Michael Morpurgo, Bernardine Evaristo, Kate Mosse and Val McDermid pen series on the seasons

Hodder Press is launching a series of non-fiction books about the seasons, written by Michael Morpurgo, Bernardine Evaristo, Kate Mosse and Val McDermid.

At a showcase held at the Bocca di Lupo restaurant in Soho, London, the Press revealed that Morpurgo is writing the book on Spring, with Evaristo writing on Summer, Mosse on Autumn and McDermid on Winter.

Non-fiction executive publisher Kirty Topiwala bought world all-language rights respectively from Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates, Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander Associates, Mark Lucas at the Soho Agency and Lizzy Kremer also at DHA.

The series will launch on 20th March 2025 (the spring equinox) with Spring: The Story of a Season by Morpurgo, which is set on the author’s farm in Devon and is his first work of adult non-fiction in more than 40 years. It will be published by Hodder Press in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 20th March 2025.

The synopsis states: "Morpurgo writes about his farm deep in Devon river country, discovering frogspawn, watching lambs being born and admiring the blossom flowering overhead. The cover for Spring has been designed by Holly Ovenden and the pages feature linocuts by Charlotte Whatmore, who is the artist-in-residence on Morpurgo’s farm.

The other three books will follow over the course of the next two years, and each title will have commissioned illustrations and cover designs that "reflect the distinct voice and approach of each writer".

In Winter, Val McDermid invites readers on a Scottish adventure, while Autumn takes them through the marshlands of Sussex, and, in Summer, Evaristo writes about the city sunlight.

Topiwala said: "It’s hugely exciting to see these much-loved and celebrated fiction writers turning their hand to non-fiction and seeing the changing seasons through their eyes. I am pinching myself at being able to work with some of my favourite authors and to welcome them to the Hodder Press list."