2025 feels like a whole blank slate where nothing happened, but I know that’s not right. I know that’s just the exhaustion kicking in like a snowstorm wiping out the footprints behind me. If I check the diary, I know I did stuff.
Published three books: The Crimson Road, The Cold House and the redux version of Black-Winged Angels.
Published two short stories: “San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy” in The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic, Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane (eds) and “A Body’s Got to Have Hope” in Blood in the Bricks, Neil Williamson (ed.).
Delivered a novel, a novella, a collection and a new chapbook: A Forest, Darkly, Fitcher’s Bird, The Sourdough Compendium and Stories Told in Parts – The Writing of Sourdough and Other Non-Fiction, all of which will be out in 2026. 
Signed with a new agent, Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary – which is now Confluence Literary – and delivered unto her a new collection of short stories, signed contracts for two limited editions, and have two other contracts in the works thanks to Becky’s efforts.
I’ve continued to work with Titan Books and hope to continue doing so, and am very grateful to the team there for publishing and promoting my books.
Had a few translations come out too: The Path of Thorns in Spanish, Czech language and Polish and The Briar Book of the Dead in Hungarian and Dutch. Also signed a contract for a Complex Chinese translation of The Path of Thorns and another for a Ukrainian translation of The Briar Book of the Dead. I must say, for a book with a heroine some folk loudly proclaimed “unlikable”, Asher Todd and The Path of Thorns have done extraordinarily well.
And I spent three months in Hobart as the Hedberg Writer-in-Residence at the Uni of Tasmania, which was an interesting mixed bag of experiences. On the upside, it gave me time and space to write, and write I did, including one and a half novellas, 6 short stories, 4 articles, as well as doing two proofing passes on A Forest, Darkly before going to print, completing a new short story collection, and plotting for the new novel (which I’m currently struggling through), Our Lady of Battles. I taught four masterclasses and one workshop, did several student consults and a couple of AMAs in classes which were really fun.
Three film options – on “Finnegan’s Field”, The Path of Thorns and the Verity Fassbinder trilogy – have been renewed.
And saw my last two mentee babies take very big steps: Arianne James has her debut novel Daughters of the Tide coming out this year with HQ (@arianne_writes) and Bonnie Tai (@bonnietai_writes) signed with a Big Deal Agent for her novel Bad Blood. I feel proud to have ushered my final children into the world!
So, more stuff than I thought, but I very much have the sense of “just keep swimming” and just maybe the sharks won’t catch me. I can’t complain about what I got done.
This year, my plans include delivering a novella and two novels; I’d like to do some more graphic novel work but that’s in the handbag of the gods; and I’m going (I think) to SwanCon mid-year, when Kathleen Jennings is the guest of honour. Possibly some sleep, too, would be wise.