Retired Wigan nurse-turned-fiction novelist to publish her second book

Sarah McDonald’s career included hospitals in her hometown of Wigan as well as Bolton, Essex and Manchester before her eventual retirement in 2021.

Now, she has drawn on her years of experience on the front line to publish Justice: the first of a series of novels starring Det Insp Thomas Marsden.

It has proved a big success and she revealed today that writing is a big release for her as he husband undergoes cancer treatment and that her encounters with so many people during her career had helped her in the creation of fictional characters.

The 58-year-old said: “Tommy, the protagonist of the books, is fundamentally flawed as he comes to terms with the changes in his personal and professional life.”

She added: “It’s this vulnerability that readers seem to find relatable.

“I have been extremely lucky, working in a number of hospitals across the country and meeting lots of different people every day. This has afforded me a wealth of valuable experiences that I can tap into whenever I’m creating new characters and plots.”

Justice was published in August and was heralded as a “gripping read that keeps you guessing until the very end.”

One reader paid tribute to Sarah’s unique writing style with the comment: “What a brilliant book. Gripping from the start, plenty of twists and turns! Great characters and well written. Couldn’t put this book down!”

Sarah credits this to the meticulous research methods she employs to inform her writing; she says she has found writing not only to be enjoyable but therapeutic too, whilst her childhood sweetheart and husband of many years, Ian, has been receiving treatment for cancer.

She said: “We are both so incredibly grateful for the excellent care he has received at both Wigan and Christie hospitals, and we are delighted that after almost two years he is making such a great recovery.

“I have found writing during the darker days was an ideal way to escape the harsh reality of the situation for short periods at a time.”

The novelist is also working towards running a half-marathon and is attempting to master the Spanish language.

But she regards the publication of her first novel as being among her greatest achievements.

On how she manages her time, Sarah said: “Some people are just naturally busy.”

Sarah’s long-time friend and colleague Marie Digner, also 58, said she was thrilled to see the first-time author already earning such success.

She said: “She is one of those people that gets things done; it came as no surprise that her first book was so good. I can’t wait for the next one to be published.”

And that second book in Sarah’s crime thriller series, called Betrayal, is expected to be released at the end of the year, with a further book already in development.

Sarah’s books are available on Amazon in paperback and eBook formats.