Writer to pen book about Palin moves next door to her

Sarah Palin invited writer Joe McGinniss to "borrow a cup of sugar"

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has a new neighbour - a writer with a contract to pen a book about her.

Joe McGinniss has leased the house next door to the 2008 Republican Vice-Presidential candidate in Alaska.

On Facebook, Mrs Palin wrote she would welcome him with a blueberry pie, "so he'll know how friendly Alaskans are".

"Wonder what kind of material he'll gather while overlooking Piper's bedroom, my little garden, and the family's swimming hole?" she said.

Publishing house Broadway Books said in a statement that Mr McGinniss was to write a book about Mrs Palin's "significance as both a political and cultural phenomenon and as an embodiment of the contradictory forces that shaped Alaska as it moved into its second half-century of statehood".

The publisher said Mr McGinniss would be "highly respectful" of the Palin family's privacy.

Mr McGinniss is perhaps best known for his 1968 book on Richard Nixon, The Selling of the President.

He has also written about Alaska and published novels and true-crime accounts.

On her Facebook page, Mrs Palin's frequent venue for communicating with fans and supporters, the former governor and possible 2012 presidential contender denounced a 2009 article McGinniss wrote in now-defunct business magazine Portfolio about her effort to build an oil pipeline in Alaska.

She also suggested Mr McGinniss had been "peering in" on her property in her home town of Wasilla, Alaska.

She wrote: "It'll be a great summer - come borrow a cup of sugar if ever you need some sweetener.

"And you know what they say about 'fences make for good neighbors'? Well, we'll get started on that tall fence tomorrow, and I'll try to keep Trig's squeals down to a quiet giggle so we don't disturb your peaceful summer."