December always feels like the soft closing of a chapter. The nights stretch long, the cold settles in and beyond glittering fairy lights and colourful baubles, the world takes on a hush that feels almost sacred.
So as 2025 draws to a close, it feels like the right time to pause, reflect and celebrate all that didn’t break us.
How about you? What were your favourite parts of the year?
For me, 2025 has been a year of working hard, travelling whenever I could (Scotland, Wales, Canada, Croatia and Bosnia) and spending time with new and old friends.
There were no new books published this year, but I reinvented The Cabin in Whispering Woods (previously A Storytelling of Ravens) and repackaged my Sullivan Carter Chronicles duology into one combined volume to give readers more choice.
In October, I was honoured to be a special guest at the Halloween edition of Cliffecon, alongside legends such as scream queens Caroline Munro, Eileen Daly, Janina Faye, and non-fiction writer Mark Iveson.
Some of my proudest moments this year happened outdoors. I climbed two mountains, Snowdon and the Pap of Glencoe. Both were challenging, but deeply spiritual journeys. Worth every ache, pain and blister.
The hardest part of my year was having to say goodbye to my little girl, Delilah – my sweet blue whippet who was the gentlest, most beautiful little soul. Alongside the profound heartache, I feel overwhelming thankfulness for the precious thirteen years of love and companionship she gave me… and now the fleeting nighttime visits.
As we look toward the start of a brand-new year, I raise a toast to another year conquered. 2025 wasn’t always kind, far from it, but it was a journey of growth and resilience.
R. H. DIXON 