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Extract: Always on My Mind by Carys Green

Always on My Mind

'Original and compelling to the extreme - I raced through it' Debbie Howells 
 
YOU CAN HEAR HIS EVERY THOUGHT... BUT HE CAN HEAR YOURS TOO. 
 
When Elijah suggests celebrating their ten-year anniversary by visiting OneMind, Anna is hesitant about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. Yet, eager to please him and compensate for what she cannot give him, she reluctantly agrees to take this step towards ultimate intimacy. 
 
At first, everything seems perfect. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of mind-to-mind communication is exhilarating. But soon, she starts experiencing a strange side effect: dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories - memories that don’t belong to her. If Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what of he can see hers? 
 
Desperate to keep her hidden truths from her husband, Anna finds her mind becoming a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad? 
 
‘Fantastic … I can’t remember feeling this on edge’ Natalie Chandler 
 
'Like a OneMind chip, Always on my Mind got under my skin and refused to let me rest until the story’s end’ Amy Beashel

Original and compelling to the extreme - I raced through it

Debbie Howells, author of THE BONES OF YOU

‘Fantastic … the tension was exquisite ... I can’t remember feeling this on edge. It takes real skill to extract that level of emotional reaction from a reader ... Carys Green has pulled it off superbly’

Natalie Chandler, bestselling author of BELIEVE ME NOT

Tapping into my existing paranoia about where technology is headed, Green took my fears of inevitable AI intrusion, fused them with romantic toxicity and thereby eradicated any possibility of sleep. Like a OneMind chip, Always on my Mind got under my skin and refused to let me rest until the story’s end! Utterly chilling.

[An] original, gripping thriller… A book to keep you up all night

Carys Green is a thriller writer based in Shropshire, where she lives with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing she can often be found indulging two of her greatest passions - either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.

You can hear his every thought. But he can hear yours too... 
 
When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, she’s eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy. 
 
And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what if he can see hers? Will he discover what she's kept buried in her past? 
 
Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad? 
 
A clever exploration of toxic relationships, power imbalances, and privacy from an exciting new voice in the high-concept thriller space.

Carys Green

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

How would you react to sharing your home with your clone - would you embrace yourself and live harmoniously, or fight the claim your clone stakes on your life? Carys Green challenges readers with this question in another gripping and haunting story that will linger long after reading

Gripping and deeply unsettling, blurring the lines of identity and belonging. The Other You confronts human vulnerabilities in a way that leaves you questioning just how far ethical and moral boundaries can be

A chilling exploration of identity and motherhood... terrifying: if you could be erased by '"another you", would anyone even notice you were gone?

Elena Wilkes, author of THE BROKEN MARRIAGE

Once again, Green has tapped into my ever-increasing fears around advancing technologies and delivered a viscerally uncomfortable ride. As if motherhood isn’t already challenging enough. Ripe for adaptation, The Other You builds a world in which we can’t trust anyone, not even ourselves

Incisive, propulsive and twisty with a compelling premise, THE OTHER YOU gripped me from start to finish

This is a stunning speculative curveball through the domestic suspense genre.

Rachel Sargeant, author of HER CHARMING MAN

This is a stunning speculative curveball through the domestic suspense genre.

Elena and Stuart Roberts are struggling. Their newborn baby, Olive, has colic and neither of them have managed to sleep for more than three hours a night for the last month. Something is about to break. Stuart decides enough is enough. They need help. 
 
And help presents itself in the form of More You, a company which offers a clone of you. For a substantial fee. But a clone of Elena might be the answer to all their problems; someone to be up all night, someone who Olive won’t reject. Whilst Elena is hesitant, Stu can’t resist the lure of sleep and the return of some normality to his life, and so a week later they are bringing their new addition to the family home. 
 
Elena’s clone settles in well, bringing balance and assistance where needed. And as the weeks progress, she begins to mimic Elena, adopting her habits, her mannerisms. Something which More You insists is all a part of the adaptation process. 
 
But Elena isn’t so sure. And soon neither is Stu. They are both starting to live in fear of the stranger in their home. And when one night, the clone's presence leads to a terrible mistake, Elena must make a decision which will change her life forever.

Carys Green

Praise for The Other You

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Really clever and thought provoking as well as being profoundly chilling with beautifully drawn characters

Books by Carys Green

Articles featuring Carys Green

Extract: Always on My Mind by Carys Green

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