Guest Post: Three Favorite Quotes by Leigh Russell



I'm always thrilled when authors are available for Guest Posts!

I love to read what goes through their minds while writing, where their ideas come from, and how my favorite characters came to be, among other topics! 

So I'm thrilled to have Leigh Russell with us today!! 
I'll be reviewing her latest book, Cold Sacrifice, a bit later this afternoon!





Out of hundreds of possibilities that come to mind, I would like to share with you quotations from three fellow writers.

Ruth Rendell, one of the UK's most eminent crime writers of all time, said once: "I don't judge people. I don't think we should." That was a wonderful sentiment to hear from a writer who has created some of the most evil and disturbing characters in crime fiction. It coincides with my own views. As a writer, I have to be able to see the world through the eyes of my characters, in order to make my readers believe in them. This would be very difficult to do if I had no sympathy at all for a character. Of course I don't approve of how many of my characters behave - they are evil killers. But I have to understand how they think. The Times of London describes my books as "psychologically acute" and the bestselling UK author, Peter James, says that I write with "a deeply human voice." I try to use that voice when creating all my characters, even the ones I loathe and detest. Like Ruth Rendell, I try not to judge. I leave that to my readers.

Eugene Ionesco struck a chord with me when he wrote that: "A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of writing or thinking about writing." This has certainly been my experience, and is one of the aspects of writing that I love. Because as a writer, you are never bored. Standing in line at the supermarket checkout, waiting in traffic, wherever you are, there is always some puzzle to solve. How does the body killed in this place come to be discovered in another site altogether? How could a certain character plausibly carry out a particular action? And how is my detective going to succeed in discovering the identity of the killer?

The final quotation I would like to share with you is from the iconic Lee Child, whom I am proud to count among my fans. When asked how he dealt with writers' block, here's what he said: "Don't be such a pretentious git. Does a truck driver have truck drivers' block? There are days when he doesn't want to drive, but he has to because it's his job, and his family have to eat. It's exactly the same for a writer. There's no such thing as writers' block. You're being lazy. Get your arse into gear and write." As for my own cure for 'writers' block'? There is nothing quite like a publisher's deadline to get those fingers flying over the keyboard!



Thanks Leigh!


About the Author:

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent gaining a Masters degree in English and American literature. A secondary school teacher, specializing in supporting pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties as well as teaching English, Leigh Russell is married with two daughters and lives in Hertfordshire. Her first novel, Cut Short, was published in 2009, followed by Road Closed in 2010, Dead End in 2011,  Death Bed in 2012 
and Stop Dead  in 2013 in 2013. In June 2013, Cold Sacrifice was published on eBook and followed by the print version in September. It was the first in a new series which features Ian Peterson, the detective sergeant who works alongside Geraldine Steel in the previous books. Find out more about Leigh and her books on her website

Comments