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| Lesley Kelly |
This month's author is the fabulous Lesley Kelly. Lesley was a "Crime in the Spotlight" author at last year's
Bloody Scotland and I recently caught up with her at the mini-meet-up in Edinburgh. Her first novel,
A Fine House in Trinity was long-listed for the McIlvanney prize and her latest novel
The Health of Strangers, is out this week. I'm delighted to be able to grill her!
When did you first start writing? And what made you start?
I was a definitely late starter – I was well into my thirties before I wrote anything. On a whim, I wrote a short story for the Leith Festival Short Story competition in 2004, which I won. And like a gambler who wins the first race he bets on, I was hooked…
What was the first full-length novel you ever wrote? (I realise this may not be the same as the first book you have had published!)
"A Fine House in Trinity" was the first novel I wrote and published. The first draft of it bore the legacy of my brief stint as a stand up comedian; it was basically a string of jokes and set-pieces linked together with the slightest of plots. I eventually got the hang of the other stuff – you know – characterisation, plotting, back story, all that kind of thing!
