Essay: John Wirth: After the fire took my home, John Irving’s books became one

As a writer, my imagination is how I earn my living. It’s what drove me, at 25, to Hollywood – clutching a screenplay and a well-worn copy of John Irving’s “The World According to Garp.” Irving is the reason I wanted to write in the first place, and I’ve loved his books ever since I first discovered “Garp” when I was young. It still amazes me that he wrote such an incredible novel at just 36 – I felt like I was barely growing up at that age! I’m still completely fascinated by how he writes, and when I arrived in Los Angeles, all I wanted was to craft a single sentence as powerful as anything in “Garp,” and maybe, just maybe, make something of my career.

Want to solve a mystery this winter? Four new series will test your sleuthing skills

Popular mystery author Harlan Coben is involved in two new projects, one a fictional story and the other a true-crime documentary. He also hosts the documentary, called “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist,” which premiered Wednesday on CBS and is available on Paramount+. Like his many novels—including his latest co-written with Reese Witherspoon—the documentary centers around a surprising final reveal. However, he notes he wouldn’t create such ordinary characters in his fiction. The first episode, “Billy & Billie Jean,” investigates a strange 2012 double homicide in Mountain City, Tennessee, complicated by a series of unexpected twists and turns. It’s a truly bizarre case, and I won’t spoil the details.