Dr. Alecia R. Jones is bringing her anthology to Elaine's Literary Salon

Our agenda for today's 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: Dr. Alecia R. Jones is the author of 30 Minutes to London, an anthology of 13 true stories from six voices about faith, healing, and becoming. It began with a voice. Alone in her apartment, she heard a conductor announce thirty minutes to London. There was no train. She obeyed it anyway, and then asked five people who had never published a word to write their lives down beside hers. Her mother is one of them. Every story is illustrated with original hand-drawn artwork by Anita Rochelle Nixon.

Alecia holds a doctorate in Learning Technologies from Pepperdine University and is an alumna of North Carolina A&T State University and East Carolina University. She writes about the people who enter our lives carrying something, and what it costs to become who you already were. A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, she has also lived in Kinston, NC, Seattle, and Los Angeles. She now makes her home in Alexandria, Virginia, where she publishes under her own imprint, Uniquely Alecia Press.

Learn more: uniquelyalecia.com

About 30 Minutes to London: True Stories of Faith, Healing, and Becoming — The book began with a voice — a conductor’s announcement Dr. Alecia R. Jones heard one ordinary July morning in her apartment, six years after she’d actually ridden the Chunnel into London with her mother asleep in the seat beside her. What she’d planned as a solo memoir became an invitation instead.

Structured as a single journey — Departure, Layovers and Delays, Transfers, Arrival — this collection of true stories, poems, and original illustrations moves through faith, grief, identity, and the long work of becoming who you already were. A retired English teacher who still won’t call herself a writer. A poet and nurse who has spent years sitting with other people’s pain. A counselor-in-training who believes stories are how we heal. An artist and craniotomy survivor who illustrated the book she also wrote for. A man from Komenda, Ghana, who crossed an ocean and built a life for his children.

Some of these stories are funny. Some took decades to say out loud. All of them are true. Whether you’re still waiting at your gate or you’ve already landed somewhere you never planned to be, this collection meets you where you are. Get on wherever you want. Your ticket is good.

Click here to buy the book.

About our Elaine's Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has 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. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.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.

Elaine's Literary Salon is located at Elaine's Restaurant, 208 Queen Street, Alexandria VA

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.