The write place

Prize-winning crime writer Lesley Thomson fell in love with the South Coast as a child when she spent summer holidays with her Aunt Agnes who had moved to Brighton.
For a youngster whose home was in Hammersmith, the seaside breaks were a total contrast to her life in London and she still cherishes those memories.
It was while Lesley was in her early-40s and studying for her second degree at Brighton Universities that a day out in Lewes planted the seeds of her longing to set up home in Lewes.
“I thought it was such a lovely place but didn’t think I could afford to live there,” she recalls. “I moved to Newhaven, where I lived for five years, but I asked an estate agent to send me details of properties in Lewes, although I knew that most were out of my price range.
“Then one day 13 years ago, details of a little cottage for sale arrived – that was it! We’ve been here ever since. Lewes is such a fantastic place and I just love living here.
“One of the things I like most is that from every point of the town, you can see the edges of it – the South Downs, green spaces all around.”
The streets of Lewes are just as appealing to Lesley, not only providing her with endless pleasure as she strolls around with her beloved constant companion, Alfred the miniature poodle, but also offering plenty of inspiration for an author.
“I think I’ve walked through all the streets and I love looking at the houses and imagining what might be happening in there,” she explains.
Lesley feels she is enormously lucky to have made her home in Lewes, where she lives with the love of her life, and also extremely fortunate that she is now able to be a full-time writer.
Her first novel was published in 1987 and she was then commissioned to write a second novel which was also successful. But then family and personal circumstances intervened and it was another 20 years before she penned her next book and burst onto the literary scene. Her first crime novel A Kind of Vanishing went on to win The People’s Book Prize in 2010.
“That one won a prize, the next one was a best-seller and it has been wonderful ever since,” she says. “I’m now able to devote myself to writing full time, something I never thought it would be possible to do. I’ve got a large following of readers and publish a new book every year.”
Lesley is very disciplined with her writing. She starts work in her study at 8.30am, takes a break at 1pm for a spot of lunch and to walk Alfred, then it’s back to work until about 5pm.
“It’s almost like going out to work, as a whole that’s my routine although it can vary from day to day, especially when I am researching for a new book. I write a book every year and so I have to be disciplined. I like to get the first draft done and then I have something to work with.”
Lesley never finds herself suffering from writer’s block as her mind is always brimming with ideas. She skillfully creates a sense of place in all her books, as well as real empathy with her characters. Inspiration can strike in many different ways and sometimes take her down untrodden paths.
“The idea for Ghost Girl came about when I was waiting for friends beside a sprawling old cemetery,” she explains. “I saw a figure in the distance and discovered it was a Madonna on a plinth, much higher than any of the other monuments. On that sunny day the white figure was almost glimmering.
“It was for a 16-year-old girl but gave very little detail about her and looked so solitary on this huge plinth and surrounded by a large area of green grass – I felt grief was emanating from it. I then started imagining a poor family stricken by grief at the death of their daughter and took the story on from there.”
Lesley appreciates enormously the feedback she receives from her readers.
“I’m an avid reader myself as well as a writer and when I enjoy a book, I like to get in touch with the author because I know how much I appreciate hearing from my readers. Authors are much more accessible now than when I was first writing and you received letters via your agent. Nowadays it is so easy and you get messages via email, through your website and social media.
“A good example would be a message I received via my website from a lady who enjoyed reading about the miniature poodle Stanley who appears in my books. On the basis of that she had bought a miniature poodle herself and I think that was an incredible testimony to my book. And now there’s a real-life Stanley out there!
“I did an event recently in the Southbank Centre in London and someone came up and said she had written a letter to me many years ago and I’d written back. I still have her letter in my archives and she had kept my letters to her.
“As authors we are no longer distanced from our readers and they know much more about us. We’re no longer out of reach and I like to relate to my readers that way.”
Lesley’s skill of creating a strong sense of place in her books perhaps comes from her making a point of visiting and exploring any area she is writing about. She also regards detailed and careful research as essential and as the book she is currently working on features the buying and selling of fish, she has found much of the information she needs very close to home – at the fish counter in her local Waitrose.
“Last Friday I spent a couple of hours with Steve at the fish counter, finding out about the different kinds of fish, how he sets up his displays, that kind of thing. He gave me a fantastic recipe for cullen skink! We’re also lucky to have a local fishmonger who comes to Lewes, you can hear his horn as he goes around town, so I’ve spoken to him as well.”
Lesley of course places great importance on the characters in her novels – “It’s not just about the plot, it’s the interesting characters that make a good book,” she stresses.
“One of my characters is a tube train driver so I travelled in the cab with one to get a real sense of what his job is like. Not just the mechanics of the job but talking about what it feels like for him. He mentioned that there is a lot of dust in the tunnels and how it gives off a kind of greenish glow in the train’s lights – that’s the kind of observation I like to get to empower a character.”
“I’m an avid reader and enjoy books that have really strong characters in them, like Ian Rankin’s detective Rebus and the wonderful Vera in
Ann Cleeves’ novels, as well as Jimmy Perez in her books set in Shetland. I love Ellie Griffiths’ books and have just finished her most recent one – I met her through writing and we have become great friends, we get on very well and she is a good writing mate who helps to keep me sane.
“Agatha Christie was a wonderful writer of course and I like the very good characters in Karen Slaughter’s books. I enjoy Michael Connelly because I am very interested in American politics.”
Agatha Christie, of course, would be one of the guests at the table if Lesley could host a dinner party with writing greats of days gone by, together with John Galsworthy of The Forsyte Saga fame and Virginia Woolf, a woman and writer she finds fascinating and very inspirational.
A relaxing meal with celebrity guests of today would include actress Olivia Coleman, Ellie Griffiths and Brenda Blethyn, who plays Vera in the television series based on Ann Cleeves’ novels.
Lesley enjoys good food and one of her favourite places is the Patisserie on Station Road.
“I love going in there to treat myself to a fabulous latte and Libby always asks me about the novel I’m working on at the time,” she says.
“I also love eating out at the Lime Tree Kitchen for a special treat to celebrate something and I never miss going to the farmers’ market.
“I love living in Lewes and one of the delights of the town is that there are so many lovely quiet corners happily tucked away. I often while away my spare time in the Grange with a book in my hands and Alfred by my side.”