CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2024 – Interview with Eli Cranor
Next week will see the announcement of the winner of the 2024 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and in the run-up we’ve been talking to some of the shortlisted authors to find out more about their novels. Today we’re starting with Eli Cranor and Ozark Dogs.
How does it feel to be on the shortlist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger?
I’m thrilled. Stunned. All the words, all the emotions. It’s one thing to have your work resonate in your own country; it’s another thing altogether to have it hit home elsewhere. This really means a lot to me, and I’m so very thankful to Ian Fleming Publications and the CWA.
How would you summarise Ozark Dogs and what inspired you to tell this story?
The promotional materials called Ozark Dogs a modern-day “Hatfields and McCoys.” I always hoped it was more than that. It’s a tragedy, through and through. The story could be pulled straight from Shakespeare, but it’s set in Arkansas, a place I know and love.
The novel is loosely based on a murder case that happened in my hometown. What led me to write about it was watching how that one act of violence rippled across a small, rural town. In the last fifty years, we’ve only had four homicides, and two of them happened on this one night.
What is your writing process?
I spend a month or so making what I call a “Spirit Board” (a term I borrowed from Jordan Harper, a fellow Steel Dagger nominee and a hero of mine). I’ve put my own spin on it, though. My “Spirit Board” is just a wall full of pictures and ideas. These could be movie posters, lines from books I love, printed-out images of possible characters. The hope here is to catch the verve of the thing I’m trying to make.
When the board is done, I write my first drafts longhand. I get about 1,000 words written in the morning, then spend the rest of the day typing the pages into a Word document. At night, after the kids go to bed, I call my mom and read her what I’ve written for the day.
Once the first draft is finished, I try to let the manuscript sit for about a month. Then I print it all out and begin my revisions. There is no real process here. I just keep trimming, cutting, beefing up until I can’t take it anymore. After that, the manuscript is off to my agent/editor, and that’s when the real fun begins.
I’m somewhat of a craft nerd. If you want to know more about my process, here’s a short video a buddy of mine just made:
What advice would you give to aspiring thriller writers?
Dear friend and fantastic crime writer, William Boyle, gave me these three tips early on and they’ve stuck: Be a fan first. Make weird choices. Don’t get bitter.
What is your favourite thriller and why?
Elmore Leonard is my favourite writer. Period. I’ve read all 42 of his novels, most of them more than once. Everybody talks about his dialogue, which is great, but it’s his way with words, his focus on the line, the beats, the rhythm, that keeps me coming back. I love Dutch’s style.
Our thanks to Eli for answering our questions! The 2024 Daggers winners will be announced on 4 July. Find out more about past winners of the Steel Dagger on the CWA site here, and learn more about the rest of the Daggers and shortlists here.
