Elaine's Literary Salon

Meet the Author: Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times-bestselling author of thirty-one novels—including the Nick Ryan seriesand six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series—short stories, poetry, and essays. In addition to his acclaimed series characters, Moe Prager and Gus Murphy, he has written the stand-alone novel Gun Church and collaborated with decorated Irish crime writer Ken Bruen on the novel Tower. Reed is a four time Edgar Award nomineeClick here to listen to the podcast!

Meet the Author: Mark Thielman writes primarily crime fiction and serves as a magistrate judge in Ft Worth, Texas. His debut novel, The Devil’s Kitchen, was released in April 2025. His second novel, The Hidden River, is scheduled for October 2025. Both books are part of the Johnson and Nance series, published by Severn River Publishing. Mark’s short fiction pieces have been named to the honor roll of America’s best mysteries on multiple occasions. The Wolfe Pack, the Nero WolfeClick here to listen to the podcast!

Meet the Author: Mike Slavin loves to write exciting and fast stories. It’s a new passion since he sold his oil and gas exploration company in 2024. A West Pointer and self-made millionaire, Mike has written seven award-winning business books, including One Million in the Bank: How To Make $1,000,000 With Your Own Business, Even If You Have No Money Or Experience. His fiction titles include Life Changing Money, Spike, Wrong Kill, and Kill Crime. He lives in Houston, Texas,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Meet the Author: James Stejskal is an author, military historian, and conflict archaeologist. To gain inspiration and research his writings, he spent 35 years serving with the US Army Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency in interesting places like Africa, Europe, the Balkans, the Near and Far East. He is the author of the “Snake Eater Chronicles,” a Cold War military & espionage thriller series as well as the non-fiction books “Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations ofClick here to listen to the podcast!

About the Book: Sins of the Saviors Book 1: Escape from the Culling Box No one escaped from hell. Until David, who returns to a twisted shadow of the country and family he left decades ago. The 2028 election was our last – democracy traded for an AI-directed utopia. The network saved humanity from existential threats and curbed our violent tendencies, but it came with a heavy price. As a vestige soldier fleeing a forever war, David must rediscover who heClick here to listen to the podcast!

About The Mapmaker: Resistance operative Charlotte Denneau has critical targeting information for the Allies, and the Gestapo knows it. On the run across occupied France, she must prioritize her mission over the lives of the agents and civilians she needs to help her escape. Germans are taking down Resistance networks with disastrous results. Agents are being arrested, tortured, questioned, and turned. Charlotte never knows whom to trust. She communicates in coded radio calls to London, with the enemy always listening.Click here to listen to the podcast!

June 26, 2025 — It was a special treat today at Elaine’s Literary Salon, where host of the show Jeffrey James Higgins launched his new book, The Havana Syndrome. This is Volume 1 in a 4-part (maybe more) series by the bestselling thriller novelist. “I wanted to write a story about what happens when devotion and duty collide, giving my protagonist — FBI Agent Nathan Burke — a heart-pounding challenge to uncover a global conspiracy to save his wife, andClick here to listen to the podcast!

This week at Elaine’s Literary Salon we meet Sarah DeBlock, author of the 2025 memoire, The Year of Sarah. About the author: Sarah has an amazing back story. This yogi and entrepreneur who published her first novel in 2025 was introduced to yoga in 2011 when she was majoring in Chemical Engineering. “During some difficult semesters, I was lucky to discover yoga’s incredible stress-relieving benefits and contribute these yoga classes to help me through the high-pressure environment I faced,” sheClick here to listen to the podcast!

This week at Elaine’s Literary Salon, we meet critically acclaimed bestselling author John Gilstrap and learn about his newest novel, Burned Bridges. About the author and his books: When John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996, it set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movie rights were scooped up at auction by Warner Bros., and John changed professions. A safety engineer by training and education, he specialized in explosives and hazardousClick here to listen to the podcast!