Art In Fiction

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My guest today is Alka Joshi, author of four novels listed on Art In Fiction including Six Days in Bombay listed in the Visual Arts category.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eYPoIKk9pOk

• Inspiration for Six Days of Bombay and its relationship to the real life story of artist Amrita Sher-Gil.
• Background on Amrita Sher-Gil and how her personality and sometimes shocking activities influenced the creation of Mira Novak in Six Days of Bombay.
• Why Alka chose to write a novel about a fictional version of Amrita, rather than about the real artist.
• How Alka chose to frame Mira's story by telling it through the eyes of Sona Falstaff, the nurse who cared for Mira during the last six days of her life in a private hospital in Bombay.
• Background on Anglo Indians as inspiration for the character of Sona who must navigate two worlds after her British father abandoned her and her mother.
• Mira as archetype for the independent woman of the 1930s, that there were more of them then we think.
• How Sona is most like Alka herself compared to the other characters she has written.
• The role of grief for a mother played in the novel.
• Europe in the 1930s and its parallels to India during the same period.
• Researching the novel in Paris, London, Prague, Florence, and Istanbul.
• Reading from Six Days in Bombay.
• One thing that Alka learned from writing this novel that she didn't realize before.
• Alka's next novel, due out in late 2026/early 2027 about a girl wanting to learned classical dance in India when its practice was forbidden.

Read more about Alka Joshi on her website: https://www.alkajoshi.com/

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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My guest today is Christine Ma-Kellams, author of The Band listed in the Music category on Art In Fiction.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZopqRgR9xG4

• Inspiration for The Band and its relationship to pop music, K-Pop, and popular culture.
• Motivation for writing The Band as a commentary on what may be happening behind the scenes of a successful K-Pop boy band.
• The novel as a scatching indictment of fandom and how the industry often turns a blind eye to the mental health of its stars.
• How our brains are not wired for interacting via screens with people we will never meet--what this is doing to our mental health.
• Discussion of the novel's narrator and the concept of situationships.
• The role of cancel culture in the novel and in contemporary culture.
• The Band as fan fiction meets literary fiction.
• Is all fiction essentially fan fiction since we write about what we love?
• Use of first and second person in the novel--breaking the fourth wall and inspiration from the TV series Fleabag.
• Is The Band a thriller?
• Outlining vs. starting to write and hoping for the best.
• The theme of The Band.
• Reading fromThe Band.
• Things that Christine learned from writing her novel - the wisdom of authors rewarding readers.
• What's next for Christine.

Read more about Christine Ma-Kellams on her website: https://www.christinema-kellams.com/

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists. Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2300+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany and Love Among the Recipes. Find out more on her website.

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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I'm speaking today with M. A. McLaughlin, author of The Lost Dresses of Italy listed in the Textile Arts category on Art In Fiction.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rDe_rXrLC2k

• Overview of the story of The Lost Dresses of Italy as a dual time novel taking place in 1947 and 1864 and inspired by a three-week trip to Italy taken by Victorian poet Christina Rossetti
• Poetry of Christina Rossetti and why it has endured
• Christina's sonnet sequence Monna Innominata as inspiration for the plot
• Combining a costume history and design with the story of Christina's time in Italy
• Reasons for setting the modern story in post-war Verona
• Researching costume design and preservation
• The role of pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti in the novel
• Some of the challenges of fictionalizing real people
• What is it about the Romantics and Victorians that Marty is attracted to?
• Reading from The Lost Dresses of Italy
• Things that Marty learned from writing her novel - the complicated nature of Italy's participation in World War II and its aftermath.

Read more about M. A. McLaughlin on her website: https://martyambrose.com/

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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Join me as I chat with Ana Veciana-Suarez, author of Dulcinea listed in the Literature category on Art In Fiction.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BKX2HsA43_c

• Overview of the story of Dulcinea as being about a wealthy Barcelona woman called Dolça who is cast as the fictional muse of Miguel Cervantes
• Use of the dual-timeline narrative in the novel
• Ana's family background in Barcelona and its influence on her novel
• Why Cervantes? How the idea for the novel percolated for fifty years
• Research for Dulcinea and the benefits of visiting the areas where the novel takes place
• Spain in the 16th century: the constraints on women, the role of the church, and the tremendous civic power of the Inquisition
• Use of primary sources while researching Dulcinea
• Why Dolça is an artist, and the existence of female artists during the period
• How Dolça's relationship to her painting evolves in the novel as a result of her relationship with Cervantes
• The theme of Dulcinea
• Reading from Dulcinea
• Things that Ana learned from writing her novel
• What Ana is working on now

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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In this episode, I'm chatting with Mark Baker, author of The Needle of Avocation listed in the Textile Arts category on Art In Fiction.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BKX2HsA43_c

• The genesis of The Needle of Avocation as the third book in the Cuthbert series
• Creation of the "It" girl of the 8th century, the heroine of the first two novels in the series, led to the creation of her sister Hilda in The Needle of Avocation
• Why embroidery as a basis for the novel and how it became both Hilda's shield and her refuge
• The development of HIlda's character and the choices she must make to find balance
• Why Mark chooses to write about the Anglo-Saxon period in England
• The status of women in the Anglo-Saxon period and how it changed for the worse under the Normans
• What we know (and don't know) about textile arts in the 8th and 9th centuries, and its purpose (and the purpose of art in general, historically)
• Reading from The Needle of Avocation
• One thing Mark learned from writing his novels
• How Mark researches his novels
• What Mark is working on now

Press Play now & be sure to check out The Needle of Avocation on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels/the-needle-of-avocation

Mark Baker's website: https://gmbaker.net/

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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In this episode, I'm chatting with Crystal King, author of In the Garden of Monsters listed in the Visual Arts category on Art In Fiction.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WElAb9vxuAI

• The genesis of In the Garden of Monsters and the decision to write a novel that incorporated elements of fantasy and the Gothic
• Inspired by the sacro bosco (sacred wood) at Bomarzo in Italy and its relationship to Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí in the 1950s and to the Hades and Persephone myth
• Video of Salvador Dalí in Bomarzo made in 1954 - view it on Crystal's website at https://www.crystalking.com/
• Deep dive into the life and work of Salvador Dalí and his problematical opinions - he'd be cancelled in two seconds today! But he was a brilliant artist.
• Role of pomegranates in the novel and their relationship to the retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth
• Summary of the original myth - Demeter, Hades, Persephone
• The role of food in the novel; a downloadable cookbook is available from Crystal's website
• Reading from In the Garden of Monsters
• Role played by memory (or lack of) in the novel
• Women artists and Dalí's opinions of them and his problematical relationship to women in general
• One thing Crystal learned from writing this novel
• What Crystal is working on now

Press Play now & be sure to check out In the Garden of Monsters on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels/in-the-garden-of-monsters

Crystal King's website: https://www.crystalking.com/

Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg Simpson

This website contains affiliate links.

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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Join me as I chat with novelist Alex Connor, author of several art thrillers listed in the Visual Arts category on Art In Fiction, including Rembrandt's Secret, The Caravaggio Conspiracy, and The Incubus Tapes.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fbi3aA7gPl8

• Why Alexandra has chosen to center her novels, mostly art thrillers, around art.
• Seeing Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus in the National Gallery when she was six.
• What led Alexandra to "follow her bright light" and focus on her dual careers as a writer and a painter.
• How Alexandra decides which artists to base a novel aroundl she's written novels related to Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Klimt, Fuseli, Bosch, and many more.
• Story behind the story of Rembrandt's Secret  and how Alexandra likes to go behind the scenes to find interesting and often little known stories connected with an artist.
• Inspiration for The Incubus Tapes.
• The story behind Fuseli's famous painting The Nightmare and how it forms the basis of the dual-time narrative in The Incubus Tapes.
• Pacing when writing a thriler.
• Reading from The Incubus Tapes.
• Some of the challenges related to writing an art-based thriller.
• Why a writer should keep writing and not let other people dampen their passion.
• What Alexandra is working on now.

Press Play now & be sure to check out Alex Connor's novels on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels?q=alex+connor

Alex Connor's website: https://www.alexandra-connor.co.uk/

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, I'm chatting with Judith Lindbergh, author of Akmaral listed in the Other category on Art In Fiction.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gGdvLEpGrZw

• The genesis of Akmaral from two points of reference in Judith's personal life: her obsession with archeology and her young son's obsession with pretending to be a knight in shining armor
• How Akmaral explores one woman's journey as a warrior, spiritual leader and priestess and her drive to protect her people and her family
• Setting of Akamaral in 500 BC on the Russian steppes
• History of the Amazons from Herodotus and their relationship to the characters and culture in Akmaral
• Fascinating exploration of a culture where, seemingly, a woman was permitted to both warrior and mother
• Use of weaponry and craftsmanship in Akmaral
• The study of artifacts as a way into the lives of ancient peoples
• Animals and their importance to the nomadic culture portrayed in Akmaral
• How Judith is a little famous in Kazakhstan!
• Shamanism in Akmaral and parallels to the practices of nomadic cultures today
• How long it took to write and then publish Akmaral
• Judith's lush, poetic writing in Akmaral
• Reading from Akmaral
• How Judith's background in the arts led to her becoming a novelist
• The founding of the Writers Circle in New Jersey with courses now available worldwide online
• One thing Judith learned from writing this novel that she didn't know before
• What Judith is working on now

Press Play now & be sure to check out Akmaral on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels/akmaral

Judith Lindbergh's website: https://judithlindbergh.com/

Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg Simpson

This website contains affiliate links.

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

Send us Fan Mail

Join me as I chat with Alyson Richman, author of 9 novels listed on Art In Fiction, including The Time Keepers listed in the Other category and The Thread Collectors listed in the Textile Arts category.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vrYzy7mORwc

• Why Alyson likes to write novels inspired by the arts and the role the arts have played in her life
• How her novels answer questions such as "Can the creative spirit be extinguished in very difficult and dark times?" and "Can creativity be a form of resistance?"
• Genesis of The Time Keepers
• The use of watchmaking in The Time Keepers as a metaphor for how we process time, particularly after suffering trauma
• Research into watchmaking
• Why she decided to set her novel during the Vietnam war
• Parallels between events in the novel and current events
• Researching The Time Keepers, particularly talking with people who experienced the Vietnam war
• Prediction that more novels will be written around the Vietnam war now that it's 50 years in the past
• The theme of friendship in The Time Keepers
• Reading from The Time Keepers
• Collaborating with Shaunna J. Edwards to write The Thread Collectors
• The role Alyson's and Shaunna's ancestors played in creating characters for The Thread Collectors
• Parallels between the Civil War setting for The Thread Collectors and civil unrest and racism in our time
• Repurposing cloth and thread in the Black community as inspiration for The Thread Collectors
• One thing Alyson learned from writing this novel that she didn't know before
• Alyson's next novel, coming in October 2025.

Press Play now & be sure to check out all Alyson's novels on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels?q=alyson+richman

Alyson Richman's website: https://www.alysonrichman.com

Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg Simpson

This website contains affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you. 

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...

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Join me as I chat with Ferdia Lennon, author of Glorious Exploits, a wonderful debut novel listed in the Theater category on Art In Fiction.

View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3ZFFQ4rg4DU

• Genesis for Glorious Exploits
• Based on true events that occurred in Syracuse, Sicily during the Peloponnesian war.
• The theme of friendship in Glorious Exploits
• Theater and research of ancient Greek theater in the writing of Glorious Exploits
• Traveling to Greece and Syracuse as part of the research process
• Why Euripedes? Discussion of Medea and The Trojan Women, the two Euripedes plays put on by the Athenian soldiers in the quarry
• The voice of Lampo and why he sounds Irish
• The similarities between Ireland as an island nation separate from and yet related to England, and Sicily, also an island separate from and yet related to the culture of Greece
• The size and breadth of the ancient world and its many influences
• Discussion of Ferdia's compelling writing style
• How Lampo's character changes and grows in the novel
• The making of the audiobook that Ferdia narrated
• Parallels between Glorious Exploits and our own time
• Reading from Glorious Exploits
• Publication journey of Glorious Exploits
• One thing Ferdia learned from writing his novel that he didn't know before

Press Play now & be sure to check out Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels/glorious-exploits

Ferdia Lennon's website: https://www.ferdialennon.com/

Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg Simpson

This website contains affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you. 

Support the show

Are you enjoying The Art In Fiction Podcast? Consider giving us a small donation so we can continue bringing you interviews with your favorite arts-inspired novelists.  Click this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/artinfiction.

Also, check out Art In Fiction at https://www.artinfiction.com and explore 2500+ novels inspired by the arts in 11 categories: Architecture, Dance, Decorative Arts, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, Textile Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, & Other.

Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany, A Woman of Note, The Muse of Fire, and The Choir. Check out her website...