In Under the Wire

Crime fiction writer Walter Mosley, author of "Devil in a Blue Dress," is being sued by his ex-wife for money she says he agreed to pay out of income from several of his books. Joy Kellman says in court papers that Mosley owes her at least $500,000 (€374,475), plus interest, from earnings on 11 books as provided by their divorce agreement. Some of the books were published after their divorce. The two were married from Sept. 5, 1987, until June 19, 2001, and had no children. Mosley, whose "Devil in a Blue Dress" was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington in 1995, is author of a crime series featuring private detective Easy Rawlins and sidekick Mouse. These and a few other books are the subject of Kellman's lawsuit. Mosley has been described by former President Bill Clinton as one of his favorite writers. Mosley's attorney, Kenneth Burrows, said he had no comment on the lawsuit.

Michael Crichton, sparking the imagination, and controversy An article in The Sherwood Gazette by Matt Chhay provides a short overview of the author

From the inner workings of a hospital, to the depths of the ocean, to the middle of a desert wasteland, Michael Crichton writes books that spark the imagination and exercise the human mind. Best known as the writer of "Jurassic Park," and the creator of the hit TV show "ER," Crichton is one of the most recognizable names among Hollywood writers.

Winfrey Picks Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’
Oprah Winfrey has named "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy, as her latest book club selection, The Associated Press reported. The novel, published in September by Alfred A. Knopf, is a despairing account of a boy and his father lurching across the cold, wretched, wet, corpse-strewn, ashen landscape of a post-apocalyptic world. In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, " 'The Road' would be pure misery if not for its stunning, savage beauty.' " Ms. Winfrey said yesterday: "It is so extraordinary. I promise you, you'll be thinking about it long after you finish the final page." According to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70 percent of industry sales, "The Road" has sold 138,000 copies. A paperback edition of the novel, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle prize and regarded as a contender for a Pulitzer Prize, was not planned until September, but Vintage Books is publishing one now.