Authors

For those waiting for Wrath & Desire to be on Kindle Unlimited or in hardcover format, I've got updates!

Solentine Dagarra. Bastard son of a hero margrave, secret head of the Shears, devoted older brother, cousin, and son. Urbane, charming, ruthless. Noble by day, assassin by night, effortless thirst trap on all occasions.

Favorite quote: “Nothing is more annoying than a man who doesn’t have the decency to die after he’s murdered.”

It is said that the male lead belongs to the heroine.* Solentine is not the male lead. He belongs to everyone.

Artwork by Helena Elias

*The Romance of Tiger and Rose, cdrama.

Large files ahead. Click the images to view the artwork in detail.

A small snippet from Solentine’s short story.

A wiry woman charged Sol, swinging a short sword. He leaned back, and the point of her blade fanned his face, cutting only air. He spun past her, stabbing and slashing. She fell, and he kept moving. A tall dark-haired fighter blocked his way. Sol stabbed him twice, once in the kidney and then in the stomach, rupturing the bowels, and kicked his leading leg out from under him. The third man, in his thirties, with his red hair tied back, dropped his club and raised his hands. Sol pointed his left dagger at the wall, where the small man lay, crumpled on the floor. The man obeyed and ran there.

The last remaining fighter swung a long slender blade, drawing an elaborate pattern around himself. Southeastern style. The man was in his mid-twenties, athletic and light on his feet. A pricy haircut, a decent sword. A small medallion embossed with a white sword hung around his neck. Fador had hired himself a mercenary duelist.

The mercenary cut the air with a flourish. “I am Derrein of Garver. I have never lost a fight to the death.”

“I would imagine so,” Sol said. “Or we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”

“Whom do I have the honor of …”

Sol struck. Derrein saw the attack coming but wasn’t fast enough. Sol’s right dagger slid into his side, lacerating the liver. The mercenary stumbled away, clutching at the red stain spreading through his tunic.

Sol pointed at the door. Derrein fled. If he made it to a healer in time, he’d have a chance to recover, though his ego likely never would.

Promotion, we do it:

BOOKSHOP

The post Solentine Dagarra, Handsome Devil first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

It’s Monday and I can’t think of a title, because Sookie Jean woke up at dark o’clock and then proceeded to wander about. I took her outside, thinking this was a bathroom emergency. Sookie walks very, very slowly now. She is of advanced age, and I have to hover in case she wipes out. She is 80lbs, and it takes a bit of strength to get her back up. It was cold, I was in my nightgown outside for about 15 minutes, and when I brought her in, she kept huffing and puffing, and waking me up every time I closed my eyes.

The culprit

Let’s all hope I make sense. If I don’t, I don’t care. I’m too tired, and I just want to go back to writing. Phhh.

Reactor Preview

Dear Commonwealth and everyone else who could not download a free preview of This Kingdom, Reactor Magazine is running the preview as a serial with illustrations. You can now access it as well.

CLICK HERE TO READ UK Special Edition

Remember how I said we can announce nothing? Okay, we can now announce this. The UK now has 3 editions.

Previously we had:

Regular Hardcover Waterstones

And now we also have the Broken Binding edition.

The Broken Binding is signed. That is to mean, we signed way too many pages and sent them back to UK. Waterstones will be signed also. ::slaps hand over twitching eye::

To learn more about the Broken Binding Edition: Instagram Post. To learn more about The Broken Binding: website.

To reiterate for UK, AUS, and Commonwealth: flower edges – regular hardcover, gilded pattern – Waterstones, drezmur and tower – the Broken Binding.

The Tour

When the tour was announced, we did a post, but some of the tickets were not yet available. We had dinner with Jessie Mihalik and Mr. Mihalik last night, and she reminded me that nobody remembers by now that you need tickets to attend the tour stops.

Here is the link to the tour again. The information is always available on the Appearances page. If you want to attend, please RSVP.

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE

I was going to post artwork today, but this post is already full, so that’s a mission for tomorrow. Love you, I’m out, we have a battle to finish.

The post This Kingdom: Lots of Stuff, Read This first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Wrath & Desire, the intense and turbulent second installment in the Realm of Zadrya, is here. The stakes are raised with complicated romance, war, dying land, more dangerous plants with attitudes, as well as some unexpected creatures spinning chaos as the fate of this fantasy world edges closer to annihilation. Oh, and the nameless gods are more active as well, interfering in ways that are...unexpected. If you've read the first book, Oaths & Vengeance (available in Kindle Unlimited) you'll want to grab this next book right away!

Paws for thought?

Toes are my pawses. Shove off.

Ooh, he’s deep.

Hip deep, maybe.

Laugh track in 3.2.1…

Is that a paws make tracks joke? Because, if so, I quit.

 

It’s Giveaway Friday, squeee!

House Andrews have witnessed the Horde’s long-suffering battle with our most relentless adversaries, W*iting and P*tience.

To fortify morale, they are gifting This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me: 1 hardcover copy will go to a lucky US winner and 2 PDF ARCs to international winners.

To Enter:

Comment below and let us know:

1. which country you’re from
2. what your name would be, if, like Maggie, you would find yourself transported into a book (any book, by any author).

You can use your own name, make one up, or go full fantasy-protagonist and keysmash a lot of “y” and “z” into the usual unpronounceable creations. Have fun, Horde!

Giveaway Admin

This is a blog-only giveaway, only answers in blog comments count.

Winners will be chosen next Friday, February 27th 2026, with the aid of a random number generator.

The international winners will have to sign an NDA before receiving their PDF copies. This is not personal, but standard publishing practice to ensure the file will remain private with the winner. We appreciate your understanding.

For readers who are receiving this post in their newsletter email and don’t know how to get to the blog to make a valid entry comment, you can click here.

Comments are paginated, so the BDH chalance doesn’t break the blog (again lol). If you don’t see your entry, it means it’s on a previous page. Please do not resubmit, it is one entry per person.

Happy weekend and good luck!

Signed: Moderataria Rhae’zalyndrix, First of Her Name,

The Untouched by Sun, Lady of the Soggy Isles

The post This Kingdom Will Giveaway Us first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Mod R has been painstakingly gathering your This Kingdom questions and here are some non-answers.

Will there be any art in the ebook?

The official hardcover and ebook from Tor will have a black and white map.

Is this art (Candice’s Landmarks and Leesha’s Sushi) in the hardcover?

No. We have the hardcover, so we can confirm that there is only the map. The art we’ve been posting has been commissioned by us for inclusion into marketing materials and bonus things.

We have not posted any art from special editions because we do not own it.

Is the picture of the Hireling Temple in Maggie 1 or 2?

Neither. It is referenced in both books, but we do not visit it except in bonus material.

When are the special editions going on sale?

Umm, we are not sure, and we are not sure we are allowed to say.

Is there bonus fiction material in the special editions?

There is a short story in one of the US bonus special editions that explains things. Those who don’t end up buying that special edition will learn the exact nature of that episode when Book 2 comes.

How long is the Book 2 right now?

123,121 words and it needs to be longer, so we are working on it very hard.

Does Book 2 have a title?

Yes.

Can we be told the title?

No.

When can we have a round-up of all the editions available everywhere before release in March?

When the collective publishers allow us to do that. Right now we are not allowed.

Why?

We are not sure. It must have something to do with the way those special editions are distributed. Some of them are subscription-model book clubs and they have secrecy.

Why can’t we get art and bonus stuff?

You can. Or you will be able to. More on that after the release. We have invested into art for this trilogy from multiple artists. We will need to get our investment back so we will be doing things with art and bonus fiction. We have deleted scenes and scenes from other characters. We are not ready to discuss anything until we have something concrete to show you.

But will we have pretty things and mugs and all the other stuff?

Yes.

Some authors are doing special boxes…

::putting hand over twitching eye:: Are they?

Hypothetically, we would be open to special boxes. There are enough interesting things in the book to put together a very fun Kair Toren experience box. There is tea, and coins, and stuff.

But that would be after the release. We would not want to compete with other special editions and boxes, so you would be able to buy something like that for rereads, later, to revisit the city with your favorite copy of This Kingdom, whether it is in hardcover or ebook or audio.

Right now we must concentrate on writing.

People often ask me which of our characters I resemble the most. I am Cookie from that bit where he is trading with the muckrats.

::raises her hands up in the air and makes big circles::

An enormous rock blocked out the sun and crashed to our left with a shocking thud, sending the bodies flying from the impact. I felt it through the horse. The damn boulder was the size of a house. Fifty feet closer, and all of us would be on the ground.

The white stallion went into full gallop. My terrified horse followed, running for her life. We were flying through the battle, right in the middle of the enemy advance.

This was suicide. We were all going to die.

See? This is where we left off today. Rocks fall. Everyone dies. Must deliver sensawunda. Chi? Chi.

Can we have the countdown clock on the front page for TK?

Ehhhh… yes. Let me get the banner fixed first and I will get it up there.

PS Mod R:

What we can definitely have is DEALS!

If you’re in the US and an Audible Premium Plus member, Audible are running an Epic Series Sale until February 22nd, including 11 titles from Ilona Andrews, in both the Innkeeper and Kate Daniels series.

If you’re in the UK, Waterstones have a preorder sale until the 20th of February with code FEB26, including the This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me hardback (not special edition).

Finally, the lovely people at Graphic Audio are running a sale for everyone – 55% off selected title until March, including the KD series, Innkeeper series and the Hidden Legacy titles.

The post Can We Go To The Hireling Temple? first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

And that voice is Kristen Sieh.

Audiobooks are, by nature, transformative. It is very rare when the author and the audio performer’s vision perfectly aligns. When you listen to your own book on audio, there are always little things that jar you out of the experience. A line that is spoken with the wrong emphasis. A rhythm that is just slightly off from how it should sound in your head.

Kristen Sieh is spot on. She is utterly amazing. This book has a massive cast. So many people, and she embodies them all.

She was kind enough to record some previews for us, and I have links for you. You can view the video on your social networks or below.

Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube

You can grab your preorder of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me audiobook at your favorite retailer. Some buy links are listed below.

Audible / Amazon / Apple Books / Libro

The post This Kingdom Has a Voice first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

I’m doing hard time here.

I’ll play you a lament if I can pick up the world’s smallest violin here.

I understood that reference!

Russian Judge (Red Guardian) gives your joke three of four paws down.

I’m in hell. I’m literally in hell.

GraphicAudio will release the second half of their full-cast dramatization of Speaks the Nightbird on May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered from their site. Part 1 was released on January 13, 2026. They plan to produce dramatizations of the entire Matthew Corbett series. If you purchase from GraphicAudio, you can choose MP3 or FLAC downloads.

GraphicAudio has a 50% off sale running through February 15!

Speaks the Nightbird Part 2 of 2 at GraphicAudio

And if you missed it: Speaks the Nightbird Part 1 of 2 at GraphicAudio and at Audible

I’m delighted to reveal that those good people at Subterranean Press have decided to let me play once more in the world of the Seven Swords. The Tomb of the Corpse King and Other Stories – Tales Set in the World of the Seven Swords will be released in September this year. The spectacular cover art is once again by the inestimable Didier Graffet. 

Here’s the table of contents:

The Ballad Of Lorent And Ihlene

The Scarlet Ziggurat

The Beast Of The Sundered Forest

The Tomb Of The Corpse King

Fans of the series will note that the short story The Scarlet Ziggurat has been available as a free download on the Subterranean Press website for a while. The other stories are all novella length and original to this collection. 

Those new to the series should check out Volume One: A Pilgrimage of Swords. 

No pre-order page yet, or news about an audio version, but watch this space for further details. 

Speaking of Didier Graffet, I thought you would like to see his cover for the French edition of A Tide of Black Steel – Une Maree dAcier Noir. 

Une Maree dAcier Noir, translated by Olivier Debernard, will be published by Bragelonne on April 8th. 

In other A Tide of Black Steel news, the German edition, Flut aus Schwarzem Stahl, will be published by Hobbit Presse on Frebuary 14th. Translation by Sara Riffel. 

Those of you who have been following me for some time may recall that I was fortunate enough to have two stories published in Deep Magic Magazine, edited by fellow fantasist Jeff Wheeler. Deep Magic is no longer publishing, but Jeff is putting together two special edition hardcover compilations of the best stories from the magazine, including my interlinked short story and novella The Hall of the Diamond Queen and Fire Wings. Click the banner below for more details:

And finally, I’m please to report that most of my self-published ebooks are now available on Bookshop.org. Readers who prefer not to feed the Amazon monster can now order from the following links, a percentage of every sale goes to local bookshops:

Fire Wings

Songs of the Dark

Slab City Blues: The Collected Stories

The Book Burner’s Fall

I have a very good friend, also a writer, with whom I often discuss the depressing state of the writing world at this point in history. We have a sort of gallows humor about the whole thing — a lot of joking comments about low pay, the dearth of readers, the way New York publishing has basically lost interest in the midlist author, and the generally low quality of self-published works that we encounter when we dare to dip our toes into those murky waters. (No slight intended to anyone — seriously, if you are self-published, please don’t tell me that I have insulted you. There are good self-published books out there. But let’s be honest: The self-pubbed gems tend to be overwhelmed by the dross. Too many self-published books have had no serious editing or proofing, leaving them overlong and filled with errors that might easily have been avoided.)

Writers starting today face formidable obstacles that did not exist when I began my career (you know, back in the day when we carved novels into stone tablets….). There are more wannabe writers hawking their wares on various online platforms now than there have ever been. The democratization of publishing technology has convinced many that they can be professionals simply by writing something, slapping it into the appropriate app, and putting it up for sale. Again, some of those books might be very good, but none of them have had to make their way through any vetting process. I am a dedicated amateur photographer, and I am pretty good. I have even sold some of my work and had images published. But I am not truly a professional. I know professionals. Most of them are far, far better than I am. But I have access to digital photo equipment that has helped me elevate my skill. I have access to printing services that make my photos look professional. I have even put together a book of my work that looks like any other coffee table photography book. In short, I have benefitted from the same sort of democratization in photography that I am describing with respect to publishing, even though I KNOW that I am not nearly as good a photographer as most professionals.

So, anyway, that is one obstacle: The sheer number of authors out there these days, competing for the attention of an ever-shrinking pool of potential readers.

Why ever-shrinking? That’s obstacle number two. I actually think the absolute number of devoted readers has remained roughly the same over the course of the past, say, fifty years. But if that number is remaining relatively static while the population grows, and while the number of would-be authors grows… well, you do the math.

The third obstacle I mentioned above: New York publishing — a moniker used to refer to what some might call legacy publishing — basically means the publishing houses that have dominated the industry for so long: Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, Saint Martins (which includes my old publisher, Tor Books), and other such behemoths. When I started writing, these big publishing houses were still (mostly) independently owned. They ran their businesses with at least some sense of the mission of their founders. They understood that publishing was not simply another profit-maker. The success of big-name authors allowed these houses to nurture the careers of beginning writers, and of those in the so-called midlist who had solid readership but who were probably never going to break into the ranks of those bestsellers. (And allow me to say here that legacy publishing was far from an idyllic business world. Yes, it supported authors in a range of sales categories. But the vast, vast majority of its authors were male and White.) Around the turn of the millennium, New York publishing began to consolidate. Mergers and buyouts disrupted that old model, and when the dust settled, many of the remaining publishing houses were subsidiaries of larger corporations that had no interest in sustaining the careers of authors who didn’t sell all that well. They still gave contracts to the big names, and they still gave contracts to young writers who showed promise, but they had little patience if those young voices didn’t catch on quickly, and they stopped maintaining the midlist pretty much entirely.

The publishers also squeezed out a lot of editors, feeling that editing was a luxury, and an expensive one at that. “Look at all those self-published titles selling online,” they said. “They’re not edited, and their readers don’t seem to care. Why should we spend so much when most readers just aren’t that discerning?” My editor at the start of my career was, to put it mildly, a problematic character. He was difficult to work with, unreliable, and slow. And eventually, he was fired for cause. And yet, I learned a ton from him. He taught me about the business. He taught me to be a much, much better writer, simply by working with me to improve my craft. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I owe much of my career to his peculiar brand of wisdom. Young writers need that sort of mentorship. And in today’s world, few of them get it.

I should also say (in a post that is already lengthy) that today’s young writers also have to compete with a faceless, soulless technology that can produce passable stories at virtually no cost, in virtually no time. How the hell are human authors supposed to compete with that? Yes, AI generated characters and stories are not very good (yet). But again, many readers have come to accept mediocrity as entertainment, so long as it has a plot and serviceable characters. It may not be great, but it will divert my attention for a little while.

And all around us, civilization collapses….

That brings me to the larger point of this post. Last year, at ConCarolinas, I was given the Polaris Award, in large part for the mentoring of young writers I have done, and continue to do. Right now, I have no fewer than half a dozen writers who consider me a mentor. Over the course of my career, that number is far, far higher. I benefitted from the wisdom of many established authors when first I began my career. I have always felt that it was my duty, and also my privilege, to offer the same guidance to those coming up after me. I love mentoring.

But in recent years, I have come to wonder how I can offer encouragement to young writers knowing how difficult a path they face in this profession. I have discussed this at length with the friend I mentioned at the beginning of this post. He feels much the same way, and yet he continues to mentor, too. Why do we do this?

At the risk of speaking on his behalf…. We do everything in our power not to mislead our mentees. We tell them all that I have said in this post about the state of the publishing world. We try to make certain that they understand fully the challenges laid before them. We make sure they know that there are many easier careers available to them, all of them more lucrative. But the truth is, this litany of obstacles usually does little to dissuade them. Which also begs that simple question: Why?

I believe the answer is the same for those seeking mentorship as it is for those of us who mentor. And I find hope in that answer. Storytelling is fundamental to being human. So is the act of receiving stories. Yes, that explains the glutting of the marketplace. But it also explains why so many of us continue to write for a world that seems less and less interested in the tales we create. Many of my friends who are writers tell me that they can’t not write. Writing is an imperative. It is as fundamental to their (our) being as breathing, eating, sleeping. This has been true for me for as long as I can remember. And it is also true for those seeking mentorship today. Just as reading (or listening to books and stories) is essential to those who still seek out books at cons and in bookstores. I have said repeatedly in this post that many readers are not all that discerning. They will accept stories that are just so-so in the absense of anything else. But I also believe that when they encounter a story written with passion and elegance, they recognize it, and they celebrate it.

This is a difficult time for the arts — not just writing, but also music, photography, painting, theater, dance, etc. Our digital world competes with those endeavors for our time, our ears and eyes, our money. And with the digital in our palms all the time, it has a huge advantage. And yet, new creators, with new creations, emerge from obscurity every day. Because at an elemental level, we yearn for art, for story and narrative, for beauty. These things are part of what make us human. I refuse to believe that they won’t remain so for generations to come.

Have a great week.

I’m auditioning to be library lion!

Lion? You? Srsly?

No, I think he’s got this.

The only lion he’ll ever be is lyin’ around.

As the time draws closer for the Wrath & Desire book release, I've prepared a refresher for readers so they can dive back into the Realm of Zadrya world more easily. In this post, you'll also find details on a hardcover sale for Oaths & Vengeance, updates on ARCs, and other news.

Arabic publisher Aser Al-Kotob has just acquired the Arabic translation rights for Robert McCammon’s Stinger. The deal just happened, so there is no additional information at this time. This will be the first Robert McCammon novel translated into Arabic.

Update 2026-02-10: Aser Al-Kotob has created a “Coming soon” page for their edition of Stinger:

Stinger on Aser Al-Kotob

Dean Wesley Smith, one of the most influential voices in indie publishing, has updated his most essential writing books for 2026. Through our Kickstarter, which just launched, get all four ebooks for $20, and, if we hit our stretch goals, receive hundreds in online writing workshops as well.

You can also opt for four of my books on writing as a reward.

Lots of learning here, and all at a discount. But the Kickstarter won’t last forever, so order your copies now.

 

Polish publisher Vesper has revealed the cover for Jeździec opatrzności, their translation of Robert McCammon’s The Providence Rider, due for release on February 18, 2026! The cover art is by Krzysztof Wroński. The book can be pre-odered now from Polish booksellers.

Jeździec opatrzności at Vesper.pl

Please sir, do not put my laundry in the machine. It’s done no harm.

Why is he protecting the laundry?

You REALLY don’t want to know.

My favorite blanket is in there. I call her…Eileen.

That is so not okay.

You hadda ask.

Hey now, don’t kink shame.

This month has been one of the most eventful months in the history of Hidden Gnome! But I’m not allowed to talk about any of that, so I’m going to talk about Terraria.

Instead of letting you know about how we [REDACTED] to [REDACTED] for [REDACTED] number of penguins, I’ll instead tell you what I’ve been enjoying this week: the new Terraria update.

​Terraria is one of my all-time favorite games, so whenever they release a new content patch, I do another playthrough with my friends.

This time, I’m running summoner, because they added a bunch of whips to the game. And whips, as we all know, are the summoner’s secret weapon.

Currently I’m roller-blading around the world, dressed as a butler for [REDACTED] reasons, with six summoned spiders crawling around to defend me. My whip is made of fire and makes enemies explode when my minions attack, and I have a pet treasure chest mimic with teeth that I can keep items in.

Truly this is the world we’ve always dreamed of.

-Will

P. S. When you hear our big news in the next few months, you can think back to this moment and know what I was talking about.

P. P. S. Also I’ve continued stitching Elder Empire together! That’s been fun.

P. P. P. S. Back to work on The Commander soon…very soon…assuming my jury duty next week doesn’t get out of hand.

P. P. P. P. S. Oh no, the jury duty is for a series of dragon rider murders. I might have to stick this one out.

Check out this post for the Wrath & Desire pre-order incentive giveaway.