So, I finished this zoom podcasty-type interview thing and, afterwards, the interviewer commented, “You’re much more cheerful than I’d expected … funny, too.” Like they were expecting me to be some sort of Norman Bates character. (And I think they meant funny ha-ha rather than funny peculiar … possibly.)
I write crime thrillers and psych thrillers for a living because I enjoy writing in the genres and I am seem to be reasonably popular – at least, the novels sell well enough. But I’m not, perhaps surprisingly to some, actually a psychopath … or a sociopath … or out on licence after serving a life sentence … or anything really. I got a parking ticket once, that’s about it.
Fact is, I’m just an ordinary fellow who, like most novelists, draws on their life experiences and adds a hefty dash of imagination. My childhood was, like a lot of folk’s, not very good -If you Google ‘Iain Maitland Guardian’ you’ll see the story. My wife’s childhood was, ah, grimmer – one of my 2027 novels, Elke Dearest, will be inspired, not sure that’s the right word, by it – so I’ll write more about that in due course.
I live in Suffolk by the sea, with my wife Tracey and our dog, Dolly, a Labrador/Chihuahua mix – a former Greek stray who’s great with humans but not so good with other dogs especially big ones who she’d like to scrap with.
Tracey and I have been together since 2 December 1979 – schooldays – and we have three children, Michael, Sophie and Adam. They have lovely partners. And we have two gorgeous grand-children, Jonah and Halley.
Michael, Georgia and Jonah live locally. So too do Sophie, Glyn and Halley. We see a lot of Halley – We see her more days in a week than not which is lovely. We also have Jonah every other Saturday.
Tracey and I are very lucky. As we hobble together towards our dotage, we have a family life that would have been beyond our wildest dreams when we were young. ❤️
So, all in all, I am a cheerful sort and maybe a little bit funny too – ha-ha or peculiar, take your pick …
Best Wishes
Iain
Iain Maitland
Friday 12 December 2025
Iain Maitland, Novelist 