Book: Novel retells story of kidnapped schoolgirls - with a twist

The story of the kidnapping of Nigeria's Chibok school girls is being retold in a new novella being launched this month - but with the action transferred to the UK.

The release of Someday by Carnegie-Medal nominated author Corinna Turner on Friday 15 April marks the anniversary of their abductions by Islamist terror group Boko Haram in late April 2014.

Miss Turner's latest book Someday moves the abduction of the 276 schoolgirls to Britain and asks what might have happened if the mass kidnapping had occurred over here.

She said: "It is a fictionalised account, but I have stuck as closely to the real events as was possible with the altered location."

Miss Turner was inspired to write the novella after initial media interest waned - despite the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls attracting 2.3 million tweets in less than a month in 2014.

The Oxford-University educated author said "As the days dragged into weeks, and then into months, with no real progress, and the world's interest began to wane again, I increasingly wished that there was something I could do to help. As an author, the obvious thing was to write the girls' story."

The proceeds of the book are going to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which is supporting persecuted Christians in Nigeria - including help for internal refugees who have been driven out of their homes by Boko Haram.

Miss Turner said: "I really wanted to help those affected by the Boko Haram violence and donating to Aid to the Church in Need is a great way to do that, because they're giving a huge amount of support to Christians in Nigeria. Since becoming a Catholic I think I've slowly been becoming more and more conscious of what a great charity they are and what excellent work they do, and trying to support them more and more."

Miss Turner stressed that the fate of those seized by Boko Haram should be of concern to everyone.

She said: "Every single one of those women and girls is a mother, sister, daughter or wife - any one of them might be Nigeria's first female president, a future irrigation engineer, a human rights lawyer, or a woman who raises a family with love and kindness and so makes the world a better place. In short, each one of them is a precious and irreplaceable child of God."

Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director of Aid to the Church in Need (UK), said: "It is important that people do not forget the suffering that Christians experience in Nigeria - and indeed throughout the Middle East and North Africa region."

He added: "With our 'Persecuted Christians Need You' campaign, which we have recently launched, we are trying to raise awareness of the suffering that our brothers and sisters undergo throughout the world. Someday is a brilliant way of using fiction to help people imagine what the terrible events they face are really like."

From 15th April Corinna Turner's Someday will be available from all good bookshops and directly from Aid to the Church in Need - visit www.acnuk.org/someday on the web.