A dragon makes the perfect shop assistant. The best chocolate in the realm might be about to change everything.

Announcing Chivalry & Chocolate 🍫🐉

Come in. The kettle’s on, the chocolate is melting, and we have the most wonderful news to share.

If you’ve ever curled up with a mug of something warm and wished you could step through the pages of a book into a world that felt like a hug (cobblestone streets, crooked little shops, magic simmering just beneath the surface, kindness woven into every corner), then pull up a chair.

We are thrilled to announce our debut cozy fantasy novel:

Chivalry & Chocolate

By M.J. Gillbright
Coming March 17, 2026 from Positopian Publishing

We’ve been working on this story for longer than we’d care to admit (and eating a truly unreasonable amount of chocolate “for research”), and we are over the moon to finally share it with you.

A Taste of the Story

Dassia Temperton has a secret. Well, not a secret so much as a bold, ongoing misunderstanding that she refuses to correct. For years, she’s been a woman disguised as a knight, because honestly, have you seen how knights get treated? Hot meals. Personal space. Significantly fewer marriage proposals from balding merchants.

Then her captain sends her on a quest to slay a dragon.

The dragon’s name is Etchling. Etchling is dramatic. Etchling is stubborn. Etchling has opinions about cocoa tempering temperatures and absolutely no respect for personal space. Etchling also has zero interest in being slain, which is honestly fine with Dassia because she wasn’t all that keen on the slaying part either.

What starts as survival becomes something unexpected: a friendship, a business partnership, and a cozy chocolate shop in a village where nobody asks too many questions. Add a charming bookshop mage who has the nerve to see right through her, and Dassia’s carefully constructed armor starts to crack.

Chivalry & Chocolate is a story about finding your place in the world. About the kind of courage that doesn’t require a sword, just the bravery to stay, to try, to let people in. It’s about dragons with strong opinions, chocolate that fixes almost everything, and the quiet, stubborn magic of showing up for the people you love.

Why Cozy Fantasy?

If you’re new to the genre, welcome! Cozy fantasy is exactly what it sounds like: fantasy that wraps around you like a blanket. The stakes are personal rather than apocalyptic. The victories are hard-won but heart-full. There are no grimdark battlefields here, just the very real challenge of building something meaningful in a world that’s strange and beautiful and sometimes a little bit broken.

We fell in love with cozy fantasy because it makes space for the stories we’ve always wanted to tell. Stories where kindness is strength. Where a cup of chocolate shared between friends can be just as powerful as any spell. Where the most important quest isn’t slaying the monster; it’s figuring out who you are and who you want to be.

If you love the warmth of T.J. Klune, the whimsy of Travis Baldree, or the gentle magic of Heather Fawcett, we wrote this book for readers like you. And like us.

What’s Next? (And How You Can Join the Adventure)

We’re counting down to March 17, 2026, and between now and then, there’s a lot of magic in store:

Want to be the first to know about cover reveals, preorder dates, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes peeks at the world of Chivalry & Chocolate?

Sign up for our newsletter →

As a thank-you for joining, you’ll receive a free short story, The Taste of Stars, set in the same world. Think of it as an appetizer before the main course. A little amuse-bouche of magic, if you will. 🌟

📖 ARC Copies for Reviewers

Are you a book blogger, bookstagrammer, BookToker, or reviewer? We’d love to get an early copy into your hands.

Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) will be available ahead of launch. If you’re interested in reading and reviewing Chivalry & Chocolate, keep an eye on our newsletter for details on how to request your copy, or reach out to us directly at mjgillbright@gmail.com.

We’re especially grateful for honest reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and StoryGraph. Every review helps a debut author more than you might imagine. ❤️

🗓️ Mark Your Calendar

March 17, 2026. That’s the day the doors of the chocolate shop open. We hope you’ll be there.

Thank You

We don’t take it for granted, not for a second, that you’re here, reading this, sharing in our excitement. Writing a book is a strange and wonderful act of faith: you pour your heart into a story and then offer it to the world and hope it finds the people who need it.

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t quite fit. If you’ve ever wished for a place that felt like home. If you’ve ever believed that small acts of courage and kindness can change everything.

This book is for you.

Welcome to the chocolate shop. We saved you a seat.

With love, chocolate, and just a little bit of dragon fire,

M.J. Gillbright

P.S. Etchling says hello, darling.