HER DEBUT novel was named one of the best books of 2018 by a national newspaper and has been a steady seller in Waterstones’ Petersfield store.

But despite winning plenty of acclaim for ‘XX’, former Post reporter Angela Chadwick is too terrified to enquire about sales figures.

“I’m not sure I want my address in the paper just in case I get hate mail,” joked the novelist, despite the positive reviews her ‘pacy dystopian thriller’ about lesbianism and playing God has received.

“It’s quite a topical and contentious issue and I expected more to be vocal so it was a relief that people have read it and enjoyed it.”

For those who haven’t picked up a copy yet, the Petersfield-based novel focuses on two lesbians, Rosie and Jules, who get to make history by conceiving their own female baby, without any male involvement, through DNA sequencing.

Fear-mongering politicians and right-wing movements are quick to latch on to the controversies in a book described as ‘Handmaid’s Tale meets Humans’ by one impressed reviewer.

While its release may seem perfectly timed given the #MeToo movement, Angela, who lives in the Winchester Road area of the town, came up with the idea during an A level Biology class when she was 17.

She said: “I had read The Handmaid’s Tale around my A levels so may be it was in the soup of my subconscious when I was writing.

“I was sitting in this class and randomly wondered whether scientists would ever create a technology to allow two ladies to have a baby together and my mind went wandering.

“I thought it was a strong idea for a novel.

“I started developing it around three years ago and at the time there was lots of press coverage about trolling and how much hatred there was beginning to surface and the two things clicked.”

Despite the author’s worries, sales and feedback have been positive since its autumn release, with the novel making the Guardian’s Best Books feature of 2018.

A sequel is planned but it won’t be her follow-up, with Petersfield set to take centre stage once again in her writing.

She said: “I’ve got an idea for a sequel but I’m writing a second book which is also set in Petersfield and that’s drawn from my five years working in Traders.”

‘XX’ is available in Waterstones’ store at Rams Walk, all good bookshops and online.