Set against the backdrop of the modern art scene, Intaglio follows the exploits of Ava Brooks, fourth year university art student and graffiti artist, as she enters the cut-throat world of artists and agents, curators and critics. Struggling to balance the perceptions of 'real' art with the urge to express herself through illegal means, Ava attracts the attention of Kip Chambers, an artist who has brought graffiti into the mainstream media. Not all of his associates, however, are as interested in Ava's transition from renegade to respectable artist as Kip. An unexpected meeting with fellow student and sculptor, Cole Thomas, coincides with Ava's artistic journey. Cole is shocked by the inexplicable connection, even as Ava struggles with her feelings for the brooding young artist. This bond proves to be the spark that ignites Ava's muse, spiralling into a wildfire romance that coincides with a series of increasingly vivid dreams centering around a shipwreck off the coast of North America. These hazy visions leach into Ava's artwork, and later, appear in Cole's sculpture. In them, the two artists are drawn into a memory of another life: one they shared. While Cole attempts to take control of his own, explosive emotions, Ava must learn to manage her own memories, both real and imagined. The dreams of the shipwreck continue unabated, but subtle changes leave Ava reconsidering what the visions mean: whether they are a memory of something that has already occurred, or a premonition of something as yet to come. Art and history twine together as echoes from the past and present merge. As each new memory brings this other life closer, Ava and Cole must unravel the events that once tore them apart, or risk repeating the same mistakes all over again.
About the Author: Danika Stone is a writer of contemporary fiction with a focus on strong female narratives. She has spent many years as an educator, artist, grad student and mother of three, and her involvement in the Arts and New Media, has spanned a decade and a half. Passionate about Fine Arts, Danika has maintained her ties to the Arts community, merging the fields of writing, technology and artwork through technology-inspired art projects. These connections to the modern art scene, along with her personal experiences and numerous friendships with contemporary artists, are the inspiration behind this story. Her favourite reader and collaborator is her husband of fifteen years, D, who met Danika in a university Art class. He is the inspiration for Cole Thomas.