Ala. slay suspect a cousin of author Irving; hoped connection could help her become novelist

Ala. slay suspect a cousin of author Irving

BOSTON — The Alabama university professor suspected in the triple slaying of three colleagues is a cousin of novelist John Irving.

Amy Bishop told a friend she hoped the connection would help her publish her three novels, which she viewed as a way out of the frustrations of her university job.

Rob Dinsmoor, who was in a writer’s group north of Boston with Bishop, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Irving is a cousin of Bishop’s mother. The relationship was first reported by The Boston Globe and confirmed to the AP by a spokeswoman for Irving’s publisher, Random House.

Dinsmoor said Bishop told him Irving gave her advice on writing and finding an agent.

Among Irving’s best-known books are “The World According to Garp,” ”A Prayer for Owen Meany” and “The Cider House Rules.”