I just finished Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard. I hate finishing books, especially good books. This is a great one, hilarious and absurd like all crime fiction should be. I almost did not give Leonard a second chance. I chose Out of Sight (pre-J. Lo/ Clooney vehicle) to read first and was completely turned off. My love for him was redeemed by Get Shorty and Cuba Libre along with his attempts at short story Westerns. Mr. Layne and I spent a few emails joking about Leonard's Rules of Writing and the folly of following any such advice.

I recently saw him on a late night show and was inspired by the fact that he writes about one page a day. To all the aspiring novelists out there, this is the kind of information we need. One page a day is not too much to ask...unless of course you are an unemployed pregnant woman who's brain processes are as viscous as oatmeal mush.