The Wish

Born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, Heather Morris has lived between Australia and New Zealand since 1971. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University, she worked for over two decades in the Social Work department at a major Australian teaching hospital. During this time, Heather pursued her lifelong passion for storytelling, enrolling in professional scriptwriting courses in both Australia and the USA.

In 2003, Heather was introduced to an elderly man who ‘might just have a story worth telling’. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Lale Sokolov’s story formed the basis for The Tattooist of Auschwitz, published in 2018, and for the follow-up novel, Cilka’s Journey (2019). Three Sisters (2021) concluded the Tattooist trilogy. The Tattooist of Auschwitz went on to become one of the 21st century’s bestselling books, and in 2024 an adaptation of the novel was released as a Stan Original Series, to wide acclaim.

Her most recent historical novel, the heart-wrenching Sisters Under the Rising Sun, is based on the true-life experiences of women held in Japanese POW camps during World War II.

Together, Heather’s books have so far sold over 19 million copies worldwide.

The Wish is Heather’s first contemporary novel. It was inspired by her years spent working in a busy public hospital, alongside families facing the toughest of times with love and courage.