David Kudler's Blog, page 3
May 19, 2024
Bright Eyes Audiobook Available Exclusively Here!
We are excited to announce the release of the Bright Eyes audiobook edition! Read by award-winning narrator Allison Hiroto, the unabridged recording of the second Seasons of the Sword book is available exclusively at risuko.net and stillpointdigital.com through the end of the month!
Allison Hiroto is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist with dozens of titles to her credit, including Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, Ming Cho Lee’s Pachinko, and an all-star recording of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Her voiceover work ranges from commercials to audiobooks, and she is thrilled to now be a part of the Seasons of the Sword series. Allison is an AudioFile Earphone Award winner and an Audie nominee in both the adult and children’s fiction categories. As an actor, Allison is a member of La MaMa���s Great Jones Repertory Company, Loco 7 Dance Puppet Theatre, Yara Arts Group, and NYU’s First Look Theatre Company. She has performed all over the world including London, Taipei, Toronto, Bogota, Zagreb, and at the Venice Biennale. Allison is a grant recipient of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council���s Creative Engagement award for her work co-curating the Day of Remembrance events honoring the 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during WWII. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity. You can find more on her website: www.allisonhiroto.com
She loves narrating audiobooks. “What fun to put on a set of headphones and get lost in a good audiobook.”
Allison is currently hard at work recording Kano, the third book in Seasons of the Sword.
Order Yours TodayThrough May 31, the Bright Eyes audiobook will be available exclusively on the Seasons of the Sword and Stillpoint Digital Press websites. After that, we will release it to all of your favorite audiobook stores.
Bright Eyes (Seasons of the Sword 2)Can one girl stop a killer?The future of Japan hangs in the balance, and it’s up to a girl who likes to climb to save the dayTwo armies have descended on the Full Moon, and the war that has torn Japan apart for over a century threatens to destroy Lady Chiyome’s school for young shrine maidens (and assassins).
In this thrilling sequel to��Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale,��Risuko must face warlords, samurai, angry cooks, a monster in the hills, the truth about her father, a spy among the��kunoichi…
And a murderer.
Someone kills a Takeda lieutenant, staging it to look like suicide. Can Risuko figure out who would do such thing?
And can she keep it from happening again?
NOW AVAILABLE!READ A SNEAK PEAK: “The Cave”��Seasons of the Sword:
Risuko (Winter)Bright Eyes (Spring) Kano �� (Summer ��� coming April 30, 2024!)Autumn ��� coming soon!(Young adult historical adventure; Japanese Civil War)
Order Direct$3.99 – $22.95Shop nowThe post Bright Eyes Audiobook Available Exclusively Here! appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
May 9, 2024
Comment on Not an April Fool: Dummy Copies of Kano Shipped by One of These Things.... (Kano Dummy Follies) - Seasons of the Sword
[…] freshly printed copies from Amazon.But look what they included in the shipment! Yes. One of the “dummy” copies that didn’t exist. Or that, if they did exist, they’d gotten rid of. Or if they […]
One of These Things���. (Kano Dummy Follies)
… is not like the others, one of these things doesn’t belong….
So! Those of you who ordered copies of Kano, I finally got the nice, freshly printed copies from Amazon.
But look what they included in the shipment! Yes. One of the “dummy” copies that didn’t exist. Or that, if they did exist, they’d gotten rid of. Or if they hadn’t gotten rid of them, they wouldn’t send out any more.�� Amazon has clearly continued to take returned dummy copies and to put them right back on the shelves.
Sheesh! So I get to call Amazon KDP once again and tell them what they’ve done, tell them they’re going to send me a replacement *immediately*, and no, I am *not* going to return this lovely design mockup of my book, because they’ve shown very clearly that they weren’t capable of keeping them out of customers’ hands.
If you have been sent one (as I know some of you have), please DO NOT return it ��� or if they insist, tell them it came torn and remove the back cover (with the barcode). That way they can’t put it back in circulation. And if you’re having trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Want to make sure the copy you get is the real deal? Order here!��
Kano (Seasons of the Sword #3)
Can one girl save a nation?
With Japan’s future in the balance, Risuko may recover the Kano clan’s honor ��� or she may destroy it foreverLord Takeda has sent Risuko, Emi, and Toumi on a mission to the capital. The road is dangerous. The destination is treacherous.�� Risuko ��� the girl who just likes to climb ��� must make a choice that will have repercussions not only for Risuko’s life and those of her friends, but possibly for all of Japan.
In this thrilling third book in the Seasons of the Sword, she encounters old friends, new enemies, and a strange boy from a far-off land called Portugal. Through raging battles and deadly court intrigue, Risuko must follow a path narrower and less stable than any pine branch. And the consequences should she fail are sharp and hard as rocks below.
The red-and-white disguise of the kunoichi awaits.
Is Risuko ready?Seasons of the Sword:Risuko (Winter) Bright Eyes (Spring)Kano (Summer ��� coming April 30, 2024!)Murasaki��(Autumn ��� coming soon!)(Young adult historical adventure; Japanese Civil War)Order Directly$3.99 – $22.95Shop nowThe post One of These Things…. (Kano Dummy Follies) appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
May 1, 2024
Kano is here!
After so many ups and downs, ins and outs, we are thrilled to say, KANO IS HERE!
The book is available directly on the Seasons of the Sword website, as well as at your favorite bookseller. We have sent out all of the ebook and print copies ordered from our site���if you haven’t received notification from us, please drop a line!
If you haven’t ordered a copy, now’s the time to pick one up!
April Fool in May?Some of you have told us that you have continued to receive faulty “dummy” copies, with the pre-reveal cover and pseudo-Latin text. This, even after Amazon had assured us they wouldn’t send any more out. (And also that they hadn’t sent any out. We’re still working out how those two assurances work together, but we’re certain they’re not reassuring.)
What seems to be happening is that, as folks return their faulty copies, Amazon puts them back in their warehouse and sends them out to the next customer who orders the book. They have the same barcode and ISBN, so as far as Amazon is concerned, they’re identical.
We ask that, if you return a copy, you remainder it by removing the cover. Not only will this help break the frustrating cycle, it will leave you with a collector’s item!
If you’ve received a faulty copy, we’re so sorry! Drop us a line at risuko@risuko.net or post on our page concerning this problem.
We guarantee that any copies you order will be the real book, not dummies. Whether we are dummies or not remains to be seen.
Kano (Seasons of the Sword #3)
Can one girl save a nation?
With Japan’s future in the balance, Risuko may recover the Kano clan’s honor ��� or she may destroy it foreverLord Takeda has sent Risuko, Emi, and Toumi on a mission to the capital. The road is dangerous. The destination is treacherous.�� Risuko ��� the girl who just likes to climb ��� must make a choice that will have repercussions not only for Risuko’s life and those of her friends, but possibly for all of Japan.
In this thrilling third book in the Seasons of the Sword, she encounters old friends, new enemies, and a strange boy from a far-off land called Portugal. Through raging battles and deadly court intrigue, Risuko must follow a path narrower and less stable than any pine branch. And the consequences should she fail are sharp and hard as rocks below.
The red-and-white disguise of the kunoichi awaits.
Is Risuko ready?Seasons of the Sword:Risuko (Winter) Bright Eyes (Spring)Kano (Summer ��� coming April 30, 2024!)Murasaki��(Autumn ��� coming soon!)(Young adult historical adventure; Japanese Civil War)Release Date, April 30, 2024Order Directly$3.99 – $22.95Shop nowRead and Review!If you have received an actual copy of the book, we would love to hear what you think of it! Again, feel free to email us, but also please consider posting a review–on your blog, TikTok, or wherever you like to tell folks about what you’ve been reading. We would also love for you to share your thoughts:
On BookBubOn GoodreadsOn AmazonOn your favorite booksellerAnd if you can, forward us the URL or a screenshot–we’d love to hear your thoughts!
The post Kano is here! appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
April 23, 2024
A Reunion (Kano, Chapter 2)
2 – A Reunion
Kano: A Kunoichi Tale, the third book in the Seasons of the Sword, hits the shelves in just seven days! Hope you’re as excited as I am.
Here’s one last preview ��� the second chapter, “Reunion,” which takes place immediately following “Tiptown.“
From the rafters above the muskets, I could see Toumi and the two sentries. The soldiers were striding more or less straight toward the guns. Toumi walked behind them, eyes slashing through every corner of the armory.
When she finally remembered to look up and saw me perched high above, I held a hand in front of my mouth. Shhh!
She rolled her eyes, but I could see her shoulders relax. ���Nice guns, guys. Very impressive. I feel much safer. Now, can we get back to the sake?���
���Some right here,��� said Zashiki, the sentry from the storeroom. He picked up the open jar that I left there in my panic. Then he squinted at the other guard. ���What���s that doing there? Joshi, you been sneaking from the stores?���
I couldn���t see his face, but from his posture, I could tell the younger sentry was abashed. ���No, Zashiki-san, I swear!���
���Come on, guys,��� laughed Toumi. ���Let���s bring that with us. We can finish this one too.���
���Who brought this in here, then?��� Zashiki asked.
���Probably one of the night shifts,��� Joshi mumbled.
���Makes sense,��� said Toumi with another laugh, this one sounding more than a bit forced. She began gesturing toward the armory door. ���Come on, like I said, let���s������
A deep bell tolled and kept tolling.
Screams outside the armory, and the sound of running feet.
The two sentries, suddenly sober, strode toward the armory entrance. Zashiki pulled Toumi with them.
���I���m coming, I coming!��� she grumbled. ���What in the names of all the hells is that racket?���
As they stepped out into the courtyard, Joshi shrugged. ���Fire drill, maybe?���
���Not a drill,��� said Zashiki, his voice choked. ���Think it���s an attack. We gotta get back to our posts.���
As he ran off, Toumi kept the armory sentry���s focus on her. ���An attack? What should I do?���
I quickly made my way down to the ground, using the muskets like the rungs of a ladder. I hoped they wouldn���t break. And thankfully they didn���t.
Through the door, Toumi was pleading with Joshi, grasping the pauldron he was trying to straighten on one shoulder. She whined, ���Where is my lady, how can I keep her safe?���
���Dunno,��� grunted the desperate boy-soldier, pushing her hands away.
As he tried once more to pull the armor back into his shoulder, I slipped out the door behind him and took Toumi���s hand. ���Mieko-sama must still be with the captain,��� I said. ���She must be terrified. We should join her.���
���Well, I���d have joined her in the first place if I thought we���d get wine.��� She pulled me across the courtyard, which was surprisingly empty. When we were out of earshot of the sentry, she added, ���And if someone hadn���t taken her sweet time spiking the gunpowder! What were you waiting for, Mouse-chan, an invitation from the emperor?���
My heart still fluttering like a hummingbird���s wings, I snapped back, ���I was going as quickly as I could! You were supposed to keep������
���Risuko. Toumi.��� Mieko strode toward us with Emi at her heels, not from the direction of the captain���s quarters, but from the tall bank of barracks that housed the off-duty Uesugi soldiers.
���We���ve wedged the doors closed,��� Emi whispered as they reached us. ���They won���t be getting out without some help.���
When I began to ask a question, Mieko held up her hand. ���Let us go find Aimaru and the horses. Quietly and quickly, ladies. The Takeda attack is under way.���
���
We walked demurely toward the gate as an Uesugi samurai sprinted in, screaming for the captain.
���He won���t wake up any time soon,��� mumbled Emi.
Quiet as she was, Mieko shot her a stern look.
Emi grimaced an apology, and we strolled through the garrison���s gate.
The sentries on the outside no longer looked bored. They were at full attention. Guarding against armed soldiers trying to enter the fort, not a silk-clad lady and her maids trying to leave.
The silk-clad lady and her maids who had drugged the garrison���s commander, locked a third of the garrison���s soldiers in their quarters, and ruined the garrison���s supply of gunpowder.
A platoon of soldiers ran past us, screaming at the sentries about needing to deploy the muskets.
They too ignored us.
Tiptown���s main square was full of townspeople closing up their shops, of soldiers running here and there like a nest of wasps that���s been kicked. It was no orderly military maneuver.
Across the square stood Aimaru, holding the reins of three black Takeda chargers. They were the only still figures in sight.
Aimaru���s face, which looked uncharacteristically grim, slowly shifted toward his more usual, easy grin as we made our way to him. ���Good to see you.��� He said it to all of us, but was practically staring at Emi.
���Good to see you too,��� answered Emi.
Toumi made a rude noise, and they both began to blush.
A crack of muskets sounded. Not close, but we all looked around. The Takeda attack had in fact begun.
���Should we, um, mount up, Mieko-sama?��� I asked.
���No, let us walk. Away from the fighting. We don���t want to be mistaken for the enemy.���
We all agreed. No, we wouldn���t want that.
���
We walked the horses toward the afternoon sun, through narrow streets incongruously bedecked with late-blooming plum trees.
At the far edge of Tiptown, another pair of guards stood at the gate. While they should have been facing out, ready to stop any invaders from the west, they were looking past us, toward the growing sounds of battle to the east. One had close-set eyes like a vole, while the other���s bulged like a frog���s. ���What���s happening?��� the vole-eyed guard asked us.
���We do not know,��� said Mieko. ���It started after we left the inn. It is very frightening, is it not?���
We all nodded and agreed.
The two guards looked at each other. Vole-eyes asked, ���Should we go help?���
The frog-eyed guard shook his head and answered, ���Captain���ll send word if they need us. We should��� stay at our post.���
Mieko assured them that it was a wise thing to do and wished them well.
I followed her out the open gate, with Toumi and Emi just behind me. Aimaru brought up the rear, using a spear as a walking stick and leading the string of horses.
���Mieko-san,��� I asked as we followed the winding road up the valley, ���should we have encouraged them to abandon their posts?���
���Please remember to use the proper honorific,��� the teacher said.
���Sorry, Mieko-sama.���
���Thank you. We want to maintain our cover. Now, what do you think���Emi? Toumi? Aimaru?���
Toumi sniffed and shook her head. ���Nah. Keeps two soldiers away from the fighting, where they can���t do any good.���
Emi hmmed thoughtfully. ���Actually, in this case, I don���t think two soldiers would make any difference one way or another. Of course, we know the attack is all coming from the east. They don���t.���
Aimaru chuckled. ���From the east. And inside the fort.���
���True,��� agreed Mieko. ���Well done, all of you. Risuko, Toumi, tell me, how were you able to complete your mission? What unexpected obstacles and opportunities came up?���
We talked them through our distracting the sentries. Toumi made a point of mentioning that she had been the one to distract them, and of my using the sake to ruin the gunpowder. Of my hiding in the rafters when the guards came to show Toumi the muskets.
���And Mouse-chan forgot to take the wine with her of course,��� Toumi sneered.
���I wouldn���t have needed to if you���d kept them away!���
���Girls,��� Mieko said before we could bicker further, ���you both did well. No battle plan survives the first engagement with the enemy. Improvisation and making the best of the opportunities at hand are an important part of our work.��� She stepped off of the road onto a path that led up a hill to one side. A steep trail that looked like it had been made by deer or goats, not people. ���Come. We need to change, and perhaps we can find a vantage point to see how the battle is going.���
At the top of the hill, we changed from our fancy silk kimonos into the white tops and red hakama that marked us as miko. For the first time.
As kunoichi.
While we changed, Aimaru stood on the edge of the hilltop, gazing toward the town and the sound of the battle.
We were dressed and undoing the fancy split-peach hair that had taken us so long to do that morning when Emi asked, ���Mieko-sama, are we kunoichi now?���
Our teacher had already finished doing her hair up in a simpler style, held in place by daggers disguised as hairpins. Smiling, she helped Toumi, who was struggling with her own, short hair. ���You have each completed an independent mission in the field. You have helped perform rituals for the gods. Usually, we would hold a ceremony, but you have certainly earned the red and white that you wear.���
���Whew!��� I stared down at my own miko garb. It felt like a costume, not clothing. As if we were putting on our mothers��� robes to play.
���Heh,��� Toumi chortled. ���Love to see Shino and��� Yeah. Shino���s face. Us wearing these before she does.���
Mieko finished Toumi���s hair with the stab of a hairpin. ���Both senior initiates had earned these robes���were to get them at this week���s full moon. Shino would be here with us, I am sure, if she were not��� in mourning.���
We all nodded and murmured our understanding. Mai���s brutal death just days before had affected us all. Shino, more so, even though they had fought over everything. ���I thought they hated each other,��� I said as we joined Aimaru, looking down at the battle for Tiptown.
Mieko sighed. ���I think that women who have seen as much together as those two are going to have relationships more complicated than simple hate. Or love.���
I frowned and looked to Emi, who shrugged, frowning back. I said, ���But some of the partnerships of older women, like Sachi-sensei and Hoshi-sensei, or you and������
���Yes,��� interrupted Mieko, who rarely did so. ���All of those partnerships as you call them came from years of being together. Of working together. Of fighting side by side but sometimes also with each other. Of saving each other���s lives. Such a partnership can be stronger than any marriage.���
Smoothing her red-and-white clothes, Emi quoted Chiyome-sama, ���A kunoichi is married to her duty, and to death.���
Mieko nodded. ���And to her fellow kunoichi. Without each other, you cannot succeed. With each other, you cannot fail.���
Emi, Toumi, and I looked at each other.
���Aimaru,��� Mieko continued, her voice lighter, ���how is the battle going?���
���A rout, I think.���
Peering down into the town, all I could see in the afternoon sun were flashes of steel and puffs of smoke, followed much later by quiet bangs. Shouting and screaming that was barely audible at that distance. ���How can you tell?���
���Well,��� he answered, ���see where the gate on the other side of the town is?��� Toumi and I nodded; he continued, ���When we first got up here, the fighting was outside the walls on the other side of town. It���s almost to the garrison walls now.���
���Tell me, Aimaru,��� asked Mieko, ���how many Takeda troops was Yamagata-san preparing when we left?���
Aimaru���s eyes snapped up to the cloudless sky as he did the calculation. ���Four hundred cavalry���a hundred heavy and three hundred light. And twelve hundred infantry���six hundred pikes, three hundred swordsmen, two hundred archers, and a hundred muskets.���
���Very good. And how many Uesugi troops did you see in Tiptown.���
Now he frowned and closed his eyes. ���About a hundred and fifty cavalry���half heavy, half light. About two hundred infantry���mostly pikes and swords, plus perhaps thirty or forty archers.��� He opened his eyes and looked at Mieko.
���Yes, very good,��� she said, and he smiled. A much more natural look on his face. ���So around four hundred troops in all. But remember, a third of the garrison was off duty in the barracks.���
���And not getting out anytime soon,��� Emi added proudly.
Mieko acknowledged that with a nod and another smile. ���Indeed. So, a total of perhaps six hundred soldiers. Remember, the captain told us that he had to send half of his troops to fight an insurrection on the other side of the Uesugi territory.���
Aimaru whistled. ���Against almost three times as many Takeda.���
���And the Uesugi commander out of commission!��� Toumi said.
I had forgotten that. ���Um, Mieko-sama. Did you��� you know��� eliminate him?���
���No, I merely put him to sleep��� with corydalis, as a matter of fact. He���ll wake with nothing worse than a headache. I did consider stronger measures. If it had been the old commander, I might have done, since he was a nasty man, and in any case might have recognized me from previous missions. However, this captain was polite.���
���And stupid,��� laughed Toumi. She mimicked me in a simpering little-girl voice, ������If this humble servant might fetch her ladyship some wine.��� Ha!���
���Well,��� Aimaru said, laughing along, ���trusting a bunch of pretty girls like you wouldn���t make him stupid. I mean, who���d expect a bunch of trained killers to look like all of you!���
Emi nodded, smiling her almost-smile. ���No one. Which is the whole point.���
For a change, I was the one frowning. I wasn���t a killer. I didn���t want to be a killer. Father���s last words to me echoed in my head. No harm.
And yet here we were, on a mission through a war zone. Heading to the capital to assassinate Oda-sama, responsible for my father���s death and disgrace, and for Emi and Toumi���s fathers��� suicides.
Harm. Harm everywhere.
���Now, let us go.��� Mieko put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sad smile, as if she���d read my thoughts. ���Refugees and deserters will start flooding the road westward. We want to reach the next village ahead of them.���
���
We made our way back to the road and mounted up. Since Mieko was the only one of us who had any real riding experience, she led the way on one charger, trailing Toumi and me on another horse and Emi and Aimaru on the third.
Toumi being Toumi kept teasing our friends about not getting up to any funny business back there.
Usually, Emi would have been happy to tell Toumi where to put her teasing. That afternoon, however, both she and Aimaru were silent. Stoic. I didn���t need to look back to know that they were blushing. Again.
Soon, the sound of fighting was lost in the trees behind us.
We had just come in sight of the next village as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains further west, when the sound of a galloping horse came pounding toward us from ahead, closing in on us from around the bend in the road.
All five of us immediately went on guard. Behind me, Aimaru dropped the point of his spear as a lance. Toumi and Emi reached for their bows and quivers of arrows and I unsheathed Masugu-san���s short sword, which was tied to the front of the saddle. Mieko-san pulled two throwing knives from her sleeves.
The big, black stallion that galloped around the bend bore no rider. Though the saddle was in place, a pack leaned slightly off-kilter. Its dark flanks were covered in dirt and foam and its eyes were wide and white. Yet when it saw our horses, it slowed and approached us with a whiney. It walked up to Mieko���s mount and began to nuzzle first the other horse, and then our teacher���s leg.
���It���s Inazuma!��� I gasped.
And then all of us realized that what stood before was Masugu-san���s horse.
Without the rider.
���
READ ANOTHER PREVIEW OF��KANO:TiptownReunionCreatures of the NightMeeting the Queen BeeWhat do you think? What’s happened to Masugu?
Can One Girl Save A Nation?With Japan���s future in the balance, Risuko may recover the Kano clan���s honor ��� or she may destroy it forever
In this thrilling third book in the Seasons of the Sword, she encounters old friends, new enemies, and a strange boy from a far-off land called��Portugal. Through raging battles and deadly court intrigue, Risuko must follow a path narrower and less stable than any pine branch. And the consequences should she fail are sharp and hard as rocks below.
The red-and-white disguise of the��kunoichi��awaits.
Is Risuko ready?
Seasons Of The Sword:Risuko��(Winter)Bright Eyes��(Spring)Kano��(Summer ��� coming soon!)Autumn ��� coming soon!
The post A Reunion (Kano, Chapter 2) appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
April 17, 2024
Seasons of the Sword Book 4 Title Reveal
Since Kano, the third Seasons of the Sword book, comes out in less than two weeks, it’s time for the title reveal for the fourth book!
Kano includes the first chapter of the concluding novel in Risuko’s adventures. It follows her as she, Emi, and Toumi accompany a spoiled young noblewoman to her wedding. What should be a simple assignment���get the bride to the wedding, make sure she’s properly dressed���is anything but.
Because someone wants the lady dead.
After Risuko, Bright Eyes, and Kano, we are excited to reveal that the title of book 4 is…
Murasaki: A Kunoichi Tale
The thrilling conclusion to Seasons of the Sword!Can one girl survive?An easy mission promises to be Risuko’s lastKano Murasaki (called Risuko), Emi, and Toumi are on accompanying a spoiled young noblewoman to her wedding. What should be a simple assignment���get the bride to the wedding, make sure she’s properly dressed���is anything but.
Because someone wants the lady dead.
And because Risuko and her friends aren’t just lady’s maids. They are kunoichi.
Trained spies, assassins���and in this case, bodyguards.
The wedding���which Risuko herself negotiated at sword-point���has the potential to unite the most powerful clans in Japan under a single banner, ending over a century of bloodshed, Risuko must do everything that she can to keep the brat of a princess safe and deliver her to her groom. Failure would mean death not just for the bride and her bodyguards. It might mean another hundred years of destruction for the whole empire.
Along the way, Risuko and her friends must confront hidden enemies and uncover who is behind the plot. She must confront the ghosts of her past to become, finally, herself.
Can Risuko survive?Can Risuko kill?Seasons of the Sword:Risuko (Winter) Bright Eyes (Spring) Kano (Summer)Murasaki (Autumn ��� coming soon!)(Young adult historical adventure; Japanese Civil War)
Projected release, late 2025To all of you who sent in correct guesses, we’ll be sending you your coupons!
And congrats to Tony C, winner of the grand prize, a coupon good for any item in our shop!
The post Seasons of the Sword Book 4 Title Reveal appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
April 2, 2024
Not an April Fool: Dummy Copies of Kano Shipped
Look what I got in the mail last week! 
Boy, wasn’t I surprised, since I’m still working with the editors on the final draft! I mean, it would have been��great��if it had actually been the final text, but the inside looked like this:
Lorem ipsum,��anyone?
As it happens, before I received mine, I’d already heard from a number of readers who’d had the paperback and hardcover copies they’d pre-ordered show up well over a month early.
NOT GOOD!
So what happened?
POD BluesThose copies were what is known in publishing as dummies. Essentially, they’re prototypes, used to test the design concepts for the book.
They’re also required in order to create a pre-order for a print book in advance of publication.
In this case, Stillpoint Digital Press wanted to make the book available for pre-order through all of retail outlets where our readers like to buy their books (aside from our websites, of course).
We use an excellent print-on-demand (POD) service called Lightning Source to create the paperback and hardcover books we sell. Lightning Source requires actual PDF copies of the book and cover files in order to list a title for distribution. Now, obviously, the book isn’t ready a year or more ahead of time, so the designer creates a dummy ��� a PDF that uses the approximate layout and page count of the final book. We upload that, and��voil��!��The book shows up as available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, your local independent store ��� wherever folks want to order.
So what happened this time?
SNAFUI have had a series of unfortunate (non-YA-lit related) events that made it impossible for me to meet the original March 1 publication date.
And so we moved the release back to its current deadline: April 30, 2024.
We updated the databases everywhere we had entered the earlier March 1 date ��� including LSI and Amazon (where we’d set up the Kindle ebook pre-order).
We changed the pre-reveal cover to state very clearly that the new release date was now April 30.
However, deep in the bowels of the computers at the various retailers ��� especially Amazon ��� the algorithms apparently still remembered the original date.
At some point in early March, they sent out requests to LSI saying,��Hey! We have pre-orders for this title, and it’s hit its release date! Ship ’em, now!
And Lightning Source, for reasons that are still obscure, printed and drop-shipped hundreds of copies.
Dummies. That read��Coming April 30, 2024! in big, bright red letters on the cover. That were full of gibberish pseudo-Latin.
Even though ��� to be clear ��� Lightning Source’s own database had a release and ship date of 4/30.
We’ve been on the line with Amazon and Lightning Source for the past few weeks trying to work out what happened and ��� most importantly ��� how to make sure that no more copies were printed or shipped.
Which, knock wood, they won’t.
If you received a copy… well, we’re terribly sorry. You should be able to return it for a full refund.
I’m working hard (when not talking to recalcitrant POD providers and online booksellers) to get the real��copies into stores on April 30. You can reorder with confidence ��� or, if you want to be absolutely sure you get an actual, non-gibberish copy of Kano, may I suggest you order it directly from me on Risuko.net? I’ll even sign it for you! You’ll get a nice bookmark and everything. 
And if you’re still holding on to your time-traveling��Lorem ipsum edition… that’s quite the collector’s item. I’d love to sign that for you as well when next we meet.
In any case, I would love to do something for all of you who were disappointed to find that the copies of the book you’d been waiting for… weren’t. Not sure what. Any suggestions?
The post Not an April Fool: Dummy Copies of Kano Shipped appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
Kano ��� Ask the Author!
Kano: A Kunoichi Tale, the third book in the Seasons of the Sword series, is almost here!
We hope you’re as excited as we are. In fact, author David Kudler would love to answer any questions about the book or the series you may have. Make predictions about what you think will happen ��� and what won’t! David may even be willing to give you some hints about what’s to come… but no spoilers. 
Comment with your questions or predictions, and David will respond.
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March 21, 2024
Spring is here!
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the vernal equinox today, the first day of spring.
Happy Spring!In celebration of the new season (since we are��all��about the seasons here at Seasons of the Sword), we’ve updated our site header:
It features the cover of Bright Eyes: A Kunoichi Tale (the spring book in the series), and now includes all three announced covers — including Kano (Summer) and of course Risuko (Winter). As always, there’s an animated flow — this time of sakura (cherry blossoms) instead of snow flakes.
What do you think of the new header?
Let us know!Comment below, use the contact form, or email us.
Submit a form.Get Seasons of the Sword Books & MoreYou can order directly from the author, or from your favorite store!
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March 11, 2024
Sh��gun Returns
Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell,��Sh��gun��follows John Blackthorne, an English ship’s pilot (anjin) who finds himself shipwrecked in Japan in 1600 ��� some 30 years after my Seasons of the Sword books. The empire is in the endgame of the century-and-a-half-long series of civil wars. Blackthorne finds himself both a pawn and a player in a deadly game that will lead to the birth of a new Japan.
Clavell’s novel was also adapted in 1980 into a hit miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune.
Like my books, the series and the novel are drawn directly directly from Japanese history. All of the characters are based on real people ��� though Clavell changed their names to make it clear that he was writing historical fiction, not a reference. In fact, one of the major characters in Sh��gun appears in my books under a different name. Can you recognize who it might be?
Also like my books,��Sh��gun features European visitors to Japanese shores. Clavell chose to tell much of the story from the Englishman’s point of view, but it is very much presented as a clash of very different cultures with very different social assumptions. I chose to focus tightly on the Japanese perspective. If you’re curious about that choice, and how the two narratives differ because of it, please��let me know, either in the comments below or by emailing me at david@risuko.net
Unlike the Seasons of the Sword,��Sh��gun��was always written for an adult rather than a teen audience ��� and the current series very much leans into that. However, I don’t think it’s quite at��Game of Thrones levels of sex and violence. Not quite. 
If you’ve been watching, I’d love to know your thoughts!��Please share them in the comments below, or, as always, feel free to email me.
��� David KudlerThe post Sh��gun Returns appeared first on Seasons of the Sword.
