LONGMEADOW — Novelist and publisher Linda Cardillo will release her newest work, “Paint the Wind” on Sept. 16.
This novel delves into the journey of Maya Sircos, the daughter of a Greek shipping entrepreneur and an Austrian aristocrat who becomes a muse and model of a rising painter.
Later, she discovers her passion for art but faces obstacles as she establishes herself as an artist.
“I’m thrilled with the outcome,” said Cardillo. “This is a story that’s been in my head for a long time and to finally bring it to completion in a way that I’m very happy with has been deeply satisfying.”
Cardillo is an award-winning author of historical fiction and historical romance. She became fascinated by the research and understanding how an environment and historical events have an impact on the personal lives of people. Cardillo placed her characters in the context of the world in which they were living, both in terms of a sense of place and time and what was happening in the world. She’s built a loyal following with novels such as “Dancing on Sunday Afternoons,” “Across the Table,” “The Boat House Café,” “The Uneven Road,” “Island Legacy,” “Love That Moves the Sun” and “A Place of Refuge.” She’s also the co-founder of Bellastoria Press, an independent hybrid publisher partnering with authors to produce, distribute and promote compelling and beautiful stories.
The story of “Paint the Wind” goes back 35 years ago when Cardillo was living in Germany. Her mother-in-law was visiting her, and she wanted to see a 90-year-old relative, Tante (German for aunt) Maya.
Tante Maya was married to a fairly well-known German painter and was his muse and model. When he died she became an artist in her own right, creating her own art that was different from her husband’s.
“I was inspired by her,” Cardillo said. “This vivacious woman who recreated herself after her husband’s death and became an artist herself after being a model. The whole idea of a woman who is an artist’s model and muse who then becomes a painter herself was the seed of the story that the real Maya inspired.”
The story covers the years 1902-1910 in Vienna and the Greek island of Skiathos and then ends with a coda set in 1977-1978 in Boston and Paris. Cardillo writes about the interactions and connections between people.
The exploration of the power that a muse has in inspiring art and the relationship that develops between an artist and their muse. This book in particular she said has several important connections with Maya over the course of her metamorphosis from young art student to muse to artist.
She encounters a number of different people with whom she forms strong bonds and who influence her along the way to help her see herself as something more than the model in the frame. The arc of the story is Maya’s transformation from being the object of art to the creator of art.
Cardillo wants readers to be entertained, keep turning the pages because they want to find out what happens next and also understand the kinds of restrictions that women still face in breaking away from traditional ideas of what a woman can do.
“What’s important for me as a writer of any of my books is when I know that I have touched a reader in a certain way, where the book has resonated with them and they can recognize parts of themselves in it,” Cardillo explained. “Whether they’re an artist or not, I think that people will understand the struggle one goes through to transform oneself against society’s expectations. It’s always gratifying to me when I hear back from readers of how emotionally they’ve connected with my characters and so that’s certainly what I’m hoping for with ‘Paint the Wind.’”
“Paint the Wind” will be available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, as well as the independent bookstore site, bookshop.org. To learn more about Cardillo, visit her website at lindacardillo.com.
Cardillo will also be hosting book launch events at the Richard Salters Storrs Library, located at 693 Longmeadow St., on Sept. 15 from 6-7:30 p.m.; the Longmeadow Adult Center, located at 211 Maple St., on Sept. 16 from 6-7:30 p.m.; the Enfield Public Library, located at 211 Middle Road in Enfield, on Oct. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m.; and at the East Longmeadow Public Library, located at 60 Center Sq. in East Longmeadow, at 6 p.m.
