Jiu Dan, the Beijing-based writer of Wuya which means 'Crow' in Mandarin, is in talks with five film production companies keen to secure rights for a movie version of the book, the report said.

The author, who has said she wants at least HK$1 million (US$128,249) for the rights, will hold an auction within the next two months to get the best deal.

Jiu's book centers on the lives of two Chinese women who went to Singapore as students but ended up as prostitutes and mistresses to Singaporean Chinese men in their pursuit of affluent lifestyles.

It caused a heated debate between Chinese nationals and Singaporean Chinese. Some praised the book for its brazen honesty and others said it was pure fiction.

The book has sold more than 20,000 copies in Singapore, where it has been translated into English, and more than two million in China.

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