Leigh Russell - Q & A - Book Blog Tour

Hi everyone

I would like to welcome Crime Author and Cleckheaton Literary Festival crime panel member, Leigh Russell to my blog.

Leigh has a new DI Ian Peterson novel out now in paperback.  Plus in December her new Geraldine Steel is out on Ebook then paperback next year.
To celebrate have asked her a few questions about her work and writing.   Enjoy.


1 - Could you tell me briefly about your Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson novels? Plus a little about their new novels "Murder Ring", and "Blood Axe".

Murder Ring is published as an ebook in December 2015, with the paperback out in 2016. Like all my books, the investigation works as a stand alone, although it is part of the Geraldine Steel series. Writing Murder Ring was a new challenge for me as it tackles the issue of gun crime. I have fought shy of this until now, because I have no interest in guns and hate anything and everything to do with them. With the Geraldine Steel series set in London, I could not avoid gun crime indefinitely. In Murder Ring, two victims die in inexplicable shootings, and it takes all Geraldine Steel's determination and ingenuity to discover the identity of the killer. 

Blood Axe is the new title in my Ian Peterson series. Like Murder Ring, it works as a stand alone, as well as part of a series. Set in York, it follows the struggles of Ian Peterson as he tracks down a brutal killer who proves particularly elusive. At the same time he is trying to deal with his failing marriage. I spent a long time researching the Viking civilisation and became fascinated by their culture and beliefs. While it is of course all fiction, I tried to make my 'Viking' character's actions and beliefs as authentic as possible. 

2 - Where do you see both series going in the future? 

This has been under discussion with my publisher at No Exit Press, as I have recently signed a contract for a new series with Thomas and Mercer. While I'm very excited about my series, I did not want to abandon Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson. I think my fans might have felt let down if I had simply stopped writing about my existing detectives. That said, writing four books in a year would be impossible, even for a prolific writer, and even three is pushing it. So we've agreed that the Geraldine Steel series will continue, but my spin off series for Ian Peterson will stop, at least for a while. That does not mean that Ian Peterson will disappear. Having first appeared in the early Geraldine Steel books, he may end up working with her again. I haven't quite decided what is going to happen yet, so watch this space. 

3 - At Cleckheaton Literary Festival you mentioned a Geraldine Steel TV series in the works. Any update on this?

These projects notoriously take years to complete so it should be no surprise that there is no definite news yet, but at least we are still in development. At the moment the signs seem to be positive. Avalon Television Ltd have put a lot of time into the project. A brilliant production manager and script writer are now in place and the production company recently renewed their option. That said, it's a long waiting game and the competition is fierce. So all I can say is that I am cautiously optimistic, and still typing with my fingers crossed.

4 - You signed a deal with Amazon publishing for a new series - Lucy Hall mysteries, the first "Journey to Death" is out February 2016. Could you tell us more on this?

I am very excited about this new series. Proofs of the first book are finished, and I'm really pleased with the cover design. Journey to Death is set in the Seychelles, which necessitated a two week research trip. That was hard work. As my husband said, someone has to research the cocktails on beach at sunset... I have just completed the first draft of the second book in the Lucy Hall series, which will be published in September 2016. This new series is another departure for me, as the books are not police procedurals. My protagonist is a woman in her early twenties who is trying to work out what she wants to do with her life. Inadvertently she is drawn into some macabre murder mysteries. I am having great fun writing them, and really hope my existing fans will enjoy them. 

5 - At Cleckheaton Literary Festival you mentioned you write two books a year. Is this still the case or do you write more?

For the past three years I have written a Geraldine Steel and an Ian Peterson book every year. I could not have managed this if I had not been in the fortunate position of being able to give up my day job. Hopefully readers will continue to buy my books so that I can carry on writing full-time. This year I have had to deliver three books, as I wrote a Lucy Hall book in addition to my detective series. Next year, three of my books will be published, the first two in the Lucy Hall series, and the ninth Geraldine Steel, which will follow Murder Ring. How many books I will actually write next year depends on whether I continue with Lucy Hall after the three book deal with Thomas and Mercer, and what happens to Ian Peterson. It's all up in the air at the moment, and I'll have to wait and see what happens when the time comes. Hopefully both my publishers will want to continue with my series, but that is out of my hands, and ultimately depends on whether readers keep buying my books. As I said earlier, I'm always typing with my fingers crossed.

6 - With all the festivals and jetting around the globe for research how and when do you find time to write? 

I posted a photo on facebook yesterday showing me bunking off Christmas shopping to write. That wasn't exactly a joke. With manuscripts to deliver, and editing to be done, plus all the promotion and research I have to do, it is difficult to find time to live a normal life. Fortunately my family are very supportive. My long suffering husband even put up with having to accompany me to Seychelles, Paris, Rome and Greece this year. So although it's a hard life, there are compensations.  

7 - Have you any writing tips for aspiring writers?

There is a lot of advice online, and I have posted many writing tips, and even written an online crime writing module for a writing site. I teach creative writing once a year for the Writers Lab, on a beautiful Greek island, and my course focuses on the craft of writing. I could write a book on how to hone your craft as a writer. But I'd like to add a different piece of advice that is often overlooked, although it is the single most important piece of advice for an aspiring writer: read voraciously. The more you read, the more skilled a writer you become. I suspect many aspiring writers devote a disproportionate amount of time to their own writing, at the expense of reading, and their writing suffers as a result. 

8 - Could you briefly describe your writing day?

I have no set routine, and am rarely free to spend a whole day at home writing. There is always something going on, meetings with my publishers, book signings, library talks, literary festivals, interviews, research, and everything else in life... I am trying to cut down on the time I spend overseas. This year we were away from home for nearly six months in total, and missed just about all of July and August here, which is the best time to be at home enjoying the garden. When I am at home, I stay in bed until late morning, answering emails and writing. If I'm feeling energetic, I get up and move into my study which is next to the bedroom where I sit at my desk and carry on. It doesn't really matter to me where I am. I write in bed, at my desk, in the car (not when I'm driving!), on the train, in cafes. I never leave the house without my ipad, and rarely go a day without writing. 

9 - Other than me would you collaborate with any other author on a novel? Alive or deceased.

Only you. Seriously, I'm intrigued by collaborators Nicci French, and Michael Stanley, and there are others. The idea of working with someone else is very appealing, but it would have to be the right person, and I think I'd be an impossible writing partner. I have no routine and am constantly changing my mind about my plots and my characters. So it's probably better for any potential writing partner if I carry on alone! That said, I'm open to suggestions... 

10 - Any other projects in the works?

Maybe.... As a creative writer, I am always thinking up ideas. For the time being, I'm busy enough with Geraldine Steel and Lucy Hall and the seven books I am still under contract to write for my publishers, but who knows what the future holds... ?

Thank you very much for interviewing me, with such interesting questions.

Links to my books, facebook, twitter and blog can all be found on my website 

http://leighrussell.co.uk

Leigh and me back in May 2015

Spectre (James Bond) - Film Review

Went to see the latest Daniel Craig Bond movie last night - Spectre.

My gf and I went to see it at an old fashioned cinema in Elland called The Rex Cinema, which only has one screen but more charm than the multiplexes and a lot cheaper.  Only Eight pound for both of us in.  In the big cinemas it's usually about Nine pounds for one person.
It was an experience harking back to the old days.  The Rex also has an old organ and as we walked in the organist was playing old James Bond themes.  This was also played at the interval in the middle of the film.  Yes some old cinemas like The Rex still has an interval whereby a woman comes in and sells icecream,  plus let's the audience go to the toilets and get drinks.   Even hot drinks!

It all added to a better cinema experience.

Anyway onto the film which is Daniel Craigs forth venture as ultimate womanising secret agent James Bond - 007.
I have to admit I've really enjoyed Daniel as James Bond in all but one film which was Quantum of Solice which didn't engage me as much as Casino Royal, Skyfall and this Spectre.
If this is Daniels last outing as Bond as rumoured, then it will be a shame although this movie ties the other Bond movies of his together due (SPOILERS) to the other bad guys from his previous films who worked for Christop Waltz villain Blofeld  and part of his plan to bring down Bond.
It will also be a shame as they have world built so much with the new M - Ralph Fiennes, new Miss Moneypenny - Naomie Harris, and new Q - Ben Wishaw - all of which were only introduced in the last film Skyfall and all have larger roles in this one.

The movie feels like the older Sean Connery Bond films with sly nods to the past yet a new take on them.

From the excellent opening scene in new Mexico as he does a favour for an old friend it's the usual action Bond fare flitting from one exotic location to another (this annoyed me slightly as one glance from the screen and it's - "crap where is he now and why" - ha).

This film also introduces Daniel Craigs Bond with his best henchman to fight, Mr Hinx - David Bautista(from Guardians of the Galaxy) who seems to be a cross between old foes Oddjob and Jaws and keeps coming back.

I won't go into too much plot detail your best watching it.

Overall - An excellent Bond film which connects to Daniel Craigs other Bond films and seems to tie them up making you think it's his last one.  If it is they should rest Bond for a few years to refresh.  Probably best Bond for a while.

Score -   9/10

Ghost Hunt - Sheffield Fire and Police Museum

Hi guys

As it was Halloween what better way to celebrate than to go on a ghost hunt.  I hadn't really been on one before although went to a mini hunt at the Patricia Adams-Wright Author event on the 29th of October which was good too.

My gf Rach, her sister Becky, cousin Kim and friends Claire and Jenny went to Sheffield fire and police museum.

Nervously we arrived at the museum which was situated next to a busy city road.  Immediately I thought there would be too much noise pollution.   In that respect I was right as it was quite noisy.  Plus there was the danger a car could crash into the building as this had happened twice in last year.

We were shown to a nice room where other guests were waiting and there was food and drinks.  The Seeking Spirits team showed us around the museum which had two parts - one side was where the fire station was situated.  The other side was smaller this was the police side.  This had small cells where in some cases 16 prisoners shared a tiny cell.

It was a really nice museum with old fire engines and police vehicles plus old fireman outfits.  Although it did feel slightly spooky.

After the tour we had some food - a great spread and some yummy curry to keep us warm.  We then went to the first floor to have an induction and we were blessed.  We then separated into teams.  Two Seeking Spirits members to each team.

We started of in the Fire Station garages and against my better judgement did a Ouiji board.  Nothing much happened so we tried a glass.  Eventually a spirit briefly came through.  It moved the table and glass slightly but nothing much else so we moved down to the other side of the garage.

There the table went bat shit and moved onto two legs - this was weird as when you pushed down there was a force behind it.  We then went back onto the Ouiji board where a sprit which wouldn't give a name asked to speak to Claire.   We discovered it was another spirit teasing us.

We moved onto one of the most haunted parts of the building - the cells.  This we were told housed a bad spirit by the name of Caine who had the reputation of lightly strangling guests, mainly women and pulling hair.
When we got to the cell there was a very cold atmosphere and we started doing a table session which was very impressive and went onto one leg and even led us into the next room - a serial killer armoury room.
Eventually we went back to Caines cell but the atmosphere was warm although we did try to get Caine to touch one of us - no luck.

After a break in which we had some snacks and buns we made our way to the first floor.
We started in the séance room but had no luck although there were some creepy looking dolls and Kim did a mirror stare which after a while made her look distorted and her eyes had sunken in like a skull.
Whilst in the room the we could here another group above us having a lot of look with the table tipping.
The next room which had uniforms in was slightly better.  There were a few noises in the room and there was faint tapping on the the table.

Next was the second floor which was meant to have the most activity especially on the corridor and a bedroom with a spooky manaquin in.  Sadly in the bedroom, the corridor and the other rooms there was no activity except the table started moving only slightly.   We was dissapointed as the other groups had quite a bit of activity on this floor.  Before long at 2am we were to leave (after a closing spell).

Overall a very good night and quite funny.  I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be and still open minded to the spiritual side and events.  There were enough strange events going on to make me believe the place to be haunted and not a fix as I thought when I went in.   There were things you couldn’t explain - like the force behind the tables.
My only gripe about it is the equipment - we just had tables, Ouiji boards, our cameras/camera phones, our torches and K2 energy meters.
I was expecting night vision video cameras,  thermal imaging cameras and even voice recorders - but no.

We will definitely be attending more of these including the much talked about 30 East Street in Pontefract which was on Most Haunted the other week.  A member of Seeking Spirits had been the other week and had a marble thrown at his head.

Here are some pics of the event:

Caines cell

Orbs?

Table tipped

Neil - Ghost Hunter

Hi guys

Quick update and sadly hardly written this month will make up for it in November with NanoWrimo - National Writing Month.

Recently been to Blackpool with my daughter to celebrate her 8th birthday and took her to Sea life centre.

Coming up - 2 ghost hunts - like buses - Never have a ghost hunt then 2 within 3 days!  Feel like I should be on Ghost Adventures now - maybe I should pitch a Ghost Adventures UK?

"Since I was a boy I always picked my nose.  I also believed in ghosts from films such as Poltergeist,  Amityville and Ghostbusters 1 and 2, plus Casper.
Now I'm going to sit in the dark talking to myself and videoing the event to catch evidence of the Supernatural. "

Ghost Hunt 1 -
Firstly I'm of tomorrow night at 6:30pm to Cleckheaton Library to see local crime author Patricia Adams-Wright do a talk on her new novel.
As she used to run the West Yorkshire Paranormal Group and it's nearly Halloween she is also doing a Paranormal event at the library.
Looking forward to that.

Ghost Hunt 2 -
This coming Saturday on Halloween as an early birthday present going on an all night ghost hunt at Sheffield Fire and Police Museum!
This should be a 'fun' night whereby I'll be taking spare underwear.  If all goes wrong this may be my last post,
See details of the paranormal event below:

http://www.simplyghostnights.co.uk/events/ghost-hunting-paranormal-ghost-hunts-at-st-catherines-former-hospital,-doncaster,-31st-october-2015.aspx

Hotel Transylvania 2 in 3D - Film Review

Took my daughter to see the sequel to 2012 film Hotel Transylvania.   The first film I watched for the first time a few days before seeing this and was very impressed and chuckled through the film.

So went to the cinema to see it in 3D as animations are usually good in 3D.  The 3D to this film was good and gave good atmosphere but not enough came out at you - nothing has topped Despicable Me 2 for this for me so far.

The story follows on from the first where Draculas daughter Mavis marries Johnny and becomes pregnant.   This is a very funny part of the film.  Soon we fast forward to see their half human/vampire son Dennis drown up and coming to his fifth birthday.   Dracula is worried he hasn't grown his fangs and shown his vampire side.

He sends Mavis and Johnny to his parents whilst he looks after Dennis and with the help of his friends including Frankenstein,  Wayne the Werewolf and the Invisible Man tries to get the Vampire side of Dennis out by taking him to a Vampire Bootcamp. 

With excellent voiceovers from the likes of Adam Sandler (Dracula), who also co-wrote the movie and Selena Gomez as Mavis and Steve Buscemi as Wayne the Werewolf among others the film was entertaining and very funny in parts.  Me and my daughter laughed at quite a few bits.

The only problem some of the jokes were similar to the first movie or done in other movies.

Overall  - great, funny film but bit too samey to the first one.   Also could have had more coming out of the screen.

Score  -   8/10

The Martian - Film Review

Went to see 'The Martian' last night which is the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel by Andy Weir.   I've still to read the novel as I'm told it's quite different and has less scenes with NASA trying to figure out how to get Matt Damons character Mark Watney back home after accidently being left for dead on Mars.

It isn't normally a film I would watch at the cinema because I think if you're spending so much money at the cinema then I would rather watch a 'Blockbuster'', like a Marvel movie or Transformers. 

Suffice to say I was gripped from the beginning thanks to the special effects of the NASA equipment and the Mars terrain.   But most notably from the performances from the superb cast, especially Matt Damon as the stranded astronaut and Jeff Daniels as head of NASA.

The film follows Mark's struggle to survive in the harshest of enviroments but through ingenuity and his determination to survive he must find enough food and water to last till the next mission to Mars.

Overall - fantastic atmosphere and Mars-scape and a brilliant performance from Matt Damon as we see his body and mind put to the ultimate test.

Score    9/10

To Prologue or Not

Hi guys

A few months ago at the Cleckheaton Writers Group we had a brief discussion on the merits of using a Prologue at the start of a novel.

I felt traditional about it as I always feel a prologue can lead you into a novel by either giving you a glimpse of what lies ahead, or part of the story or character history.   This could be by flashback or even a flashforward (which I have done in one of my novels.)

A few of my favourite novels by my favourite authors have prologues which pulled me into the story or style of writing.   These include David Gemmell's Legend and Waylander 2.  Also David Eddings Pawn of Prophecy and JR Tolkiens Lord of the Rings novels.

Andy and a few others thought that a Prologue isn't needed and distracts from the main story and that the novel should start at the first chapter.  They also argued that sometimes it can be a sign of a bad author or story structure.

They pointed out a prologue can have too much back story and may put the reader off and confuse them.  I have to agree the Lord of the Rings prologue waffles on a little but for me it's fun.

Overall for me I like reading (and writing) novels with Prologues and also without as long as the book in enjoyable and takes me to another place with believable characters.

What does everyone else think?
Do you like a novel with a prologue or not? Does it matter?

Leave your thoughts in the comments box below or on my facebook or twitter.

I have been thinking of this post for a while and as a coincidence author Kristen Lamb has done a similar blog post which is below - enjoy.


https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/to-prologue-or-not-to-prologue-that-is-the-question/

Neil

o Prologue or NOT To Prologue? That is the Question

Image via Flikr Creative Commons, via Mikko Luntiala

Publishing, like most other things, is not immune to fashion. This is what makes teaching craft a moving target. What is en vogue today could be passé tomorrow. And yes we are artists, but I believe most of us are artists who’ve grown rather fond of eating. This means we do need to keep audience tastes in mind when we are “creating” since they will be the ones who fork over cold hard cash.

Today we will touch on a question I get a lot from new writers.

To prologue or not to prologue? That is the question.

The problem with the prologue is it has kind of gotten a bad rap over the years, especially with agents. They generally hate them. Why? In my opinion, it is because far too many writers don’t use prologues properly and that, in itself, has created its own problem.

Because of the steady misuse of prologues, most readers skip them. Thus, the question of whether or not the prologue is even considered the beginning of your novel can become a gray area if the reader just thumbs pages until she sees Chapter One.

Before we get started, I will say that genre often dictates whether or not to use a prologue. But, keep in mind that, even if our genre—I.e. thriller—allows for a common use of prologues, it still is wise to learn to do them well ;) .

So without further ado…

The 7 Deadly Sins of Prologues

Sin #1 If your prologue is really just a vehicle for massive information dump…

This is one of the reasons I recommend writing detailed backgrounds of all main characters before we begin (especially when we are new writers). Get all of that precious backstory out of your system.

This is a useful tactic in that first, it can help us see if a) our characters are psychologically consistent, b) can provide us with a feel for the characters’ psychological motivations, which will help later in plotting.

I have a little formula: background–> motivations –>goals–>a plan–>a detailed plan, which = plot and c) can help us as writers honestly see what details are salient to the plot.

This helps us better fold the key details into the plotting process so that this vital information can be blended expertly into the story real-time.

Many new writers bungle the prologue because they lack a system that allows them to discern key details or keep track of key background details. This makes for clumsy writing, namely a giant “fish head” labeled prologue. What do we do with fish heads? We cut them off and throw them away…unless you are my mother’s Scandinavian family and then they make soup *shivers*.

Sin #2 If your prologue really has nothing to do with the main story.

This point ties into the earlier sin. Do this. Cut off the prologue. Now ask, “Has this integrally affected the story?” If it hasn’t? It’s likely a fish head masquerading as a prologue.

Sin #3 If your prologue’s sole purpose is to “hook” the reader…

If readers have a bad tendency to skip past prologues, and the only point of our prologue is to hook the reader, then we have just effectively shot ourselves in the foot. We must have a great hook in a prologue, but then we need to also have a hook in Chapter One. If we can merely move the prologue to Chapter One and it not upset the flow of the story? Then that is a lot of pressure off our shoulders to be “doubly” interesting.

Sin #4 If your prologue is overly long…

Prologues need to be short and sweet and to the point. Get too long and that is a warning flag that this prologue is being used to cover for sloppy writing or really should have just been Chapter One.

Sin #5 If your prologue is written in a totally different style and voice that is never tied back into the main story…

Pretty self-explanatory.

Sin #6 If your prologue is über-condensed world-building…

World-building is generally one of those things, like backstory, that can and should be folded into the narrative. Sometimes it might be necessary to do a little world-building, but think “floating words in Star Wars.” The yellow floating words that drift off into space help the reader get grounded in the larger picture before the story begins. But note the floating words are not super-detailed Tolkien world-building.

They are simple and, above all, brief.

Sin #7 If your prologue is there solely to “set the mood…”

We have to set the mood in Chapter One anyway, so like the hook, why do it twice?

The Prologue Virtues

Now that we have discussed the 7 Deadly Sins of Prologues, you might be asking yourself, “So when is it okay to use a prologue?” Glad you asked.

Virtue #1

Prologues can be used to resolve a time gap with information critical to the story.

Genre will have a lot to do with whether one uses a prologue or not. Thrillers generally employ prologues because what our hero is up against may be an old enemy. In James Rollins’s The Doomsday Key the prologue introduces the “adversary” Sigma will face in the book. Two monks come upon a village where every person has literally starved to death when there is more than an abundance of food.

Many centuries pass and the very thing that laid waste to that small village is now once more a threat. But this gives the reader a feel for the fact that this is an old adversary. The prologue also paints a gripping picture of what this “adversary” can do if unleashed once more.

The prologue allows the reader to pass centuries of time without getting a brain cramp. Prologue is set in medieval times. Chapter One is in modern times. Prologue is pivotal for understanding all that is to follow.

Prologues are used a lot in thrillers and mysteries to see the crime or event that sets off the story. Readers of these genres have been trained to read prologues and generally won’t skip. The serial killer dumping his latest victim is important to the story. It’s a genre thing. Yet, still? Keep it brief. Reveal too much and readers won’t want to turn pages to learn more.

Virtue # 2

Prologues can be used if there is a critical element in the backstory relevant to the plot.

The first Harry Potter book is a good example of a book that could have used a prologue, but didn’t (likely because Rowling knew it would likely get skipped). Therese Walsh in her blog Once Before A Time Part 2 said this:

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is told in a close 3rd person POV (Harry’s), but her first chapter is quite different, told when Harry is a baby and switching between omniscient and 3rd person POVs (Mr. Dursley’s and Dumbledore’s). Rowling may have considered setting this information aside as a prologue because of those different voices and the ten-year lag between it and the next scene, but she didn’t do it. The info contained in those first pages is critical, it helps to set the story up and makes it more easily digested for readers. And it’s 17 pages long.

This battle is vital for the reader to be able to understand the following events and thus would have been an excellent example of a good prologue. But, Rowling, despite the fact this chapter would have made a prime prologue still chose to make it Chapter One so the reader would actually read this essential piece of story information.

Food for thought for sure.

Yes, I had Seven Sins and only Two Virtues. So sue me  . That should be a huge hint that there are a lot more reasons to NOT use a prologue than there are to employ one (that and I didn’t want this blog to be 10,000 words long).

Prologues, when done properly can be amazing literary devices. Yet, with a clear reader propensity to skip them, then that might at least make us pause before we decide our novel must have one. Make sure you ask yourself honest questions about what purpose these pages are really serving. Are they an essential component of a larger whole? Or are you using Bondo to patch together a weak plot?

But, don’t take my word for it. Over the ages, I’ve collected great blogs regarding prologues to help you guys become stronger in your craft. These are older posts, but timeless:

Once Before a Time: Prologues Part 1 by Therese Walsh

Once Before a Time Part 2 by Therese Walsh

Agent Nathan Bransford offers his opinion as does literary agent Kristin Nelson

Carol Benedict’s blog Story Elements: Using a Prologue

To Prologue or Not To Prologue by Holly Jennings

If after all of this information, you decide you must have a prologue because all the coolest kids have one, then at least do it properly.

What are some of the questions, concerns, troubles you guys have had with prologues? Which ones worked? Which ones bombed? What are your solutions or suggestions?

I LOVE hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of SEPTEMBER, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.