We meet them everywhere this summer. On the beaches, in the trains, in the handbags: the novels of Freida McFadden are a hit. “The cleaning lady” trusses first place of sales in France in 2024, and in seven other countries.
With more than thirty thrillers to his credit, Freida McFadden fascinates. Who is this actor with dazzling success?
1. She’s a doctor
In parallel with her author activity, Freida McFadden is a doctor. It works in the Boston region. Specializing in brain damage, she graduated from Harvard University and grew up in a medical environment, between a psychiatrist father and a podiatrist mother. She begins to write during her studies, regularly sending manuscripts to publishing houses, without managing to be published. Several of his intrigues take place in hospitals or clinics … normal, when you know your medical file.
2. A pseudonym
We don’t really know who hides behind his books, and it’s done on purpose. Freida McFadden is actually a pseudonym used to protect his doctor anonymous. But it’s not trivial. His false first name comes from the acronym of Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, a platform that helps medical students find internships. A smart nod to his double life. Some even imagine that behind this stage name are actually hiding several feathers … Noises of corridors or proven facts, the mystery remains complete.
3. She suffers from social anxiety
It does not run interviews or public appearances. Freida McFadden would suffer from social anxiety. She therefore prefers to keep her distance, which nourishes the mystery around her. Far from the spotlight, she leads a more than quiet life: house in front of the ocean in the chic suburbs of Boston, her husband, her two teenagers and her cat. No rhinestones or stress, just an author who treats her secret as her daily life.
4. Years of discreet self -publishing
“The cleaning lady” could never have seen the light of day. At the start, Freida McFadden judges the novel too dark, too dismal. However, after years of discreet self -publishing, she entrusted this novel in a digital publishing house in 2019, which published it in 2022. The result, you know it. Proof that sometimes you have to know how to push the door of its prejudices to open those of success.
5. In April, a book sold on two in France was signed with his pen
Freida McFadden has conquered an audience often far from reading thanks to a simple, oral style. Short and effective phrases. This winning cocktail has exploded its popularity on Tiktok, in particular via the hashtag #Booletk, where it has become viral with young adults. According to GFK and Books Hebdo, between April 14 and 20, a book sold on two in France was signed with his pen. Three to four novels per year, almost thirty on the clock: well -tied intrigue and fast reading appeal. But she must still have many other secrets.