Claire discovers that crime sometimes does pay after all

There’s a happy ending to author’s lifelong talent for writing

Claire MacLeary is proof that good things come to those who wait. Now in her sixties, her first novel, a crime thriller called Cross Purpose, is to be published next month.

It’s the first in a series of titles starring Harcus and Laird, a pair of all-action Aberdeen housewives.

And Claire is the first to admit that her path to writing full-time has been circuitous, after a lifetime working in advertising, HR and several business ventures.

“It was a continuing education class at Dundee University that gave me the impetus to take my writing further,” she explains.

“Having my writing included in an anthology of short stories spurred me to submit to magazines and since then a number of my short stories have been published.”

It was studying for an MLitt that gave Claire, who recently moved from Fife to Glasgow, the confidence to try writing a novel.

“I looked at the best-seller lists and what featured heavily was memoir and crime,” she says.

“I reckoned memoir was out. However, as an older woman, whose writing is strong on the domestic, I felt I could succeed at ‘cosy crime’.”

Cross Purpose tells the story of two very different Aberdeen housewives, assailed by a series of calamities, who decide to take on the world.

“Maggie Laird is judgmental, lacking in confidence, but with untapped inner strengths,” explains Claire.

“Her neighbour, Wilma Harcus, is overweight and big-hearted. Together, they have traits many women will identify with.

“I hope readers will enjoy the ordinariness of Maggie and Wilma and the humour between them.”

Claire is now gritting her teeth and working on her second Harcus and Laird story Burnout, which deals with domestic abuse.

“Writing gives me a sore back no matter how many lumbar supports I try but nothing beats the sense of achievement when you write a good sentence,” she says.

Cross Purpose will be published by Saraband on February 23, priced £8.99.

Theyhave traits many women will identify with

Claire MacLeary proves that a successful writing career can start later in life.