With Deathly Affair out in December, we’re in a hiatus between books. That’s not to say that I’ve not been busy writing – the fourteenth Geraldine Steel novel is already edited and the fifteenth nearly completely written – but the summer has given me breathing space to catch up on some reading: Ken Follett, F. Scott Fitzgerald (why does my predictive text change that to FitzGeraldine?!) and Jane Austen are a few of the well-known names I’ve been revisiting while also discovering new authors like Katherine Arden and T. R. Pearson.
So, I thought I’d share a few thoughts with you, my readers, on my own reading habits – because all writers are, or should be, avid readers…
MY READING HABITS
Like the narrative of a book, my reading habits fall into distinct chapters…
My first memory of a ‘reading book’ appears as a kind of prologue to my life as a reader. Before I mastered the skill, I remember throwing a school book about Old Lob into the bin in frustration at being unable to decode the words on the pages. Googling ‘Old Lob’ today brings up posts like this: ‘for some strange reason, the books are as rare as hen’s teeth now, although they must have been published by the thousand!’ – an ironic and rather sobering comment for an author to read.
However, once I learned to read, I was off, through the back of a wardrobe, down a rabbit hole, entering worlds of talking animals, magic and adventure, more wonderful than anything I had encountered in my real life. Like Nicholas in Saki’s The Lumber Room, I had discovered the power of imagination, and have been transported by it ever since.
Shy as a child, books became my shield from life as well as an escape, and I read my way through anything I could find. Throughout my school career, my eyes were never away from the pages of a book for long.
As a student of literature for four years at university, my reading habits altered: I was introduced to literature from different periods, from Chaucer to Joyce, Gilgamesh to Eliot. Reading was no longer a respite from life, but an obligation. So, during a period when I had the most time and freedom to read, I sadly lost some of the joy of immersing myself in fiction.
The next chapter in my life as a reader saw me teaching literature to teenagers. In my efforts to inspire them, my own enthusiasm for reading returned until, quite suddenly, I discovered writing, and for the second time in my life, my passion for reading waned. All I wanted to do was write.
It was nearly six years before my books became successful enough for me to ‘give up the day job’. Even then, I did not have as much time for reading as I would have liked. In addition to my passion for telling stories, there was now an economic imperative that meant I could not afford to stop writing. Fortunately, that suited me fine!
Yet, no matter how busy my life was, I never stopped reading altogether, and as I grow older, my need to read has become more pressing than ever before. There are still so many books I want to read: ‘so many books, so little time…’
Reading and writing are the warp and weft in the magic carpet of fiction that bears us away from the stresses, struggles and sheer tedium of every day life. The magic of fiction has enthralled me ever since I passed the hurdle set by Old Lob, and stories have remained central to my life. The world of imagination that I discovered as a child remains as vital to me as the physical world.
OUT AND ABOUT
This month the lovely people at WHSmith in York invited me back to sign some books and we spent a very enjoyable weekend there. It was fantastic to meet readers in the store, and to sign books for so many fans of Geraldine Steel, as well as for some readers who were new to the series.
INTERVIEW
It’s always fun to chat to other authors, so this month I was pleased when my fellow author, Dave Sivers, agreed to an interview with me. I first came across Dave some years ago at a literary festival where we were both appearing and, since then, we have met many times ‘on the circuit’. I was extremely interested to hear what he had to say in response to my questions…
1) If you hadn’t become a writer, what would have you liked to have been?
So many things, and I’m not convinced I would have the talent for any of them! I’m going to say songwriter, even though that’s still writing, isn’t it?
2) Which of your many achievements are you most proud of? And what do you regret the most in your life?
I’m especially proud of the time my first two Archer and Baines novels were riding high in several Kindle charts and I was one of the most read 500 authors on Amazon. I’m also deeply proud of the BeaconLit festival, in Ivinghoe, Bucks, now in its eighth year, which I co-founded. As for regrets, I’m not much for looking back, but I’m sorry my mum, who passed on her love of stories to me, never got to hold my book in her hands.
3) When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
Travelling, reading, walking, listening to music, working my allotment, cinema and theatre… how long have you got?
4) Has the experience of being a successful author changed you as a person?
I don’t know! If it has, I hope it’s in a good way. I guess one change is that I finally feel able to say I’m an author and not feel like a total imposter.
5) You worked tirelessly to organise BeaconLit. What advice would you give to someone setting out to organise Crime Fiction Festival?
Be clear about what the festival is and who your audience is. Be ambitious but realistic, and be prepared for disappointments when you’re trying to get guest speakers. Be professional. Above all, treat your guest speakers well – they are the reason people come!
Finally, please don’t forget that Deathly Affair, the thirteenth title in the Geraldine Steel series, will be out in December!
Pre-order your copy direct from No Exit Press now to get the book in November, weeks before it’s officially available – just follow the link below…
