The living room in the Malibu, California, home of writer Joan Didion and novelist John Gregory Dunne. The floor is tiled in Mexican terracotta; the ceiling covered with redwood panels; and in the corner stands a fireplace that smokes black cinder up its facade because of the Santa Ana winds. A sofa and two chairs are covered in striped mattress ticking; small rugs are scattered on the floor, as well as floor cushions in many colors and patterns; two black and white landscapes hang on the white walls.