Cal Cunninghman has always fantasized about being a novelist. But at twenty-five， he s far from realizing his dream. Newly arrived in Manhattan， he toils as a bookstore stockboy， lives in a dire neighborhood， and never seems to write anything. How curious， then， that Cal should shortly publish a rollicking autobiographical novel that shoots to the top of bestseller lists and sells to the movies for a million dollars. About the Author is Cal s first-person account of how he achieved this remarkable feat. A mysterious roommate， a timely bike accident， and the rapacious literary agent Blackie Yaeger all play a role in Cal s success. Deception， blackmail and murder all play a role in Cal s desperate bid to hold onto that success. Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith s gripping "Ripley" novels， About the Author is a wickedly funny psychological thriller that not only casts a knowing eye on the excesses of the current Manhattan publishing world， but touches on deeper themes of literary envy， identity， guilt， and the fatal difference between reality and imagination.