1. Can you tell me a little about Cell7?
Cell 7 is set in a society where the death penalty hasn't been abolished but has evolved into a system where everyone gets to vote on whether the accused is guilty or innocent. It follows Martha Honeydew who's admitted to shooting Jackson Paige, a celebrity millionaire, as she makes her way down death row. With seven cells - one for each day - the public follows her every move on a live TV show - Death is Justice - and as doubt is cast on her confession, the question 'should she live or die?' is on everyone's lips. 

2. Who are some of your favourite authors?
I'm a massive fan of Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I loved his book 'Shadow of the Wind' and then went on to read everything of his I could find. I'm also a fan of Scarlett Thomas, in particular her novel 'The End of Mr Y' which was just so different to anything else I'd read. There's loads of very talented YA writers out there too, lately I've particularly enjoyed Julie Mayhew's 'The Big Lie', and am really looking forward to her next one. Also, Rhian Ivory's 'The Boy Who Drew The Future', and I've just started reading Kathryn Evan's 'More Of Me'.

3. Who inspires you?
Lots of people, and for lots of different reasons. People who overcome adversity in some way, or people who've seen failure and picked themselves up and carried on. Failure, of some kind, is unavoidable, it's how we deal we it that counts. 

4. Are you working on anything at the moment?
I've just finished line edits for the sequel to Cell 7, and I'm now working on the final book. It's been lovely to be able to spend a bit longer with characters, but it's also presented other challenges that I hadn't expected - like trying to remember things a character was thinking two books ago! 

5. What do you love about writing?
​I suppose it's the pure creation, the chance to explore something from the smallest grain of an idea to a fully formed story. To make these characters in your head and follow through their actions and watch them on their journeys. 

At the age of thirteen, Chris Russell formed pop/rock band The Lightyears with his best friends from school. Since then, The Lightyears have toured all over the world, trashing a grand total of zero hotel rooms and performing everywhere from Wembley Stadium (which Chris talks about rather a lot) to a cow shed in Belgium (which he talks about less - it was a booking error).

In 2013, after a three-month stint ghost-writing for a One Direction fan club, Chris developed an obsession with boy bands and came up with the idea for Songs About a Girl: a heart-thudding YA trilogy about first love, pop music and the power of teenage obsession. Chris has written a number of the songs that feature in the story, and if you’re not careful, he will threaten to play them to you.

Chris has a first class degree in English & Drama from Bristol University, and a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do, which he isn’t afraid to use. He is currently busy writing the sequels to Songs About a Girl, gigging with The Lightyears and fanboying in the general direction of Harry Styles.

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​3. Songs About A Girl is based on a band, what bands do you love?
All-time favourite artist? Michael Jackson. There will simply never be anyone else like him - that staggering combination of great songs, eye-popping dance moves, ground-breaking production and raw talent only comes along once in a blue moon. As a piano player, I’ve stolen pretty much everything I know from Ben Folds, not least my tendency to leap around a lot onstage. And as for current bands, I’d recommend Bear’s Den (beardy folksters in the Mumford mould) and an American power-pop trio we used to gig with called Jukebox The Ghost.

4. Who are some of your favourite authors?
Like many readers, Tolkien was the first author that really consumed me. I then moved on to Bill Bryson and Douglas Adams, and looking back on it, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is probably the book that defined my adolescence. Books I have recently read and loved include My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend by Eleanor Wood, Remix by Non Pratt and Love Song by Sophia Bennett… all of whom I got to meet at YALC!

5. Are you working on anything at the moment?
I’m currently working hard on the sequel to Songs About a Girl. Book One was the first of a trilogy, so there’s a fair bit of road still to cover! This is the first time I’ve written a book under contract which, I have to say, makes me feel like a proper grown-up. Also, knowing that there are readers out there who enjoyed the first book and are waiting for the second one is really exciting… if a little nerve-wracking. Just have to make it a good one then, eh?!