Award-winning author, visual artist, and filmmaker, Leopoldo Gout, spoke with me about making music videos for David Byrne, going from homeless auteur to working for James Patterson, his unique creative process, and his latest horror novel PIÑATA. Leopoldo Gout is the author of the books Ghost Radio, the award-winning Genius YA trilogy, and the recently published fable for all ages, Monarca. He has also packaged, published, and developed books with other writers under his imprint at Simon & Schuster: Leopoldo & Co., and was co-president of the James Patterson Entertainment company for many years. His latest novel is Piñata (Tor Nightfire), described as “... a bone-chilling possession tale perfect for fans of Hereditary and A Head Full of Ghosts. Based on the true, horrific story of the Spanish conquistadors that used piñatas to force Aztec children to destroy their gods…” Publishers Weekly wrote of the author, “Gout puts a unique twist on a classic possession story by incorporating Indigenous Mexican lore into the gory plot.” Leopoldo Gout is an accomplished visual artist, filmmaker, and writer from Mexico City, and studied sculpture at Central St. Martins School of Art in London. He is currently producing award-winning author Marlon James’ original debut for television: GET MILLIE BLACK (Channel 4 & HBO) and was the Exec. Producer of the film Molly's Game starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen In this file Leopoldo Gout and I discussed: How his early life in Mexico contributed to a life of curiosity Working with Pedro Pascal, star of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us Why the Horror genre was a great fit for his artistic sensibilities What it was like to work with Aaron Sorkin on Molly’s Game Using research and meditation to beat creative block Overcoming your fear of failure And a lot more! Show Notes: LeopoldoGout.net Piñata A Novel By Leopoldo Gout (Amazon) Leopoldo Gout’s Amazon Author Page Leopoldo Gout on Facebook Leopoldo Gout on Instagram Leopoldo Gout on IMdB Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices