Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery – Book 4
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Genre: Clean Historical Dual-Timeline Mystery with a touch of romance
A ruthless thief leaves a private Dutch gallery with a coveted seventeenth-century painting. The owner lies unconscious on the floor. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is on vacation in Holland and takes on the case.
Amsterdam, 1973.
It’s late summer, and Fabiola and Pippa join their friend, Cary, for a few days of sightseeing, museums, and riding bikes around the beautiful city.
For the first time in her life, Fabiola feels a pang of jealousy, and rude comments from a gallerist make her doubt her own abilities.
Then, unexpectedly, Cary’s Dutch client, Lennard van de Hoek, is brutally struck down and a baroque portrait by Ferdinand Bol is stolen. Fabiola pushes aside her problems and jumps into danger without hesitation. The list of suspects is long, and with a cold-blooded criminal at large, they must constantly be on the alert.
Amsterdam, 1641
Ferdinand Bol has completed his five-year training with Master Rembrandt van Rijn and is ready to set up his own studio. The future looks bright, and Ferdinand sets a goal to become a widely sought-after and, hopefully, prosperous master portraitist.
Just when Ferdinand’s career starts to flourish—and patrons and customers discover his exceptional talent—one of his models confesses she’s in deep trouble, and he drops everything to help her.
This is a fast-paced and captivating who-done-it set in the Netherlands—the fourth installment and a spin-off from the Soli Hansen Mysteries. Perfect for fans of Kathleen McGurl, Louise Penny, Deborah Swift, Anna Lee Huber, Lucinda Riley, Sherry Thomas, Ellery Adams, and Jennifer S. Alderson.
More in This Series
About the Author
HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.
Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidieljarbo.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Author Q&A
CB: Heidi, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I’m excited to get to know more about you!
On your blog, you mentioned that your favorites include your family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word “whimsical.” How do these favorites shape your writing?
Eljarbo: I’ll try to explain those three words in a few sentences. My family is my joy. Ours is big—many to love and just as many to worry about. These wonderful people, from babies, children, teenagers, grown children, to the white-haired patriarch (read my husband,) fill my heart.
Our Heavenly Father has created such a beautiful world for us. He wants us to have joy, and I enjoy being outside. I love walking in the rain (even in a snowstorm), swimming in the fiord here where we live, picking wildflowers, hiking on trails in the woods, and skiing in the mountains during the winter.
I like quaint historical tidbits and collecting cute things that aren’t necessarily valuable in the eyes of the world, but they make me happy. And I enjoy painting fairies, birds, and lighthouses. These, and many other sweet things life has to offer, are best summarized in a word like whimsical.
CB: I smiled when I read that you have 13 grandchildren “so far.” I understand that so well. With a large family, there are seasons when not much time can be spared. How do you balance the demands of everyday life with your writing?
Eljarbo: Our children are all grown up, and we have the privilege of choosing when to have fun visits and sleepovers with the grandchildren. We have 16 now…and there may be more to come. I have time to write, but I will set my papers aside when our family comes to visit.
CB: I find it fascinating—and I’ll admit, I’m a bit envious—that you’ve lived in so many countries. How has your global experience influenced your writing and the characters you create?
Eljarbo: Living in different places, especially in different countries, teaches us more than reading about them in books. I use my memories from where I’ve been to create scenes and characters. It also helps me when trying to add sights, sounds, smells, and the language of some of these areas. The Dutch Muse is situated in the Netherlands. I’ve been there many times, and have visited the Rembrandt house, Oudewater (read the book before you look up what’s there), been on a bicycle and seen the old church on Texel, and Den Helder (all places from the book). I’ve eaten their famous French fries with mayonnaise sauce (yummy), climbed inside an old windmill, and seen the paintings in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This, and hours and hours of research, make the story more believable and interesting.
CB: You vividly describe your love for all types of history. What part of the research process for your historical fiction do you find most rewarding—and most challenging?
Eljarbo: I have always loved history, so the process of writing and researching historical people, places, and events is fun. I’ve studied clothing history and art history at the university and never get tired of learning more. One thing that a historical fiction writer needs to be careful with is anachronism. For example, when art historian Fabiola Bennett runs around in 1973, she’s always looking for a phone booth or a place to borrow a dial phone.
In The Dutch Muse, the secondary story takes place in 1641. The world I built around Rembrandt van Rijn and Ferdinand Bol needed to be accurate and authentic…their clothes and hair styles, their work environment, where they bought the ingredients to mix their paints, their art techniques, the customs of the time, rulers and kings, beliefs, etc.
CB: The Dutch Muse spans two timelines—Amsterdam in 1973 and 1641. What drew you to this particular city and period?
Eljarbo: I was a teenager during the seventies. It was a fun and colorful decade, and I love the challenge of reliving those groovy days and painting scenes that draw the reader into that time. 1641…the late Renaissance and the Baroque era are my favorite periods. Rembrandt has been a character in three of my novels, and in The Dutch Muse he has just completed training his assistant, Ferdinand Bol. I also like how society changed and evolved during the seventeenth century. The prejudice against women, the superstitions, the pride and misunderstandings…I find it interesting to write about.
CB: Fabiola faces both professional doubt and personal danger in this mystery. How do you approach developing a strong but relatable heroine?
Eljarbo: I try to understand her by going inside myself and what I’ve experienced in life to create a heroine the reader can believe in. All my main characters have a lot of me; except they are much braver than I am.
CB: The novel ties together art theft, history, and emotional growth. What message or feeling do you hope readers take away?
Eljarbo: Friendship—that good friends are those you can trust, those who love you during sunshine and rain, and who encourage you and buoy up your spirit when needed.
To fight for what is right, good, and true—Fabiola and her friends are always trying their best to find a missing piece of art and return it to its rightful owner.
To trust God when things are tough—Fabiola turns to prayer when she feels inadequate and needs hope to go on.
CB: Looking back at your path to writing — from your love of castles and ruins to a published author—what moment has brought you the most unexpected joy?
Eljarbo: My joy comes from making these stories, learning more through research, and creating a visible world with an interesting cast of characters. When readers say they become immersed in that world, that they enjoy being with the characters, and that they learn a lot and want to learn more…well, that makes me so happy.
CB: Heidi, I truly appreciate your time. As a grandma of 11, I understand how hard it can be to carve out time for things like this. I wish you all the best on your continued writing journey and much success with The Dutch Muse.
Eljarbo: These were wonderful questions. Thank you for having me.
Happy reading! Heidi Eljarbo.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive their choice of any one paperback from the Fabiola Bennett series plus a $20 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 17, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 24, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No shipping restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Carla's Book Crush 
Leave a reply to buffywnabe Cancel reply