2025 was definitely a rollercoaster, as many have experienced. There were ups, downs, and quite a few “what the fuck” moments. But one thing I have to give 2025 credit for: it 100% set up 2026 to be a great year.
One of the reasons is because I’ll be releasing a new story with a fantastic author collab I was invited to work with, and let me tell you: it’s the spiciest book you’ll see me write. The slowest burn ever too, but at least I deliver on what I tease. 🙃
You’ll also get to meet all of us in Nashville this summer for the Forbidden Love Book Event happening July 31st and August 1st! 🎉 This will be my very first out of state book signing, so I’m very excited and nervous and grateful to be attending. 😁
As for that news, my New Years Resolution for 2026 is to step back a little from social media and fall back into writing more. I hate to admit it, but I very much got caught up in the rat race of marketing on social media last year, so I didn’t feel as productive in writing as I should have been. While I probably won’t be posting as often, I hope to have more authentic posts to keep you all updated on my writing ventures. I’ve also started a Substack, so many of my posts will be there first, some in greater detail. I will also be eventually moving my street team to Substack, which already has a room ready. 😊
The reason for these subtle changes is because while I was writing the story for the author collab, I was hit with 3 other book ideas that are literally demanding my attention. Instead of fighting it and constantly pushing them off, I’ve decided to allocate time for them so they can be heard.
So, without further ado, here’s a little teaser of what I’ll be focusing on this year in hopes of publishing for 2027, if not sooner.
A Glimpse into My 2026 WIPs
The first glimpse is the author collab story. While it’s no longer a WIP, it is in it’s editing stage and will be available later this year. If you’re watching my Instagram page, you’ll notice that every Tuesday the collab and I will be teasing about our books. While we haven’t released the titles yet, we have announced that these books are romantasies and are part of a one world story, with each book set in some part of the same world. We’re all dying to tell you more, so definitely stay tuned! 😁
My next WIP has been a story that I announced earlier in 2025 but unfortunately was pushed back, though I have continued to plot, research, and outline it. Dead Descending will be the primary focus since it’s been haunting me for 10 years now (I literally started pinning books on my Amazon list to help with research as far back as 2016). Unlike my dark fantasies, this is a modern tale set on Mount Everest, and while you may think that it’s all about summitting the tallest mountain in the world, it’s actually the story of a body retrieval. However, it will be a guessing game if this story is a psychological thriller or a gothic horror, because while I’ll show you the dark side of survival, some readers will see character’s minds breaking while others will see hauntings. You will be the judge of what’s actually happening. 😉
And just in case anyone thinks I’m moving away from dark fantasy/grimdark, I’m happy to report that’s not the case. In fact, I’m actually plotting to return to the Benightedverse I’ve created, and I’ve already outlined the first book in a duology set in the same world as The Benighted Saga and All the Dark Souls. This time, however, it centers around a female square-turned-knight with plenty of political intrigue, betrayals, and bloodshed to light the way. New kingdom, new problems!
As for the last story glimpse, I’m going to keep this one a little quiet, even though the plot and cover have already been planned. But considering how fast it’s working itself out, there’s a chance it might slip in after Dead Descending, so I might as well give you all a warning about it. This one’s going to be a gothic horror based around a dark Victorian Christmas theme. Basically, it’ll be like Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House and A Christmas Carol being trapped in a room with some dark winter solstice folklore. It’ll be grim, it’ll be dark, it’ll be haunting… but if you love the aesthetic of the Victorian manor at Christmas time, you’ll love it. 🖤
So with that, hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and hope 2026 is a much better year! 🎉 Stay reading, peeps!
(Psst! I don’t own any of the images, and all of them were found on Pinterest. If you know the artist or are successful in finding them, please let me know so I can give them credit. 😁 Thank you!)
A. M. Dunnewin 