Interview: Lia Leendertz

Award winning Bristol writer, Lia Leendertz, has produced the surprise end-of-year bestseller, The Almanac; a new take on the traditional rural almanac. It’s a month-by-month compendium crammed with details and inspiration of what each month of the year has to offer; from folklore to stargazing, from festivals and recipes to sunrises and sunsets. Joe Melia found out more about the book’s origin and what’s made it such a success.

What inspired The Almanac?

It was a holiday by the sea. I could see the tides coming in and out each day, the sun setting, the moon rising, and felt so easily in touch with all of these massive forces and wanted to find a way to bring that home to Bristol. I was poring over the little yellow tide timetables and wondering if there was a book that combined the poetry of those tables with information about each month of the year. The almanacs I came across were oddly dissatisfying – lots of adverts, strange predictions for the year ahead and so on – so I decided to make my own!

It’s selling extremely well. Has that taken you by surprise?

It really has! The lovely thing is that it’s almost selling by word of mouth, and growing over time. People also seem to be buying one and then going back and buying a few more for presents! Which is such a great feeling. I’m delighted it seems to be chiming with people.

How did you find the process of crowdfunding with Unbound compared to traditional publishing?

Crowdfunding is one of those awful/wonderful things. The pain of having to lose all shame and go out and ask everyone to support your idea is horrifying. But what you end up with is an incredible bank of supporters, willing the book to be a success. It’s been hugely heartwarming – though I’m not sure I’d put myself through it again…

What impact can rural rhythms and the seasonal cycle have on city dwellers?

Ah, but The Almanac isn’t just about rural rhythms! It’s about everything that makes each month in the uk itself, city or country: Ramadan and Notting Hill Carnival, Christmas and Wimbledon, imbolc and holi, elderflower champagne and wild garlic pesto. It is also about the constellations, meteor showers and visible planets that we can all look up and see, street lights willing. But it’s true that as city dwellers we do forget to look up and I hope that this book will provide little ways in which people can just appreciate the month and the moment they are in. We are all a little guilty of living for July or whenever, and I hope this makes people really appreciate the Novemberness of November, the Aprilness of April and so on. It is good to enjoy the moment.

The book feels like it’s part of a wider literary movement with writers like Melissa Harrison and Robert MacFarlane exploring similar themes and subjects. How conscious were you of this when writing The Almanac?

That’s a lovely thing to say and I admire both of them, but oddly enough it hadn’t occurred to me. I mostly write about gardening and food and I think I feel naturally more aligned with the ’round the year in the garden and kitchen’ sort of books. On one level that is what this is – there are lots of gardening and seasonal food tips each month – but with LOTS of other stuff crammed in too.

Have you any plans to produce it annually?

I hope so! Watch this space…

The Almanac : a Seasonal Guide to 2018 (Unbound, £9.99) is out now www.penguin.co.uk/books/1114588/the-almanac/

Read more: Fireworks at the Allotment

Photo: Kirstie Young