Midnight's Children author (7)
I believe the answer is:
rushdie
(Other definitions for rushdie that I've seen before include "Salman --, novelist" , "Salman -, Br. author" , "'Salman ..., author (7)'" , "See 23 Across. 23 and 22 Across: Author under Islamic sentence of death for blasphemy" , "Salman, writer" .)