SAS hardman becomes Molly Jackson

He may have made his fortune crafting violent page-turners based on his brutal experience as an SAS trooper marooned behind enemy lines in the first Gulf war. However, it seems the best-selling novelist Chris Ryan has discovered a more feminine side to his nature after completing his first – and last – romantic novel.

Writing under the pen name Molly Jackson, Ryan is due to publish The Fisherman's Daughter next year. More Mills & Boon than murder and mayhem, the book, a romantic quest about one man's search for his true identity, is set in a remote Scottish village. It has gleaned positive reviews in Australia where it has already been published and hopes are high that it could score an unlikely hit for the author in his native country when it hits the shelves in March next year.

But switching genres appears to have proved anything but a comfortable experience, even for a tough cookie such as Ryan.

"I tend to stick to a subject that I'm comfortable with but I wanted to see if I could do a classic family saga," he said, while reassuring his overwhelmingly male fan base that they can expect him to be reverting to action-packed type for his next book. "I won't be doing it again. If it taught me something, it was don't go out of your comfort zone, so I think I'll stick to writing about what I know," he added.

Ryan, 47, made his name during the Bravo Two Zero operation with his fellow SAS soldier-turned-writer Andy McNab. They formed part of a contingent sent behind Iraqi lines to destroy the mobile Scud launchers whose missiles were wreaking havoc at the start of the first Gulf war. But the eight-man patrol found its mission compromised. Three were killed and four, including McNab, were captured. Ryan was the only one to escape, walking nearly 200 miles to the safety of neighbouring Syria, a feat for which he was awarded the Military Medal. He recounted his experiences in his first book, The One That Got Away.

Since returning to civvy street the Gateshead-born writer, who put an unhappy childhood behind him before enjoying a distinguished military career, has written more than two dozen books, including 10 in the Alpha Force adventure series aimed at teenagers. His best-known character is Geordie Sharpe, a SAS sergeant who does battle with the IRA, the Russians and, of course, the Iraqis.

His last novel, Firefight, takes the action to Afghanistan where the tale's hero, SAS Captain Tom Jackson, socks it to the Taliban.

Examples of men writing under a woman's name remain few and far between in the Western literary canon. It is better known for women to claim to be men. Mary Ann Evans, better known as George Eliot, adopted the nom de plume in order to be taken seriously by publishers and the public.

Then and now: Ryan's novels

Stand By Stand By by Chris Ryan (1997, Arrow Books)

The first in the Geordie Sharp series tells the story of the SAS sergeant forced to rebuild his life after returning wounded from the Gulf war. Once home, he finds his private life in meltdown too. His next mission to Northern Ireland proves a turning point – both personally and professionally – when a family member is murdered by the IRA. The killing leaves him driven by a profound hatred of terrorists, and Sharp sets out to stalk and kill his man.

The Fisherman's Daughter by Molly Jackson, (2009, Arrow Books)

Robbie Fraser believed he had no father until he is summoned to a remote Scottish village to help find him. There he is befriended by a local woman, Heather McBain. Heather suspects the hand of her own father in the disappearance of Fraser Snr and together the couple set about unravelling a mystery which threatens to destroy them all.