CM Kushins

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is C. M. Kushins, author of COOLER THAN COOL: THE LIFE AND WORK OF ELMORE LEONARD, a biography of the master of American crime writing, a journalist whose work appeared in the Daily Beast, among other publications. Chad's previous works include biographies of Warren Zevon and Led Zeppelin's John Bonham.

He left the world of rock for COOLER THAN COOL, the first in-depth biography of Elmore Leonard, who revealed his mastery of concision, forward motion and memorable dialogue in his 45 screenplay-friendly novels and countless short stories. My friend Charles Ardai, editor at Hard Case Crime, called Leonard the most influential crime writer of the last half-century.

And that seems right. Chad interviewed Elmore Leonard's family and friends and had access to his files and planned memoirs and shares with us previously unpublished excerpts from Leonard's unfinished final novel. His deep dive into Leonard's formative stages, at least to my mind, cast Leonard in a new light. More than once, Chad revealed a bit of information about Leonard's background and motivations that made me think. Of course, that makes perfect sense, which means he encouraged me to see someone whose work I admired as if he were brand new to me. And what more can we ask for in a biography of a contemporary?