Northampton writer's novel snapped up for 10-part Netflix series

John Marrs - who lives near Abington - has been a popular author since 2013 but was surprised as anyone when his third novel, The One, was selected by the production arm of streaming giant Netflix.

A scout had apparently been browsing Amazon for ideas when the cover of John's latest self-published book made him take a closer look. A quick look at the synopsis later and the scout was sure he had a hit on his hands.

John said: "He got in touch and said would I be interested in giving them the option of turning this into something.

"My reaction was, 'oh my God, that's amazing.'

"It's very exciting and not what I had in mind at all when I was writing it."

The book has now found a publishing house - Penguin - and has been read around the world, with translations in 27 languages. In the UK alone, it has sold more than 150,000 copies.

The action is set in the near future, a decade after genetic scientists discover that all of us share a single gene with just one other person.

But taking a DNA test and finding out 'the one' can have unintended consequences, as five pairs of people find out.

For all the fact that it was John's idea, he is very relaxed about Netflix taking the plot in any direction they choose.

All of his novels mention or feature Northampton somewhere and John's is curious to see whether the scriptwriters give a nod to his home town.

The former business and showbiz journalist said: "The book is separate. Once they have bought the rights to The One, it's their baby as far as I'm concerned.

"I did a lot of interviews with people from the film world but I'm no expert on screenplays.

"But not knowing how they're going to handle it makes it more exciting for me."

The series is scheduled to be available for streaming early next year.

John's second novel with Penguin is a psychological thriller about driver-less cars. It will be available to dowload in April and on the shelves of book shops in May.