About Jenny
By day: cell biologist at UCL. By night: novelist, broadcaster, science writer, sci-lit-art pundit, blogger and Editor of LabLit.com. I blog about my life in science, not the facts and figures.
Category Archives: Writing
In which I capture the present, but forget why
I have always been a compulsive chronicler, ever since I was a small child starting off my first journal. I still write an entry nearly every day, taking a few months to fill in all the pages with my increasingly … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Art, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Music, Nostalgia, The ageing process, Work/life balance, Writing
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In which ‘Lab Lit’ escapes its little box
It’s been many moons since I published an article in Nature featuring my graph illustrating the apparent year-on-year increase in frequency of novels with scientists as central characters – or ‘lab lit‘. The trend had looked compelling, but coming from … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Writing
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In which I imagine a dystopian future
Despite my dedication to promoting the Lab Lit genre, I’ve always been an avid science fiction fan too. I admire how a good dystopian tale can transport you into a terrifying alternative future so convincingly that when you emerge from … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Science fiction, Writing
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In which life imitates art, and an epidemic leaps off the page
In mid-November, a journalist from BBC Southeast contacted me about a perplexing rise in COVID-positive cases in the nearby borough of Swale, a mainly rural part of Kent known for its fruit orchards, beer hops and vast areas of marshland … Continue reading
Posted in Epidemics, LabLit, science funding, The profession of science, Writing
5 Comments
In which darkness comes knocking
It’s quite telling that the back end of this blog site is full of recent drafts, abandoned a few lines in. I have ideas, and most evenings, the time, to dash something off. But something, recently, is sapping my creative … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Writing
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In which I question an assumption: do fiction readers really dislike scientific detail?
My regular readers will know all about Fiction Lab, the world’s first book group devoted to discussing lab lit fiction. We’ve been meeting once a month for just over a decade at London’s Royal Institution to talk about novels with … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Scientific thinking, Writing
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In which we enjoy: unique recycled goods from Upside-Down
I rarely engage in product endorsement, but I’d like to tell you about a company I’m just crazy about. (They aren’t giving me any money or discounts to write this review.) Upside-Down is a Romanian company which recycles urban materials, … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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In which I plug: Cat Zero! (Punchline: it’s a great holiday read)
Are you heading off for some well-needed rest? Then do considering packing a copy of Cat Zero, my latest lab lit novel – in which a feminist virologist joins forces with a sexist mathematician to solve a cat plague that … Continue reading
In which Cat Zero arrives on the scene; plus some other literary shenanigans
It’s nearly showtime: my third lab lit novel Cat Zero is about to be published! After a several-month delay due to issues of US distribution, I am pleased to confirm an official publication date of Tuesday 5 June! Yes, that’s … Continue reading
In which we’re in business: Cat Zero officially for sale!
Just a quick note to say that my upcoming third lab lit novel, Cat Zero, is now available for pre-order on Amazons near and far (UK and USA)! Still with placeholder cover featuring the neighbour’s cat Sergei! There should be … Continue reading
