Character References

'It was a cold, rainy spring morning - too wet for the garden work I had planned. As a result, I was seated in my favorite chair, a cup of freshly brewed coffee in my hands, surveying the bookcase across the room. Now, unexpectedly free to read, it was only a matter of choosing the right book as my companion for the day. The books on the shelves seemed to fairly hum with the amiable conversations of favorite characters created by often-read authors. And that gave me the idea for this story: what would it be like to eavesdrop on a dinner party attended by some of my fictional friends? In many respects this story was long in the making - these characters have been speaking to me for much of my life.' And so it begins. Strangers meet at an unusual dinner party - strangers with mysterious knowledge of each other. Over five diners, through tales told and secrets withheld, the conversations of these 14 characters reveal common threads that weave their lives together in unexpected ways. Character References is an intriguing jigsaw puzzle of the storylines, backgrounds, philosophies, and eccentricities of the author's favorite fictional friends.