Hi everyone,

First of all, an apology! I got my dates mixed up when looking ahead to Christmas, and I've got to Monday without having had chance to record and edit the latest chapter! 😭 So apologies if you were expecting one today, but there will definitely be a new text chapter on Friday (9th) and an audiobook on Monday the 12th.

My holiday has flown by so quickly, and after the hectic festivities of the first week off, I managed to settle down into story mode for the next week and have been lost in the kingdom of Heldrassë ever since, expanding upon the intrigue and adventures of all who dwell there.

It has been such a relief to devote some headspace to the series without distractions for a good block of time. I'm at a point in the story where I need to keep tight control over every story thread, but at the same time, expand upon the characters' histories in order to link them all together more. It has been a crazy few days of mental processing, but I feel that I've got so much laid out for the future books.

I've been copying up my notebooks like crazy, and have been really pleased with some of the key points in the plot that have come about.

But I'm back at work now, so I'm hoping that I can keep the momentum going.

A Look Back on 2025

The first thing that struck me looking back on last year was - where did it all go?! It's flown by!

I took on a permanent job at the start of '25, and though I do get time to work on my stories, it does seem to have sped everything up!

Short Stories

But looking back, I started the year with a curious short story called The Boy Who Fell in Love with the Sun. It's a loose companion to the Circle of Souls series, part of a collection that I plan to call Fragments from the Book of Souls. You can read a post about it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/119433715

The fragments are referenced in the main CoS story, but also work as standalone stories. This one was the fourth fragment, and I wrote another in February called The Serpent's Feast. This was another curious one which, at it's heart, was about the pandemic, but with a few odd twists!

I really wanted to release these stories to you, my patrons, but I found out that if I did they wouldn't be eligible to be published in some fantasy magazines I was sending to. It's frustrating that I'm sitting on so much work that I really want to share, but they are stuck in the limbo of agent and publisher submissions.

2025 has been the year of agent submissions for me. I've sent loads off for a novel I finished at the end of '24, as well as the Circle of Souls series. No luck on that front though - I don't think I'm particularly good at selling the stories to people - I'm far better at just writing them!

So, at present, I have three complete novels that are sat waiting for release. But I'll keep plugging away - I guess there's just more for me to release when the time is right...

The Deathwalkers

In February, I began the release of the enhanced audiobook version of The Deathwalkers. I knew this one was a BIG book, and was going to take a great deal of time and effort to complete, but now that I'm nearing the end, I'm so glad I did it.

We have about six more episodes before the story concludes, and I'm so pleased with how it's worked out so far. I set out to create the best narrated audiobook I could imagine, and it's been a real labour of love. It will be well over 15 hours of full soundtrack audio in the end, which has taken well over 150 hours to create. I must admit, I felt a bit burned out towards the end of the year, but after the Christmas break, I'm really excited to get it finished!

I'll be going straight in to The Dead Man's Feast next, and I'm hoping that should be less work and give me more time to write. The narration is recorded, and it will be more about adding the soundscapes.

Lumina

The fourth instalment of the Lumina series came out in August, which was fun. I did a makeover of the series covers for the release:

Book 5 is well underway, but I've put it on hold for a while as I work more on the Circle of Souls.

Speaking of which...

The Circle of Souls

This series has been the underlying current of my year. It is a project which is really dear to my heart, as it took shape as a series for my daughter when she was around ten years old, and the story has grown up with her (she's just had her 16th birthday!).

What began as a children's story has morphed into something very different, something many-layered and inhabiting an incredibly detailed world. As I've mentioned in other posts, I have started building a website like the Datavault is to the Heavenfield. But this time the scope is so much larger. I know I've shown glimpses of what it will look like, but I'm really excited by the depth of the world that is coming together.

So, what's in store for the coming year?

As I've said, I should hopefully have more time to write this year, once the Deathwalkers audiobook is complete. I'll then be releasing the enhanced version of The Dead Man's Feast, which I'm really looking forward to, and I'm hoping to get the Circle of Souls website to a point where I can share it with you.

I have a feeling it will be another year of agents submissions, but cross your fingers for me that I find a publisher that is a good fit for my stories. 🤞🤞🤞

I would love to grow my Patreon audience this year. I feel like I don't want to engage on social media anymore, and I've been thinking about shutting down my X and Facebook accounts.

My Patreon is by far my favourite window into the world, and I love having the opportunity to chat with those of you that want to chat. It's a real privilege to get to know you through my stories, and if you haven't already, then do say hello via the comments or email.

Patreon does seem one of the purest ways to support creators, and I'd love the opportunity get more followers and be able to devote more time to my writing. So, if you are able to help out, and haven't yet done so, then please, join the community! Any amount you can spare, no matter how small is a great help to me, and gives me a fantastic boost of confidence to keep ploughing on!

Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who has supported my writing over the past year and beyond! I'm looking forward to a story-packed New Year!

All the very best,
I.G.