The Elmore Leonard Podcast Carl Hiaasen
Jan 1, 2026
Carl Hiaasen, the bestselling Florida novelist and journalist behind Bad Monkey, talks about discovering Elmore Leonard, turning real-life characters into fiction, and using deadpan humor to make wild stories believable. He recalls the chaotic creation of Naked Came the Manatee, a hilarious book tour ambush, collaborations with Jimmy Buffett and Warren Zevon, and why Florida’s dreamers, outlaws, corruption, and strange energy keep fueling his work.
47:17
Why South Florida Became Leonard’s Literary Territory
- Carl Hiaasen first noticed Elmore Leonard through La Brava, recognizing unusually authentic South Florida writing.
- Florida’s rapid growth supplied crime, corruption, political intrigue, and endless material for novelists.
How Reporting Builds Authentic Fiction
- Reporting trains writers to absorb sensory details, authentic speech, and telling characters beyond the facts of an event.
- Hiaasen admired Leonard’s ability to compress atmosphere and realistic dialogue into fast, effortless prose.
Elmore Leonard Let Characters Find The Ending
- At a Fort Lauderdale event, Leonard explained removing a character because the character bored him.
- He also said he would not write a novel if he already knew its ending, a method Hiaasen shares.
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Intro
00:00 • 59sec
La Brava Sparks Hiaasen’s Interest
00:59 • 3min
Reporting Supplies Characters and Atmosphere
03:44 • 7min
Deadpan Humor Keeps Outrageous Stories Believable
10:26 • 2min
Naked Came the Manatee’s Collaborative Chaos
12:40 • 3min
A Hilarious Book Tour with Elmore Leonard
15:59 • 6min
Why Episodic Television Suits His Novels
22:27 • 7min
Get Shorty Captured Leonard’s Spirit
29:25 • 3min
Florida’s Strange Energy Fuels Fiction
32:47 • 4min
Florida Attracts Dreamers and Outlaws
36:29 • 4min
Writing Lyrics with Buffett and Zevon
40:39 • 4min
Books That Continue to Inspire Hiaasen
45:04 • 2min
Outro
46:46 • 18sec
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Skin Tight
Carl Hiaasen
Former Florida state investigator Mick Stranahan wants to enjoy retirement in his isolated Biscayne Bay home, but his peaceful life ends when he kills an intruder with the pointed bill of a stuffed marlin.
Forced back into action, Stranahan investigates a conspiracy involving a ruthless plastic surgeon, sensationalist television journalism, corrupt officials, and an old unsolved death.
The novel combines hard-boiled mystery with Hiaasen's characteristic black humor and social satire.
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Tourist Season
Carl Hiaasen
Tourist Season, by Carl Hiaasen, is a satirical crime novel set in Florida.
The novel explores themes of environmental destruction, political corruption, and the absurdity of Florida's rapid growth.
The story follows Skip Wiley, a Miami newspaper columnist who takes extreme measures to combat the unchecked development of the state.
Hiaasen's signature blend of dark humor and social commentary is evident throughout the story.
The novel's suspenseful plot and memorable characters keep readers engaged until the very end.
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Strip tease
Carl Hiaasen
Strip Tease, by Carl Hiaasen, is a satirical crime novel set in Florida.
The novel features a unique protagonist: a very beautiful and smart stripper who serves as the hero of the story.
The story explores themes of environmental destruction, political corruption, and the clash between nature and development.
The protagonist's unique perspective and actions drive the plot, as she confronts greedy developers and corrupt officials.
The novel's dark humor and suspenseful plot keep readers engaged until the very end.
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Skinny dip
[a novel]
Carl Hiaasen
Marine scientist Chaz Perrone pushes his wife, Joey, overboard during an anniversary cruise after fearing that she has discovered his role in falsifying environmental tests for a polluting agricultural tycoon.
Joey survives, is rescued by former investigator Mick Stranahan, and chooses to remain officially dead while she and Mick torment Chaz and expose his crimes.
The novel combines mystery, revenge, romance, environmental satire, and Hiaasen's trademark absurd humor.
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Powder Burn
Bill Montalbano
Carl Hiaasen
Powder Burn is an early crime novel connected with Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano.
It belongs to the South Florida crime fiction tradition that shaped Hiaasen’s career as both a journalist and novelist.
Hiaasen referred to it when recalling screenplay projects based on his books, indicating that Hollywood interest in his work began before his best-known adaptations.
The novel is less widely known than his later works such as Tourist Season and Striptease.
Its mention illustrates how many of Hiaasen’s stories were optioned without ultimately reaching production.
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Stick
Elmore Leonard
Stick follows Ernest Stickley Jr., an ex-convict trying to establish a legitimate life after prison.
His plans are disrupted when he becomes involved with criminals, corrupt figures, and people seeking to exploit his skills.
Elmore Leonard combines suspense with understated humor and sharply rendered dialogue.
The novel explores loyalty, identity, reinvention, and the difficulty of escaping a criminal past.
Carl Hiaasen cited Leonard’s decision to remove a character from the book as an example of the author’s practical, character-driven approach to storytelling.
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• Mentioned in 13 episodes
Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Henry Brook
The novel follows Huckleberry Finn, a boy escaping an abusive father, as he travels down the Mississippi River with Jim, a runaway enslaved man.
Through their journey, Mark Twain explores freedom, morality, racism, and hypocrisy in antebellum America using vivid regional language and sharp satire.
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Naked came the stranger
Penelope Ashe
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Hoot
Carl Hiaasen
In 'Hoot', Carl Hiaasen crafts a story about friendship, environmentalism, and integrity.
The novel follows Roy Eberhardt, a new student in Florida, as he joins forces with Beatrice and Mullet Fingers to save a colony of burrowing owls threatened by the construction of a pancake house.
The book explores themes of growing up, teamwork, and standing up for what is right.
#35397
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Get Shorty
Elmore Leonard
Get Shorty is a fast-paced novel that follows Chili Palmer, a Miami-based loan shark, as he navigates a complex plot involving debt collection, Hollywood filmmaking, and double-crosses.
The story is driven by Leonard's characteristic witty dialogue and explores the intersection of crime and the film industry.
Chili's journey from debt collector to film producer is filled with humor and intrigue, showcasing Leonard's mastery of blending crime and comedy.
#138
• Mentioned in 188 episodes
James
Percival Everett
Percival Everett's "James" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that reimagines the classic tale of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. Everett's writing is both sharp and witty, blending humor and pathos to create a compelling narrative.
The novel explores themes of race, freedom, and identity in a way that is both timely and timeless.
Everett's unique voice and perspective offer a fresh take on a familiar story, challenging readers to reconsider their assumptions about race and American history.
The novel's unexpected twists and turns keep readers engaged until the very end, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page is turned.
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• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Bad Monkey
Carl Hiaasen
In 'Bad Monkey,' Carl Hiaasen tells the story of Andrew Yancy, a former detective from the Miami Police and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, who is now working as a health inspector.
Yancy's life takes a dramatic turn when he discovers a human arm in his freezer, which he believes may be evidence of a murder.
As he delves deeper into the mystery, he encounters a variety of colorful and unpredictable characters, including a voodoo witch, real estate speculators, and a mischievous monkey named Driggs.
The novel is a blend of dark comedy, satire, and crime fiction, critiquing the greed, corruption, and environmental degradation in Florida and the Bahamas.
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La Brava
Elmore Leonard
La Brava follows Joe LaBrava, a former Secret Service agent turned photographer, as he becomes involved with Cundo Rey, a violent con man, and Cundo’s young wife, Catrin.
Set largely in Miami, the novel explores deception, loyalty, exploitation, and the uneasy boundary between professional intervention and personal obsession.
Elmore Leonard’s understated narration and fast, distinctive dialogue drive the story more than conventional procedural exposition.
The book combines crime plotting with a close examination of damaged, self-serving characters.
It is frequently regarded as a strong example of Leonard’s mature crime-fiction style.
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• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Fever Beach
Carl Hiaasen
CARL HIAASEN is a best-selling and award-winning author and journalist. His novels include Tourist Season, Strip Tease, Skin Tight and the recently released Fever Beach. Adaptations of his work include Strip Tease (starring Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, and Ving Rhames), Hoot (starring Brie Larson, Logan Lerman, and Luke Wilson) and Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn and now streaming on Apple.
He joins the podcast to share what it was like collaborating with Elmore (as well as Jimmy Buffet and Warren Zevon), explain what makes Florida so magnetic, and tell us about that time he set up Elmore on national television.
The new Jim Harrison biography Carl mentions can be found HERE.
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Music by: Greg Ahee
Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin
Executive Producer: Peter Leonard
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