The Book Bump

As 2025 draws to a close, I like to pause and reflect on what this year has brought – the milestones, challenges and creative growth. It’s safe to say that this year has been intense, both in terms of writing and illustration.

This post looks at what worked, what challenged me, and how these two creative paths shaped each other this year.

But first, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way. It makes the journey worthwhile.

Thriller Writing and Self-Publishing Highlights

2025 will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is the year I became a published author. Perhaps not in the way I initially imagined. I’m not ashamed or afraid to admit that I had dreamed of a traditional publishing deal.

But destiny, fate, life – call it what you will – had other plans for me and my debut thriller novel, Under His Shadow.

I spent the first half of the year in the querying trenches. It’s brutal, the constant rejection, the ghosting… it takes time to create a thick skin. It’s a long journey to learn that just because one agent rejects your manuscript, it isn’t, in any way, a reflection of the quality of your work. It’s simply that agents have to be super selective; they can’t represent everyone.

On the other hand, even though I prepared myself mentally to become a one-woman business, I don’t think I realised just how much time and energy go into marketing. Self-publishing taught me that writing the book is only half the job. Being an English author living in France does make it harder to do events and such, because there aren’t loads of opportunities. There is a small English-speaking community near where I live, but I haven’t yet found a way to engage them.

However, I am still taken aback by the reception my debut novel received. Many of my readers left glowing reviews of Under His Shadow. And I can’t thank them enough for taking a chance on a little indie author.

One thing I sometimes regret, because I live in France, is not having translated my novel as I was writing it. If it existed in French, I’d be able to grow as an author locally as well.

As I move forward on this journey, I want to host some in-person events – book fairs, markets, indie bookstore signings, etc. – because I would love to meet my readers. Without them, there is no point in creating stories.

I am also slowly working on my second novel. A psychological thriller about a woman who goes missing from a writer’s retreat. I say slowly because I’ve taken the focus off writing for the moment to develop my skills as an illustrator.

Growing as an illustrator

As I was finalising my debut novel, I put my illustration course on the back burner. I’ve only recently realigned my focus on developing my skills as an illustrator.

It’s like riding a bike. The first few sketches felt rough and ridged. My fingers were rusty, no longer used to holding a pencil or a paintbrush daily. My eyes weren’t as attuned to colour harmonies as they had been. But as with riding a bike, you don’t forget how to draw, and you don’t necessarily regress; you just get a little rusty. With regular practice, the automatisms return quickly.

Perhaps I was wrong, but with the limited time I had at my disposal, I wanted to finally finish the debut novel that I had been working on and off on for the past twelve years.

That being said, I’ve learned plenty this year. I’ve completed eleven school assignments this year, along with a couple of personal projects. As with everything, some were more “interesting” than others. Some I found easy; some were more complex. But each taught me something invaluable about my style, my qualities and my shortfalls.

I can safely say I am better at traditional art than I am at digital art. Watercolour, ink, and coloured pencils remain among my preferred media. There is an appeal to feeling the paper, smelling the pigments, and knowing that mistakes become part of the final piece, whether you want them or not. And I realise that this authenticity is what I strive for in my digital pieces too (more on that here).

Some of my favourites were the dog food packaging assignment, which you can read more about here, or the character design, which you can read about here.

Another assignment that I particularly enjoyed was creating a picture dictionary for toddlers. This assignment really cemented my belief that I want to be a children’s book illustrator, more than any other type.

One thing I need to work more on is defining my signature style. For the moment, I am still discovering myself. I keep trying new things, see what I like, what I don’t, what I’m good at, what I need to work on. Part of me is worried that if I develop a style, I won’t progress elsewhere, or I’ll rest on my laurels and “forget” to be curious about new things.

Where My Worlds Collide

It might seem like my two creative identities are two completely different personas. It’s true, psychological thrillers are worlds away from children’s picture book illustrations, but they do have something in common: storytelling.

Storytelling guides a person’s attention and emotion over time, whether the story is told in an 80,000-word book, a picture book, or a single illustration. Storytelling is what engages the viewer to lean in, to want to know more. It’s what connects the viewer emotionally to the piece.

If there is no story, there is no emotional hook. Without a story, words are just words, and art is decorative. Storytelling is what makes people care about what you have to say.

No matter the medium, storytelling is the thread that holds everything I create together.

2025 Lessons for a Creative Life

Juggling two creative identities, a psychological thriller author and a trainee children’s book illustrator, is no easy feat. It requires a constant balancing act because both crafts require time and patience to grow.

As a mother of three children aged 6, 4 and 2, time is limited. This is a significant source of frustration, as I feel that I don’t have enough time to devote myself to learning my craft. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t give up family time to spend more time writing and illustrating. This tension is something many creatives live with — wanting more time but valuing the life that limits it.

Another lesson that hasn’t sunk in yet is allowing myself time to learn. Part of me thinks I should be at a certain point in my illustration career, that I should have achieved this or this amount of book sales. This just leads to creative overload and self-doubt. I’m learning to quieten the voices inside that tell me my progress is too slow, or that my art isn’t as good as it should be.

Sharing my work, whether it was finally publishing my debut novel or posting art on Instagram, is helping me realise that I am where I am, and that is enough. It doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to exist. If it doesn’t exist, I can progress.

It’s not easy coming to terms with the idea that you will outgrow your old art/writing as you continue to hone your craft, but it is an invaluable milestone to help you realise just how far you’ve come on the journey.

Comparing myself to other writers and artists, in terms of skill or their community engagement, is also something I endeavour to stop doing. It creates extra pressure that hinders creativity.

My biggest takeaway from 2025: I am me. I am where I should be.

Exciting Plans for 2026

2026 promises to be another exciting year of creative growth as I enter the final phase of my illustration course and begin transitioning from student to professional illustrator. This journey is something I plan to discuss in depth on the blog.

In terms of writing, I hope to have a finished first draft of my current WIP. It currently stands at 50,000 words. My aim is 80,000 to 90,000 words by June. But this is a flexible deadline. If I only get there in the autumn or in the winter, that’s ok. As long as I keep turning up and working on it weekly, I’ll be content with its progress.

Another exciting project I am currently working on is a children’s picture book that I am writing and illustrating. It’s got bears and magical libraries, and I can’t wait to share more about it with you.

This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I am grateful for where I am today. And I can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store.

If you’d like to follow this next chapter, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers (think the ABC series Revenge meets Rachel Grant’s Concrete Evidence), then don’t forget to check out my debut novel, Under His Shadow, here.

Thank you! See you next year 😊