Elmore Leonard

Currently resides in suburban Oakland County, Michigan. Many of his novels are set in Detroit and the surrounding suburbs.

Secretly wrote his earliest novels while working at an advertising agency. He kept paper in a desk drawer and wrote with his arm stuck in the drawer. When somebody came by his desk, he closed the drawer. He took his writings home every night and rewrote them.

Refuses to use a word processor. He writes all his first drafts in longhand, then rewrites on a typewriter.

Appeared in American Express print ads in the late 1980s. The photo, by Annie Leibovitz , appears on the back of the hardcover version of "Freaky Deaky".

In nearly every film made from his books, there is a scene where at least one person gets locked in the trunk of a car.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 133, pp. 307-315. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.

Universal bought the rights to his novel "LaBrava" before it was published, but never produced it as a movie.

His first story was published in Argosy magazine in 1951, and in the following 60 years, Leonrd wrote a book every year, with his 45th, "Raylan," being published in 2012.

His father, an executive with General Motors, moved the family to Detroit when he was nine years old. After graduating from high school in 1943, he spent two years in the Navy, graduated from the University of Detroit in 1950 and then became a copywriter for a local advertising agency.

Served with the Seabees in the U.S. Navy, 1943-45.

Attended the University of Detroit, studying English and philosophy.

Worked as an advertising writer in the 1950s, initially only sidelining as an author of western fiction.

Said to have been influenced by the writings of Ernest Hemingway.

His many awards include the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers, the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, the Diamond Dagger Award from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain and, an honorary U.S. National Book Award for lifetime achievement.

The authors "10 Rules of Writing" have attained near gospel status for both established and aspiring writers alike: - 1. Never open a book with weather. - 2. Avoid prologues. - 3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. - 4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said"...he admonished gravely. - 5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. - 6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose." - 7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. - 8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. - 9. Dont go into great detail describing places and things. - 10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

The writers favorite film adaptation of his books is Quentin Tarantino s Jackie Brown (from "Rum Punch").

I try to leave out the parts readers skip.

[about the adaptation of his book "Get Shorty"] All the adaptations of,my books all sucked. This one [Get Shorty (1995) ] got it right,for once.

If work was a good thing, the rich would have it all and not let you do,it.

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: When you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.

There are cities that get by on their good looks, offer climate and scenery, views of mountains or oceans, rockbound or with palm trees; and there are cities like Detroit that have to work for a living, whose reason for being might be geographical but whose growth is based on industry, jobs. Detroit has its natural attractions: lakes all over the place, an abundance of trees and four distinct seasons for those who like variety in their weather, everything but hurricanes and earth-quakes. But it’s never been the kind of city people visit and fall in love with because of its charm or think, gee, wouldn’t this be a nice place to live.

I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style.