The excerpt below of Craig Ferguson's novel Between the Bridge and the River happens to begin on page 56. But feel free to pick any part of the book; "I wrote the damn thing, so I think it's all good," Ferguson has joked to a publicist.

Ferguson might be cheekier than most novelists, but that's his day job. He tries to keep viewers awake after Letterman as host of the The Late Late Show on CBS, giving him a fairly good vantage point from which to poke fun at pop culture and the entertainment industry.

Writing isn't new to Ferguson. His credits include co-authoring the screenplays for Saving Grace (2000) and The Big Tease (1999), two well-received independent films in which he also starred.

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