What a year it’s been.

If you’d told me in January that by the end of 2025 I’d have published my first book, hit bestseller status, signed an audiobook deal, and almost (almost!) finished the second book, I’d have looked at you incredulously. Possibly even glared.

Back then, still reeling from rejections and ghostings that made me wonder whether there was any point in trying to get my odd little story out there, I wasn’t in a good place. 2024 had not been fun. I remained determined, but it was a determination accompanied not so much by a salmon of doubt as a blue whale.

In the yawning cold of late winter, I finally decided to make something happen and put my book out into the world — even if it wasn’t quite how I’d imagined the process would go.

What followed was a veritable mine cart ride of highs and lows. And yet, publishing Modern Magic remains one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It sits alongside letting myself be persuaded to go back out on the town on a freezing October night in 2005, and ignoring everyone who said a Bovril and crisp sandwich wasn’t a sensible lunch choice.

Most of all, it’s meant the world to hear from readers who’ve said they loved the book. For that alone, it’s been worth it. It’s made me excited about what might come next. And for someone who worries endlessly about the future, that feels like magic in itself.

So here’s to festive fun, too many crisps, and a small, leafy creature that has an inappropriate fondness for mulled wine. If you’ve read Modern Magic, thank you. It’s made my year.

Happy holidays all. See you in 2026.