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)

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!