FILE - In this March 1, 1977 file photo, Australian author Colleen McCullough laughs during a news conference in New York. Australia's largest newspaper was facing sharp criticism over its obituary of the nation's most famous author, whom the paper described as plain and overweight. The Australian newspaper's obituary of Colleen McCullough, whose novel "The Thorn Birds" sold 30 million copies worldwide and who died on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 at age 77 after a long illness, opened not with a list of her myriad accomplishments, but with a description of her appearance. (AP Photo/File)