The October 2005 issue of New York magazine sent shockwaves through the literary world when it revealed the identity of "it boy" wunderkind JT LeRoy, whose gritty language about his squalid beginnings had enthralled idols and luminaries worldwide. As it turned out, LeRoy did not exist. Laura Albert, a 40-year-old punk rocker and phone sex operator from San Francisco, came up with the idea for him.