Publisher rebuffs apology

Publisher rebuffs apology
NEW YORK -- Teenage author Kaavya Viswanathan has acknowledged taking material from fellow novelist Megan McCafferty, but says the borrowing was an accident. McCafferty's publisher doesn't believe her. Viswanathan, a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard University, was just 17 when she signed a reported six-figure, two-book deal with Little, Brown. Her first novel, "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life," came out in March to widespread publicity. But readers of McCafferty who had read Viswanathan spotted similarities to McCafferty's books, which include "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings," and alerted McCafferty, who in turn notified her publisher.
Today's Birthdays
Actor Jack Klugman is 84. Announcer Casey Kasem is 74. Actress Judy Carne is 67. Opera singer Judith Blegen is 65. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cuba Gooding is 62. Rock singer Kate Pierson (The B-52's) is 58. Rock musician Ace Frehley is 55. Pop singer Sheena Easton is 47.
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