When did you first
realise you wanted to be a writer

How long does it take
you to write a book?
I am contracted to write two books a year at the moment, so
roughly six months. Usually slightly less, as I tend to faff about a lot at the
beginning and speed up towards the end!
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
I do emails and social networking in the mornings, then
attend to any household chores then start writing. I work best in the
afternoons.
How many crime novels
have you written?
So far there are twelve books in the Libby Sarjeant series,
but there are other books as well.
Which is your
favourite and why?
I don’t think I have a favourite. I’ve only ever read one of
them after it was published, and that was because I needed the facts in it for
the one I was writing.
Where do you get your
ideas?
The ideas shop.
Who is your favourite
character from your own work and why?
I would have to say my eponymous series heroine, wouldn’t I?
Apart from her, I love Harry, the chef-patron
of The Pink Geranium in Steeple Martin.
Which character from
the work of others do you wish you’d invented and why?
I don’t wish I’d invented anybody, but I’m in awe of those
who write historical crime for their incredible research, and envy them their
ability.
If you could have
been someone from history involved in crime (good or bad) who would that be and
why?
No idea! Not something I’ve ever thought about, and not
something I’d ever write about, either. I do like lots of fictional historical
characters, though.
What are you working
on now?
I’m currently writing the thirteenth Libby book – and no, I
don’t think thirteen is unlucky, my mother and my eldest daughter were both
born on the 13th of the month – and I have two other non-Libby related projects
wafting about in the ether. Trouble is, I’m so lazy I don’t know when they will
get done!
Published Titles:
Running Away (as
Rosina Lesley)
A Will To Love (as
Rosina Lesley)
How to Write A
Pantomime
Cinderella – a
pantomime
Red Riding Hood –
a pantomime
Ali Baba – a
pantomime
Sleeping Beauty –
a pantomime
Little Boy Blue –
a pantomime
The Queen Of Hearts
– a pantomime
Puss In Boots – a pantomime
Summer Season – a
musical
Murder In Steeple
Martin
Murder At The Laurels
Murder In Midwinter
Murder By The Sea
Murder In Bloom
Murder In The Green
Murder Imperfect
Murder To Music
Murder At The Manor
Murder By Magic
Murder In The
Monastery
Murder In The Dark
Bad Behaviour – a
collection of short stories
Bio – Lesley Cookman is a former air stewardess, model,
actor, nightclub DJ, wife and mother. She morphed into a freelance journalist
over thirty years ago and is now a merry widow with four grown up children and
two cats.