Elmore Leonard Leonard also contributed one chapter (the twelfth of thirteen) to the 1996 "Miami Herald" parody serial novel "Naked Came the Manatee" (). Twenty-six of Leonard's novels and short stories have been adapted for the screen (19 as motion pictures and another seven as television programs). Aside from the short stories already noted, a number of Leonard's novels have been adapted as films, including "Get Shorty" (1990 novel, 1995 film), "Out of Sight" (1996 novel, 1998 film), and "Rum Punch" (1992 novel, 1997 film "Jackie Brown"). "52 Pick-Up" (1986 film) was first adapted very loosely into the 1984 film "The Ambassador"
Elmore Leonard great-grandchildren. Commended by critics for his gritty realism and strong dialogue, Leonard sometimes took liberties with grammar in the interest of speeding the story along. In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing" he said: "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." He also hinted: "I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip." Elmore Leonard has been called "the Dickens of Detroit" because of his intimate portraits of people from that city, though he said, "If I lived in Buffalo, I'd write about