Fiction

Lucy Nichol is a writer with a passion for mental health awareness, music, comedy, and nostalgia. Her second novel, Parklife, delves into addiction, recovery, friendship, and hope, and is set against a backdrop of UK Northern life and 90s Britpop. Her first work of fiction, a dark comedy called The Twenty-Seven Club is the prequel to Parklife, exploring music fandom, mental health and media sensationalism. In March 2022, The Twenty-Seven Club was adapted for the stage by Lucy’s husband, actor and director Chris Connel, for Live Theatre’s Elevator Festival. Her latest non-fiction book, Snowflake, which was published by Welbeck in January 2023, breaking through mental health stereotypes and stigma. No Worries If Not was published in 2023.

No Worries If Not, published by HarperNorth in August 2023, explores what happens when one woman resolves to ‘break up’ with saying sorry?

Charlotte Thomas is polite. Manners cost nothing, her mother always said … yet there’s a fine line between diplomat and doormat.

But every woman has their breaking point and Charlotte has just found hers. It wasn’t because she said sorry to her boss for challenging his terrible idea for a staff social, or because she apologised to the drunk girl who spilled espresso martini all over her favourite top. And it wasn’t because she agreed to go on a second date with the world’s most boring man to avoid hurting his feelings. Maybe it was all of these, or maybe it was when she realised, she ended every email with the fateful words: No Worries If Not.

With the help of her best friend and housemate Mush, Charlotte declares she’s apologising no more. No more saying sorry for just doing her job or speaking her mind or simply taking up space.

So, when she finds her space being invaded by a manspreader on the Metro, Charlotte lets rip. When she’s finished shouting about why he’s the rudest man she’s ever met, she realises, annoyingly, that not only is he the best-looking man she’s ever had the misfortune to sit next to … he’s actually really nice about it all too.

With her unapologetic pledge off to a tricky start, will Charlotte be, dare she say it … sorry she even started this?