Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane: Chopin vodka over crushed ice

Can't say I loved this drink, but it grew on me (a little) over the course of our conversation. Dennis discusses his book to film experiences with his novels MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND, GONE BABY GONE, LIVE BY NIGHT and working with Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Ben Affleck, Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio; how his life changed dramatically with the smash success of MYSTIC RIVER in 2001, making his bones writing in the 1990s while competing with and congratulating his contemporaries and friends Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Harlan Coben; how he approaches teaching fiction-writing to Harvard students and what students can expect to learn from him, how a show gets made beginning with the option of the book rights all the way to the show appearing on the small screen - using the example of Black Bird for which he was showrunner, and the number one thing a person must have to be a good writer.