In this episode, I'm chatting with Mark Baker, author of The Needle of Avocation listed in the Textile Arts category on Art In Fiction.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BKX2HsA43_c

• The genesis of The Needle of Avocation as the third book in the Cuthbert series
• Creation of the "It" girl of the 8th century, the heroine of the first two novels in the series, led to the creation of her sister Hilda in The Needle of Avocation
• Why embroidery as a basis for the novel and how it became both Hilda's shield and her refuge
• The development of HIlda's character and the choices she must make to find balance
• Why Mark chooses to write about the Anglo-Saxon period in England
• The status of women in the Anglo-Saxon period and how it changed for the worse under the Normans
• What we know (and don't know) about textile arts in the 8th and 9th centuries, and its purpose (and the purpose of art in general, historically)
• Reading from The Needle of Avocation
• One thing Mark learned from writing his novels
• How Mark researches his novels
• What Mark is working on now

Press Play now & be sure to check out The Needle of Avocation on Art In Fiction: https://www.artinfiction.com/novels/the-needle-of-avocation

Mark Baker's website: https://gmbaker.net/

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Want to learn more about Carol Cram, the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast? She's the author of several award-winning novels, including The Towers of Tuscany and Love Among the Recipes. Find out more on her website.