It's finally here! This is publication day for my novel, Surplus to Requirements.

For about eight years, I have been writing a novel – my first. Of course it is about walking and the remembered bible, but it is not like my other books that have so kindly been published by Wild Goose (www.ionabooks.com )

It’s dystopia set in the future in 2050 in the north of England (further north than Wolverhampton). The main character is a 79 year old woman who has been declared ‘surplus to requirements’. It’s a book about ageism and ableism in our society and is as much a story for 2025 as for 2050.

I should warn you, it’s not a cosy story of the sort celebrities write about living in residential homes. It’s a bit grim in places; there are scenes of violence and some strong language. It begs the question, what do you think it will be like in Britain in 2050?

It’s also a book about the Rule of St Benedict. The book ask ‘Will there still be communities for vulnerable people in 2050?’ and it begins with a quote from the Rule. When the Leader of the Lay community of St Benedict first asked me to write about the Rule I don’t think either of us thought it would turn out like this, but the book is about community, creating and sustaining it as well as undermining it.

My sincere thanks for all the support and encouragement of those who have helped to get it completed. It was published on Friday 31st January 2025, by Longdendale Press. You can order it online from the usual places or from your local bookseller, as a paperback (978-1-0685628-0-8) or ebook (978-1-0685628-1-5).

Janet Lees, 31st January 2025, Longdendale.