Title: Strokes on a Canvas
Author: H Lewis-Foster
Genre: M/M Romance, Historical
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Cover Artist: Cherith Vaughan
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Love and art escaping the past in 1920s London
London, 1924. Evan Calver is enjoying a quiet pint, when he notices a man smiling at him across the bar. While the Rose and Crown isn’t that kind of pub, Evan thinks his luck might be in, and he narrowly escapes humiliation when he realises the man is smiling at a friend. Eavesdropping on their conversation, Evan discovers the man is named Milo Halstead and served as an army captain during the war.
When they meet again by chance in the British Museum, artist Milo asks Evan if he would sit for a portrait. Evan is amazed that an upper-class artist wants to paint the son of a miner, and he’s just as surprised when their acquaintance blossoms into friendship. When he discovers that Milo is a man like himself, he hopes that friendship might become more. But as Evan and Milo grow ever closer, can they escape the fears of the past to find their future happiness?
On the opposite side of the cabinet, a man was gazing intently at the Athenian amphora. Evan doubted he was having the same thoughts as himself as he scrutinized the naked athletes, but he seemed transfixed by its sporting design. The dark-haired man was wearing a brown pinstripe suit, the kind seen in newspaper photographs of famous actors and royalty, which Evan could never hope to afford. The stranger looked born to wear his stylish attire, his confident posture showing the suit’s fine cut to full advantage. Then he raised his eyes, and Evan saw the man was not a total stranger. His hair was smooth with Brilliantine, and he wasn’t wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, but he was unmistakably Captain Milo Halstead.
Evan was about to make a hasty exit when he realized the former soldier was smiling at him through the glass. He may have looked smarter than he had last night, but his smile was still as warm and kind as a Nightingale Nurse’s. Evan didn’t imagine the captain remembered him, but he smiled back, thinking it would be impolite not to, then turned to walk away. To his surprise, Evan’s action was mirrored on the other side of the cabinet as Captain Halstead moved in the same direction. He was still looking at Evan, still smiling, and as they both reached the end of the cabinet, Evan wondered what would happen next. Would words be exchanged? And what would those words be? If Milo remembered him from last night and he wasn’t the genial man he seemed, they might hint at blackmail or violence.
Evan was tempted to put his head down and make a run for it, but he didn’t want to attract the attention of the museum guards. He took a breath and stepped forward, only to find Milo standing in his way.
“Excuse me. Could I get past?”
“Of course, but…” Milo’s smile was uncertain now, but he didn’t move from Evan’s path. “It was you I saw in the Rose and Crown last night, wasn’t it?”
Evan lowered his eyes and weighed up his options. He could admit he was at the pub and ask to know what business of Milo’s it was. Or he could deny being anywhere near the place, or even knowing of its existence. The latter seemed the most sensible choice, avoiding all confrontation, but when he looked up and saw Milo’s blue eyes sparkling cheerfully back at him, Evan was overwhelmed by a longing to spend a few seconds more in his company.
With no idea of Milo’s intentions, Evan answered, “That’s right. I saw you there too.”
Evan was about to make a hasty exit when he realized the former soldier was smiling at him through the glass. He may have looked smarter than he had last night, but his smile was still as warm and kind as a Nightingale Nurse’s. Evan didn’t imagine the captain remembered him, but he smiled back, thinking it would be impolite not to, then turned to walk away. To his surprise, Evan’s action was mirrored on the other side of the cabinet as Captain Halstead moved in the same direction. He was still looking at Evan, still smiling, and as they both reached the end of the cabinet, Evan wondered what would happen next. Would words be exchanged? And what would those words be? If Milo remembered him from last night and he wasn’t the genial man he seemed, they might hint at blackmail or violence.
Evan was tempted to put his head down and make a run for it, but he didn’t want to attract the attention of the museum guards. He took a breath and stepped forward, only to find Milo standing in his way.
“Excuse me. Could I get past?”
“Of course, but…” Milo’s smile was uncertain now, but he didn’t move from Evan’s path. “It was you I saw in the Rose and Crown last night, wasn’t it?”
Evan lowered his eyes and weighed up his options. He could admit he was at the pub and ask to know what business of Milo’s it was. Or he could deny being anywhere near the place, or even knowing of its existence. The latter seemed the most sensible choice, avoiding all confrontation, but when he looked up and saw Milo’s blue eyes sparkling cheerfully back at him, Evan was overwhelmed by a longing to spend a few seconds more in his company.
With no idea of Milo’s intentions, Evan answered, “That’s right. I saw you there too.”
What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
I remember watching the Merchant Ivory film 'Maurice' when I was a student and being struck by the tenderness and beauty of its portrayal of gay relationships, especially at a time when falling in love with another man was a dangerous and brave thing to do. I then read the original novel by E. M. Forster, which was equally moving, and that was certainly a big influence on my writing gay historical fiction a few years later.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I enjoy most aspects of writing, but I particularly like sitting down with a blank sheet of paper to start a story, writing down ideas for characters and plot lines. I enjoy doing research too, building up the details to create a picture of 1920s London, or whichever time and place my characters find themselves in. The best part, of course, is creating the characters and the relationships between them, and while the romantic leads take a large part in my stories, they often have close friends too. In Strokes on a Canvas, Evan's best mate is Sandy, a charming and good-hearted Scotsman, who is a true friend throughout the ups and downs of Evan and Milo's relationship.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
The books I enjoy most are by writers like Edmund White, David Leavitt and Alan Hollinghurst. They are fantastic authors who write a whole range of fiction and non-fiction, often about the experience of gay men at various times in history. I really enjoy being immersed in the world of 1980s New York, early 20th century Cambridge, or wherever else a writer might take me. But while it's good to have an authentic setting, for me the characters are the most important part of a book. I want to experience their emotions—the good and the bad—and these writers create characters that have me gripped from start to finish.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
It would be amazing to write with Alan Bennett and learn from his years of experience writing beautifully observed characters. He has such a wonderful style, whether he's writing fiction, plays or his fabulous diaries. I love his gentle, very British humour, which is often shot through with insightful social comment, while his ability to make you laugh and cry within the space of a few lines is second to none.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I always wanted to write but only got around to doing it in any serious way a little later in life. It was certainly a while before I had the confidence to send anything to a publisher and I was very excited to have my first short story released a few years ago. I've been lucky enough to write both historical and contemporary fiction, and it's a real thrill when readers are kind enough to say they've enjoyed my stories.
I remember watching the Merchant Ivory film 'Maurice' when I was a student and being struck by the tenderness and beauty of its portrayal of gay relationships, especially at a time when falling in love with another man was a dangerous and brave thing to do. I then read the original novel by E. M. Forster, which was equally moving, and that was certainly a big influence on my writing gay historical fiction a few years later.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I enjoy most aspects of writing, but I particularly like sitting down with a blank sheet of paper to start a story, writing down ideas for characters and plot lines. I enjoy doing research too, building up the details to create a picture of 1920s London, or whichever time and place my characters find themselves in. The best part, of course, is creating the characters and the relationships between them, and while the romantic leads take a large part in my stories, they often have close friends too. In Strokes on a Canvas, Evan's best mate is Sandy, a charming and good-hearted Scotsman, who is a true friend throughout the ups and downs of Evan and Milo's relationship.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
The books I enjoy most are by writers like Edmund White, David Leavitt and Alan Hollinghurst. They are fantastic authors who write a whole range of fiction and non-fiction, often about the experience of gay men at various times in history. I really enjoy being immersed in the world of 1980s New York, early 20th century Cambridge, or wherever else a writer might take me. But while it's good to have an authentic setting, for me the characters are the most important part of a book. I want to experience their emotions—the good and the bad—and these writers create characters that have me gripped from start to finish.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
It would be amazing to write with Alan Bennett and learn from his years of experience writing beautifully observed characters. He has such a wonderful style, whether he's writing fiction, plays or his fabulous diaries. I love his gentle, very British humour, which is often shot through with insightful social comment, while his ability to make you laugh and cry within the space of a few lines is second to none.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I always wanted to write but only got around to doing it in any serious way a little later in life. It was certainly a while before I had the confidence to send anything to a publisher and I was very excited to have my first short story released a few years ago. I've been lucky enough to write both historical and contemporary fiction, and it's a real thrill when readers are kind enough to say they've enjoyed my stories.
Author Bio:H. has worked with books for a number of years, and is delighted to finally find herself on the author’s side of the bookshelf. She enjoys writing historical romances, and contemporary stories too, and while her characters travel all over the world, they always have a touch of British humour.
H. has lived in various parts of the UK and currently lives in the north of England, where she’s enjoying city life as much as the beautiful countryside. In her spare time, H. loves going to the cinema and theatre, and her very eclectic tastes range from quirky comedy to ballet and Shakespeare, and pretty much everything in between.
