Eli Cranor is a big name around Arkansas these days—and for good reason: his debut novel, Don’t Know Tough, has been reviewed in the New York Times, dubbed one of the best novels of 2022 (so far) by USA Today, and received abundant praise across the Twitter-sphere. I read it earlier this summer and was captivated. Can’t wait for his follow-up, Ozark Dogs, coming in spring 2023.
Read on to learn a little more about Eli. His short story, “One Big Mother,” will appear in our upcoming Mid/South Anthology.
Current Location: London, Arkansas
Website, Social Media: elicranor.com Twitter: @elicranor Facebook: Eli Cranor Author Page
Bio: Eli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional, and then coached high school football for five years. These days, he's traded in the pigskin for a laptop, writing from Arkansas where he lives with his wife and kids. Eli's novel Don't Know Tough was awarded the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest and published by Soho Press in March 2022. Along with fiction, Eli writes a nationally-syndicated sports column, and his craft column, “Shop Talk,”appears monthly at CrimeReads. He is currently at work on his next novel, Ozark Dogs, scheduled for publication in 2023.
1. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about your work that will appear in the anthology?
My in-laws live in Gumlog, Arkansas.
2. Do you have other publications you’d like us to highlight?
Don't Know Tough (debut novel released in March). Ozark Dogs, my second novel, is scheduled for publication by Soho Crime next year.
3. How does the Mid-South and/or larger Southern region influence your perspective (personally and/or in your writing)?
I once heard the South defined as "anywhere kudzu grows." I like that. I was born in a kudzu-covered town. I moved to the Arkansas River Valley when I was four. There wasn't any kudzu and it blew my mind. So did the fact that nobody knew what my momma was talking about when she said "icebox," or "We're going to the show." All we'd done was drive two hours west across Arkansas, but we'd entered another world. Therein lies the truth about the South; it's not one place but many, each tiny town just as complicated as the last.
4. What do you wish more people knew about this area?
Some of us have teeth. Most of us wear shoes.