But I did have a secret: I was writing a bestseller behind her back…
Iain King
Women always know, right?
Wrong.
Even though women are far more clued up than men, they can make mistakes, too.
And that includes my wife. She was convinced I was having an affair, but I wasn't.
I'd spent ten years writing my first book. It was a labour of love, but - like most hardbacks - it didn't earn much. My wife insisted I didn't "waste any more time writing books" - especially now we both had demanding jobs and two young kids.
But I was addicted to writing, and I knew I could write something that would sell. So I wrote behind her back.
I did most of my writing early in the morning - before I made breakfast for the kids and walked them to school. Sometimes I'd write at work during the lunch hour, and I wrote some parts in internet cafes.
My wife suspected something, and quizzed me several times - was I having an affair? I wasn't. But I knew that if I told her truth, she'd insist I stop writing.
Totally in secret, I managed to write not just one book, but three full length novels. And I was lucky: the first publishing director to see them offered me a generous contract. I signed up - all without telling her.
The question was: how far could I go before she found out? I was hoping to make it all the way to publication day…
But then an old school friend saw some of the publicity for my first novel 'Secrets of the Last Nazi', and tagged me in post on facebook.
My wife was livid. I confessed it all. 'At least I wasn't having an affair,' I explained. She wasn't sympathetic.
She was only slightly more forgiving when 'Secrets of the Last Nazi' topped the book charts in the summer, and become the bestselling spy thriller.
My second paperback, 'Last Prophecy of Rome, is published today.
I haven't shown it to my wife yet, because the hero in the story has an affair…
