Fi Whyms

Jan 12, 2026 by Fi Whyms

First of all, my very best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy 2026! 

I’m relieved it’s 2026 because, from a creative standpoint, 2025 was the most difficult year I’ve ever had. There were teeth-gnashing moments when I wished I’d never, ever stumbled across the notion that I might be a writer. But I gradually learned to be kinder to myself, and I read some wonderful books that motivated me (particularly The Creative Act by Rick Rubin) and now that I’m here, standing at the cusp of another year, I’m able to look back at 2025 and see that what I went through was fundamentally important for me as a writer. 

If I wrote fantasy fiction, I’d describe it as the year when I finally managed to claw my way, bloodied and gasping, up onto the misty, battle-scarred castle ramparts I’d been repeatedly smashing my head against for quite some time. Once I’d got my breath back and was able to gaze out across the beautiful, treacherous terrain of the creative world in which I’ve chosen to live, I was able to accept that although it’s not perfect, I don’t want to live anywhere else.
Unfortunately, once that sentimental mist had cleared, it dawned on me that I wasn’t actually on top of the ramparts at all – I was on top of the washhouse which is loosely attached to the castle ramparts and leans rather precariously over the turbulent moat. But at least I’m now able to touch the impenetrable castle walls and work out a way to scale them.     

Returning now from the world of tortured metaphors, the first quarter of 2026 is going to be quite busy,  I have a new book release at the end of January, a book reading mid-February, a professional marketing drive to accompany the release, all while writing the current work-in-progress and re-editing the 4th book ready for re-release hopefully mid 2026. All that in more detail below!

New book: The Secret Solar System of the Heart.

As you’re probably aware (unless you eschew social media for which I salute you) I’m about to release my 6th book! Except that it’s actually my 5th book, because I’ve pulled my 4th book from publication. A thorough explanation of the reasons for that below. Anyway, TSSSH in e-book is available for pre-order on Amazon now (paperback will be uploaded next week) and the release date is fixed for 28th January 2026.

A bit of background to TSSSH: I started writing it in April 2024, so it’s taken more than 18 months to prise it from my gnarled fingers. It’s the longest time it’s ever taken me to write a book from from inception to release, and I know for a fact that in a year’s time I shall be itching to withdraw it and edit it again because I’ll be able to see everything that’s wrong with it then. It’s impossible to see it now because it’s obscured by the impervious veil of time and experience. 
  
I’m fascinated to hear what you think of it. It’s different to all my previous books; it’s more adult, more thoughtful, slower paced and less amusing – but the writing is much better, and I think it’s just as much of a page turner as the others. The characters became very real to me – there were times when I was convinced I’d bump into Susan or Max, or Elodie or Max’s mum in Aubeterre, and I think they’ll become very real to you too. That’s the real joy of being a writer – having other people share your imaginary world.

TSSSH is the first book that I’ve engaged professional marketing help for, so you might see it popping up on your Facebook/Insta feeds or in Amazon ads. I’m hoping it will attract new readers who might then go back and read ‘D’Artagnan’ and ’Taylor and Artemis’ (yes, I know T&A was a bit of a weird book but I don’t care, I love it dearly) but ultimately, I’d like new readers to read my next book which leads me onto the reason why…

I’ve pulled ‘Is it always this complicated?’ from publication.

It’s all to do with the sequel to it. So many of you read IATC and said, great, I enjoyed it – but what happens next? So I started writing the sequel in summer last year. It’s provisionally called ‘It gets more complicated’ (or ‘IGMC’). I wrote 30,000 words (about a third of the average sized novel). Then I deleted them. Then I wrote 38,000 words. Then I deleted them. Then it gradually began to dawn on me what the problem was: I wrote IATC in a blur of jubilant madness. It was an idea I’d had about 15 years previously (in 2009 I wrote the first nine chapters, then filed them) and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

But now I do know what I’m trying to do with the next book in the series, and unfortunately, the quality of writing jars radically with the first book. It’s like this: when I wrote ’Taming D’Artagnan’ I knew nothing – I was on a manic high and was simply having an enormous amount of fun writing it. I didn’t even realise there was a second or third book in the series until I was about 3/4 of the way through it, but as I wrote the second and third books the writing became progressively better and, while they are great fun and I’m proud of them as the first series I wrote, I am utterly incapable of writing anything like them again because my writing has evolved, like any ambitious writer's will.

So, there’s IATC at, say, level 3, Taylor and Artemis at level 4, TSSSH at level 6 (you’ll see) and then… I’m going to write a follow-on to IATC which is probably (I hope) going to be at level 7. And I realised that wasn’t going to work – so I made the decision (mind you, it took about four months) to pull IATC from publication and I’m now going to re-edit/re-write it and re-publish it. For those of you who’ve already read it, no, you won’t have to buy and re-read the new version – the basic story might be tweaked here and there, but it isn’t going to change. You’ll be able to read IGMC as a seamless sequel. But for those new readers that I hope to attract with TSSSH, it’s vital that there isn’t that disconnect between a level 3 first-in-series, and a level 7 second-in-series. 

Having made that decision, I am pleased to say that I am now 10,000 words into the third attempt at IGMC (these are all working titles by the way and will probably change) and it’s going to be a cracker!!  It’s a complicated book to get right, but if I do (and I will) I know that it will captivate you. And the best news is that there’s more likely than not a third one in the series. 

And finally, for those of you in the vicinity of Aubeterre-sur-Dronne on Saturday, 14th February 2026…

The wonderful Gauthier who owns and runs the Librairie la Lisière in Aubeterre has agreed to host a launch event for TSSSH on Saturday, 14th February 2026 at 2.30pm. This weekend I attempted an experimental batch of heart-shaped biscuits decorated with pretty pink icing-sugar and maraschino cherries. Having done so, can I just say that the world of baking ought to be very thankful that the world of literature is my preferred means of artistic expression. The upshot is that while there will certainly be heart-shaped goodies to eat at the launch event, they won’t have been made by me, and nor will the liquid refreshments that will also be served. I shall be sending a flyer when I next have six hours free to try to figure out how Canva works (I abhor tutorials).  

I shall endeavour to post as regularly as I can bring myself to on social media, but it's unlikely that you’ll be getting another newsletter from me for a while yet. This one has taken me at least five hours to write and frankly, I’d rather be writing fiction! 

It only remains to say a gazillion thanks again for your continued support, and please let me know (and if at all possible, leave a Verified Purchaser review!) what you think of TSSSH when you’ve had a chance to read it! Cover reveal coming this week on social media…

Fi
xx

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