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Quillen deBruney is bringing her lyrical, atmospheric, and deeply personal work to Elaine’s Literary Salon

The agenda for our brunch event:

• Noon: Meet, greet, and order food and drinks from Elaine’s award-winning menu
• 1pm: Our 45-minute interview begins, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the audience to be produced on our popular podcast and video series
• 2pm: Guests talk with the author, buy the books, and get them signed!

Meet the Author:

Quillen deBruney’s first novel, Child of June, released in late 2023, was a BookLife Editor’s Pick and garnered praise from Kirkus Reviews for its “lyrical and briskly paced writing,” earning their “Get It” verdict and a feature in Kirkus Reviews Magazine. Her second novel, Devils of Forsythe, comes out in October 2026.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Quillen has spent 20 years living and working in the national capital region. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Truman State University and a Master of Arts in public policy from The Johns Hopkins University, Quillen dedicated her life to public service. She built her government career through storytelling—distilling complex financial and performance data into narratives that could easily be understood by a variety of audiences. She currently works in the non-profit sector. When not working or writing, Quillen is an avid adventurer who has visited more than 20 countries on six continents. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with two dead houseplants, one highly-uncoordinated hound dog, and an embarrassingly large assortment of Jane Austen paraphernalia.

Learn more: quillendebruney.com

About Quillen’s books: Quillen deBruney’s work explores history and politics through intimate and layered storytelling. Lyrical, atmospheric, and deeply personal, deBruney strives to meet the escapism of historical fiction with the realities of being a woman in eras seeped in misogyny.

Child of June — In 1914, Vienna hums with whispers of war. Nationalist tensions are on the rise, the imperial parliament has been suspended, and the heir to the throne has been assassinated. Yet young Ilse Eder lives a life apart, secluded on her brother-in-law’s country estate. Headstrong but unworldly, she finds herself entangled in an illicit romance with the aristocratic Junius von Hess. As Ilse plunges into a world of deception and betrayal, the choices she makes will reverberate across decades.

​​The woman who rises from the ashes of first love is a far cry from the artless creature Ilse once was. Sophisticated, accomplished, and doggedly disciplined, Ilse holds all Vienna under her spell, even as she builds an unconventional life behind closed doors. No one sees through her exquisitely polished façade. No one, that is, until Junius von Hess comes back into her life.​​

Veneers of glamor and romance belie a grittier realism at Child of June’s core. In her debut novel, deBruney takes readers on a journey through twenty years of Austrian history. From the onset of World War I through the turbulent interwar years and the fall of the First Austrian Republic, Ilse’s story unfolds as her country slowly unravels.

Click here to buy the book.

Devils of Forsythe: a novel — “There’s a darkness in that house. I’ve always thought so.”

In 1916, with war raging in Europe, the American Steel Belt’s melting pot simmers with industry and intolerance, primed to boil over if anyone turns up the heat.

Ada Reilly is no stranger to prejudice; as the first and only woman practicing law in the city, she confronts it every day. So when a prominent couple is murdered and their youngest daughter, nineteen-year-old Cora Blanden, is found blood‑soaked and catatonic at the scene, Ada dives headlong into the case of the decade.

The press sensationalizes the tragedy, and Cora’s sister, Lydia, is happy to sate the city’s desire for scapegoats. But Ada won’t be a pawn in Lydia’s games. As she navigates the animus engulfing her city and works to unearth the truth buried within Cora’s vacant stares, Ada finds an unlikely guide in the Blanden’s young housemaid, Bess. From her place in the shadows, Bess has witnessed the family’s unraveling: the zealotry that governed the household, the sadness that clings to Cora like a shroud…and the darkness that haunted Cora’s childhood.

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About Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes suspense and thriller novels, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, in the 20 years Jeffrey worked as a counter-terrorism specialist, he wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He 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, ABC News, and Discovery ID. He has a BS in Journalism and an MS in Criminal Justice.

Jeff is 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.

He owns Elaine’s Literary Salon in Alexandria, VA, where he counsels writers and interviews authors. He hosts Elaine’s Literary Salon podcast, which reaches 1.5 million people per month and is #1 on both Apple and Spotify for literary salons. The video version of the series is available on YouTube: ElainesLiterarySalon.tv. Jeffrey is an Authors Guild ambassador for the DC area and a frequent panelist at conferences and book festivals. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com

Find Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. Check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

About Elaine’s Restaurant:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. 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 an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the former home of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins for 38 years. 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. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.