Don Winslow

Submitted By wiizard
Words: 845
Pages: 4

Don Winslow is the most amazing famous Hollywood author I know. He writes some of the most authentic real life feeling books I have ever read. He mostly writes crime and mystery novels. In 1991, his first book that was published was A Cool Breeze on the Underground, and has written 16 other books since then. Don also has written for films and television shows.(Wilkens1) On October 31, 1953 Don was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he was raised in Rhode Island and did some acting, one of his many experiences before writing. Don’s father was first a Marine, and then he went into the Navy and Don’s mother was a librarian. When Don was little, all he ever wanted to do was write. He use to listen to his dad and his Navy buddies tell the best stories that he had ever heard about their travels. Don got to read anything he wanted when he was a child. Some authors that inspire him and that he favors are James Ellroy, Lee Child, Ken Bruen, and many others. Don traveled all over the world. In college, at the University of Nebraska he majored in journalism and then in African history. His junior year in college he was a freelance newspaper reporter at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Don got arrested and was told to leave, because he was smuggling money into Soweto to build schools, on the side.(B&T1) Before writing, Don has done a number of jobs to make a living. Once he was a theater director and consultant at the Historical Theater Company.(B&T1) He has also been a movie theater manager. “He guided groups up 14,000-foot mountains in China.”(Hogan1) He said in an interview that, “On Mount Emeri, there were bandit monkeys that would attack you for your food. I had to climb through the jungle to get above them and throw stuff at them to scare them off the trail before my group came.”(Hogan2) He also stated, “They even had wanted posters on individual monkeys.”(Hogan2) Also he has led lion tours in Kenya; He has even been an arson investigator. That was back when he was still struggling to be a successful novelist.(Hochberg1-2) Don is now 59 years old and has been married to his wife, Jean for over 25 years. They are living in South California with their son named Thomas. When Don started writing he decided that he had to write five pages every day, got the idea from this cop that wanted to be an author. He says that he hasn’t been able to go past five days without writing after reading a book.(Wilkens2) When Don Winslow writes he likes to give his characters’ flaws. He says, “Character’s flaws are what give a character depth and interest.”(Salerno1) Another method he uses while writing is, he’ll watch people around him and put some of their characteristics in his own characters. In his books he’ll use some of his own life experiences to help the book seem more real. In most of the books he writes, they will have something about surfing.(Salerno1)
In 2010 Savages, the book that changed Don’s career came out. Savages was