The Wounds of Time - and TWO giveaways!
The Wounds of Time - S.L.Russell
An exclusive interview with the author as her ninth book is published. It's a modern novel set in a barristers' chambers, with the Chief Clerk navigating wounds from the past and a dysfunctional family. A gripping read, I discovered when I read a pre-publication edition! AND Sue is giving away not one but TWO signed copies …. Read on for more info
Sue, how would you describe your genre?
A kindly editor once described the genre as ‘contemporary drama’ – I’ll stick with that! In my ignorance at the outset I never gave genre a thought; I had a story I could get behind, that seemed to have enough meat to it, and something I wanted to tell. Genre is limiting. It’s probably more a tool for publishers’ and booksellers’ convenience than anything meaningful. Some of my stories have crimes in them, some have romantic elements, others contain mysteries, but that doesn’t make them a crime novel, or a romance, or a thriller – just a story about recognisable life.
What is your aim in including a Christian character?
My aim when I include a character who is Christian, or those who talk about faith, or those who are questioning, is to show that it really isn’t all that weird. Such beliefs can be and are held by people who are normal (whatever that is), intelligent, knowledgeable, tolerant, realistic. Not deluded oddballs with their eyes shut. I’ve tried to combat the image of the clergy person so often portrayed in the media as either a weak-chinned ineffectual buffoon or a corrupt manipulator. No doubt such people exist, but I’ve never met one. In my experience they are far outweighed by - at least - decent individuals working hard for their communities.
When did you decide to write and is it a God-inspired calling?
I’ve been writing since my chubby fist could hold a pencil! (Perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration.) The yen to write seems inborn. In my case it’s certainly linked to my love of reading from a very early age. I sometimes read non-fiction but my first and enduring love is for stories. I can’t tell you why I write – it’s a kind of mental itch. But God is definitely in there, in ways I can’t completely fathom. Somewhere in the early stages of writing my first novel (the first I published, anyway – Leviathan with a Fish-hook) I became aware that I should be writing it for God’s glory, whatever that implied for the story. At that point it gave a focus to the writing, a purpose beyond myself. I would guess that if you are a Christian writer your faith is implicit in your work, simply because it emanates from you – whether or not it is overt.
How do you know so much about medical and legal matters?
Research! Internet articles, books – including on subjects which are not strictly relevant to the story and which never appear on the page. I write about things that interest me and can often get quite carried away by research. For example, I now know a little about congenital heart defects which nowadays are, thankfully, rarely seen, at least in developed countries. I have also had the good fortune to find people, particularly for the last two books, who are currently involved in their professions and have been willing to share their expertise and up-to-date experience, saving me from embarrassing blunders. When I read a novel, I look not just for a great story with memorable characters, but for some expansion of my knowledge or empathy with an unfamiliar subject. I like to feel I have learned something! I hope my readers feel the same.
Which is your favourite of your books? And the most difficult?
My favourite - I have no idea! As to which has been the most difficult, none have been difficult actually to write, once the ideas and a general notion of the plot are all there, but getting the ideas in the first place has got tougher with each book. I keep asking myself, is this the last?
How do you actually write - and do you pray as you write?!
I started off, years ago, with longhand. No more: these days it’s straight to screen. And I write when the words are ready and then I can go on for hours and produce a lot of work. But I will make myself stop, because I find the quality starts to decline. This way of working suits me, and I am fortunate to be able to do it, as I am no longer hamstrung by paid employment or small children. However with my first book I did have a young family and managed to write it in the cracks of a busy life.
I sometimes remember (not often enough, to my shame) to pray before I start. I’m sure it makes a difference, because prayer does, and not just with writing. If nothing else, it reminds me who I’m doing it for: God first, readers next.
tell us a bit about yourself, Sue:
I studied history at university, and have done a number of jobs, including (as a teenager) working in Woolworth's, cleaning in hospitals and playing the piano in a ballet school. I taught English to adults in Indonesia for two years as a graduate, and my last job was teaching children with learning difficulties. I was a Samaritan volunteer for 17 years. Apart from books my other main interest is music: I've taught piano and flute, sing in a choir, play in a band and am a church organist, which all sounds a lot more accomplished than it actually is!
