Jill G Hall

The Black Velvet Coat

Twenty-eight-year-old struggling San Francisco artist Anne McFarland is determined to get a one-woman show, even though no one, including herself, believes she can do it. But when she buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket, strange, even magical, occurrences begin to unfold, and she is inspired to create her best work ever.

Fifty years earlier, it’s 1963, and the coat’s original owner, young heiress Sylvia Van Dam, is headed toward a disastrous marriage with a scoundrel. In a split-second reaction, she does the unimaginable, which propels her on a trip of self-discovery to nature-filled Northern Arizona. When Anne and Sylvia’s lives intersect, they are both forced to face their fears―and, in the process, realize their true potential.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BookShop

2021 Next Generation Indie Awards Winner in Series

2020 CIBA Fiction Series Book Awards First Place Winner

2016 International Book Award Finalist in Best New Fiction

Praise for The Black Velvet Coat

“Spellbinding. Readers will feel they are watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie as they turn the pages of this vivid, fast-paced novel about how uncovering the past can lead to discovering oneself. You’ll never look at vintage clothes quite the same way again.”

—Jennifer Coburn, author of We’ll Always Have Paris

“Jill G. Hall’s book is a real page-turner! Artists everywhere will especially enjoy reading about the artistic process and the inspiration behind creating new work!”
—Jane LaFazio, mixed media artist and feature writer for, Cloth, Paper, Scissors and Quilting Arts magazines
“The Black Velvet Coat is a story about fate and friendship and love. These characters will break your heart in all the best ways.”
—T. Greenwood, author of The Forever Bridge and Where I Lost Her

Five Books I Highly Recommend, 2016 —Jenny Redbug

7 Fall Fiction Reads With Strong Female Leads! —BuzzFeed

Top 10 Best New Books of October 2015 —The Culturalist

SD MetroArticle by Jennifer Coburn, A Writer to Watch

The San Diego Union-Tribune article by John Wilkens, A coat, a key and the beginnings of a novel

La Jolla Village News and Peninsula Beacon, San Diego Community News Group by Martin Jones Westlin, For Point Loma debut novelist, art imitates life (and vice versa)

“For that friend who’s seen every Hitchcock film a thousand times, this book will bring her a new twist. A modern version of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, this mystical tale is a thriller in its own right.” Bustle

“Ms. Hall has written a most amazing debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what she offers us next.” Book Babble

These collages, assemblages and mosaics were inspired by The Black Velvet Coat or incorporated into it. Many times I used the process of making them to add depth to my writing in a later draft. If you’ve read the novel see if you can recognize which chapters the pieces may have come from.

Download the Discussion Sheet to print it.

Discussion Questions

  1. The book explores the lives of two women at defining moments in adulthood. Do you identify more with Sylvia or Anne? Who would you want as your best friend?
  2. How are the decisions that Sylvia and Anne make shaped by the era they live in? How do you think each would do if they switched places in time?
  3. What do you think the police would have done if Sylvia turned herself in after shooting Ricardo? How would they react today? Do you think gender, race, and class would have played a role then? Would it now?
  4. Anne struggles with her career and yet, when she has the opportunity to show her work to a gallery owner, she takes off. Why does she flee the scene? Did you find this understandable or frustrating?
  5. Do you believe that the key Anne finds in the black velvet coat pocket and the amulet Sylvia was given by Betty Lou have magical qualities?
  6. When Sylvia is with Betty Lou in Arizona, she tells her that it is her destiny to return to San Francisco. Do you believe in destiny?
  7. When Anne visits her friend and fellow artist Dorothea in New York, she finds a very different person than the one she once knew. Was it Dorothea’s success, environment, or drug use that caused such a drastic transformation in her personality? Have you ever had a friend like this?
  8. What are the main events that helped both Anne and Sylvia gain confidence and grow as characters throughout the story?
  9. What advice would you give Sylvia or Anne at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?
  10. The story included prophetic dreams. Do you believe dreams can foretell the future? Have you ever had a dream that became a reality?
  11. The book uses several cinematic elements. If you were to cast the movie, who do you think should play Anne and Sylvia? Who would play the supporting roles?
  12. Do you shop at vintage stores? Do you ever wonder about who owned certain items and what their life was like?