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Read Risuko: Chapter 7 — Wind (Kunoichi, Takeda)

7 — Wind

The war comes to Risuko and her new companions — but will the advancing army be captors or liberators?

Mieko stood calmly and bowed to us.

From a small curtain at the end of the hall opposite the kitchen, we heard a whimper. Aimaru sprinted toward it, his battered knife still in his hand. With a yell, he yanked down the curtain, and revealed the old innkeepers, huddled on the floor of their small room.

After a moment of shocked silence, Aimaru bowed to them. “Pardon me for intruding,” he said, as if he had merely turned in at the wrong door.

The old couple seemed barely to recognize that he was there.

We all stumbled out of the dining hall into the corridor. Two more Imagawa soldiers lay dead there, and the elder Little Brother was standing impassive above them. Emi and I started to run toward the front door to see who our rescuers might have been, but Lady Chiyome called out sharply, “Stay here, young idiots! We don’t know who those horsemen are!”

Continue reading Read Risuko: Chapter 7 — Wind (Kunoichi, Takeda)

Cover Poll Advance Copy Winners!

Advance Copy Winners Announcement —

We’re so excited! We received hundreds of votes for our Risuko Cover Poll, and with your help have now chosen the final cover.

Author David Kudler suggested that we give back by way of thanks, and so we chose three voters at random to win advance copies of the book. The three winners are:

If you know any of these folks, please congratulate them!

And if you’d like an advance copy of your own, you can always join the Risuko Beta Team. We’d love to send you a copy — and a gift certificate after you’ve told the author what you think of the book!

Cover Reveal: The Winner of the Risuko Cover Poll!

COVER REVEAL

Thanks to all of you who shared your opinions about which cover art we should use in the Risuko Cover Poll!

You helped us choose a cover that we’re really excited about. Not only does it convey the mood of the book beautifully, but it looks pretty good, too. 😉

Without further ado, here’s the cover that you chose — and that we agreed with you on completely: Continue reading Cover Reveal: The Winner of the Risuko Cover Poll!

Read Risuko — Chapter 6: Tea and Cakes

Ch. 6 — Tea and Cakes.

Risuko discovers that waking up in a war zone can lead to surprises. (Author David Kudler says, “One of my favorite chapters!”)


A rumble woke us all the next morning. It sounded like a peal of distant thunder. But Mieko and Kuniko were already on their feet before I could sit up and wipe the sleep from my eyes.

“What is it?” I asked Emi, who was rubbing her eyes next to me. “It’s awfully cold for thunder and lightening, isn’t it? And it doesn’t feel like an earthquake….”

Emi shook her head and scowled. We both listened carefully as we pulled on our clothes—mine still slightly damp from the night before, smelling faintly of stale soy sauce and burnt rice.

Another low rumble shook the morning silence. From where I had been sleeping near the kitchen, I could see a grey, thin light leaking beneath the outer kitchen door.

We began to fold away our bedding with a sense of uncertain urgency. I was about to ask again what that rumble might have been, when a new sound broke the silence and explained everything. It was a sharp, high crack. Musket fire. And not very far away, from the sound of it.

My legs went cold and I dropped my bedroll.

The battle had come to us. Continue reading Read Risuko — Chapter 6: Tea and Cakes

Vote for the final cover for Risuko and enter to win a copy!

Thanks for your help choosing the final cover for Risuko

With your assistance, we’ve narrowed down the choice to three designs. One of these will be the final cover for Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale.

Vote now for your favorite, and  we’ll enter you in a raffle to win a free, signed advance copy! Continue reading Vote for the final cover for Risuko and enter to win a copy!

Read The Mt Fuji Inn – the next exciting chapter of Risuko!

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 5 — The Mt. Fuji Inn

There were three rooms downstairs besides the dining room and kitchen, but the two closest to the front door were both closed off. The doors were edged with black soot. Lady Chiyome had the Little Brothers carry her chest to the rear room.

Mieko and Kuniko led Toumi, Emi and me to the dining room. I was surprised that Mieko left her own bedroll there in the room with us; I had expected her to spend the night with the lady, but she stayed with us and quietly took charge of the servants’ quarters. Continue reading Read The Mt Fuji Inn – the next exciting chapter of Risuko!

On climbing and Risuko

David Kudler headshot
David Kudler

I’m not afraid of heights, not really.

It’s just that, like Terry Pratchett’s wonderful protagonist Tiffany Aching, I have a well-developed respect for depths.

It’s funny, then, that I’ve written a book on climbing — a book about a young girl who loves nothing more than being as high up in the air as she can be. How did that happen? Continue reading On climbing and Risuko

Sign up to win an advance copy of Risuko!

Win a free copy of Risuko!

We’re giving away an advance paperback copy of Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, signed by author David Kudler.

The giveaway is being held on Goodreads — sign up now  by clicking below or by visiting the Goodreads Risuko page.

Hurry! Sign-up to win an advance copy ends on Friday, October 16.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Risuko

by David Kudler

Giveaway ends October 16, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Read Chapter 4 of Risuko — The Edge of the World

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4 — The Edge of the World

Around me, everyone was rushing around the courtyard, loading supplies on the two packhorses, putting on extra layers of clothing.

When I reached them, Emi smiled, a small grin, and handed me a warmer coat, and then a sleeping mat. “That’s for tonight. Put it with ours on the white horse.”

I was so surprised at the tiny smile that it took me a moment to accept the bundle from her. Continue reading Read Chapter 4 of Risuko — The Edge of the World

Read the list of characters in Risuko!

We’ve posted the list of the major characters in Risuko! Check out who’s who, find out which historical figures are part of the book, and even get a peak into who’s going to be appearing!

Risuko — Character Names

Note: In Japan, as through most of East Asia, tradition places the family name before the given name. For example, in Kano Murasaki, Risuko’s proper name, Kano is her family’s name and Murasaki her given name—what English speakers would call her first name. Continue reading Read the list of characters in Risuko!