HBO has eyes for 'Fat Girl'

Liza Palmer novel to be developed for series

By SAM THIELMAN

HBO has optioned Liza Palmer's "Conversations With the Fat Girl," a novel about Maggie, who's dealing with the fact that former fellow fat girl Olivia is now less copious and getting hitched to a jerk.

Optioned for series development, "Conversations" came to "Rome" exec producer Anne Thomopoulos and Anna Garduno when Garduno attended a panel on chick lit at the West Hollywood Books Fair moderated by Palmer. Scribe Claudia Lonow ("Cashmere Mafia") is attached the pen the pilot script and would serve as an exec producer if the project moves forward.

Palmer won't be writing any episodes of the series herself, saying that she's comfortable as a novelist, though she is writing a pilot of her own. Palmer will have a consulting producer credit on the project.