Sooooo, yearly I do my this occurred up to now 12 months wrap-up with a I believe this stuff are occurring sooner or later 12 months prophecy, and I’m going forward and doing that right here and now once more, with 2025 withering on the vine within the shadow of a newly-budding 2026 —

However first I need to acknowledge, ha ha, what a fucking 12 months, huh? What an actual boner-killer of a 365, man. Dang. Trying again appears like I’m peering by a lens smeared with a slathering of hen grease and Chapstick — a gooey, hazy view that doesn’t incline me to scrub it and even squint, however relatively, simply to throw it away and transfer on. I simply suppose it’s been a tough 12 months for everybody. Politically, personally, financially, usually — in each route, a brand new catastrophe massive and small. Rest room fires and ravenous tigers and cracking dams and free hepatitis monkeys. And I believe the BIG PROBLEMS are linked to the SMALL PROBLEMS — like, positive, there’s all this massive existential threats like local weather change and AI and no matter clownshoe nightmare is occurring within the White Home proper now, however all these issues instantly pipeline towards greater prices and fewer stability throughout the board. By no means thoughts the actual fact of how many individuals — immigrants, trans people, anyone who isn’t white and male — are on the run, in opposition to the ropes, on the chopping block. So the political turns into (actually: at all times has been) the very, very private.

I actually even wrestle to encapsulate the 12 months behind. My best inclination appears to be to not acknowledge that it existed and to bolt ahead, head down, into the brand new 12 months. However there’s in all probability some worth in a single ultimate nesting sit on these time eggs earlier than they hatch, at the very least when it comes to… , me. As for what’s happening on this nation and the world, actually, I believe you’re caught up, and don’t want me to commit 150,000 phrases to an Annual Retelling of The Atrocities.

So — selfishly, me. Me, me, me. What the hell occurred his 12 months? I don’t even know. Who am I? Who’re you? How did we get right here? The place is my cat, who could be very actual and never a hallucination and positively named Sir Mewlington Von Pissbreath?

I wrote a e-book!

Or, relatively, I revealed a e-book.

Or, relatively, I wrote and revealed a e-book — er, two completely different books.

Or, wait, I revealed one e-book, revealed one brief story, wrote and edited one e-book, and edited a very separate e-book.

So, what about all that, then?

The e-book I revealed:

The Staircase within the Woods. You in all probability learn about it! I used to be not quiet about its existence. I can’t be mad about it — the e-book got here out in April in hardcover, and actually it’s continued to promote effectively since. So effectively, in actual fact, that it has surpassed the whole gross sales of Wayward and Black River Orchard (er, not mixed), and each of these are out in paperback now, and have been for years. I believe, if I’m evaluating the e-book at a distance, it’s definitely a e-book that some individuals actually love and a few individuals actually don’t, and actually, that works for me — I’m usually of a thoughts that fascinating books encourage polarizing reactions, so hopefully this e-book counts as, effectively, fascinating. I definitely cared very deeply about it and it’s type of a religious sequel to The Guide of Accidents in that they’re each books which might be private to me, that each try and grapple with massive squirrely emotions (one about household, one about pals), that every deal with the “haunted home” thought at a kind of indirect angle. I’m glad it’s linked with individuals. It’s a bizarre e-book! I do know it. I wrote it to be about some unlikable characters with the aim of creating you give a shit about them anyway, and likewise explaining their unlikable natures by the superpower of Empathy. I dunno! It’s on the market. I hope individuals proceed to test it out and discuss it and put up evaluations. I hope it stands the take a look at of time, however, in fact, solely time will inform as a result of that’s how this shit works.

The story that got here out was “Grand Junction” within the (gasp) Stephen King The Stand anthology, The Finish of the World as We Know It, which, holy fuck, was simply such an honor to be part of. The story could be very a lot one I mentally dedicate to my very own father, who was a hunter, who liked Colorado, and I needed to write down a story which may communicate to a few of who he was and what he preferred — whereas, y’know, additionally writing concerning the round nature of fine and evil in a world dominated and decimated by Captain Journeys, the nightmare superflu. I liked writing it and can’t thank Keene and Golden sufficient for giving me a shot. And, final because of the King hisownself.

The e-book I wrote and edited?

Properly, that’s The Calamities, my demony-horrory-fantasyey e-book a couple of bunch of delightfully messy egocentric fuck-hungry soul-eating monsters. I wrote the primary draft, actually wasn’t positive it was any good in any respect, bought a tremendous edit letter from my stellar editor Tricia Narwani that principally clarified for me why I felt the best way I did about it, and helped me crystallize the way to make the factor I wrote be one of the best model of itself — simply turned that in earlier than Christmas and am so, soooo a lot happier with the e-book because it stands. I’ll speak somewhat extra about it within the new 12 months — but it surely was actually enjoyable to write down and has ties to a number of my different books. (And if you happen to had been searching for some Naberius, effectively. He’s in right here. Alongside a sure orange cat.) Comes out August 18th. Cowl reveal quickly, however for now…

Lastly, I additionally edited my subsequent center grade, which I thiiiiiink is now known as The Boy Who Dreamed Up Doorways, and I’ve gone one other edit to do on that within the new 12 months, after which I believe it possibly comes out by 12 months’s finish? Don’t quote me on that. It’s a bizarre kind of metatextual riff on portal fantasies! Additionally a number of enjoyable to write down. Additionally mayyyybe a secret (and considerably unintended) screed in opposition to AI.

Acquired to do a e-book tour for Staircase. Acquired to sit down with an alarmingly cool roster of authors. In that manner, my life is sort of good and fairly fortunate.

On a non-writing degree, yeah, it’s been a superb 12 months, if a bit blurry? Kiddo graduated from one college and is now in highschool holy fuck. Went abroad to Scandinavia — Copenhagen to Oslo to Bergen to Stockholm, then again to Copenhagen. (Every are a number of the best locations I’ve been to. If, erm, very costly.) I’m wholesome sufficient, I suppose, although particularly given the vacations, I may drop a couple of stone, or nonetheless they’d put it within the UK. Perhaps I’ll get on certainly one of them fancy GLP medication and get weirdly skinny! In all probability not, however one by no means is aware of what the longer term holds. I learn a buncha good books and noticed motion pictures and listened to music however I coated that already.

(I observe right here if you happen to wanna see pictures from my journey to Scandinavia, right here they be. And there are some beneath, too.)

So, what’s up then with 2026?

As famous, The Calamities comes out.

In all probability, too, The Boy Who Dreamed Up Doorways.

(Cowl reveals for each coming quickly, I believe.)

Then the sequel to The Calamities mayyyy be not too far on the heels of the primary — e-book two within the duology is Chaos Reigns.

I’ve bought a brief story to write down and switch in for Secret Anthology Factor.

Paperback for The Staircase within the Woods comes out March third. I’m positive I’ll signal and personalize copies at Doylestown to have despatched out with some stickers and such to go together with it — and I’m chatting with Thrillerdelphia to do an occasion there too round launch, which can be a hoot if it really works out.

Gonna head to Eire and Scotland over the summer time, in June. Only for funsies, to date — although if there’s alternative to do a e-book occasion, I’ll take it.

Actually a e-book tour, in all probability in August.

My healthcare premiums are going up up up so haha hopefully individuals will purchase my books haha ha haahaaaaa aaahhhhhh.

Anyway. I believe that’s about that. I believe 2026 can be enjoyable creatively, and doubtless terrifying in quite a lot of different instructions, so we’ll simply batten the fucking hatches and energy on by the present storm, yeah? Yeah.

I’ll wrap up right here with my favourite pictures of the 12 months — I’ve bought lots, however I’ll choose a batch and hope you take pleasure in ’em. I’ll be again earlier than the 12 months topples over with a Author Decision for 2026, if that’s the kind of factor you’re searching for.

And away we goooooo.