A Frustrated Hero

Having seen how Domenico, Theo and Max managed to avail themselves of their authors' blogs recently, (Kate Walker, Anne McAllister and Liz Fielding, wonderful ladies all), I thought I would take advantage of my own author's distracted state and have a few words of my own here. Boy, do I need them. I am one frustrated hero! Not that I think I am heroic, you understand, but Margaret McDonagh, my author, says I'm the hero of the book I am in. Anyway, I am very miffed at being temporarily sidelined from my quest to win back my heroine, Annie. Having been ruthlessly put "on the back burner", I have some unexpected time on my hands between shifts, so let me explain ...

Hi, my name is Nathan Shepherd, and I'm a doctor working in accident and emergency medicine. I have just moved to Scotland to take up a post in the casualty department at Strathlochan hospital, and I am determined to put my plan into action to win back my Annie. She's a feisty woman, and while she sometimes drove me mad, I loved her to distraction. Until she walked out on me five years ago and broke my heart. She has this stupid idea in her head that the split was my fault ... but it wasn't. I never wanted her to leave. We had an argument over her latest hairbrained scheme, she threw a tantrum and stormed out. Not too unusual with Annie as she was then, and I thought it would blow over in a day or two. But it didn't. She left, and hard as I tried, I couldn't find her or get her to answer my letters or take my phone calls. Five years on things have settled in my own life allowing me to focus on my own needs for once, and after searching again, I managed to track Annie down to Strathlochan.

And here I am. I need to know if there's still a chance for us or if seeing her again means nothing. At least then I will be free to move on, one way or another. So, I arrive in Strathlochan, have my first glimpse of Annie, and find I am still in love with her. It's a shock. Both good and bad. Yes, she's matured, grown up, made a real success of her career. She's just made Registrar! I'm dead proud of her. But what hasn't changed is her belief that our break up was my fault. I'm going to have my work cut out for me making her face up to the past and what happened between us, not to mention acknowledging that what we have is special - far too special to throw away. We've lost five years and I don't intend to lose any more. Then, without warning, my author pulls the rug out from under my feet. Within hours of me seeing my Annie again, she's kicked us to the kerb because she's been asked by her lovely editor - (I know she is lovely because she likes me, even though she is conspiring to torture me) - to work on some exciting new projects.

How frustrating is that? I had a few strong words, I can tell you. How could she do this to me? She knows what I have been through, knows how desperate I am to have Annie back in my life, that I still love the infuriating woman, despite everything. And she tells me to take a break, amuse myself elsewhere for a while, leaves me hanging on the edge of a precipice. It's not fair!

In the meantime, my author is off fraternising with some playboy doctor called Oliver who has more charm and looks than is good for him and who loves surfing and jet skiing and motorbikes. I think he's turned my author's head. Oliver is taking all her attention in his quest to seduce the innocent, unsuspecting Chloe. Which sounds a bit dodgy to me.

Then some Italian surgeon called Sebastiano has pushed his way in, luring my author away with his sultry good looks, sexy accent and promises of the magical island of Elba. Seb is appealing to my author's soft heart and romantic nature with some sob story about the shattering event in his life and his confusion over meeting the luscious Gina - who, incidentally, has connections with Strathlochan, too. She was born in Scotland but has Italian ancestry, hence her trip over there, but I won't spoil her story by giving too much away.

Finally, some equally suave French guy called Gabe is heading over on a year-long exchange as a GP. It seems he is also going to jump the queue and sneak in to capture Lauren's heart before I can focus my author's mind back on the most important people in all this ... me and Annie.

Not only I am on the sidelines kicking my heels waiting for Margaret to get back to me and finally reunite me and Annie, but my new colleague here at Strathlochan, Luke Devlin, who is a young orthopaedic surgeon with a history all his own, is waiting for me and Annie to get our act together so that he can tell his story. He's even madder than me at this delay! He has a longer wait, after all. And Luke really isn't a man to mess with. I hope my author knows that. There's something just a bit on the edge about Luke that makes you think there is more of the Devlin genes in his blood than he would like to think.

Luke's heroine, Francesca, is a radiographer here at Strathlochan. Some people call her the ice maiden, but that's because they don't know her very well and don't understand what her life has been like. Luke knows and it is time for him to stake his claim. Francesca is good friends with my Annie - and with Cameron's Ginger and Frazer's Callie who you'll meet in earlier books out this year. Cameron & Ginger's story, One Special Night is out in August 2007, while Frazer & Callie's story is called Their Christmas Vows and will be in the Christmas Weddings anthology. So watch out for those. You'll meet my Annie in both of them. And Luke's Francesca.

As soon as I get Annie back by my side - and back in my bed, Luke can launch his campaign to capture Francesca's heart. Seems Luke & I are both at loose ends now while these three interlopers lead our author astray. She'd better be careful. Keep us waiting too long without our women and we may just be forced to take matters into our own hands!

Happy reading - and I hope it won't be too long before we meet again.

Love,

Nathan