My dear readers,

What an exciting time! Release day for Curio Citizen has come and gone, and I have gotten so much love and support from those of you have received your copies in the mail or downloaded your ebooks! My author copies came in the mail the other day, and there is no feeling like opening a box full of books with my name on them.

I would like to take this moment to check in with everyone to make sure you have received your paperback books or downloaded your ebook. You should have received an email with instructions for ebook downloading, so please check your spam filter if you did not receive that email. Or, you can simply log into the Inkshares account you created when purchasing the book and click on the "Downloads" tab under your profile. This will take you to the ebook page with instructions. If you ordered a physical copy and have not received it at the address you provided to Inkshares, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com and they will help get your sorted.

I also want to take the time to thank you all again for your enormous show of support from day one of the contest to today. Winning this contest through your pre-orders has given me a huge boost in my writing career over the years. Inkshares provided me with the opportunity to work with professional editors who helped elevate my writing when I was just starting out. Not only did they help improve Curio Citizen, but I learned so much that I was able to get two other books traditionally published (Lodestone and The Hand-Me-Down Maiden from GenZ Publishing). I also now work in the writing field as my day job--a dream I never thought possible. I am a narrative designer for mobile app games, writing interactive stories for players to experience. I am thrilled to have expanded my writing to this new branch of style, as well as continuing my career as a novelist.

Though I have faith I would have still succeeded as a writer with hard work, patience, and dedication, without your help, my career path would have been far more difficult. By pre-ordering Curio Citizen nearly eight years ago, you all jumpstarted my author journey, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading Curio Citizen. Though not my newest book as far as the actual writing of it went, it will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the first novels I ever wrote. And if you do enjoy the story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads, as that will help my career IMMENSELY and get the book in front of a larger audience.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity, and happy reading!

Best,

Katherine

Hello, all!

Release day for Curio Citizen is fast approaching! So fast, in fact, that I forgot to update you about a slight delay. The original release date was February 11th, but due to a delay in the proofreading process, the new release date is February 25th. Thank you for your patience!

The manuscript and cover are off to the printer! Here is the final cover spread, featuring some sweet advanced reviews, that you all will get to see in PERSON on February 25th!!

Please remember to update your address on the Inkshares website if you haven’t already done so! Thank you!

Best wishes,

Katherine

Hello all!

Wow, do I have some news. Curio Citizen has..........*drumroll*

A COVER!

I am thrilled by this design. It’s modern, elegant, epic, and showcases everything I want readers to expect from the story.

What do you think of the cover? Let me know in the comments!

More news to come as we approach the February 11, 2025 release day! If you haven’t preordered your copy yet, you can do so on Inkshares.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your preferred retailer. Think you know someone who might want to read Curio Citizen? Please let them know about this sci-fi story in the vein of Avatar, Dune, and the bestseller Winter’s Orbit.

Already ordered your copy via Inkshares? Fantastic! Please double check that your address is correct in the system so your book is sent to the right place in February.

Love to you all!

Katherine

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!

My friends, I have huge news that I am thrilled to share...

We have a RELEASE DATE!!!

That’s right! Curio Citizen will be released on February 11, 2025!

Currently, Curio Citizen is undergoing the final touches: proofreading and cover design! It is now up for pre-order on sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To clarify: If you already pre-ordered your copy from Inkshares, you do NOT need to pre-order from any other bookstores. You will receive your copy in February! If, however, you have friends who may enjoy this book and prefer to shop from other stores, I’d be grateful if you point them the way!

Curio Citizen on Amazon

Curio Citizen on Barnes & Noble

IMPORTANT NEXT STEPS FOR YOU:

If you have MOVED since you pre-ordered Curio Citizen, please UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS via your Inkshares account. It’s been a long road to publication, and I’ve moved twice since funding, so I’m sure I’m not the only one! I definitely want all of you to get your book(s), so please take the time to double check the address you submitted to Inkshares in 2017.

During the next eight months, I will be sure to share the cover with you, which I am so excited to see when it’s ready! The Inkshares team and I will also be gathering advance reviews and ramping up marketing! But most importantly, on February 11, 2025, you’ll get to read my little space story that began as one of my first novels and has since served as an important stepping stone in honing my craft and launching my career in creative writing.

Cheers, and more to come!

Katherine

Hello all!

I have news!! A few days ago, I received the copy edits for Curio Citizen! This round of edits focuses on minor grammatical errors (I use WAY too many unnecessary hyphens, haha) and making sure formatting is consistent throughout the manuscript. This stage of edits is a big step forward, as it means that the manuscript is ready to go and all that remains is the book production itself!

I reviewed the edits and also had the benefit of working with a Spanish translator to ensure the Spanish in the book is correct. I even found a translator who is from the specific Puebla region of Mexico where Carmen’s mother was from so I could include the proper dialect that Carmen would have learned in her bilingual household. It was a fun and enlightening experience, and I think it will add to the quality of the book and pay homage to the culture Carmen comes from.

When I hear more news, I will be sure to let you all know! I appreciate your care and dedication in asking me about the status of the book, and I thank you for your patience. We’re getting closer!

Best wishes,

Katherine