First, I want to wish all my subscribers, readers, and supporters a very happy New Year.

I’m genuinely grateful to all of you for the generosity of your time. Reading is always a choice, and when you choose to read something I’ve written, I don’t take that responsibility lightly. My aim is simple: to tell stories and to entertain. I hope I manage that. And if I don’t,… well, I’ll keep trying. Promise!

I really do mean thank you. Storytelling isn’t a vocation overflowing with praise or feedback, but I don’t need much. The occasional like, a comment, or watching the stats on a new story tick upward is more than enough. It tells me someone, somewhere, is reading, and that’s all that matters.

The thrill of seeing the numbers rise gives me a lift like a Tui poking its head above the Harekeke. I’m still bemused and excited that an experimental short story I wrote more than five years ago, Balls Up!, continues to rack up hits from around the world (over 400 in 2025 alone, which is impressive for something that old / and for me!) People must be into mutilation and misery, go figure,… perhaps I should write more gore and filth!

The New Year is a good moment to look back, then look forward. Like most years, 2025 had its highlights and lowlights. It was another busy year, and here’s a snapshot of how it went.

Visitors

My website recorded over 5,400 hits from more than 3,900 unique visitors.

Top five countries:

1. India
2. USA
3. New Zealand
4. United Kingdom
5. Canada

Stories written

• Emily’s Ballet Flats – Shortlisted for the Te Tauihu Short Story Award (currently out to market)
• The Sunday Sesh – Published on my website
• S Man Missing, Foul Play Suspected – Published on my website

Blogs

• What I’d Really Like to Say Is… – A lament on growing older
• Sandpit (Parts 1–3) – Political commentary (and yes, it earned me a ban from X!)
• Watchin’ You – Celebrating my first-ever website hit from Kyrgyzstan
• Why I Hate AI – Commentary on the impact of AI on writers

Publications

• What the Butler Didn’t See – Featuring my short story The List
• The Front Step – A self-published collection of 30 short stories

Projects

I completed the first draft of a new novel, which I’ll be taking to market in April/May 2026. Between now and then: rewrites, new chapters, and a serious edit. A manuscript critique and feedback from Beta-readers have been largely very positive.

I also wrote 50,000 words of another new novel, Miss the Mark, before pausing the project for a rethink. Real-world events surrounding a political assassination gave me pause. Not because of politics, but because it sharpened a sense of responsibility that storytelling carries. I’ll return to this project later, with a slightly revised plot. Interestingly, it was my first serious attempt at commercial fiction and may re-emerge under a different pen name.

I also wrote my first-ever feature-length screenplay. It’s not going anywhere, but it was a valuable learning experience and a gentle reminder to stick to my knitting.

Plans for 2026

• Seek publication for Emily’s Ballet Flats
• Complete my new novel by the end of March
• Pursue representation and a publishing contract for the new novel
• Enter the Te Tauihu Short Story Competition again (twice shortlisted in the past two years). Fingers crossed, I will do well again.
• Explore a writing residency in New Zealand or overseas
• Begin work on a new novel (premise currently in development)
• Engage professional help to strengthen my social media presence
• Seek marketing support to increase sales of The Front Step
• Seek funding so that I may be able to spend more time writing

Looking beyond 2026

• Rewrite and relaunch The Cry of the Kuaka and The Return of the Water Deer
• Revisit and complete Miss the Mark
• Begin Glacier Man, a fully plotted novel ready to write, sitting and just staring at me
• Write a new short story exploring the intersection of genetics and ethics.

Thank you again for reading, following, and supporting my work. I’m looking forward to what this year will bring. Hopefully, I will be able to continue to entertain and provide you with a decent return on your time investment.

Oh, a quick review of my webpage stats shows that Thursday is the day I get the most hits, so future posts will be on Thursdays from now on.

Kia ora and hari tau hou.