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Elmore Leonard's Characters Talk or Die

The latest, <I>Mr. Paradise</I>, is Leonard's 38th novel.
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The latest, Mr. Paradise, is Leonard's 38th novel.

Elmore Leonard doesn't care to be characterized as a mystery writer. The author of Get Shorty, Maximum Bob and 52 Pickup, says he writes crime novels that delve into the bad-guy characters from the get-go rather than having them suddenly appear in the last act. NPR's Brian Naylor interviews the best-selling author on Weekend Edition Sunday.

Anyone who's read Leonard's novels -- or watched many of their big-screen adaptations -- knows he has an ear for dialogue.

"From the very beginning, my purpose was to [let the characters talk]," Leonard says. "To first of all establish the characters, as many as possible in the first 100 pages and audition them. Let's see if they can talk. If they can't talk, they're liable to slip from view or get shot early on.

"If I have several bad guys, and I only want to end up with one of them, then I have to decide which one I want in the end. Normally, it's the one who's the most interesting talker."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR News' Brian Naylor is a correspondent on the Washington Desk. In this role, he covers politics and federal agencies.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.