Dear reader,
Hello, I’m Holly Ringland, author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, The House That Joy Built and my new novel, The World Beneath Her Feet, out in ANZ on 1st September, with North American and UK publication dates to be announced.
One of the greatest gifts that becoming an author has given me is the chance to meet readers and begin conversations in signing lines, bookshops, libraries, festivals and online. The Joy Rise is where those conversations can continue and deepen between books.
I write here from inside my own creative life, sharing what I’m noticing, questioning, learning, loving and trying not to forget. Much of what I write about circles creativity and courage: the things that bring us closer to our imaginations, and the fear, exhaustion, grief, noise and pressures of everyday life that can make that connection more difficult to foster. My writing always circles and seeks joy.
When I talk about joy, what I’m not talking about is compulsory optimism, or a way of looking away from what hurts. I’m interested in joy as a sustaining force. I live for the small and immense experiences of beauty, awe, wonder, sorrow, connection, poignancy, humour and creativity that help us remain open-hearted and alive to one another.
My intention with The Joy Rise is not to stand at the helm here as Someone With All The Answers. Far from it. I want to host this space for us: to make it a place where we can gather around what stirs us, pay attention to what matters, and find company in the strange and often vulnerable work of being human and making things. To leave a light on for ourselves and each other. And, wherever possible, have a laugh while doing it.
🌱 A note about paid subscriptions:
Paid subscriptions are currently paused as I prep for the publication of my new novel, The World Beneath Her Feet.
They will reopen as soon as I have the space to return properly to the work I want to share, and to show up for my readers here in the way I want to.
You are warmly invited to subscribe for free in the meantime. I’m still sharing my latest news here first, including mini essays about the questions and themes that remain fresh in my mind from writing Maggie’s story in The World Beneath Her Feet. You can read the blurb here, the story of the cover artwork here, and all details of my upcoming Australian tour, including how I’m feeling about it, here.
✨ Free subscriptions:
my monthly Notes to Self + occasional reader Q&As
Part of the spirit I embraced when I brought my newsletter to Substack in 2024 was taking the chance to play around with and explore how I might connect and share with my readers here. What that’s meant has changed over time. Something I consistently loved was writing and sharing my monthly Notes to Self list with all subscribers. They do what they say on the tin. I started sharing my Notes to Self here last year in case anything in them sparked something for you. My ethos has always been: take any that do, and of course leave any that don’t. Read past Notes to Self here.
Depending on volume, my answers to reader questions are also included in free-to-read issues of The Joy Rise. Your questions are welcome here.
And, as I’ve said, every subscriber receives meaningful news about my books, events and work here on The Joy Rise before I share it anywhere else.
🌟 Paid subscriptions: a closer circle around my work
When paid subscriptions reopen, paid readers will receive one new dispatch from me each month.
Depending on what feels most alive to me, this might be:
🩵 a substantial essay, letter or piece of fiction
💚 creative field notes gathered from my life and work
💛 a video diary from my writing desk to you
Four times a year, I’ll also host a seasonal live online gathering for paid readers. We’ll share a cuppa, I’ll talk about what is occupying my creative life, and I’ll respond to a selection of questions submitted ahead of time by readers. I’ll make every effort to vary the gathering times across the year for readers in different parts of the world, and a replay will be available if you can’t join us live.
Paid readers receive the complete Joy Rise correspondence, including every free-to-read letter, each monthly paid dispatch and access to the full archive of paid writing.
The form may change from month to month, but the promise is consistent: I’ll share something considered, heartfelt and made especially for the readers who directly sustain this work.
The work I most want to make and share here is often the kind that helps me discover what I think and feel while I’m making it. It’s a way of following the flicker, finding my way in the dark, or understanding why something has moved me, and sharing what I find with you.
My hope is that these dispatches might offer recognition, company, courage or a small flare of light for you too.
The heart of paid subscriptions is my writing and storytelling. My promise to you and myself is that I won’t manufacture intimacy or turn every private experience into material to fill a schedule. I’ll share what feels true, considered and worthy of meeting you where you are in your day and life. My aim is to never send filler to your inbox. I hope always to send you something that brings you joy.
🪺 Why paid subscriptions matter to The Joy Rise
Paid subscriptions create the time and space for me to make this independent library of writing and stories. Every paid reader also helps me to keep Notes to Self open to all readers, regardless of whether they are able to pay.
By becoming a paid subscriber, you are supporting the continued life of The Joy Rise and my ability to create and publish this work. Your subscription helps sustain a place for writing made with care, rooted in the belief at the heart of this space and all of my work: that creativity, attention, beauty and joy matter. That they help us stay connected to ourselves and each other. That what nourishes our imaginations can also strengthen our resilience and capacity to face the world.
I don’t get to be the writer that I am without my readers, and I thank you for being one of mine. However you’re able to subscribe, it’s an honour to write and create with and for you.
👩🎤 Subscription options when paid subs reopen
💌 Monthly: AUD $10
(approx. USD $7 / GBP £5)
💌 Yearly: AUD $100
(12 months for the price of 10 — approx. USD $70 / GBP £50)
🌸 Managing your subscription
You can change or cancel your subscription anytime.
Whether you stay for a season or the long haul, thank you. Your presence helps me grow this space with courage and heart.
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