Your 2025 AJ Wrap-up
Can You Solve (another) Murder, spaced-out music, and happy holidays
Honestly, these end-of-year “wrapped” summaries are getting out of control. I had one the other day from Miro, an online flowcharting tool! I’m expecting my 2025 Microsoft Excel Wrapped any day now…
Don’t Stray off the Path
Recently, the second Can You Solve the Murder? book, The Forest of Death, was announced in Publishers Marketplace:
I finished line edit revisions on the manuscript just this week, and expect to receive copyedit notes back in January. The hope is to publish next summer, i.e. a year after the first book, and to undertake another tour of Can You Solve the Murder? Live interactive events to promote it. More on that as I have it.
In the meantime, of course, Can You Solve the Murder? itself is still on sale at all good bookstores…
Space is big. Really, really big.
Earlier this month I released Heliosphere, the tenth full-length release from SILENCAEON, my musical solo project:
Vast and sombre ambient electronica. Beauty in desolation. A tribute to the tireless explorers of our solar system… and beyond.
Heliosphere is my first full album release in 4 years, as I’ve been writing flat-out since 2021 and simply haven’t had the time or headspace to compose music. Making this album has reminded me why I love it, and lifted my spirits. I hope it does the same for you.
I actually had the concept for Heliosphere almost a decade ago, but wanted to do it justice and not rush. It was worth it, and I think this is some of my best music yet. I’m particularly fond of Part IV “Voyager 1” and Part VII “New Horizons”.
Heliosphere was released on December 3, the day in 1973 that Pioneer 10 made its closest approach to Jupiter; the first spacecraft, and thus the first ever human-made object, to come within less than 100,000 miles of our solar system’s largest planet.
I Wanna Wish You a Merry Christmas
2025 has been a heck of a year for all of us. For me it’s been crazy busy and tiring, but also very positive.
Can You Solve the Murder? became my best-selling novel, while the love readers have for Gwinny and the Dog Sitter Detective series remains high as ever. I wrote for 2000AD for the first time, had my first short story in several years published (and then sold another), finally released a new album, and hosted several podcasts. I also continued work on the Altered Alma videogame, which is almost finished.
I made more author appearances than ever before, the interactive CYSTM Live events were extremely well-received, I was invited to be a panelist at the Harrogate crime writing festival for the first time, I delivered four different lectures (including my first appearance at the AdventureX games conference) and I already have many more events lined up for 2026.
Once again I helped out behind the scenes of the Crime Writers’ Association, including creating a brand new design for their prestigious Dagger award, unveiled at this year’s awards ceremony (which I also helped organise).
On a personal level it wasn’t always easy, with Life™ rearing its head on occasion throughout the year. I consider myself lucky to have the love of friends and family around me, not to mention wonderfully supportive colleagues in my professional life.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope this holiday season is the best it can be for you. And for all of us, I wish a happy and peaceful 2026.
From the Bottom of My Heart
In addition to this newsletter, you can follow me on most social media platforms – either search for my username @antonyjohnston, or check the Contact & Follow page of my site for links: https://antonyjohnston.com/contact/