Eli Cranor is the Edgar Award-winning author of Don't Know Tough, as well as Ozark Dogs, Broiler, and most recently Mississippi Blue 42. He is the Arkansas Tech University Writer in Residence, not to mention a Swedish Football Champion.

Eli joins us to talk Elmore, fiction, great mentors, and so much more.

https://www.elicranor.com

https://www.lemuriabooks.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

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Michael Connelly is one of our great working novelists. His Harry Bosch novels have been published into dozens of languages, and have spawned three television series, BOSCH, BOSCH: LEGACY, and BALLARD (all on Amazon Prime). His novel THE LINCOLN LAWYER has been adapted into a feature film as well as a television series (Netflix). His accolades include the Edgar Award For Best First Novel, the CWA Diamond Dagger award, the Outstanding Contribution To Crime Writing Award from the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England, and in 2023 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

His latest novel, IRONWOOD, will be released on May 19, 2026.

We discuss Elmore, jazz, James Ellroy, getting lucky, writing at night, Twin Peaks, and more. Please enjoy.

Links:

www.michaelconnelly.com

www.killerinthecode.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

CARL HIAASEN is a best-selling and award-winning author and journalist. His novels include Tourist Season, Strip Tease, Skin Tight and the recently released Fever Beach. Adaptations of his work include Strip Tease (starring Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, and Ving Rhames), Hoot (starring Brie Larson, Logan Lerman, and Luke Wilson) and Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn and now streaming on Apple.

He joins the podcast to share what it was like collaborating with Elmore (as well as Jimmy Buffet and Warren Zevon), explain what makes Florida so magnetic, and tell us about that time he set up Elmore on national television.

www.carlhiaasen.com

The new Jim Harrison biography Carl mentions can be found HERE.

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Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Alex and Judd dive deep into PRONTO - the first book of Elmore Leonard's to feature Raylan Givens, the central character of FX's Justified.

They discuss how Elmore auditioned one of his greatest characters, what Raylan cares about most, and also touch on the moral decay and lack of respect among the youth.

Also, Judd spoils the ending to the 1993 Tom Cruise movie, The Firm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJaABnINadM

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Alex R. Johnson is an author and filmmaker. His debut novel Brooklyn Motto was published this year and his film Two Step, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. He joins the podcast to talk Elmore and tell us what it's like to jump between film and books, learn from Jonathan Demme, and grow up in a house of spies.

https://haciendafilmsinc.com

Guest: Alex R. Johnson

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

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Walter Mosley is one of our great writers. He's written over 60 books, including mysteries, science fiction, short stories and non-fiction. His books have been adapted into films and television shows such as Devil in a Blue Dress, starring Denzel Washington, Jennifer Beals, and Don Cheadle; The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey starring Samuel L. Jackson (Apple TV); The Man in my Basement starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe (Hulu), and many more.

He is also incredibly prolific in television, having written on shows such as FX's Snowfall, Justified: City Primeval and The Lowdown.

He has won the Edgar Award, the O. Henry Award, The Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award, a Grammy®, several NAACP Image awards, and PEN America's Lifetime Achievement Award.

We discuss the foibles of right and wrong, how being a computer programmer is like being a cowboy, what happens if he doesn't write for 3 days in a row, and so much more.

https://www.waltermosley.com

Guest: Walter Mosley

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Danny Cosmo is a world-record holding high diver and stunt man who has worked on over 170 movies. Cosmo met Elmore during the research phase of TISHOMINGO BLUES, and Elmore based much of his character Dennis on Cosmo's exploits.

Cosmo joins us to share what it's like to dive from 96 feet in the air, getting shot at in Puerto Rico, transmitting subliminal messages on The Tonight Show, and how he got to be such good friends with Elmore.

See Danny in action here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d0MrlWhLYc

Danny's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@FishingwithCosmo

Guest: Danny Cosmo

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Graham Yost has written or produced some of the best television ever. His work includes Band of Brothers, Boomtown, John Adams, The Pacific, Masters of the Air, The Americans, Slow Horses, and Silo. He is also the Executive Producer and Showrunner of FX's Justified, based on Elmore Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole."

Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Joelle Carter, and Nick Searcy among many other amazing actors, is considered one of the very best adaptations of Elmore's work.

While Graham refused to share his childhood nickname with us, he did share great stories about Elmore, being mercilessly taunted by Walton Goggins, whether or not there will be more Justified, and much, much more.

Guest: Graham Yost

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Before Elmore Leonard died in 2013 he decided that he wanted his archives to live at The Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina.

This fall, the first Elmore Leonard Exhibit opened and we got to meet two of the people responsible for preserving the archives, Michael Weisenburg and Elizabeth Sudduth. Michael is the current director of the Collection and oversaw the exhibit, and Elizabeth was the director when Elmore decided that he wanted his papers, notes, and letters to be preserved alongside those of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Hammett, and George V. Higgins.

We spoke with Elizabeth and Michael about what made Elmore choose the University of South Carolina, how the Collection will continue to evolve, and about the value of crime fiction.

Learn more about the exhibit by clicking on the link below. It runs until mid-January 2026.

Special Thanks to: Elizabeth Sudduth, Michael Weisenburg, Jeffrey Makkala, and Matt Hodge.

https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/news/2025/100_years_of_elmore_leonard.php

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Alex gets an audience with the one and only Otto Penzler, a dear friend of Elmore's and the proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City - the oldest mystery specialist book store in America.

Having been featured in Comfort to the Enemy and Up In Honey's Room, Otto is also the first character of Elmore's to join ust on the podcast.

Otto tells us about getting to know Elmore, the importance of not showing off all that you know, and why it's good to be the first to ask.

This episode is dedicated to Raffles, the German Shepherd.

https://www.mysteriousbookshop.com

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]