Book Title: Strokes on a Canvas
Author: H. Lewis-Foster
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Cherith Vaughan
Genre/s: Historical M/M Romance
Trope/s: Friends to lovers
Themes: Overcoming the past
Length: 29,060 words/114 pages
It is a standalone book.
Love and art escaping the past in 1920s London
Blurb
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?
Buy Links
The book that holds everlasting resonance…
One of the first books I read by and about a gay writer was Edmund White’s The Married Man. He writes so openly about the issues he and other gay men faced towards the end of the last century, but above all it is an intense and tender love story.
The film you can watch time and time again
My favourite film is Weekend, closely followed by God’s Own Country. They’re quite simple films in some ways—no big budget or glamorous settings—but they are both touching and beautiful stories of men falling in love when they least expect it.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity…
It’s not so unlikely, considering the subject of Strokes on a Canvas, but I am slightly addicted to art history programmes on TV. My favourite presenters are Andrew Graham-Dixon and James Fox, who both have lovely presenting styles as well as being very knowledgeable.
The poem that touches your soul…
It’s a poem by Jacques Prévert called Paris at Night that describes in a few lines the moment of holding the person you love in your arms. I first read it when I was at school and it still takes my breath away.
The song that means the most to you…
I love Weather with You by Crowded House. Neil Finn is such a talented songwriter and I could pick any number of his songs to put me in a good mood, whisking me away to a beautiful beach in New Zealand…
The way you would spend your fantasy twenty-four hours, with no travel restrictions…
I’ve never been to Scandinavia, so I’d like to do a whistle-stop tour of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Reykjavík, and taste some authentic Swedish smörgås and Danish pastries along the way.
The figure from history you would most like to buy a pie and a pint…
That would be Edward Carpenter, the Victorian writer and social campaigner. He was way ahead of his time, fighting for workers’ and women’s rights, and being brave enough to live openly as a gay man despite the legal dangers. He was apparently a very sociable man too, so I’m sure he’d be the perfect person to have a pint with.
The character you enjoyed writing the most…
I really enjoyed writing Evan and Milo in Strokes on a Canvas. They’re from very different backgrounds, but they are both strong characters with generous spirits, who work hard to overcome whatever problems life throws at them. Another favourite character is Henry in A Valet’s Duty, who is confident and worldly-wise in a lot of ways, but finds himself enchanted by the aristocratic Rafe.
The book you enjoyed planning/writing the most…
I’ve had a great time writing all of my stories, but one I particularly enjoyed was Ballet Nights. I love watching all kinds of dance, so it was really good fun writing a story about a reluctant theatre-goer who meets his Prince Charming at the ballet.
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.”
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.
Author Links
