Between being a practising brain physician and prolific writer, it’s hard to fathom when Freida McFadden finds time for anything else – yet she's the author of multiple psychological thrillers and medical humour novels.
Her bestselling book, The Housemaid, has been made into a hotly anticipated film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, out in cinemas on Boxing Day.
Freida's brand new thriller, The Intruder, is a tale of survival and desperation, set in an ominously remote cabin – and it's already selling fast after its release earlier this month. Here, Freida tells us all about seeing her book made into a Hollywood movie, her writing process, passions and more.
"On an excitement scale of one to 10, I am at about 103 for the movie The Housemaid.
"I feel so blessed to have amazing actors Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried playing Millie and Nina.
"I burst into happy tears when I met Sydney in January, who was super-sweet about my humiliating display.
"About once a day, I say to my husband, ‘Do you believe this is happening?’ He says something like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty weird.’
"I started out writing a humorous account of my medical intern year in-between my baby’s nap times; I was proud it sold 500 copies, but now I’m on The Sunday Times bestseller list.
Freida's brand new book follows Casey as she discovers a blood-soaked, knife-wielding young girl outside her woodland cabin during a storm. How far will the girl go to keep the dark secret that brought her there?
An international bestseller, The Housemaid is Freida's most popular book to date, and the first of a trilogy of Housemaid books (followed by The Housemaid's Secret and The Housemaid is Watching). Order this version with the movie cover from November, or the original blue cover now.
Sydney Shaw has terrible luck with dating, until she meets charming and handsome Tom. Then the brutal murder of a young woman – the latest in a string of deaths across the coast – confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them. Should Sydney be worried?
"I can’t believe I’ve written 31 books in 12 years!
"I didn’t realise it was that many. Still, juggling my time has been challenging. Back in 2023, I was feeling overwhelmed and it was affecting my mental health, which is why I decided to step back from medicine and now only practise about one day per week.
"Those who have read most of my books know that revenge is a favourite topic for me.
"My general feeling is that in life, people rarely get exactly what they deserve. But in art, you can dole out that poetic justice, which I enjoyed doing again in The Intruder.
"Maternal control can be a compelling theme in books, and one I delve into in my latest novel.
"The mother-and-child bond is a strong one, and that’s why being betrayed by a mother is one of the most psychologically damaging things to happen to a person.
"A childhood plagued by a cruel mother is the perfect ‘origin story’ for a villain or antihero.
"I love writing morally grey characters.
"I’m intrigued by the idea that a person can be good deep down but still do bad things. Or a person can be mostly ‘evil’ yet still have sympathetic qualities.
"Someone who does nothing but good things is not interesting to read about, in my opinion!
"Despite the dark subjects in my books, humour is so important to me. I love to laugh.
"I don’t like to take myself too seriously, and that translates into my books. I hope people get a laugh from them, even though they are actually thrillers, so humour is more like the side plot.
"I love writing dialogue – I joke that my books are just a step or two away from being plays.
"I also love writing short chapters that end on cliffhangers because I know as a reader about the temptation to devour ‘just one more chapter’.
"I insist on still writing for fun.
"I try to come up with ideas that excite me, as it’s important that the process continues to make me happy. But I picked up painting as a hobby last year, as I needed to have one pursuit that isn’t also a career.
"I have lots of advice – I can’t shut up about it.
"In general, the self-publishing arena is different from when I started, and the important rule is that you have the guts to send your book into the world, then promote it like you believe in it.
"I actually enjoy participating in social media.
"I’m a little shy about real-life appearances, but I love interacting with readers online.
"I try to be present as much as I can and show my readers how genuinely grateful I am for their support."
This article first appeared in the November 2025 issue of woman&home magazine. Subscribe to the magazine for £6 for 6 issues.
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