A Conversation with Mystery Author Danny Gardner
10/08/20 • 124 min
1 Listener
Danny Gardner is the author of two hard-boiled mysteries. His first book is "A Negro and an Ofay" and his latest book is "Ace Boon Coon". We talk about his inspiration for his books, how his life experiences influence his writing and his sleuth "Elliot Caprice".
To see all of Danny Gardner's books go to:
www.ifoundthisgreatbook.com/99
We Discussed:
[00:01:18] Danny Gardner's stories are set in Chicago in the 1950s. Danny explains why he selected this time period for his stories.
[00:12:47] Danny discusses how he builds Elliot Caprice's world.
[00:22:05] Danny's sleuth works as a process server. We talk about why Danny selected this profession.
[00:31:21] Elliot Caprice's life is lived on an edge between conflicting cultures and between criminals and law enforcement. Danny discusses how he maintains this balance.
[00:42:01] We talk about how Danny keeps the tension going in his novels.
[00:51:13] Gentrification is a key issue in Ace Boon Coon. Danny talks about how he uses it in his novel and his own views on the subject.
[00:59:14] Danny explains his inspiration for the title of his latest book, "Ace Boon Coon".
[01:09:09] Danny shares what feedback he is getting from readers of "Ace Boon Coon".
[01:21:04] Danny talks about how his character, Elliot Caprice, has developed from the first book.
[01:26:20] We talk about the difference between the way black criminals are portrayed vs other groups of people. Danny also explains how he is able to bring the humanity of black criminals to the page.
[01:46:07] Danny gives us insight into the hard-boiled genre and how his works fit in that world.
Danny Gardner is the author of two hard-boiled mysteries. His first book is "A Negro and an Ofay" and his latest book is "Ace Boon Coon". We talk about his inspiration for his books, how his life experiences influence his writing and his sleuth "Elliot Caprice".
To see all of Danny Gardner's books go to:
www.ifoundthisgreatbook.com/99
We Discussed:
[00:01:18] Danny Gardner's stories are set in Chicago in the 1950s. Danny explains why he selected this time period for his stories.
[00:12:47] Danny discusses how he builds Elliot Caprice's world.
[00:22:05] Danny's sleuth works as a process server. We talk about why Danny selected this profession.
[00:31:21] Elliot Caprice's life is lived on an edge between conflicting cultures and between criminals and law enforcement. Danny discusses how he maintains this balance.
[00:42:01] We talk about how Danny keeps the tension going in his novels.
[00:51:13] Gentrification is a key issue in Ace Boon Coon. Danny talks about how he uses it in his novel and his own views on the subject.
[00:59:14] Danny explains his inspiration for the title of his latest book, "Ace Boon Coon".
[01:09:09] Danny shares what feedback he is getting from readers of "Ace Boon Coon".
[01:21:04] Danny talks about how his character, Elliot Caprice, has developed from the first book.
[01:26:20] We talk about the difference between the way black criminals are portrayed vs other groups of people. Danny also explains how he is able to bring the humanity of black criminals to the page.
[01:46:07] Danny gives us insight into the hard-boiled genre and how his works fit in that world.
Previous Episode
Chassie West - Featured Mystery Author
This week I am featuring Chassie West. The author of the Leigh Ann Warren mystery series.
Next Episode
A Conversation with Frankie Y. Bailey – Mystery Author - Crime Historian
For the 100th episode of I Found This Great Book, I was honored to speak with Dr. Frankie Y. Bailey. Frankie is a crime historian, the creator of Frankie’s list on the Sisters in Crime website and the author of two mystery series. Frankie is also the author of “African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study”. This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn about the history of black authors contribution to the mystery genre.
Follow Frankie on her website: www.frankieybailey.com
To stay up to date on the conference for crime writers of color, keep visiting the Justice and Multiculturalism in the 21st century website. Hosted by the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany.
We discussed:
[00:01:42] Frankie’s sleuth in her Lizzie Stewart mystery series. Frankie discusses here motivations for the series and her writing process. Also, the challenges of writing when your cat has another agenda.
[00:06:29] We talk about Frankie’s Hannah McCabe series. Frankie talks about her technique of setting the stories in the near future and her future for the plans for the series.
[00:09:46] Frankie shares the differences between writing a police procedural and an amateur sleuth mystery. Frankie also gives us insight into a historical mystery she is working on.
[00:15:39] Frankie tells us about her plans for the Lizzie Stewart mystery series
[00:17:59] Frankie talks about how her work as a crime historian has influenced her writing.
[00:21:51] We talk about Eleanor Taylor Bland and her early efforts to connect and promote black mystery authors.
[00:26:53] We discuss how Frankie’s List was created.
[00:29:05] We discuss “African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study”.
[00:34:53] Frankie recommends two of the early black authors in the mystery genre. Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins and Rudolph Fisher.
[00:45:01] Frankie shares her insight on how the publishing world has changed for Black mystery authors since Chester Himes.
[00:47:23] We talk about Frankie’s plans for a virtual conference for Crime Writers of Color at the University of Albany in March 2021.
[00:52:18] Frankie shares some more information on her next Lizzie Stuart book.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/i-found-this-great-book-14755/a-conversation-with-mystery-author-danny-gardner-8708969"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to a conversation with mystery author danny gardner on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy