Who knew? Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, while promoting this weekend's Baltimore Book festival, said she's thinking about writing a book.

What could it be? Maybe a Dan Brown-like thriller, with the backdrop of our own Masonic Temple, botanic garden and Washington Monument. Or a Stephenie Meyer-ish tale of teenage vampires roaming the halls of Dunbar High School and Druid Hill Park. Or a Harlequin saga of a popular mayor embroiled in legal controversy because of a romance with a developer. (That one sounds familiar.)

Turns out, she has a more straightforward approach. "Believe it or not, one day real soon probably I'm going to hope to have a book," she said Tuesday at a news conference, adding that she has been keeping a journal and wants to give readers "a great insight" into her life and "the truth about life in this great city that I live in."

The festival, which runs Friday through Sunday, features authors such as James McBride ("The Color of Water" and "Song Yet Sung"), astronaut Buzz Aldrin ("Magnificent Desolation") and former "Brady Bunch" cast member Maureen McCormick ("Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice").

Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna