Elaine's Literary Salon
Bibliophiles will love this new show — live from the popular bistro Elaine's in Old Town, Alexandria VA. Our host is the restaurant's owner, Jeffrey James Higgins, a prolific author who is on a mission to help his fellow writers share their stories.
Episodes
Today on the Elaine’s Literary Salon show: Meet author David W. DuBois, a retired U.S. Army soldier who served honorably for 21 years. He is a devoted husband and father of four. In 2022, David was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a life-altering moment that led him to write his debut book.
David is a passionate advocate for ALS awareness and research. Through his weekly ...
Today at Elaine’s Literary Salon in Alexandria, VA, we are thrilled to bring back to town author Bill Rapp, who began his professional life as an academic, teaching European History at Iowa State University. A graduate of Notre Dame (B.A.), the University of Toronto (M.A.), and Vanderbilt (Ph. D.), Bill has always been particularly intrigued by German history. He says the last 35 years working for the U. S. Government has bro...
Meet the Author: Brian Paone, a Massachusetts native displaced to Virginia, has been a published novelist since 2007 and has performed in bands since 1995. Cumulatively, Brian’s novels are primarily speculative fiction, ranging from thrillers to drama to horror to science fiction to fantasy and romance. His bands cover a wide range of different metal and industrial genres and styles. He is also a police detective in Maryland ...
Meet Matt Joseph Misetich: A Senior Executive and Partner at Pipeline Media Group, Matt oversees all divisions, including Script, Book, and Film, as well as the management of Pipeline Artists and the implementation of future Pipeline entities.
His industry career started in 2002 as an intern for a talent manager, then as an intern in film development in 2003. And as an intern script reader through all of 2004. . . which ended in 20...
About bestselling author Puja Guha: International Development Consultant. Global Citizen. Author of seven novels and four published short stories. Born into a family of acclaimed Indian architects, Puja traveled with her parents as they worked on projects around the world. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Puja completed her Master’s degree in public policy at Sciences Po and the London School of Economics...
Meet the Author: Fascinated by magic since he could imagine pine cones as fireballs, C. R. Rowenson is an award-winning author, blogger, and writing coach that studies magic-building like others study oil-painting. His prime directive is to help all kinds of storytellers craft and repair the magic systems in their stories. You can visit him at crrowenson.com to witness, fuel, or join in his obsession.
This week at Elaine’s Literary Salon, we are excited to share our newest interview with critically acclaimed, bestselling author John Gilstrap.
Today, he talks with Elaine’s Literary Salon host Jeffrey James Higgins about his new novels, writing process, and what makes his books so popular with readers.
About the author and his books: When John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996, it...
Meet the Author: Thomas Dann was born and bred in Memphis, Tennessee, five generations deep in a family fighting the entrenched political machine there. He has spent time variously on the East and Left Coasts, studying creative writing at Stanford, working for years as a felony defense investigator for the Washington, D.C. Public Defender, then lawyer, company builder, and writer, all the while wondering what he wants to do when he...
Meet the Author: Brian Thiem is the author of “The Mudflats Murder Club,” the first book in the Mudflats Murder Club series, as well as “Red Line,” “Thrill Kill,” and “Shallow Grave.” In his previous life, he spent 25 years with the Oakland Police Department, much of it working Homicide, and retired as a lieutenant. He’s also an Iraq War veteran, retiring from the Army as a lieutenant...
Meet the Author: Carter Wilson is the USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of ten psychological thrillers, known for their emotional intensity, tight pacing, and sinister twists. His work has received starred reviews from every major trade publication, has won multiple awards, and has been optioned for television and film. His 2025 release, Tell Me What You Did, was selected by Barn...
Meet the Author: Sean Hagerty is a retired Special Operations Soldier with over 25 years of experience. He spent his younger years training and conducting combat operations with the 1st of the 75th Ranger Regiment. After nine years, in 2005, he was selected for and assigned to a Special Operations unit at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. There he spent sixteen years and finished his military career, retiring as a Sergeant Major. He received...
Meet the Author: Stacy Woodson is a US Army combat veteran. Memories of her time in the military are often a source of inspiration for her stories. She made her crime fiction debut in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine’s Department of First Stories and won the 2018 Readers Award, the second time in the award’s history a debut took first place.
Awards: Since then, she has placed over 40 short stories in various publications, three winn...
Meet the Author: Jennifer began her writing journey at the age of 10 when she started her own neighborhood newspaper, “The Santa Clara Times,” printed it herself, and walked up and down her street, passing it out to all the neighbors. She graduated from the School of Journalism, Mass Communications, and Public Relations at San Jose State University in Northern California, and went on to have a ten-year career as a journalist.
Her w...
Meet the Author: Eric Grandy was born and raised in Baltimore City and graduated from City College. After graduating from Essex Community College, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and played for six years with the team. He went on to a variety of jobs: photographer, lab manager, driver for DHL, and was a warehouse manager. After retirement, he decided to devote himself to writing, producing several short stories and Accidental Pa...
Meet the Author: Karen Marginot is an author and leadership coach who specializes in helping leaders integrate ancient wisdom with their professional authority.
Drawing on her decades-long journey through corporate leadership at companies like Salesforce and Dell, Karen brings rare insight to the challenges women face as they approach the pinnacle of their careers and contemplate their enduring legacy, both professionally and perso...
Meet the Author — Dale says: I grew up outside Tampa, Florida and attended the University of Florida, where I graduated from the College of Journalism and Communications (Go Gators!). After graduation, I commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a logistics officer and war planner. After my military service, I worked in defense and tech before writing full time. I’ve had the opportunity to live abroad and see a large part of t...
Monisha Longacre is coming to Elaine’s Literary Salon in Alexandria, VA on Jan. 11.
Join us for her interview with our podcast/video host Jeffrey James Higgins and enjoy a delicous brunch. Order Monisha’s Author’s Choice: French toast with a mimosa OR the Egyptian Omelet with a Bloody Mary, and receive a $5 coupon redeemable on your next visit to Elaine’s.
Check out our commercial (above) with author Jonathan Payne: A British-American writer based in New York City, Jonathan’s first novel, CITIZEN ORLOV, was named a Book of the Month by Apple Books. It won the 2024 IBPA Silver Medal for Mystery/Thriller and the 2024 IPPY Bronze Medal for Suspense/Thriller. Payne previously worked in national security for the British government. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Novel Writing f...
About My Clavicle: And Other Massive Misalignments — On an international flight to a conference, the author Marta Sanz notices a tiny bump beneath her skin, just below her clavicle, near her breastbone. So begins an inquiry that is at turns a satirical detective story, a philosophical inquiry, a memoir, and pure poetry. In Spanish, the title is Clavícula, which refers to the collarbone, but also makes a direct pun on the word clavé...
Meet our guest: Be the change you wish to see is the mantra for author and HR exec Andrea Walton, MBA, Founder & CEO, The Concrete Rose Scholarship Foundation, Alexandria, VA & Cape Town, South Africa
Who she is: Andrea Walton is a seasoned HR executive, published author, and purpose-driven philanthropist committed to building pathways to education for Black and Brown girls around the world. As Founder and CEO of The Concre...
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