Readers of Saturday’s New York Times discovered that the year ended on a sad note for the publishing world, as obituaries for authors Rona Jaffe (left) and Marjorie Kellogg ran side by side (although Kellogg had, in fact, died nearly two weeks earlier). Both women achieved public recognition for first novels that were turned into hit movies: Jaffe for The Best of Everything, Kellogg for Tell Me You Love Me, Junie Moon. And although Kellogg had not written much in recent years, Jaffe remained active. Just last October, in fact, we reported on her appearance at a chick-lit summit panel, when she was still basking in the glow of the reissue of The Best of Everything.
photos: NYT (Jaffe)/FSG (Kellogg)