Hey Everyone,
Well, 2025 has been a year, hasn’t it? It’s gone absolutely nothing as I expected, and I’m limping towards the finish line feeling pretty battered. But I’m here, I’m still writing (slowly), and I have some news to share.
First, the pretty things! I got the lovely team over at Arcane covers to give ‘The Magicians of Venice’ series a gorgeous new cover makeover. I saw their work and fell in love immediately. I have also updated ‘The King’s Seal’ paperback to include ‘The Dark Labyrinth’ in the back. It’s too short to give it a separate book, but it fits in nicely with the new edition.
‘A City of Hearts and Feathers‘ has also had a glow-up. There’s something about fresh covers that makes everything feel new again—like putting on a fabulous outfit after living in pyjamas for months. I also want to write more in ‘The Order of Anubis’ world in 2026, but I feel like I shouldn’t make big promises just yet.
I’ve been pretty open with you all about the fact that 2025 has knocked me sideways. Having had two deaths in the family this year and all of the fallout after them, the grief has been… a lot. Writing has been incredibly hard in the second half of the year, especially, and some days my brain fog has been so bad I can’t talk straight, let alone write. I’m still shaky around the edges, and busy as hell with family stuff, but I’m getting there.
The good news is that when all else fails, I can always write about my beloved Venice. She never lets me down. I’ve been quietly working on Gio’s story in ‘The Tarot Kings’ world, and it feels like coming home. There’s something about those canals and that magic that soothes my soul when nothing else can. I’ve been thinking about Gio a lot lately, and his story is slowly taking shape in my grief-addled brain. And because I’m clearly in the mood for amazing new covers, I just got his in my inbox, and couldn’t wait to share it.
Ooof. If that doesn’t inspire me to put pen to paper, I really don’t know what will. Also, just a reminder that all of ‘The Tarot Kings’ are out in audio. They are wide, and are everywhere you listen, including Spotify so check them out!
In my non-fiction reading list, I had dived headfirst down the Chaos Magic rabbit hole. I’ve binge read ‘Condensed Chaos’ by Phil Hine and ‘Liber Null and Psychonaut’ by Peter Carroll, and I have to say—the parallels between Chaos Magic techniques and how my ADHD/autistic brain naturally works are both hilarious and eerie.
I’ve also started reading ‘The Science of Magic’ by Dean Radin PhD, which approaches everything from a wonderful scientific angle.
As usual, I don’t know how all this research will come out in a book one day, but it absolutely will. My weird little obsessions always find their way onto the page eventually, and if there is one thing we know, I love writing about magicians of all kinds.
On the fiction side, I’ve started reading ‘Katabasis’ by R.F. Kuang, and it’s so good I want to cry. I’m also furiously mad that I didn’t think of the idea first. It’s probably the best thing I’ve read all year. If you haven’t picked it up yet, do yourself a favour and grab it.
The Year of the Snake has been brutal, and I’m ready to see the back of it. Here’s hoping 2026 is brighter—for all of us. I’m heading into the new year with a head full of stories that are demanding to be told. I’m also off to Prague for the Christmas markets with writer friends to recharge my batteries and fill my head with wonderful, magical historical things.
Thank you all for sticking with me through this rough patch. I really do have the best readers in the world.
Ames x
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