Hello 2026. Let the longer days begin… shimmery silver birch is the first in the Celtic tree calendar, and associated with fresh beginnings. Or in my case, endings.
I will be aiming to finish my novel, Radiant Things, and reduce my ‘onlineness’. I work on my computer for most of the day, and I’d like to spend more time on things other than a screen! I’m also trying to reduce my dependency on large tech such as Spotify and Google. I’ve changed my search engine to DuckDuckGo and changed my music streaming to Qobuz with very little hassle – and Qobuz has much better music quality, so very pleased. And yes, I do feel a bit smug…
Perhaps you have your own aims and thoughts about the year ahead. If it includes a book or short story, please do get in touch on my contact page. I am editing full-time now and have so many titles that I feel very proud to have been involved with this past year.
Here are a few:
Exploring the Universe, by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Sara Gillingham
This book, the third in the series, is so beautiful and exquisitely written. Touted by the likes of American Scientist magazine and Waterstones, this title was a joy to work on, from raw text and subsequent edits, through to design.
Formula Fast, by Matt Ralphs, illustrated by Dragan Kordic
A nice copyedit – and I learned a few things too!
The Tomorrow Tree, by Maciej Michno and Danio Miserocchi, with illustrations by Valentina Gottardi
A beautiful book, loved by Kirkus Reviews.
What’s That Building? by Rebecca Donnelly, with illustrations by Jocelyn Cho
Another fun book to work on, with great cutaways to show the inner workings of buildings we know and love.
Get Dressed! by Katy Canales, with illustrations by Erin Vanessa
A Family of Trees: My First Book of Forests, by Peggy Thomas, illustrated by Cookie Moon
Selected for the 2025 BolognaRagazzi Award: BRAW Amazing Bookshelf in the Sustainability category.
Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space, by Sue Lowell Gallion, with illustrations by Lisk Feng
A continuation of the series loved by Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024… still beautifully designed and worded.
My Art Book of Happiness, by Shana Gozansky
A Year in Nature, by Sean Taylor, Alex Morss and Cinyee Chiu
Coming out in April on Happy Yak, a lovely bind-up detailing the seasons.
Oh, Thank You! by Mary Murphy
Goddesses: A Graphic History, by Monica Foggia and Lisa Salsi
Fox and Owl’s Winter Adventure, by Jackie Lui and Moonlie Fong Whittaker
I continue to do a lot of Little People, Big Dreams work, which this year included titles on Louis Braille, Beethoven, Yves Saint Laurent, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Marley, Mary Earps, Chris Hoy and Harry Styles, to name a few.
Locked in the Museum, by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and illustrated by Acapulco Studio
Coming in February, this was a super-fun book to fact check!
Hastings Book Festival judging
I had the pleasure of choosing the winner of the Sussex Prize for poetry, for the 2025 Hastings Book Festival, and enjoyed all of the shortlisted entries chosen by writer Jen Calleja – from this fantastic selection, I chose John Murray’s standout piece, and although I see it’s not yet up on the website, I desperately hope it makes its way somewhere in the world!
In the Circle of Ancient Trees, edited by Valerie Trouet
I loved loved loved working on this book, featuring some of the most remarkable, resilient trees we have on this planet, with beautiful woodcuts as illustrations.
Whale: the Illustrated Biography, by Asha de Vos
Wild Orcas, by Hanne Strager and Catherine DeNardo
And so so many more! Some I can’t speak about yet, and some have been on and off for years and mean very much to their authors. I love them all. In addition to my work with publishers, I worked with so many amazing authors direct, with books on teenage girls, fairies and bullies, monsters and . . . goats. Here’s one of my faves. The Goats of Goodwin Hill is simply wonderful, not least thanks to the great dedication of Hale Sofia Schatz, the writer and goatherd, and writer/illustrator Danny Overton along with the rest of the community of suburban goat helpers in this New England town. A beautifully unique look at how community and living in and amongst nature helps us all to thrive and find purpose, goats and humans alike.
Farewell for now, and good luck with your reading and writing!
