Greetings, adventurers!

The big day has finally arrived. At long last, Mushroom & Anchovy has made its way into the world. Thank you so much for your incredible support and unwavering patience. Hopefully, some of you have started to receive your copies. If not, they will be here very soon, and your ebooks are available today, as well! Make sure to double-check your junk folder if you haven’t seen your ebook yet.

Nearly 9 years is a very long time, but you’ve been so incredibly patient and I can’t thank you enough. Yesterday was our first (and only?) State of the Onion Address, where I took the time to chat with some of you and thank you out loud. You can go back and watch it on my Facebook page if you’d like. I tried to keep it succinct, despite my tendency to yap, but there was a solid 5 minutes of technical difficulties (including me accidentally answering my phone while live--STREAMING FROM THE PHONE) that reminded me why I don’t do Facebook Live and why I’ll just freaking do it on Twitch next time, if there is a next time. I really wanted to make sure to thank you all in person, though.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge here that there are some supporters who are sadly no longer with us. My grandmother, Peggy; my theatre friends Jeanne, Kathleen, and Dianne; and my former fellow manager friend, Jane. A solemn reminder of the sometimes grim reality behind long projects. Their friendship and support will never be forgotten.

A lot of people have been asking me how to get the book so that I can be supported the best, and I appreciate that question more than I can say. My answer is in a few steps and depends where in the world you are.

1. If you’re in New Brunswick, Canada, there are a few copies in Comic Hunter Moncton. You can request them to be shipped to either the Fredericton or Charlottetown locations at no extra cost, as well. If you get your copy through Comic Hunter, please specify if you would like it signed! Books aren’t available through the website but give the store a call if you’d like to arrange any of this.
2. Another Maritime/Canadian option to consider is King’s Co-Op Bookstore in Halifax NS. You can order the title online and they have $5 flat rate shipping across Canada. Plus, you’ll probably want to order more books, because of course you will, so take advantage of that shipping cost and purchase some other fine books as well!
3. If you’re not in Canada, buying directly from Inkshares is your best bet. Ebook copies direct from Inkshares as well are best no matter where you’re from. (And, to add, it’s so nice to finally see "AVAILABLE NOW" on the book page!)
4. Request it from your local bookstore! Whether this helps financially is irrelevant because this gets more people talking about the book and more eyes on it! Money is obviously awesome, but so is reach--plus, it helps your local bookstore.
5. Request it from your local library, for the same reasons as previous, and please take it out as many times as you like.
6. If you’re feeling really generous, grab an extra copy and stick it in your local little free library. Just remember: this book isn’t for kids, so please don’t leave it in a library that’s focused on children’s books.
7. Whether you get a copy yourself or simply see one on a shelf in the wild, please do tag me on your social media posts! I’m @thepracticalescapist everywhere that it fits, and @thepracticalesc everywhere that it doesn’t.

The book’s distributor is a far-reaching American distributor called Ingram, so even if you’re not in North America, you should be able to get a copy from most major bookstores. You may have to ask or special order it in, but many stores will have it. I have it on good authority that several UK stores are able to get it, as well.

A reminder that I’ll be at Chapters in Dieppe NB on June 7th for signings. You can pick up a copy there or feel free to bring your own by, or you can just come over and say hi, honestly. I’d love to see you!

Speaking of Chapters, they actually got my book a couple of days early and tossed it on the shelf on Friday morning! A friend texted me with a picture, and so the whole family and I went over to see the books in person. I hadn’t yet received my personal copies and, quite frankly, I had to make sure they really did exist with my own two eyes. As I was on my way over to the shop, I got a phone call from my dad, who asked me to meet him in the parking lot there. He had just been in the store and was the first to buy a copy. Thanks, Dad!

And so, friends, our adventure has come to an end. We really have been through a lot together on this publication journey and I’m really proud of our perseverance. I can assure you that it will NOT be another 9 years before my next book, and that you WILL hear from me again very soon. For now, please enjoy the book. I hope it makes you laugh and maybe scratch your head in confusion from time to time.

Thank you, for everything. A special thanks to Noah at Inkshares, as well, for being so great through this whole process. I really can’t stress enough how much this day means to me. While I won’t be as active here anymore, I encourage you to follow along with me on my Substack. I may touch base here every so often to say hi, though!

For the last time, may your adventures be fraught with wonder and just enough peril to keep them interesting,

K. M. Cooper

Greetings, Adventurers!

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? The good news is that I’m not coming to you empty-handed today. In fact, I have a delightfully significant update for you.

When last you heard from me, I had been struggling through the edits. I am pleased to say that, though I didn’t update you at the time, I completed the edits shortly thereafter and sent them off. (Part of the reason for a lack of update there was that I immediately plunged headfirst into writing the second book in my next trilogy--but that’s a story for another day.)

More waiting ensued. I am used to this process by now, thankfully, and have been comfortably going with the flow of laying back and waiting for information. Then, just a few weeks ago, I received a very exciting update: an e-mail with an attached fully typeset manuscript. And, adventurers, it’s starting to look like a book.

The copyright information in the typeset manuscript has the year 2025 in it, so I don’t believe this will be reaching you this year--however, we will be getting it out before the publication project turns 10, so that is something.

I want to thank you all for bearing with me and for trusting me and Inkshares with this lengthy process. I don’t think any of us expected it to stretch out over such a period of time, but the good news is that we have a book forthcoming and you will hopefully have a copy in your hands by this time next year. I won’t make any promises, of course--the project has been fraught with delays both on my end and Inkshares’--but I wanted to assure you all that things are happening and your favourite goofy adventurers will have a home on your bookshelf.

Thank you for believing in me and in my work. I hope it won’t be another year before my next update. Truly, I cannot believe I last updated you all a year ago, and I’m not sure where the time has gone. I hope my silence hasn’t been alarming or concerning, and please do feel free to reach out any time that may be the case.

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

K. M. Cooper

PS: though this will only be my second published book, this will be my last book published under the name K. M. Cooper. Going forward, my books will be published under the name Kate Butland. I hope you will look forward to many other projects to come! I’ve been working hard in the background and will have some brand new material for you shortly after Mushroom and Anchovy’s eventual publication!