For some surprising reason, pictures of my cluttered desk and shelf generated a lot of questions and excitement. The desk is now clean. In order of appearance, left to right People asked about the keyboard. It’s a custom keyboard that I built for myself. Keyboards are our main tool of trade, so we invest in
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On Hording Trophies
V. asked yesterday: Mod R, could you perhaps organize an eligibility post of Andrews 2025 works that could be nominated for the upcoming award season (Nebula, Hugos, etc) – like The Inheritance? I have my little list, but I always worry that I’m forgetting something or that I’ve gotten the category wrong (novel length? novella?),
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Cats, Books, and Chaos
I don’t do well in chaos. My workspace is relatively organized, my clothes are usually folded and put away, and my house is clean. Not holiday clean, but if unexpected visitors showed up, I wouldn’t be embarassed. And then comes the last third of the book. I have this little yarn corner by my side
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Happy Holidays
This year we thought we would be by ourselves for Christmas, but plans fell through and now the kids are coming for the Christmas Eve dinner and I’m so happy. We missed Thanksgiving because we were sick, and although we are all meeting for New Year to celebrate my birthday, I’m looking forward to tonight.
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Post: the Pet Edition
Mona is home. She is recovering well. Her main issue right now is the hygienic shave that the vet gave her. Mona can’t scratch her butt and she is not happy with that. All of us are very happy she is still with us. Many thanks to the Austin Vet ER Noctis, the other furry
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The Remarkable Life of Judy-Lynn Del Rey
Do you know why Del Rey imprint is named Del Rey? It’s an interesting story. On May 25, 1977 Star Wars was released and altered the cultural landscape forever. It flung the doors and revealed a glittering cosmos, and suddenly science fiction wasn’t just a little genre hiding in a corner. Don’t get me wrong,
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The Moment Everything Changed: Part 2
Jeaniene Frost I wanted to be a writer since I was eleven. I began with poetry, and moved onto novels around age thirteen, but I could never stick with an idea long enough to finish an entire book. My first inkling that I had talent was my senior year in high school, when a friend
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The Moment Everything Changed: Part 1
Every writer has a moment when the world shifted. For me, it happened when I was 14 years old. Once the Iron Curtain fell, Russia was flooded with bootleg translations. I had plenty of exposure to hard science fiction, but what I got after Perestroika was fantasy, sword and sorcery, sword and planet, and light
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Entomologist/Biologist
Thank you, expert found! Dear BDH, I’m looking for an insect expert for some brainstorming regarding research for the book involving imaginary oversized insect monsters. If you are reading this and happen to be an entomologist who doesn’t mind answering a few questions, please email me at ilona@ilona-andrews.com. Dear BDH, please do not volunteer your
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Characters: Stories and Descriptions
You do such a wonderful job describing people so that we can almost visually see them, the little details that just make a person come alive in our imaginations. How do you keep from everyone blending together? Do you search for images? Do you just imagine that person? Do you people watch and think, that
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Trad Publishing: Editing and Production Glossary
I heavily debated posting this. I might still take it down, because I’ve long ago decided that the internet doesn’t need my “wisdom.” Also, I am bitter and jaded. However, we keep getting repeated questions and there is some weird erroneous stuff floating out there. With that caveat, here is the basic primer on who
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Bake on, Bake off
I’m happy to report that Ilona made it home yesterday in one piece and will be back to give us a full update and more good news after some well-deserved rest. We’re staying in the realm of food today, but moving on to more sensitive matters. The kind that can divide nations, friendships, and apparently
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