Eli Cranor
Broiler
“Every book I’ve ever written has scared me.” —Eli Cranor
When I first met Eli Cranor at the Bouchercon writer’s conference in 2023, I was impressed. I had made a living being able to read people, so I went back and replayed our conversation in my head. I had no doubts. He was the real deal.
Even before I had finished OZARK DOGS a month earlier, I knew I wanted to ask him a bunch of questions. I contacted him about doing The Dossier, and he was generous and tolerant with what I was trying to do. That was almost a year ago.
I’ve decided that Eli Cranor is a lot of things. But after talking with him and watching him interact with others, there are three things I’d like to tell you about Eli.
He’s kind, he’s thoughtful, and he’s honest.
I’m proud to bring you three new questions and answers from our last interview about his new book, BROILER. I hope you’ll follow and appreciate everything he writes.
DOSSIER Update 7/2/2024
DOSSIER: After the pre-publication buzz started for your upcoming novel, BROILER, did you get any kickback from the industry I’ll refer to as “Big Chicken” about what you had in store for everyone with this one?
CRANOR: Every book I’ve ever written has scared me. I think that’s important. Fear provides a spark, a live-wire that can ignite a story. For all my anxiety, I’ve yet to deal with any real problems. My best guess is that the people who might take issue with my work probably don’t read much.
DOSSIER: In the documentary you did, In Order To Write, you said that it was “in the stillness is where you find inspiration.” When you’re swimming across your lake and a great idea pops into your head or you’ve just figured out a nagging plot point, how do you keep from forgetting it by the time you get back and write it down?
CRANOR: Thanks for watching that mini-doc, man. Shoutout to my good buddy and bang-up film guy, Heath Whorton, for putting it all together. To answer your question, though, I forget all sorts of stuff by the time I get out of the water, but never the good ideas. The really good stuff has a way of sticking.
DOSSIER: After you were ready (as a writer) to do BROILER, you didn’t have any compunction about disclosing this story, did you? Tell us how you met the challenge of this book with love.
CRANOR: BROILER was a challenge on a bunch of different fronts, but that’s what got me excited this time around. I wanted the challenge. I wanted to stretch myself and see if I could pull off a book that took on things people might not expect me to write about. We’ll know soon enough whether I hit the mark, but I do know one thing—I learned a lot, and for that, I’m thankful.
Eli Cranor’s first Dossier. Obtained and released on 8/16/2023:
DOSSIER: You didn’t expect DON’T KNOW TOUGH to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. You didn’t even prepare a speech. How does that style of thinking affect your approach to other things like helping out around the house? Do you throw a perfect spiral of dirty clothes into the hamper and think, MVP?
“Rabbit, Rabbit.”
CRANOR: I’m crazy superstitious. My mom is partly to blame for that. I grew up with her always making me throw salt over my shoulder and say “Rabbit, Rabbit,” at the start of each month. I didn’t write a speech because I was afraid I’d jinx myself, or something. As far as helping out around the house goes—I can’t afford not to be prepared. I’ve got two kids under the age of six. If I don’t have a game plan, they’ll eat me alive.
Total Pantser
DOSSIER: After you and your editor ended up cutting 40,000 words from OZARK DOGS, did you write BROILER by the seat of your pants and just let the story flow? (Now everyone is dying for those missing 40k words!)
CRANOR: For whatever reason, I just keep writing books by the seat of my pants. I really enjoy the actual process of writing. Planning, not so much. I always end up paying for this in revisions, though. When I finish a first draft, the heart of the book is there, the verve, but the plot is mostly a mess. Which is why you don’t want to see the scrapped 40k words of OZARK DOGS. Promise.
A basement dweller
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/side of a railroad track/bed of a rusty pick-up truck?)
CRANOR: I write in my basement office real early in the mornings before my kids get up. Usually, that golden window of creative silence lasts about two hours. I listen to Miles Davis’s album “Kind of Blue” on repeat (I’ve been doing this for going on seven years now). I drink one cup of black coffee. Our house overlooks a lake, and if time permits, I’ll go for a swim when I’m done. That’s my way of washing the words and the make-believe world away.
National champion to Edgar winner
DOSSIER: When you lived in Sweden playing professional football … yes, the question is valid for those who aren’t familiar with your wild past, did you expect to win a national championship? I mean, all athletes say they expect to win, but if we transfer that to writing, nobody expects to win an Edgar Award. Which is better? The national championship or the Edgar you won for DON’T KNOW TOUGH?
CRANOR: I didn’t have any expectations when I went to Sweden. I didn’t know they had American football over there. I didn’t even know where it was on a map. I had a blast, though. Too much fun, probably. Drank a lot of Elk Brew. Scored some touchdowns, and in a round-about way, met my wife (she’s not Swedish). Although both the Swedish championship ring and the Edgar Award are both on my desk, that little Ed statue takes the cake.
“Did you grow up under powerlines, kid?”
DOSSIER: Some people live near powerlines; you have a nuclear cooling tower not far from your backyard. Is there a correlation there with the length of your epic beard? (Check your inbox for a shot from one of my tours in Afghanistan. It’s not a contest, but who wins? Come on, it’s always a contest!)
CRANOR: The nuke plant probably has more to do with my bald head than my beard. If I had to guess, I’d say the daily swims in the murky lake are the secret to my burly beard. Nothing grows facial hair faster than fish poop and cyanobacteria.
Discover more about Eli at: Eli Cranor | Amazon Author Page