Dear Burning: When is Tom Clancy's new thriller supposed to be out? Please let me know, as I'm greatly anticipating this book.

via the Internet

Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy will be out next month (Putnam, $27.95). This time Ex-Navy SEAL John Clark faces a group of terrorists unlike any the world has every known. They are unparalleled in their extremism -- and intent on changing the world forever. Prepare to be thrilled.

Somewhere else over the rainbow

Dear BQ: Lorna Luft Me and My Shadows. Judy Garland legacy. Why so many books on Hollywood?

via the Internet

I always thought verbs were dispensable anyway. Who has time?

We've called in an interpreter, our official Hollywood correspondent, Pat Broeske, for this one. She says:

"Hollywood is called 'The Dream Factory' for a reason: Hollywood is built on illusion. So for starters, there's this desire to know what the town is really like. (When I interview celebrities, the question I am invariably asked by friends and family is, 'But what is [fill in the blank] really like?')

When we think of Hollywood we think of beautiful people, incredible wealth, fabulous parties -- in other words, glamour! Ah, but there is often a price to pay for fame. And so, Hollywood also has its dark shadows . . . of sex and scandal and tragedy. Put all these elements together and you have the ingredients of a page-turner.

About Lorna Luft [Judy Garland's daughter] and her book, Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir (Pocket, $25): Judy Garland remains one of the greatest entertainers Hollywood has ever known. But despite her enormous talents, she was emotionally fragile, uncertain about her own self-worth. Because she rose to stardom in an era when Hollywood truly controlled its stars -- right down to their diets and their dates -- her story is all the more compelling and tragic. (Her dependence on pills began when MGM put her on a diet when she was just a teenager.) There have been numerous books about Garland -- and they will continue as long as her movies and recordings are available. The reason: people want to know, but what was she really like?"

And speaking of glamour and celebs

Dear Burning: I've been waiting what seems like forever for Bret Easton Ellis's new book. I loved Less Than Zero. When will he publish again?

Sam Ridley
via the Internet

Alfred A. Knopf will publish Bret Easton Ellis's Glamorama in January 1999. It's the story of a young man who is drawn into celebrity-obsessed New York society and can't find his way out. Sounds like vintage Ellis to us.

Setting the record straight

Dear Burning Questions, What's happened to T.R. Pearson, author of the wonderful A Short History of a Small Place? His last book was Cry Me a River in 1993. Has he stopped writing? Did he die? Tell me, what happened? Thanks.

Stan Kosek
Villa Park, IL

Dear Burning Questions, I have two authors I'd like to have you investigate for me: Barbara Kingsolver and T.R. Pearson. I have enjoyed their books immensely. Will they be publishing anything new in the near future? Thank you.

Marguerite Leathers
Courtland, VA

The first order of business: to dispel any rumors that T.R. Pearson stopped writing or is in ill health. He's actually just taking his time, which is what all of us (writers especially) should be doing. His agent tells BookPage that Pearson is alive and well and working on his next novel. No publication date has been set.

On to Barbara Kingsolver. The Poisonwood Bible, her first novel since Pigs in Heaven, will be released in November (HarperFlamingo, $27.50). This wonderful, socially conscious writer now tells the story of an American family in the Congo during a time of political upheaval.

Dear BQ: Big fan of Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen mysteries. What next?

via the Internet

A Long Finish: An Aurelio Zen Mystery, will be published by Pantheon this September ($24). Returning from his excursion to Naples in Cosi Fan Tutti, the super suave sleuth finds himself back in Rome facing yet another bizarre assignment.