With a nod to Dan E. Moldea who is the mastermind behind the real biannual authors’ dinner in Georgetown in the District of Columbia.
What do you get when you put two writers in a car for eight hours? Lots of words and ideas flying about.
Let me set the stage. Twice a year, Dan E. Moldea hosts an authors’ dinner when as many as 90 published writers sit down to eat, talk, support each other, network and imbibe. This was my third dinner and Diane Fanning’s first.
Diane is a true crime non-fiction writer and a historical mystery writer. Yes, she has a well-established foot in two worlds. With 23 books in print, all traditionally published, and 2 books coming out in 2016, she has real street creds. And she loves mysteries, real or made-up. I have fewer creds with 2 women’s fiction/mystery books out.
On the way up to Kimba Dalferes’ house where we would crash for the night, we talked about a story she was thinking about writing.
What neither of us lack are ideas Diane was mulling over whether to write another true crime novel or turn the story into a novel, where she’d have more freedom to explore what really went on in the minds of people affected by a terrible crime. By the time we arrived at Kimba’s house, we had the outline of the story.
Fast forward to the morning drive back to Bedford County. Diane and I talked about the dinner, who we’d met, how much fun we had and what would happen if…
When writers ask, “what would happen if…” trouble is nearby. Especially these two authors who are fascinated by the darker side of life.
So, what would happen if about 50 authors entered a restaurant for a semi-annual dinner and only 5 survived? What if a massive explosion from the back of the banquet room killed 44 people and spread chocolate mousse all over everything? What if the 5 survivors had ties to at least one dead writer. Mentor/mentee. Teacher/student. Husband/wife. Rival. And what happened to the missing writer? Unraveling the relationships, finding the missing writer and helping the police find who set the explosion will be revealed by the last page.
Diane and I have dibs on “Slaughter at the Authors’ Supper,” Dan. It’s all ours.
Look for this at a bookstore near you.
I was so rattled by your title that it took a while for me to settle down to reading your very encouraging and enjoyable post. That movie is one that shakes me to my core in so many ways it’s not possible to untangle or name them. I have a visceral, probably primal, response. And I keep watching it. Something there to wonder about, but not today.
I do like the post, Betsy, and the rich image of a group of writers gathered in a Georgetown home talking about things that everyone at the table understands.
How often does that happen, for anyone??
For me, it’s a restaurant in Georgetown and it happens twice a year. It attracts Pulitzer Prize winning authors, best selling authors, great journalists, one time a movie star and me. Rest assured, there was nary a cliff between Bedford County and Georgetown, so we weren’t likely to drive off it. Cheers?