What author, past or present, would you most like (or have liked) to have dinner with? You get to pick the meal. What would you select?
What ice-breaker question would you ask the author to get the conversation rolling?
20 thoughts on “Reader Friday: The Meal”
Author: C. S. Lewis
Meal: “Soup and pudding, cutlets with green peas, and a large portion of strawberries and cream” – his favorite meal
Ice breaker question: In reading The Chronicles of Narnia, what symbolism are modern readers missing?
I want in on this meal, Steve. I’ll bring his favorite drink: stout.
Author: Jack Ketchum
Meal: Pizza (let’s keep this casual)
Ice breaker: Do readers ever misunderstand your work? Like in Red, do people call you a sick S.O.B. when all you were doing (according to your author’s notes) was trying to bring attention to the lack of laws regarding animal neglect/cruelty?
Author: Sir Terry Pratchett
Meal: Probably in a restaurant, where we can each choose what to eat. I’m sure he wouldn’t be interested in eating gluten-free. 🙂
I’d ask him about cats. For a writer to give Death itself a fondness for cats, it seems Sir Terry must also be fond of them. Talking about pets is the best icebreaker. 🙂
Mickey Spillane in a speakeasy-inspired back room joint.
Ice breaker would be something like: “Hi Mickey. What cacophonous concoction does the acclaimed author and my glorious guest aspire to imbibe this effervescent eve?”
Or something…
“Mike Hammer drinks beer because I can’t spell cognac.” —Mickey Spillane
My brother and Spillane were friends when both lived on the South Carolina coast. Lots of alcohol, seafood, and fishing stories were involved. Did they ever talk about writing. Nope.
If we ever crossed paths the first round is on me.
Cristal Brut Rose Millesime (1996)
I’d choose a dinner with the whole TKZ tribe.
Potluck! Y’all are invited to my little corner in the PNW. We can spread out under our huge trees, picnic tables, the whole nine yards. Bring your most closely-guarded writing secrets to share, along with your favorite picnic food.
I’ll provide the drinks-send me your order. 🙂
Sounds heavenly. Vernor’s ginger ale, the old kind, aged in wood.
It’s funny that you mention Vernor’s.
I had a grandfather who was a pirate metaphorically speaking. He was a sailor. At the age of twelve I journeyed solo on a Trailways to south Florida to hang out with him and there he taught me how to roll Bull Durham cigarettes and made me (weak) highballs using Vernors and coconut water from the palms in the front yard. Every time I have a Vernors I think of him.
My mother was so angry at him for corrupting me.
Now-to the matter at hand.
Author: George V. Higgins
Dinner: a nice rare porterhouse, green beans, baked Idaho potato.
Question: What was in the first fourteen of your manuscripts that you hunted down and destroyed?
James Scott Bell. A good breakfast would suffice. Conversation would be more important than the meal itself. How many edits and changes did you make to your first book? What types of changes were made? Grammar? Plot? Character depth, etc? What difficulty, if any, did you have in securing an agent/publisher? What did the agent appreciate about your manuscript which resulted in its acceptance?
Let me enjoy my flapjacks first, Bob!
A tough one. I’m torn between RLS and EAP. I think I’d go with Poe. Food? The very best. Here are some apropos recipes:
The slow-cooker swiss steak in sherry sounds particularly nice. And five kinds of ice cream. And some Amontillado afterwards.
The ice-breaker? You can bet I won’t ask about his black cat. Maybe ask how he would like to be remembered.
Ian Fleming. Yes he was a womanizer and a cad. But I enjoyed his books. Dinner would need a quantity of Scotch. Lox and toast with baked Alaska for dessert. My friend and mystery writer Will Graham was taken by cancer about a year ago. It would be nice if he could join us. We emailed often, but never met face to face
Fleming’s favorite meal was scrambled eggs (as was James Bond’s). As for the Scotch — he preferred champagne (or a good, strong wine) when eating.
I would love to talk 15th C battle scenes with Mary Gentle. I’ve no idea what she’d prefer to eat, but she strikes me as a down to earth meat & potatoes kind of person.
As far as I know she’s still kicking around the UK side of the Pond, but she’s no longer active on her social media.
Someone already took C. S. Lewis, so I’ll pick Mary Connealy. I have no idea on the meal, but I know it would be casual. I would ask, “What was it like to be a rancher’s wife? What made you want to write cowboy romances with comedy? And did you ever think you would be writing full-time, and have so many novels under your belt?”
It’s not that it took me a long time to think of an answer — I’ve just been offline for two days. 🙂
I’d invite Beryl Markham to dinner. Roast tenderloin with appropriate veggies, good bread and wine. Sticky toffee pudding and coffee for dessert. I’d ask her how she put together “West With The Night,” and how long it took her to write it.
What author, past or present, would you most like (or have liked) to have dinner with? You get to pick the meal. What would you select?
Author: C. S. Lewis
Meal: “Soup and pudding, cutlets with green peas, and a large portion of strawberries and cream” – his favorite meal
Ice breaker question: In reading The Chronicles of Narnia, what symbolism are modern readers missing?
I want in on this meal, Steve. I’ll bring his favorite drink: stout.
Author: Jack Ketchum
Meal: Pizza (let’s keep this casual)
Ice breaker: Do readers ever misunderstand your work? Like in Red, do people call you a sick S.O.B. when all you were doing (according to your author’s notes) was trying to bring attention to the lack of laws regarding animal neglect/cruelty?
Author: Sir Terry Pratchett
Meal: Probably in a restaurant, where we can each choose what to eat. I’m sure he wouldn’t be interested in eating gluten-free. 🙂
I’d ask him about cats. For a writer to give Death itself a fondness for cats, it seems Sir Terry must also be fond of them. Talking about pets is the best icebreaker. 🙂
Mickey Spillane in a speakeasy-inspired back room joint.
Ice breaker would be something like: “Hi Mickey. What cacophonous concoction does the acclaimed author and my glorious guest aspire to imbibe this effervescent eve?”
Or something…
“Mike Hammer drinks beer because I can’t spell cognac.” —Mickey Spillane
My brother and Spillane were friends when both lived on the South Carolina coast. Lots of alcohol, seafood, and fishing stories were involved. Did they ever talk about writing. Nope.
If we ever crossed paths the first round is on me.
Cristal Brut Rose Millesime (1996)
I’d choose a dinner with the whole TKZ tribe.
Potluck! Y’all are invited to my little corner in the PNW. We can spread out under our huge trees, picnic tables, the whole nine yards. Bring your most closely-guarded writing secrets to share, along with your favorite picnic food.
I’ll provide the drinks-send me your order. 🙂
Sounds heavenly. Vernor’s ginger ale, the old kind, aged in wood.
It’s funny that you mention Vernor’s.
I had a grandfather who was a pirate metaphorically speaking. He was a sailor. At the age of twelve I journeyed solo on a Trailways to south Florida to hang out with him and there he taught me how to roll Bull Durham cigarettes and made me (weak) highballs using Vernors and coconut water from the palms in the front yard. Every time I have a Vernors I think of him.
My mother was so angry at him for corrupting me.
Now-to the matter at hand.
Author: George V. Higgins
Dinner: a nice rare porterhouse, green beans, baked Idaho potato.
Question: What was in the first fourteen of your manuscripts that you hunted down and destroyed?
James Scott Bell. A good breakfast would suffice. Conversation would be more important than the meal itself. How many edits and changes did you make to your first book? What types of changes were made? Grammar? Plot? Character depth, etc? What difficulty, if any, did you have in securing an agent/publisher? What did the agent appreciate about your manuscript which resulted in its acceptance?
Let me enjoy my flapjacks first, Bob!
A tough one. I’m torn between RLS and EAP. I think I’d go with Poe. Food? The very best. Here are some apropos recipes:
https://lancasteronline.com/features/food/menacing-menu-spook-up-your-kitchen-with-recipes-inspired-by-edgar-allan-poe-and-bram/article_2e8cf9f0-7d78-11e5-85f6-578da858fda2.html
The slow-cooker swiss steak in sherry sounds particularly nice. And five kinds of ice cream. And some Amontillado afterwards.
The ice-breaker? You can bet I won’t ask about his black cat. Maybe ask how he would like to be remembered.
Ian Fleming. Yes he was a womanizer and a cad. But I enjoyed his books. Dinner would need a quantity of Scotch. Lox and toast with baked Alaska for dessert. My friend and mystery writer Will Graham was taken by cancer about a year ago. It would be nice if he could join us. We emailed often, but never met face to face
Fleming’s favorite meal was scrambled eggs (as was James Bond’s). As for the Scotch — he preferred champagne (or a good, strong wine) when eating.
I would love to talk 15th C battle scenes with Mary Gentle. I’ve no idea what she’d prefer to eat, but she strikes me as a down to earth meat & potatoes kind of person.
As far as I know she’s still kicking around the UK side of the Pond, but she’s no longer active on her social media.
Someone already took C. S. Lewis, so I’ll pick Mary Connealy. I have no idea on the meal, but I know it would be casual. I would ask, “What was it like to be a rancher’s wife? What made you want to write cowboy romances with comedy? And did you ever think you would be writing full-time, and have so many novels under your belt?”
It’s not that it took me a long time to think of an answer — I’ve just been offline for two days. 🙂
I’d invite Beryl Markham to dinner. Roast tenderloin with appropriate veggies, good bread and wine. Sticky toffee pudding and coffee for dessert. I’d ask her how she put together “West With The Night,” and how long it took her to write it.