In this year-end episode, I reflect on my author journey throughout 2025—month-by-month wins, struggles, and lessons—and share my hopes for a successful 2026.
In this special year-end episode, I take a look back at 2025, reflecting on the high points, challenges, and key milestones in my author career.
I walk through the year month by month, revisiting the projects I launched, the goals I met (and missed), and everything I’ve learned along the way.
Thank you for being part of the journey—wishing you all the best for an exciting and creative 2026!
This week, I hit 24k words on Churchill’s Dragons, prepped Punk’s Not Dead audiobook for final checks, and took a short AirBnB break with family to rest and manage early SAD symptoms.
This week, I passed the 24,000-word mark on my current work-in-progress, Churchill’s Dragons (RAF Dragon Corps, Book 2).
The story’s really taking shape, and I’m enjoying building on the world established in Book 1.
I also received the completed audiobook for Punk’s Not Dead and will be doing my final listen-through before it’s ready to go live.
On a personal note, I’ve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) creeping in, so I took a few days off. I booked a short AirBnB break with my wife and son to rest, reset, and recharge.
This week, I reached the midpoint of The Sentinel’s Mercy and prepared for the launch of the Punks Versus Zombies trilogy, releasing August 31. Feeling better and back in the writing flow!
This week, I’ve been recovering and feeling much better—just in time to reach the midpoint of The Sentinel’s Mercy, my latest Ravenglass Guardians novel.
The story’s hitting its stride, and I’m excited with how it’s coming together.
I’ve also been hard at work preparing for the launch of the Punks Versus Zombies trilogy, which goes live this weekend on August 31!
Can’t wait to get this wild post-apocalyptic ride into readers’ hands.
This week, I reached 75% of my Watcher draft in the Ravenglass Guardians series and began outlining the next standalone novel, which will follow the Guardians’ Sentinel faction.
This week, I’ve made solid progress on my Watcher story in the Ravenglass Guardians series, hitting the 75% mark in my draft.
If everything continues smoothly, I should have a complete draft by the end of next week.
I’ve also been outlining the next standalone novel, which will follow a character from the Guardians’ Sentinel faction. Each book in this series will explore a different path of the Guardians, with all seven forming a powerful nobledark saga.
This week, I reached the midpoint of my first Ravenglass Guardians novel, a nobledark fantasy with political thriller vibes. I’m planning seven 60k-word standalones, written before Patreon release.
This week, I hit the mid-point in drafting my first Ravenglass Guardians novel, focusing on the Watchers faction. It’s a nobledark fantasy with strong political thriller elements.
Since each of the seven planned books will be standalone, this may not be the first released—but my goal is to write the full series before launching it on Patreon.
I’m aiming for 60k-word novels (like my Guild of Assassins books), which allows me to draft a solid book in about four weeks, writing 3,000 words per weekday—a pace I’ve kept up for years. It’s a challenge, but one I’m excited to push through!
This week, I finished drafting The Prince and the Fool, rebuilt my book page at joncronshaw.com/books, and fully embraced my rebrand as the King of Nobledark. A productive, intense week!
This week has been a busy and intense one! I’m thrilled to share that I’ve finished the draft of The Prince and the Fool (Ravenglass Legends, Book 4). It’s always a huge relief hitting that final chapter.
On top of that, I’ve been deep in website work—the book page platform I’d been using suddenly stopped working, so I rebuilt everything from scratch. You can now browse my updated book catalogue at joncronshaw.com/books.
I’ve also leaned further into my King of Nobledark rebrand, making sure everything aligns with the tone and themes of my work. It’s been a lot—but worth it.
This week, I’m 60% through The Prince and the Fool, reading about Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, and watching House of Cards. Still nursing a bad back—hoping to recover in time to see Nine Inch Nails next week!
This week, I’ve hit the 60 percent mark on the draft of The Prince and the Fool (Ravenglass Legends, Book 4).
The story is moving steadily, and I’m excited to see it coming together.
I’ve also been reading the 33 1/3 book on Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love—a fascinating deep dive into one of my all-time favourite albums.
And I’ve finally started watching House of Cards on Netflix—dark, sharp, and brilliantly acted.
I’m still dealing with a bad back, which has been slowing me down. I’m really hoping it improves soon, especially with Nine Inch Nails coming up next week—fingers crossed I’ll be well enough to go!