ILONA ANDREWS

This morning, while I waited for Gordon’s MRI, my phone made this video for me complete with the overly sentimental music. Apparently I take a lot of pictures of the orange menace. He got in trouble yesterday because he was very pushy about shoving the dogs aside to sit in a specific spot on my lap.

Behold, Tuna the Cat.

He can never see this, or his ego will be even bigger.

The post Tuna’s Video first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

So I’ve been living under a holiday rock. The tree is still up. Yes, I know, but it’s pretty. I will take it down, leave me alone.

Anyway, I just now saw this.

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A post shared by Elisabeth Wheatley (@elisabethwheatley)

I think Elizabeth Wheatley is in Austin and I so owe her a lunch and a coffee. Thank you for making my day! You can find Elizabeth’s books at her online home, at https://elisabethwheatley.com/.

The post The Book Goblin first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

As some of you remember, Clean Sweep was adapted into comic book format by Tapas. It has been licensed by Andrews McMeel and released as a beautiful graphic novel. Because of the length, Clean Sweep was broken into 2 volumes.

Volume I

The second volume of Clean Sweep will be released on January 28th. Tada!

Volume II

To be clear: this is not Sweep in Peace. It’s the second half of Clean Sweep. The comic book expanded the story and added new characters.

When the first volume was released, Andrews McMeel offered these stickers below as a giveaway. As an aside, they have been an awesome publisher to work with. Highly recommend.

There was some butthurt regarding people not being able to buy the stickers.

The stickers for Volume I featured cute versions of the characters. These cutified characters are called chibis. In the example below, top panel is regular art and the bottom part is chibi art. Usage of chibis in comic books usually indicates light-hearted or funny moments when a character is comically upset, for example.

Andrews McMeel just asked us about the stickers for Volume II. BDH, we need your help!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Let your opinions flow!

The post The Clean Sweep: Vol II and the Dilemma of Stickers first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

I’m typing this on my new Goldtouch keyboard, and so far I don’t like it. I like how the keys feel, but this one doesn’t come apart. It splits, and I can’t seem to find a comfortable position with it. The ergonomic mouse, however, is a dream.

In the news interesting to nobody except my family, my bloodwork came back and my A1C is 5.5. I’m officially in the normal diabetic range. I did a little dance to my husband’s amusement.

I’m still having trouble really revving my writing engine up. It takes a little bit to slide back into writing full speed mindset and it’s a little elusive at the moment. But a friend sent me a rumor that apparently we are not working on Hugh 2 and the prologue was a fake out somehow. I love you, BDH. Never change!

Chapter 1

Hugh D’Ambray, Preceptor of Iron Dogs, former Warlord of the Builder of Towers, and Savior of Aberdine, stared through the window of his study and brooded. 

He was on the fifth floor of the main keep, a hundred-foot-tall square tower that anchored Baile Castle to the top of the hill.  The keep had a crenelated turret on each corner.  He was in the southeastern turret now, standing by a small desk he’d brought there a month ago.

His new study had two windows.  The left presented a beautiful night landscape of the castle grounds, the sloping hill, and the dense, dark woods stretching as far as the eye could see, the kind of old growth forest that Kentucky hadn’t seen for centuries, fed by the magic waves that flooded the world without warning. The right window offered him the view of the southwestern turret.

The night came quickly at the end of November, the sky a deep indigo studded with an occasional star. The moon was out, full and pale like a coin in the sky, and its light snagged on the pale stone of the castle. The magic had retreated three days ago and was yet to return, and the turret’s arched window glowed with warm electric light. He could see a small desk with a stack of papers on top of it and a chair.

The harpy wasn’t in it.

His wife was a creature of habit.  For three weeks he watched her enter the study at around 8:00 pm, sit in that chair, and then work for at least an hour.  Sometimes she read reports. Sometimes she wrote. Occasionally she puttered around with some herbs or did other witchy things, but no matter what else happened that day, he could count on seeing her white hair and her profile in that window. It had become a habit. He would work at his desk, she would work at hers, and once in a while he would glance up and see her there. He liked knowing where she was.

On Monday, when Elara wasn’t at her desk, he didn’t worry.  Occasional deviation from routine was normal. On Tuesday, she wasn’t at her desk again. On Wednesday, she wasn’t there either.

Something or someone was keeping her from her desk.

Yesterday, after waiting for half an hour, he thought of an excuse, marched down the long hallway separating their quarters, and knocked on her door.  She met him at the doorway and didn’t invite him in. He made an ass of himself, hoping to irritate her enough so she’d slip up and give some hint as to what she was doing, but she just shut the door.  He learned nothing.

It was Thursday now. The chair was empty.

There was a textured ledge running just under his window all the way to the other turret. It was 20 inches deep.

If she had someone in there with her who was keeping her occupied, he would have no way of knowing. He had kept his main door open since Tuesday night, but he didn’t hear anyone come up the stairs and parking himself in the doorway to watch the approach to her rooms would be too obvious.

Hugh unlatched the window.  It swung inward and the cold air hit him. He crouched on the windowsill, grabbed the edge of the window, and stepped onto the ledge.  Below him, the hard stones of the bailey were barely visible in the gauzy moonlight. If he slipped, the trip down would be short and brutal.

He pressed his back against the stone and took a sideway step toward the other turret.

Step.  Another. The turret didn’t seem any closer.

He was a fucking fool.

Happy Friday!

The post A Fool first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

The preorder for the dramatized adaptation of Magic Binds, Kate Daniels 9, is live on the Graphic Audio website. The release will be March 25th on all platforms – that means for the GA app as well as Audible, Hoopla, Chirp etc.

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for what’s to come in this heart-stopping novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in a never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

I am excited for every one of these immersive releases, but Magic Binds is my favourite of the KD main series, so I double-extra cannot wait. Roman wedding planner extraordinaire, Christopher’s identity revealed, Kate in a tutu, the battle for Atlanta AND the realisation that GA Magic Triumphs is right around the corner, which will of course be epic!

I’m trying to pace myself, so I’ll remind you that first we have the Graphic Audio release of Magic Shifts this month, on the 31st of January. We’ll get exclusive samples of it closer to the date.

I know that everyone wants to know what will happen after the main Kate series is fully adapted. Will we get the same full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music treatment for Gunmetal Magic, Magic Stars, the Wilmington Years, Iron and Magic, Blood Heir? I don’t yet have answers for you, I’m afraid, but our enthusiasm has been heard.

What I can share is that we had a very productive meeting just before the holidays – and the official release for the dramatized adaptation of Burn for Me, Hidden Legacy 1, is scheduled by Graphic Audio for April 25th this year.

So we’ll have overlapping Kates and Nevadas for a while, living the Horde dream!

The post Graphic Audio Preorders and News first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

It’s a cold morning. I’ve already ran the dishwasher, I have Hot Cinnamon tea in my cup, and my “Christmas” Amaryllis finally bloomed.

Unfortunately, I also have compression gloves on my hands, as the 7th edit of Maggie did kill my hands a little bit. I don’t usually get carpal tunnel. I end up with cubital instead, where my pinkie and ring finger hurt. There is no weakness this time – I heaved a cast iron pan around to check – but the hands do hurt a bit.

Not sure how this is going to work long term, as Gordon’s shoulder is also hurt and I don’t know how much typing he is going to be doing. (None, at least until the MRI on the 15th, ideally.) The worst part is, he doesn’t remember how he hurt himself. There was no “Ow!” moment. Our doc is pretty sure that it’s a partial tear, but when and where it happened is a mystery.

I’m considering an ergonomic keyboard. I loved my split Kinesis, but unfortunately once you get used to typing on it, you can no longer type on the regular keyboard and that drives me nuts, because I do still like computer games. If only there was a keyboard that would be easy on my hands and still let me game, heh.

I have no idea what to make for dinner, but given the cold temperatures currently in Texas, it might end up being a pot roast. Maybe I will make some bread, too. I had pulled out all of the stop for the holidays and did one of those ridiculous plaited breads. Turns out that Hokkaido Milk Bread holds its shape when braided. I might just take the easy way and make your basic French bread in the bread machine, though.

This morning, I have the first scene of Iron and Magic #2 to work on and the bonus content for Maggie. I might work from home today, as the office is kind of chilly. ::looks at the comment count on the prologue:: Hehehehe.

It’s so nice to have encouragement. Thank you, guys.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the new year. It promises a ton of work, but that’s a good problem to have as a writer. It’s when nothing comes out that things go horribly wrong. Someone asked me what my New Year resolution was. I stopped making them awhile ago. It’s like a curse – whatever I resolve to do doesn’t come to pass. But if you want to share yours, I am all ears.

The post Red Flowers and Cold Days first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Today didn’t quite turn out as expected, since we had to make a run to the doctor’s office, which was scheduled, but she was unable to draw my blood for some routine bloodwork, and we ended up going to the LabCorp. That had taken almost 2 hours – the wait was long – but was worth it, because it took the phlebotomist .5 seconds to find my vein. Best appointment ever. I told her she is amazing and I stand by that statement.

So this is a little bit late, but we finished a Prologue to Iron and Magic 2. It was posted as a partial before.

This is a possible prologue, because Mod R pointed out that it reads quite dark, so it may not be indicative of the mood of the book. Although I&M 2 is a dark fantasy, it is also a happy love story. So we will see. It maybe a bonus scene included in the book instead.

Warnings: references to child abuse and sex among minors. Due to the dark nature of the prologue, it will not be sent to your inbox directly. You have to click the link. You have been warned, read at your own risk: Awake. If you would like to comment, leave your comment on this post as pages do not allow for discussion.

I will chat with you again on Tuesday, hopefully. Happy Monday!

The post A Prologue of Much Darkness first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Happy New Year, Horde! May we devour the bestest books in peace and happiness!

We started the year in style, with an outpouring of love for our favourite stories in thousands upon thousands of comments from all over the world.

It falls on me to announce the luckiest amongst us: the winner of the ARC list spot for all Ilona Andrews fiction for the year 2025, who is going to get an early manuscript of Maggie and whatever else will be written by House Andrews this year.

Greatest Prize Winner

Sher Crumbley

December 31st at 3:33 am
I love most of the books and series but the book I listen to on repeat and that gets me giddy is Magic Rises. I love the mystery of Curran’s behavior, Kate’s reactions and interactions with Hugh, and the emotional roller coaster of resolution and loss I experience.

I will contact Sher privately with details and arrangements about their prize, from the modr@ilona-andrews.com address on the email they provided with their comment. If we do not hear back from you by Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 12:00 pm Central, we will chose a different winner in your place, so please keep an eye on the blog and your inbox.

For the rest of us, the w*it will be hard and our p*tience tried, but maybe…not as tried as we might think.

I know Ilona and Gordon have surprises and even more giveaways in store and they have no intention to stop feeding the beloved Horde with more amazing stories and characters this year.

So in the famous words of the song I totally made up just now:

Chernys do it, nechists do it,

Even educated Koo-kos do it

Let’s do it!

Let’s be chalaaaaaaaaaant!

The post ARC Giveaway Winner first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

I hope your holidays were quiet and peaceful. Our Christmas was low stress and chill, with lots of gifts and warm and cozy family time. I got a new toolkit, markers, and yarn. Beautiful yarn! Hehehehe.

It’s Monday. All of the previous giveaway winners have been taken care of. Their prizes have been sent or put into production and they should be receiving them shortly.

I’ve had a very frustrating morning. Our health insurer pulled out of the state exchange and so we are back to BCBS HMO, and that means trying to get a primary doctor for all referrals. I cannot even explain what a PIA that has been so far. Grrr. I finally gave up and called Jeaniene to vent.

Oh, by the way, this was not from my cousin-in-law but from Jeaniene.

I should’ve known!

Also the following dialogue had taken place just before Christmas.

Gordon: Strange package from Amazon. No specific sender.

Me: What’s in it?

Gordon: Wagyu beef lard, black garlic, and a stuffed toy French fires. Who would send us expensive lard?

Me: I have no idea. Was this misaddressed?

Gordon: I have to tell you, the idea that unknown and possibly random people are sending us packages is vaguely upsetting.

The next day…

Grace Draven, texting: Did you get an Amazon delivery yesterday?

Me: It was you!

Grace: I thought you would figure it out because of the fries.

I am in possession of gourmet lard and black garlic. I must do something with it. But the French Fries are probably the best. I’ve hugged them already. They helped.

The Last 2024 Giveaway

I promised you one more. This one will be a very simple one and will have no monetary value assigned to it. Not very exciting. There will be just one prize.

Prize:

• The winner will receive one spot on ARC list for all Ilona Andrews fiction for the year 2025. Meaning, you will get to read Maggie early and whatever else is coming down the pipeline.

Limitations:

• For the legal purposes, we might have to ask you to sign a document stating that you will not upload or share confidential files. It will not be a full NDA, as in we will not prevent you from discussing the book, but we might request that you stick to a certain time frame. We will have to coordinate with our publisher. This is not a reflection on BDH trustworthiness, but more of a standard operating procedure because there is a publishing partner involved.

Who Can Enter:

• Anyone.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this blog post telling us which is your favorite Ilona Andrews book and why. If you are a new reader and haven’t tried us before, leave us a comment wishing us happy holidays. You must comment here, on the blog. Not on Facebook or on Insta, on this blog post. Here is a link if you are reading the article in your email newsletter.

Deadline:

You must enter by the end of Thursday, January 2nd. Winners will be announced on Friday.

The post The Last Monday of the Year first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.