Jan 2, 2026

Greetings, adventurers.

So. Here we are. It’s January 2, 2026. Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope you all had a wonderful, or at least neutral, holiday season!

In addition to it being a new year, I am also checking in because this is finally the year that you will have Mushroom and Anchovy in your hands at long last. And, what’s more, that date is exactly six months away from today. On June 2, 2026, Mushroom and Anchovy, after an extremely long wait, will be available to the world.

So… the countdown is on. 151 days until this book reaches a bookshelf near you.

I feel a strange mixture of emotions in writing this to you, but nothing, I don’t think, will compare to that actual feeling of holding that book on June 2nd. I won’t go into too much detail now—I’ll save extensive commentary for the release date. But, I will update you monthly with a countdown and with other various tidbits.

For my part, I will say that I have completed three books from a different setting altogether within the time it has taken for Mushroom and Anchovy to get out into the world. I’m hoping to tell you more about that by the time the fall comes around. But, rest assured, writing is in my veins, and Mushroom and Anchovy is not the last of me. In fact, it’s only the beginning.

It’s kind of funny. I created the project here on Inkshares on June 1, 2016. I didn’t launch it then, but I started thinking about putting the project through this platform then. It was how I started my thirties, and now the book’s release is how I’m about to start my forties.

I can’t believe how much time has passed since then, but you’ve all been incredibly kind and patient. As the date draws closer, I am filled with a mix of apprehension and excitement. I really, really hope you all like the book.

This is a reminder to make sure your address is updated—e-mail the folks at Inkshares at hello@inkshares.com should you need to update it.

I’ll check in with you again on February 2. See you then.

May your adventures be fraught with wonder and just enough peril to keep them interesting,

Kate Butland (K. M. Cooper)