Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner by Cressida McLaughlin

It's the final night of the Fantasy Christmas Dinner parties and it's time to find out just who author Cressida McLaughlin has invited for her evening of entertainment.

There are so many authors I admire and fangirl over on a daily basis, so the thought of having to only invite five to my fantasy Christmas dinner party is properly difficult –  though I guess if I had any more all the cooking and entertaining would start getting too complicated. 

My first author guest is escapist fiction superstar Karen Swan. Her books are an absolute must-read for me, and they’re full of beautiful locations, glamorous people and twisty, emotional storylines. I am sure she’s led a fascinating life, so having her at my dinner party would be wonderful, not least because it would be lovely to finally meet her. She also writes wonderful Christmas books that always fully immerse me in a festive wonderland, so she might even be able to give me a few tips on how to maximise the Christmassy feel of my dinner party. 

Second on the list is Elly Griffiths. I’ve met her quite a few times at events, and she is so lovely. She writes brilliant books set in Norfolk, and it would be lovely to have her back in Norfolk for my dinner party, though I’d have to resist asking her to give me plot spoilers for the next Ruth Galloway book, as I am desperate to know what happens. 

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Elisabeth Carpenter

Tonight it's the penultimate Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party and it's my absolute pleasure to hand the reins of the blog over to author Elisabeth Carpenter.

Thank you, Sharon, for having me on your blog.

I love the idea of a fantasy dinner party, but I’d not thought seriously about who I’d like to invite until now. Narrowing it down to authors made this a little easier, though with the choice of living or dead it took me longer than it should to decide!

My venue would be a large dining room with a high ceiling in a large country house complete with views of Lake Windermere. The table is decorated with flowers and candles. It’s Christmastime, so of course it would be snowing outside where tealights would be hung around the grounds.

Carson from Downton Abbey (he doesn’t count as a guest – he’s an extra for the evening) would greet everyone as they arrive. 

And the first to arrive would be Charlotte Bronte – the author of one of my favourite books Jane Eyre. I think she’d appreciate good timekeeping and hasn’t come from too far away being from Yorkshire. I’m so curious to know what she looked like as there are so few portraits of her because, apparently, she hated her appearance. What paintings and drawings there are of her are said to be flattering and don’t offer a true likeness. Displayed at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth is a dress she wore; she was so tiny! So, at least I wouldn’t be the shortest person in the room (not that it matters when sitting down).

Charlotte was successful in her lifetime, and I’d ask her what it was like to be famous back then. I think she enjoyed her status as a successful author. I would also ask her about happy times in her life – she’s portrayed as quite angst-ridden, but there’s a great sense of humour in her novels. 

The rest of the guests would arrive at the same time because they’ve clubbed together to hire a car (or maybe helicopter if we’re pushing the boat out) from their meeting point in London. 

Charles Dickens would sit nearest the fireplace, as it reminds him of bleaker times. Charlotte and Charles (get me, calling them by their first names) were contemporaries, and I’m not sure if they ever met, so I would seat them apart in case they bore any grudges. I picked Dickens as he wrote A Christmas Carol – very apt for this time of year. I loved the sci-fi element the book has, with Scrooge seeing his Christmas future.  

Next would be Judy Blume and I’d seat her next to me. Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret? was one of my favourite books as a child. She wrote about things you couldn’t talk to your mum about – sometimes even your friends about. There is an honesty to her writing that I find such an inspiration. 

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Lainy Swanson

Tonight I'm handing the reins of the blog over to fellow blogger Llainy from So Many Books, So Little Time to host her Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party, so who would she invite?

Stephen King for sure, apparently he never goes to cons, much book events or anything like that.  King is the reason I love reading/horror, I started reading when I was about 8, IT was my first book.   I think he has an amazing mind and made so many creations, I have many questions about some of his endings and I just think he would make for great chat.

A fictional character or characters, John Coffey from The Green Mile (Stephen King) the guy does miracles and ends up on death row, he is a great character but we know practically nothing of his back story. He had such a crap roll of the life dice, I would like to hug him, show him a little kindness considering all the good things he done despite having so much bad/evil flung his way.

Kimberley Chambers, crime/gangland author.  I met her once and she is always so nice, chatting to readers/authors online.  Her stories are hillarious, the antics with Vinnie the cat and her pals wee dogs she dog sits every so long.  You could listen to her stories all day.

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Jackie Baldwin

I've been really enjoying reading all the Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party posts this week and tonight I have something a little different for you from Jackie Baldwin, author of the DI Frank Farrell series. 

As I am a crime writer and a huge Cluedo fan, I decided it would have to be a Christmas murder mystery dinner. I invite five of my favourite authors who all have to come in character as one of their own fictional detectives. The Guest list is as follows:

Jackie McLean (DI Donna Davenport)
Mike Craven (DI Avison Fluke)
Graham Smith (DI Harry Evans)
Aline Templeton (DI Marjorie Fleming)
Caro Ramsay (DI Costello) 
Me. (DS Mhairi McLeod)

The house which I rented for the occasion, (no expense spared!), is a gothic mansion designed like an escape room. As soon as the guests arrive all the exits lock at the touch of a button. The authors have been told that whichever detective solves the crime will have their first novel made into a film and be given their very own reality TV show of the process. As they sit down to the first course of tomato soup with blood red orange, a peal of thunder rings overhead. A demonic cackle rings out. Wait! That was me. I told you parties make me nervous.

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Anne Cater

Today it's my pleasure to welcome blogger and blog tour organiser Anne Cater from Random Things Through My Letterbox as the latest to host a Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party.

The five authors I would invite are:

Margaret Atwood:  The Handmaid's Tale is probably the book that has made the biggest impression on me.  I read it 30 years ago as a young woman and I'll admit that at the time, I did struggle with it.  However, the story stayed with me and as I've aged, I've realised just how relevant it is, and will always be ... which is quite sad really, given the content.   I think chatting to Atwood would be so fascinating, I have so many questions that I'd love to ask her. 

Marian Keyes:  I've been reading Marian Keyes for years too. Her books are so funny, yet also touch on the darkest of subjects. She's incredibly funny; I get her regular video updates and she never fails to make me smile. She's been through dark times.  I'd love to chat shoes and beauty with her.

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Kim Nash

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Kim Nash back to the the blog, a woman of many talents, blogger, PR & Social Media Manager and now published author... over to you Kim.

I have decided that the five authors I would love to invite to my Christmas dinner party are: 

Martina Cole - I could listen to Martina talk all day. She has SUCH a way with words, not just on paper, but in person too and she’s such a captivating storyteller.  So lucky to have finally met her at Harrogate this year.  I think she’d be an amazing dinner party guest and would keep us all on our toes. 

Milly Johnson - Milly was the person who changed my life.  She didn’t know it at the time but reading her book A Spring Affair was a pivotal turning point in my life.  I contacted her by email, when I’d read her to tell her how much it resonated with me and we’ve kept in touch ever since.  She encouraged me every step of the way of my blogging life, my journey into the publishing world and more recently my journey as an author.  An absolute, all round bloody superstar.  And again another hilarious story teller, who I could never tire of listening to. 

Enid Blyton - I would bring Enid back from heaven and thank her for giving me my love of reading.  Her Famous Five stories were brilliant, I wanted to be The Naughtiest Girl and go away to boarding school and have a trunk of goodies sent to me and more than anything I wanted to play Lacrosse because it sounded so cool!  Her Magic Faraway Tree series and Magic Wishing Chair series were just wonderful.  

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Chris McDonald

Today I'm handing the reins over to fellow blogger Chris McDonald from Mac Reviews Books to share with us his top 5 picks for authors to invite to his fantasy Christmas Dinner Party.

Here are my five authors I'd like to invite to my party.

Stephen King 

I’ve only recently read my first Stephen King book but I’ve got more lined up! I’d love to meet him because, having listened to his autobiographical book - On Writing, he seems like a cool guy. Also, if anyone is going to give you tips for writing a good book, it’s this guy!

Chuck Palahniuk

This guys writing made me feel like a big man when I was a teenager. I felt suave and holier than thou as I walked around with a copy of Choke tucked under my arm. His writing was a bridge from what I had been reading to what I should be reading!

Will Carver

Will is on here because he is a fucking genius and I’d love to spend some time with him. I saw him at the Orenda roadshow and he was very engaging and passionate. I’d love to pick his brains on his craft, as I have loved Good Samaritans and Nothing Important Happened Today. He also seems like a laugh!

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Jordan Bell

Tonight it's time for the next Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party which is hosted by author Jordan Bell which she has described as Dinner in Space... enjoy.

Staring at my bookcase as I sought inspiration for my dinner party, I couldn’t help but notice the long line of Iain M. Banks novels taking up the top shelf. I began to imagine dinner onboard a gigantic Culture General Systems Vehicle, perhaps The Anticipation of a New Lover’s Arrival, or Congenital Optimist. I’d ask the Ship Mind to generate a bubble of atmosphere on the outer hull and we’d dine al fresco beneath the stars, travelling through space at a ferocious clip. 

The guests: Jernau Gurgeh, the skilled player of games; Diziet Sma, Special Circumstances agent, and her companion Drone Skaffen-Amtiskaw; Lady Sharrow of Golter; and Banks himself, reincarnated after death for a visit to the universe he dreamed up over four decades. 

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Linda Hill

Today it's my absolute pleasure to hand over the reins of the blog to fellow blogger Linda Hill from Linda's Book Bag to describe her perfect festive Dinner party... over to you Linda.

It’s a real pleasure to be having a Christmas meal here on your blog Sharon. Thanks so much for hosting it today.

Now I’m no longer working I miss a work’s do, although my husband Steve and I tend to have our own ‘work’s’ meal out together in the run up to Christmas and we have loads of Christmas meals with friends and family, with my book group, the garden group and at other social events in December.

Obviously I want you to be part of the group as we celebrate our evening. You’ve become such a good friend in real life as well as through the bloggisphere. I’ve added this little Santa cactus to decorate the table as I’ve managed to keep him alive since you gave him to me over a year ago – or was it two years ago? Time passes so quickly.

It’s a pretty basic menu but as it’s my dinner I can have what I like and don’t often get chance to eat! I’d like to serve cocktails as my guests arrive and mine will be a Mai Tai. As I can’t drink ordinary wine without falling over, passing out or being ill we will just have to have champagne throughout the meal – it’s such a hard life!

We’ll begin with hot baked Camembert with crusty French bread and plum chutney. As that’s quite rich we will then have a raspberry sorbet as a palate cleanser before lamb shanks with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mixed vegetables, including cauliflower cheese, and gravy. When I was small my Mum made the most glorious jam roly poly and I haven’t had it as an adult so we’ll have that with custard as dessert.

After we’ve eaten we can settle down with tea (or coffee if you must) and mince pies and then I’m going to spend the rest of the evening drinking Bailey’s on ice.

I thought I’d introduce my guests and explain why I have invited them.

My first guest is not an author, but a character and one I think anyone who knows me will expect. It’s Paddington Bear. I’ve loved Paddington since I was a child and still have my childhood books with a few newer ones my husband has bought me over the years. I suppose we’d better add in a jar or two of marmalade to the menu too. I have never forgotten the joy of reading these books. Steve occasionally still reads them to me, doing all the different voices and I was once thrown out of a teachers’ library in Peterborough for laughing hysterically at Paddington Takes the Test! I’d love to chat with Paddington about how he felt when he was helping Mr Curry knock in fence posts with a large mallet and he did exactly what Mr Curry said when he told Paddington, ‘When I nod my head, you hit it.’

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by LM Milford

Today it's my pleasure to welcome author L M Milford back to the blog for the latest in these fun festive features... over to you Lynne to describe your dream Dinner Party table.

The first seat at my table would be given to my heroine Agatha Christie. I’ve always wanted a chance to sit down with her and discuss how she managed to come up with so many different plots, without seeming to repeat herself. I’ve also always wanted to have a murder mystery dinner party and Agatha would be able to help me come up with a cracking story for that.

Sitting next to Agatha would be Jane Austen. She’s another of my favourite authors and her wit would help the party to go with a swing. I’d also like to have a chat with her about publishing a book at a time when it was very much a man’s world. Given the fact that she self-published, I’d love to know how she decided when her books were ready and how she felt about sending them out.

Next to Jane sits someone who isn’t technically an author. Victoria Wood has been a favourite of mine for years, making me howl with laughter on a regular basis. For all she’s quite a quiet person in private, I’m sure she could be relied on to tell us a few funny stories. I’ve always wanted to meet her to ask about how she comes up with the brilliant dialogue that is a key feature of all of her work. She also achieved a great deal, having covered almost all aspects of TV from sitcom to sketch show to documentary. I’ve always wondered what she would have done next if she had lived.

Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party

Tonight I'm kicking off what I'm hoping will be a fun feature that I will be hosting every night in the run up to Christmas.

The idea for this My Fantasy Christmas Dinner feature came about as over the last couple of years our company decided to have site based Christmas parties, with just a couple of free drinks and a buffet on offer, rather than the sit-down team meals that they used to pay for.  As I haven't had a traditional family Christmas for quite some time, I always love the chance to have a good catch up with friends over a meal and drinks especially if it's the chance for someone else to cook for me, so decided to host a virtual dinner party instead.

For this feature which I hope everyone will enjoy reading, I invited bloggers and authors to take part in hosting their own Fantasy Christmas Dinner party. My initial thoughts were for them to come up with 5 authors, dead or alive, who they would invite to the party and why they chose them. Then for an added challenge I suggested that maybe this could be expanded to include fictional characters and maybe plan the perfect menu or after dinner entertainment! So here's my feeble attempt as I'm definitely a reader and not a writer...

My first guest won't be a surprise for some of my friends as she wrote one of my all-time favourite books Little Women, Louisa May Alcott. I've lost count how many times I've read this book since my teens and my lovely blogger friend Linda Hill gifted me this gorgeous Macmillan Collector's Library edition for my birthday a couple of years ago.

The second guest is an author I would have loved to have met in person, but sadly I never got the chance to meet her although she was always so lovely to interact with on social media and had been a guest on the blog many times, Emma Hannigan. Emma was an inspirational women who sadly died last year after a long battle with cancer. Her final book The Gift of Friends is still sat in my TBR as I know that once I've read there will be no more new books coming from her but think I might bite the bullet and read it during my time off over Christmas.