I’m a bit too stunned by everything that is going on to write anything remotely sensible here. So a few updates.

I’ve joined the class action taken on behalf of writers against Anthropic, one of the many AI platforms that have built large language models based on copyright-protected books, including mine. I can’t really believe they will pay out $1.5 billion USD to authors, which is what is supposed to happen. Of course, machine learning rights should be negotiated in all publishing contracts, in the same way that, say, audio or film rights are negotiated. That would be a logical and straightforward thing to do. HA!

Of course, in general, technology is a wonderful thing - I visited Pompeii and Herculaneum earlier this month and once again was amazed by what the Romans invented. Cement! Gutters! Underfloor heating! At home we’re having an air source heat pump installed - I feel those Romans would have approved.

The trip was a good break from endless reading and grappling with the news. Naples itself is a wonder, in parts as dementedly dilapidated as a Roman ruin. I ate a lot.

I also read a fair amount and can recommend the following:

Mother Mary Comes to Me - Arundhati Roy’s amazing memoir of her astonishing mother and her own equally astonishing life to date.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe’s novel about a very young single parent in the US whose only decent work option is OnlyFans. It’s funny and interesting and will be coming to tv screens sometime soon.

Lastly, I’m off to Copenhagen soon where, I imagine, THE NEWS is extremely difficult to avoid.

Just think, it’s nearly a whole decade since the volcanic eruption of Brexit brought the UK’s very own political and economic version of a pryoclastic flow to this country (NOT LAVA, as our excellent Pompeii guide kept explaining). Here’s to 2026!

Kate

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