Elaine's Literary Salon

Join us today at Elaine’s Literary Salon: Saturday, October 4, 2025 from noon to 3pm — Meet writer and editor Deborah Lacy and learn all about her new anthology, The Most Dangerous Game

When: Saturday, October 4, 2025 from noon to 3pm

At Elaine’s: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

About The Most Dangerous Game: A short mystery fiction anthology

Authors incude: Heather Graham, JD Allen, Shawn Reilly Simmons, LaToya Jovena, Alan Orloff, Daphne Silver, BV Lawson, P.M. Raymond, Maya Corrigan, Kerry Hammond, Shannon Taft, donalee Moulton, K.C. Selby, Stephen M. Pierce, Chris Chan, Sharyn Kolberg, Jane Limprecht, Bruce Kubec, Robert Lopresti, L.L. Kaplan, Rebecca Lugones, and Kirlagh James Click here to learn more about the book!

Meet Deborah Lacy: Deb’s short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, the Anthony Award Winning Anthology — Blood on the Bayou, Fault Lines, Shhhh…Murder! , Mystery Weekly Magazine and Murder Most International.  She is the editor of the short story anthology, The Most Dangerous Games, coming in August 2025 from Level Best Books. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Mystery Playground, a blog for people who love both fun and crime fiction. Her non-fiction byline has appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, and MacMillan Publishing’s Criminal Element. She has served on the board of the Malice Domestic mystery convention, the local organizing committee for Bouchercon, the world’s largest mystery convention twice, and on Left Coast Crime local organizing committee. Learn more about her: deborahlacy.com

About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com

Find more Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

Elaine’s Literary Salon

About Elaine’s:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selection is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are based on exquisite food found in Alexandria, Egypt — a combination of Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.

Welcome to ElainesLitearySalon.com!

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. Check out the live Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and InkandescentRadio.com.

About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host Jeffrey James Higgins: By day, Jeff manages Elaine’s, the award-winning Alexandria, VA restaurant he opened with his wife Cynthia in 2022. A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor.

He has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. He’s a #1 Amazon bestselling author with 21 literary awards, including the Claymore Award, PenCraft’s Best Fiction Book, and a Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal. He has been a panelist at ThrillerFest, Killer Nashville, Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity, and other conferences.

Black Rose Writing published his first three novels, FURIOUS, UNSEEN, and THE FOREVER GAME. Severn River Publishing has acquired Jeffrey’s forthcoming Nathan Burke espionage series. Jeffrey is an active member of the Authors Guild, the Virginia Writers Club, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Royal Writers Secret Society. He’s represented by Jackson Keeler at Inkworks. Learn more about Jeff’s books: JeffreyJamesHiggins.com.

Click here to check out Jeff’s affordable book writing services to help authors everywhere make their book publishing dreams come true. 

And meet the PR Director for Elaine’s Literary Salon, InkandescentPR.com’s founder, Hope Katz Gibbs. With her team of award-winning journalists, illustrators and video producers, they help writers up their PR and marketing game with professionally produced podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com, the video version on Inkandescent.tv, a strong social media push, and more! Learn more: InkandescentPR.com.

Upcoming Podcasts

September 15, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonMeet Wolf Bahren (aka Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen) for brunch on Sept. 6 when she brings her new book to Elaine’s Literary Salon: “The Secessionist’s Wife”September 27, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonTanya Stokes is bringing “The Woman I’m Becoming” to Elaine’s Literary Salon — Your transformation starts here!September 29, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonComing to the Elaine’s Literary Salon show: A.D. Metcalfe, VP of the Cape Cod Writers Center and producer for Books and the World, gives us Johnny Alvarez, a precocious young runaway, who knows decay and lawlessness offer camouflage and opportunityOctober 1, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonComing soon to Elaine’s Literary Salon: Retired police officer, journalist, and author Mark Bergin, is bringing his “Apprehension” book series to Elaine’s!October 3, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonComing to Elaine’s Literary Salon, Oct. 3: Tonya Poindexter gets real with her new book, “The Aftermath — What Nobody Tells Black Women About Life After Divorce”October 13, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonComing soon to Elaine’s Literary Salon: Learn to demystify the often-intimidating world of pro-se litigation with Towanda Brown’s “Empowering Pro-Se Litigants,” a groundbreaking guide that illuminates the path of self-representation in legal mattersOctober 15, 2026Elaine's Literary SalonComing to Elaine’s Literary Salon: Author and former FBI Special Agent executive Katherine Schweit helps us learn how to Stop the Killing, talk to the dead, understand the second amendment, and talk about guns with anyone

MEET THE INKANDESCENT® RADIO TEAM

Hope Katz Gibbs, Founder & Executive Producer, InkandescentRadio.com

Brandi Wilsker-Merritt, Director of Podcasting

Nelson Benavides, Director of Videography

Max Kukoy, Inkandescent Website Developer

Michael Gibbs, Inkandescent Art Director

 

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