Influx Press signs Lauren du Plessis

Influx Press has signed Tender, a debut novel blending folkloric horror and an exploration of womanhood by Lauren du Plessis. Gary Budden at Influx bought UK & Commonwealth rights from Abi Fellows, for publication in September.

Budden said: "Tender is just the kind of debut fiction we look for at Influx. I loved how it uses the elements of folk horror and eco-fiction to craft a gripping narrative about the rewilding of the self and how we deal with the scars of the past."

Du Plessis said: "Tender has found the best home I could hope for at Influx. With 2025 set to be a landmark year after their full return to publishing, it's an honour to see my work on their new list of bold, punk, fresh fiction. I'm incredibly grateful for the journey so far, and can't wait for my fever dream of a novel to find its readers."

The synopsis: 'Twenty-eight-year-old Nell has curated a perfect museum of the self: early accolades in her career as an archaeobotanist, a pastel Instagram filled with flowers, and a consistent manicure routine to give a veneer of control. But there has always been a part of her that doesn't fit the mask of perfection she wears.

'When two "bog bodies" are discovered in elaborate floral graves in a Somerset fen, Nell gets the opportunity of a lifetime to excavate and uncover their secrets. But the deeper she digs into the fertile, waterlogged mud, the more she uncovers repressed memories of her unsettled childhood and strained relationship with her sister… and the more her body manifests her own wildness in ways she can't ignore. 

'Under the pressure of a blazing summer, Nell whirlwinds into a heated but toxic romance, intense friendships, and the brutal process of reconciling her past and her future before the weight of it all buries her, too. 

'Blending folkloric horror and an exploration of womanhood, against a background of eco-anxiety, Tender beautifully depicts the quiet violence of overcoming and accepting our darkest sides.'

Du Plessis' stories have appeared in Litro and Mslexia among others. She has a BA in literature from Oxford Brookes University, and has worked across marketing and narrative writing, mostly for games.