A Quick One on The Side - with Ann Cleeves

My guest today is Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera Stanhope novels and many more.

Ann grew up in the countryside, in Herefordshire and later in North Devon. After school, she went to university but dropped out, and then had a number of temporary jobs. At various times, Ann was a child care officer, a women's refuge leader, a bird observatory cook and an auxiliary coastguard. She subsequently decided to settle down and went to college and trained to become a Probation Officer. Ann started writing when she was a cook on Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. Well, there wasn't a lot else to do there. Ann met her husband Tim, an ornithologist, on Fair Isle. They later settled in Northumberland and now live by the sea in Whitley Bay.
Ann has written a number of series of novels. The George Palmer-Jones and Molly books featured ornithologist George. Ann admits that a couple of these books were "seriously dreadful". She also wrote books about Inspector Ramsay and her Shetland Quartet. Ann won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger in 2006 for 'Raven Black', the first of the Shetland Quartet. More recently, Ann's Vera Stanhope novels have been televised by ITV in the drama series 'Vera' featuring Brenda Blethyn in the title role. The series producer, Elaine Collins, discovered Vera when she picked up one of Ann's books in an Oxfam bookshop.

So, here we go, ten quickies for Ann.

Who is your favourite author?
"This is so difficult. It depends what mood I'm in. Georges Simenon for comfort. James Joyce for challenge. Henning Mankell for place. John Harvey and Sara Paretsky for a rattling good crime novel."

What would be your favourite book read?
"I've just read Tim Winton's 'Cloudstreet' and I loved it."

Who is your favourite band/group?
"The Rolling Stones."

What is your most listened to album?
"Bob Dylan's 'Nashville Skyline'."

What has been the best gig/concert that you have attended?
"Leonard Cohen in Brooklands in 2009 even though it rained. He was so gracious."

What is your favourite food?
"My husband's lamb biriani. It takes all day to cook and he only does it on special occasions."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Shetland in the UK and Tanzania in the world."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"When I won the Dagger I went to a warehouse in Basingstoke and signed hundreds of copies of 'Raven Black'. Is that cheating?"

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"No!"

How often do you get recognised?
"Very rarely, but twice in one day when I was doing a recce in Northumberland with ITV for 'Vera'. They were dead impressed! I'm very lucky.


The second series of 'Vera' has been recorded and should be aired in the not-so-distant future. Ann can often be seen and heard at various book and crime writing festivals around the UK. She is also a member of Murder Squad, a group of writers from the North of England who banded together to promote their work.
My thanks to Ann for joining me today.

My guest writer next Tuesday will be Linwood Barclay. Thanks for reading.....