For many readers, the closest they ever get to meeting their favorite authors by reading the stories they write.

But on Saturday, Jan. 29, a sold-out crowd of 180 people had the chance to dine with popular mystery authors at the Cerritos Library through an event called “Mystery on the Menu.”

This year marked the 7^th year of “Mystery on the Menu,” and according to Library Event Coordinator Padmini Prabakhar, the event has sold out every year. The popularity of the event is due to its unique nature, which actually allows readers to sit and dine with their favorite mystery authors.

This year, 15 authors participated in the event. These authors included Shilpa Agarwal, Brett Battles, Susan Dunlap, Robert Fate, Bill Fitzhugh, Earlene Fowler, Tim Hallinan, Dorothy Howell, John Lescroart, Sheila Lowe, Gary Phillips, James R. Preston, John Shannon, Jeri Westerson and Paula Woods.

Each author sat at a table that was decorated with his or her respective books.

In addition to lunch, the event featured several panels with the authors where they discussed a variety of topics, such as the things and people that inspire their stories and the evolution of each authors’ art. Part of the appeal of the event was the variety of authors that were invited.

In her opening statements, moderator Paula Woods addressed the eclectic group of writers from the celebrated Susan Dunlap to the humorous Bill Fitzhugh.

“It’s a great time to be a writer and to be with a great, diverse group of writers,” Woods said.

During the panel, the authors shared interesting tales and tidbits about their novels, such as the use of song titles and lyrics in their stories.

 “You do it for your own amusement after sitting there for hours by yourself,” Fowler.

And Fitzhugh admitted that his novel Pest Control has “60-70 Bob Dylan song references throughout.”

Jeanette Ballin, who attended the event with several friends, said that this was her fourth time attending “Mystery on the Menu.”

“This event is nice and introduces us to new authors,” she said. “We also enjoy it because it’s always done very nicely and it’s a day out for us girls.”

According to Prabakhar, the Cerritos Library hosts such events in order “to introduce the community to authors and to create awareness.”

Prabakhar chooses the authors that will be featured by researching who has written and sold the most books. Each year, she strives to bring new authors in by only inviting five authors from the previous year’s event.

There is no doubt that “Mystery on the Menu” is one of the Library’s most anticipated and well-attended events. For Joanne Witt, a member of the Friends of the Library, events like this are important for the Library and Cerritos.

“[Events] such as these promotes reading and brings people into our library,” Witt said.

Other upcoming events at the Cerritos Library include the Orchid Show, which takes place Saturday, Feb. 27.