Self portrait, Ann Mary Newton (1832-1866)
National Portrait Gallery, London

Since the release of All In, I’ve had several people ask me about the painting of Lady Percival that Brynne is conserving.  Lady Percival is not a real painting but rather a figment of my imagination and a character in another book I’m writing.  It is a historical erotic romance that I hope to get out some time in 2013.

The artist, Tristan Mallerton, is also fictitious and someone you will meet in yet another historical romance I am releasing in early 2013.  My fictional Mr. Mallerton has painted many portraits of the heroines in my books and when I started The Blackstone Affair, it was fun for me to link the two time periods with the art that I love to write about.  You will be hearing his name over and over again, especially in Gabrielle and Ivan’s–The Rothvale Legacy series as it gets going.

I studied Art History at San Diego State and still have the utmost respect and love for art and especially Romanticist works of painters like John William Waterhouse and Jean Fragonard.  I can also find a ton of inspiration for my books just from looking at a painting.  I even found my inspiration for Naked when I saw the photograph I ended up using on the cover of the book.

I did find a painting that is my vision of how Lady Percival might look.  It is a self-portrait by Ann Mary Newton (1832 – 1866) and is on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, which is the setting for an important scene in All In.  I like that it was painted by a woman too.

On a side note, I am hard at work on Book 3 as we speak.  As soon as I finish the manuscript I’ll let you all know and can better give an accurate release date for Eyes Wide Open, The Blackstone Affair, Part 3.

*Hugs and blows kisses*