Dear Burning Questions:
In Larry McMurtry's latest book Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen, he hints that he may no longer write fiction. Am I reading this right? Say it ain't so!

Stephanie Upin
St. Paul, Minnesota

Rest easy readers -- according to his publicist at Simon & Schuster, McMurtry has "no plans to abandon fiction, ever!" In fact, he's returning to his Lonesome Dove roots with a November 2000 release, Boone's Lick. Set some 50 years before Dove, McMurtry's latest will feature a strong woman character.

Time for patience

Dear Burning Questions:
As a fan of P.D. James, I am eagerly awaiting a new Adam Dalgliesh mystery. Is she writing one and when will it come out?

Sherry Germany

Yes, the acclaimed mystery writer is working on a new novel to feature Adam Dalgliesh, but no date has been set for release. To tide you over until then, check out her latest book, Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography, (Alfred A. Knopf, $25, 037541066X), coming out this month. At the age of 77, James decided to keep a diary. The result is this frank and wonderfully engaging memoir illuminating the extraordinary life she has led.

Barking for more

Dear Burning Questions:
Are there any new Clive Barker novels planned for the upcoming year?

Thanks,
Stephanie Haly

This man keeps busy! After releasing the 567-page sampler The Essential Clive Barker: Selected Fiction (HarperCollins, $27.50, 0060195290) in December, Barker's back with the just released Untitled Short Novel (HarperCollins, $25, 0060182970). And we're not done yet. Already on deck is Galilee #2, set for release in June 2001.

Did we mention that in addition to his work as a novelist and short story writer, he is a painter, filmmaker, and playwright?

Picture perfect

Dear Burning Questions:
What book did Annie Leibovitz just publish (I think in late 1999)?

Janelle Naylor

You've got the right date! Famous for her work in Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, Leibovitz published a collection of photos in November. Titled simply Women (Random House, $75, 0375500200), the portraits capture a diverse group of women, including coal miners, socialites, a maid, artists, domestic-violence victims, an astronaut, a surgeon, and first ladies.

Wally's world

Dear Burning Questions:
Please tell me that Wally Lamb is at work on a new novel. My life is empty without him! How soon can I be fulfilled? Thanks so much.

Lamb fan

We've got good news and bad news. First, the good news -- Lamb is in the early stages of work on a new novel that includes an interesting prison element.

Now the bad news -- it might be a while before you can rush out and snag this one. Six years passed between the release of his first and second novels, and it's only been two years since the publication of I Know This Much Is True.

Lamb is also working on the screenplay for his first novel, She's Come Undone, so keep an eye out for the movie at a theater near you.

Proper Potter

Dear Burning Questions,
How does J.K. Rowling pronounce Hermione?

E-mail from a reader

Whilst we've never heard Ms. Rowling actually pronounce it herself, it's safe to say the proper pronunciation for Harry Potter's schoolmate is "her-MY-oh-nee."

Anne's plans

Dear Burning Questions:
Could you tell me what's happened to Anne Rivers Siddons? I haven't read anything lately about her or if she has any new books coming out in the near future.

Thanks!
Kaye Barley

Siddons's latest, Nora, Nora, hits the shelves in July. You can lounge by the pool and enjoy the story of a free-thinking woman who turns the small town of Lytton, Georgia, on its ear.

BookPage WebPage

Dear Burning Questions:
Is there any way to access prior issues online? I missed seeing something in the January 2000 issue and would like to see it online.

K. Lawrence Kemp

Not only can you find the January 2000 issue of BookPage online, you can search all the way back to January 1996. See the reviews, interviews, and special features you missed. Click on our archives at www.bookpage.com.