☼Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Leigh Russell

 Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic 

Pull up a deck chair Summertime is here again

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☼ I'm delighted to welcome author Leigh Russell to our Summer picnic ☼

☼Welcome, Leigh, what favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic?

Thank you so much for inviting me to join you here for a summer picnic. I’m sure it’s going to be a lovely afternoon. The sun is shining, the company is wonderful, and I’m bringing Pringles - I can’t resist them!

☼What would you like to drink? We have white wine spritzers, locally brewed beer, traditional Pimms, sparkling elderflower cordial, or a thermos of tea or coffee.

Traditional Pimms is perfect on a summer day. I’ve given up coffee because caffeine is supposed to be unhealthy, so I’ll just have to stick to alcohol today.

☼Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside or somewhere hot?

In the garden by a river surrounded by flowering azaleas and rhododendrons, with trees for shade if we need it.

☼Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag?

A wicker hamper

☼Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?

A quiet spot by a river

☼Which of your literary heroes (alive or dead) are joining us on the picnic today?

Oscar Wilde might be fun, although he could be the kind of guest we’d regret inviting. Perhaps Kenneth Grahame would be a better choice, as we might see some of the characters from The Wind in the Willows on our picnic by the river.

☼Which summer read are you bringing with you today?

Shakespeare’s Sonnets - it would be antisocial to lose myself in a novel but we can dip into the sonnets together and read one or two aloud.

☼What is your earliest summer memory?

Picking blackberries in my grandmother’s garden

☼Do you have a summer music playlist ? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel happy?

Here comes the sun by The Beatles

☼Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer?

Not really

☼Do you find it easier to write in the summer months or during the winter?

It makes no difference, although I find it can be distracting sitting in the garden in the summer.

☼What can you tell us about your current book or WIP?

My most recent book is Rachel’s Story, which was published in April as my first dystopian novel, so I’m very excited about that. Deep Cover is out in August, the 16th title in my Geraldine Steel crime series. I’m thrilled that so many readers are following Geraldine’s career.

About Rachel’s Story

Rachel grows up in a post-apocalyptic world where food is scarce, the government rules and ordinary people only exist to serve. As a child, Rachel is initiated into The Programme where selected young girls are medicated to make them fertile. Fearing for her future, Rachel escapes. But freedom comes at a price, as she learns when she joins the outcasts struggling to survive beyond the city walls.

More about Leigh Russell

Leigh Russell has had twenty-three crime novels published, and her Geraldine Steel crime series has sold well over a million copies. Rachel’s Story is her first dystopian novel. She chairs the judging panel for the Crime Writers Association’s Debut Dagger Award, and is a Consultant Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund. Leigh lives in London, and has two daughters and a granddaughter.

Leigh, where can we follow you on social media?

Twitter handle: @leighrussell

Facebook page: Leigh Russell

Instagram handle: leighrussell2020

Website

Thank you for sharing your summer picnic with us today

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