EX-STAFF IS NO LAUGH O'Donnell

Some devils apparently prefer sweatpants, and not all embittered underlings are 20-something ex-assistants. The figure of Rosie O'Donnell looms large in Little Pink Slips, a novel by Sally Koslow. Out in April, the book draws heavily from Koslow's experience of being pushed aside as editor in chief of McCall's to make room for the magazine's reinvention under O'Donnell, as Rosie.

Bebe Blake, O'Donnell's fictional stand-in, likes dudes and has red hair, but she shares her inspiration's foul mouth, fondness for bicycle shorts, and sturdy physique. In two preview chapters now making the rounds, Koslow seems to particularly relish elaborating on that last detail, noting Blake's "well-fed face," "lady wrestler legs," and "boots that looked compromised trying to support her."

If all this vindictiveness nudges Little Pink Slips into the realm of revenge lit, so be it, says Koslow. "People can categorize it any way they want, as long as they predict it will be a best-seller," she says.

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