Elmore Leonard on Writing - Enough Said.

If you haven’t read an Elmore Leonard novel, you are probably still familiar with his work and recognize his name as a great American author. His works have been made into such movies and TV shows as Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Be Cool and Justified. Two of his characters in particular have emerged as household names, Karen Sisco from Out of Sight and Raylan Givens of Justified.

One of the trademarks of Leonard’s work is great characters. They are compelling, layered and always interesting. I have read a lot of “how to” articles and books on the subject of writing, but I may have just learned more from this quick video from Elmore Leonard. The biggest thing I walked away with was the importance of your characters. You may think that’s an obvious point, but listen to it the way he explains it. It will take on a whole new meaning.

Whether you are just starting out as an author or a seasoned pro, I highly suggest checking this out. Then go read Elmore Leonard novel, for goodness sakes. (And watch Justified... it's one of the best shows on TV.)

I "Like" The Purple Goldfish

What a day!

The Purple Goldfish book was released today. Author Stan Phelps and I celebrated with lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, one of the original Purple Goldfish. One of the great things about this book and the Purple Goldfish Project is that we gathered 1001 examples of marketing lagniappe from a grassroots campaign using our blog, video podcast and other means to spread the word.



And the bigger news is that to offer a little something extra, just like a good Purple Goldfish would do, Stan is offering the book for free on the Kindle for five days.

Here's a shot of me piloting the social media command center for the launch of "What’s Your Purple Goldfish?" Spreading the word about the new book and connecting with people from all over the place. It really is an amazing world we live in.



Now that the book is out, we are busy connecting with people on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. (There's even an online chat tonight.) Gotta run!

PS- If you read the book, let me know what you think.