Dead End (39 page)

Authors: Leigh Russell

Tags: #Police Procedural, #Mystery & Detective, #Fiction, #Crime, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #Women Sleuths

Where do you get your ideas and the material for your stories?

Finding ideas has never been a problem. I wrote in an article once that I can see dead bodies anywhere, which isn't as ghoulish as it sounds. Writing crime thrillers is like problem solving, fitting the pieces of a jigsaw together. Start with a body and then the questions follow. Who is the victim and what is their story? How much does the reader need to know about the killer and his or her motivation? Finally, the detective enters the story, to investigate the murder. And there you have it — a crime thriller.

Does DI Geraldine Steel represent parts of your own personality and character? If not, where does that protagonist come from?

I write psychological thrillers because people fascinate me endlessly. Although plot drives my narrative, character interests me most. So perhaps it's paradoxical that I have no idea where my characters come from. They must be a composite of people I've met or observed, but they are never based on anyone I know. My plots are worked out carefully in advance, but I tend to give my characters a fairly free rein and watch them develop so sometimes characters say or do something for no apparent reason. Only later do I realise why they behaved in that particular way, because they were preparing for a later scene I hadn't consciously thought about yet. Although they can surprise me, I always try to understand my characters and see the world through their eyes. Geraldine Steel is developing and I feel I'm getting to know her as the books progress. There may be a parallel between the workaholic detective and the obsessive nature of writing, but of course if a writer stops working, people's lives aren't on the line. If you're engaged in a hunt for a serial killer, how do you switch off at the end of the day? And how do you relate to people from other walks of life? If you talked about your work dispassionately you'd sound monstrous, but if you allowed your emotions to become engaged you wouldn't be able to do your job. Writing is compulsive and it can be very difficult to switch off so I understand the obsessive in Geraldine. As for why my killers are so convincing - that's the magic of imagination!

What do you enjoy about writing a series? What are the challenges?

Writing a series poses several challenges. When I started writing Cut Short I hadn't plotted the arc of my main character all the way through the series as most authors do, since I had no idea this story would turn out to be the first of many, so my protagonist is developing as I'm writing. As the series continues I've tried to achieve a balance between providing my readers with a familiar pattern while at the same time offering something new with each book. I'd hate my books to become ‘formulaic’, but at the same time don't want to resort to something different and shocking just for effect. In the book which follows Dead End Geraldine relocates, which gives her life a natural shake up, and this adds a new dimension to the narrative.

How does DI Geraldine Steel's character evolve in the first three books?

Geraldine Steel's character has evolved as I've been writing. In Cut Short the reader encountered one aspect of her character. In Road Closed her own personal history is introduced and this is developed in subsequent books. I have introduced a few characters along the way any of whom might figure quite significantly in her life in future books, so her journey is beginning to take shape in my mind, although I'm not quite sure yet how it is going to develop in detail. I suspect Geraldine will continue to have a bumpy ride through her personal life before her issues are resolved in a final scene – which I envisage taking place at the end of Book 20 in the series!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Work hard. The vast majority of submissions are rejected, so it's essential to do everything you can to make your manuscript stand out from the hundreds agents and publishers receive every day. Once you've sent out your manuscript, don't be disappointed if your work is rejected. Publishers and agents will only take on a manuscript if they have enough time to devote to a new author, and their schedules are usually full. If your manuscript reaches them at a time when they are acquiring, there's always a chance your manuscript will be chosen and you'll be offered a publishing contract. After that you just have to hope your book is well reviewed and becomes a bestseller!

What are the ups and downs of being published?

There are lots of advantages to being published. I've met so many interesting people through writing - my publisher, editor, agent, staff in bookshops, librarians, organisers of literary festivals, journalists and broadcasters and of course readers. Then there are my fellow writers like Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin, and Jeffery Deaver who I'm thrilled to list among my fans. And in common with other authors, I have a growing number of anecdotes about people who have helped me with my research. I spent an afternoon at my local fire station researching how domestic fires can start. The firemen couldn't have been more helpful - although they did say that if they were called out to a real fire, they would have to abandon mine! When I interviewed a Borough Commander and a Detective Inspector about life in the Met they insisted I join them for dinner, and continue to answer my queries straight away, as do all my contacts in the police force. I've picked the brains of market traders, human remains experts, a Professor of Forensic Medicine, a furniture historian, IT experts, medical practitioners – the list goes on, a disparate collection of people who share a common enthusiasm about their particular area of expertise, and a willingness to pass on their knowledge. I've been bowled over by how helpful people are. As for the downs to being published… no, I haven't come across any yet. But whatever the benefits, professional and personal, of being published, the real buzz is writing. I absolutely love it.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

If anyone had told me four years ago I was about to become a bestselling author, I would have laughed. I hadn't even started writing then. So I wouldn't try to predict where I'm going to be five years from now, other than to say that the future is always exciting and mysterious. But whatever else I might do, you can be sure that I'll still be writing. There are enough ideas buzzing about in my head for at least a dozen more investigations, so Geraldine Steel is going to be busy for quite a while, and so am I!

First published in 2011
by No Exit Press,
an imprint of Oldcastle Books
PO Box 394,
Harpenden, AL5 1XJ

www.noexit.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2011

The right of Leigh Russell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly

ISBNs

978-1-84243- 436-9 (epub)

978-1-84243- 437-6 (pdf)

978-1-84243- 504-5 (kindle)

www.amazon.co.uk/leighrussell

www.kobobooks.com

In the tradition of Ruth Rendell, Lynda la Plante, Frances Fyfield and Barbara Vine,
Cut Short
is a gripping psychological thriller that introduces DI Geraldine Steel, a woman whose past is threatening to collide with her future.

When DI Geraldine Steel relocates to the quiet rural town of Woolsmarsh, she expects to find her new home to be somewhere where nothing much ever happens; a space where she can battle her demons in private. But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on local young women she quickly discovers how wrong she is…

By day, the park is a place for children's games, for people walking their dogs or taking a short cut to avoid the streets. But in the shadows a predator prowls, hunting for a fresh victim. When an unwitting bystander comes forward as a witness she quickly becomes the next object of his murderous obsessions - someone whom the killer must stop at all costs.

Steel is locked into a race against time, determined to find the killer before they discover yet another naked corpse. But can she save the lives of the town's young women - or will Geraldine herself become the killer's ultimate trophy?

978-1-84243-271-6 £6.99 (RRP) A format
www.noexit.co.uk/cutshort

Another thrilling case featuring Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel.

When a man dies in a gas explosion, the police suspect arson. The Murder Investigation Team are called in to investigate.

The case takes on a new and terrible twist when a local villain is viciously attacked. As the police enquiries lead from the expensive Harchester Hill estate to the local brothel, a witness dies in a hit-and-run. Was it coincidence - or cold-blooded murder?

The Murder Investigation Team has problems of its own – and so does Geraldine Steel. A shocking revelation threatens her peace of mind as the investigation races towards its dramatic climax.

‘A well-written, soundly plotted, psychologically acute story’

- Marcel Berlins, The Times

978-1-84243-344-7 £7.99 (RRP) B format
www.noexit.co.uk/roadclosed

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