Leigh Russell hit the publishing world when she banged out the first draft of Cut Short in a mere six weeks. Soon after she snagged a three-book deal, received starred reviews, and broke book sales records in the UK, where she lives. Road Closed, the second book in Russell's series starring female protagonist Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel, hits the shelves in June, and her fans eagerly await its release.
Contributing Editor Janice Gable Bashman chats with Leigh Russell about Road Closed and her writing process.
Tell us about your latest thriller Road Closed and why we want to join D.I. Geraldine Steel in her murder investigation.
People fascinate me, so my characters intrigue me whether they are detectives, killers, or victims. My books are written mainly from the perspective of my detectives, but the reader also sees the story from the killers' point of view. As a writer, I try to get inside all my characters' minds to see the story through their eyes.
You stated your protagonist, D.I. Geraldine Steel, was originally a male, but that you changed the character to a female because you didn't know how men felt in personal relationships and you "didn't want to fall back on clichés." What's unique about D.I. Steel, and what makes her the ideal protagonist?
I was thrilled when US Publishers' Weekly gave my first book, Cut Short, a starred review describing my detective as "a compassionate and complex heroine who's sure to win fans." Geraldine is dedicated to her work. The murder investigation drives the narrative, but Geraldine has her own story, which was introduced in Cut Short and develops in Road Closed. Jeffery Deaver wrote of my protagonist: "you're just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel." I hope more and more readers agree with him as my series continues.
Writing a book is a difficult process, yet you believed, prior to writing your first book, that it would be easy. What made you think that, and how did your experience differ from your expectations?
Before I wrote my first thriller, I had never planned to write anything. I've explained in an earlier interview how I fell into writing by chance, and I'm still not quite sure how I have suddenly reinvented myself as a successfully published author. One day I had an idea and started writing. Within six weeks, I'd written the first draft of Cut Short. I was so pleased with it that I sent the manuscript to three publishers who specialise in crime fiction with no expectations of hearing from any of them. I hadn't even shown what I'd written to anyone else. Two weeks later I received a phone call from a publisher, and a few months later they signed me up for a three-book deal. An experienced editor put me to work tidying up loose ends and researching police procedure. That stage was hard work, but I enjoyed being edited. In fact, I love everything about writing!
Explain how you address the tension between realism and drama.
It's disappointing when you're reading a book and you encounter something you don't believe in, like hearing a wrong note in music. Also, I think it makes crime fiction more frightening when the reader feels the events in the book could really happen. So I do my best to make my writing realistic. My books are carefully plotted to control the balance between realism and drama; chapters grounded in realistic detail, followed by a sudden exciting incident. Too much drama all at once is implausible, but too much realism becomes tedious. It's a juggling act trying to provide suspense and thrills while sustaining the illusion for my readers.
You stated, "crime fiction is tense and dramatic, full of suspense. It can also be quite cathartic, we live in such fearful times..." How is crime fiction cathartic, and in what way does Road Closed provide a cathartic experience to the reader?
In reading crime thrillers, readers can act out their fears in their imagination before returning to a reality hopefully less terrifying. One nervous reader told me she no longer feels comfortable walking in her local park after reading Cut Short, but thankfully most of my readers find the level of tension satisfying.
What advice can you give aspiring thriller writers?
I always give the same advice to aspiring writers: work hard, be brave, and be lucky. A lot of people seem desperate to be published, but that's not what is really important to me. Of course, it's very exciting to be a successfully published author, but the real buzz is the writing.
What's next for Leigh Russell?
Road Closed will be published in the UK in June. In July, Cut Short is scheduled for its third reprint in a year in a large format paperback to match Road Closed. I am very excited about the third reprint and hugely grateful to all the readers who have bought Cut Short and preordered Road Closed.
I've nearly finished writing the third in my series, and my publisher has already made an offer for a fourth book. With Cut Short selling so fast, my publisher is very excited about the Geraldine Steel series--and so am I!
Janice Gable Bashman is co-author (with Jonathan Maberry) of WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil (Citadel Press 2010). She wrote sidebars for THEY BITE: Endless Cravings of Supernatural Predators (Citadel Press 2009) by Jonathan Maberry and David F. Kramer. She also writes for leading publications, including the NOVEL & SHORT STORY WRITER'S MARKET, THE WRITER, WILD RIVER REVIEW, INDUSTRY TODAY, and FOOD & DRINK QUARTERLY. And, her writing won multiple awards at the 2007 Philadelphia Writer's Conference.
