2007 was a busy year for Elmore and his fans.

Up in Honey’s Room (Novel)

In May, Elmore’s latest novel, Up in Honey’s Room was released. This book completed the “Webster Saga” that began in Cuba Libre with Virgil Webster, and continued with his son, Carl, in the novel, The Hot Kid, and Comfort to the Enemy (a New York Times Magazine serial novel.) Carl also appeared in two short stories, Showdown at Chechotah and Louly and Pretty Boy. Carl’s grandson, Ben, appeared in the novella, Tenkiller, in the collection, When the Women Come out to Dance.

3:10 to Yuma (Film)

Next came the film, 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. This film was a remake of the 1957 classic of the same name. Note, it was not a remake of Elmore’s story, but rather the movie. Elmore was never consulted about this production nor did the director, James Mangold, ever take the time to even call him. Probably because Elmore would have called him on some lame mistakes. Nonetheless, 3:10 to Yuma did reasonably well at the box office (53.5 million domestically) and tops many year end top ten movie lists, so who cares what the author thinks, right?

The Tonto Woman (Short Film)

Elmore wrote the short story, The Tonto Woman in 1982, well after his western short story period ended the 1950s. The story is of a cattle thief who stumbles upon a woman tattooed on her face by Tonto Apaches. Upon her return to civilization, she is banished to a line shack on the edge of her husband’s property. The short film is beautifully shot in Almería, Spain with noteworthy performances by Francesco Quinn (son of Anthony Quinn) and Charlotte Asprey. The Tonto Woman won short film awards in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. The producers are hoping for an Academy Award nomination and have discussed expanding the short to feature length.

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing (Non-Fiction Book)

By now, unless you’re living under a rock, you have heard of Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing. They were originally published in The New York Times in a thousand word essay and have been widely disseminated on the Internet. Gregg Sutter felt they should be made into a special little gift book with illustrations. Elmore and his publisher agreed. Illustrator Joe Ciardiello was enlisted to do the excellent illustrations. Somehow the “little” book aspect was lost and The Rules with it’s uber-thick pages is the depth of a paperback. But it is a beautiful book published in a standard and limited edition. Critics charge that it is mostly white space with the words spread out to pad the book. They don’t get it. It’s an art book. True believers understand that Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing is a wonderful book and a prized collectible, whose spare words speak volumes to any writer.