The seed for a story comes from all sorts of different places and The Surgeon’s Chosen Wife started evolving when I heard a radio interview while I was in the car, ferrying children. A senior medical consultant, Chief of his hospital department, married with children was considered to be living a wonderful, rich and successful life. One day he crossed the road and was hit by a car. From that moment, his life and the life of his family was changed forever. 

How do you cope with such a life-changing event? That was the genesis for my story. Ryan Harrison was a successful surgeon. He’d been driven all his life to succeed, to leave behind his less than happy childhood. A keen cyclist, he was knocked off his bike by a car and suddenly his career as a surgeon was in doubt. To add insult to injury he had to return to his childhood home, a place he hates. His sole desire is to return to his adult life and the lifestyle he loves. The less time he has to spend in Yakkaburra the better.

Sarah Rigby is living the life of a single mother, trying to balance working full time as a country GP and raising her young son. She loves Yakkaburra and the people who live there.  She has no desire to enter another relationship after a failed marriage.

So what happens when Ryan and Sarah meet? Lots of things, including an attraction both of them want to resist.

Why did I set it in Queensland? Well, I've always adored the old "Queenslander" homesteads and this way I got to pretend I lived in one!

I hope you enjoy Ryan and Sarah's story as it unfolds against the backdrop of lush, tropical Far North Queensland.