You haven’t posted. Did something bad happen?
Margaret
Why do you guys always assume that something bad happened? 🙂
Nothing bad happened. We are just super busy. We are having some work done on the house, which means bids and estimates, we are going to KissCon in New England this weekend, and we are trying to write the best we can. We are also working on some extras for the holidays for you.
On Friday we went furniture shopping. Our local furniture store, North Carolina Furniture, had this amazing mattress in stock. Laying on it was like sleeping on an imaginary cloud. The real cloud would be cold and wet and not very supportive, but this mattress is exact opposite. But the mattress was also hellishly expensive. I looked at the price tag and blinked.
On Friday, I get a call from our furniture dude, Kim.
Kim, in a clandestine voice: Mrs. Andrews, do you remember that mattress you looked at and said, “Maybe for Christmas?
Me, wondering why I am suddenly in a James Bond movie: Yes?
Kim, still in spy voice: They have it on sale 70% off. Everyone is calling their clients to let them know.
Me: !!! We’ll take it!!!
Kim the Furniture Spy: Very good. I’ll put the SOLD tag on it for you.
So we got to the furniture store. We walk in, stop at the reception, and ask for Kim. A nice lady pages him and then looks at us, claps her hands together, and says, “Every time I see you, I keep thinking I know you from somewhere.”
Me: Um… We come here a lot.
Gordon: Yes, we buy a lot of furniture.
Lady: I finally figured it out. You’re those writers. You’re Ilona Andrews.
So shout out to the nice lady who blew our secret cover at North Carolina Furniture.
We are now the proud owners of a new, greatly discounted mattress.
After the furniture shopping, we drove down to Gruene Door, which is a small but very nice restaurant in a neighboring town. We sat outside – it wasn’t sweltering! – and had a nice dinner. Then we came home and played video games. And that’s why there was no post on Friday.
Rogan.
What video games did you play?
Lol, love it 🙂 sneaky sales person ! Glad you guys enjoyed ur day 🙂
You guys are great. Thanks for the good reads, and keep on carrying on.
Don’t force the magic, like J.K. Rowling did with one of her HP books, where Harry was a whiny little b*tch while his friends were busy living their lives, and I wanted to throw the teen drama against the wall because it was obvious Rowling’s editors were trying to rush her and she gave into it.
But, please don’t be like George R.R. Martin, where it takes a decade for him to write. One. Freaking. Book. Which forces the moronic writers of the TV show BASED ON HIS BOOKS to make up their own unimaginative plotline, the one where the characters do stupid things for no reason and almost everyone dies at the end in stupid ways that make no sense and you’re left wondering, what did I sit through EIGHT SEASONS for and THIS is the GRAND F*CKING FINALE?!!!!
Anyways, you’re awesome.
so true
What was the mattress brand/name?
This ^^^
+1 x1000
Every time a great tv show is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the fanbase holds its breath to see how it will end. O.o
I’m so happy The Expanse series exists, both novels, and tv version.
Simon Pegg is supposed to be producing a TV series based on Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series. I am both thrilled and terrified!!!! LOVE those books.
Great news!
Aaronovitch is a vet of television writing, too, just like Martin is. Aaronovitch, of course, has experience writing for Doctor Who, which is possibly the one series with a wide variety of storytelling formats and has always handled different writers and actors helming the same character with aplomb, if not amazingly. (Aaronovitch wrote Remembrance of the Daleks and Battlefield.) That alone should give him enough experience to work well with others on the adaptation.
Of course, Aaronovitch has been exploring different formats for the Rivers of London world. Namely graphic novels and at least one roughly 45 minute radio play that was called an audio book. The deadline article from April has everyone involved speak highly of the deal. Let’s hope they get to have fun while making something we can enjoy. (Gods, I’d love to work on that…)
https://deadline.com/2019/04/simon-pegg-nick-frost-rivers-of-london-1202602550/
It’s definitely still in developmental stages, so don’t expect to be able to pay to stream it for another few years, if not longer.
And for Julia? Characters were dying for no reason in the books, and the show didn’t need to wait for the narrative to run out of books before their characters started doing stupid things for no reason… It was enjoyably painful to watch, but wow, those last 6 episodes felt very rushed.
Haha I spotted y’all one time at a grocery store when you lived in CP. I felt bad outing you, but also super excited at the same time. Glad you got your awesome mattress – they make such a huge difference!!
I’m so glad you got the mattress of your dreams to dream on and it’s always nice to have a night out, especially with great food. Kudos on the video gaming since it can only increase your ability to write the great fight scenes you’re so good at. Enjoy. ????
LOL, I sooo understand about the hellishly expensive mattress. I just paid min off.
I could’ve gotten a nice used sedan for the price, but I’m still in luuurv with it 2 years later. Enjoy, and safe travels!
Oooh, furniture shopping, mmmhh. I love furniture shopping. Wood, desks, roll top? No executive, desk, no – not enough room. Hmm, big leather executive chair, in front of roll top. Cubby holes! No, credenza and desk with hutch. Bookcases with lead glass doors. What kind of wood – walnut. No, too dark. hmm. Walnut library desk with leather insert. I love furniture shopping.
By the way, this is day dreaming. I live in a mobile home. Certainly no room for all the stuff I just drooled over
+++10000!!! I too have fantasies that have real wood furniture! A twist on Robin Leach….champagne dreams, caviar wishes, and lavish gazillionaire furnishings…..all on my soda pop budget here in NC. *giggle*
I especially love, Love, LOVE the front doors to the IA castle. *huge sigh*
Congratulations on your new mattress. I am sleeping on a 20 year old sofa bed. Having a bad week. My job ended on August and I am trying to get dental work done before looking for a new job. Just found out that my cavity and become root canal and a crown. Which is not in my budget. Every time I try to stay on my budget something major happens. I really need new glasses, but that will have to wait.
Wish Icould go to Kisscon but I have to do work for board of elections that weekend. I know it will be a great success.
The weather here is generally between 45-65. So you can bring a nice knitted scarf . And light jacket.
Can’t you get glasses online for $30? I’ve never bought from those places but a couple siblings have and they are happy.
Unless you need a new subscription first?
I’m not making light of your money problems, just hoping to maybe offer a solution. I always forget to consider the online glasses places when I get my new frames
I’ve bought 3 pair from Zenni – very happy. You need to be very careful about your measuring, especially for pupillary distance. So much less expensive than retail – retail wanted $350, with insurance. Jenni – $125, no insurance!
I’m job searching too — and did the same — final trip to dentist while still on plan. So sorry they found something expensive for you. I just had lots of scraping and scolding. Now must floss. Really. Like daily. *sigh* Another downside of unemployment.
If you have progressive trifocals, they cost the earth. Aging is expensive.
yep, trifocals are $$$$. add non-glare coating for computers, $$. add outdoor-to-indoor (can’t remember name) coating, $$. $740 b4 insurance kicks in, $350 still left to pay—–luuurves my HSA, luurves, luurves, LUUURVES my HSA! nothing out of pocket. HSA is the way to go if you got a choice!
While I logically know that Texas has weather from hell, my god I would love a bit of sun. I don’t know why my flats decide to live all through our (short) English summer, but I’ve had this pair three days and they’ve already broken to let me know just how many puddles I walk through.
Can you ballpark the price? I will be looking for a new mattress soon. I love my naps????
I am with you! I have seen smaller tuition bills than our mattress/adjustable bed — but it was worth every.single.penny. Sweet dreams.
Well you’re just such nice people…and in your books bad things are always happening to nice people. We readers imagine you must live similar lives. Making deals on far off worlds or arguing with shapeshifters and masters of the dead. Perhaps your powers manifested and you’re trying to figure out if you should head your own house? We have faith in our favorite authors. Now which one of you carries a sword?
Both.
Well you’re just such nice people…and in your books bad things are always happening to nice people. We readers imagine you must live similar lives. Making deals on far off worlds or arguing with shapeshifters and masters of the dead. Perhaps your powers manifested and you’re trying to figure out if you should head your own house? We have faith in our favorite authors.
Now which one of you carries a sword?
A great mattress is a must. We bought a Sleep Number bed a few years ago and it has been awesome! It has a 25 year warranty! It is like sleeping on a cloud every night. I have had a very, very bad year health wise, and the bed has been my savior. It became so painful to lay down when I had a severe RA flare that I had to lower my sleep number to 15. The flare is under control now, but I have bone spurs on one shoulder and a tendon that is torn almost all the way through on the other shoulder. Needless to say, the sleep number is still at 15. I am scheduled for surgery next month to remove the bone spurs, so I will probably have to raise it or I will never be able to get out of bed! It is the best bed ever. Only downside is the cost of sheets, and I am still trying to figure out a way to make my own.
We bought one 12 years ago and still love it! Unfortunately, the base is not adjustable and my bad back is insisting I now need an adjustable base (for a zero gravity position), so we may be shopping for another one soon. I can’t imagine buying any other brand right now.
You might be able to just buy a new base for the one you have. I was assured that “It’s modular. You just get a new piece if you need one.” when I bought mine.
Of course, if you want a different size, or something like that, you’ll have to start over for sure…
A good mattress is a huge blessing. Your backs will thank you.
I was considering a road trip up to DE for your signing – it’s under a two hour drive (one way) – but can’t justify taking the time off this week. Oh well! Eventually you’ll be back on this coast, I guess. Have a great time in New England!
Can’t wait for this weekend….re-reading all the books, now on White Hot (just finished Magic Triumphs and had to read the last bit a few times) Just ordered the one novella I hadn’t read before. Having a new mattress sounds wonderful! I received an electrically heated mattress pad for Christmas last year, LOVE IT!
A good mattress can last a while. Mine is… >_> <_< 24 years old. I'm sure it is pure dead skin and dust mites by now, but it is still comfy. I try not to think too hard about it.
One thing to note though is – don't make the bed so tall that you can't just sit on it. If you have to get a step up to get in bed, I think that is too tall. I have thrown myself out of my bed during a kung fu dream, and it is better to be lower to the ground.
A few years ago we got my mother a dust-mite proof mattress cover for the mattress she and my father got when they married — it made a difference for a great deal less than the cost of a new mattress. She was so happy with it that I got the same cover for my our mattresses, too — everybody here has allergies, and every little bit helps. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CG60FS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Congratulations on scoring the mattress and kudos to Kim the secret furniture agent.
Yay for furniture spies! And good busy days.
Glad you guys had a great Friday. I woke up very early Saturday morning to watch world rugby from Japan. This upcoming weekend I’ll be staying up to watch the semi-finals. (Whispers: Go All Blacks! Aka New Zealand.)
We Aussies crashed out, so go All Blacks
So good to read that some good things do actually happen to good people! There‘s already too much bad stuff going all around…
Enjoy your comfy new bed! I wouldn‘t wonder if an impression of your secretive salesman made it into one of your books someday ????!
Greets from Switzerland
Inga
I love your posts and I also realize that you and your family need down time. Thank you for all you do!!!
Okay, I totally need to hear what kind of mattress you bought. In a fluke of nature, I went on a business trip recently, stayed at a Home2 hilton establishment, and found that their bed and pillows were WAY more comfortable than my very pricey sleep number bed at home. I’d love the comparison…
I found out when I went to St. Louis a few years ago the Hilton I stayed in had the Serta Hotel collection mattress I had (at the time) at home. You can only get the Serta Hotel collection either through Serta’s website or QVC. I bought the mattress set through QVC. The nice thing is I bought a split Queen mattress set a little over a year ago (hotel collection) and it is so comfy. The split means that there are two sections of box springs (or foundations) instead of one. Makes it easier to get the box springs through any narrow spaces. The mattress is one huge piece. 😀
I stayed at a local Sheraton with a patient ears ago to take her to the Folklife festival. We left early. The festival is 3 days long. We left early because the mattresses were like ROCKS to sleep on. No give at all. The pillows were worse. We looked at each other after night one, took in some more faire and checked out to sleep where it was comfy at home. Mattresses Matter!
Glad to hear about your good things. Also interested in the mattress brand, the hubs says he wants to get a new one. I didn’t think anything bad happened, just figured you were Busy People.
Enjoy your new mattress! Love getting a new one. I hope you have fun at the kiss con!
Last week, I had to buy a new mattress because my old mattress collapsed in the middle. I hate the new one because I haven’t had a good night sleep on it yet. I am still trying to decide if it is actually uncomfortable (not as obvious as one might think) or if I am kept awake still seething over the price of the necessary purchase.
You should have a life too, so don’t worry about the worriers. Go ahead and enjoy whatever life has to offer. We don’t own your time, and we can wait (although it’s sometimes hard!). Thank you for hours of splendid reading.
Perhaps Brandi should have a standard “Not dead yet” message to post when you take “too many” days off from posting. I admit, I sometimes wonder what’s going on when ya’ll miss a week. (I usually don’t worry until it’s two weeks.)
On the other hand, you two are adults in pretty good health. You have busy, productive lives. We shouldn’t be whiney when you want to live them.
Sounds like Friday was fun and useful, too.
Enjoy your trip. The leaves will hopefully still be great. (The leaves in Philadelphia were just getting started last weekend when I was there for my son’s wedding, so there’s a good chance.)
Have fun and be safe.
I sympathize with the “work done on the house” part of this post. We are in week 6 of kitchen/living room/dining room remodel and even though the bid process has been over for a while there are still decisions to be made, and errands to run which take a lot of time. Today we went and picked up the cooktop which MUST be here when the countertop measurer comes next Monday. And I also went and bought the glass for the upper cabinet doors we’ll be using for display purposes, since no one actually buys glass for glass fronted cabinets from the cabinet companies because it’s too expensive. But we’re on the downhill side; wall cabinets went up today; base cabinets will be in by the end of the week.
Gruene has some great places to eat! One of these days I’m gonna camp out so I can get some shots of the iconic Gruene Hall without cars or people in front of it, pretty sure the cops will think I’m suspicious.
#aPhotographersLife
My problem is if it’s comfy when I first lay it in, it gets too soft within a year and kills me, so I go firmer, so after a year it’s broken in and then lasts for a few years. Except last time the mattress didn’t really give so it’s been not so comfy for years now. No matter what when I travel, sleep in hotels, guests beds, etc. cause I’m not used to it I’m lucky if I sleep 2 hours straight, I toss and turn all night long.
I mean if I’m moving that much in bed, I want it to be for other, far more enjoyable activities!
There is nothing like scoring a bargain. Till you think about the fact that at 70% off they were still making a profit. So it makes you wonder how high the markup on mattresses normally is…. Still a bargain is a good thing.
It pays to be frequent shoppers. Glad you scored your new mattress that you love.
Have a great time at KissCon 🙂
We went to buy a new refrigerator at the local furniture store (which delivers, installs for free and has great local service). I get to talking to the salesperson and we pick out the refrigerator, and then she gives me her card… I know the name. I say “Are you related to Henry, in the Soo?” She said “He was my uncle.” I knew him when I was little, he and my grandmother were friends…. blah blah funny stories about her uncle from both sides, including the time he dragged my mom and grandma to see the Queen come into Soo Ontario and they were right in could have reached out and touched “Queenie” … I also mention that we’re going to need a dishwasher…
About 6 weeks later I get a call from “Henry’s niece” and they have the exact dishwasher I want on sale… Big sale… I say “hold it, we’re on our way” and she sold us a carpet, some flooring for the kitchen, a new chair and she’s going to call us when the cooktop we want goes on sale.
It helps to make friends with salespeople.
lol…everyone should have a Furniture Spy!… I mean… Guy! Furniture GUY! *sly wink*
Good for you two!!!!! You deserve a wonderful mattress, a great dinner and a night off.
That Furniture Guy is awesome!!! So curious as to the brand so we can try it out.
We got a super expensive Temperpedic on sale a decade ago and do not regret it. I firmly believe that there are only a few things in life that deserve the expense and an amazing bed is #1 if you can afford it. You spend so much of your life in it and it can dictate how the day starts off with. Starting off the day rested and relaxed vs a night tossing and turning is literally night and day.
Happy to hear you scored a great deal on the matterss and had a nice relaxing dinner. You both deserve that and so much more. Thank you for everything. Just, everything.
May we have a glimpse of this legendary mattress? Or maybe something similar to it? =D
Oh my goodness! You’d think you guys had nothing better to do than send us newsletters!! I’m just thrilled when I get one. I love some of the funny ones Ilona writes. I’ve forwarded a couple to my daughter so she can laugh with me.
I’m glad you both got that new mattress. There’s nothing better than the perfect mattress! We finally gave in when there was a sale and got the most expensive one of a certain brand that was on sale with adjustable bases. We got 2 twins because he doesn’t like his feet up, I do and the queen/king adjustable bases the foot moves up and down all across. It’s heaven to have these!! Enjoy KissCon and see some of New England if you can because the color is at it’s height now for fall!! I grew up in Massachusetts and the western part is very hilly and has lots of color now!!
Hurray for sales!
And that receptionist has way more self control than me. I would have absolutely no chill and embarrass myself horrifically if I were to ever meet you guys. Good thing you never come my way????
Would you mind sharing the name of the mattress you bought? I have been having trouble finding any that I really like. Thank you for all your wonderful books!
Ha! You might be a Texan…. if you know how to say Gruene! And Bexar county!
Happy 007 mattress, good dining, etc.
Ooooo, extras for the holidays?!! House Andrew’s is the bestest! 🙂
Not every day should have to end in a blog post. Glad you got at deal and had time to enjoy life.
My first audio book Sapphire Flames have read book several times well talk about multitasking was so engrossed finished up my knitting of a two ply alpaca yarn been on that project for months was the never ending ball of wool
How does one go about acquiring an awesome furniture dude like that?
Oh no… Does it… does it involve actually talking to the salespeople who hover around…?
Grin. Please forgive Margaret, Ilona Andrews. I live by myself and the family requires a daily email. I had a stroke August 1 due to a blood clot in my brain from who knows where but i was aware something was wrong with me so I called 911 after my non fetching dog fetched my cell phone. So I was in hospital when my family called sheriff for a wellness check after I missed email check in and did not answer cell phone. Since they had to break into house for ems and know the dog, they told my family where I was when they called asking for wellness check. [The dog loves and obeys alpha serve and protect males. Rest are to be closely watched such as that poor ems guy who just knew he was lunch and Titan is properly named. Those Great Dane genes.]
So you see Ilona Andrews a break in daily pattern is concerning. I do not know what caused the blood clot that got stuck in my brain artery and caused stroke as my lifestyle is rather active but an accident is unpredictable.
Therefore, be happy people care enough to ask if you are Okay? Imagine if no one cared enough to ask.
Thanks for SOTB as Friday serial and the published book. I enjoyed both.
Doot du du da du
GOOD TIMES….
You know that thing we’re all wishing you & want you to have …
We freak when it means we might have missed you …. Ta enjoy the spaces between the rain drops
kisscon & writing & life oh my
I don’t know how to start this, so I’ll just say I understand the people worrying whether you are ok.
I am bipolar and have anxiety. Lately, I’ve been stuck in a long lasting depression that I can’t seem to shake. I’ve been through enough therapy to have ways of getting through this, but it is like sitting in the middle of a tunnel without being able to see the openings. It’s dark. It’s lonely. And sometimes it’s scary.
I get through each day one moment at a time. I use distractions to keep me from focusing on the dark. Like lanterns in the tunnel.
I’m just here to let you know, you guys are one of the lights in my darkness. Reading something you’ve written, even if it is just a little blurb about your day, makes my day brighter.
Just thought you should know.
Tried Searching for your mattress, but couldn’t find the exact model. Saw that the brand uses Coils, which we left behind years ago, having Loved memory foam, then went organic latex, intend to repeat with a Split Queen on our next one. Enjoy your sleep!