
Art In Fiction
Carol M. Cram
Find out what makes great, arts-inspired fiction in a variety of genres, from mysteries to crime novels, historical fiction, thrillers, contemporary fiction, and more. Art In Fiction founder and author Carol M. Cram chats with some of the top novelists featured on Art In Fiction, a curated online database of books inspired by the arts. Discover your next great read and get valuable advice on what it takes to be a successful writer.
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 Art In Fiction Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Art In Fiction episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Art In Fiction for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Art In Fiction episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

03/09/24 • 39 min
Join me as I chat with Nancy Bilyeau, author of several arts-inspired novels on Art In Fiction, including The Orchid Hour about a speakeasy in 1923 Jazz-Age New York and listed in the Theater category on Art In Fiction.
View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CvIYJYb-PfQ
Highlights include:
- Why Nancy set her latest novel in Prohibition-era New York
- The role played by the Italian American immigrant community in the novel
- Researching organized crime in Jazz-Age New York
- Real speakeasies and the fictional Orchid Hour speakeasy
- Liberation of women in the 1920s
- Greenwich Village as the setting for The Orchid Hour speakeasy
- Prohibition in Jazz-Age New York - did the cops really care?
- Why orchids?
- Themes in The Orchid Hour
- Reading from The Orchid Hour
- Discussion of The Fugitive Colours, the follow-up novel to The Blue
- Journey of a female artist/spy in 18th-century London
- Opportunities for female painters in the 18th century
- What Nancy has learned from writing historical fiction
- Nancy's next novel: The Versailles Formula
Press Play now & be sure to check out The Orchid Hour and Nancy's other novels on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels?q=nancy+bilyeau
Nancy Bilyeau's Website: https://nancybilyeau.com/
Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg SimpsonThis 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.
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.

03/24/21 • 45 min
Welcome to The Art In Fiction Podcast!
Meet Charlie Lovett, bestselling author of 5 novels listed on Art In Fiction, including his most recent, Escaping Dreamland.
Highlights:
- What are bibliophiles and why do they interest Charlie so much?
- Genesis of Escaping Dreamland: what's with those children's series novels?
- Who really wrote the children's series so many readers grew up with (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, et al)?
- Elements in Escaping Dreamland : New York, secrets, children's books, writers, and more
- Every good story starts with a question: what question launched Escaping Dreamland?
- Reading from Escaping Dreamland: Alice Gold: Girl Inventor
- Genesis of The Lost Book of the Grail: books, cathedrals, digital vs. analog, and history
- The intriguing character of Arthur Prescott and his dislike of academic committee meetings (among other things)
- Use of the physical structure of the cathedral to hang the novel's plot on
- Why Jane Austen in First Impressions?
- Writing the avuncular relationship between a man and a woman
- A favorite Jane Austen novel?
- The process of structuring a novel
- Inside the Writer's Studio - Charlie's podcast
- What's next for Charlie Lovett?
Press Play now & be sure to check out Charlie Lovett's novels Escaping Dreamland, The Lost Book of the Grail, First Impressions, The Bookman's Tale, and The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge, in the Literature category on Art In Fiction.
Charlie Lovett's website
Inside the Writer's Studio Podcast
Photo Credit: Strategic Arts & Productions
Musi
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.

11/23/20 • 56 min
Welcome to The Art In Fiction Podcast.
The three novelists you'll meet in this episode are each inspired by a different classical composer. They discuss their inspiration and research processes, and touch on a topic rarely discussed in author circles-: money!
Barbara Quick is the author of Vivaldi’s Virgins, Stephanie Cowell is the author of Marrying Mozart, and Patricia Morrisroe is the author of The Woman in the Moonlight about Beethoven's inspiration for his Moonlight Sonata.
Highlights:
- Barbara Quick: inspiration to write Vivaldi's Virgins after discovering that the 18th-century composer had been the resident priest and composer in an all-girls foundling home in Venice. She also discusses the integral role that Venice plays in the novel.
- Stephanie Cowell: inspiration for Marrying Mozart, a novel about Mozart's relationship with the four Weber sisters, one of whom he married.
- Patricia Morrisroe: how she came to write her debut novel, The Woman in the Moonlight, after a career in journalism
- Barbara: how she learned Italian to help her research Vivaldi's Virgins and the help she received from Vivaldi experts
- A reading from Vivaldi's Virgins
- Stephanie: the challenges of choosing which stories to include in the novel and what to leave out
- A reading from Marrying Mozart
- Patricia: the importance of fact-checking and extensive research
- A reading from The Woman in the Moonlight
- Writing and money (or its lack!).
Press Play right now and be sure to check out Vivaldi's Virgins, Marrying Mozart and The Woman in the Moonlight listed in the Music category on Art In Fiction.
Barbara Quick's website: https://www.barbaraquick.com/
Stephanie Cowell's website: http://www.stephaniecowell.com/
Patricia Morrisroe's website: https://patriciamorrisroe.com/
Get an extended free trial of
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.

Music To Thrill: An Interview with Helaine Mario, Author of The Lost Concerto and Dark Rhapsody
Art In Fiction
09/10/20 • 35 min
Welcome to The Art In Fiction Podcast.
In this episode, I chat about thrillers with an arts twist with Helaine Mario, author of The Lost Concerto and Dark Rhapsody, two page-turners listed in the Music category on Art In Fiction which also incorporate Visual Arts, Theater, and more.
This quote about Dark Rhapsody says it all: "As much about art as music, Dark Rhapsody reveals the transformative power of both."
Highlights:
- Background prior to becoming a thriller writer: volunteering, working for Al and Tipper Gore, and more
- Inspiration for The Lost Concerto
- What Helaine loves: music and the arts
- Character of Maggie O'Shea, the concert pianist at the heart of the two novels
- Exploring the depth of characters within the thriller genre
- Other characters in the series, including Shiloh the dog and the characterization of Dane, the villain, as a lover of Shakespeare
- Use of character quirks to add depth
- Plotting advice: to outline or not to outline?
- Writing sequels
- A reading from Dark Rhapsody
- Wordsmithing in the editing process
- The business of writing and marketing
- Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
- Advice for writers
Helaine Mario brings to her writing a long career working for non-profit boards and giving back to numerous charities, particularly through the Helaine and Ronald Mario Fund. All the royalties from her book sales go to programs that support reading programs and the well-being of children and families.
When it comes to writing, Helaine wants, more than anything, to tell a good story, create characters with depth, and paint pictures with words. She wants to be a storyteller forever.
Receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for a paid plan on Buzzsprout. Since 2009, Buzzsprout has been helping podcasters start and grow their podcasts.
Press Play right now and don't forget to check out Helaine Mario's novels The Lost Concerto and Dark Rhapsody, both listed in the Music category on Art In Fiction.
Helaine Mario's Website: https://helainemario.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.

On the Trail of a Female Artist: An Interview with Amy Maroney, Author of The Miramonde Trilogy
Art In Fiction
07/27/20 • 34 min
Welcome to The Art In Fiction Podcast!
In this episode, learn about Old Master art created by women artists, indie publishing, researching, and more in my entertaining conversation with Amy Maroney.
Amy is the author of the compelling Miramonde Trilogy, a dual-time series about a female artist in 16th-century Spain and France.
Highlights:
- Inspiration for The Miramonde Trilogy
- Developing the dual-time narrative
- Researching The Miramonde Trilogy
- The Cagots in Renaissance Spain
- The wool trade and Basque culture
- Connection to Fake or Fortune
- Recent European exhibitions of female Old Master painters
- Reading from The Girl from Oto (Book 1)
- Maroney's work-in-progress
- Advice on independent publishing
- The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)
- Using Scrivener
Amy Maroney studied English literature at Boston University and public policy at Portland State University, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. When she's not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, painting, dancing, and reading. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
Press Play right now and don't forget to check out Amy Maroney's Miramonde Trilogy series on Art In Fiction.
Amy Maroney's Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/
- Alliance of Independent Authors
- Save the Cat Storytelling Method
Receive 20% Off ProWritingAid Music Credits
The intro music on the Art In Fiction Podcast is from Symbolist Waltz from the album Alive in Seattle and the ad music is from The Fever from the album Full Moon. Both pieces are 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.

04/28/23 • 37 min
Join me as I chat with Finola Austin, author of the award-winning debut novel Brontë's Mistress.
Highlights:
- Origins of Brontë's Mistress
- Investigating Lydia Robinson, rumored to have had an affair with Branwell Brontë, the ne'er-do-well brother of the famous Brontë sisters
- Inspiration from Mrs. Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë
- Contrast between Lydia Robinson and the typical Brontë heroine
- Using Reddit for inspiration
- Shades of gray in Lydia Robinson, the main character of Brontë's Mistress
- Bad sex scenes: why we need more of them
- Reading from Brontë's Mistress
- Turning real characters into fictional ones: challenges & issues
- Lydia Robinson & Charlotte Brontë: not a good mix
- One thing learned from writing Brontë's Mistress
- Advice for new authors
Press Play now & be sure to check out Brontë's Mistress on Art In Fiction.
Finola Austin's WebsiteReceive 20% Off ProWritingAidMusic 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.
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.

09/19/23 • 33 min
Listen in as I chat with Madeline Martin, the bestselling author of novels set in World War II along with dozens of romance novels. Madeline joins me on The Art In Fiction Podcast to discuss her three novels listed in the Literature category on Art In Fiction: The Last Bookshop in London, The Librarian Spy and her latest novel, The Keeper of Hidden Books.
Highlights include:
- Why Madeline chose books as her way into stories about WWII
- Why The Keeper of Hidden Books is set in Warsaw
- The role Poland and the Polish Resistance played in WWII
- The theme of The Keeper of Hidden Books
- Two short readings from The Keeper of Hidden Books
- Book banning in WWII Poland and contemporary United States: parallels?
- The Librarian Spy and its setting in Lisbon and Lyon
- Fado in Lisbon
- The Blitz and The Last Bookshop in London
- Research about London during the Blitz from memoirs contained in the Mass Observation published in the 1930s and 1940s in England
- Differences between historical fiction and historical romance
- Advice about research methods
- Madeline's next novel
- What Madeline is currently reading
Press Play now & be sure to check out The Keeper of Hidden Books, The Librarian Spy and The Last Bookshop in London on Art In Fiction.
Madeline Martin's Website
Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg SimpsonThis 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.
Pro Writing Aid
ProWriting Aid is a grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package. Click to get 20% off.
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.

Coming March 25: Season 2 of The Art In Fiction Podcast
Art In Fiction
02/26/21 • 1 min
Join novelist and host Carol M. Cram for Season 2 of The Art In Fiction Podcast, launching March 25 and featuring conversations with a fascinating array of authors who have written novels inspired by the arts—from Film to Photography to Literature to Visual Arts to Theater and more.
Be sure to subscribe to The Art In Fiction Podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.
Kicking off Season 2 will be Carol's conversation with Charlie Lovett, bestselling author of Escaping Dreamland, First Impressions , The Lost Book of the Grail, and The Bookman’s Tale.
You’ll also meet other top authors, including Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist, Alex George, author of The Paris Hours, and B. A. Shapiro, author of The Collector's Apprentice.
Come celebrate authors, novels, and the arts on The Art In Fiction Podcast.

03/02/22 • 50 min
Join me as I chat with Lauren Belfer, author of several riveting historical novels including And After the Fire and A Fierce Radiance.
Highlights:
- Genesis of And After the Fire
- Learning about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach
- Salons of 19th-century Berlin and Fanny Mendelsohn
- Role of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach, in the novel
- Fanny Mendelsohn's fraught relationship with her brother Felix Mendelsohn
- What is so appealing about Bach's music?
- Reading from And After the Fire
- Using details in historical fiction
- Process of writing
- Genesis of A Fierce Radiance
- Parallels of the 1918 flu epidemic and COVID
- The role of Life Magazine and photography in A Fierce Radiance
- Advice for authors: write what you don't know
Press Play now & be sure to check out Lauren Belfer's novels on Art In Fiction.
Lauren Belfer's WebsiteReceive 20% Off ProWritingAidMusic Credits
Intro: Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg SimpsonAd: Celtic Calypso, performed by Lunar Adventures; 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.
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.

06/27/24 • 38 min
Join me as I chat with Barbara Quick, author of Vivaldi's Virgins and What Disappears, both listed in the Visual Arts category on Art In Fiction.
View the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nYq1nLL4xv4
- Inspiration for What Disappears going back several decades to when Barbara was just 22 years old
- Revisiting old work after it's "ripened"
- The role of idential twins in What Disappears
- Writing a great villain in fashion designer Paul Poiret
- Researching the fashion components in What Disappears
- What it was like to be a dancer in Belle Époque Paris
- Barbara's love of dance
- Debut of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in Paris and the Riot at the Rite
- The role played by anti-semitism in both Tsarist Russia and Paris in the novel
- The theme of healing in What Disappears
- Reading from What Disappears
- Writing poetry and prose: two sides of the same coin?
- One thing Barbara Quick learned from writing novels that she didn't know before
- What Barbara is working on now
Press Play now & be sure to check out Vivaldi's Virgins and What Disappears on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels?q=barbara+quick
Barbara Quick's website: https://www.barbaraquick.com/
Music Credit
Paganology, performed by The Paul Plimley Trio; composed by Gregg SimpsonThis 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.
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.
Show more best episodes

Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Art In Fiction have?
Art In Fiction currently has 59 episodes available.
What topics does Art In Fiction cover?
The podcast is about Literature, Novels, Podcasts, Books, Arts, Historical Fiction, Literary and Authors.
What is the most popular episode on Art In Fiction?
The episode title 'In Celebration of Two Literary Giants feat. Lynn Cullen, author of Mrs. Poe' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Art In Fiction?
The average episode length on Art In Fiction is 37 minutes.
How often are episodes of Art In Fiction released?
Episodes of Art In Fiction are typically released every 14 days, 4 hours.
When was the first episode of Art In Fiction?
The first episode of Art In Fiction was released on Jul 3, 2020.
Show more FAQ

Show more FAQ