Here it is!
I am delighted to now be able to show you, the Almanac’s community, the first glimpse of the cover of The Almanac 2024, beautifully illustrated by Romanian artist Aitch.
For the 2024 theme I am going back to my roots - it is all about…the garden! I have tracked down weather lore and garden-related saints days (I hope you are looking forward to consulting St. Gregory the Great about when to sow your onions…), dug around in the shrubbery and below the soil to find out what wildlife is up to what month by month, sought out folksongs set in beautiful gardens, and found garden crafts for every month of the year to help us all bring the garden indoors. And of course there is loads more - we have ‘snack of the month’ - something salty, nibbly and crunchy for you to snack on - , a beautiful new feature on moon guidance from my wise friend Louise Press, gardening by the moon, and all of your usual tide times, sunrises and moon phases. I can’t wait for you all to see it.
You can do me a huge good turn by pre-ordering it, either online or - even better - from your local book shop. Pre-orders are one of the best ways of supporting the authors you love because they signal to booksellers that their customers are likely to be interested in this book, and they encourage them to allot it precious shelf or table space. Admittedly my almanacs always do well here. Mine was the first of what is now a wave of almanacs appearing each year, and so far it is the most popular, and we have wonderful relationships with booksellers who have really taken it to their hearts. But every single year since I crowdfunded my first edition I have had pretenders to the almanac throne having a go at toppling mine from top spot, and this year is no exception, with two very high-profile almanacs moving into the market. I would be eternally grateful if you feel you can give booksellers this little signal that mine is still the one for you.
You can find some links here:
Anyway most importantly I hope you like the sound of The Almanac 2024, and please let me know what you think of the cover!
This looks beautiful! And a great theme.
Love the richly coloured dark cover Lia. For me I am delighted you are going back to your garden roots. Will pre-order promptly! xx