No idea how long it's going to last, but each e-book in the Kitchens & Kingdoms trilogy is on sale for $0.99 right now! You can grab the whole series for $2.97. Find it here! 

$0.99 Ebook Sale!

Just what the picture says! The ebooks for both The Redwood Palace and Ana's Asteroid are on sale right now for $0.99.

Book Cover Updates!

Immortal Works refreshed the first two Kitchens & Kingdoms books. New ones are the top row. I think the new series logo looks great! But I also like that the originals still match (because wow do I have some wildly mismatches series on my shelf).

LTUE Cards

These little cards were supposed to show up right before LTUE, but here they are, weeks early! I'm very grateful for one less thing to stress about. If you're at the conference, I have cards to give away now! I'll have some with me, and I'll put some on the freebie table.

Release Day for The Obsidian Palace

The third and final book in the Kitchens and Kingdoms trilogy is out today! The Obsidian Palace is live! I have no idea how it got to be January 24th. Find it here!

Kitchens and Kingdoms News

Two exciting points of news!

THE CORAL PALACE, the sequel to THE REDWOOD PALACE, is now available for preorder. Also, I can quite happily say that the third and final book is turned into my editor. 

I've had some people ask how to be supportive of the series. One of the best things you can do to help the books reach more people is to simply leave a short review on Amazon.

Plum would love to work as Lady Sulat’s chef and spend her days crafting healing foods, but it isn’t safe for her to stay in the capital. She knows far too many of the king’s secrets. Lady Sulat proposes sending Plum away on a covert mission.

Learn all about poisons. Learn how to defend against them. Head into dangerous territory.

Unfortunately, Plum has to rely on her sister for support...the sister who isn’t even the tiniest bit sorry for nearly getting Plum executed. Her poisons teacher is an old enemy. And, given the secretive nature of what she’s doing, Plum can’t even openly talk to Bane about it.

But Plum is going to give it her all. After what she’s seen of war, she’s willing to take any risk and pay any price to secure peace for Rowak.

End of Year Post 2020

First off: The Redwood Palace e-book is on sale until tomorrow for $0.99. If you've been meaning to grab it, now is a great time.

2020 has been a year, to say the least. It's odd to see fiction I wrote pre-pandemic come out during this time. In any case, I had four new stories released this year. "The Librarian's Duel" and "Inconvenient Parasites" were both in Keyforge: Tales From the Crucible. This was my first time writing tie-in fiction, and I've been delighted to get such good reviews. "Upcycling Death" came out in Brain Games: Stories to Astonish. And last but not least, "This is How the Rain Falls" from Daily Science Fiction, which is free to read online.

What will next year hold? I don't know. Things with The Coral Palace are well underway with my publisher and I'm working on editing the third and final Plum book, which has some of my favorite scenes yet.

I hope everyone is healthy and staying safe. May the next year be better than this one.

Kindle Sale + Keyforge

Given the rough times we are all in together, right now until March 26th, Immortal works has all their e-books on sale for $0.99, including The Redwood Palace.

Unrelated, but cheerful and bright -- I'm going to be part of Keyforge: Tales From the Crucible. I have two novelettes in here, "Useful Parasites" and "The Librarian's Duel." As someone who adores board games, it was extremely fun to write in this world. There's already some great reviews coming in. If you're a book reviewer, this one is over at Netgalley.

I wish I had something profound to add about everything that's happening in the world right now, but truth of the matter is, I'm no great essayist. I am taking care of my family, playing board games, staying away from other people, and trying not to spend too much time reading the news. I hope everyone else out there is trying to stay safe.

Audible + LTUE Presentation Slides

The audio book for The Redwood Palace is now available!

Also, for anyone who was at my "Plotting a Romance is Like Writing a Math Proof" class at LTUE, I've now e-mailed my slides out to everyone who asked for them. But there have been two e-mails that bounced back. If you'd like slides and haven't got them yet, please feel free to e-mail me at info.mkhutchins@gmail.com.

The Redwood Palace Book Release!

It's here! The Redwood Palace is live in paperback and e-book! I am so excited to see this novel out. And I just learned today it has PRETTY CHAPTER NUMBERS, which probably matters more to me than anyone else.

Here's the official book description: 

Plum's thrilled about her arranged marriage. Becoming the daughter-in-law of a great chef will let her take her magical cooking skills to new heights. Then her little sister Dami dresses up as a boy and joins the army—a crime punishable by death. To keep her sister safe, Plum abandons her wedding, assumes Dami's identity, and reports for her sister's duties scrubbing dishes at the palace. 

Lying for Dami leaves Plum tangled up in intrigue and accused of poisoning the royal family. To clear her name, Plum has to figure out who's really behind the attacks. But delving into the identity of the true poisoner unearths darker plots. If Plum wants to save herself, her family, and her nation, she's going to have to cook the dish of a lifetime.

Cover Art for The Redwood Palace

The cover is here! I love how magical it looks, and I'm so excited that this book is getting released soon!

So. Updates for everyone. The Redwood Palace is releasing on July 9th. Pre-orders for the e-book are live on Amazon, and physical books will be available sometime soon.

This book stands alone, but I love these characters and this world. So I wrote more. I have one more read through of the second book (tentatively entitled The Coral Palace) before sending it off to my amazing editors.

The third book is already written, but early in the revision stages. I'm hoping to get back to it later this year. But I'm very happy to be this far along on it. It makes it easy to match continuity.

2018 in a Nutshell

It has been a pretty amazing year for me. I've had six new stories published -- a record for me -- and I'm happy to say that I already have two more stories forthcoming in 2019. I also sold a big old novel, and have been working through some excellent edits there to bring you the best version of The Redwood Palace.

For folks reading for awards, all my 2018 publications fall in the short story category. And if I have to single out a story as my best one this year, er, maybe Glass in Frozen Time? I'm horrible at judging my own fiction, but I am rather proud of that story, and it seems to have gotten the most love on Twitter.

My full list of 2018 publications looks like this:

"Glass in Frozen Time", Diabolical Plots 

"Ghost of the Pepper," Flash Fiction Online

"Shod in Memories", Daily Science Fiction

"Seeds of the Soul Flower," Daily Science Fiction

"Ana's Asteroid", Cast of Wonders

"The Sixth Axiom of the Magician-Sages", Myriad Paradigm's Mind Candy

New Novel + Glass in Frozen Time

My short story "Glass in Frozen Time" is out today from Diabolical Plots! You can read it for free here.

I also have other exciting news I can share today...I signed a book contract! My novel THE REDWOOD PALACE will be coming out next year from Immortal Works. They asked me to make an author Facebook page, so you can follow me there, now, too.

And here's a little bit about the book:

Seventeen-year-old Plum is a young chef with high prospects -- until she gives up her career to cover for her runaway sister. Lying for family leaves her tangled up in intrigue, and accused of poisoning the king's sister. To clear her name, Plum has to figure out who's really behind the attack. Her best hope is to make an alliance with the Hungry Ghost who haunts the palace kitchens. He'll spy for her, if she whips him up an exorcism.

But researching exorcism recipes and delving into the identity of the true poisoner unearths darker plots. If Plum wants to save herself, her family, and her nation, she's going to have to cook the dish of a lifetime.

I'm so excited to share this project with you!