Hello, 2026! Goodbye, 2025! As the new year begins, I thought I’d take some time to reflect on 2025, discuss my writing habits, and my journey as an author.
2025 Thoughts
2025 was a whirlwind to say the least. Unfortunately I started off earlier in the year finding out that my publisher Ornamental Publishing was closing. While a bit disheartened, this only spurred me to move forward with gusto when it came to being more involved in the author community as well as pushing myself out of my comfort zone. While an introvert at heart, I knew I wanted to take the leap and do more with my books and writing in general.
I was fortunate to not only attend my first publishing conference, but also vend at an author at two events. These events I had the best sales for my novel which made me happy. I already have an event booked to vend at for Spring 2026 (more on that soon) and am looking forward to connecting with writers in general. It’s been such a learning process and I’m taking notes to improve myself for the future.
Book two is now in the works and I am currently working on my sophomore novel. I won’t lie and say that it’s not intimidating at all, especially hearing such positive feedback from Lost Love from reviewers. My only hope is go bigger and better with the second book, while also keeping some cherished elements from my previous work. When I have more information to share, I’ll be posting updates on here along with sharing other writing thoughts.
This year flew by faster than I thought it would and though every moment wasn’t perfect, I think as a whole it has taught me a lot.
2025 Highlights
Wayne State University Press Spring Book Publishing Conference
I took away so much from this conference. It was interesting to hear takeaways from authors and publishing professionals about the inner workings of the publishing industry as a whole and how to navigate its various obstacles.
Book Swap Hosted by Kendra Reads With Love
Kendra, from Kendra Reads With Love (Insta), hosted a book swap and it was so much fun! i got to swap out some reads from my bookshelves and got to add some new reads to take home. I met some local bookish friends and made some new ones as well.
Juneteenth Event: Black Book Fair & Brunch
I had such a great time vending at the fair and chatting with attendees at my table. The atmosphere was lively (with a great music playlist I was dancing to non-stop the whole time)! Everyone was very friendly and we had a lot of foot traffic despite the hot weather.
Detroit Book Fest
The Detroit Festival of Books is the largest book festival in the State of Michigan. Bookfest hosts vendors from all over the United States and Canada. This is the largest year yet for the festival and I got meet a lot authors face to face along with one of my childhood favorites, Mark Crilley (who wrote the Akiko series).
Sterlingfest Local Author Book Sale
It was fun to connect with authors and readers all day, as I can never get tired of talking about books. This book makes me so proud, and it means so much to me to be able to share my stories with other readers.
What are your reflections on 2025? Have you set any goals for 2026? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Rachel Moulden 