I’m a novelist and have been doing this full-time these past few years. Before that, for about 30 years, I was a freelance writer focusing on business and finance and other boring stuff that paid the bills. By 2015, I’d had enough. I wrote two memoirs, Dear Michael, Love Dad (Hodder, 2016/17) and, with my eldest son, Michael, Out Of The Madhouse (JKP, 2018). Both of these are available on Amazon and as audios too – Dear Michael, Love Dad is read by the fab actor, Michael Simkins, and Out Of The Madhouse is read by my son Michael and myself – what a wonderful experience that was!
I spent a few years with one agent and one publisher getting nowhere very slowly with one thriller out each year – Sweet William, Mr Todd’s Reckoning and The Scribbler – and this was incredibly frustrating. Mr Todd’s Reckoning was coming to TV as a six-part series with Paul Ritter starring in it. Sadly, Paul passed away and the production company, AbbottVision, withdrew from the project. After a while, I shook hands on a film deal but handshakes are meaningless these days and that did not happen. Who knows what’s next!
I spent 18 months thrashing about, going through five agents and talking to lots of different publishers, trying to get with the right people. Things, eventually, slotted into place (very nicely) with the right publishers and I represent myself. I am currently writing pysch thrillers for Inkubator Books – the last, The Perfect Husband, came out in October. Two more, at least, are following – The Soulmate (working title) and The New Son (working title), out in 2023. Looking ahead, I think I will be writing three psych thrillers a year for the foreseeable. They sell. I make a living. I am happy . I’ve also got my first literary novel, The Old Man, His Dog & Their Longest Journey, coming in June 2023. Very exicted about that!
Happy Days!
Iain
Iain Maitland
Monday 3 April 2023
Iain Maitland, Novelist 