It’s the end of 2025, and that means it’s time to talk about plans for 2026. As regular readers know, I think ahead quite a bit about what I’m going to be writing, publishing, and otherwise working on. Preparatory research reading doesn’t do itself!
Here you’ll find what I’m planning to publish and write next year – and some of the other things in the authorial life!
The usual pragmatic note: There’s always a chance some of this might shift in the course of the year. Specifically, the following plans assume that my chronic health stuff stays at the current level of chronic, and that other chaos doesn’t hit my life too hard.
I’ll let folks know (via the newsletter and other places) if there’s a big change. And my newsletter and the Discord are always the best places to see what I’m up to. I’ve just cleaned up the contact page with a few relevant updates of where to find me, too.
Coming out in 2026
The Future Books page has slightly more detailed blurbs, and I keep that updated through the year with what’s coming next (basically once books have a title). Plus the usual solstice extra!
Distilling Sunlight (1928)
Out in February 2026
Gemma Smythe-Clive’s romance in 1928 when she agrees to take a look at some problems a beer brewery is having (and also consult on a project that Sam, the Master Brewer, is trying to sort out). Deals with the long-term grief of a lost parent from several angles, but also has a lot of Gemma and her father Cyrus being very much themselves.
Unknown Depths (1949)
Out in May 2026
Rowena Edgarton has a project in mind when Thom – a selkie and fisherman from the Orkneys – asks for her help. What happens next is not what either of them expected, either on the ocean or on land. Rowena is a delight and very much Gabe’s daughter, though also very much Rathna’s. Putting the two together has some exceedingly interesting effects.
Brave Truth (1950)
Out in August 2026
Claudio has done his best to exceed expectations his entire life. Now he wonders what happens if he can change the entire question. A romance where I’m not sharing any further details just yet…
(1950 is the latest I intend to write chronologically in Albion, so this one is also tying up some loose ends and leaving things in a good state on a bunch of levels.)
Hereswith and Galahad’s romance (early 1860s)
Out in November 2026
Don’t worry, Hereswith and Bess continue very much together! This romance is the story of how Hereswith and Galahad (her legal husband) get together, involving diplomacy, negotiation, having a few assumptions proved incorrect, and the question of what it means to be supportive to someone with social power. Ends up with the polyamorous V with Hereswith at the centre and Bess and Galahad very much considering each other family but not in a romantic or sexual way.
Patreon, Discord, and this Blog
Patreon’s got the details for what I’m planning on sharing in 2026 (public post), but the short version is that we’re continuing what we’ve been doing this year:
- One free public post a month, mostly talking about current research (but I’m also open to questions and worldbuilding!)
- Three different ongoing serial extras, rotating into new ones as each one finishes.
The Discord continues to be such a wonderful place for chat of all kinds. I keep saying my readers are smart and creative and helpful, and this just keeps proving it. People are generous about sharing the things they love and the things they know a lot about, plus we have great bits about food and pets and historical clothing.
Blog posts here will be intermittent. This year I’m going with a “when I have something to say” schedule.
Writing
I’ll be starting a new series, Mysterious Societies. These books will be set after the Great War (1919 through 1929), with each book focusing on one of Albion’s main secret societies. I’ve got a solid idea what I want to do with the first four, and I’m looking forward to all of them.
These books are also going to spend a fair bit more time in the main Trellech Library and with the librarians there. Folks have been very enthusiastic when I’ve mentioned this so far, and I’m excited to dig into how that library works!
The actual book writing looks like this (with the month I expect to start writing).
- February: Hereswith and Galahad’s romance
- May: Mysterious Societies book 1, focusing on Animus Mundi
- August: Council Mysteries Book 3. This one is spending some time with Hereswith, Bess, and Galahad plus Metaia and Owain Powell once they’re on the Council in the late 1870s. (Probably not a new romance, but I’m not sure yet!)
- November: Mysterious Societies book 2, a second chance romance with a very Albion twist (there’s a good reason they weren’t together earlier, I promise.)
- The usual solstice extra.
I am also terribly behind on getting multiple sets of extras out – editing time and brain has been more scarce in 2025 for a combination of reasons. We’ll get there soon as I can!
Research
Last on the list but definitely not least, my 2026 is going to be full of a whole lot of specific research as I continue to work on plans for a series set in the 1480s and the creation of Albion’s Pact. I’ve now got to the point of reading all the things about the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV, Richard III, and many other people.
I have a reading list (currently at 49 books I’d like to read before mid-November), an increasing number of notes (more about that on Patreon in January), and a lot of thoughts already.
The history is taking up a lot of brain space, but so is how to write something that feels accessible to read, even though the time period is incredibly complicated.
Where we’re going
My aim is for a seven book series in the mid-1480s, plus a lead-in prequel set probably in the mid-1460s. The goal is for the series to tell the larger story of ‘How did the Pact happen?’ with some number of romances. I’m currently thinking three – two duologies and a trilogy with different couples who continue to be key players for the rest of the series. But this is definitely a piece I’m still thinking through in much more detail.
Planning
In November, I’ve scheduled some writing retreat time at a lovely place in rural Pennsylvania that will give me a comfy place to sleep and work and feed me. All I have to do is get there and think! I’m spending five days there just before the US Thanksgiving break.
My goal is to come home with a solid plan for how I’m laying out the series. Things like ‘which historical events happen in which book’ and ‘who is this book focusing on’ and ‘which POV’? I’m already stocking up on Post-It notes in enough different colours.
Looking even further ahead
My hope is to be at a point where I can start writing it in early 2027, with the books starting to come out at the end of 2027 or early 2028. I’ll almost certainly be alternating with 1920s era books you’ve come to know and love.
I’ll be talking about the ongoing research reading on the Patreon in public posts for those who want to follow along, and there will be a bunch in the Discord. I’m spending my vacation from my day job at the end of 2025 setting up a whole lot of notes in my family tree, timeline, and notes software so I have places to attach notes as I do more reading.
That’s what I’ve got for 2026 so far! Thank you for being here, thank you for reading, and I hope your 2026 is full of delightful goodness, happy reading, and all the wonderful things you might want.