Laline Paull | Novelist | Playwright | Screenwriter | UK
Novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Laline Paull pours her passion for wildlife into each and every word she writes. She has worked as a screenwriter for both film and television in Hollywood and London and is a member of the BAFTA and The Writers’ Guild of America (West).
Laline is known for her imaginative fusion of biology and science into emotionally gripping stories, which was when POD was born, a science-backed immersive marine epic of cetacean lives, in a tropical ocean changing beyond recognition. POD is a beautiful and shocking story, and a fantastic read for everyone who loves the ocean and can face the truth.
Her ability to zoomorphise herself into a variety of creatures helps the reader gain a whole new perspective on life as we know it, and encourages us to rethink man’s dominion. Transcribing the incredible, dramatic world that we don’t see, Laline's adult animal fantasy books based in sound science will teach you about every aspect of the natural world, from the bees, marine mammals, and even Arctic development.
Currently, Laline is adapting her debut novel THE BEES at the National Theatre in London.
laline paull
Novelist, playwright, and screenwriter.
When did you first start your storytelling journey?
As soon as I could write!
What path did you choose after leaving school?
Student of English at Oxford, then a screenwriter in LA, then television, then writing plays in London, then novels.. and round I go again.
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
Spending time in the garden, watching everything that moved. Communing with pets, closely watching wildlife, feeling closer to animals than humans.
What/who currently inspires you?
Sylvia Earle, David Attenborough, the women of Iran, and everyone who stands up for freedom, tolerance, kindness, and justice. Including the natural world.
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
I’d like us to identify with other living creatures as parts of ourself. I’d like us to see that we have to share our world with other life forms than human, because it’s a law of life, not a CSR tickbox. I’d like compassion in politics.
The paradigm shift we saw that we can make changes when the world caught Covid. The end of our fossil fuel addiction and the immediate adaptation at scale, to renewable energies. We have the technology already, we must keep insisting we use it. We are a highly adaptable species and we are totally capable of making the changes we need to keep global warming below a 1.5 degree increase.
“Follow your heart and you will find your tribe. ”
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking, and that you'd like to recommend to other ocean lovers?
So many! Seaspiracy, Ocean Souls, Blackfish, the first Greenpeace documentary showing whale hunting; Nanuk of the North, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet, My Octopus Teacher, the work of Madison Stewart as she shows us on IG, and all the ocean activists who can be found doing brilliant work all over our one connected ocean.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
To write great stories worth reading, that in some small way, help create a kinder world. I told stories that helped people feel their hearts, and their power. My work added to the cause of protecting our natural world, and creating a more just and compassionate society.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an Ocean Storyteller?
Follow your heart and you will find your tribe. Don’t be scared to start. Start anywhere, you’ll find your way.
What current projects/stories are you working on?
My third novel, POD, is a cetacean epic set totally in the ocean, advised by scientists and biologists. I'm also adapting my first novel, THE BEES, at the National Theatre in London. And working on the pilot for a very fun tv series.
WEBSITE: https://www.lalinepaull.com
INSTAGRAM: @lalinepaull
