Hello!

Happy January!

Book news . . .

I’m pleased to report that my novella, Dirt, is nearly finished and I’m hoping I’ll be able to share the cover design in my next email – watch this space!

As a thank you for subscribing, readers of this newsletter will be able to download the novella e-book for free, so please share this with fellow friendly readers!

In the meantime, my reading recommendation for January is a YA book that was so exciting I practically inhaled it: Where The World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean. In the eighteenth century, a tiny community lives on a small treeless island in the windswept sea off Scotland. Every year, a small group of boys and men are delivered to an even smaller island – a rocky stac – to harvest sea birds for food. After three weeks a boat returns to collect them. But this year, no boat comes . . .

The writing is brilliant, as invigorating as a dunk in the freezing sea! Heartily recommended if you like a gritty gripping read.

Lazy green wins #7

January is one of those months that seems to demand hard work. Resolutions. Veganuary. Dry January.

It even contains so-called ‘Blue Monday’ on the 20^th, the day claimed to be the most depressing of the year. Nonsense! The idea was concocted by a travel firm trying to sell tropical holidays. In direct opposition to this, I’m taking the Flight Free Pledge for 2025, and won’t be boarding an airplane in January or any other month. It’s another staggeringly easy green win; relax, do nothing, and ignore the advertisers. To join me in a year of railway holidays, you can pledge here!

Or you could celebrate ‘Brew Monday’, a lovely idea from the Samaritans encouraging people to make time for a cup of tea and chat with loved ones.

Do you have any lazy or bookish resolutions this year? Send me an email, I'd love to hear from you!

​
​

Until next time, Happy reading! Laura ​

P.S. I want to be welcome in your inbox, so I promise no hard feelings if you ever choose to unsubscribe! Just click the link below.