ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Comments

  1. ((Hugs)) I’m so sorry you had to do that, but that is one of the reasons that we love your books. You do the research, no matter how hard or ugly it is. Thank you for your dedication to the story. I hope that the rest of your day looks up and that tomorrow is a good day for you! ????

  2. Look at the bright side. The work day is over, go and eat some chocolate, drink some tea and unwind. Maybe cuddle the nicest smelling of your pets. One of my dogs is always much better smelling than the other and tends to get lifted up more as opposed to just rubbed with my foot.

  3. I’m sorry your day isn’t going well. I hope you can give yourself a break and enjoy the rest of your day/night. Here is a photo of a martian my friend has been knitting. She’s been sending me videos of them singing.

    • I love this video! (Even though it’s about dying.) I hadn’t seen it in a while, had to have a rewatch.

  6. So sorry you are feeling down. I had to leave work sick. Just a stomach bug. Passed out in bed for an hour. Wobbled to the kitchen for a bowl of goldfish crackers and a coke. Back in bed listening to Alexa tell me about the horrible wreck on I75. But Nature is cheering me up. Despite the nasty gray day the spring peepers are singing. The birds not to be left out are singing that spring is indeed coming (Despite what that liar Puxatawny Phil says). Delilah the kitten has given up on trying to catch the birds & is laying on her back waving her toy mouse around at me. Thats my prescription for you. Curl up in a warm bed with a bowl of goldfish crackers, a coke (or cup of tea), a good book,soft music and a kitten playing with a toy mouse. Hear that Gordon? Get the woman a kitten.

    • You are clearly in a different state than me. We’ve been having snow and high temperatures of 19 degrees F, and more snow and colder temps next week. Wherever you live, it sounds nicer than Kansas right now.

  8. Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve, tomorrow will be a new beginning for a better year.

    Happy New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

  10. Here is a video of my 18 pound obese cat trying to dig a treat out from under the filing cabinet. I hope it works and maybe makes you grin.

    • Sorry Jacquie, there is a limit to the size of file you can upload in a comment. If it is posted anywhere else, perhaps a link 🙂

  11. It is raining here in NC for the next several days with chances of ice. Too chilly to open the screened porch so my cat, Murphy, has been singing the sad song of his people because he wants to go out. NOW please! He cares nothing for utility bills. After all, there might be a bird passing by!

    Your research, while occasionally grim, sets you apart, making for a thoroughly wonderful reading experience for the BDH and a learning one when you discuss some aspects in the blog.

    All you do is greatly appreciated. Hugs, smiles, and positive thoughts sent your way!

    • Im on NC coast and its all rain for us for the next few days. Its starting to feel like a swamp. Be careful I see you guys have ice in the forcast.

    • +1. Instilling a little humorous sarcasm in a morbid activity is never amiss for me. Good comment

  13. Prosecutor here- that’s a day ending in a “y” for me- your books are my wonderful escape. Thank you.

  14. I spent today delivering virtual training, which involved to attempting (and failing) to explain to one trainee how to resize and restore a browser window, whilst another tried (and consistently failed) to type a password correctly. But the evening was fun, because I ran my D&D session and got to laugh at my players as they pounced like kittens on the plot hooks I gave them, and in their enthusiasm nearly got crushed in a trap with inward moving stone walls.

    • Heh, good times ???? I miss my RPG games,but our GM is vulnerable health wise so we haven’t played in nearly a year because of self isolation. It’s hard on all of us, doing without that social contact. Hopefully the end of the year we’ll be able to pick it up again ????

      • Yeah, that’s tough 🙁 Hope you pick it up soon. I play online though, so we were able to continue during lockdown. There are lots of decent tools you can use for that (roll20 or foundry etc for the table, Discord or Zoom for the voice comms).

  15. I have spent my week rereading the Innkeeper Chronicles and wanted to let you know how much joy they have brought me in these trying times. ????

    • Yep. I re-read the Innkeepers last week and completely agree. The worlds you create are magical places that keep pulling me back in.

      • Me too! Read them all, my comfort read. What is this frigid air?! I put up with Houston in the summer to not have this!!! Too cold to go out, to wet to play ball, so I sat in the house and did nothing at all…but read innkeeper. 🙂

  19. I am sorry you are having a bad day, you are suffering for your art and you are appreciate for it.

    Happier thoughts…we just got out of covid lockdown and I was able to get my hair coloured and cut…feeling much more human.

    -11C here and the polar vortex is coming..what does that mean you ask, -18C overnight (-27C with the windchill) and we’re in a warmer part of the country….fun times by the fire with a good bloom….wine might be involved!

  20. My day started off well. Then I heard about the 100 car wreck on I-35 W north of downtown Fort Worth. I got a text from family in Indiana wanting to know if I was safe. I told them I was home & at work. When there’s a potential for icy roads, I stay home. I drove on ice when I lived in Tulsa. It’s not fun. What normally would be a 5 minute drive becomes a 30 minute drive. ????????

  21. My week started out rocky but it’s gotten better. If you are on Tik Tok, go look for @baidaugh and enjoy adorable kid videos. I always need my daily dose of Franklin.

  22. Research like that definitely sounds like a downer. As Fred R would quote his mother’s wisdom (paraphrasing here): when the world seems too big and scary, look for the helpers. This lady seems pretty amazing and starts her day drinking tea. (Not encouraging donations here, really just sharing a nice human story…although if the heart leads people, cool.)

    https://www.operationsmile.org/one-who-needed

    Your writing is so helpful to so many, book wise and blog wise. Thank you for sharing in your process, keeping it pretty real, and having this space.

  23. The lawyer as a cat has been helping me for two days. Thank you for your dedication to your work!

    I also escaped to Wanda Vision for a time, am really liking it, but it’s definitely crossing over into ominous territory…

  24. Darn! Hope your evening is much better and you finished the research satisfactorily. That way it’s not still hanging over you at least. I bet the gray, cold, and rain/ ice didn’t help either.

    So looking forward to this book, despite the slogging drudgery you are experiencing! Thanks!

  25. Poor dear. I am so sorry you needed to do that research. As I once told my husband (after a war film where the special effects were a bit too good), “That may have happened, but I am not sure I needed to see it.” Alas, that particular scene is still a vivid memory after almost 20 years.

    Written descriptions are not the same as living color with sound effects, but photos have to be just about as bad. I commend your devotion to realism and hope you can forget it when you no longer need the info.

    My suggestion is a distraction that is very different and / or something that needs concentration. Perhaps a complicated knitting pattern or a difficult game?
    It should be something you *want* to work on and enjoy – not a chore of any sort.

    I do hope you can feel better about things soon.
    (Sending virtual platonic hugs…)

  26. Somewhere today I read a description. Evidently someone needed a distraction and was looking for beginner knitting patterns. The suggestion was to read the description keying in on words like”easy, beginner, simple”. The second suggestion was to not be attracted by pictures accompanied by terms like “complicated, sophisticated, concentration needed” but the best one was “historical”. If at any time you see the word “historical” attached to a knitting pattern she should immediately drop the page and get far, far away from the hell that word will cause in her life. I admit to smiling and thinking of you.

  27. we’ve just been gifted with our third lockdown, five days of Stage Four, as of midnight tonight – so I wouldn’t recommend Melbourne for a better day – I really like the idea of Chinese New Year ushering in a better year. And Oxen are such large, dependable beasties.

    • Totally agree. Was a bit of a shock after so long with no cases…. Ready….. Set…. Panic buy! Shops are quite a jungle this afternoon but managed to get what I needed. Good luck to all Melbournians this week????

  28. Thank you for your diligence on wounds, bodies and forensic materials.
    You do the most exacting research on everything. And I have learned so much. I remember Pat Briggs husband Mike did research on making bullets And printed the information in the blog. It was so cool.
    Hopefully ,you are relaxing with a fun video or playing with the pets.
    It’s going down to 19 here in NYC. More snow or ice is coming for the next week.Deciding on what is safest day to go out and shop.
    Just read Blood Heir again. So many questions. Loved the acknowledgements. I live in NYC near a hospital and I remember hearing all the ambulances and praying for the patients and all the essential workers.
    All the chapters of Blood Heir, dog photos and black and white squirrels posts were a wonderful gift last year.
    Thank you.

  29. Awww. Thank you for all you do! I’m watching Looper and pretending telekinetic Cid is Nevada & Connor’s son because I’m such a desperate BDH member

  30. A cat invaded the house and ate all my bread, I ran out of breakfast and still had rain to go to work. I hope you are imagining ninja cats invading homes and this has made your day less depressing. Kisses.

  31. I was told by management yesterday that I have to make my whole team redundant… :’(
    I just finished Blood Heir last night (after re-reading all KD <3). Thank you so much for that light in my life right now!

  32. If you need truly beautyfull escapism try looking on kimonocouture.worcesterart.org
    Museum showing kimonos from very old japanese kimono makers. Made for web exibithion and details about the craft

  33. Wah, it seems it would be hard to do that Ilona, except for maybe if that was your day job, and you became inured. I spent hours researching for a kids’ book through Chinese myths- was certainly less draining.

    I’ve slowly been (too long) learning to watch out for the yin/yang thing. Certainly, if we do something that’s a downer or draining, we deserve to fit in the opposite!

    One of my best things for the pandemic was finding a new ‘author’- especially one of ‘their’ books which made me LOL and I read at least 5 times. I know you avoid urban fantasy- this is just romance. It’s called the UnHoneymooners – by Christina Lauren (also a writing pair). I’ve been going through their books in the online library, and there’s always a waiting time- but the first one I mentioned is still my favorite. You might also enjoy their interior design romance, which is a neat story – The Honey-Don’t List.

    • Woo-hoo! I went to my library and although the UnHoneymooners has a hold list, I was able to borrow The Honey-Don’t List right away. So I know what I’ll be reading this weekend. The BDH delivers again :-).

      I hope your weekend goes better than dead bodies and wounds, HA! When I need to cheer up, I find that music is my go-to. And maybe some exercise. So maybe put on some fun dance music, make sure everyone’s cell phones are in lock-down, and dance your heart away?

  34. Try watching The Bridgerton’s on Netflix. A bit of fluff and fun will pull you out of your doldrums. Or, go on U-Tube and watch animal stuff. I especially like the ones where the cats take over the dogs beds, and the dogs have trouble getting them back. They do fear the cats.

  36. Spent a good part of the day helping students with personal narratives. Most of those I saw were focusing on surviving domestic abuse (from parents & partners) or understanding domestic abuse in their families (favorite uncle who abused his wife and daughter).

    Sadly, not much better as days went.

    (Upside, one of my students got into a competitive grad school program. So, that was cool.)

  38. Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post. Well, if your weather is gray, dismal, frozen precipitation, freezing temperatures…. I can totally related. I am seriously contemplating defrosting the emergency chocolate bar in freezer and consuming. I would bake something like brownies but here power is unreliable during inclement weather.

    My suggestion is to take off an hour or rest of day, fix a cup of hot tea and snuggle with a pup or Gordon. Unless you are like me and MUST get x amount of work done today. However there are 24 hours in a day and taking an hour now to pamper pup or Gordon means you did a good deed for all today.

    Your chuckle for today. I was asleep last night when my covers started going “arrr woof rooooo”. I startled awake to find two furry bodies under covers and ems passing by house blaring ‘doot, doot’ siren. ????. Titan doesn’t do this for any other siren. Since there was big muddy paws prints on my pristine white sheets evidence , he came back from patrol wet and cold and slid under covers from foot of bed like a ninja. ???? Sigh

  40. Your day sounds great. I’m checking ALL the clothes, and shoes, and accessories in a major retail store for inventory control tags. Making said tags if they’re missing. And generally straightening up because, OCD. My brains are about to leak out of my ears.

  41. Because of the coronavirus we decided to build a raccoon and Coyote proof pen and raise chickens last year. The chickens lay eggs which is great, but they refused to go into the nice coop at night, choosing to sleep on the cold dirt at night, forcing me to wake them up every night to put them into their coop.
    So, while you were looking at yucky stuff, I blew up your lovely picture of the Koo-ko, framed it, hung it inside their coop, then added Christmas lights on a 4 hour timer. All 10 chickens went inside last night!
    They like it!
    Ilona Andrews Fans

  42. I am imagining your browsing history and it gives me an aneurysm but it also makes me think you are on some FBI list somewhere ????????????????????

  44. *hugs* Sounds like a time for tea and video games! WE appreciate the suffering you guys do for our favorite books. ❤ I hope your day gets better!

  46. Can I make your day better? Load the Radio Garden app on your phone, it’s like Google Earth with radio stations. You can listen to music from home while you work.

  48. Oh…..um….okay. Well, I’m sure whoever they were they deserved it and if you need an alibi, just let us know and I’m sure all of us loyal fans will be more than happy to provide one. ????

  49. Do you have a resource you like to go to, or is always searching for new ones when working with this subject matter?

    Your search history must be bizarre ????

  50. Woo. As if there isn’t enough to get depressed about (along with stuff to get excited about). But hang tight. It’s all in service to your astonishing storytelling gifts, and we devoted fans are ready and waiting with e-hugs when you finish.

    Cheers, Faith

  51. Me too, but it is for educational purposes (I’m studying Forensic Science and we just got to ballistics). It’s tough looking at those pictures, especially for long periods of time. I hope your feeling better today.

  52. The hazard to being amazing writers, that people rarely get to know about. I know I appreciate y’alls attention to detail, I am sure that does not offer any solace but we the BDH do appreciate your efforts and attention to detail.

    Here is a cute puppies picture! We just got our big dog back from training – please don’t judge the state of that side of my office, we are working on shelves. Also, I have too much stuff / books and not enough shelving! There are never enough shelves…..

  53. I am sorry it has depressed you but I appreciate your diligence. It is one of many things I love about your work. You create these magical worlds and make them feel so real.

  54. Oh man Im sorry.

    My 18 year old is having a case of Im 18 and know everything. This includes getting college paperwork ready, new Drivers License paperwork and restrictions and fixing his own car radio.

    Im tired. I also miss the sun, North Carolina has been having rain for the last 2 days and into next week as well.

    Hope you find something to cheer you up soon.

  55. At work testing tech stuff. See what I need to take to work at home for part of next week. My location will not be an emergency shelter and none are close enough to be a volunteer. Those not shelters will probs be closed for a few days due to the weather. It is not often we get this cold in Harris County (contains Houston TX)

  56. My day involves playing whack a mole trying to get my children to sit down and work. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.

  57. On January 6, day of “Los Tres Reyes Magos” or Three King Magi, my oldest friend in the world had her first baby. When I say oldest friend, I mean so far back that her mom was a young bridesmaid at my mom’s wedding, and then she and I got to be in the same classroom in Nursery school. We’re 38 now.

    One of her gifts was a handmade baby cocoon made by one of the Craft Group ladies at the Senior Center I work at, except it was made more than a year ago and by now nobody remembered who made it, hehe. After sharing pics in emails to a couple of my Craft Group ladies, with a little bit of sleuthing through phone calls and Facebooking to the daughter of one of the knitters, we finally found the author! Something nice to keep them busy during shelter in place.

    New baby’s name is “Alexa”.

  59. Oof. Rough day!

    Here’s Jameson, a very good boy. Not mine, but a charmer at my favorite coffee place awhile back. He was working on sit, stay, and doing quite well for one so young (five months).

    Hats off to you for your dedication to quality research in service to accuracy and plausibility. Makes for ripping good yarns!

  60. Watch the “I’m not a cat” video?

    It makes me chuckle even when I’m not watching it (although it could look a little odd if you started laughing while doing your current research). 😉

  62. Sorry that got to you. I can certainly sympathize – I came into work today and accidentally opened a patient’s chart to the pictures from the wound care nurse. The ones of the nasty post-op incision infection. Ugh.

    I’m planning on spending some quality time later today laughing over the cat-shaming pictures on-line. That always makes me laugh!

  63. I hope it will end in something that makes it worthwhile <3

    You write such excellent books just because the thorough work you do before the writing. I understand that is hard sometimes

  65. About dead bodies ???
    Any chance of a short story or POV for Augustine Montgomery after Catalina gives him the address of the man involved in his father and sister’s deaths?

  67. I’ve been watching it snow. A couple of inches can shut PDX down for days, and it’s supposed to snow through tomorrow.

    • We’ve had 53 inches of snow in the last 8 days. I got my roof shoveled off this morning (and the guy took pity on me and shoveled the steps too). This “rate of snow accumulation” is supposed to continue for the next 10 days. Yippee.

  68. Whenever I see something horrible, I Google ‘quokka’ and click on images. That always cheers me up.

  69. I spent the last several hours putting shelving units together and then trying to figure out how to fit 2 tons of crap in a 1/2 ton space. Let’s face it, I have too much crap. I’m taking 15 minutes to try out my new heated massage office chair… then the dog has to go to the vet and the cleaning lady needs a ride home and the roommate/youngest kid needs a ride to the grocery store. At least he’s going to buy dinner. TGIF

  70. I order cadavers and body parts for residents in training to practice. Thank gawd I don’t have to actually look at them.

  71. Did you note the new missing people incident in that mysterious Fission pass?
    It was reported yesterday in the UK.

  74. I’m sorry your day was suboptimal. It can’t be easy doing that type of research. I join the others in voicing my appreciation for your work. Thank you and I hope your weekend is fabulous!!

  75. While not DBs, I have been trying (and failing) to wrangle my latest schedule since I’m a special education teacher and we are having some students return to school soon. That part is exciting. But the two versions I came up with are worthless because of another change five minutes before the end of the day today.

  77. I hope you’re feeling better now Ilona. Our state in Australia is just entering another lockdownx albeit a short 5 day one this time. The relentess lockdowns over the last 12 months have certainly taken their toll on the mental health of many. Take a break, do something that makes you happy until that feeling is gone.

  78. Can we order a Martian? I would like one. I am in a legal battle with Paypal and need a friend.

  79. I am looking at flower girl dresses.. not so easy but better then you view at the moment ????

  80. Such is the state of our world. I spent 3 plus years as an evidence technician, and sloshing entry/exit wounds are ghastly. I liked the property room part of my job, and the processing of evidence/fingerprints but responding to crimes scenes not so much.

  81. Took me 3 days to finish What You Have Heard Is True by Carolyn Forché. I just want to cry for the atrocities and the description of the tortures that I read. Humans really are monsters. I feel really messed up having read it, and did see a few pictures in black and white, since it’s a book based on true events. I can’t imagine doing so for research. Hope you feel better soon.
    Reading the news on Myanmar was like reading the book again, only it happening 30+yrs later. Seems like world doesn’t learn at all, or maybe all military gov are the same. Time for me to look at cute kitties and watch a funny anime to function.

  82. Wow. I’d be tempted to let the other half of the writing team study exit wounds. I can imagine what that looks like. Ugly.

  83. sorry about your work troubles. My Chinese adopted daughters and I made Biang Biang Noodles, Pot stickers, and Egg Rolls for dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year. It was delicious, but we made too much! My oldest wrapped the egg rolls and as I was showing her I said, “Just wrap that bastard up.” She said, “Can I say that?” I said, “your mom isn’t home, sure.” Thinking she would only say it once. NOPE. She said it for EVERY SINGLE EGG ROLL!!! And then once her mom was home she whispered in my ear, “Fry those bastards.” She cracks me up.

  84. Wow! That’s excruciating. Maybe limit it to an hour only. I love accuracy but you are more important!! Cleanse your being with laughter, soothing music, bright colors, more Home Town, and hugs from Gordon. ????

  85. A cool(er maybe?) way to look at dead bodies – Warrior on HBO Max. It won’t help with research, but its just awesome. Just awesome. I finished it just now, and I have the same afterglow as finishing edge and/or hidden legacy gave me.

  86. Everything you do is much appreciated- from the notes about your tea to the detailed research you do to ensure the story is accurate.
    I spent the day working on 200+ payment transactions that didn’t post because our new system dropped a file overnight. I haven’t worked less than 13 hours/day in over a year. And I don’t get paid overtime. Being a manager bites.

  87. I hear ya. I’m spending my morning watching police interview footage of meth heads who are suspects in the bludgeoning death of a local hero who championed drug addicts. Super fun.

  88. It has occurred to me in the past reading your books that you’ve done a lot of research into violent subjects like guns and poisons. You have such expertise. It amuses me to think of you having to explain to the police who search your browser history, “no honestly I am a writer. I need it for my books”. The conclusions they’d reach.

    It sounds like a hard subject to study. Sorry you were affected. Feel better.

  89. Looking at dead bodies and exit wounds… I know some people who would consider that the ‘fun’ part of your job ????

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