Hello!

Midwinter greetings!

Writing news . . .

An unusual fiction anthology, Stories from the Microbial World, is now available from Habitat Press, featuring my YA story, Coby! The pieces in the anthology are all winning entries from two Green Stories competitions on bacterial themes: ‘Microbes to the Rescue’ and ‘Clean vs Green’. Not your average festive gift, but might be perfect for someone . . . !

Looking ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be a busy year. I’m currently ploughing away on the third draft of a novella called Dirt, ready for publication in the spring. Then my novel, Enough, (fortunately already written!) will be out later in the year.

For December, I want to recommend a gorgeous, imaginative book called Future Hopes: Hopeful Stories in a Time of Climate Change. It’s edited by Lauren James, and is a brilliant compilation of stories by top YA & children’s writers. All the stories are inspired by solutions to the climate crisis, offering positive visions of possible futures rooted in today’s science. It would make a great gift for a youngster in your life – especially if you’re not certain of their reading taste, since the book contains everything from contemporary school-based stories to futuristic sci-fi to nature-focused tales of animals and agriculture, i.e. something for everyone! It’s a great way to discover new authors, with bonus information on living sustainably, and I loved reading it.

Lazy green wins #6

Christmas. Hmm. Environmentally tricky. I’m torn between absolutely LOVING it, and feeling a bit queasy about the amount of excess stuff and inevitable waste . . . My favourite festive tip is this: the best Christmas present is the one a person actually wants.

I used to spend weeks agonising over sourcing the perfect, most surprising and unique, personal, exquisite special gift. I gave people a lot of weird stuff that probably never got used. Now, I find out what they want. It makes life a lot easier. Lazy win, and nothing goes to landfill!

Do you have any festive eco tips or holiday reads to recommend? Hit reply if you do! And if you get a Christmas stocking, I hope it's full of books you love!

Until next time, Happy reading! Laura ​