Elmore John Leonard, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 11, 1925. Beginning as an ad writer, Leonard quite work to become a full-time writer in 1961, publishing Westerns, fiction, and screenplays. Having written 45 novels, Leonard has received a myriad of awards including The Raymond Chandler Award, F. Scott Fitzgerald Award, and PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award. Multiple adaptations have been made of Leonard’s work including the 1995 movie Get Shorty and Justified, the hit FX show currently in its fourth season.