Dunedin doctor realises book dream

A Dunedin doctor is celebrating success both here and abroad, after realising a three-decade effort to publish her first full-length novel.

Dr Mira Harrison-Woolrych, a former obstetrician / gynaecologist from the United Kingdom and who now works as a part-time researcher at the Dunedin Public Hospital says she’s “very excited” her medical drama, ‘One in Three’ is soon to be on book shelves in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Crux sat down to talk with Dr Harrison-Woolrych before she leaves for her UK book launch.

“I'd always wanted to write fiction, but being a busy doctor, researcher, all the things I was trying to do, bringing up the kids, there was no time, really,” she said.

However, she managed to find time to write a collection of eight short stories in her first published work ‘Admissions’.

That first effort was published in 2018, followed by a follow-up involving another four fictitious stories written at the time of the Covid 19 pandemic and set during the pandemic

Both short story collections are based in a fictitious hospital in Southern Aotearoa but based on Dr Harrison-Woolrych’s observations in both New Zealand and the UK.

She had just about given up hope on her more-than 30 year dream to publish her first full-length novel.

“That idea came during my first weekend when we had quite a rough sort of introduction to the world of medicine. When you're 23 years old and you're just out of medical school. I carried the story of this guy, James Hartman, Doctor James Hartman, this fictional character, around in my head for the next 30 years.

“It wasn't until after Admissions was published that I sat down and started writing it.”

However, there was no publisher interested at that time in the novel and it wasn’t until her son graduated medical school that she thought to give it another try.

“I had kind of given up on it and thought, it just didn't seem to be something that British publishers were interested in. I really wanted it published in the UK because I think it's a very British story. It’s set at the end of the 1980s, which was Margaret Thatcher's third term in government and things were pretty bad.”

After a three-month intensive edit at the start of this year, she resubmitted to a UK publisher and got an affirmative reply.

“It was very exciting. It is a novel that's incredibly close to my heart because it was based on my real life experiences as a junior doctor.”

Though set the 1980s, she says not a great deal has changed in the health system.

“In terms of the hospital buildings, many are still crumbling, dilapidated. As we campaign for a new hospital in Dunedin, doctors and other healthcare workers are just trying to continue delivering essential healthcare services for people who need them.”

The novel ‘One in Three’ by Dr Mira Harrison, is the coming-of-age story of a doctor struggling with the demands of endless hours on call in NHS hospitals. Set in 1989, against the backdrop of the unfolding AIDS epidemic.

The novel will be published by The Book Guild in the UK and is available online through Amazon.

In New Zealand it can also be ordered from Paperplus stores nationwide.

“Paper Plus in Dunedin have said they will stock it. Michael the book-buyer there is very supportive of local authors,” she said.

It will also be part of Dunedin Library’s UNESCO Dunedin City of Literature Collection.

Main image: Dr Mira Harrison-Woolrych, now a published novelist, works as a part-time researcher at the Dunedin Public Hospital.