Interview With Kimaya Krishnan, Author of Mia and the brush of Infinity

An engaging Frontlist interview with Kimaya Krishnan exploring the inspiration, imagination, and real-life experiences behind Mia and the Brush of Infinity.
on Sep 11, 2026

Frontlist: Where did the idea for Mia and her magical paintbrush first come to you?
Kimaya: The idea came from combining two things I’ve always loved: stories and imagination. I liked the thought of a character being able to literally paint her way into places that existed only in her imagination. From there, Mia and her magical paintbrush slowly came to life.

Frontlist: “One Paint Brush. Endless worlds.” - if you had to describe the heart of this story in just one sentence, what would it be?
Kimaya: I’d say: “Your imagination can take you places you never thought were possible.” At its heart, Mia and the Brush of Infinity is about creativity, curiosity, and discovering how powerful your imagination can be.

Frontlist: Is there a real-life inspiration behind Mia - someone you know, or even yourself as a child?
Kimaya: Mia definitely has a little bit of me in her. I’ve always been a very imaginative person, and as a child, I loved getting lost in books and creating stories in my head. Mia takes that curiosity and imagination and turns it into an adventure.

Frontlist:Art and destiny are woven together in this book. Why did you choose painting, specifically, as Mia’s gateway into these other worlds?
Kimaya: I chose painting because it felt almost magical on its own. When you paint something, you’re taking an idea from your mind and bringing it into the real world. So I thought, what if Mia could take that one step further and actually enter what she paints? It made painting the perfect bridge between imagination and reality.

Frontlist:Which of the “endless worlds” in the book was the most fun for you to imagine and write?
Kimaya: The most fun were the worlds where I could completely let my imagination run wild. I loved thinking about what the places would look like, what rules they would have, and what surprises Mia might discover there. Honestly, creating the worlds was one of my favourite parts of writing the book.

Frontlist:Was this always meant to be a story for children, or did it start out as something else entirely?
Kimaya: I think it naturally became a children’s story because I wanted young readers to experience the same feeling of wonder that I get from reading fantasy. But I also wanted it to be a story that adults could enjoy because of its themes of imagination, courage, and discovery.

Frontlist:What do you hope young readers take away from Mia’s journey, beyond just the adventure?
Kimaya: I hope they realise that their imagination is something worth holding onto. I also want them to understand that being curious and trying new things can lead to amazing discoveries. Most importantly, I hope the book makes them want to pick up another book and create worlds of their own.

Frontlist: Every fantasy world needs rules. How did you decide what Mia’s paintbrush could and couldn’t do?
Kimaya: I wanted the paintbrush to feel incredibly powerful, but not so powerful that Mia could solve every problem instantly. Giving it limitations made the adventure more interesting because Mia still had to think, make decisions, and face challenges herself.

Frontlist: Is Mia’s story part of a bigger series, or does her destiny wrap up in this one book?
Kimaya: For now, this book tells Mia’s story, but I definitely think there are possibilities for more adventures. After all, if one paintbrush can open the door to endless worlds, there are probably a lot more stories waiting to be painted.

Frontlist: If you could pick up Mia’s paintbrush yourself, which world would you paint first?
Kimaya: I think I’d paint a world completely filled with books, maybe a giant magical library where every book could transport you into its story. It would basically be a reader’s dream come true. And obviously, I’d probably spend way too long exploring it!