Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Novel Racer - Lesley Cookman


The second brave Novel Racer is Lesley Cookman. Lesley has her second novel, Murder At The Laurels, coming out 21st May. With this in mind I asked Lesley a bit about her heroine Libby and her love of whiskey.......Here's what Lesley had to say:

"Libby Sarjeant jumped fully formed into my mind with the first line of a novel about twelve years ago. She stayed, the first line and that particular novel bit the dust. Then I wrote a few pages of something else to submit to Anita Burgh when she was speaking at a writers’ weekend. She liked the few pages. Then I entered the World One Day Novel Cup. This was only run twice – too gruelling, I think. I wrote a 24,000 word novella in two 12 hour sessions, and there was Libby and the basis of Murder in Steeple Martin. (We made the top six.)

It turned up again, in a different guise, as the dissertation for my Master’s Degree, and three years later it finally emerged from its chrysalis as a full blown book. And now there’s a follow up. Murder at The Laurels also had a former life. A chapter used as part of a writing exercise during the Master’s Degree gave me the central idea, and now I’m writing the third book, due out in November, using a musical play I wrote four years ago as a springboard, and pantomime, my speciality, as a background. Motto: Never throw anything out.

Libby and I both like whisky and red wine and we both have theatrical connections. Other than that, though my nearest and dearest (and even those not so near and dear) would disagree, we’re NOT alike. Oh, no, we’re not… "


The profiles are coming in......many thanks. Be brave those who sent me anything yet otherwise I'll be haunting your blogs!!!

On my own writing front. Printed out A Cornish House yesterday and will sit with bright coloured pen and read today........

2 comments:

Lesley Cookman said...

Thank, Liz. I see no-one else has commented. Oh, well, back to being Billy No-mates.

Lesley x

Unknown said...

No comments but people are reading it as I see the counter heading steadily upwards!!!!