The Girl with the Green Eyes

Bella is defective. You need to take her back.

Nine-year-old Bella D’accourt has always known she was different; she was born into a controversial ‘designer baby’ eugenic programme, difference is in her DNA. Bella has been designed to be exceptionally beautiful, but when she uses her sadistic, manipulative charm to seriously injure another child her mother brings her back to her creators and demand they “fix her”.

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Thus begins Bella’s new life among scientists and other eugenic ‘Subjects’ at the mysterious Aspira Research Centre in Cumbria. But an enemy lurks in the shining laboratories set among idyllic mountains; an obsessive, murderous enemy who will, years later, drive Bella from all she has worked for and into a desperate, night-time flee across the country with her daughter, whom she will protect at all costs.

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But Ariana, 12, isn’t so sure she wants to be protected by Bella anymore.

Long-listed for The Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award as part of The Bridport Prize 2020

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Part one of TAKE HER BACK trilogy

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Reader reviews:
'A superbly written and engaging book and a genre I would never normally read.'

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'An absolutely intriguing story line that hooks the reader in from the first page. The characters are complex and interesting.'

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'For fans of science fiction stories, I’m sure this will be a book to be sought after and enjoyed. The writing within it is sublime.'

'A solid speculative-fiction piece of work covering aspects of eugenics and genetic engineering and the ways they can be mishandled with tragic results.'

'The science fiction element is not obtrusive and is completely believable, while giving the story its sharp edge.'

News

All the stuff that's happening

Radio Interviews

Times Radio, Talk Radio Europe, River Radio

Listen to my interview with Mariella Frostrup on Times Radio here (last half hour of the programme) covering all things from the research behind The Girl with the Green Eyes to the reasoning behind my un-gendered author pen name! 

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My interview with Hannah Murray for Talk Radio Europe discussing the ins and outs of genetic engineering and a bit more about the enigmatic protagonist that is Bella is available to listen to here. (last 10 mins)

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I spoke to the lovely Heather Adams of the River Radio Turning Pages programme about the inspiration, research and core ideas behind The Girl with the Green Eyes.

Listen to part one here

Listen to part two here

Blog Tour Guest Post: Origins

Love Books, Read Books

I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember, but the first time I finished a ‘novel’ was when I was 12. That was the when I discovered the heady wonder of creating a world, having the power to make people feel something, however fleeting. Since that time, I’ve always had some form of work-in-progress running in the background, veering between hobby and obsession depending on the time available.

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Read the full article here

Blog Tour Guest Post: Q&A

My Bookish Bliss

In your opinion, how far is too far?

I think it’s safe to say that every example of human genetic modification used in The Girl with the Green Eyes (and the Take Her Back trilogy as a whole) is “too far.” Use GM technology to eradicate disease, create vaccinations, solve world hunger issues by all means. Don’t create designer babies.

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Read the full Q&A here

Blog Tour Guest Post: Inspirations

Short Book & Scribes

The Girl with the Green Eyes began life over 13 years ago as the opening of a children’s fantasy novel for my Creative Writing BA. The storyline was about children growing up in a sheltered institution/academy where they were immersed in a suggestive environment intended to harbour supernatural ability. It featured a flying child, her kindly scientist mentor and her enigmatic, anti-heroine mother, Bella. I did actually draft out a full version around 2016 but, as much as I loved the characters and the suggestive-ability storyline, I knew that as a novel it just didn’t work, so I shelved it. A few years later – with the characters continuing to haunt my imagination – I revisited the story. I realised straight away that it should never have been a children’s novel – that the potential for darker themes, the possibility of a more scientific-based approach, the heavy questions I was posing about what it is to be human, to be vulnerable – was all better matched to an adult readership. I also realised that Bella was a far more interesting character than any of the children in it!

Read the full article here

Article: The science behind the Green Eyes

Book Brunch

I wrote The Girl with the Green Eyes in its current form when I was pregnant with my third child three years ago. Most of the characters had been burning away inside my head for over a decade (the novel's earliest version was my final coursework submission for my creative writing BA back in 2008), but the genetic experimentation aspect of the plot was at least partially inspired by my pregnancy.

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Read the full article here.

BLOG TOUR Announcement!

I'm delighted to announce that my official blog tour for The Girl with the Green Eyes kicks off on publication date, November 5th! I've genuinely loved writing these articles, guest posts and Q&As, feature writing was always my favourite part of journalism so it felt a bit like combining the best of both worlds.

Official Book Launch

Journal of Storytelling

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