Ilona Andrews
American husband-and-wife writing duo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilona Andrews is the pen name of Ilona Gordon and Andrew Gordon, an American husband-and-wife duo writing urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal fiction. Their debut novel, Magic Bites (2007), was the first in the Kate Daniels series. They are also known for their Hidden Legacy and The Innkeeper Chronicles book series, and have published over 40 novels and novellas.
in the Soviet Union
Andrew Gordon
in Florida, USA
Ilona Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ilona Gordon in the Soviet Union Andrew Gordon in Florida, USA |
| Alma mater | Western Carolina University |
| Occupation | Writers |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Notable work |
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| Website | ilona-andrews |
Early lives
Ilona Gordon
Ilona Gordon was born in the Soviet Union. She was a gifted student, frequently participating in state-sponsored academic Olympiads. As a result of a cultural exchange trip to the USA as a teenager, and despite her limited English, she received a full scholarship to attend Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a boarding school in the state of Georgia. She continued to excel there, eventually enrolling at Western Carolina University, where she majored in biochemistry and met Andrew Gordon.[1]
Andrew Gordon
Andrew Beauregard Gordon was born in Florida, U.S., and grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, where he was raised by his aunt and uncle.[2]
Gordon, as he is known, served four years in the United States Navy as a communications officer, then attended Western Carolina University to study history and political science.[3]
Relationship
Ilona and Gordon met in a writing course at WCU in early 1994. They began collaborating and editing one another's school work,[4] eventually writing their first novel together, which has never been published.[5]
The couple married in August 1995.[6] In an interview, they cited Gordon's military service as shaping their marriage, training them to view themselves as a team and that their success comes together.[7]
Career
Ilona returned to writing as a hobby after dropping out of college to stay at home with her first child. She began writing what would become their first novel as early as 2002, but went through multiple edits and various cycles of rejection. One publisher said it was too similar to the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. Gordon helped Ilona rewrite one of her discarded submissions into Lost Dog which was eventually accepted and published by Ace Books as Magic Bites (2007) under the joint pen name, "Ilona Andrews".[8][5]
In early 2013, Andrews signed a deal for the final three books of the Kate Daniels series with Ace, and another deal with Avon Books for the first three books of a new series which would become Hidden Legacy.[9][10] In 2018, they extended with Avon for three more Hidden Legacy books.[7]
After the instant success of their 2021 self-published novel Blood Heir, the Andrews announced they would take a year off from traditional publishing to focus on self publishing, as their audience was now large enough to make it financially sustainable.[11]
Writing Process
Ilona and Gordon generally write side by side, with two chairs at one computer. Ilona will write the first draft of lines of female characters, and Gordon the lines of the male characters. They plot out fight scenes together, drawing on Gordon's experience in judo.[6][12] Gordon described writing together like marriage: "You have to realize the other person has strengths that compensate for your weaknesses."[5]
Their writing is heavily inspired by world mythology; Gordon had studied history and mythology and Ilona grew up hearing Slavic folk tales.[4] They have cited Greek myths as their common ground; the first argument they had was about who had pulled the sun around the sky.[3] They find new sources of material by visiting used book stores.[13]
Works
Kate Daniels (2007– )
Kate Daniels is an urban fantasy series set in an alternative future where technology and magic flood the world in alternating waves. The series originated as ten books starring Kate Daniels, supplemented with novels and short stories offering alternative character perspectives and additional background. The universe has since been expanded in a number of spin-off series: The Iron Covenant, Aurelia Ryder, Wilmington Years, and Roman's Chronicles.
The Edge (2009–2012)
The Edge is a completed urban fantasy series under the Ace Books imprint of Penguin Random House.
The series is set in a parallel universe, where next to our world exists a magic world called "the Weird", separated by a lawless buffer region where the mundane and magic collide, known as "the Edge". The series follows multiple couples on adventures of espionage and survival through the Edge and beyond as they come up against a variety of dangerous factions and forces.
Novels
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Short Story
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The Kinsmen Universe (2009–2021)
The Kinsmen Universe is an unconnected series of self-published novellas set in a sci-fi spacefaring future where human genetic modification has resulted in a select few families possessing deadly and dangerous abilities. These families, known as "Kinsmen", run vast corporate empires and compete amongst one another for business and power. Each novella follows a different romantic pairing within the world.
Novellas
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Short Story
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The Innkeeper Chronicles (2013-)
The Innkeeper Chronicles is an ongoing science fiction and urban fantasy series, originally serialized on the author's blog before being self-published via print, ebook, and audiobook.
The series follows Dina Demille, a young woman who presides over a bed and breakfast named Gertrude Hunt in the quiet town of Red Deer, Texas. Gertrude Hunt is secretly an intergalactic waypoint that offers refuge and lodging for extraterrestrial visitors in their travels to Earth. Through the series Dina must balance the health of her business, the safety of her guests, and continue to conceal the truth of the greater galaxy from other humans.
Novels and Novellas
- Clean Sweep, December 2013
- Sweep in Peace, November 2015
- One Fell Sweep, December 2016
- Sweep of the Blade, July 2019
- Sweep with Me, January 2020
- Sweep of the Heart, December 2022
Hidden Legacy (2014–2022)
Hidden Legacy is an urban fantasy and paranormal romance series published under the Avon imprint of HarperCollins.
The setting is a parallel universe, where the discovery of the Osiris Serum in the 1800s enabled inheritable magical abilities in humans. Centuries later, the serum has been banned and the world is ruled by dynasties of existing magic-imbued families called Houses, who marry for magic, maintain private armies, and own global corporations. Competition between houses is ruthless, resulting in ongoing warfare.
The series follows the daughters of the Baylor family - Nevada, Catalina, and Arabella - who run Baylor Investigative Agency in Houston, Texas, a small private detective firm they've inherited after their father's death. When Nevada is forced to accept a high-stakes job, the entire family is swept into the cutthroat world of the magical elite.
Novels and Novellas
- Burn for Me, October 2014
- White Hot, May 2017
- Wildfire, July 2017
- Diamond Fire (Novella), November 2018
- Sapphire Flames, August 2019
- Emerald Blaze, August 2020
- Ruby Fever, August 2022
- Beast Business (Novella), January 2026
Background
Ilona and Gordon were introduced to Erika Tsang, an editor for Avon Books, at a Romantic Times convention. They were signed by Avon before they had fully conceived what would become Hidden Legacy. They were inspired to make it a family story at the suggestion of a reviewer, and created Nevada's family dynamic partially as wish fulfillment, as neither of them come from large families.[2]
Breach Wars (2025- )
Breach Wars is a contemporary science fantasy series set in an Earth where portals to other worlds, called breaches, appeared a decade earlier, serving as gateways for invading space monsters. Humans have adapted by going on the offensive, creating a guild system to neutralize the breaches before the monsters can amass and mining them for resources. The world of the Breach Wars overlaps with that of The Innkeeper Chronicles.[14]
The series focuses on Ada Moore, a forty-something single mother of two who works as a government assessor, identifying high-priority resources for mining teams as they enter a new breach.
| No. | Title | Date | Length | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Inheritance | August 12, 2025[15] | 278 pages | 9781641973397 | |
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Ada Moore is abandoned in a breach after the majority of her guild accompaniment is killed in the crossfire of an alien fight. Her life is saved by one of the aliens who has been mortally wounded; just before she dies, the alien pulls a gem from her forehead and transfers it to Ada, who soon discovers that the gem has drastically increased her powers within the breach. Together with a guild K9, Bear, she searches for an alternate path to the breach's exit. On the way she is aided by non-hostile sophonts, something she didn't know existed in the breaches, and a Lees, a fox-like alien species, who had also been stranded. She, Bear, and the Lees fight their way back to their respective homes. Ada reunites with her kids and strategizes on how to survive in a world where she knows too much. | |||||
| 2 | TBA | TBA | |||
Background
In a blog post published early April 2025, Ilona Gordon announced they were working on a novella.[16] The following week, the first installment was published on their blog.[17] The completed work was self-published as The Inheritance on August 12, 2025.[18]
The story was inspired by LitRPG, but stars a middle-aged, female protagonist. It was written specifically to be serialized and originally intended as a standalone.[19] The scope of the initial story expanded, however, and a sequel is now in the works.[20]
Maggie the Undying (2026- )
Maggie the Undying is an epic fantasy series about a young woman transported into the world of her favorite—but unfinished—book series. She quickly learns she cannot die; instead, she is resurrected.
The first book in the series, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, was published on March 31, 2026 by Tor Books. The series is planned as a trilogy.[21]
| No. | Title | Date | Length | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me | March 31, 2026 | 480 pages | 978-1250377265 | |
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Maggie, a mid-20s woman from Texas, wakes up in the city of Kair Toren, the setting of her favorite, unfinished book series. Determined to protect the city and its inhabitants from the violent trajectory of the books, she positions herself as an information broker, gradually amassing money, a home, friends, and even a noble identity that grants her legitimacy. In the process, she discovers she cannot die, instead resurrecting in pain but healed of her injuries. | |||||
| 2 | TBA | TBA | |||
| 3 | TBA | TBA | |||
Background
Maggie originated as story snippets posted on the author's blog in 2022.[22] They elaborated on the project in October the next year, revealing its genre as isekai.[23]
On July 17, 2024, the acquisition of Maggie the Undying by Tor Books was leaked on Reddit, triggering Andrews to formally announce the deal that day.[24] The deal includes two additional books.[25]
Reception
Andrews' first novel, Magic Bites (2007) was released to positive reviews.[8] Their sixth Kate Daniels novel, Magic Rises reached the number one spot on the NYT Mass Market Bestseller's List.[26][27] The final installment of the Kate Daniels series, Magic Triumphs, climbed to #2 on Combined Print & E-Book Fiction[28] and #5 on USA Today's Best-selling Booklist.[29]
Locus reviewed the Innkeeper Chronicles series positively, calling it "a charming mix of action, character-based funny bits, and the occasional heartwarming moment".[30]
In 2021 their self-published novel Blood Heir reached #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list and #2 on USA Today's Best-selling Booklist.[31][32]
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, their first epic fantasy novel, was well-received by reviewers. For Library Journal, Kristi Chadwick called it "a love letter to fantasy",[33] and Laura Hubbard, writing for BookPage, complimented its "snappy prose and imaginative world building".[34] For Grimdark Magazine, Esmay Rosalyne remarked that explanation of lore early in the first half of the novel pulled her out of the story, but recommended it as "messy, dark, unexpectedly addictive".[35] The novel appeared at #9 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Combined Print and E-Book Fiction,[36] #10 in Hardcover Fiction,[37] and #14 on USA Today's Best-Selling Booklist.[38]
Adaptations
The Kate Daniels series and the existing Innkeeper Chronicles novels have been adapted by Graphic Audio. An adaptation of the Hidden Legacy series is in progress; the adaptation for the first book, Burn For Me, was released in April 2025.[39]
In 2022, the novel Clean Sweep was adapted into a web comic by Tapas.[40] The comic has since been published in two print volumes.[41][42]