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Legendary Crime Novelist Elmore Leonard Dies at 87
I live a few blocks away from Mr. Leonard and, only knowing him from writing Rum Punch (although I knew it as "the book Jackie Brown was based on") decided to go see him at a reading of Djibouti at our local library a few years ago and was instantly hooked on his writing.
About a week after the reading I ran into him at the grocery store and he recognized my face and said hello. Over the past few years I probably saw him at the grocery store or the Starbucks near our house on average twice a month or so and he always seemed to recognize me, was very personable, and always had time for this young fan.
Besides being a true modern master and maybe the greatest crime/pulp author of all time he was a genuine gentleman and that just made me even more of a fan.
I don't recall ever being so sad about the death of a author - I'm sure it has more to do with meeting him a few times than anything, but it still hurts.

He will definitely be missed.
I live a few blocks away from Mr. Leonard and, only knowing him from writing Rum Punch (although I knew it as "the book Jackie Brown was based on") decided to go see him at a reading of Djibouti at our local library a few years ago and was instantly hooked on his writing.
About a week after the reading I ran into him at the grocery store and he recognized my face and said hello. Over the past few years I probably saw him at the grocery store or the Starbucks near our house on average twice a month or so and he always seemed to recognize me, was very personable, and always had time for this young fan.
Besides being a true modern master and maybe the greatest crime/pulp author of all time he was a genuine gentleman and that just made me even more of a fan.
I don't recall ever being so sad about the death of a author - I'm sure it has more to do with meeting him a few times than anything, but it still hurts.
He will definitely be missed.