Please join Leanne for a chat with much loved rural romance writer Fiona McArthur at our Port Macquarie Library on Tuesday 17th September at 4.30pm.
Drawing from her earlier life as a rural midwife, Fiona McArthur shares her love of working with women, families and health professionals in her books. In her Impassionate, pacey fiction, her love of the Australian landscape meshes beautifully with warm, funny, multigenerational characters as she highlights challenges for rural and remote families, and the strength shared between women. Happy endings are a must.
Fiona is the author of the non-fiction book Aussie Midwives, and lives on a farm with her husband in northern New South Wales. She was awarded the NSW Excellence in Midwifery Award in 2015 and the Australian Ruby Award for Contemporary Romantic Fiction in 2020, and was shortlisted for the same award in 2023.
BACK TO BIRDSVILLE
The heart-warming new rural romance from the bestselling author of As the River Rises.
Set in the isolated Queensland town of Birdsville, with a population of 110 and the unbreakable spirit only a community of that size can have, Fiona McArthur’s latest novel captures the essence of life in the remote outback and the fun of the Birdsville races. It celebrates the resilience of Australians living in such unique conditions, particularly highlighting the dedication of those tasked with keeping their community safe.
When midwife and emergency nurse Phoebe McFadden fled Birdsville as a teenager, escaping the drama that surrounded her family, she thought she’d left for good. But when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid in her cousin Scarlet’s wedding, she know it’s finally time to make her way back home to the dusty red roads and face her past.
As Phoebe reluctantly settles back into the town she grew up, she can’t help but cross paths with Atticus Bow, Birdsville’s newest policeman. No longer the skinny kid she remembers but an irresistible man she can’t help but be attracted to, Phoebe is determined not to become entangled in the town’s grip again. As she starts to let Birdsville – and its people – back into her heart, she begins to discover the secrets she tried so hard leave behind. Can she right the wrongs of the past before Scarlet’s big day and fall back in love with the small town she left all those years ago?
Fiona’s latest novel honours the resilience of so many families living not just in Birdsville, but in remote towns all around Australia. It celebrates the women who are always there for each other and the men that stand by their side, painting a vivid  picture of a place where community spirit thrives against all odds.