Welcome to the Blog Tour for The London Forgery by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The London Forgery
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #1
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery, Dual Timeline
1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete.
A mysterious note is delivered anonymously at the door of the National Gallery in London, and the director immediately calls Fabiola’s office in Oslo and pleads with her to come without delay. The message is confusing, but it seems one of her favorite eighteenth-century portraits is in trouble.
Fabiola hops on the first plane and meets up with her vibrant side-kick Pippa Yates and the ever-loyal Detective Inspector Cary Green from New Scotland Yard. But she is not naïve enough to think untangling the purpose and meaning of the mysterious note will be as simple as a walk in Hyde Park. These things never are.
1750. Newly married Robert and Frances Andrews, members of the landed gentry of Suffolk, England, hire young and talented Thomas Gainsborough to paint their wedding portrait. Their desire is a lovely conversation piece showing their wealth and class, an artwork to remember them by for generations to come.
Little do they know the gifted artist portrays their personalities exactly how he perceives them, and the artistic symbolism is not as flattering as they’d hoped for. Even the looming clouds in the distance promise a troublesome future.
This is the first book in a new dual timeline series by Heidi Eljarbo—an intriguing spin-off from the much-loved Soli Hansen Mysteries.
Fans of Lucinda Riley, Rhys Bowen, Kathleen McGurl, Kate Morton, and Katherine Neville will love this cozy historical art mystery, which takes the readers back to the nostalgia of the groovy seventies and the classical Georgian era of the eighteenth century.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
About the Author
Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.
Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.Connect with Heidi by visiting heidieljarbo.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Interview
Welcome, Heidi! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book The London Forgery.
I like to start these interviews the same way, with something fun to break the ice. Can you share 5 random facts about you that we will not find in your bio?
Sure! I love learning fun facts about people…so here goes…
- I was introduced to genealogy as a fifteen-year-old and still work on our family history.
- I cry with joy and gratitude when I visit old places like one of our stave churches in Norway (they were built between 1150 and 1350).
- For some odd reason, I really enjoy doing laundry—but not so much cleaning showers.
- I could eat baking chocolate every day! (Norwegian chocolate is dangerously delicious.)
- I’ve sung in church choirs since I was a little girl. I used to be a soprano, one who could sing above the main melody, but now as I’m older and my voice is a bit deeper, I thoroughly enjoy singing the alto part.
When did you first discover you had a passion for writing?
When I was a little girl, I was a voracious reader (I had parents who read a lot and had lots of books), and I wished I could write. But it was not until many years later—after being a magazine journalist for years and much encouragement from my husband—that I completed my first historical fiction called Catching a Witch (about a minister’s daughter in 1660 who tries to rescue the women of her village from a witch-finder).
What drew you to writing historical fiction?
My passion for history and learning about people, customs, superstitions, faith, relationships, etc. I absolutely love immersing myself in the past and have studied history, art history, and clothing history.
The London Forgery is a dual timeline novel. Can you share a little bit about what goes into writing this type of story?
I enjoy the challenge of blending two stories and making them connect and belong together. Also, I get to explore two different time periods when doing it. Most dual timeline novels have one part in the present and one in a chosen period in the past. My novels have the main part in the past and the secondary story even farther back in time.
Was there anything that surprised you in your research?
When I researched the British painter Thomas Gainsborough, I was happy to learn how much he loved his wife, Margaret. She was also a great support to him and helped him in his business. Unusual for a woman of her time.
If you had to describe your main character(s) in this story in just three words each, what would they be?
Fabiola Bennett: passionate about art history, eidetic memory, jumps into dangerous situations without thinking of the consequences.
Thomas Gainsborough: highly gifted artist, family man, observant.
Can you tell us a little bit more about The London Forgery?
Fabiola Bennett uses her experience and knowledge of art history to solve art crimes. When the director of the National Gallery in London asks her to help find out about a painting called Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, she gives all to find out what happened and to rescue the artwork. Since this is a dual timeline novel, the complementing story goes back to 1750 and Thomas Gainsborough when he painted the piece.
What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life? The most rewarding?
Even though I was a young teenager in 1973, I did more than delve into my memory. I researched the decade and especially the British way of life. I’d say most rewarding was learning more about the painter Gainsborough and his wife and also the sitters Robert and Frances Andrews.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
I always hope my readers will enjoy spending time with the characters and the story. Historical fiction enthusiasts will hopefully step into the past and see, hear, smell, taste, and feel the two time periods, as well as learning more about how a masterpiece was created. If I can offer a clean book filled with mystery, loyal friendship, courage, faith, and a touch of romance, the better.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next?
Readers may sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter I will give you news about discounted books, new releases, author events, fun facts, and more.
My website also has information and links to all my books: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/
My author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG/
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will win a print copy of "The London Forgery", an eBook "Of Darkness and Light" and a $10 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 26, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 3, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No shipping restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Sounds like an incredible book.
ReplyDeletegreat interview! thanks for being on the tour :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing read.
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