The Criminal Minds: a virtual panel is a great blog with a great publishing strategy. Each week, "seven crime fiction authors respond to a question about writing, reading, murder and mayhem" – so a different person writes a post answering the same question each day of the week. For the week of 7 September, the question concerned who you would invite to dinner, what would be on the menu and what would you discuss? Here's a post on the topic from Rebecca Cantrell, author of the Hannah Vogel series set in 1930s Berlin (which I have not yet read, but thanks to the generosity of Norman (Uriah) of Crime Scraps, hope to do so soon). Norman's review of A Trace of Smoke and his interviews with the author can be found here.
Rebecca Cantrell's meal and guests have a distinctly German theme. I, on the other hand, would probably go for sushi or a Thai meal as I so rarely get the chance to sample those cuisines. The guests, though? You're allowed three, and assuming they have to be people you don't actually know, I'd choose Viggo Mortensen, J. K. Rowling and Ian McEwan (that did not take long to decide!). I wouldn't need to do any talking, just listen (and, occasionally, watch of course.) Maybe you'd like to answer the dinner-guest question on your own blog or in the comments here.
The Criminal Minds blog/panel is well worth subscribing to if you don't know it already – as well as the themed posts you can also email questions to the seven authors, and it looks as if you can win prizes for writing good comments. It also reminds me that I've been meaning to try a novel by one of its bloggers, C. J. Lyons (great dinner companions!), as I like medical thrillers, so I'll add one to my list. (Currently running at about 500 books, and that's not counting the couple of hundred actual ones I have on my shelves waiting to be read.)
Petrona 
Thanks for this Maxine – looks interesting
Thanks for the links Maxine.
Of course I had a feeling the name Viggo might appear on your guest list, and Carice van Houten after her performance in Black Book would be a definite on mine. ;o)
I had a feeling you might be in agreement with Ms Cantrell on that one, Norman 😉
Ooooh another blog that looks interesting…thanks.
As for dinner I would invite Stephen Fry, Bill Bryson and Andrew Denton (he’s an Australian TV interviewer and documentary maker) for some kind of Asian food (which is in plentiful supply here – I’ve noticed that in the past few years a lot of the restaurants are starting to meld their cuisines – kind of like Iron Chef)
Just saw that originally the question was which characters you would invite to dinner…that would be a tougher choice but I think I’d go for Lisbeth Salander (assuming she’s still alive at the end of TGWKTHN which I am awaiting with not much patience), Corinna Chapman (from an Aussie cosy series) and Arthur Dent.
Again we’d have Asian food.
None of my selections in either group have terribly much in common except that they’ve done interesting things, seem to have interesting ideas about a range of topics and (I think) would provide for an unpredictable dinner party conversation that would range far and wide in its subject matter (or at least beyond sports and reality TV).
I guess Viggo does not have to be a sparkling conversationalist, you can just gaze at him if the conversation becomes dull otherwise!
Absolutely, Jenny. Sparkling conversation not necessary in his case!
Bernadette, if you invite Lisbeth you’ll have to eat take-out pizza which was one aspect that put me off her – but other than that, good idea. She’s a lot more interesting that most female fictional characters. All ffc? So I’d ask her too if we are allowed fictional – along with Harry Bosch and Erlunder. However, the conversation would be nonexistent with those three, I am afraid.