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 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.