Welcome to a new author interview post, my friend! A few months back I dived into a DI Geraldine Steel Series novel by Leigh Russell. I had the pleasure to chat with Leigh about the book and her inspiration. Let’s take a quick look at the book and then dive into the interview.
Final Term
by Leigh Russell
When a pupil accuses a teacher of molesting her, his career and marriage are threatened…
The girl’s corpse is discovered in the woods, and the teacher becomes a suspect in a murder enquiry. The victim’s best friend is then murdered so she cannot reveal the killer’s identity. The investigating team are satisfied the teacher is guilty, apart from Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel, who believes the wrong man has been arrested.
All of her colleagues disagree… but if she is right, the real killer remains at large.
Content notes include murder, abduction, vandalism, violence and strained marital relationships.
Hi Leigh! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Please tell me and my readers about yourself.
Hi Kriti, thank you so much for inviting me to chat to you here. I write a series of crime fiction novels featuring detective Geraldine Steel. With thirty books published so far, and another three under contract, my writing is keeping me busy! In addition to my fiction writing, I’m an avid reader, and I enjoy supporting other writers. I run a critiquing service for the Crime Writers Association, where I also chair the judging panel for the Debut Dagger Award, and I work for the Royal Literary Fund.
Your writing dives into crime and mystery. What attracts these genres to you more than others?
As a reader I’ve always been attracted to all types of fiction. This month I’ve been reading authors as diverse as Lee Child, Daphne du Maurier, Walter Tevis, Alexander McCall Smith, Margaret Atwood, and Anthony Horowitz, in genres ranging from crime fiction and spy thrillers to dystopian novels, science fiction and literary fiction. I’m a sucker for beautiful prose, and as long as a novel is well written, I’ll read it. Last month I was very excited to come across a novel by Graham Greene that I hadn’t read.
In my own writing, I lean towards crime, and the plots of my 30 or so books so far published have all revolved around crimes of one kind or another. Whatever my intentions when I start a novel, somehow someone invariably ends being murdered.
I had the pleasure of being on the blog tour for your latest release in the DI Geraldine Steel series, Final Term. When did you start writing this series?
The first in my Geraldine Steel series, Cut Short, was written about 15 years ago. This January saw the publication of Final Term, the nineteenth in the series, and the following title, Without Trace, will be out in the summer. So my detective has been keeping me busy for well over a decade!
Did you envision writing so many novels with Geraldine in the lead? What is it like to write a character for so many years?
When I wrote the first draft of Cut Short, I had no idea anyone else would ever read my story, let alone want to publish it, and I certainly didn’t expect it to be the first in such a long running series. I’m still not sure how that has happened. Over the years, my vision of Geraldine has developed alongside her creation on the page. Writing about her now, feels like visiting an old friend. That said, she still has the power to surprise me. My editor, who has been with me from the start, had this to say about Final Term: “Well Leigh, you have done it again! I truly didn’t expect this to go where it did, so I have to say a congratulations for keeping me on my toes after so many books together!” I was also very pleased with early reviews, many of which say the series has remained fresh and exciting. After so many books, it’s a huge relief to know that readers are still enjoying my stories as much as ever.
What kind of research do you pursue for crime novels?
For me, the story comes first. Once that is in place, I do whatever research is needed to make my stories seem authentic. As a writer of police procedurals, I have made it my business to develop contacts with acting police officers, but my research goes far beyond that. As well as examining how individuals behave in difficult circumstances, crime fiction has the potential to explore the challenges we face as a society. So my novels look at a variety of social issues – gun crime, homelessness, political corruption, and online grooming, for example.
I’ve consulted many people in all walks of life: police ballistics advisors, IT professionals, experts in DNA research, market traders, visited shelters for the homeless, and been shown behind the scenes at race courses and prisons, and many other places, to ensure that my scenes and characters are as realistic as possible. I’ve travelled outside the UK to locations where my books are set, including France, Italy, Budapest and The Seychelles. But the research is valuable only in supporting my stories.
Are there other characters in the DI Geraldine Steel series that you would like to explore?
Possibly. I’ve already written a trilogy for Geraldine’s colleague, Ian Peterson, who has emerged as a popular character in his own right. But the characters who interest me most are my killers, and they tend to end up behind bars at the end of the story!
If you could be in the shoes of any of the characters, who would it be? Which one felt the most like you as you were writing?
I suppose Geraldine herself is the character who resembles me the most. We share a passion for justice and I to think of myself as empathetic, like her. But my killers are the characters who really fascinate me.
What’s the trickiest thing about writing crime and mystery?
It isn’t easy to stay one step ahead of my readers, most of whom are very familiar with the genre. They are constantly looking out for red herrings, and often see right through my attempts at misdirection. Staying one step ahead of my readers is always my biggest challenge. It’s hard to thinking up twists that are unpredictable yet plausible, without introducing new information.
What advice would you give a budding author who wants to write a long series?
If you make every book as engaging as you can, then readers will become fans and keep reading your books, and you may find yourself writing a long series. So my advice would be to focus on the story you are currently writing, and not worry too much about other books that might follow.
Your next book, Barking Up The Right Tree is the first in a brand new British cosy crime series. What makes it different from the DI Geraldine series?
The Geraldine Steel books are fairly gritty, serious police procedurals, following the career of a fictional professional detective. The Poppy Mystery Tales are very different in tone – think Bridget Jones meets Agatha Christie. They are murder mysteries with a ‘feel good’ factor. And they feature a small dog! Hopefully readers will find her irresistible.
Thank you for hanging out with Leigh and me! You can connect with Leigh on her website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Have you read Leigh’s books? What are your favorite crime/detective series? I would love to hear your recommendations!
Banner and cover image from Unsplash
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