Hello dear supporters,

This update is only visible to yourselves, and you'll see why in a moment. I have some news! In fact, I have two items of news:

Firstly, the crowdfund campaign for All My Worldly Joy will relaunch on Monday 28th November. This means that both I and Unbound, separately and together, will be banging on about the book again to secure the final 18% of funding. As most of you know, the writing of AMWJ has involved all sorts of unexpected happenings and has been an adventure of its own. Some of you have been on board from the beginning and have watched this all play out, and I will be forever grateful to you for getting me through it. Honestly, I would have given up, and I'm so glad I didn't. The manuscript is approaching something like completion now and it is, in some ways, a different book to the one I set out to write four years ago. I've come up with new text for the crowdfunder page which feels more relevant and more up-to-date. And, furthermore....

We have a cover! It's not necessarily the final cover, in that it was created the adorn the crowdfunder page and give people more of a sense of what exactly it is that they are buying, but I love it and I think it's not far from what the final cover will be. This cover image isn't being publicly shared until the relaunch but I really wanted you to be the first to see it. You're such an important part of this process; you've believed in this book (and in me) before it even existed. 

Anyway, drumroll please...

What do you think? Initially, I saw the image that the designer came up with and thought, "Oh, that's quite weird," but then I remembered that the book is quite weird, because I wrote it. The more I look at this cover, the more I'm in love with it. It's definitely a grower. For me, it really captures that sense of what it's like to have a vivid imagination (sometimes too vivid), and the feeling of being out of place, and the strangeness of motherhood, and the awe. I love the attention to detail. It feels distinctive and characterful and not like a book trying to be another book. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments or on social media if you'd like to.

We are so nearly there now and my hope is that we can get the book funded by Christmas. That would be the best present for me, to know that the funding was sorted and I could focus on finishing off the manuscript. I have a big research project on the go at the moment, looking at transport and maternal mental health; the bulk of that will be done by Christmas, creating both the time/space and a bit of financial cushioining for me to give the book the dedicated attention it needs for the last push.

I will write another update when the funder relaunches, but until then - 

Much love,

Laura x