Special Guest Post by Heidi Eljarbo, Author of The London Forgery: A Historical Art Mystery (Fabiola Bennett Mystery Book 1)

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

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.

What is it with writers? What do they write about? Why do they choose certain genres or topics? To some, it’s purely a commercial aspect, but I believe most authors write about what they love. If they always pick up a romance novel at the bookstore, library, or airport bookshop, they most likely enjoy writing in that genre, as well.

I was a child who loved history. My father made bookshelves to cover a whole wall in our living room. He and my mother filled it with all their favourite books, many from the 1930s and 1940s. During WWII, there was no television, and much of the music and entertainment was banned. My newlywed parents played board games and read. Their love for words, stories, and knowledge was passed on to me.

Another thing in our home was that the walls were filled with my father’s art. He handed me a paintbrush at an early age, and I loved it.

So my life steered in the direction of what became my passions; the written word, languages (I’ve lived in six countries), art, and anything history. I even started on our family tree at the age of fifteen and was always the only young person flipping through old church records at the archives.

And I love to write. It makes me happy. And I choose to write about these things I love; topics I’ve also studied. I have a passion for historical fiction because I can research art history, clothing history, the politics and social life, and the sight, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of life in another time. 

I write about women who fight for justice, for a place in society, and for the safety of their family and friends. Some of these women solve mysteries. They have problems thrown at them. They fall in love. I often add elements of art history because it fills my heart, and I enjoy taking my characters to different countries. Or perhaps I should say…I follow them around…pen in hand, registering their story.

The London Forgery is about all these things. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is from Norway but travels the world solving art crimes in the early 1970s. She is passionate about art history and fairly clever (and ridiculously courageous) when solving mysteries. You can imagine how much fun I have spending hours on research for her stories. 

But there’s more…this new series about Fabiola’s adventures is a spin-off from my Soli Hansen Mysteries. Fabiola is Soli’s daughter! The novels are dual timeline, and some of the chapters take the reader back to the master artist who painted the artwork in trouble. In The London Forgery that artist is British Thomas Gainsborough, and the painting is his world-renowned Mr. and Mrs. Andrews from 1750.

I have often told people who say genealogy is boring, that they haven’t tried enough. I feel the same way about art history. If you, after having read The London Forgery, have the chance to visit the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London, please do. 

Go see Gainsborough’s rendition of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews in room thirty-five. Sit on the bench in front of the masterpiece and think about the chapters about Gainsborough; how the painting came about, what the sitters were like, Gainsborough’s decision why he depicted the couple the way he did, and why there’s a mystery about this certain art piece. Fabiola Bennett does everything she can to rescue this beautiful painting.

Happy reading!

Heidi Eljarbo

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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. After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have fifteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier. Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter. Heidi’s favourites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical. Find out more at Heidi's website https://www.heidieljarbo.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @HeidiEljarbo