T. A. Palmer has spent most of her life noticing things.

People. Rooms. Energy. The way one sentence can stay with you for years. The way grief changes shape. The way laughter can arrive at exactly the wrong moment and somehow make everything bearable.

She has been an accountant, a project manager, a daughter, a wife, a carer, a patient, a problem-solver, a storyteller, and apparently can often be found providing the cabaret at other people’s parties, with or without their knowledge.

She does not have a method, a framework, or seven steps.

What she has is a lifetime of stories, a habit of asking awkward questions, and a deep suspicion of anyone who claims to have all the answers.

The U in Us is her first book.

It grew out of conversations about energy, connection, grief, influence, kindness, coincidence, and all the other things that do not always fit neatly into the science box — but perhaps deserve looking at anyway.

Tracey lives in North Wales, surrounded by family, memories, and considerably more material for future books than is probably sensible.

And yes, she still thinks you should keep your own key.