Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) recently hosted a little shindig for colleague-turned-novelist Byron Dorgan at the Mott House.

A bipartisan parade of former co-workers stood on line to collect their free, autographed copies of “Blowout,” Dorgan’s first foray into eco-thriller territory. Supporters included: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Conrad and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

The book, the first in a two-part series (next volume expected in 2013), weaves alternative energy, espionage and, of course, North Dakota.

Unlike “Take This Job and Ship It,” Dorgan’s New York Times best-selling treatise on outsourcing, “Blowout” so far hasn’t resonated with readers (languishing in both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble rankings).