“Welcome to Mongin Island” The dinner theater was held beneath a huge white tent at the Kaya Vineyard and Winery—giving guests a sense of stepping into the mysterious world woven by novelist and now playwright Laura Elizabeth. (More photos below—so, please, continue reading.)
Beloved Cozy Mystery Characters Spring to Life—with an Author-Curated Soundtrack, as well
EDITOR’s NOTE: In our 14-year history as publishers, we have never had an author turn a book’s “story” into dinner theater. So, we hope readers will understand how thrilled we are to see cozy-mystery author Laura Elizabeth stage a triumphant theatrical run in partnership with Kaya Vineyard and Winery in Georgia. We invited Laura to send us a column about this special experience.
By LAURA ELIZABETH
Author of The Island Mysteries, No. 1: All Is Now Lost
Click on this photo of Laura Elizabeth holding her cozy mystery to jump to the book’s Amazon page and order your own copy in hardcover, paperback or Kindle.
We’re celebrating our three sold-out performances under the tent at Kaya Vineyard in Dahlonega, Georgia! Over 350 people joined us for these performances.
The All Is Now Lost dinner theater followed a script that I wrote, based on my book and I had the good fortune of greeting the crowd each evening to thank them for supporting this work, my book and Kaya.
The audience took a fun-filled journey to Mongin island where they experienced landmarks in the novel including: Books & Brew, which is Carr’s bookstore, and Governor’s Point.
Blue Ridge Community Theater took that script and added some improv—bringing out the personalities of Carr, Barb, Tripp, Coastal Carl, Missy, Theresa and Deputy Julie.
In between scenes, the tent was filled with the tunes from my Spotify playlist, which set the mood for this island mystery. (You can enjoy that playlist right now by visiting this page in my website.)
At intermission, the audience was asked to guess who they thought was our criminal. Correct guesses were entered into a raffle for a gorgeous gift basket.
As I moved through the crowd, I heard many alternate theories to solving the crime. It was definitely a fun, interactive, show that built community—just like what my characters experience on their beloved Mongin Island. Of course, some people had already read the book, but that didn’t stop the crowd from guessing!
Each night, I met so many readers and fans of this book—with some people traveling from Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and South Carolina to see this show and to meet me. It was an experience filled with Island Magic!
To see my characters brought to life and to hear the words I wrote was an absolutely incredible experience. We are already working out the details for four shows next year based on the next installment of The Island Mysteries.
Don’t miss a moment!
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Before showtime, author Laura Elizabeth visits with a central character from her popular cozy mystery known as Barb.
In the midst of the drama, the main character Carr (center) considers looming twists in the unfolding plot with Theresa (right) and Deputy Julie.
FICTION—Laura Elizabeth’s novel is set partly in a bookstore called Books & Brew on Mongin Island, a fictional version of the real-life, historic Daufuskie Island. FACT—In real life, Laura’s novel is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and other book retailers.
