Author Protests 'Cyber-Stalker'

Sachs, who is listed as having lived in Woodbridge, could not be reached for comment. According to his blog, he now lives in Belgium, where he "was forced to take refuge" because of Cornwell, he writes.

Cornwell's attorneys said that there is no record of Sachs registering with Belgian authorities to live there and that they searched for him in Virginia, sending the sheriff's office to his last known residence, but no one there knew him.

A judge allowed them to serve him with the lawsuit by e-mail, a first for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, Lukey said.

Lukey added that she knows Sachs received the e-mail because he replied immediately.

On Sachs's blog, the latest posting is dated Sunday, and it focuses on the recent suit.

"The case, somewhat hilariously, also involves Cornwell's continually being robbed and defrauded by her own lawyers," he writes. "But that's typical of U.S. lawyers, given a client like Cornwell, who is full of emotional hatred."

The case is set for court next Tuesday.

Lukey said the primary hope is that the judge will enforce the injunction, forcing Sachs to stop mentioning Cornwell on his Web sites.

Cornwell, who once lived in Virginia and based her lead character on Virginia's chief medical examiner, Marcella Fierro, has written 21 books since 1990.

Sachs's other published books are "How to Buy Your New Car for a Rock-Bottom Price " and one he co-authored titled "Cheap Wheels: The Complete Guide to Buying, Selling and Enjoying Used Cars."