If this year had a theme, it would be something like “Trying to write while also having a very demanding day job and a very tired brain.”
2025 was not an easy writing year for me. My work life took up a lot of space—mentally, emotionally, logistically—and carving out time to write often felt like trying to squeeze water from a stone. And on the rare occasions when I did sit down, the words didn’t always show up ready to cooperate. Most days, they flat-out refused.
My Writing Year (The Honest Version)
I didn’t spend 2025 drafting something brand new from scratch or disappearing into deep revision mode. Instead, I made a very intentional decision: I published All You Have To Do.
When the new words wouldn’t come, I needed to remind myself I was still a writer. That I do finish things. That I can still put my stories out into the world even when creativity feels fragile.
Publishing All You Have To Do was about doing something for me. I wanted to share a story, reconnect with readers, and give myself permission to acknowledge past accomplishments instead of only measuring myself against future goals.
And honestly? I needed that reminder.
Querying Reality Check
While writing new material felt stalled, I did put Horseferry Road, the historical fiction novel I completed in late 2024, out on submission to agents. And because transparency matters in an industry that doesn’t usually share, here are my querying stats:
- 118 queries sent
- 6 full requests
- 43 closed / no response
- 65 rejections
No offer of representation (yet). No happy ending. Just the long, familiar middle of the publishing road.
While it wasn’t a failure, it also wasn’t a breakthrough. It was persistence, resilience, and learning (again) that querying is as much about timing and taste as it is about talent. Right? (Please say yes…)
Looking Ahead to 2026
I don’t have any big announcements waiting in the wings. No secrets I’m dying to spill. No dramatic “this changes everything” moment on the horizon. But what I do have is a stack of finished manuscripts calling for a second look.
2026 will be a year of refining and revising. One where I return to my earlier work with clearer eyes and (hopefully) a little more breathing room. Less pressure to produce, more intention to strengthen what already exists.
My Top 10 Reads of 2025
I read 105 books this year, 75% of them via audiobook (which is also reading and I will fight you on that.) Here are the books that stood out.
- The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
- The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
- Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
- Hello, Juliet by Samantha M. Bailey
- Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo
- Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
- All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
- First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Heartwarming romances, deliciously twisty thrillers and a little (lot?) of female rage were exactly what I needed this year.
Final Thoughts
The TL;DR is…if you struggled to write (or create anything) this year, you’re not alone.
I had to constantly remind myself that progress doesn’t always look like productivity. Sometimes it looks like staying connected to stories when new words won’t come. Sometimes it looks like publishing something simply to remind yourself that you can. It always looks like continuing to believe in yourself and finding new ways to fill your creative well.
Thank you for being here with me, for reading, and for continuing to care about books and stories. That support matters more than I (or any other author) can ever properly express.
Here’s to showing up again in 2026, whatever that might look like.
✍️ ✨ Kelly
