Elaine's Literary Salon

Watch

Ep74: On this week's podcast and video episode — S.J. Rozan is in the house! The architect-turned-author, who has won an Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, Nero, and the Macavity Award, talks with host Jeffrey James Higgins on the road at the September 2026 Creatures, Crime, and Creativity Conference

Listen

Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio Ep73: If you missed last week's podcast, learn about the Story Tango Tells with Joan Singer, founder of the musical ensemble QuinTango Meet violinist Joan Singer, the founder and director of QuinTango. Managing the group combines Joan’s flair for storytelling and weakness for glitz with her love of music and travel. Before founding QuinTango, she played at Inaugural Balls, backed up Aretha Franklin and was a tenured member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra. Learn more about her ensemble: QuinTango.com

Read

Welcome to Elaine’s Literary Salon, located upstairs in the library of the award-winning Egyptian restaurant Elaine’s: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria VA 22314

We are the top spot in the DMV to meet bestselling authors, explain Elaine’s Literary Salon team, thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins and PR director Hope Katz Gibbs:

“We are on a mission to help readers learn about the newest books they’ll want to gobble up in a single sitting. For writers, we invite you to join us to launch your book and share your journey to becoming a published writer.”

If you are a reader: You won’t want to miss our Author Events that include talks with dozens of bestselling authors, as well as those just starting out. Click here to view our Upcoming Events!

When: We host our in-person events from 6-9pm on Wednesday and Thursday evenings; noon-3pm for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Agenda: The first hour is meet-and-greet time so guests can network and order from our award-winning menu • The second hour includes a 45-minute interview with hosts, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the audience • Then guests meet the author, buy their books, and get them signed!
Sign up: Most of our events are free! We just ask that you register on the Author’s Eventbrite page (the link is in the promo). And, of course, we invite you to eat, drink, and be very merry by ordering from our award-winning menu. Bring your friends!

If you are a writer: We’d love to help you launch your book at Elaine’s Literary Salon!

How it works: The space is free to host the event, so long as you bring in a dozen guests to eat, drink, and enjoy our interview.
Be featured on our Elaine’s Literary Salon podcast and video show: We regularly rank #1 show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for literary salon shows, and all of our authors are featured on our websites that get more than 1.5 million hits/month, and in our social media blasts that reach 75K connections.
Get on the calendar: For details about the PR package, and to book your Author Event, click here to send an email to our PR Director and show producer, Hope Katz Gibbs

Elaine’s Writers Club: From aspiring authors to seasoned pros, Elaine’s Literary Salon hosts monthly networking happy hours (the last Wedneday of the month) monthly write-ins (the last Thursday of the month), workshops, seminars, and coming in 2027 an Agent Pitch Fest! Learn more about it.

Need a little nudge to get the creative juices flowing? Check out Jeff’s Craft Tips and Writing Services. To help promote your book, learn more about Hope’s InkandescentPR services here.

Bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, host of Elaine’s Literary Salon podcast + video show

Meet the host of Elaine’s Literary Salon: Jeffrey James Higgins is a retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays. He has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents.

Jeffrey received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times have interviewed him, and he’s appeared on CNN Declassified, National Geographic’s Narco Wars, and ABC News. He has a BS in Journalism and an MS in Criminal Justice.

He’s a #1 Amazon bestselling author who’s won the Claymore Award, PenCraft’s Best Fiction Book of the Year, and a Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal. His debut novel, Furious, is one of Black Rose Writing’s bestselling thrillers, and The Forever Game was selected as one of the best medical thrillers of the 21st century. Severn River Publishing launched four books in the Nathan Burke international thriller series, and Library Journal selected The Havana Syndrome as one of the best books of 2025.

Jeffrey owns Elaine’s Literary Salon in Alexandria, VA, where he counsels writers, interviews authors, and hosts a podcast. He’s an Authors Guild ambassador for the DC area and a frequent panelist at conferences and book festivals. Jeffrey’s an active member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, The Northern Virginia Writers Club, and the Royal Writers Secret Society. Discover his writing at: JeffreyJamesHiggins.com

Jeff signing book from the Nathan Burke series at the Spy Museum

Jeff’s Craft Tip of the Month: Embrace the Editing Process

Edit your work. Everyone knows this, yet after working on a novel for years, it’s hard to re-read it dozens of times. The urge to send a book to your publisher or self-publish it can be strong, but please resist the impulse.

Manuscripts should undergo multiple levels of editing. A structural edit evaluates story arc, plot holes, character development, and other broader issues. A line edit elevates language, improves prose, and makes stylistic changes. A copy edit focuses on grammar, spelling, consistency, and other rule-following guidelines. The proofread is the final check for mistakes, from formatting to missing pages.

My editing iterations depend on my publication schedule and the complexities of each book, but I try to accomplish the following editing passes before I send a manuscript to a publisher. I confirm the plot is in four acts and includes most of the standard 15 story beats. I individually evaluate each POV character for character arc and language. Then I conduct a copy and line edit at the same time. Printing the manuscript and editing on white paper also makes mistakes jump off the page. I read the manuscript aloud to hear the music of the words, but if I’m short on time, I just speak the dialogue. Read more …

Find all of Jeff’s Craft Tips here.

Hope Katz Gibbs, PR director, Elaine’s Literary Salon • founder, InkandescentPR.com

Collaborations are the key to success

In 2024, Jeff joined forces with InkandescentPR.com founder Hope Katz Gibbs to produce and promote his author interviews on the Elaine’s Literary Salon podcast and video show.

Hope’s websites get more than 1.8 million hits/month, and she has nearly 75K+ social media contacts. All of Elaine’s Literary Salon videos are featured on our YouTube channel ElainesLiterarySalon.tv • Podcasts blast out on InkandescentRadio.com, Spotify, Apple, iHeart Radio.

As the PR director of Elaine’s Literary Salon: “We shine a light on as many authors as possible — of course, so that many readers can learn about their books — and also to inspire more writers to bring that book inside them to life,” says Hope, author of PR Rules: The Playbook • Why Divorce: 5 Reasons to Leave • and the upcoming anthology, Walking on the Beach with Natalie • Inkandescent is the publisher of The Secret Sauce by Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan • Wealth Management Rules by award-winning financial planner Marguerita Cheng, and its sequel, Diary of CFP Pro. Find more Inkandescent® Books: Inkandescent.us

Author Wolf Bahren

PR Rules Tip of the Month

September 2026: This month, we invited author Wolf Bahren to share tips on what she wishes she’d known when she started out. A lover of spy stories since childhood, Wolf published her first novel, Agents of Suzharia, in 2016, followed by Source of Deceit in 2020. Her fiction blends espionage, political, international, and journalistic thriller genres.

Here are 3 tips from Wolf for our Writers’ Club: On Publishing & Marketing My Books — What I Wish I Knew

Work with IngramSpark or a hybrid publisher that sets up distribution through Ingram. This will facilitate sales of your book at local independent bookshops, because many won’t carry books from independent authors who use Amazon or its subsidiaries (such as KDP) during publication. You can still be listed on Amazon, but your publisher will be separate. Click here to read more!

These are some of the Authors who have graced the stage at Elaine’s:

David McCloskey • Alma Katsu • Hank Phillippi Ryan • Mark Greaney • Reed Farrel Coleman • John Gilstrap • I.S. Berry • LynDee Walker • Traci Hunter Abramson • E.A. Aymar • T.R. Hendricks • Rob Hart • Robin Conventon • S.A. Cosby • Jeff Markowitz • Tim Trainer • Karen Leggett • Mike Henrich • Bob McGee • Bill Rapp • Dr. Mark • Christopher Chambers • Glenn Cook • Christine Kessides • REv. Robert Flanagan • Sarah DeBlock • Tom Milani • Thomas Young • Joe Relk • James Stejskal • Michael Slavin • Mark Thielman • Judy Murray • Katie King • Andrea Walton • Jonathan Payne — and that’s just in the last few months! Check out our Upcoming Events to see who’s coming in next!

Elaine’s Literary Salon is IN THE NEWS! Click here to read more.

Photo by Jenna Fox, The Fairfax Girl

September 14 in The Fairfax Girl: “Inside Elaine’s, Old Town Alexandria’s Restaurant + Literary Salon”

By Jenna Fox — Old Town Alexandria has no shortage of restaurants, but Elaine’s is doing something a little different. This spot, located at 208 Queen Street, pairs modern Mediterranean food with author talks, book launches, workshops, podcast recordings, writers’ meetups, and other literary events, creating a gathering place for both established and aspiring writers. Founded by Jeffrey James Higgins and his wife, Cynthia, Elaine’s has grown into part restaurant, part literary salon, and part creative community hub. Read more.

Photo by Susan Sullivan, The Zebra

September 7 in The Zebra: “Alexandria Writer Jeffrey Higgins Warns Fellow Authors about AI Ideas—Owner of Elaine’s and its Literary Salon Urges Staying Authentically Human”

By Susan Sullivan — Creativity and imagination—once considered exclusively human traits—may be endangered as Artificial Intelligence (AI) moves beyond simple assignments and routine tasks. With AI increasingly taking on those human traits, are our brains beginning to atrophy from convenience? Long-time novelist and Alexandria-based writing coach Jeffrey James Higgins warns fellow authors to avoid the allure of AI “ideas” and continue developing their own higher-level thinking so their work remains “authentically human.”

Higgins says he has already seen authors relinquish autonomy in plotting storylines and developing characters, becoming dependent on AI to solve challenging plot points or writer’s block. He believes writers should value the sanctity of their original ideas and consider the consequences of allowing AI to contribute too deeply to their work.

“What AI is doing today and what AI will be doing in a couple of years defies our imagination,” said Higgins. “The fact is it is going to change everything,” he noted, adding that even the technology industry is facing a philosophical divide over how AI should be created, guided, and monitored. Read more.

Authors J.D. Barker and Jeffrey James Higgins downstairs in the bar at Elaine’s

August 15 in The Zebra: “J.D. Barker Shares Writing Secrets For A Bestseller at Elaine’s Literary Salon”

By Lisa-Helene Lawson — Inside the packed dining room of Elaine’s Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, writers and Authors Guild members gathered for an afternoon of conversation about the craft of writing.

At Elaine’s Literary Salon, bestselling thriller author J.D. Barker shared practical advice on storytelling, outlining, editing, and the discipline required to keep readers turning pages. Hosted by restaurateur, author, and salon founder Jeffrey James Higgins, the event featured Barker, best known for his 4MK (Fourth Monkey) series and collaborations with James Patterson. For Barker, successful fiction starts with something he calls the “storyteller gene.”

“Grammar, punctuation, and structure can be taught,” he explained, “but the instinct to captivate an audience is different. Some people can tell a story around a campfire and immediately command everyone’s attention. Others cannot.” That instinct also shapes how Barker approaches characters and co-authors. After years as a ghostwriter and book doctor, he looks for writers who can tell a compelling story and then helps them strengthen the areas that need work.

August 5 in the Alexandria Gazette Packet: “Higgins — The Spy Who Came In From Chasing Terrorists” and the 1st birthday bash for InkandescentKids.com magazine

By Shirley Ruhe — After 25 years of chasing terrorists around the world, Jeffrey Higgins decided to retire in 2017 and to write a book. In 2021, Higgins published his first novel, “Furious: Sailing into Terror.” His next book, “Unseen,” quickly followed later that year. In 2024, he published “The Forever Game.”

Higgins says he works on one book at a time, with each taking about three months to write and another three months to edit. He has nine books in various stages on his laptop right now. “You have the story in your head; it’s in your subconscious. You are in the shower or walking to work; you let your mind wander while it’s deepening and layering the story.” Read more …

Inkandescent Kids First Annual Children’s Book Fair Celebrates Writers of All Ages

By Shirley Ruhe — Inkandescent Kids Magazine is celebrating its one-year birthday with a Children’s Book Fair on Aug. 8 at Elaine’s Restaurant. Hope Katz Gibbs, founder of the magazine and organizer of the event, says more than 30 authors and sponsors are signed up to participate. Each author or illustrator will have access to a table with chairs, an electrical outlet, social media promotion, and a time slot for a reading, plus an opportunity to sign and sell their books. “Inkandescent Kids magazine is on a mission to engage students from kindergarten to college in the thought process behind writing at an early age,” Gibbs says. “This birthday celebration is just the start of amazing events and opportunities to come.”

Eat, Drink and be very Merry

About Elaine’s Restaurant: Since March 2023, diners have been wowed by the award-winning Mediterranean dishes and cocktails at Elaine’s. Based on exquisite food found in Alexandria, Egypt — a combination of Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian — 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 a bestselling author. She and Jeff are proud to share the 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. Reserve your table at Elaine’s today: elaines-restaurant.com.