Lisa Wilkinson

And she used to go down to Murray Bridge and row on the Murray River.

But she didn't want to row like everybody else did, which was to row with the currents and then gently come back when the tidal flow turned to the riverbank.

Evelyn always wanted to challenge herself.

So Evelyn always rowed against the tide.

And when I read those words, on the little I could find out about Evelyn Marsden, I thought, I wonder how many Australian women feel like they are regularly rowing against the tide.

And, you know, this idea came to me almost three years ago.

And I can tell you, with things that I was going through at the time, I felt like I was consistently rowing against the tide.

And so I called Pete and I said...

I think this has to be your next book.

And he said, well, can you put something together for me and I'll send it to my publisher at Hachette.

At a half an hour later, his publisher, Vanessa, called me and said, Lisa, everyone's talking about this idea that you've had.

And I said to her, isn't it just amazing?

And she said, yeah, but we don't think Pete should do this book.

And I'll clean up what I said next.

But it

boiled down to, are you kidding me?

This is the best untold story about a woman we don't know about and we should.

And she said, oh no, it's just, we don't think it's a Pete book.

We think it's a Lisa book.

And I said to her, I really appreciate your belief in me, but I have been married to Peter Fitzsimons for more than three decades.