Dear Ilona Andrews,
You’ve been my close friend for about a dozen years now. I admire and respect you both as a person and a writer. But NONE OF THAT SHALL SAVE YOU, muhahhahahahahahaaa!
Ahem. Okay, readers, before we get to my vengeance, a recap: On August 8th, Ilona posted this blog. As you see from the photo, she photoshopped tassles onto Ian’s nipples. In her blog, she explains that she did it because I refused her tech skills for my website (side note: she was grieving! I was being a good friend!) At the end of the post, Ilona sent me this dare:
“Your move, Jeaniene. Your move.”
Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!
I have so wanted to retaliate, but because I am a good friend, I did not act right away. You see, Ilona had an upcoming release which ended her much-loved Kate Daniels series, and on top of that stress, emotional roller-coaster and normal activity deluge release month always brings, she also had a week-long tour during her release week. Now, tours are exhausting. You usually go hither and yon with very little sleep or food, all while trying to be your best smiling self to readers, book sellers, convention staff, your publisher and everyone else whose path you cross. So, I did not seek my revenge right away. I waited.
HOWEVER…Ilona arrived back home from tour on Monday. She’s now had nearly three days to rest, plus she received excellent news about Magic Triumphs last night. It debuted at #2 on the New York Times and #5 on the USA Today bestseller list (side note 2: hooray!) So, she and Gordon are probably relaxing and enjoying the rosy glow of a job well done right now.
In other words, it’s my time to strike ;).
Those of you who follow Ilona and I on Twitter might know that we’ve also had a longstanding debate on whether possums are cute. I’m Team Cute. Ilona is Team Not Cute (she’s wrong, of course.) So, now you’ll understand the rest of my motivation for the below. Ilona, you bedazzled Ian’s nipples and then dared me to retaliate. Behold, Kate has now partially shifted into a glorious, yes-they-ARE-cute possum!
YOUR move now, dear friend. Your move.
Order your copy of Magic Triumphs at: Amazon
OMG, brilliant, you guys are the benchmark to strive for friendship. Loved MT and cannot wait for the tassel wielding Ian!!!
Well I think it’s cute!
Nope, I’m a gonna have to go with Ilona and state that possums are not cute. Especially that picture; it makes the possum look like a giant rat.
Possums ARE sort of giant rats. You gotta gave fur on the TAIL to qualify as cute.
Possums are a family that includes Sugar Gliders. Very C
Possums are giant mutant rats with horrible sharp big teeth. But great work Frost!
+1 not cute.
Clever but I am Team Not So Cute, especially when they hiss at my every time I open my shed door.
Agreed! Plus only baby possums are cute anyway.
Must agree, not cute, ever had a giant rat with pink eyes hiss 6 inches from your face?
Although I met a woman that kept one as a pet, treated it like a baby!
But they eat so many ticks. Long live the possum.
Looks like a rat with the mange. Surprised it hasn’t rolled over to play dead from the attention it has received. Ilona’s swift sword strike is always waiting, hidden, and the strike will be swift. The slice taken will be thin, just then enough to allow the air to trigger all those nerve reactions. Now, there is no need to guess which is my faction.
I’m team cute, but then I think most furry animals are cute. I love the fact you guys have such a great friendship. I love that two of my favorite authors are friends. Well done with the clever book covers!
Mwahahaha, indeed! Love that furry possum face, but it’s not one the Bouda clan would support!
Simply hilarious!!! (“Team Not Cute”, though. I’ve had a bad possum “experience”)
Gah! You made Kate into a wererat. ( think long bare pink tails). While you are both kind and thoughtful, there is clearly a disturbing quirk operating here. Tassels do not deserve possum puss. I have no concerns though, the Authorlords will address this heresy in all good time.
Well, I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop since Ilona’s post last month. Ewwwwwwwwwwww; very squishy shoe; I am so Team They ARE NOT Cute
but it was a dish served cold – well played.
And just like in a tennis match – all eyes are on Ilona Andrews Blog – waiting for the next volley, love it! And can’t wait for Ian’s book!
OK, having chased possums of all ages off my porch, Only the little ones are Cute!!!!!!! The adults are Ugly!!!!! Seriously!!!! If you want Cutesy all around it’s the raccoon ……adults and young!!
I not team cute BUT possums eat ticks so I am pro possum. You all write great stories and have fun blogs too !
Best reason yet to be pro possum
+1
That’s hysterical!
*pulls up a chair and popcorn to enjoy the upcoming festivities*
Im completely dead right now.
I guess Kate is not immune to Lyc-V after all!!! Plot twist!!! Love you both.
You gotta love marsupials. Definitely cute and excellent revenge.
Sit by me, Jeaniene! Possums are ADORABLE at any age! Job well done!
I’m on team cute. I’ve never met a possum but then I consider anything with fur cute! Including rats.
What would Curran do/day if Kate shifted to a werepossum???
Don’t know about Curran, but I’m pretty sure Conlan would discover what possum tasted like! Bwahahahahaa
Bwahahhahahahhahahahaha I wonder if Curran is good with that ?
Large cat size opossum on my back porch. Rescue me rescue me.
Scary.
So you gave us Kate’s last secret…she’s a Possum shifter.
Ohh! What fun! Thank you so much!!
Check out the Australian version of possums. I swear somehow we got what were supposed to be theirs (nasty things – isn’t there a meme that says ” Welcome to Australia, where everything tries to kill you”?), they got ours: cutesy marsupials.
Oh my! Revenge served cold! Love it! I’m with you on possums, especially since three have invaded my house this summer through the doggie door! Not sure if the dogs are the heroes or villains of the piece…did they bring them in or catch them after they snuck in? Two made it out alive but one didn’t!
Excellent choice. Now I will eagerly wait for the response.
Um, so, yeah, possums are *not* cute. They look like giant rodents. Rodents are harbingers of diseases like Plague and Hanta virus, the really bad diseases that often end up as nursery school rhymes.
Ilona is right about this but she is right about nearly everything so I am not surprised.
What’s worse than possums? Armadillos, which look like giant rodents and have *armor*. And, because they are on the march north I may end up having to move to the frozen tundras of Iowa or, God forbid, Minnesota. Possums and armadillos suck.
Poor Armadillos…they give birth in quads, and are nearly extinct/extinct in many areas(that shell hides tender meat).
They contract leprosy so have been the major research subject for the cure.
I am slightly surprised you didn’t change the Magic in Magic Triumphs to Jeanniene Triumphs! And that hair is quite resplendent….. Can’t wait to see how they will respond!
Kate looks likes one of the wear-rats!!!!!! That was awesome.
Oops. were-rat??
ROFL
That’s awesome! You guys are too funny! I am definitely on Team Cute. I love possums. I put cat food out for them and the raccoons and they come onto my deck every night.
P.S. I loved Magic Triumps…thanks for a wonderful series
Cute or not cute? Wellllll, are we talking North American possums OR Australian possums? (My natve Texan daughter spent half an evening arguing this with an Aussie only to figure out they were talking about different snimals.) Sooo, we must define our terms, ladies.
This post made me laugh out loud in public! : -)
I’m going to invoke a friend of mine’s “skinny naked tail” rule he’s worked out with his wife: If it’s got a skinny naked tail, it doesn’t qualify as “cute” and is considered a pest–to be “controlled”.
Revenge achieved! +1
The back story made it perfect.
Possums remind me of a walking daniel boone hat & then theres the teeth
Jeannine wins the prank war!!!
I’m from New Zealand. By definition, possums are NOT CUTE!!! An Australian may think differently.
Great friendship to watch, though – thank you both for sharing!
Possums: My family is from North Georgia. During the Great Depression, any meat came from what my grandfather hunted – and possum was an especially tasty treat. Yum Yum Yum. Better than squirral or frog legs). I try not to decide if Good Eating is cute – that way I don’t have to give up pig. Possum as food is very bony and tastes like chicken neck. Remember the song Fox went out on a cloudy night? Well, think of the baby foxes sucking on the bones oh – that’s possum as food.
Not sure about how cute American possums are, but Australian possums are very cute
baby possums are cute….heck, mostly all baby animals are cute; except naked mole rats…I don’t think they’re cute at all. Love the picture.
Many years ago a very young posseum tottered out of a daylily bed. I stepped off the porch to get a closer look. The youngster stopped and then hid its face behind a leaf. Since it could no longer see me, it knew it was invisible despite the fact it’s whole body stuck out. It was such a baby thing to do. That was the cutest.
I love your books but I am with team possum. Baby possums are cute and the adults grow on you when you learn they are tick vacuums. Ticks are not cute in any life stage.
Eeew Possums are just Uuugly. Even babies ain’t that cute. OK tick vac get out of my tree & quit trying to get bear proof lid off my garbage can or I’ll let my Maine Coon cat get you.
So now I’m gonna be on the lookout for ilona to dish big…lol…loving the revenge look!
My brother had a pet possum. It loved to ride on his shoulder with tail wrapped around his neck. It was very affectionate and gentle. It loved scrambled eggs. Team cute opossum! P.S. sorry Ilona, but it was sooo cute and really loved my hrother.
Thank you so very much for the laugh. A rollicking loud laugh which has cheered me up immensely.
Hi Jeaniene,
I’m not sure I’m qualified to give my opinion one way or the other one whether or not an opossum is cute. I think baby Wart Hogs and Aardvarks are cute.
Now, as for the rest, well -*pulls up a chair, green iced tea sweetened with honey and popcorn.
Time to watch and learn.
Have a good one!
Roseann