After years of writing under a pseudonym, The Housemaid author Freida McFadden has finally revealed her real identity.
Videos by Suggest
Indeed, the fan favorite author, who has long kept fans guessing by using a pseudonym and donning a wig and glasses in public, has finally unmasked herself. In a new interview with USA Today, McFadden revealed her real name is Sara Cohen.
“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret. I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men,” she explained to the outlet. “I am a real person, and I have a real identity, and I don’t have anything to hide.”
Fans of The Housemaid book series might also be surprised by the writer’s other career.
Turns out, the 45-year-old author’s “day job” is just as impressive as her writing career. When she’s not penning thrillers, Cohen is a physician who treats brain disorders. And while she clarified that she really does wear glasses, the hair fans have seen in her public appearances was, in fact, a wig.
“I have no idea how to style my hair,” Cohen confessed to the outlet. She also added that her real life is “so much more boring than anything that happens in my books.”
‘The Housemaid’ Author Picked a Pseudonym Due to Her Hospital Job
The author originally chose a pseudonym to avoid conflicts with her job at the hospital.
“My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was (ready to) step back from my doctor job, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job,” she explained.
But, as secrets often do in thrillers, her identity eventually came out. Luckily, her coworkers were “really nice about it” and kept the secret safe. Many were completely unaware they were working alongside a best-selling author. Now, Cohen has started bringing her books into the hospital, perhaps for a little light reading between treating brain disorders.
“I have stepped away from my job. I’m only working like once or twice a month,” she added.
But don’t worry, the legend of Freida McFadden isn’t going anywhere. Cohen plans to keep using her thriller-writing alter ego, even though the secret’s out.
“Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” she reasoned. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”
The Housemaid was recently adapted into a film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. It went on to gross nearly $400 million worldwide, and a sequel is already in the works.