong time before our daughter’s arrival and I will always say she is the best gift I’ve ever received. 🥰💕💕💕💕
Re “trying for ages,” Mod R, we had been married for 17 years and had simply given up on having children—and then I got pregnant!! That’s 43 years ago now, and it’s been a great ride. So don’t give up!
I hope Gordon has a good recovery after the surgery. P. T. Is hard but worth it. Dealing with insurance companies might be worse than the big P. I wouldn’t be surprised to see need pre-approval to use the bathroom.
Thank you for the P free zone. It’s nice to eliminate the P. Pun.
Creeak hisss. Watch out for trees, we are dangerous.
I look forward to reading your work. It may be fantasy, but it has a reality to it. You feel like the characters are real living people and that’s riveting.
Some of the books I have read forty years ago or so, I see pictures in my head when I remember the stories. Sometimes I have to think a bit to make sure if it’s a book and not a movie. Those are the good ones
Sorry, this post was not supposed to be a reply, as usual though I messed it up somehow.
Woo hoo! Congrats!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations! 🍼👶
Congratulations! 🎇
When I was pregnant, people offered congratulations and nobody ever asked me if I was scared or conflicted about it. We are so happy for you, and if you ever feel overwhelmed, it is normal. This is a big change.
Congratulations!
The Horde is here for you!! If you ever have any random questions about this experience I’m sure there will be a person here that can put their ten cents in, including me! Lol
Congratulations, since you indicated that it was welcome news. When I found out I was pregnant, I was working on Wall Street and it took a while to gain my equilibrium. At first it’s an overwhelming feeling, knowing I am entering a different phase in my life. My three children are grown and also stepping into the unknown, I now realize how beautiful it all was/is. The good, the bad and the smelly(diapers).
Congratulations!!!!!
This random stranger is happy that you chose to share the welcomed news. Congratulations and best wishes to you and yours.
Gratz! Such wonderful news. Thanks for sharing it with us! Hughday AND your good news are like sparks of hope in the darkness. We all need that. (Hugs)
Congratulations! And, if somebody you know insists on telling you horror stories, cut them off for at least the duration. Each woman is different, and each pregnancy is different.
And both of mine still display the same dispositions they did before they were born – the first is generally still and quiet with sudden bursts of frantic activity (it was years before I forgave her for using my bladder as a trampoline); the second is much calmer about things, but is never actually still.
Congratulations and best wishes!
We are not random, although we may be strange. We are the BDH! Congrats on your pregnancy, children are the best hope for the future. May yours bring you joy!
Many blessings to you and your child. May the next months be filled with an abundance of joy, peace and good health! Thank you for sharing your good news with us.
good choice, Hugh!!! 🥳
I’m excited for Friday snippets/fun posts. Thank you, HA! It is a bright spot in the world right now.
thank you – I love where this is going or might be going? i hate like you that i have already mapped 2025 too, but no surgery for me thankfully. you asked about possible giveaways. would you consider giving one of your knitted or crochet projects, i love all the shawls you have done and posted on the site. just a thought! happy friday all.
your not crafty at all fan;)
Thank you for the Friday posts. You take such good care of your readers, and we thank you for it! Your blog is one of my delights, and has been so since before COVID.
A big round of applause to your point about carrying on. Winston Churchill would be proud of you.
Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! We appreciate you so very much…..
thanks so much for Hughday or whatever Friday. I am enjoying it alot.
But also know that as much as I want new books, I want my fav authors healthy and not stressed out.
Have a great weekend, enjoy the snow day(s).
not me refreshing my browser every so often for the past few hours…
I didn’t quite dare to hope for another snippet, but now that it’s here and considering how it ended, I hope we do at least get the next one showing the two of them finally interacting!
I hadn’t heard the 15 years bit before. Does the clock start when the pandemic starts or when it’s declared over?
Thanks for the snippets.
Sorry that life is ganging up on you. I know that the BDH doesn’t need to show up at your PCP or insurance company to help . . . but it sure is fun to imagine. 🙂
Riffing off that, I’d often thought it would be nice if WE could summon the BDH to help deal with stuff. But what is our Bat signal? Plus sometimes I want a group to go all Kate Daniels on a situation. Sometimes I need the InnKeeper faction. Do I need to read a specific portion from one of the books to summon the Horde?
I love ModR’s various and assorted quizzes that let us know what world we’d live in, our vampire house, etc.
The Halloweeen post was a lot of fun . . . theorizing how everyone would celebrate. Something like that for Valentine’s? Groundhog day? If we want to go all Bill Murray, think about how they handle the time loop.
Oh! And the further (mis)adventures of Steve. Please. * bats eyelashes at ModR *
I love the idea of summoning the Horde, and that you’ve thought through needing different aspects of the Horde for different situations!
And sometimes we NEED Roman
and all of his critters
Yes! We definitely need a special critter signal!!
Thank you. From all I am, thank you.
Thank you for your support of us, giving voice and an explanation for the reason of what many of us are feeling or experiencing in our lives (as we are struggling to express it in words ourselves), for making us feel seen and heard, for sharing your personal stresses so we know we are not “alone”.
Thank you for your humor, taking us to “task” and giving us a safe space.
For so many, many things you do that are not “required” of an author: Thank you.
For sharing the gift of your writing and the “worlds within your mind” Thank You. They are a wonderful place to visit and give me courage and strength.
I know these thoughts are often expressed to you through the Blog, emails, and in person, however, I felt the need to remind you that you are a true gift to the world and say Thank YOU.
Please take care of yourselves first. (Like the airline attendant on the plane says: “put the oxygen mask on yourself first, then help your child and others. You cannot help them if you can’t breathe and you pass out”).
100% agree with this!
Absolutely agree….the snippets are a privilege, not a “right” owed to the BDH.
Thank-you HA for your generosity, and please take care of yourselves.
Hugs. Hugs to the whole family.
I hope you can relax during the weekend. 🌷🌷🌷🌷
Thank you….
I needed this, living in NoVA….
Thank you so much.
FWIW for Gordon’s Shoulder if there’s an EMMETT Technique practitioner near you it can be worth a try – it can often help folk be more comfortable while getting sorted out.
I’m an Advanced EMMETT practitioner in the UK and would offer help if I could.
Thank you so much for the wonderful Friday pieces <3 Love them to pieces, and it truly does bring joy to my whole week!
Idea for a quick article/post – Which character is your favorite to write? Like when you know they are going to enter a scene, it brings you joy and anticipation. This could be a dark joy like "muahaha, here we go evil machinations!" or any other type.
I realize this is almost akin to asking "who is your favorite child" but with one of the giveaways y'all asked for our favorite book. OMG, like I could ever pick just ONE! hehe – Turnabout is fair play 😉
Apologies if you have answered this already and I missed it. Feel free to link me to the post! Thank you!
Quiz idea:
What character’s pet / support animal would you be and why?
What career would you have & in which “world” (especially if you had no magic / powers)?
Challenge:
Who can make & share the recipe & post the best (no pros allowed hehehe):
a vegetable dish
b casserole dish
c desert
e interesting concoction
You have requested puzzles. Please consider heteronyms. Think “read”; as in: “I like to read; I have read many books”. These are not homonyms like to, too, and two. These words are spelled alike and pronounced differently. Over the years, I have complied a list of more than 60. Some come from translated non-English words into English. Ex: Japanese rice wine is written in English either as sake or saki, however, Pete’s Sake is unlikely to be rice wine belonging to Pete. The same for mole sauce. It is not made from small burrowing animals. I have at least 1 pun from a crossword puzzle on the list. I would like to know how many words the BDH can come up with.
Also, consider tongue twisters. When my husband was taking an on-line Japanese class his study partner was a Japanese lady wishing to become proficient in English. The subject of tongue twisters came up. You know: “She sells seashells by the sea shore”. They found she had no problem with English tongue twisters, and he had no problem with Japanese tongue twisters. I would like to ask the multilingual members of the BDH what their experience is with tongue twisters of their non-primary language.
Huh, never thought about it, but yes, tongue twisters in my non-native tongue (bilingual but acquired second language only from 11 yo onwards) are easier than in my native tongue.
However, my partner (reverse language set from mine but second language was acquired earlier, from 4 yo) does not seem to have the same experience.
I wonder if age at language acquisition might also be a thing? Very interesting question though, thank you for bringing it up!
ohh I love this! I listen to books a lot and the AI reading does not get context when a word has more than one pronunciation. example, wound up vs stab wound. I would love to see a list of these words!!
thank you for Hugh ive been in Hospital for most of the day so this has been a glimmer in a long draining and painful day. I know you are aware of how important you both are to the BDH but please know that we don’t expect anything so what you do guve us is so special.
As for ideas
your stuck on a desert island with a magical dvd player with screen also 10 films or tv AND one of your characters from any of your books. what films/tv would you have abd who would be your companion.?
I would like to say Hugh because I lurve him but he would be terrible in a desert island so I’d pick Maud because she’s badass and clever.
sending you love and healing from Oxfordshire
This is amazing! Love
Thank you. It made my Friday better. 🙂
Thank you so much, this brightened my day immensely 😀
Could we do a survey about the fan favorite series and the favorite book overall?
Also, loves me some Hughday!!! Thank you so much! It made dialysis go by faster.💕
Maybe a scavenger hunt through a particular series? Or a House Andrews themed wordsearch? I can’t say I’m exactly brimming with ideas, but I will definitely enjoy the snippets of Hugh as and when you decide to share them!
I know most of us would love an opportunity for a Dushegub tote, or BDH t-shirt if you want to do a giveaway!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know how hard it can be to write when your creative reserves are lowed by low life morale. I hope between now and next Friday your lives are full of many small blessings.
Thank you. Appreciate how House Andrews is helping keep our lives a little sane and safe with storytelling.
I try to keep up with the news but it’s been depressing and the weather has gotten very cold. Thankful to have a shelter and heat and food on the table.
That was a great snippet. I am late to the party and am just reading the Hidden Legacy series and would like to know it there can be any short works with Leon or Bern as the main protagonist. If those don’t exist already of course. I like those guys with the funky skills and would like to see what would happen if either one was the focus of the story. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for the fantastic Friday treat.
The Hidden Legacy series is “finished for now”, meaning no works from it are currently on the known schedule or in plans. That doesn’t mean there won’t ever be a continuation, but other projects get priority atm 🙂
Good morning, a somewhat related question…I am purchasing hard copies of the Ilona Andrews books that I have on kindle for reasons. I know Nevada’s trilogy got re-released in trade paperbacks. Do you know if the novella and Catalina’s trilogy will also get a re-release? I’d like my covers to match if possible. Also, curious if a re-release of Kate Daniels books in trade paperbacks is in the works/being talked about/whathaveyou. Already bought my Innkeeper paperbacks. Thanks in advance. If this is not supposed to be posted, my apologies and please delete. KB
A Kate Daniels box set of paperbacks is sadly not in project. I know many of us dearly want one.
I also don’t have updates on whether Catalina’s trilogy is getting a makeover.
Thank you for the response. Have a lovely day!
Thank you so much for giving us some Friday joy and a safe space, really enjoying these and looking forward to whatever comes next. You mentioned fun ideas – more texts between characters? From any of your worlds, they just really made me laugh.
Would LOVE LOVE LOVE too see a return of Puffles please!
Thank you for the snippet!!
Maybe this has been covered in the blog before, but I’ve always wondered about the mechanics of how you guys write together. Do you outline the whole story together ahead of time? When writing, are you sitting at one desk looking at one screen? Two separate desks and a shared document, sharing ideas back and forth? Does one of you dictate and the other type? Does one of you take the first draft and the other the second?
+💯
I’m one of those who are especially stressed and sad right now. I so much appreciate your kindness, Ilona and Gordon.
Thank you for doing this.
Truly appreciate you two creating a “safe place” where my mind can be at ease for a little while.💜
What about a Simple (and Affordable) Recipe Frinnday? Inns serve meals so it could be fitting.
Personally I was perfecting the omelette, but with eggs set to be scarce and pricy for awhile I’m turning my sights to finding a good dairy-free bread recipe that would be under $4/loaf.
I use ground flaxseed (Manitoba Milling) mixed with water (1 Tablespoon flax to 3 Tablespoons water, mixed and allowed to sit for 5 minutes) when eggs are expensive and I want to bake. Not for omelets, obviously, or any dish that relies on egg taste, but the flax acts as the binder, has omega-3 and is not gritty.
I like Pilgrim Bread from Molly MacRae at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen: easy to make, with lots of flavor from whole grains. I often shape it into rolls instead of one big loaf. Good luck finding the recipe that works for you!
One publishing question I’ve had is why are big book releases on tuesdays?
Most fiction book releases happen on Tuesdays, not just the big ones 🙂 . It’s partly publishing tradition, and partly because sales for the NYTimes Bestseller list get counted from midnight at Monday to midnight next Monday of the first week. Releasing at 0:01 am Tuesday maximizes that period of time and ensures you get best chance to qualify.
Brilliant comment about politics being off limits. Really appreciate you. Hope Gordon’s shoulder gets better soon.
Sending love and healing 🙏
Omg thank you! I was so hoping there would be more Hugh today. And it was a delightful snippet! When it comes to relationships, I did wonder how smart the man would be. Phew, made the right choice.
And thank you for continuing the ban, too. It’s much appreciated! And I’m really sorry to hear about Gordon’s shoulder. Joint surgeries are never a good thing. Keeping my fingers crossed!!
Oooooooooh!!!! A Blessed Hughday it is! 💜💜💜 (That just screams for a t-shirt!😂😂🤣) Thank you so very much, Ilona and Gordon! I’m trying to be the most fluffy, chalant, polite, Horde member, while grinning like a loon and giggling to myself! Love love love it!
I love Hughday!
Thank you for a safe place in a dodgy world. No matter what we believe we all share being part of the BDH. I really enjoy Hugh because I know there is a happy ending although the road may be twisty.
thank you!
Thank you !
In this time of…stress…I appreciate your work very much, but I also, very much, appreciate you being examples of tired grown ups still doing the things. Thank you.
Thank you for the snippet! It was a real mood-lifter. Good luck with all the stuff.
Love the Hughdays, and somehow this mandala gives off vibes from Kates last adventure.
Truly love your snippets but you know we can be chalant and w**t for them, health and family are the most precious .
After a series of health issues in my family, I’m sending you virtual hugs and best wishes. I really hope that the shoulder can be sorted and that all will be fine and continue to be so.
Thank you for being a port in the storm that is life right now, House Andrews! I always look forward to new posts on the blog and interacting with the BDH community.
Hugh when he clicks into detective mode is scary in a very icy and controlled way. Love him!!
Courage to your kid going back to college! Kick knowledge’s butt, kiddo, ’cause you are a warrior!!
Hugs to all at HA! Stay warm in this most strange of winters!
Did we just see Hugh *grow*?
Thank you for a sanctuary from the dark woods in our lives, and for all the joy.
Any character who’d like to visit, I’m sure the horde would be happy to see.
Not exactly. He is an unrepentant asshole, but all the truly nasty stuff he did in the Kate Daniels books was under Roland’s influence. And Elara did come get him when he needed rescuing. Fair is fair.
Thank you for looking after your BDH. Know it is appreciated. 2025 isn’t shaping up amazingly for me personally just yet, but I still hold out hope it’ll be better than 2024. Which, without going into details, is a [please insert curse word of your choice]-ing low bar. Let’s just say I’m hoping that waiting list number 7 will be my lucky number.
To all my fellow horde members out there who need it: you are seen, you are heard, you are fluffy 😉 and we got you.
I so love Hughday! Thank you so very, very much for all that you do!
thank you made my Friday
Awesome as usual!
Thank you for HughFriday.
Lots of advice here, but fortunately (or unfortunately) I’m going to add to it, regarding Gordon’s shoulder. If at all possible have an orthopedist who works on baseball pitchers and football quarterbacks work on Gordon. I had one do surgery on my hand. Terrific decision on my part.
I also think giveaway of something you have made is a nice idea. But I don’t know if it is cost effective.
Take care. I love Hugh and am gladly anticipating the book.
I’m hooked. No surprise because everything you write does that, but this is Hugh and I’m so so happy about this book. Thanks.
The snippets are something I have begun to look forward too to brighten my Fridays😊.
I hear your pain being on the phone for 2 hours🙄. I’m a full time carer for my husband . Most days during the week I’m on the phone trying to speak to somebody to talk about a referral letter/ clinic appt / home visit/ continuity of care you name it I’ve probably made a phone call about it😱. It can take 10 minutes of your time or an hour or longer!!! And waiting for them to call you back??😤😤😤.
I hope Gordon’s shoulder gives you good news🙏🏻
I was on a blog earlier today and one of the people posted. “Discuss?” My mind went to Dushegubs.
I enjoyed the snippet with my afternoon tea. Thank you.
Watching Hugh continually reinforces just how often and much Roland messed him up! He gets how to be a good human, but that’s not what Roland needed. He needed a Warlord. Seems like when Hugh would move away from Warlord thinking, Roland would come along and stir his brain!!! Zombify but with some thinking allowed. Now he gets to choose without having his thinking messed with. It’s so cool!
I was just thinking this! it is so cool!!! I’m glad he gets to be The real Hugh. the healing scene where he nearly passed out saving people and Roland just wandered by and shut that part off has stuck with me for so long!
Thank you for sharing your work so folks have reprieve from The Horrors.
Oh I’m looking forward to this book! Thank you for the sneak peek! This week has been a lot.
Thanks to all the BDH who comment and thanks House Andrews for the great blogs about a bit of everything.
I just went thru one of those family health scares with a sibling and after a long 36 hours … the news is good and almost to the great zone. Everything else in life can be a challenge but you keep taking steps through the maze but health is a big thing.
Shoulder pain is one of those surprises that you don’t realize how much you rely on it…. kinda like a thumb.
My go to lately is a couple of game app’s on my Kindle fire… a little thinking but mostly just fun. I know you can play them on a phone and probably on a PC.
Trivia multiple choice game: Quizzland
Scrabble type game with different levels: Classic Words
Just a great distraction from everyday stuff.
I honestly think 2025 will be a good one with a few bumps. We always get bumps and summer ( hey just went thru -22 degrees at night and a high of 6F in the daytime) sunny days are only a few months away. Okay in reality it will be May in my area.
thank you 😊
Thank you for the validation and the snippet!!! It’s wonderful to see Hugh’s growth in trying to trust Elara.
That’s fascinating info about Dugas too.
for ideas, maybe a funny inn chat where Dina shows ppl from KD world a tech object that would’ve probably only been pre-shift or rare in their world and see their reactions. I bet there’d be some funny scoffing at social media or at an extraneous convenience tech item (can’t think of an example though).
love the snippet!
Hope Gordon gets a really, really good Orthopedic Shoulder Specialist, and do not be afraid to get a 2nd opinion if you feel on the fence about treatment options. (sort of a “measure twice cut once” approach). post op Physical Therapy will be the key for recovery as well. Good luck!
Thank you for the Hugh Continuum – love the story
Hope Gordon will be well – have a Great Weekend
Love it; thank you. And thank you for a non-political space.
Quizzes on words: https://www.dictionary.com/games/quizzes
Out of Reader’s Digest: https://www.rd.com/article/word-power/
From Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/quiz/browse/vocabulary-quizzes
Ilona was asking for quizzes for the blog 🙂 – ideas for quiz themes related to the books, characters, etc.
is this the reason my post whit the Harrisons i Not more to find ?
then im sorry that i have the wrong idea
Your comment was hidden because you wrote lines for the characters. The blog is a fan fiction free space.
Quiz themes book related hmm…… magical objects that have been used successfully or weird outcomes due to magical items (ie: knife made from feather of that iron bird(?), characteristics of pegasus, names/types of magical creatures, maps, Kates family tree (been thinking of her Grandmother for some reason), various pack family trees…
That was fun and a welcome distraction from flood damage photos and insurance/FEMA paperwork.:(
Thank you for Hughday fun! May it bring relief to us all including fun, creative distraction for Ilona & Garden XOXO
yeah Hughday
love the friday special days (or sat morning here)
🙂 🙂
Team Higgra was outside for some fighting, came back home and got positive reinforcement 🙂
Thanks for that Chapter! So I will read it slowly and enjoy it this late evening.
Please be ensured: asking for Hughday was meant as a playful compliment and a little bit of fun and yes, hoping to find a nice surprise. Never as a request or something that is expected.
The world seems to be less secure each day if I follow the news – but reading the comments in this blog or watching strangers care for my demented mother provides me a different view that will never be picked up by an algorithm for the news. Lets me still have trust in people. Thank you for offering this space and thanks to BDH for being that polite and funny crowd…
Thank you for the Hughday, it is very much appreciated.
Thank you
Gordon undoubtedly doesn’t medical advice from me. But I will share what my dad told me recently when I asked him how his shoulder is doing because I think it’s quite positive and sort of thing I’d like to hear.
He had a lot of damage. A lot. Not broken either. In fact the damage turned out to be much more than the surgeon had planned on and his surgery lasted about 3 times longer than was scheduled. That was in 2010 and he has full use of it now – nothing to indicate it is different than any other of his 85 yr old joints. Works great. And he had so much pain before the surgery… He ignored a lot of injuries over the years before the big one that took it out completely. But not anymore. He swears by the physical therapy and exercises. Still does them every day. And he still volunteers building homes for Habitat for Humanity, so he uses that shoulder plenty.
As a PT, I second this. The people who really struggle later in life are the ones that don’t address the issue because it becomes too late to fix at some point. And it’s often because they don’t want to have surgery, which we all know sucks but the results are worth it.
Also, love the blog, the BDH, HA and Mod R. This one of my favorite places! Thanks for that. I’m excited for Hugh and Maggie!
Thank you for the knowledgeable and encouraging outlook on our continuing travails. It helps to know that there will probably be an improvement someday, even if it’s not right around the corner. 0_0
Thanks, guys. Really appreciate you deliberately making our worlds a little bit more enjoyable.
Happy Hughday! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! I wish your family the best of outcomes in your medical and academic journeys. I’ve noticed personally that it seems to take forever to get an appointment with any kind of specialist. On a lighter note, I found websites with the dimensions and directions for easily crocheted pixie hats and also little watch caps from preemie to 12 months. The preemie ones should fit 15 inch baby dolls. Oh happy crafting time while I watch Britcoms and mysteries!
You guys are amazing. Thanks so much!!!
Before I read the snippet, Ilona and Gordon, you two the RARE compassionate people, whose compassionate reaches beyond your family, clan, tribe, ethnicity, race, gender, to complete strangers who come here to recharge and face the world.
Thank you for keeping this space safe. Please take care of House Andrews first and foremost.
Many of us have gone through, are going through, will go through life challenges that hurt/damage/wound us that are mirrored in the flawed and compelling fictional characters you bring to life.
Yes, it is fiction, fantasy fiction but yet for some, for me, it gives us what we need to go on each day, trying to be our best selves.
Thank you
Thank you
Hurray! An early birthday gift so thank you kindly!
Thank you for the snippet.
I just want to say thank you for the distraction. I won’t go into details because of your rules, but it has been a very difficult week. I have barely slept and it’s been exhausting trying to gain the strength needed to overcome certain things.
Art and fiction are so important. Thank you again.
Thank you for the snippet. Get well soon Gordon.
At least Hugh is off the ledge. After reading the last snippet, I had “Living on the Edge” by Aerosmith in my head. 😁🤣
Hugh is in the damn if you do, damn if you don’t situation. It’s going to get interesting.
maybe the BDH could vote on the favorite song or genre of music all our book friends would listen too?
OOh! Good one.
Thank you, thank you!! Absolutely made my day and week having this today. And I’ll be super happy with anything else you choose to share on Fridays. Definitely going to make Fridays better.
But also, wishing the best for you both, and the kids, with the challenges you’re facing as well. And hoping you guys all find your own little bits to bring joy to your days, because you guys really deserve that too. Thank you for caring so much for your fans and offering these gifts to us all to help us.
the quizzes are always fun. maybe a quiz that tells you if you’re Roland/Julie/Kate/Erra/Conlan?
or a ‘which detective are you’which could involve all the series characters.
a poll about who is your favorite short story side character? or who do you think most deserves a short story? (but that might be adding work lol)
more of the character interviews with Dina?
reshare older freebie fiction? anything prepandemic would be game I think?
feature some fan art? if mod r can wade through submissions? that would be fun. separate into categories like drawings, soft yarn/fabric, sculptures, collage etc and have one Friday for each?
just spit balling!
I’ll just echo the good wishes of everyone up above, and add that sometimes when I’m expecting a day, a week, a month, a year, to be really tough, that actually makes it a bit easier when it turns out to be not quite so bad. Not sure that helps if things actually turn out to be worse :-(, but my mother was a pessimist, and I inherited a bit of that, so usually for me at least, things mostly end up a little better than I expect.
And my suggestions for Fridays when Hugh’s story just isn’t flowing would be tea times at Dina’s inn with various characters (love love love those), a bit more of Puffles, or a bit more of Arabella and Ophelia (if that can be done without tackling all of Arabella’s story). And/or more quizzes and games. But everything you write is great. And I so much appreciate your effort to give the BDH something on Fridays, but if it’s not working out, please don’t stress yourselves out about it. We have plenty of books to go back and reread!
Thank you so much, I’ve been away so I got two Hughdays today which made a lovely end to a tense day, spent trying to get home ahead of a serious windstorm. We took it slow and were ok, but I saw nearly twenty vans, trucks and artics (semis) blown over on the journey, most on the edge of the motorway, one artic in the outside lane, I hope the drivers were just shaken up, not hurt. And this was before the worst of the storm hit. I was so glad to be home, and then two, TWO Hughdays!
I hope you both get some relaxation in along with the writing, and that Gordon’s shoulder is fixable. Bad shoulders can be so disruptive to sleep as well as many activities.
I’m really liking it and Hugh wasn’t my favorite book and then you said it was dark, so I wasn’t sure, but you have me hooked!
Thank you, and this all is so kind. This is really a comforting place to visit.
I have an idea for occasional Fridays, only if it isn’t too much work, and that is short in-world pieces of trivia, the kind of thing that doesn’t make it into the books because it doesn’t advance the plot. Like if Nevada has any hobbies now or what’s a popular sport amongst werewolves.
I also really like it when Mod R or you throw the questions back at us, like “how do you think Dina would set up your room at the inn?”, though I realise you have to be careful to avoid fan-fic like situations.
Thank you for providing this respite. Best wishes on Gordon’s shoulder, your Kid’s new direction, and life in general. I have no suggestions; you all always manage to come up with something well worth reading.
Hugh 🫠
I have some fanart of Hugh I finished recently – I wondered if there was somehwere to post it on here or send to the wonderful authors to see?
You can send it to me at modr@ilona-andrews.com or post it tagged on social media if you want 🙂
Thank you!
Happy Snippy Friday everyone!
Fantastic. I do love the snippets and enjoy catching up on Hugh’s escapades.
Peace and healing blessing to all. Have a great weekend xx
Thank you so much for the additional postings you are doing these days. When I’m feeling blue with everything and having trouble motivating myself, I check to see if there is a post. They brighten my day and make me feel more connected to the world (in a good way)!
I’m struggling with osteoarthritis and bone on bone action in my ankle. Some days I am very disheartened by it all. Reading the blog and the comments by fellow Horde members reminds me that we all have our difficulties to get through.
I didn’t know about the 15 year thing. That makes a lot of sense that it will take time to come out of that difficult time economically, and also I imagine emotionally.
Thanks for Hughday and whatever other days you come up with. I love the quizzes, favorite moments from different series, perhaps a “who said this” quiz, and I love the interviews with characters from different series.
Also, I want to be a fluffy horde member and not pressure you guys for anything! Take care! Thinking positive for all health and financial issues for you all (plus ModR too)!
So happy to be part of the Horde!
<3
Smart Hugh! He is learning about relationships(in his own pragmatic way) and I am proud of him.
Thank you for the snippet. It really really helps when life is sucky.
I hope the surgery helps your hunny get better. As for your future financial shot, I will always buy your books AND I share my enthusiasm for them with every fantasy reader I meet lol. I love each of your different series for different reasons and I reread them often. You kick booty, lady lolololol.
I was at the Dentist and while in the chair chatting with staff …we talked about books and the first thing I said was you have to read Ilona Andrews.
Word of mouth always works in mysterious ways.
Thank you so much for this snippet! Being in LA has been difficult.
+1. We can do this! Take care.
Thank you for this! I hope this brings you as much joy as it does to us 💕.
what about a collection of short stories about everyday folk in post Shift Atlanta? Like the local florist trying figure out if the glowing flower she found safe or going to send her into a deep sleep? or sure, the weird purple bees are massive and hum instead of buzz but the wax makes a great base for lotion. or, the ladies down the street sell the best yarn made from magical alpacas
I wonder if Kate went back to the guy selling the enormous chilled-out chicken that is a good egg-layer. Kate rides by him during one of the Wilmington Years novellas, and thinks that she should look into that. The reactions of an enormous chilled-out chicken to a bunch of shapeshifters — and their reactions to her — could be hilarious.
That’s funny! now my imagination is zooming! 🙂
Just knowing that this is being written and will be available at some point in the vaguely not-too-distant future, makes this year already more tolerable. Getting to read pieces is just that much better. Thank you so much.
THANK YOU for all that you do helping make a tiny little area of sanity for us here. it’s really so appreciated.
As far as a possibly fun ‘giveaway’, maybe something like a ‘your name will be included as a random named extra (who may or may not meet an unfortunate end and may or may not be a human) in an upcoming snippet.’
or maybe something like an ad-lib (might be naming this wrong), where people have to put in a noun, verb, 2 adjectives, etc and it’s added in to the blanks and makes a wacky little mini story
Thank you!! Your writing is such a joy to read!!
As for ideas for giveaways, please open the store as a giveaway again, if that’s possible.
Oh, thank you so much. I needed that after a shitty day.
Woo hoo! Hugh Day Happy Dance time! Last year sucked! If it could go wrong mostly it did but I cant really complain. I was diagnosed with stage 1 uterine cancer. For a woman of 60, 5 years post menopausal it is honestly the best cancer diagnosis. Laproscopic surgery, no chemo or radiation really high survival rate. Currently cancer free. Heath wise during having/treating/recovering I lost ground in many ways. This year will be better! I am still recovering from multiple financial blows- taking care of my mom, my grandma , pandemic and now major medical treatment. I am leaning very much on the happy positives in my life of which you guys and your body of work and the BDH community are a major part! Thank you. I know it is work for you, sometimes extra work but I hope rewarding work to bring us all our beloved snippets, Frinndays,Sanctuary , Hughdays! The list goes on! I am grateful! Suggestions? I love the snippets, the quizzes, the tests and surveys. My first thought however was Puffles! We all have many characters we want – ok I want books- more info/pov/ background on . Pick any secondary character-bet they have a fan base lol! Slice of life snippets are cool. I have a friend who always wants to recast a book as dog breeds lol I would love to read the BDH commentary on that! I want to add that when you are too stressed to generate a snippet or fun blog post that is cool too. Its been hard. It is going to stay hard. It will in someways always be hard. You have our back, we have yours. ( I am pretty sure the bulk of the BDH will support me in that but while I say we/our I do just speak for myself)
+1
I have discussed, and the Innkeeper Chronicles One & Two is acceptable for the next giveaway.
🫠🥰
Thanks for a bright spot at the end of the week! We appreciate all you do. Shoulder injuries really hurt and make it hard to sleep. My sympathies to Gordon.
How about another tea with Dina? Or how Dina and Beast met?
omg I would love the dina and beast story!!
you nailed the story gave us desperately needed treat too. thank you more than you know.
we have been running from smoke and fire for maybe 2 weeks.we managed to stay outside the fire zone by 50 miles but we kept having fire hurricanes winds 70-80 mph.we have been living out of go bags washing when we can reloading. the animal crates are lined up and reload their water bottles food stores daily. we bought foldable wagon to put crates in it we wear back packs have made crisscross bungi cord totes for front carry. we have timed our walk to refugee evac site in case we forget something.with thick smoke flames congestion we watched and learned cars are not dependable. if we can make it driving we can just car camp. it’s at least 2hrs to shopping mall.
as you can imagine everything is quite bad. The minute I have secure spot gonna go on a toot.
Hugs, please take care. I’m not close enough to worry but so many I care about are. I’m adding you to my list.
If I may say, this was a very juicy bone! Lol, I am very excited, even the mentioning of the cow has me wondering where we are headed. Thank you and hopefully better days ahead for all of us🌻
I got a laugh reading that some guys in Louisiana took their pontoon boats w the fans (on the back of the boats) and were racing them over the snowy streets. Celebrating the first time since the ‘80s getting accumulating snow since they are somewhat subtropical. 🥰
In case it is of any use to you, the reason that they can tell those are bear paws is the claws attached to the distal phalanges. Minus the end finger bones, a bear paw looks like a human hand or foot. Some of the bones look so like human that there have been microscopic studies looking for a way to tell the difference.
Oh I’m so excited for this book.
Thanks very much for the snippet! It has been a rough day for me, so this was great to read.
When the world needs a little light, your snippets (even the dark ones) make it better. Thank you for sharing:) Also, hope that Gordon’s shoulder gets better soon. If it happens to involve tendon/ligament damage it takes time to heal, more time than a broken bone would. Hope they can fix things.
Thank you for the snippets. They’re a moment of joy. Happy Friday!
Thank you, thank you!
Thank you, this is a treat.
Thank you for the Hughday! I have no ideas for future Fridays, but I most appreciate this, today especially. I live about six miles from a currently very active Southern California fire. I have lived in So. Cal. for 30 years. I have become a bit blasé about smaller earthquakes, but fires give me PTSD anxiety.
Take care, <3.
I’m so sorry people bring their troubles to you. It is not your responsibility. Though we all appreciate that you help. You are too kind. I hope you have someone you can go to and lean on their shoulder.
Thank you for the snippets and best wishes to Gordon, you and your whole family!
My emotions are frayed right now and the snippets are helping. THANK YOU
Thank you for always brightening my life. Much appreciated 💕💕💕
I have a suggestion for a topic we could all chime in on if Ilona and Gordon were willing to share too.
What was your book hook?
Basically I’d like to know the book that hooked you into reading, or the one that hooked into your brain like a knife – your book hook.
For example what’s the earliest book you remember reading (I don’t mean like a generic book / fairytale (I remember getting Cinderella from the library at age 2/3 so I don’t count it), but a book that you remember had an author and title and a proper impact on you, even if you only remember the plot you could tell it!).
Or what’s the book that got you hooked into your favourite genre or into a particular genre, one you hadn’t read before that specific book.
Or I guess also a book that had a really powerful impact on you or that left a long lasting impression for some reason, even an odd or bad as long as it’s strong impression, even just from a specific scene (looking at you Michael Scott Rohan, scarred me for life #LegTrauma)
Doesn’t have to be English language, and could even be non-fiction. But would love to know, especially Gordon and Ilona and ModR.
Thank you very much.
Snippet Idea: An Innkeeper snippet celebrating someone’s birthday. possibly even a surprise birthday party for Dina. With Sean and Gertrude Hunt being all suspicious.
Orro would need to keep Dina’s birthday cake a secret. 😁
Thank you for this instalment in the Hugh and Elara story. I am enjoying the insight into Hugh’s changing attitude to his wife.
Please take care of yourselves and remember whatever you decide to publish the BDH are here to support you.
That said, I would love a completed novella of “ When Gerard met Helen” to add to my Innkeeper collection. Whenever I feel a bit down the Innkeeper stories are my go to repeat comfort read/ listen and, if the reveals in it don’t interfere with overall Dina and Maud storyline, this member of the BDH would be very grateful. Do you want to discuss?
It’s also a trust journey for Elara as well.
Thank You!!!!!
Holding House Andrews in love and light and standing in the BDH circle of gratefulness for what you give to us.
Thank you for the snippet. They are always a joy to read.
Ideas for Fridays. From the Innkeeper Series. Assuming a guest had had excellent adaptive tech and transport and wished to spend a few days being a tourist, what locations or experiences would Dina and Sean recommend? Is there a different list for aquatic or avian guests?
What travel tips would they have for an earthling wanting to take a working holiday around the galaxy? Would Dina and Sean have the same recommendations?
Thank you. I can’t tell you how much it will mean to be able to come here on Friday for fun and sanctuary from the Outside. “A lot” seems so inadequate. Time to break out my beautiful edition of Iron and Magic!
thank you.
Thank you. Today was unbearably tough. We put down our dog. It was time, he was very old. But it hurt. Y’all are such a blessing to so many needing some joy.
Truly thank you.
I am so sorry.
Thank you for the snippet, and for thinking of those of us who are struggling. I appreciate you.
On some Friday, can we have a glimpse of how Kate is faring in Wilmington? The tiny snippet of her protecting the baby dire wolf was sooo intriguing and fun!
Sorry it was a baby dire bear!
What snippet with Kate and a baby dire bear? I think I missed that one. Is there a link?
Here it is 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/back-to-work-back-to-reality/
Thank you so much, ModR, you’re the best!
Thank you for this. it’s been a horrible week. Actually it’s been a horrible month. we found out my husband’s company is shutting down – we moved to this city for this job less than 2 years ago. he’s a scientist and there are literally no other jobs available here for him and we’re at a complete loss on what to do. it’s suddenly very important for us that I don’t rock the boat with my job, so it really doesn’t help that it’s been more stressful, more political (corporate not nation thankfully) than ever.
Stress seems to just never ever leave us. As a 1st gen immigrants who’ve basically moved countries/continents every 4yrs for the past 12 yrs I accepted some stress as part of the package. Especially since we have no family and have to rebuild community wherever we go. But this was supposed to be where we set down roots and we’ve tried so hard. Bought a house, made friends.
But instead the stress has been so bad I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease in 2023 (I had to go through a misdiagnosis first of course). And then for the past 6 months I’ve had another health issue which was again misdiagnosed. This one was badly so, since I was given steroidical medication, which turns out was the absolute worst thing to do and turns out it was all just multiple consequences of my diabetes being mismanaged. Cheers to a broken health system.
All this to say..these chapters give me brief respite from it all. Thank you.
I am so sorry. When Gordon was in the military, we moved all the time. forming friendships was very difficult and we never knew when the next set of orders would show up.
As someone who had gone into remission with diabetes, if the term is applicable, a lot of things that I assigned to just getting older turned out to be diabetes connected. I hope for a prompt diagnosis for you and a plan of treatment that actually helps. Hopefully your husband will find a job or maybe pivot in an unexpected way to grown his career in an unexpected but fulfilling direction. I’m so sorry things are tough and stressful.
Like Ilona, my husband was in the military. In our 24.5 years, our sense of community was two fold because I worked in the civilian world and he was gone so much, he never had any roots but his unit. It is disheartening to hear that you had such a hard time finding medical care that was capable of truly helping you heal but we are going through a similar problem. Sadly that seems to be common in these days of super specialization. I certainly hope that a door you might not expect opens for your husband, the times we are living in create odd partnerships. Lean on your friends, laugh with your BDH family and dig deep with those roots you are putting down, the old sayings about oaks and willows don’t fall in storms apply to people too.
Yay!!!! Hughday! love it. my suggestion for Friday is…. more Hughday!
Thank you for seeing us and for being so compassionate. Thank you for offering us escape into your worlds and lifting our spirits.
I was so stressed out by work that I cried for an hour this morning and called my work bff for support and a reality check. It is a rough time in the world and this has been a particularly rough week.
But at least it’s not Druids! I love Hughday.
+1
thanks for this! really needed it today!!
as for ideas: I’ve always wondered what it would be like to just be a regular person during a magic wave. not the scary stuff just the really silly stuff. example: what would happen to random objects in your house cuz your 3 year old believes they have magical abilities. any form would work I think ? quiz, quick scene, etc.
it’s something I think about sometimes when dealing with my two little kids who have WILD imaginations!
Thanks so much for lifting up all of us!
Here’s my best advice in case Gordon has to have a shoulder surgery—-buy a squishy big recliner with a remote-no clothing with snaps/zippers/buttons-only slip on shoes/a lap table/do ALL the PT and last but not least….very interesting swear words
Sending you all lots positive vibes!
Thank you. You all are the best. Best of luck with the shoulder, the return to college, the semi-feral, and the creative drain.
I enjoy the posts where characters from other books visit the Inn. Those were really fun! That’s where I would go right now if I could. Or maybe I’d go ask Roman for Sanctuary.
Come to argenrina, get the operation and some nice vacations.
Something fun on Fridays would be amazing. Thank you for bringing some joy to us. Love the snippet 🙂 always makes my day a bit brighter. Wishing you all the best as well!!
Thank you for the grace of this space.
A health question for Gordon – Are you aware of the expanded veteran disability categories under the PACT Act? There’s a presumption of approval for many, related to our military service. Most veterans don’t seem to know about this. Might be helpful in his shoulder situation.
This year has already been emotionally draining in a lot of personal ways, (as I very carefully avoid worrying about the emotionally challenging situations of the world at large) and reading these snippets feels like coming home.
Thank you for sharing them.
Thank you so much. I’ve been craving more Iron and Magic for a long, long time. Hugh’s story is an epic redemption saga I hope to see more of. My best wishes to you and yours. I’m sure the constant pressure from everyone based on your amazing past works on top of life issues is incredibly intense.
Thanks so much for Hughday! I hope the medical stuff goes well and improves quickly. My experience is that the key is finding the right doctor/medical ppl, and always get a second opinion. Or 4th opinion…
As for Fridays, I loved the video of your Kid’s tiny black cat (Minou? MeowMeow?) scooting under a door to get into the room, when called. Is it still up somewhere? If not, a repost would b awesome. And ofc, Tuna’s video was good, too. So…cute animal pics or vids would feed the BDH for a bit. Can’t go wrong with a cat video on the internet!
Wishing y’all, the BDH and all ppl of good will a better week ahead than behind.
I’m with Amber. How can we help you? This past year was tough with my dad’s passing and my spinal surgery – thankfully a success. Your books kept and continue to keep me sane. Thank you.
Brilliant, love it , thanks so much
I haven’t read through all the comments, but Puffles is great, and I really enjoyed the FrInndays when Dina/Sean would interview other characters. Tbh, the more snark and backstory snippets, the better. Whatever happens tho, thank you for your continued efforts to make the world a little less suck
I’m sorry you’re stressed. Please take the time you need to rest and recover.
What about the occasional “Pet Photo Post” day? You do a wonderful job entertaining us with tales from your family menagerie. What if we returned the favor? There could be a invite post then people could post a photo and\or a short story introducing their pet(s)? I know that looking at cute pet photos always makes my day a little brighter.
I’m not sure how it could work but it might be combined with a contest? Like oldest pet, oddest pet, biggest pet, smallest pet, longest pet tongue, etc…? Just brainstorming here – no solid idea of how it would work.
I was just thinking 2020 started with wildfires in Australia and now we have 2025 with California on fire. I’ve been visiting another country and the political scene there is just as chaotic and divisive as in the States. so I guess at least we aren’t unique😅
Thanks for the Friday fun-days. I hope you find joy in them as well. I find small wins and things to look forward to de-stress. So far I have the Wednesday links at SBTB’s website, Hot Ones from First We Feast on Youtube on Thursdays, and at least a new blog post no matter the content on Fridays.
Thank you.
I hope that your kindness and generosity comes back to you and your loved ones tenfold.
I love hugeday and love love love Puffelsday, but I would also be very happy with more cute cat or dog videos.
THANK YOU! Prayers for Gordon’s shoulder not to be as bad as the doctors say it is, hopes for Child to find a degree program that will take her strengths and boost them and for you and the frazzles, a Barabbas brewed cup of calming tea and sweet sleep.
Thank you for more Hugh! This was awesome, and a very good distraction. This is exciting!
At the moment I don’t have any thoughts about Friday content other than one request: please don’t let this stress you out. HA is already so good to the BDH. I personally will gratefully devour anything you send our way, but please take good care of yourselves too!
Good luck with your expenses, Gordon’s shoulder, etc. Many good thoughts and prayers are being sent to you by the BDH from all over the world!💕💕💕
Thank you for your care for us and I hope we reflect it back to you 💛
The snippet was amazing- check out Hugh showing emotional maturity and working on his relationship. We love communication!
Finally, fun Friday ideas- Conspiracy Friday? There was a post a while back on theories and it turns out one of the crazier ones was 100% correct. It’d be fun to do harmless crack theories such as “Rogan once planned a year-long, multi-thousand dollar operation to highjack Augustine’s High Society birthday party. It was of course pancake-themed.”
Follow up to my post- just realized fan theories/head canons may stray too close to fanfiction. Maybe just what was the funnest/funniest theories collected since the last Conspiracy Post?
Also if there’s ever any lore that may never make it into the books and you ever want to drop. I love that Roman and Augustine were sitting on complete backstories for years before the revealed in the blog.
Did you know when your first wrote Hugh in KD3 that he would be such a fan favorite and would later demand his own book?
Giveaways: bookmarks, something simple you can mail easily but will still be fun to receive. Also, have you considered giving away something small you have knitted, like a potholder?
Thank you for giving us Fri-yays!
Hugh: YOLO
on a side note, please don’t feel pressured to release anything on Fridays. it’s a lovely treat but as you said you’re human too. I hope it’s not any extra stress on you for anything like this, I would much rather you release nothing and rest and recuperate if you both need to
don’t care if it’s a lot or once in a while, it’s all wonderful!! thanks for being kind to us through your own moments of stress. sending you big hugs!
Thank you, Life in 2025 sounds very challenging for House Andrews. Positives thoughts for the best outcomes…
I love this so SO much!
I understand that this book might require intense plotting that doesn’t lend itself well to serialization, so I will try not to whine if the Horde doesn’t get its weekly meat, but just allow me to say that these tasty bites only make us hungrier for the entire sumptuous meal that you are cooking.
Thank you, House Andrews, this is a very needed break from the real world just now!
Yes +1000
ooh ooh! Love!!!!
Thank you for another great Hugh-day, though please don’t feel pressured to post something every Friday.
I’m sorry about Gordon’s shoulder and hope surgery is the fix.
And thank you for keeping this a place where I can come and relax.
Posted before reading:
Bless you, Ilona and Mod R, for keeping your site free of politics, though I know you both feel strongly about a number of political topics.
I have had to give up some of my favourite sites because they became political, which I find exceedingly uncomfortable even in the cases when I strongly agree with the positions they took — too many nowadays have forgotten how to disagree without becoming disagreeable, which ruins the fun of spirited but respectful discussions from which I get to learn all sorts of unexpected things.
So I am doubly grateful for this delightful refuge from the hatefulness out there. On to reading! 🙂
Gracias
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love the twists!
Loving the Hugh snippets. Is the next Wilmington serial that was scheduled to happen last year still on the table?
just echoing some if the far more eloquent thank yous above.
I hope that Gordon’s shoulder issue turns out to be something which heals with a simple procedure and basic physiotherapy rather then anything complicated and that you and the whole family are well with plans for new degrees etc. bringing back job prospects .
thank you both for continuing to think of all of us and providing a safe fun space via your blog.
yay, thank you so much for spreading joy when you are not feeling so joyful. The world can be a difficult place and I know many readers are like me, they read to escape reality for a brief time, so thank you for the break ❤️
Thank you so much for this! I have been looking forward to Hugh and Elara no. 2 so much!
For me when I hear Hughday, it feels like Hugday;-)
Please be hugged back and all the best for Gordon’s shoulder!
Btw its mid morning in Germany, but of course I would get up in the middle of the night for Hugh and Elara 😉
Thank you! Happy thomgs are greatly appreciated!
Thank yoou for Hugh day! Hugs to the whole family!!
I like this very much!!!
Thank you for your commitment to your readers in the face of some very upsetting personal upheavals. I appreciated your comments regarding the need to not give up and to stay on the recovery course. You are a light and I hope others will take heed soon and brighten. Take care
thank you for the snippet.
I just realized, that I am waiting for Friday and the posts, because they give me a feeling if belonging, of being part of a bigger something – the BDH.
It helps me not feeling lonely or sad or depressed or whatever about politics (German politics are in no way easier nowadays than American).
I hope that Gordon’s shoulder will be ok.
Thank you
Thank you 🥰 will look forward to Friday treats, very much appreciated as always x
Thank Goddess. Felt completely overwhelmed by everything, took a walk across the cemetery and during a break, I found out about Hughday.
This is exactly what I need right now and I thank all who reached out to you and thus led to this decision.
Will wait for the next morsels of escapism. And also: So excited at where the story is going.
All the best to all who read this.
You are the best. Thank you for looking out for us, for me, and our/my mental wellbeing.
Also, I am so very much looking forward to Hugh 2! It’s like visiting old friends.
I think of Friday snippets as the House Andrews Mom’s Take Care, because they are an exciting escape.
Thank you for this one! I wish for the best for Gordon’s shoulder and your kid’s new path ahead. My 20-something kids are dealing with similar challenges.
For non-Hughday Fridays, I would love it if we could visit the inn. That’s my safest comfort spot in the Bookiverse. (Galexy? heh)
Spitballing quizlike ideas: AITT (am I the tyrant) with Caldenia.
Thank you and all the Love for the current and upcoming trials and tribulations 💕.
Sending prayers and well wishes for Gordon’s upcoming shoulder surgery, for your child’s return to academia, and for you the loving bystander. Find a really engrossing book to take with you or load up a few good movies on a kindle to help get you through the waiting and worrying of the surgery. Know you both are well loved. If I could I would send a box full of joy, peace and happiness with some great teas and of course awesome chocolates. Trust that all will be well. 🙂
Love Hugh Day!! Thank you!
Thank you so much!
It’s not just the interesting, well-drawn characters,; it’s not just the skillfully woven stories. It’s also small phrases like this : “soaked in night shadows” that catch you and make you stop and enjoy their beauty.
Thank you again. ❤️
Thank you very much! I really needed to read about Hugh and Elara. Looking forward to reading more , I need more! Thanks! Praying for patience and hopefulness. I am very grateful for whatever writings the two of you are able to create and give us!
I didn’t realize Alara was so dark, and their relationship was so fraught.
Wishing all the best for his surgery, a speedy recovery, and a very low bill for it.
Also for some unexpected income (film rights, comic offers,… whatever), see all the additional burdens your family expect this year.
Thank you for the Hughday
Thank you so very much! I greatly appreciate Highway and any other snippets you can share!
Having said that I don’t want to be another stressor for you and Gordon. You are not responsible for the mental health of the Horde! I don’t want to add to your load , so be kind to yourselves and I’ll be understanding.
Thank you!! I was so depressed yesterday and this made me smile.
Your job shouldn’t be giving us freebies to be a balm to our life stressors, but I’m sure glad y’all do give us those verbal hugs of care. I’ll never say no to a goodie. And it has been a very rough week. So, truly, thank you very much.
Honestly, I feel like we got cheated of most baby Conlan antics, so any extra vignettes, or shirt stories–maybe Roman babysitting him–could be fun.
#JustSaying
But in truth anything you write, I shall devour with book hoarding glee!
Thank you so much for doing this. I appreciate that things are not easy for any of us. Thanks for creating a place away from the awful noise and giving a an escape. Having said that, please take care of yourself and find safe spaces for you and Gordon. Please know how very much you are appreciated.
Thank you so much. I really need your posts right now.
Boy, I’m glad he had brains enough to take it to her.
I’m so sorry Gordon is having trouble. And Kid losing a job opportunity sucks. You all take care of yourselves, and don’t worry about the Horde. We’ll be here regardless.
❤️ Hughday ❤️
Thank you for this, and for your kindness. It means a great deal to so many of us.
First, this Quaker is holding you, Gordon, and Mod R in the light for an easing of your burdens.
Second, I have fantasies of a sweatshirt that says,
Baha Char (sp?) Merchants Association
The sky is not the limit
Also (not sure it merits a Third), I wonder whether BDH would be interested in a soup-to-nuts description of the publishing process. But maybe I haven’t been reading the blog long enough…
Yay!!!
I am so sorry about Gordon’s shoulder. We all need kindness and care. Thank you for keeping the blog a place to decompress, a place for kindness. Sending good thoughts to you and yours. Love the snippets, the artwork that goes with it is wonderful!
🙂 snippets are lovely. Ty.
Thank you for this. It is a little bright light of joy. I hope the issue with Gordon’s shoulder is resolved soon. I am sorry your daughter lost her job. Things are so uncertain.
Such a treat to have anything you all are writing! I’m always reading and never replying. This time I thought I would chime in. You all don’t have to do so much for your fans, but you do. You are amazing and I’m grateful. Always take care of yourselves first!!
Thank you! I am loving these snippets!
Sending positive thoughts to Gordon for a speedy recovery.
Our daughter is home from college for the weekend and that has brought some brightness to our home.
Thank you for this anchoring presence in the world today. Enjoying Hugh and the Iron Dogs, thank you.
I just want to say thank you. I appreciate these snippets and how you talk to us with glimpses into your lives. I want you know that your genius is so very much appreciated and that your stories offer an escape when we need it – and when we don’t! 😉 I appreciate all of your hard work. Thank you.
“We keep going because rolling over and giving up is not an option.” Yeah. I have spent years in that frame of mind. I have looked up to my Savior whom I love and serve and said, “Bring it on.”, when I just wanted to face what was coming, and had no more strength to question it.
Right now life is good, our son with brain cancer is being given a new treatment which might be a cure, the state forcing us to sell our farm turned out to be a HUGE blessing, our disabled daughter is doing great and has a job where they appreciate her, and our business burning down turned out to also be a blessing.
I flew to Kentucky on Christmas day after my DIL was hospitalized with a high risk pregnancy, because my son’s paternity leave wouldn’t start till the babies are born, and they have a 2 year old. I have discovered that I am very old. And tired. But I am thankful for the opportunity to have a close relationship with this granddaughter and thankful that my children depend upon me.
The twins were removed yesterday when one stopped getting bloodflow, turned out to be the cord 3 times around his neck. DIL is very sore from the emergency C-section but the boys are out and safe. There might be long term damage to the one with the cord around his neck, but time will tell on that, and he is a precious treasure however we got him.
I pray that Gordon’s shoulder gets fixed. I pray that there are therapies, or minimally invasive surgery to help.
Thank you for your snippets.
Your good news is a bright spot! Best wishes to you and your family.
I’m so stoked. Thanks for writing amidst the crazy. 😝
Thank you for the Friday moment with Hugh, I love him. Do you have a new comma meticulous comma grammatical comma big hyphen vocabulary proofreader question mark. I love it when your writing is not so finicky, it’s relaxing and cool.
Big thanks for all the kindness from Team Andrews. You are very much appreciated. Right now, we all are living in interesting times;)
So…I have an idea. Could we please have a contest?
I know the merch store was complicated last go round, but what if artistic and creative Book Devouring Hoarders (intentional play on words here, BDH community), could submit fun Horde themed logos or slogans for a competition? There could be different themes (serious vs. humorous vs. different HA worlds) and we could all vote.
Fun weatherproof vinyl stickers for cars and laptops or water bottles would be a hoot, plus hopefully raise some funds for life’s surprises facing HA. Also, they’re easier to ship;)
Everyone loves a good slogan, and we all love to talk about our favorite books. Heck, we could even have a blog post query on our favorite character lines, then there could be a follow up post voting on absolute favorites.
Welp, those are my ideas. Hope they prove intriguing enough for Mod R and HA to want to take them on;) Best wishes to everyone!
Thank you for this! Sending wishes for healing and strength your way, for both of you. These are unsettled times for everyone. It is wonderful to have something to look forward to at the end of the week. You are sending moments of entertainment despite your own adversity. You are heroes!
OMG, this was sooo good, that I forgot I was reading a snippet. Then I was a bit shocked, confused & angry when it just stopped. I had to take a moment & remind myself of the gracious gift that this was. THANK YOU!
Ohhhh this is going to be so good!
These brief escapes are wonderful and vastly appreciated.
So sorry to hear about Gordon’s shoulder. I’ve had mild shoulder issues in the past and they were most unpleasant. He is significantly worse, it seems, and he has all my compassion and sympathy. Glad you are fighting to get him the care he needs.
I love these snippets and thank you profusely! Smile, laugh, cry – all emotion covered in one or another. Don’t know what is wrong with your hubby’s shoulder but will share about mine. After a very long time of the shoulder just giving out, he finally had rotator cuff surgery (shoulder was hanging together with one tendon(?) several years ago and now has screws and medical fishing type line in there but it works great! Physical therapy was not for him but they showed him the exercises and he very determinedly and faithfully did them and got better and is fine now. His other shoulder developed “frozen shoulder” for which he received injections under fluoroscopy which took care of that. My very positive thoughts and hope for your hubby to get a referral and discover the problem and get it fixed.
Sorry, Ilona. What doesn’t kill you makes you…Scream! There are 5 things I’m doing to cope. 1: I have suspended watching the news or any talk shows that want to discuss politics. I just kiss my husband, say,”Have fun”, head for my studio, and plug in an audiobook.I can never listen to “Innkeepers”too many times. #2: I think of how much better we have it than the millions of people in war zones and food deserts. I was dishing up my overnight oatmeal that I had warmed in the microwave this morning and thought that there are millions of people who would cry with joy if they got to have just this much food every day. #3: I watch dog videos at the Smeraglia Doodles site on facebook every day. If I had a doodle, I would probably be playing with him, instead. These people are always so loving and upbeat that they treat me like family. #4: I make it my mission to make my husband laugh every day, and we email each other cartoons we like when we see them, so they appear as little surprises in our inbox. 5: I knit or design stitches and patterns every day. There is nothing so relaxing as losing yourself in a hobby, as I’m sure you know.
Be well.
How about a fan-att contest? Lots of sidecharacters that haven’t been featured on any covers that could be the topics.
Also, thank you for the hugh snippets!
Fan-art **** (typo)
All the best for Gordon’s shoulder! Yes a lot of stress and strain on everyone and its really lovely you are writing these snippets to keep the BDH cheered up amidst trying times and awful weather. Everyone keep safe and warm.
Not a suggestion for anything, but still something awesome and fun that absolutely made my day.
Cats in hats for science! (and also, because of research on management of chronic pain in cats)
Caption of the adorable photo illustrating the podcast: “Fée, an abandoned cat with chronic osteoarthritis, was one of 11 cats who wore specially knitted caps so researchers are the Université de Montréal’s veterinary school could attach electrodes to it to study their brains.” (note: crocheted, not knitted)
They had entirely too much fun with the segment, with lots of meow interjections. *g*
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/jan-11-how-crocheted-hats-help-scientists-learn-about-cats-and-more-1.7427864
(note: the cat segment is second to last in the full episode, but you can listen to just the cat segment on the website)
Thank you, much wonderfulness. Sorry about Gordon’s shoulder, My brother severely dislocated his shoulder playing rugby in Highschool. When he joined the Navy he started having problems going down the hatcbways on ship because when he’d reach up to close the hatch, his shoulder would pop out. it got so bad the base doctor told him if it happened again he would schedule him for surgery. 3 months later, just before Xmas my brothers ship comes back to base. It was snowing and when my brother and his crew get off the ship they have a snowball fight. My brother throws a snowball at one of his crew and puts his shoulder out of joint just as the base doctor walks past. Needless to say he had the surgery to tighten the muscles around his shoulder and hasn’t had problems since. His doctor told him that shoulder joints are some of the easier ones to operate on so hopefully Gordon won’t have any issues and I try not to tease my brother about being a huge muscular military guy brought low by a simple snowball. All the best
Thank you for thinking of your readers with everything else going on in your lives. Stay safe.
Stephen Colbear( that is NOT the correct spelling) asks his talk show guests to describe the rest of their lives in 5 words. Mine are “Remember – Keep on keeping on.”
This post literally brought me to tears–and it reassured me. Fifteen years. Others also feel the need for a safe space. We are seen.
You are amazing authors, but it is the sheer humanity of your blog that the Hoard loves.
I am so sorry you, too, are feeling stressed. I hope you have the support system you need, and I hope that the surgery goes well and is successful.
On the upside. The grid didn’t fail, you are a gifted writer, and your children–fur, bio, and Hoard– adore you. When in doubt, see Tuna:)
I have a silly idea for a fun Friday thing. A poker night, or a D&D night at the inn with all the main male characters and some of the best side characters and maybe even the new characters so we can get a feel for their personalities. the women are free to invade of course. The Inn seems the best place to have stories collide.
Entries from the Innkeeper’s Guide to the Galaxy: Daesyn, Kolinda, Baha-Char, Karhari, Seven Star Dominion, etc. Even the “you don’t want to go there” places. (With a different name though, because Douglas Adams – even though not the same at all). Or old-style travel posters for some of these places – I am in awe of Ilona’s computer art skills. Or entries from Dina’s Creature Guide – both some cute and some scary ones.
I look forward to your emails. They are a welcome ray of sunshine in my day! I really appreciate your efforts to keep this site a neutral, upbeat space. It makes my day.
Thank you for this. Truly.
Sending good shoulder vibes.
I have my favorite HA universe but any current presentation is very good for me. I would even read an Alpha # 2.
I have lived with osteoarthritis for 6 decades neck, back, shoulders and hands plus carpal tunnel. I used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes, climb and rappel on rocks and cliffs. Some where and when I tore, not broke, C 5 and C 6. Bone spurs developed because it was too close to the spinal cord they would not cut on it. Now that the tools are available, I am too old to operate on the spurs now. I have to exercise my neck muscles every day. If I skip a day or two, my neck causes terrible pain. It takes two or three weeks to correct it.
I have had one shoulder replaced when I was 78. Ten years later they won’t replace the other shoulder, I’m too old. Exercise aggravates the wear and tear. They give me pain injections which work for a few days. Muscle relaxants blah. Aleve helps until it eats your gut. Same with my hand and wrist problems. And I have to see three different bone doctors spine, joints and hands. Pain management Clinics can handle only one pain area at a time. If I’m hurting in all three areas it takes three to six weeks to see all the doctors.
For a complete shoulder replacement some parts may have to be printed and that takes several appointments. It took about three or four months to get approval from the insurance companies, surgical room at the hospital and pre op admin and getting the parts of my new shoulder. The operation was quick. From the time of the first cut to the last staple in my skin took 45 minutes. I was walking and swinging my new shoulder that afternoon. And there was excruciating pain for about four weeks. In six weeks I was able to drive my car. In nine months I was deep sea fishing. In one year I was doing full exercises weight, run etc.
“ However, we are all going to keep going, because rolling over and giving up is not an option”
Thank you for the above sentence! Exactly what I needed to hear, for SO many reasons.
Good choice, Hugh! 🥰
Thank you for being a light in a darkening world.
Take care of yourselves, and thank you for generously sharing a Hugh snippet with us.
Best of luck for the return to school. My eldest is on a similar path, and it’s worth it, for them to strive to fully realize their potential.
thank you. best wishes for Gordon shoulder and everyone’s health and wellness.
Thank you. ❤️
Take care and thank you for the Hugh chapters.
Thank you for the tea break escape! I’m in awe of your amazing writing thank you! I wish you both health and happiness for the whole family.
I just wanted to say, yes ma’am, giving up is not an option. Well said!
Thank you for Hughday. Thank you for all you write for us.
I just lost my mom at the end of 2024. I am an only child in my 50’s. You never know what people are going thru. The ups, downs, and unique challenges. I know you get positivity everyday and I hope you continue to.
As one of your fans, I wanted to let the two of you know. Kate’s world is special to me. And I thank the two of you for giving us more to enjoy. Peace, Healing , and Well Wishes to you both. As long as you keep writing, I’ll keep buying all the formats . Print , audio, and graphic audio!
May 2025 be more successful and prosperous to you and yours than all your past years combined.
God Bless yall.
We love HughDay!
I love hearing all the different experiences and viewpoints from the BDH and would REALLY like to know where everyone lives. Could we have a map that gets a pin for location of all our members?
Love the Hugh and Elara storyline. Such a treat to read.
Thanks for the snippet and for the kind, safe, and fun environment you’ve created for the BDH.
Hope all goes well with Gordon’s shoulder and that everything else goes much better than expected. You’ve got all of us sending love and good wishes.
Thank you for continuing. Thank you for creating a politically free zone. It is important to us that you continue writing. We love your work (please note that I was sorely tempted to write that in all caps, but refrained/tempered…).
Sorry to hear about Gordon’s shoulder. Surgery, not matter how small, is always serious. We all hope for a quick, speedy recovery.
My husband, having just gotten his other knee replaced, met yesterday with a surgeon about the new pain in the “good” shoulder. (The old tendon tear, by the time insurance agreed to an MRI, is irreparable.) He’s NOT ready for surgery. Tell Gordon most of the best men in my life are having shoulder problems (ages 20-70) and there is widespread agreement that it SUCKS.
I listen to Hidden Legacy audios just about every day. We all really need comfort and reliability these days, and we need to get it from our community.
I appreciate you both very much. For your work, and for the actual real life you share with us. Carry on. Please.
Thank you so much for your generosity. You understand the pain and the fear and you give us all a hug and some hope (plus excellent stories!!!). I love you and I am a very proud member of the Book Devouring Horde
I would love to read more of the Saen & Dina character interviews!
Thank you for that lovely snippet. I hope Gordon’s surgery goes well and that 2025 is a better year for us all. I feel like I say this everytime I comment here. but I love your books, they are my comfort reads and thank you for them all!!
I had a total shoulder replacement done by RICK MATSON MD AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON in Seattle 8 years ago of all my joint replacements and I have knees , hips and more its the most back to normal and rarely has discomfort.
LOOK HIM UP he is world renowned…
He and his staff are worth the long flight …
Yay! HughDay! Loving reading about our favorite Preceptor – thank you for the snippets. As for recommendations for other things… I’m not a writer, but I love your writing articles. It’s like a glimpse behind the curtain, you know? I know you’ve said Hugh 2 isn’t suitable for a serial, but what about Puffles? I would read the, ah, stuffing, out of a Puffles serial and still buy the book (because that’s what we do lol)
Thank you, and thank you for reminding us that the recovery will take time. shoulder surgery sucks! I hope Gordrn’s surgery if he has to have it, goes smoothly!
Thank you for creating worlds I can escape to. I’m not good with words, but you bring escape, laughter, and joy to me when I read your books. Your stories help me overcome obstacles in my own life.
Stay healthy please!! so you’ll write forever!!
I love everything you guys put out. You also need to give yourself some rest and recovery time. There’s nothing wrong with digging up an oldie but a goodie and posting that. We just get to delight in things we’ve read before again💜
Thank you so much for these snippets! They really brighten up my day. lots of prayers for Gordon.
would love more snippets of Raina and her dragon aswell!
In the spirit of new beginnings, Imbolc (look it up) is next Saturday, February 1st. Put away the old, clean up the current and make plans for the new. At least that’s how I celebrate it. It’s the beginning of Celtic Spring and I start thinking and planning for what I’m going to plant in the garden and yard. This always makes me happy. That and grabbing my cats and giving them cuddles. Although they always look mystified afterwards.
Thank you so much for Hughday. I am listening to KD on Graphic Audio and immersion there really helps with all the other noise. A year ago I had surgery for a severely torn rotator cuff and detached tendon on my dominant side. Tell Gordon I sincerely hope his recovery goes well–do the therapy religiously and be kind and patient with himself.
thank you!
This was wonderful. Thanks so much! I loved Hugh’s last book and am looking forward to the next one.
I don’t read much in the way of blogs so I don’t know for sure but I bet there are a lot of authors who are saying, how come I don’t have a BDH.
It takes a lot of effort on the authors part to develop a BDH. Probably some good fortune too.
Thank you authors for your effort. This is the only blog( if I’m using the term correctly) I visit and comment on.
It’s great to have a reading community. To talk about the books and the authors.
Thank you very much for sharing! The world seems very fraught and difficult right now and your place is a welcome respite. I very much appreciate your words and your comfort.
Oh yes, thanks for the snippet! Sorry to hear about the shoulder surgery all the best for a smooth recovery. I’ve been binge watching Zoo Day and learning all kinds of interesting things. It’s recorded at the Chester Zoo in England. Some of the senior dept people have been there 24 to 30+ years! Wow, very telling how much they love their jobs and how much they care about the animals they take care of. It takes one and a half hours to hard boil an ostrich egg, weighs about four pounds! The bird people sent over four eggs for the monkeys, saved for the largest breed with the six inch teeth. Yea gods! I watched an operation on a large bat who had a broken tooth; then they had to hunt him up every day to give him an antibiotic. Definitely not my cup of tea! Watching them trying to net 20 male bats for shipping way up in the air, was pretty interesting today. Beats politics anyway!
I am SO hooked on this already! Thank you! And please, take your time. It will be well worth the wait. 🙂
I always look forward to your writings. Thank you for HUGH.
It’s Australia Day here and, at the risk of being heretical, Hugh Day is better. I so appreciate everything HA does and at the same time, I love reading everything the BDH has to say in the comments. Peace, health and goodwill to you all as we all manage the constant irritations of magic going up and coming down.
Wish I could send $1MM. Please settle for *virtual hugs* Thank you for so much uplift and enjoyment. House Andrews, ModR and BDH, got my eyes on all of y’all!
Yay!
“That would be the end, he realized. They would not come back from that.”
That line betrays so much of what’s now important to him, and I’m here for it. 💙
As a total aside, his thought process reminded me of how Sesame Street used to teach kids to think through the consequences of their actions by imagining “what would happen if I took this bag of ping pong balls and emptied it on the floor, and they landed near my sleeping cat. . . “
Yes, 2025 has taken off on a rocky path. I am trying to think of it as a 4-wheel drive to a beautiful view at the end! 😉
I am eagerly looking forward to this book. Thank you
Thank you so much for all your post. As so many people have said, y’all go beyond for your fans. Like so many people have said, your post are a bright spot in a tough couple of years. I would like to suggest something with the kids/younger adults in your series. Possibly a get together for tea at Gertrude Hunt. They are always such a bright spot in the books.
Many thanks for the snippets, which are a welcome relief from the everyday stresses.
I hope that Gordon’s shoulder issues get resolved soon 🤞
Thanks for keeping this a fun & safe space!! Sorry to hear about the issues you & your family are dealing with. Sending lots of good vibes & healing thoughts.
Loved the snippet!! And understood re: Hughday not being a regular thing.
It’s very kind of you to want to give us something fun on Fridays. Regarding non-snippet ideas, here are some thoughts:
– Which Hidden Legacy House Do You Belong In Quiz (there have been quizzes for Kate Daniels, Innkeeper & Kinsmen but I don’t remember one for Hidden Legacy)
– Which Meal / Treat Do You Most Want to Try Quiz. You could do one for each series or do one big quiz. There’s lots of yummy sounding food in your books, plenty to choose from. Might be interesting to have ranked voting & see what comes out on top.
– Writing / Publishing articles. You could repost old ones if you don’t have time to write new ones. They’re always interesting to read.
– Recipes from Orro (and/or you). Fire!
– Character Interviews. These are always fun.
– Links to fun shows / movies / books / games you recommend.
– Cute pic(s) / video(s) of your pets.
Hope the above ideas are helpful or at least spark something for you.
Thanks again for everything!! You, Gordon, Mod R & the entire BDH rocks!