Well, that was an unbelievably busy six weeks! Incredibly exciting and very productive, but leaving me barely time to sneeze, which is a good thing really since it’s kept me (mostly) out of mischief. Such interesting projects with some very talented people, and more of those soon, but first, amazing news about the Magic Oxygen Literary Prize.

As many of you may know by now MOLP is a competition for short stories and poems, and Tracey and Simon West, founders of Magic Oxygen Publishing, decided that a tree would be planted for every entry received, very much in tune with their green ethos. Working with Ru Hartwell, a reforestation expert, the Magic Oxygen Word Forest will be planted in Bore, Kenya, and will provide a long term resource for the community. There will also be some funds given to help rebuild the schoolhouse, which at the moment is not secure or adequate for the 300 children that attend.

The response to the competition has been beyond expectation, with entries coming in from all over the world; 31 countries when it finally closed on 30 November! The judging is soon to begin and the winners will be announced at the Lyme Literary Festival in February 2015, with the winners and short-listers being published in an anthology.

It’s been huge amount of work for the team at Magic Oxygen, and I know how much effort has gone in from everyone involved. But what’s really great is that not only have so many writers been encouraged to grab their creativity by the horns and do what they do best – WRITE – there is a tangible and lasting legacy for people and planet. And what could be better than that?

Magic Oxygen – powered by sunshine and creativity.