Mairi Chong

Mairi grew up in the north-east of Scotland. The dramatic coastal village proved to be the perfect back-drop for imaginative play alongside her brothers.

Mairi read voraciously from a young age. Both her father and grandfather were great storytellers and read aloud to her, encouraging her to invent stories of her own. Their support led her to gaining a scholarship to study creative writing at a prestigious summer school.

In reading, she gravitated towards crime fiction, beginning with Agatha Christie, and moving on to Dorothy L. Sayers and Josephine Tey.

Creativity took a backseat when Mairi chose to study Medicine at Dundee University. She qualified as a general practitioner, enjoying the variety of the work. Within General Practice, Mairi specialized in addictions psychiatry, women’s health and family planning, but following the devastating personal diagnosis of bipolar disorder, swiftly followed by renal cancer, she was forced to take a career break.

Happily, Mairi has been declared free from cancer and now lives a peaceful existence deep in the Scottish countryside with her husband, son, cats and horses. She has even been known to deliver the odd calf for the neighbouring farmer if he’s in a fix.