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Tonight on 'Nightline'

March 13, 2008

Foreclosure's Silent Victims

The far-reaching mortgage crisis, estimated to cost 1.2 million families their homes when it's all through, is also taking a toll on the pet population. In Dayton, Ohio, real estate agent Kathy Bayer found so many cats and dogs abandoned by homeowners that she went on a mission to help them, taking them to local animal shelters. But with families unable to afford their homes, let alone pets, the shelters are overflowing. ABC's Barbara Pinto reports.

Crime Thriller King

Bookstore shelves are packed with James Patterson novels, including titles from the wildly popular Alex Cross crime series. The 59-year-old author has sold nearly 150 million books during the course of his long career. But he admits he can't write fast enough to keep up with demand. To help speed up the writing, he has a team of writers who turn his detailed outlines for books into full-fledged novels. That writing method has sparked a bit of controversy. Now Patterson is turning his pen to young-adult fiction with the Maximum Ride novels. ABC's John Berman sat down with the prolific author in his Palm Beach home. Read more here.

Baby Dino for Sale

The Pleo is a robotic toy dinosaur that coos, yawns and if caught in a fit of anger, lets out a growl. With the help of 38 built-in sensors and 14 motors, the toy acts just like a newly hatched Camarasaurus. Devoted Pleo-owners blog about their toys on Pleoworld, which has almost 8,000 registered users. ABC's Laura Marquez takes a look at what the Pleo means for the future of robot-human relations. Read more here.

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