Author Emily Freud - 7 Things She Wants You To Know About Her

1 September 2022

I write emotionally charged psychological thrillers and want the reader to turn the last page feeling like they’ve been through a carwash in a shopping trolley. My favourite books are those I can’t put down, that make me cry, and make me see the world from a different perspective. So, that’s what I’m aiming for when I write.

Author Emily Freud

What I loved most about my career in TV production and development, were the different worlds I’d immerse myself in while researching and filming. I lived on a marine training base, trekked in the Ecuadorian jungle, hung out with a billionaire, met spies. Every project was different, and I never knew where I’d be month to month.

Music has a huge influence on my work, and I’m always listening to what evokes the story I’m trying to tell. For What She Left Behind, Kate Bush was on repeat. She even makes a cameo in the novel. I’m listening to a lot of Labrinth for my current WIP. 

I studied at The London College of Fashion and received a 1st in Womenswear. I love pattern cutting and the quiet pleasure of making something from scratch. I also knit and embroider. I find doing things with my hands incredibly therapeutic and calming – I do my best thinking with a needle in my hand.

I quit drinking when I was twenty-eight, over ten years ago now. I look back at my twenties as being lost. I am grateful every day that I found myself again. The themes of my debut novel, My Best Friend’s Secret, heavily rely on those experiences.

I get my ideas from everywhere. Experiences I’ve had. Characters from documentaries. An interesting way of weaving a narrative that I’ve seen on a limited series. My career in TV development means I read the papers every day and have a memory bank for stories I see there. That is what I love about writing a novel. It is a big bowl of all these ideas you’ve come across throughout your life – you just have to work out which ones to use.

I used to want everything to be dramatic and loud and fast and exciting. But now I’m happiest at home. With my two kids and husband. And my laptop.

About Emily

Emily Freud has worked on Emmy and BAFTA award winning television series including Educating Yorkshire and First Dates. Her debut novel My Best Friend's Secret published in 2021. Emily lives in North London, with her husband and two small children.