Episode 16: Tunnel Vision

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When author and jazz singer Krista Wallace saw Tunnel Vision, a painting by Burnaby artist Jane Appleby [see below], she knew she had to buy it.

“I walked around the corner, and I saw it, and I was just locked on,” Wallace says. She was in the process of writing her first novel, Gatekeepers Key, the start of her Deceiver trilogy, and it made her think it was a place her characters might go.

The scene in the painting made it into the second book of the trilogy.

She was lucky enough to meet the artist later, and learned they had more in common. “She likes to let the paintbrush lead her, and I write with a similar approach – I let the story direct me.”

Joe and Mark learn all about how the painting influenced her writing.

They also get into many topics: jazz and musical theatre; what it’s like being a patient actor for medical schools; and the terrifying children’s show, H.R. Pufnstuff.

Support Our Guest

Krista is a writer, singer and actor. She writes short fiction in a variety of genres, and long fiction, primarily in fantasy. She sings jazz in a big band called FAT Jazz, and a duo called the Itty Bitty Big Band. She also does audiobook narration, and puts out a weekly podcast, Totally Fantastic Title.

Please go check out Krista’s novels and short stories, available on her website here. If the tale about Tunnel Vision intrigues you, then you should definitely read her trilogy, beginning with Gatekeepers Key. Her most recent book is Griffin and the Spurious Correlations, a fantasy romantic comedy with a Douglas Adams/Jasper Fforde vibe!

Support the Painter

This is the watercolor painting that inspired Krista, Tunnel Vision, by Burnaby artist Jane Appleby.

This was one of Jane’s earliest works, and she remembered meeting Krista at the baseball game.

Please visit Jane Appleby’s website to see some of her more recent works.

If you happen to be in the Vancouver area, you can also check out an in-person workshop/demonstration with Jane at the Harmony Festival – Art Speak – at the Ambleside Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver (Aug. 13th, 2023 12 – 2pm.)