Elmore Leonard on His Writing.

Novelist Elmore Leonard. "Be Cool" (Delacorte Press) is his newest book. It continues the story of Chili Palmer, the small time Brooklyn crook in "Get Shorty" who became a Hollywood movie producer. John Travolta played Chili in the movie version. "Be Cool" has Palmer dabbling in the music industry. It's also soon to be a new film.

Novelist Elmore Leonard. He's 70 years old and has been called "the greatest living writer of crime fiction" (New York Times). Though he'd been writing for decades, critics didn't take notice of him until the 1980s. Now his work is known for it tight prose, "ear-perfect" dialogue and depiction of lower class life. Leonard's written thirty-two novels, including the bestsellers Pronto, Maximum Bob, and Get Shorty which has been made into a film, starring John Travolta and Gene Hackman.

The crime writer says he's more focused on characters than the gritty, violent plots that drive his novels. Yet Elmore garners praise for those tightly woven and realistic plots; Leonard is careful to consult experts about bomb making, guns, and explosions.