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Sandra Cavallo Miller is a retired academic family physician. Little fiction has been written about family medicine or women doctors, and she is on a mission to change that. When not writing, you might find her hiking with a dog, riding a horse, or sitting under a tree studying her favorite hobby, volcanology.
Her writings and poems have been published in JAMA's "A Piece of My Mind," Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine, Under the Sun, and Embark, among others. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is transitioning to Oregon to be near family.
Her trilogy about a woman physician at the Grand Canyon Clinic, published by the University of Nevada Press, combines science-based medicine with adventure, geology, and romance.
WHERE NO ONE SHOULD LIVE, a novel, tackles the challenges of a public health physician and enters new territory rarely seen in fiction. Set during a brutally hot summer in Phoenix, the exciting story provides a fresh view of medicine and the tremendous work that goes into keeping us healthy. Tensions climb as a chilling series of unexplained illnesses escalate in clinic staff.
And do you want to know what your doctor really thinks? OUT OF PATIENTS is the story of middle-aged burned-out Norah Waters MD, who gives herself one more year to find her way back to enjoying her medical career before she quits. Supported by her steadfast dog, a misfit veterinarian, and a pensive radiologist, she wrestles her way through a surprising assortment of obstacles, sometimes amusing and sometimes dreadful, to make a final decision about her future.
BREAKING NEWS: The sequel to OUT OF PATIENTS is approved for publication! Follow Dr. Norah Waters as she attempts to wrap up her practice and deal with her 90-year-old mom, who takes on Sun City in her own determined style. Anticipated release in late 2024.
REVIEW for OUT of PATIENTS:
An astutely sensitive depiction of life as a physician … a companionably agreeable novel laced with lightsome humor … readers will appreciate the genuinely sharp insights into the often burdensome world of private medical practice.
A perceptive … tale about a physician's daily struggles. – Kirkus Review
REVIEW for WHERE NO ONE SHOULD LIVE
... Miller is not only an experienced novelist, but also a retired doctor, so readers learn … about local diseases … and drugs both natural and human-made … the book is not just entertaining, but educational as well. Phoenix, with its punishing summer weather beautifully described ("The sky stood dazed, a feeble ruined blue"), is almost a character itself, which perhaps explains the gripping novel's ominous title … An enjoyable tale with plenty of suspense and the bonus of intriguing medical details. - Kirkus Review
And more good news ... the novel What the River Said was a finalist in the 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards!