Showing posts with label York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label York. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Another interview
Thank you to Lloyd Paige for the next interview on the Blood Axe blog tour http://www.lloydpaige.com/?p=4803
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Interview
Thank you to Lainy for this interview. http://www.alwaysreading.net/2015/11/q-with-leigh-russell.html
Sunday, 20 July 2014
The original 'Mysteries'
What better way to end a weekend at Harrogate Crime Festival talking about mysteries than watching the York Mystery Plays?
Thursday, 26 June 2014
To blog or not to blog
Once again, I am beginning my post with an apology, because I have been remiss, failing to post here for a while. Here's why: Life is crazily hectic right now... I know I always use that excuse...
Yesterday I went to a Society of Authors Conference in Bristol, which was interesting and useful. It was good to catch up with a few familiar faces there: Felix Francis, Andrew Taylor, Michael Jecks, Liz Fenwick, to name just a few. I also met Luana Lewis who is joining the crime panel at Uxbridge Library tomorrow, along with Barbara Nadel and Zoe Sharp. On Saturday I'm off to Watford to sign my books at WH Smith, and Monday evening is the CWA Dagger Dinner. Add to that dinner with a group of friends tonight, and going out for a posh tea on Sunday (I'm not allowed to know where) and you will hopefully agree my excuse is anything but fatuous.
Next week we're going away for a few days before the next round of activity begins with more library talks and signings, and Harrogate Crime Festival at the end of July, The Writers Lab for two weeks in Greece, and a week in France for a Literary Festival in August, and then a two week tour of York for the launch of Race to Death in October, when I'll be signing the book at York Races! There are a lot of other events in the diary for this year, including a panel with James Runcie and Ben Aaronovitch. All the details are on my website http://leighrussell.co.uk under 'Events'.
So with all this going on, what has happened to the writing? Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I have finished the first draft of the seventh in my Geraldine Steel series, and have a cracking idea for the third Ian Peterson book. I'll be starting on that in July, once I've finished rereading and polishing the seventh Geraldine Steel manuscript, ready to go off to The Editor.
I've not been blogging, but I haven't been idle!
In the meantime, the list of topics I want to blog (comment/rant) about is growing. The whole book industry seems to be in meltdown at the moment. No one quite knows what is going on, or where we are heading.
Yesterday I went to a Society of Authors Conference in Bristol, which was interesting and useful. It was good to catch up with a few familiar faces there: Felix Francis, Andrew Taylor, Michael Jecks, Liz Fenwick, to name just a few. I also met Luana Lewis who is joining the crime panel at Uxbridge Library tomorrow, along with Barbara Nadel and Zoe Sharp. On Saturday I'm off to Watford to sign my books at WH Smith, and Monday evening is the CWA Dagger Dinner. Add to that dinner with a group of friends tonight, and going out for a posh tea on Sunday (I'm not allowed to know where) and you will hopefully agree my excuse is anything but fatuous.
Next week we're going away for a few days before the next round of activity begins with more library talks and signings, and Harrogate Crime Festival at the end of July, The Writers Lab for two weeks in Greece, and a week in France for a Literary Festival in August, and then a two week tour of York for the launch of Race to Death in October, when I'll be signing the book at York Races! There are a lot of other events in the diary for this year, including a panel with James Runcie and Ben Aaronovitch. All the details are on my website http://leighrussell.co.uk under 'Events'.
So with all this going on, what has happened to the writing? Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I have finished the first draft of the seventh in my Geraldine Steel series, and have a cracking idea for the third Ian Peterson book. I'll be starting on that in July, once I've finished rereading and polishing the seventh Geraldine Steel manuscript, ready to go off to The Editor.
I've not been blogging, but I haven't been idle!
In the meantime, the list of topics I want to blog (comment/rant) about is growing. The whole book industry seems to be in meltdown at the moment. No one quite knows what is going on, or where we are heading.
- ebooks vs print books - ?
- amazon vs physical books stores - ?
- traditional vs self-publishing - ?
Thursday, 7 November 2013
News
It's time to write a news update on my blog and what a lot of news I have to share with you! I hardly know where to begin!
York
If we are connected on facebook you may have seen the photos I posted of our trip to York. We spent a wonderful two weeks in a beautiful flat overlooking the river, ate out far more than was good for us - well what can be better than chips and Champagne at Betty's? - and did a lot of sightseeing in York and the surrounding villages. We were fortunate to see the annual York Illuminations. We were also lucky with the weather - apart from the morning when the York Press sent a photographer to snap me outside the Minster. How shall I describe the result? It was great fun... but let's just say that my hair isn't exactly tidy at the best of times... The photo was certainly spooky, cleverly lit from below.
Of course I was there to work. There were book signings in York and Scarborough, a talk to a lovely audience at Scarborough Library, interviews with the press and on BBC radio. In addition to all that, I was able to research where Ian Peterson lives, and where the murderer and the victims live - and die... This was for the second book in my new Ian Peterson series, which is the first one set in York.
London
I may have mentioned that the lovely director of the Crime Writers Association offered me a golden ticket to the ITV Thriller Awards. Of course I said yes, even though it meant rushing back to London from York and back again the following day to talk at Scarborough Library. This was the first ITV award ceremony I have attended and it was really exciting. Everywhere I turned someone was offering champagne (it would have been rude to refuse!) and I met so many luminaries of page and screen I could name drop all night! Here are just a few, with apologies to the many I've left out. It's always a pleasure catching up with fellow crime writers Peter James, Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Anne Zoyrodi, Linda Stratmann, Maxim Jabukowski, and many others. Martina Cole was there, and Wilbur Smith, and a host of other writers. I felt like a film star meeting Nathaniel Parker (swoon!), the fabulously talented Dervla Kirwan, Rupert Penry Jones who is unbelievably even more gorgeous in the flesh than he is on screen, Amelia Bullmore, Bradley Walsh, Emily Fox.... like I said, I could name drop all night! It was such fun!
Translations
My books are already published in Italian (Mondadori), French (City Editions), and Turkish (Kassandra), and recently Harper Collins US acquired both my series which they are publishing at a rate of one a month. Just this week we had confirmation that another major publisher has acquired my titles, Bastei Lubbe of Gemany. So Geraldine Steel is spreading her wings internationally. Hopefully she will become as popular in the US as she is in the UK. The Miami Examiner describes her as 'one of the most interesting detectives of all time' so she has one fan in America at least! No wonder Book2Book trade journal have said Geraldine Steel is 'set to be the next big name in crime fiction'. Let's hope they're right!
Travel
As if all that wasn't excitement enough for one post, my diary for next year is filling up fast. I've accepted an invitation to spend two weeks teaching for the Writers Lab on Skyros, the most beautiful Greek island. I'll be speaking at a French literary festival in St Clementin, meeting my US publishers in New York, attending the Crime Writers Association conference in Guernsey, and going to a Writes Lab weekend on The Isle of Man, in addition to my UK commitments like CrimeFest and Harrogate Festival. It's going to be a busy year.
My books
The sixth Geraldine Steel, Fatal Act, will be available to download in December, and out in print in 2014. The second Ian Peterson is ready to be edited and proofread, and will be published in 2014. I'm now working on the seventh Geraldine Steel, which will be out as an ebook in December 2014.
York
If we are connected on facebook you may have seen the photos I posted of our trip to York. We spent a wonderful two weeks in a beautiful flat overlooking the river, ate out far more than was good for us - well what can be better than chips and Champagne at Betty's? - and did a lot of sightseeing in York and the surrounding villages. We were fortunate to see the annual York Illuminations. We were also lucky with the weather - apart from the morning when the York Press sent a photographer to snap me outside the Minster. How shall I describe the result? It was great fun... but let's just say that my hair isn't exactly tidy at the best of times... The photo was certainly spooky, cleverly lit from below.
Of course I was there to work. There were book signings in York and Scarborough, a talk to a lovely audience at Scarborough Library, interviews with the press and on BBC radio. In addition to all that, I was able to research where Ian Peterson lives, and where the murderer and the victims live - and die... This was for the second book in my new Ian Peterson series, which is the first one set in York.
London
I may have mentioned that the lovely director of the Crime Writers Association offered me a golden ticket to the ITV Thriller Awards. Of course I said yes, even though it meant rushing back to London from York and back again the following day to talk at Scarborough Library. This was the first ITV award ceremony I have attended and it was really exciting. Everywhere I turned someone was offering champagne (it would have been rude to refuse!) and I met so many luminaries of page and screen I could name drop all night! Here are just a few, with apologies to the many I've left out. It's always a pleasure catching up with fellow crime writers Peter James, Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Anne Zoyrodi, Linda Stratmann, Maxim Jabukowski, and many others. Martina Cole was there, and Wilbur Smith, and a host of other writers. I felt like a film star meeting Nathaniel Parker (swoon!), the fabulously talented Dervla Kirwan, Rupert Penry Jones who is unbelievably even more gorgeous in the flesh than he is on screen, Amelia Bullmore, Bradley Walsh, Emily Fox.... like I said, I could name drop all night! It was such fun!
Translations
My books are already published in Italian (Mondadori), French (City Editions), and Turkish (Kassandra), and recently Harper Collins US acquired both my series which they are publishing at a rate of one a month. Just this week we had confirmation that another major publisher has acquired my titles, Bastei Lubbe of Gemany. So Geraldine Steel is spreading her wings internationally. Hopefully she will become as popular in the US as she is in the UK. The Miami Examiner describes her as 'one of the most interesting detectives of all time' so she has one fan in America at least! No wonder Book2Book trade journal have said Geraldine Steel is 'set to be the next big name in crime fiction'. Let's hope they're right!
Travel
As if all that wasn't excitement enough for one post, my diary for next year is filling up fast. I've accepted an invitation to spend two weeks teaching for the Writers Lab on Skyros, the most beautiful Greek island. I'll be speaking at a French literary festival in St Clementin, meeting my US publishers in New York, attending the Crime Writers Association conference in Guernsey, and going to a Writes Lab weekend on The Isle of Man, in addition to my UK commitments like CrimeFest and Harrogate Festival. It's going to be a busy year.
My books
The sixth Geraldine Steel, Fatal Act, will be available to download in December, and out in print in 2014. The second Ian Peterson is ready to be edited and proofread, and will be published in 2014. I'm now working on the seventh Geraldine Steel, which will be out as an ebook in December 2014.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Thursday, 26 July 2012
The Great North Tour!
Here are a few photos from The Great North Tour. You can read about it in the article in Crime Time
'Crime Author Leigh Russell Takes the North by Storm' - quite an appropriate headline, considering all the bad weather we've been having! http://www.crimetime.co.uk/mag/index.php/showarticle/3017
Preparing to sign in Manchester
Meeting a fan in Warrington
Apologies again to disappointed fans - the books sold out by 1.30 in Liverpool
Meeeting a reader in Preston
At Waterstones in Harrogate with another fan
At Harrogate Festival with fans of Geraldine Steel
Back on tour in Wakefield
InYork Dead End flew off the table, thanks to 'The 'York Connection'
And we finished off in Leeds
The tour attracted some interest in the media -
Outside the BBC Radio Merseyside studio
Inside the studio with presenter Billy Butler
Another photo from BBC Radio Merseyside
Talking to BBC Radio Manchester presenter Becky
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/life_and_style/s/1583050_its-the-why-dunnit-theme-for-writer-leigh
It wasn't all work. Here are a few more photos from the trip.
We had a fantastic time, but it's good to be home!
Sunday, 8 July 2012
The busy life of an author
I've got a busy time coming up for the rest of July. Monday 9th I'm meeting a BBC researcher to discuss how crime is depicted on the BBC. Wednesday 11th I'll be signing at Waterstones in St Albans. Thursday 12th I'm giving a talk at Yiewsley Library at 12.30, then at 7.30 I'll be appearing as a 'special guest' at Harrow Literary Eveninng. On Friday I'm travelling North for a tour of Waterstones stores in Manchester Arndale (14th) Warrington (15th) Liverpool One (16th) Preston (17th) Harrogate (19th) Wakefield (20th) York (21st) and Leeds (22nd). Look out for a feature about my books in the Life and Style magazine of the Manchester Evening News. Then it's back down South for an interview with the Harrow Times on the 23rd and signing again at Finchley Road O2 Centre in London on the 28th. So that's the rest of July for me booked up and looking busy!
I'm also working on co-ordinating a new initiative for the CWA (more about that later on - you'll be the first to know!) and writing of course.
With Death Bed on the shelves in paperback, I've finished the 5th book in the series which has gone off to The Editor. The one after that, Geraldine Steel number 6, is half written at about 42,000 words. So it's all go!
I hope that explains why I've been too busy to post here much lately. If you haven't had time to read Death Bed yet, I hope you check it out soon. It's been getting some good reviews! http://leighrussell.co.uk/
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