What Have I Done: August 2025 Edition

The year is rather flying by, isn’t it? Suddenly we’re well over halfway done and it feels – in terms of writing, anyway – like I’ve both done a lot and precious little.

I have done things. There’s a whole damn fantasy trilogy out there right now waiting for you to read it.

The Owl in the Labyrinth hasn’t exactly rocked the indie fantasy world since it came out in June but given it’s a) an absolute brick of a book and b) the third in a trilogy I’m not particularly surprised. If all you people reading this who picked up a copy – or haven’t yet – could get on with it, though, I’d be much obliged. Especially if you could tell me what you thought of it!

Obviously this was the biggest piece of work I’ve done this year; obviously getting that done took a lot out of me creatively… but it’s done. And I find myself sitting thinking ‘well, what else have I got to show for myself in 2025?’ And the answer, right now, is ‘nothing’ – but thankfully that is right now. For there are short stories coming, dear readers; at least one, hopefully two, within the next few months. Some contracts are signed, others awaited, and given my last published short was around this time last year (and that was after a long production window) it’s a very welcome bit of knowledge. Where and when? Soon and I’ll tell you when they’re out! One is with a new publication, for me, and the other with some old friends…

Satisfyingly, I had to upgrade my submission tracker because it wasn’t tall enough for all the published stories; oh woe! Also robots. And a dragon.

But of course that submission grind continues, as I relentlessly pitch all the other stuff I’ve written. Some of it’s recent, most of it’s been rattling around the markets for a while now, but all of it’s good. At least I hope it is. I stare at my emails and fruitlessly check Submittable and Moksha notifications every few days, as is the writer’s curse. With some luck maybe there’ll be a bit more good news on that front before the year is out. I do hope so… especially because one of those submissions was for a full novel competition. Did they need a whole book? No, just the start of one – the winners get mentored and supported through the rest of the process. Did I send them the start of a whole book anyway? Yes I did. It’s only half-redrafted, so it definitely needs all that work regardless… but it’s a good story, I reckon. It’s a darker one than my long-form work tends to be, but it’s a good one. As is the other book that I need to start editing for agent eyes…

And then there’s the other project I’ve been putting off – entirely for selfish reasons, I confess – which is quite the opposite of dark. It’s also not writing – not technically. It has been ready for my review for some months, and to my shame I have not actually knuckled down to get it approved. But I have a little time this week, and I rather think I should try to use it wisely: if I do, then perhaps The Owl in the Labyrinth won’t be the only Big Thing I get done this year.

I always feel like I’m waiting, in this writing business. Either waiting for my work to be released, or waiting for the next submission window, or for the next response, or for the first review, or for inspiration to strike. The moments when something actually happens can feel very brief when you set them next to all the waiting you did in preparation – even when all that waiting time is filled with more writing. But good things, they say, come to those who wait, and in my experience it’s not entirely untrue. I just wish there was a fast-track service available for valued customers, is all.