Sarah Jules Writing

And just like that, 2025 is over…

Year in Review 2025

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do a ‘year in review’ this year because, quite frankly, it’s been the worst year of my life. In May, I lost my soul dog, Buster. He’d been my shadow for almost seven years. We’d spent maybe four nights apart in that time. It’s safe to say, his death is the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. If it wasn’t for my family and friends (and Sertraline!) I’m not sure I’d be here. Buster’s passing has taught me a lot about life, death, and grief. I’ve spent the last seven months looking for ‘glimmers’, living for moments of joy, and–to be honest–just putting one foot in front of the other and figuring out my new normal.

I don’t want this post to be a Debbie Downer. Yes, Buster’s death was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to live through. But my life is so much better for him having been part of it. I owe my life to that ridiculous creature, and I’ll forever be grateful for him.

So, amongst the pain of losing Buster, I also experienced lots to be thankful for.

As an author…

• This year has been a year of growth. I feel like I’m finally coming into my own in this crazy world of writing books. In 2025…
  • I released YOU NEED TO LEAVE (the sequel to YOU INVITED IT IN). You all made the release so special and I was blown away by the response. ❤
  • Co-edited GOOD FOR HER: An Anthology of Women’s Rage with Shauna Mc Eleney, and TC Parker of Nefarious Bat Press, in aid of Sister’s Uncut. The stories are FIRE! The cause we’re supporting is FIRE! The authors involved are… FIRE!
  • Started a new standalone short story series called TINY TERRIBLE TALES (the first three are out now). I love writing these stories. It allows me to explore genres and ideas I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. I’m beyond excited to take this series into 2026.
  • And I was featured in KJK Publishing’s The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition. My story ‘HEADED NORTH’ is one I’m really proud of. It’s gory, it’s fun, it’s kinda weird.
• I got swept up in the whirlwind that was the Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl. Somehow, YOU INVITED IT IN made it to the semi-finals – finishing in the TOP FOUR! It was knocked out by the incomparable Judith Sonnet – which was an honour in itself. I’m so grateful for this opportunity because it helped me to reach so many awesome new readers.
• While I don’t want to get too caught up in the numbers, I did hit a few big milestones for me.
  •  In 2025 alone, I reached over 1.4 million Kindle Page reads. To put that into perspective, last year I had 400k page reads. When a book is in Kindle Unlimited, the author gets paid per page read, which is why these numbers are important.
  • My books are about to hit 4000 ratings on Goodreads, with a 3.92 star average (after starting this year off on less than 1000).
  • The YOU INVITED IT IN series continues to be popular on Audible (thanks to Kevin Green’s awesome narration) with 1.5k sales, which is INSANE! And consistently ranks in Amazon’s Top 10 charts for British Horror.
  • I received my first ever Kindle All Star Bonus this year in August, and subsequently was awarded one each month following that. The All Star Bonus is ‘a discretionary monthly bonus to recognize KDP Select Kindle eBooks that delight readers’. So I’m officially delightful!
• YOU INVITED IT IN was spotted in brick and mortar bookstores, featured as book clubs’ Book of the Month, and recommended by popular BookTokers. Yeah, YOU INVITED IT IN is definitely the book that changed it all for me. Which is awesome because boy did I put the poor Eastwoods through some shit!

I am beyond thankful to every single reader, reviewer, supporter. I’ve loved being able to chat with a lot of you this year. YOU are what makes the horror community a great place to be. Thank you. ❤

As a ghostwriter and editor…

• I worked on some INSANELY AWESOME projects with clients. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with talented, kind, and creative people and to be part of projects that I’m genuinely beyond excited about. The last few years, I did a round up of projects I’ve worked on in terms of the numbers. But this year, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to celebrate being able to be selective about the projects I work on. You have no idea how grateful I am to be in a position where I can choose the projects/clients that feel like perfect fits.
• My clients already know how grateful I am for their trust, their openness, and their creativity. But if any of them are reading this, YOU ARE AMAZING!
• I’m getting closer to that elusive work-life balance (which was one of my resolutions last year). I’m classing that as a win!

As a human being…

• I’m the kind of person who retreats when they’re going through a difficult time. Previously, I’ve felt guilty about this. I’ve felt bad about withdrawing from loved ones when I need space. After Buster’s death, I gave myself permission to just ‘be’. To deal with it in whatever way meant I could get through it. For me, that meant withdrawing and giving myself the opportunity to build myself up bit by bit. I’m so lucky to have friends and family who understood what I needed and who simply met me where I was. This is a HUGE win for me because historically speaking I’m hard on myself and try to force myself back out into the wide world before I’m ready, which only makes life more difficult in the long run. On a similar note, I managed to ‘fix’ my antidepressant dosage – another big win. Being on medicine for mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. I love talking about mental health, medications, therapies, coping strategies… The more we talk about it, the less taboo it becomes.
• I’ve found new hobbies – crochet and running and gardening and going to the theatre. I’ve taken time to chill and binge watch TV, to relax, to do things that make me happy. Together with my partner Danny, we’ve travelled a bit – Edinburgh, Durham, York, Devon, but haven’t yet managed to get out of the UK. YET! Just yesterday we booked our first abroad holiday in seven years – we spent seven years holidaying in the UK with Buster and I wouldn’t change that for the world. However, now is our time to explore the world! We’re going to Lisbon, Portugal in January. And we already have our eyes on another few for next year.
• I read 100 books this year (books are pure escapism for me) across all genres. I read more non-fiction books than I ever have before – mostly as audiobooks – which was another one of my resolutions for this year. It would be impossible to give you my Top Ten reads because, to be honest, there was hardly a dud amongst them. I’ve either been super lucky, or I’m getting really good at picking books to read.
• I bought WAY more books than I could ever read in a year. I even signed up for a couple of book boxes. The EVERNIGHT one is my FAVOURITE so far! The special editions are BEYOND BEAUTIFUL. Remember, buying books and reading them are two different hobbies.
• I’ve spent quality time with friends and family. We’ve cried, and celebrated, and laughed, and I have such a great group of people around me.

Next Year…

I hope next year brings more softness. More calmness. More living. I want to write, and travel, and spend time with people I love, and work on projects that fulfil me. I want to be kind to myself and to others, to prioritise my health and happiness. To meet more people and do more things, and live in a way that feels authentically me. I will take my grief with me, because it won’t ever go away, and treasure it because it means that I loved someone so much that my life will never be the same without them.