Waterlooville author launches bilingual ten-book saga with debut Still Here

Waterlooville-based author M.L. Arden is preparing to publish her debut novel, Still Here, on 30 November 2026, alongside its Polish-language edition, Została sama.

The novel is the opening volume of The Marta Saga, an ambitious ten-book series following one woman’s life across almost two decades.

At the centre of the story is Marta, a young Polish woman trying to build a new life in Britain while navigating motherhood, migration, family relationships, loss, difficult choices and the challenge of starting again.

M.L. Arden is developing the project simultaneously for English-speaking and Polish readers in the UK, with both versions of the first book scheduled for publication on the same day.

The author, who lives in the Waterlooville area, says creating the series has allowed her to explore experiences familiar to many people who have made Britain their home while remaining connected to another country and culture.

Rather than ending Marta’s story after a single novel, the series will follow her through different stages of adulthood, motherhood and family life, showing how one person can change over many years.

Work on the project is already progressing beyond the debut. The second novel in The Marta Saga has been completed and is planned for publication in 2027.

Around 230 early readers in the UK and Poland have already read material from the project ahead of publication, providing feedback as the series has developed.

For Arden, however, the books are not simply about dramatic events.

At their heart is the question of what happens after life changes unexpectedly: how people continue, rebuild relationships, raise families and gradually create a new sense of home.

Still Here and Została sama will be published on 30 November 2026.

More information about M.L. Arden and The Marta Saga can be found at www.mlardenauthor.com.