The creator of Bridget Jones, who grew up on Jane Austen and Jackie Collins, has no patience for “snobbery about escapist fiction.”

An adaptation of “Fatherland,” the best-selling novelist’s first solo work, “sets my teeth on edge,” he admits. His newest book, “Precipice,” is about a former...

“They’re snapshots of the past: first-night gifts, holidays abroad, memories of lost friends and loved ones,” the award-winning actress says. Her latest, written with Brendan...