When I wrote my 2024 wrap-up post, I was naturally left wondering what would be in my 2025 end-of-year blog post. I had my goals for the year. The aim was to publish three books in 2025, but in January nothing is guaranteed. Fast forward to December, and here we are. Three books published, and the reception has blown all of my expectations out of the park!

The story begins with a trip back in time

The first books to come out in 2025 were Nineteen Minutes to Midnight and Gone Midnight – easily the most ‘out there’ story I’ve ever written. When the books came out in April, I was nervous to say the least. Imposter syndrome never really leaves you as a writer, especially when you bravely venture into a new genre. I’d never written sci-fi before, and I’d never thought I’d ever manage a time travel story – talk about a recipe for plot holes galore! But when the idea came to me, some time in 2023, I just had to write the story down. It all started with a teenage boy who moves into an old house in an old village, who hears the sound of a clock chiming at nineteen minutes to midnight. That was the scene in my head. I wrote that down first, with no idea where it was going to go. Maybe it was going to be a haunted house horror? Maybe a murder mystery with a supernatural element. Or maybe, just maybe, it was going to be my first YA time travel adventure, which plunges our three main characters, Jerome, Sam, and Olly, into a saga which would reach far into the depths of my imagination.

But of course, when I submitted the final manuscript to the publisher, I was nervous to say the least. The beta reading feedback was good. The story was polished and ready. So why was I nervous? Because there was still that niggling feeling in the back of my mind that people would think it was utter horse shit.

Thankfully, that hasn’t (thus far) appeared to be the case. In fact, one reader said they thought Nineteen Minutes to Midnight was “one of the best time travel stories they’ve read!”

This is incredible considering how nervous I was to release this story, and I was so happy people were enjoying it.

And just like that, I’m a bestselling author

What I never expected was for Nineteen Minutes to Midnight to become a bestseller! But that it did, which completely blew my mind when I saw the book reach number one for Young Adult Time Travel. This is something I could’ve only dreamed about when I started my writing journey just five years ago. Even better, the book has consistently stayed there throughout the year. I can’t thank everyone who has grabbed their copy enough.

But (there’s always a but…)

Like everything in life, positives come with negatives. And Nineteen Minutes to Midnight didn’t fall short of that. The thing is, I wrote Nineteen Minutes to Midnight as one story, not two. I actually submitted the book to my publisher in 2024. It wasn’t until April 2025 that I heard back from the publisher regarding the edits. And when I chased them and they finally came back, they gave me something to think about. And think about it I did, for a long time. Basically, the publisher said they couldn’t market the book effectively as it was, and they would highly recommend splitting the book into two parts. This isn’t something I wanted to do. In my mind, the story had a beginning, middle, and end which all belonged on a single cover.

But I am by no means a marketing expert. This is why I approached the publisher in the first place, so that my books would get a wider reach and my name would be found by more readers. Initially, I pushed back on the idea, explaining that this story is part of a planned trilogy and the intention is for it to be told as one. But when they came back, talking about box sets and collection ideas, it felt like they were very keen to give the book a big push on the marketing front – something I was truly grateful for. And curiosity got the better of me. What if I released the book as a single volume, only for it to plummet into the abyss of Amazon’s listings, never to be found or read by anyone? If I didn’t take the publisher’s advice, I knew I’d always have the feeling of what if?

So, I rewrote the ending slap-bang in the middle of an action scene. I sort of saw it a bit like those two-part Doctor Who episodes they used to have (I don’t know if they do them anymore), usually where the Doctor and co would find themselves in an impossible situation, only for the episode to end leaving viewers desperate for more. I used to love that – in fact, my whole week would consist of me counting down the days until we found out what happened. So, I thought, why not do something similar with my story?

But then the reviews started coming in. What really got to me the most was people were enjoying the first book, but it was clear that the cliffhanger was frustrating a good amount of them. One reader spoke of how they enjoyed the book, but felt “cheated” because they had to buy the second book to find out what happens.

So, whilst it might be a great way of bringing back audiences in TV and movies, apparently in book format it can sometimes do more damage than good. Now, don’t get me wrong, some books end on a cliffhanger and it works. The Lord of the Rings springs to mind. I suppose if I’d had more time, I may have reconsidered the ending of book one.

But that was just it: the book had been in a queue for so long, and I needed to make a decision quickly.

Ultimately, it was the wrong decision.

I spoke to my publisher about returning the books back into a single volume. The way it was written. However, they were insistent that this was the right way to go, and that most readers wouldn’t feel the same frustration as the initial reviews expressed.

Still, despite Nineteen Minutes becoming my first bestselling novel, its numbers seemed to have staggered. Ratings are low in quantity. As of the time of writing this post, it only has eleven ratings on Amazon. To put that in perspective, I indie-published another book in October, which has had over 20,000 orders and is on course for 500 ratings before the close of the year.

So, something had clearly gone wrong.

The last thing I ever want is for my readers to think I’m trying to con them out of money, even though book one was free. And whilst it wasn’t the way I wanted to go, at the end of the day, it is ultimately my name on the cover. One reader even said they’d be cautious of reading another one of my books because of the unannounced cliffhanger, even though I have no control over updating the description. I’ll be open and honest: I don’t do this for money. I started writing when I was struggling with my mental health, and I wanted to breathe some fresh air into a new venture. It’s never been about becoming rich or famous. I just want to tell stories. Which is why recently, I made an important decision, something I haven’t yet spoken about publicly.

Taking (back) over the wheel

Last month, I formally triggered the rights reversal clause in my contract with Next Chapter Publishing. This includes the following titles:

• Forbidden Shores
• Nineteen Minutes to Midnight
• Gone Midnight

Whilst I don’t have a clear timescale as to when the rights will be reversed, I am finally happy that the ball has started rolling. And I am hopeful that at some point in 2026, the rights to these books will be returned, and I will be able to publish new editions under my own imprint: AJE Press. This will include a new, combined edition of Nineteen Minutes to Midnight. Gone Midnight will go out of print, and Nineteen Minutes to Midnight will become a single volume – a complete story, behind one cover. As written, and ready to be read as initially intended.

A new, re-edited edition of Forbidden Shores will also be released, with a new cover which fits more in line with my brand. And, to add to this, I finally signed a deal for the audiobooks to be produced!

I’ve written an extensive blog post on my frustrations with traditional publishing and why it simply isn’t for me, so I won’t go into too much detail as to why I’ve made this decision. What I will say is that this is not a criticism of Next Chapter Publishing or their approach to publishing. But if the success of One Step Closer has taught me anything, it’s that I am much more suited to publishing, marketing, and distributing my books via the indie publishing route.

One Step Closer

In October, I also took back the rights to manage the publication of One Step Closer myself. In that time, the book has had over 20,000 orders! What?! Not only that, it has become a bestselling novel for psychological thrillers in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. Not only that, but I’ve seen sales rise of my other indie titles on the back of it.

One Step Closer is easily one of my favourite mysteries that I’ve written so far. It was a book that started in a similar way to what Nineteen Minutes to Midnight did – one scene, with a young woman on the wrong side of a motorway bridge, only for a young farmer to talk her down.

When I started writing this book, the intention was for it to be a romance novel between a young woman with a dark past and a farmer with an uncertain future. I got about halfway through the first draft when I shelved it. Whilst it was okay as a romance, I felt like there was something missing. I wanted to delve deeper into this dark past. Who or what was this girl running from? When I started to pen some flashback scenes, I came to the fast realisation that this couldn’t be written in a few pages. This was a whole chunk of the book. More than just a subplot.

So, I started again. Only this time I knew there had been a shift in tone, genre, and voice. I was writing a crime thriller.

I nearly didn’t come back to the book. For over a year, it was left behind as a (if I’m brutally honest) pretty boring romance novel that I couldn’t fathom what direction it was going in.

I’m so thrilled I rewrote it as a crime mystery. It elevated everything, and is a real threat to North Paradise in becoming my most read, and most successful release to date.

Audiobook-ing

At the time of writing this post, I’m eagerly awaiting the audiobook’s release. I found my narrator, Katy, on ACX, and I was blown away by her samples. I could hear my characters in her voice. So, I sent her a message, inviting her to audition for One Step Closer. When she did, I couldn’t get the offer to her quickly enough. Thankfully, we made a deal, and a couple of months later, she sent me over the completed audiobook. This is easily one of my best audiobook releases to date, and not only that, it’s my first dual-narration. One Step Closer is centred around four main characters. Two females and two males. It’s Katy’s idea to go with a dual-narration, and I couldn’t have agreed more. Katy sent me an audio sample of a narrator she had in mind. Geraint Davies put in a stellar performance as both Jack and Jonathan, as did Katy with Piper and Martha. I’m over the moon with the audiobook, and can’t thank Katy and Geraint enough for the incredible efforts in turning my story into a thrilling and immersive experience for audiobook listeners.

A peek at the future (and the past)

So, in conclusion (not to sound too formal), 2025 has been a very busy year, filled with highs and lows, and most of all, invaluable lessons as this crazy journey continues.

Off the page, it’s been an incredible year too. In October (a day before One Step Closer came out, actually), my wife and I welcomed our second child, a beautiful baby girl – and with all of the incredible joy that brings, I do also have someone else to dedicate my books to, including my next one!

In June 2026, I will release a book which I’ve been holding close to me for quite some time. Again, I’m quite nervous to release it into the world as it’s another genre shift for me, but not one I haven’t ventured into before.

The Girl Who Lives By The Sea is the coastal, small-town romance novel I’ve always wanted to write. Despite being a northerner, one of my favourite places in the UK is Cornwall. So, it didn’t take long for me to decide that I wanted to write a love story set there.

I can’t wait for you to meet Mia and Luke, and discover their story. It will be available in June, in all formats, including an audiobook, which I’m delighted to announce will once again be narrated by Katy and Geraint.

And of course, this book is for my incredible daughter. I hope one day, she’ll grow up and read it, and realise that her dad can be a right soppy old git.

Romance and love stories aside, I can’t deny that I always feel right at home when writing crime. I’ve got a new mystery cooking at the moment. Whilst I can’t guarantee that it will be out in 2026, that’s very much the aim. At this moment, there isn’t much I can say about it, only that I’ve never written a mystery quite like it – and it might just include my most shocking twist yet!

Alongside all of this, I’m also working on what will be (the real) book two in the Nineteen Minutes to Midnight series. The Shadow Awakening will be the next instalment in the adventure, and the first draft is in full flow. Again, there’s not much I can say right now – this one is almost certain to be a 2027 release at the earliest – but what I will say is this world has blown right up, and the stakes have never been higher!

So, as I close the door on 2025, and look forward to what promises to be a massive 2026, I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank my readers, as I do every year, and will continue to do for years to come. After all, there’s no excitement in storytelling if there’s no one to tell the story to! So, as always, a massive thank you to everyone who has been involved in my writing journey. To my beta readers, my publisher, my editor, and my readers, a huge thank you! You’ve all helped shaped what has been without a doubt my biggest year in writing so far!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and an incredible New Year.

See you on the other side.

Alex.