Bring on 2025

2024 wasn't exactly what I expected.

I did some serious emotional and mental healing, battled another atrocious medical intervention for four months, and completed the first draft of my manuscript in 8 months! And I got to finally call myself an author!!! ... even if I am unpublished.

I honestly thought that 2024 would be disappointing and I'd finish by moving to Mackay in less than two months. Instead, the burn out caught up with me but it couldn't have done so at the best time of my life!

In 2025, I'll be stuck in Brisbane for another year, looking after myself. As it turned out, I had suppressed a lot of emotion and trauma that the healing unlocked. And after last term's fiasco with an intervention for my Endometriosis, it unlocked the burn out that I was facing and suppressed at some point during my Bachelor of Criminology (even though I graduated that back in June 2023).

Though taking a gap year isn't a bad thing.

While, yes I'll be looking after myself, I'll also be focusing on some pretty big goals that I would've been focusing on whilst doing heavy duty study in Sonography.

Now I get to apply for medicine and meeting my publication date, which will be sometime in December 2025, without worrying about maintaining my high GPA.

If 2024 taught me anything, is that, I have to focus on myself and my health. The path I was heading down would've seen me miss out on my dreams like the ocean water seeping through a kid's fists as they try to take it back to the beach. My physical, mental, and spiritual health come first, and that's something I don't know how to do with intense academia.

Writing gave me an escape and that's what I plan to do over the next year, setting myself up for my next couple of Works in Progress to be published after "Through the Darkness" in December.

2024 has set up 2025 to be my year to finally say goodbye to the shitty life I once had and open my arms up to new experiences.

In March, I will be incredibly busy. It's booked up with parts one and two of the GAMSAT, applying for medical schools, Formula 1 weekend in Albert Part, and seeing Cigarettes After Sex (literally the night I get back from Melbourne). I'm sure that as the year progresses, I'll have more things to look forward to and meeting new people.

But enough about that, let's talk about my book.

"Through the Darkness" wasn't in the cards earlier this year, I was planning to focus on "Love in Soundwaves" which is my Endometriosis representation romance novel that's part of a series.

Instead, TtD was written, edited, and now in revisions ready to be sent to a traditional publisher here in Australia in early February.

It takes my knowledge from my Criminology degree and my post-graduate studies in DFV, as well as inspiration of lived experiences to off a unique point of view to tackle tough issues and raw emotions associated with CA, bullying, DV, and victimisation. It's a story all about self-discovery, healing, perseverance, resilience, ambition, and unlearning certain behaviours.

Don't worry, there will be a happy ending, that's as best of a spoiler as you will get from me.

I will be looking for beta readers soon, so if you are interested, please sign up to my newsletter to get the information first!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!