Hello!

Happy April and Happy National Tea Day (today) and Happy Earth Day (tomorrow)!

Book News . . .

I’m so excited to confirm the publication date for my novella, Dirt, which will be released by Habitat Press on 22^nd May!

I have a limited number of free eBooks to give away during the launch period, and all current newsletter subscribers will get the download link next month. If you know someone who would appreciate a free digital copy, tell them to sign up here before 22^nd May!

For those of you who prefer reading ‘real’ books, the paperback is available to pre-order here at a bargain price of just £4.99.

New Substack Project . . .

I also want to share news of another exciting writing project I’ve been collaborating on. It’s a called Bending The Arc: a Thrutopia Magazine – publishing stories, poems and articles that bend the arc of the possible towards a thriving future on Earth – and it launches tomorrow, free on Substack!

Each edition of this magazine explores ways through to positive futures, with a cycle of pieces in different genres and styles by writers from assorted backgrounds and writing traditions. The first edition features philosopher Rupert Read, bestselling author Manda Scott, award-winning science fiction writer Emma Newman, poets Jane Burn and Angela Cleland, and many more. Our mission is to tackle the dark and difficult challenges of the present day in a spirit of stubborn optimism.

If you’d like a sneak peek at my novella, the first chapter of Dirt will be featured in the launch edition of Bending The Arc, with a piece about the writing of the novella and how it tallies with ‘thrutopian’ thinking.

Needless to say, Bending The Arc is my April reading recommendation! Subscribe here!

Lazy green wins #10

I enjoy finding new ways to reduce plastic use in my life, and one of the small changes I’ve made is to ditch single-use biros. Pencils are lovely! Tactile, easy to erase, and with in-built thinking pauses while you sharpen a fresh point. When it comes to highlighting research notes, coloured pencils are so much prettier on the page than garish neon. And when ink is needed, a refillable fountain pen with old-fashioned pot of ink is a joy to use – my (childishly messy) handwriting looks nicer, the words flow more smoothly, and it makes me feel absurdly grown-up!

I won’t get started on paper – as a writer I have an almost unhealthy obsession with stationery! – except to say that buying recycled paper is a pencil-adjacent pleasure (‘you’re not recycling if you’re not buying recycled’).

Do you have any plastic-reduction hacks? Hit reply if you have, I love to get new tips!

Until next time, Happy reading! Laura ​