Apologies for my absence. Apart from all the standard chaos that occurs towards the end of each year; hectic work, fitting in Christmas celebrations and trying to survive the summer heat, the conclusion of 2025 was a bit of a challenge for me. On 20th December, my husband and I bid farewell to our beautiful boy Merlin, the bearded dragon who was by my side through challenging years and with me when I started my adventure with the man I’m blessed to call my husband.

Without having his energy in the house, watching his obsession with the television or how interested he was in watching MotoGP, the house felt a bit emptier. With any death, one of the first decisions to make is what to do with the earthy remains. My husband had a lovely idea of a fitting way to honour Merlin and keep him with us. Merlin now rests within a nice pot on the balcony, and snap dragons should soon grow to blanket the top of his grave. It is impossible not to imagine my dragon baby sitting atop the pot, watching the traffic go by, and considering taste testing all the plants on the balcony. He was a very regal lizard at times and would enjoy thinking himself the king of all he surveyed.

RIP Merlin

After giving myself time to grieve, my husband and I enjoyed a nice, quiet Christmas and had a friend around for a relaxed welcoming of the new year. With the troubling times we are witnessing in the world, I hope as many people as possible were able to welcome in the new year with love and hope in their hearts.

Now, it is the 26th of January. A contentious day in Australia. For me, the day will be spent eating lamingtons and working on edits of “Lamington”, my current novel in progress. It has been a pleasure to immerse myself in a new world and after receiving wonderfully constructive feedback from beta readers, I am amidst the characters, chopping and changing the story to strengthen it. My first focus of this year will be to get “Lamington” ready for submission into a manuscript development competition. The thought of submitting my work into a competition is daunting. I need to keep reminding myself that the way up, is through submitting to opportunities such as this. Once my submission is ready, I am keen to sink back into the world of “Murphy’s Bluff” and re-visit that world with fresh eyes.

There is nothing better to freshen the eyes and the mind than by writing a completely different story in between edits. Writing “Lamington” has been an amazing experience. I have learnt so much along the way, and new characters have forever found a place in my heart. As I work through edits, the pull of “Murphy’s Bluff” grows stronger. I can smell the salt laden winds beckoning me towards the Bluff and excitement grows to walk along those cobbled streets and be welcomed back my old friends. I know I will have to “murder some darlings” but with what I have learnt through my recent work, I’ll be able to approach “Murphy’s Bluff” with a different perspective that should prove beneficial.

This year, I have a strong focus on prioritising and protecting my writing time and shielding myself from work burnout. As much as I find elements of my day job interesting, and work with some incredible people who have become an extended family, my real passion is my writing and by focusing on my passion, I will accomplish much this year. I have an amazingly supportive husband who understands that at times I will disappear inside my own head, crafting different worlds and engaging in conversations with characters. I swear the man is a saint.

Another thing to look forward to this year, will be the holiday we are planning towards the end of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere’s Autumn. Stay tuned for updates on the trip, which I am sure will be incredibly fun and inspirational.

As there is no time like the present, and the heat of the day is building (expected to be 37° in Brisbane today), I shall leave you here. With delicious crumbs of sponge cake and desiccated coconut becoming a little mound on a plate beside me and the green tea at a perfect drinking temperature, it is time to write.

I hope 2026 brings your dreams to fulfilment. Feel free to stick around to watch my progress through the year.