Writer visited gorgeous island four times to bring novel to life

Bestselling author Fiona McIntosh will visit Shellharbour City Library this month for an exclusive pre-release event centring on her new novel.

Published by Penguin Books on October 27, The Art Lovers explores the enduring connections between love, art and survival in war-time Malta.

The novel follows Valentina Camilleri, daughter of a barkeeper in Valletta, whose life changes when British Flight Lieutenant Peter Fox crashes his Spitfire into her world.

As Peter recovers from his injuries, the pair form a connection that awakens Valentina’s imagination and ambitions for a life beyond the future expected of her.

Twelve years later, Peter returns to Malta as an art expert and reconnects with Valentina.

Fiona said the passage of time was essential to the relationship between the characters.

“It is a dozen years later when he meets her again but now as a woman, a mother, a wife in jeopardy that he realises this is the only person – even as a child – who understood him and beyond that, he realises she is the only woman he could truly love,” she said.

Fiona said the inspiration for the novel began with a visit to Valletta while she was on a cruise.

“Coming face to face with the Caravaggio painting, The Beheading of St John the Baptist, triggered me into pursuing a story set in Valletta and involving that artwork by the master,” she said.

What began as a moment of inspiration developed into more than three years of research, Fiona visiting Malta four times to bring the novel’s setting and characters to life.

Fiona said Peter’s passion for the cathedral and Caravaggio is a reflection of hers.

“I studied Caravaggio in my senior years at school in art history so it was a very special moment to come face to face with this artwork,” she said.

“Peter is an art historian and a specialist in Caravaggio. What he loves most of all is that Valentina, under his tuition, really ‘gets’ the painting and the moment it captures.”

Beyond its historical setting and romance, The Art Lovers explores how creativity can offer comfort and possibility during periods of hardship.

Fiona believes art can provide an emotional refuge during times of uncertainty, whether through painting, storytelling, music, sculpture or anything created by hand.

“I think in any time of trial or despair, escaping into something that speaks to one’s heart in an artistic way – whether it prompts beauty, high emotion, memory or just plain joy, then it’s a balm,” she said.

“In this case, Valentina uses the Caravaggio artwork to escape her fears and be transported into art itself, into enrichment, learning and ambition.”

Fiona will appear at Shellharbour City Library on October 24 from 6pm to 8pm, giving readers the opportunity to hear about her writing journey, ask questions and have a copy of the novel signed.

Presented in collaboration with Shellharbour City Museum, the event will also feature a curated display of World War II collection pieces from the museum’s archives, offering a glimpse into the history surrounding the novel.

Fiona herself is yet to see the collection and said she is looking forward to it.

“I imagine what it will do for the whole audience, including myself, is ground us very firmly into the era of the 1940s and to become aware of the global despair and lament of loss,” she said.

While reading allows audiences to immerse themselves in another time, Fiona said hearing directly from an author can add another dimension to that experience.

“If the reader can have the luxury of listening to the author explain why the novel was written, what that story means to her and be able to discover the stories behind the plot, then it feels much bigger,” she said.

“Its like a balloon being blown up around the reader that is filled with fact and interest to add more oxygen to the novel as they read.  

“Also, being able to ask the author questions is another boon that can add more enrichment to the reader as they open the pages or even after they have finished reading the book.”

The Shellharbour event will bring together literature and history, giving readers a chance to connect with the story before it reaches the shelves.

An Evening with Fiona McIntosh will be held on Saturday, October 24, 6pm, at Shellharbour City Library, tickets $10.