Michael Chabon's and Ayelet Waldman's HBO project will be directed -- the pilot, at least -- by Darren Aronofsky, Oscar-nominated director of "Black Swan."

Chabon and Waldman, who are married, have been working together on "Hobgoblin." Little is known about the project other than that it involves magicians and con men using their unique skills to combat Hitler during World War II.

Waldman shared the Aronofsky news on her Facebook page Thursday night. The author of 10 novels and 2009's controversial nonfiction book "Bad Mother," she has been actively engaging in social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, and doing a pretty good job of it. She's currently on tour for the paperback release of her most recent novel, "Red Hook Road," going not to traditional big-city bookstores but to anywhere that readers set up events with at least 50 people -- including Northampton, Mass.; Bloomington, Ind.; and White Plains, N.Y.

The Economist reports:

At the Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, the author regaled an audience of 60 or so, including your correspondent. Although the bookshop had advertised the event, many of those present heard about it from online friends and Ms Waldman's fans. A chummy atmosphere pervaded the room, just as Ms Waldman had hoped. ... Ms Waldman shows savvy in spades. In her talk -- not a reading; she abhors those -- she plays raconteuse, confidante and foul-mouthed pub mate in one. True to that last role, she invited all those present to a drink around the corner afterwards. A remarkable third of the audience tagged along.

While she's on the road, Chabon -- who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his novel "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" may have his hands full at home -- the couple have four children. Chabon's most recent book is "Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son," published in 2009.

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-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photos: Michael Chabon in 2007. Credit: Randi Lynn Beach / For The Times. Ayelet Waldman in 2009. Credit: Robert Durell / For The Times. Both are seated on the porch of their Northern California home.