Interview with Leigh Russell
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Q: Hi Leigh. We met at the VWC Get Writing Festival at the University of Hertfordshire last Saturday. What was it that inspired you to go along to the conference and did you achieve your objectives in attending?
A: The VWC Get Writing Festival had a wonderful programme but I was only able to go at lunch time to sign copies of CUT SHORT as I had a meeting with my publisher that morning. I hope to run a workshop at the Get Writing Festival in 2011. I became involved with the Festival as I am giving a talk to the Verulam Writers’ Circle on 5th May.
Q: Your blog at http://leighrussell.blogspot.com starts in August 2007 just after you’d signed a deal with your publisher, No Exit Press. It took nearly two years for that book, ‘Cut Short’ to hit the shelves. What happened during that time and did you find yourself becoming frustrated with any elements of the process?
A: I was surprised to discover what a long process publishing a book can be. Once a manuscript is finished, it goes through a seemingly endless process of editing, proof reading, cover designing, and so on. I was beginning to think CUT SHORT would never be published! I have learned that two years is fairly typical for a first book. ROAD CLOSED will be published this June, and DEAD END will be out in June 2011. And my publisher has already asked me to write a fourth one.
Q: Did you specifically choose not to have an agent and to approach publishers directly with your book? Have there been any moments where you thought having an agent would be useful?
A: At first, I just wanted to write. I didn’t think about developing a career as an author. CUT SHORT has been doing so well that I am beginning to take my writing career seriously and I now have an agent, which I am very pleased about.
Q: ‘Cut Short’ is extremely fast paced with a large cast of characters. How much editing did you have to do? How many characters appeared unexpectedly as you wrote the book? Are you a planner?
A: I sat down and wrote CUT SHORT without any planning at all because it didn’t occur to me that my story would be published. I just enjoyed writing it. As a result, it did need fairly rigorous editing. I was initially signed up for 3 books, and wrote ROAD CLOSED knowing it would be published. I planned it out first, and it needed very little editing. My agent asked me to write a detailed synopsis for DEAD END, so I have planned that carefully. Having the synopsis makes life much easier. I wish I’d done that with my first two books.
Q: Are you a big reader of crime fiction yourself? Your publisher cites ‘Cut Short’ as being in the tradition of Ruth Rendell, Lynda la Plante, Frances Fyfield and Barbara Vine. Are you a fan of these authors? What else do you like to read?
A: I read Ruth Rendell, Frances Fyfield, PD James – all psychological crime writers. I am also a fan of Henning Mankell, Jeffery Deaver, Val McDermid, Simon Beckett… too many to mention! I don’t only read crime fiction, my reading tastes are fairly wide ranging. But now that I write, I have very little time to read.
Q: I see that as well as being a writer, you are also a teacher. How do these careers compliment each other do you think, and are there any areas in which they get in each other’s way? If you could write full-time, would you? (or do you?!)
A: I enjoy teaching, but now that I have discovered writing, I would love to write full time. Teaching and writing psychological thrillers are both natural choices for someone fascinated by people.
Q: DI Geraldine Steel is a brilliant investigator and I have pre-ordered my copy of your next book ‘Road Closed’ which ships on 2nd June 2010. Where did Steel come from and what are your plans for her? Without giving anything away obviously!
A: When I started writing the story of CUT SHORT, my detective was a middle-aged man. In many ways he worked very well, but I wasn’t sure how a man feels in his personal and sexual relationships. I didn’t want to fall back on clichés, so I changed my protagonist to a woman. The reader learns a lot about Geraldine Steel in ROAD CLOSED… no, I’m not going to say any more !
Q: If you were something in a park, what would you be? I’d like to be the swings as I’m pretty curious and I think you’d see a lot as a swing and probably be quite popular with people, so get to do some serious eavesdropping too.
A: I suppose I’d be a person out for a walk who stumbles across a body in the bushes….
No. 1 — February 24th, 2010 at 08:28
An interesting interview, it reminded me of an interview with, and here I am frustrated because I can’t remember which, either Leslie Thomas or Alan Sillito. He wrote his first novel when recovering from TB. In those days, even with the new miracle antibiotics, it was a year or more’s job.
So, by chance, he had the time to write his book. I enjoyed the books of both these men, though I have a fondness for Albert in ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ as it struck close to home. I was a working class girl in a Nottinghamshire town and recognised the attitudes and beliefs of the characters. The biggest difference for me was that Nottingham is a big city and Retford a small market town.
What strikes a chord for me is the ‘feet on the ground’ attitude of the writer. The school holidays must be as much of a boon as the enforced time in the sanitorium!
No. 2 — February 24th, 2010 at 08:35
The writer whose interview I meant was John Braine, whose first novel was ‘Room at the Top’ – another book I enjoyed very much!
These three writers were part of the ‘Angly Young Men’ group. I think that I loved their books because I was an ‘Angry Young Woman’!
Sorry about that, it was only after pressing the submit button that I suddenly thought – ‘Was it ‘Room at the Top?’ More research before commitment Maureen!