A FORMER COLUMNIST for the Gazette is eagerly awaiting the release of her novel – the first in a trilogy of crime thrillers.

Nikki Owen, 41, of Cam, will release her debut international thriller The Spider in the Corner of the Room starting from today, and it will gradually be rolled out to various shops within the next month.

The freelance writer and columnist formerly wrote the Going about Gloucestershire column for the Gazette before giving up the role to focus on other work.

Nikki spoke to the Gazette regarding her excitement about the novel’s publication, as well as the issues she hopes the work will raise.

“The fact that I have a book coming out is still surreal - it's been sold around the world. Still saying that seems unbelievable,” she said.

“But, beyond that, there is something I am even more pleased about: the fact that the novel will, hopefully, bring up some talking points - and the main one is Asperger's.

“For The Spider in the Corner of the Room, I chose a character who looks at the world from an utterly different angle from me. I chose someone with Asperger’s.”

The Spider in the Room follows the story of plastic surgeon Dr Maria Martinez who suffers with Asperger’s.

She is also a convicted criminal, charged with a murder that she cannot remember and refuses to believe she committed, despite DNA evidence placing her at the scene.

Finding herself incarcerated in a London prison and surrounded by dangerous convicts, Maria is forced to use her incredible intelligence to seek the truth behind her own case.

Nikki continued: “People with Asperger’s just say what they think – no white lies or hidden meanings to their words or actions like us neuro-typical numpties.

“Fuelled by this fact, I wanted to see if using a character with Asperger’s could highlight society’s flaws – and emphasize the benefits of many Asperger traits.

“The two juxtaposed positions – Asperger’s and neuro-typical society - provided me with an intriguing platform to then explore the wider themes of injustice, deceit, corruption, power and lies, all which feature strongly in Spider and the Project trilogy.”

The fast paced thriller ultimately leads protagonist Maria into a web of international intrigue, building with pace to a dramatic court room finale.

The book starts to go on sale today and will become available in various versions, as well as different languages.

It will be published in paperback and e-reader versions by MIRA on July 6.

In 2014, the trilogy was optioned by NBC Universal Television for a one-hour returnable TV series.

Nikki lives in Cam with her husband David Owen, 43, and their two daughters.