I am delighted to announce that I have just signed a contract with Italian science fiction publisher Zona 42 for my novella Aerth. The book will be published in Italian in the first half of 2026.

Using Zoom, I met with both the publisher and the translator last Friday, on one of the hottest days of the year so far. It was around 35C in northern Italy, where they are based, and over last weekend it became even hotter - and this is at the end of June, when summer has only just started.

Giorgio Raffaelli of Zone 42 wrote to me that this is why Aerth is so relevant, and said - with irony - that they comfort themselves with the thought that this is a cooler summer than those of the future...

There is a lot we must do regarding climate and nature, and of course we all have a part to play in our daily lives - flying less, consuming less, being mindful of how we live. The science is clear, and we mustn't give up.

Books, plays, films, art and poetry can help us to think around the issues. You may not agree with everything you read or hear or see, but keep engaging with it. We need to pull together as never before.

Ciao!