“On the Ledge” by Peter Straub For my 60th birthday, my wife arranged for me to have a tour of the studio and sets of One Life To Live. I’m crazy about OLTL, and have been for decades. Before the tour, I signed some of my books for my favorite actors. One of these was Michael Easton, who plays the brooding Lt. John McBain of the Llanview, PA, police department, one of OLTL’s most charismatic figures. I thought Easton did a great job of portraying a man who was very well-defended without appearing at all defensive, and it seemed to me he might enjoy a novel of mine called Koko, a sort of literary-minded thriller. A little while later along came a letter from Michael, telling me that my gesture had surprised and pleased him, not least because during the year that he had cared for his dying mother, one of the books she asked him to read aloud to her had been Koko. This moved me, astounded me. Michael added that he had been working on a graphic novel called Soul Stealer and wondered if I might be willing to take a look at it and offer any advice that occurred to me. Sure, I said, come on over. Soul Stealer led to many more get-togethers, drinks, meals and great conversations, usually at a friendly joint on W. 56th Street called O’Neil’s. (Can you say Pappy Van Winckle’s? We did.) Very soon we were talking about a graphic novel of our own, based on the hellish background and Vietnam experiences of a twisted character I had once used in a novel, Fielding Bandolier. “Little Fee” made a great villain, and THE GREEN WOMAN delighted us both by turning into a stunningly dark, violent and beautiful story. When we were finished John Bolton seemed to us the perfect artist for our book, and so he proved to be. Bolton’s imagery, ripe with feeling, glowing, both tender and harsh, added the crucial element to THE GREEN WOMAN: John Bolton made THE GREEN WOMAN ravishing. And in case you missed it, check out Michael Easton's piece at USA TODAY's/POP CANDY. Peter Straub: Michael Easton (Photo Credit:Lori Dorn): John Bolton: