Have you ever wondered if a story you’re working on would work as a plot for a thriller? Well, one might just come to mind in the New Year. Join the Deadline Club for a panel of five accomplished journalists who are now or have been reporters, editors, producers or anchors -- and have achieved success as published authors of mystery novels.

They will explain how their journalism experience and their literary talent inspired them to write mystery novels that won critical acclaim and loyal readers. Staged at the historic Salmagundi Club, the panel will be preceded by a short reception at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, and will start at 7:00 p.m. sharp. After taking questions from the audience, the authors will be signing their books.

The panelists will be:

• Mary Jane Clark, a former CBS news producer who is the New York Times bestselling author of the “Wedding Cake” series of mystery novels.

• Don Dahler, who currently anchors the weekend morning and evening CBS 2 newscasts and wrote the novels “A Tight Lie” and “Water Hazard.”

• Bruce DeSilva, a former editor at the Associated Press editor and winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 2010 for his mystery “Rogue Island.”

• Wallace Stroby, a former Newark Star-Ledger reporter and author of “The Barbed-Wire Kiss,” which was a finalist for the 2004 Barry Award for Best First Novel. 

Larry Light, the executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, a veteran editor at BusinessWeek, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal whose many published books include the “Karen Glick” mystery series, will moderate.