Sally Grey

Fertile Ground

‘Life advice: never unbury a body. Granted, better advice might be don’t murder, but I guess technically I never did that. So I stand by my original statement.’

Clementine Finch’s life just became complicated. Struggling with infertility in a society threatened by overpopulation, Clem returns to her childhood home to mourn the sudden death of her parents. Freedom from the extremist movement against pregnancy – #stopoverpopulation – is a welcome bonus. Reconnecting with figures from her past and chatting to the crows in her garden, Clem spends the winter months tending to her mother’s strangely thriving vegetable patch.

But when her troubled brother Billy arrives, paranoid about the wellness brand he works for, Clem feels her quiet life slipping away. Then she discovers her mother’s hidden laboratory and her life is forever changed…

Presenting a frighteningly believable version of our future, Fertile Ground examines one woman’s attempts to come to terms with the legacy her mother has left her. A legacy which has the potential to affect the future of every life she cares about – and those she doesn’t.

'Fertile Ground by Sally Grey is a story full of intrigue and suspense, a rollercoaster of emotions with unexpected twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages to find out more. I am so excited to see Sally's work coming to publication and hope she will write more.' Sue Reed, author of The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn.

'Intimately drawn characters, vivid writing and, just as you get settled in, the twists start coming. Fertile Ground is dark and gripping.' Jamie Edmundson, author of The Weapon Takers saga

Sally Grey completed her Masters in Creative Writing at Newcastle University, graduating with a distinction. She still lives in Newcastle, where she works as a content writer at a marketing agency. Sally enjoys reading anything with a mysterious or sinister undertone, a love which inspires her own writing. She spends most of her time writing, baking and drinking too many cups of coffee. Fertile Ground is her debut novel.