Iain Blair wrote 29 romantic fiction novels in all.
For many years, Iain Blair, who has died aged 68, was an actor who in his spare time wrote thrillers. Four were published, without much success. Then, in the early 1980s, his agent and editor, Colin Murray, suggested that, as more women bought books than men at the time, and preferred them to be written by women, Iain should have a go at writing romance and change his name. The idea worked and "Emma Blair" became a very popular writer and one of the most borrowed authors from libraries.
Half Hidden, 1996, by Emma Blair.
He "came out" after being shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association romantic novel of the year award in 1998 with Flower of Scotland, when he was asked to appear on the Terry Wogan show. He wrote 29 romantic fiction titles in all, most of which were set in Scotland, although my favourite is Half Hidden (1996), set in Jersey during the second world war.
Iain was born in Glasgow. His father died of tuberculosis when Iain was a baby, and his mother when he was 11, so he was brought up by an aunt and uncle in the US. It wasn't a particularly happy time and he had saved up enough money by the time he was in his mid-teens to spend a year in Australia as a newspaper proofreader and a lifeguard.
He then decided to return to Scotland and worked as a journalist for the Sunday Post until he took up acting as a full-time career. He was a professional actor for more than 20 years, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in the West End of London, in plays including The Man in the Glass Booth (1967), directed by Harold Pinter, and in television series such as The Sweeney, Rock Follies and The Saint.
Iain had a great sense of humour and dry wit, but he wasn't someone you would want to cross. For several years we spoke on the telephone every Friday and had wonderful conversations and debates about politics and the state of the world in general, subjects that Iain had exceptionally strong views on. He was easy to work with – most of the time. People weren't allowed to tamper with his dialogue because he felt he used his acting background to put himself into the period and scenes, and knew what would be said and how. But he was not precious about his prose and, providing the page proofs read well, we did our job while he did his.
It was a system that seemed to work. He wrote a book a year, starting on the first Monday in September, writing every morning, every day of the week (just having Christmas Day off), and delivering his manuscript in March. He had every confidence in his storylines, but was always nervous of the verdict, even after he had become an establish- ed and bestselling writer. In later years, his cleaner was always the first member of the public to read an advance copy and Iain was on tenterhooks until she had approved it.
Iain lived in London for many years and then moved to Devon with his wife and two sons. When his marriage broke down, he remained in Devon but continued setting his novels in Scotland. Four years ago Iain was diagnosed with diabetes, which took a strong hold on him. His second wife, Jane, a fellow author and a businesswoman with her own media company, helped to nurse him and kept his spirits up. He is survived by Jane, his sons, Tam and Angus, stepson, Mark, and four grandchildren, Benjamin, Emily, David and Monica.
• Iain Blair, writer and actor, born 12 August 1942; died 3 July 2011
Iain was born in Glasgow. His father died of tuberculosis when Iain was a baby, and his mother when he was 11, so he was brought up by an aunt and uncle in the US. It wasn't a particularly happy time and he had saved up enough money by the time he was in his mid-teens to spend a year in Australia as a newspaper proofreader and a lifeguard.
He then decided to return to Scotland and worked as a journalist for the Sunday Post until he took up acting as a full-time career. He was a professional actor for more than 20 years, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in the West End of London, in plays including The Man in the Glass Booth (1967), directed by Harold Pinter, and in television series such as The Sweeney, Rock Follies and The Saint.
Iain had a great sense of humour and dry wit, but he wasn't someone you would want to cross. For several years we spoke on the telephone every Friday and had wonderful conversations and debates about politics and the state of the world in general, subjects that Iain had exceptionally strong views on. He was easy to work with – most of the time. People weren't allowed to tamper with his dialogue because he felt he used his acting background to put himself into the period and scenes, and knew what would be said and how. But he was not precious about his prose and, providing the page proofs read well, we did our job while he did his.
It was a system that seemed to work. He wrote a book a year, starting on the first Monday in September, writing every morning, every day of the week (just having Christmas Day off), and delivering his manuscript in March. He had every confidence in his storylines, but was always nervous of the verdict, even after he had become an establish- ed and bestselling writer. In later years, his cleaner was always the first member of the public to read an advance copy and Iain was on tenterhooks until she had approved it.
Iain lived in London for many years and then moved to Devon with his wife and two sons. When his marriage broke down, he remained in Devon but continued setting his novels in Scotland. Four years ago Iain was diagnosed with diabetes, which took a strong hold on him. His second wife, Jane, a fellow author and a businesswoman with her own media company, helped to nurse him and kept his spirits up. He is survived by Jane, his sons, Tam and Angus, stepson, Mark, and four grandchildren, Benjamin, Emily, David and Monica.
• Iain Blair, writer and actor, born 12 August 1942; died 3 July 2011
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