Eleanor's Letter: It's a massive day - a big thanks to ALL of you

I couldn't have done it without this wonderful Queenager community

Here I am back at News UK with my book up on the big screen in the entrance! I was so hurt when they made me redundant four years ago but it felt so healing to be back there doing an event to promote my book. i am proof that there really is Much More to Come!

Dear Queenagers

Well it’s finally here. August 1st, publication day for my book Much More to Come: Lessons on the mayhem and magnificence of midlife published by HarperCollins.

I want to thank ALL of you for supporting me by reading this newsletter and being part of NOON and this Queenager revolution. The book is all about trying to spread the optimism and community we have found here and in all our Noon Circles, retreats and events, online and in person over the last couple of years. to a much wider bunch of Queenagers. I truly feel that every bit of wisdom I’ve ever had, from 25 years as an award-winning Editor and being made redundant, and sitting and listening to all of you, and learning from some amazing women is all here in this book. It’s had some great advance reviews… Liz Earle said it was “wise, witty and essential” while Carole Vorderman said it was “brilliant”. If you have resonated with anything I have ever written on here then you will enjoy it! I promise. If you want a taster here is the intro and first chapter (head to the first chapter The Midlife Maelstrom).

My big ask to you is PLEASE go out and buy a copy, or order one online (if you buy it from waterstones.com and use the code Muchmore50 you can get it half price). If you want the full Eleanor experience buy the audible book -I spent a week in a box, sorry a podcast studio) reading it out, it is all me… I hope you enjoy it!

This really matters because the way that the publishing industry works is that first week sales are super important. There are nearly 15 ,000 of you who read this newsletter; we’ve sold about 500 books already. If we can sell 500 more in the next seven days then the book should make the Sunday Times bestseller list and that means it will be stocked in far more outlets which means more Queenagers can buy it. And that is good as the point of the book and everything I do is to spread the joy, spread the word that it is never too late and we are never too old to become the women we always wanted to be.

Four years ago I was whacked from the job that had defined me since my 20s; yesterday I went back to my old employer News UK and was greeted like a queen. They rolled out the red carpet, hosted a wonderful event where I was interviewed by the world’s top interviewer Decca Aitkenhead in front of lots of old colleagues and then had tea with my old top boss. Talk about healing. I felt like life had come full circle… if anyone had told me when I left that place in floods of tears that only a few years later I would be back there and publishing a book (always my childhood dream) I would never have believed them. So I am living proof that there really is Much More to Come - that even after something that feels like the end of the world, with the right support, if we back each other and believe in ourselves we really can do it. Reinvent ourselves. Start a new chapter. Become the women we always wanted to be. We Queenagers are in our prime - I want all the women coming after us to look forward to being 50 as when it all gets good. That is the model we need to set for future generations; this book is the map of what that could look like.

I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of all of you - so thank you, all of you for being part of the Queenager Revolution. And if you could possibly buy the book, or if you’ve bought one, get another half price one and give it to a friend who needs it… then maybe we really can change the world!

Thank you so much!!!!

xxx

Eleanor