Blog – Page 53 – Kim Fielding Writes

Travel tips

As some of you may have surmised by now, I love to travel. My wanderings often inspire my stories. For example, my latest novella, The Pillar, was born after I spent a few days in Bosnia & Herzegovina. I’ve been around a good chunk of the United States and Europe. I’ve even been lucky enough to live in Croatia twice for brief periods.

As the semester begins, I’m dreaming of travel. So I thought it would be fun to share some of my tips. Please add your own in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

1. Learn a few words of the local language. Nobody in Budapest expects a tourist to be fluent in Hungarian. I’m fluent only in English and I’ve gotten by fine everywhere I’ve been. But it’s important to greet someone and be able to say please and thank you in their language. My atrocious attempts at French have brought friendly responses from Parisians, and Zagreb merchants have been delighted when they realize I can manage a few words of Croatian.

2. If you get stuck language-wise, look for a young person to translate. I don’t know how well this tip works elsewhere, but it’s served me well in central and eastern Europe. Older people there often learned Russian or German as their second language, but folks born after 1990 or so are generally pretty proficient in English. I’ve employed strangers as impromptu translators in grocery stores and post offices, and none of them minded. In fact, some of them were happy to practice their English with a native speaker. Once in Zagreb, a university student intentionally rode the tram well past her own stop just so she could chat in English with me.

3. Hire local tour guides. I like a good guidebook (I’m a Rick Steves fan), and I also like to explore on my own. But I’ve become convinced that local guides are worth their weight in gold. Even if you’re with them only a couple of hours, you’ll learn so much more. I spent a day in Sarajevo with an amazing guide. Not only did he show me a good chunk of the city, but I got to hear firsthand what it was like to live in the city during the siege. Guides can give you tips about restaurants and sights, and also help you find stuff that guidebooks don’t mention, like the names of good Bosnian punk bands. And guides can give you all sorts of unique perspectives, like in Barcelona, where my daughter and I did a tour on an antique motorcycle with a sidecar.

4. Don’t try to see everything. The other day I saw an ad for a package vacation: London, Paris, and Rome in nine days. Yikes. Personally, I’d rather take my time. I may see fewer sights, but I’ll have the time to truly see them. Plus I’ll have the chance for one of my favorite activities: sitting at cafes and people-watching. And when I get home, I’ll have vivid memories instead of just blurs.

5. Walk. I think this is the best way to see places. Some cities are big enough that I have to rely on public transportation to some extent, but I try to spend as much time as possible on foot. I truly see the details of a place that way. My daughter and I spent a day in Edinburgh with a friend, and we walked over eight miles that day. It’s remained one of our favorite memories of our trip.

6. Don’t ignore the smaller sights. Yes, if you’re in Paris go see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. But also stroll around LeMarais (and go to this boulangerie) or visit Pere Lachaise cemetery. I love quirky museums like Vancouver’s Police Museum and Zagreb’s Museum of Broken Relationships. And I also like visiting smaller, less-touristy towns. Venice was amazing but I also really enjoyed Trieste. Vienna was wonderful, but so was Graz.

7. Live like a local. Most of us probably can’t pick up and move to Berlin for a few months. But even if we’re there only a few days, we can often rent an apartment instead of staying at a hotel. The advantages are many. Usually you get more space, and often for less money. You often get to stay in a less-touristy area. You get a kitchen, which means you can save money by cooking for yourself. Plus you get to shop at local greenmarkets and grocery stores, which is one of my favorite things to do. Your temporary landlords are often excellent sources of local information. And you can stay in some amazing places. I’ve been able to sleep in a medieval apartment adjacent to a Roman palace, in another medieval apartment halfway up a steep stairway in Dubrovnik, in a comfy walk-up in London, and in the second oldest building in Vienna.

8. Plan, but don’t overplan. I make my travel and lodging arrangements ahead of time, and I read a guidebook or two. But I also leave room for surprises and extemporaneous fun. Some of my favorite memories come from these surprises, like the time I was the only passenger on a commercial airline flight. And some surprises are just… well, surprising. Like discovering your first squat toilet.

9. Don’t freak out. The unexpected happens during travel. I make arrangements for the true disasters–lost passports, illness, theft. But I go with the flow for more minor stuff. Those minor things make the best stories later anyway! Like the time my husband and 8-year-old were supposed to meet us in Venice but got lost (everybody does, at first)–until I happened to glance out the window and see them walking by. Or the extra day I got to spend in Iowa City with a good friend, thanks to Delta Airlines. Or the trip to Budapest and Prague when I realized that it wasn’t the heat or overindulgence in fruit (I miscalculated kilos and pounds in my head and ended up with way too many raspberries) that was making me feel icky, but rather morning sickness.

10. Don’t overpack. I struggle with this one myself, actually. But I did do nine days in London and Edinburgh with only a carryon-sized suitcase and a computer bag, so even I can do it. I just give myself the Mars lecture while I’m packing: “You’re not going to Mars. If you need something really badly you can buy it there.” And hey, those purchases then become souvenirs too, like the pajamas I bought in Barcelona while Air France tried to find my luggage.

11. Wear comfy shoes. Even if you have a limited budget, this is not the place to skimp.

12. Do some touristy stuff. Like many people, I hate to think of myself as a tourist–even when I totally am. And so I tend to avoid sights I think are too touristy (I’m talking about you, Madame Toussaint’s and Pier 39). But some touristy things are totally worth it, like a gondola ride in Venice or the Edinburgh vaults tour. Just choose wisely.

13. Of course it’s not like home. Some things are better in the US than elsewhere. Air conditioning. Free drink refills. Toilet paper. But don’t whine when the cafes are full of cigarette smoke in Sarajevo or the cobblestone streets are uneven in Edinburgh or building ineriors are overheated during the winter in Warsaw. If you want to make sure everything is exactly like home, stay home. 🙂 Personally, I think travel makes me better appreciate certain things about home, while also experiencing all sorts of new and wonderful things.

What rules of travel do you follow? Do you have tips for all the many parts of the world I haven’t visited? What would you want people visiting your hometown to know?

Say hello to contest judge Charley Descoteaux

In case you missed it, I’m running a contest to celebrate The Pillar’s release. You can see the details here. And I have ~~coerced~~ persuaded three lovely people to serve as contest judges: Bru Baker, Andrea Speed, and Charley Descoteaux. Yay! Today’s blog entry is a guest post from Charley, who also had a new release very recently.

Top Five Things I Geek Over

Authors whose books are like onions.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Mystery Science Theater 3000
The stories behind the music I love (anything from Tool to 50 year old West Coast jazz)
Research!

I did a lot of research for The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds, even though I’ve been watching birds in the Pacific Northwest for almost 25 years (and have first-hand experience with a few other things that happen in the book). I researched Jeep Wranglers and hypothermia and organic farms and folk art. Of course I did some of that online, but I also read books and magazines, and visited museums and nature preserves. More than once I walked the streets where my characters lived and worked (and played)—just to get the feel of a place at a certain time of day. It was a blast!

I hope you enjoy the story, and that the research doesn’t jump out and wave a rainbow flag in your face. Research is fun, but the idea is for it to be invisible from the other side. Let me know how I did!

The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds, by Charley Descoteaux

All he ever wanted was to be a normal guy….

Phil Brask spends his days in the basement of his mentor’s Victorian home, converting legal documents into electronic format. When the pipe feeding the water heater bursts, Lee Redding arrives in the plumber’s truck and draws Phil away from the narrow focus of his computer and camera lens. Lee gives Phil hope for a life beyond the walls he’s constructed using the nesting habits of migratory birds and dense legal files, a guided tour through a world filled with romance and music…maybe even family. But there’s a reason Phil retreated behind those walls, why he panics at a simple touch.

Lee has a good life—working with his uncle and on his mother’s farm, playing bass in a horrible metal band, and hooking up when he pleases—but he’s always suspected something was missing. When he meets the hot photographer with the icy-blue eyes, he knows exactly what that something is. Phil isn’t like other guys, but neither is Lee beneath his carefree exterior. Maybe Lee’s the perfect guy to show Phil that everything doesn’t have to be done the hard way and “home” isn’t a four-letter word.

Excerpt:

Lee popped the tops on two cans, one in each hand, as he walked across the clearing. He’d spent a few Willston Jubilee weekends working in the beer gardens, and opening twice the number of beers he could drink at once wasn’t the only useless skill he’d practiced. Phil’s eye roll didn’t take anything from the fact that his face wasn’t pointed toward the ground.

“Ch-check it out.” Phil took a long pull from the can as he stepped aside to let Lee look through the viewfinder.

Lee was speechless. The view was like nothing he’d ever seen in real life: a huge bowl-like nest that had to have been made from branches the size of his wrist sat near the top of a tall old maple. Two full-grown blue herons stood outside the nest, and as Lee watched, four or five beaks appeared and started a cacophony of bird sounds.

It was cool, but not cooler than what happened next. Phil moved so close he was almost pressed against Lee’s side, and then he bumped him out of the way with a strategically placed shoulder. Lee took a few steps sideways to keep his feet and when he turned, Phil was snapping photos like a photographer on America’s Next Top Model. And smiling. Not a split your face kind of smile—somehow Phil’s plain joy packed even more of a wallop. Phil was captivated by what he was doing—snapping a series of pictures, fiddling with the settings on his camera, and then snapping few more.

If the guy puts that much effort into sex, I might not live through it.

Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they let her sleep once in a while. Home is Portland, Oregon, where the weather is like your favorite hard-case writing buddy who won’t let you get away with taking too many days off, and in some places you can be as weird as you are without fear. As an out and proud bisexual and life-long weird-o, she thinks that last part is pretty cool.

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5271

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Nesting-Habits-Strange-Birds-ebook/dp/B00MMEGIC6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407899087&sr=1-1

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thenestinghabitsofstrangebirds-1592772-149.html

Rattle my cages—I’d love to hear from you!

Blog: http://cdescoteauxwrites.com/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleyDescote

e-mail: c.descoteauxwrites@gmail.com

Please welcome Charlie Cochet!

A Rose by Any Other Name
by Charlie Cochet

Genre: M/M historical romance, 1920s
Length: Novel, 270 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

Nights in the roaring city remind bright young things that life’s too short to take for granted. Tucked away in Times Square hides the Pantheon: a secret cabaret for wealthy gay men. Pretty young men in elaborate costumes and rouged lips are eager to please, and the champagne flows all night long. It’s a world of frivolity, fantasy, and debauchery. As Eros, the most sought after performer at the Pantheon, Julius uses his beauty and charm on enthusiastic patrons, but growing weary of superficial love, he longs to make a better life for himself.

Five years after being declared mentally unfit after surviving the trenches of No Man’s Land, Edward Joseph Clarence Junior pieced his shattered life back together. Now he’s ready to take on the family empire. To celebrate his thirtieth birthday, Edward’s cousin takes him to the most posh nightclub in town, the Pantheon. Falling under the sway of Eros, Edward and Julius find a love they’ve never imagined and the chance for a future they had only dared to dream about. But as Ares, a notorious gangster and Julius’s most important—and dangerous— client watches them, the threat to their love and their lives grows by the day.

Pre-order from Dreamspinner Press in eBook and Paperback

Available September 12th, 2014

Excerpt

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you two for—” Eros stopped in his tracks and stared at Edward. “You’re here. Again.”

Edward stood and took Eros’s hand, giving it a kiss. “I thought maybe after the second or third night you would have believed me.” The young man looked absolutely stunning as always, the gold cloth wrapped low on his slim hips working a now familiar magic.

Eros wasted no time in removing his hand from Edward’s grasp. “What reason do I have to believe someone who broke into my dressing room and then lied to me about who he was?”

Well, this was certainly news to him. “I said I was an executive for Clarence and Company Department Stores, which I am.”

Eros leaned toward him, his voice lowered. “You seemed to have conveniently left out the tiny detail concerning you also being heir to the Clarence and Company multimillion dollar fortune.”

“Does it matter?” It wasn’t as though Edward wished to go about advertising his wealth, but he wouldn’t have thought Eros had any reason to be discreet about it.

“Does it—?” Eros shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. “I don’t have time for this.”

Perhaps it was time for Edward to get to the heart of the matter and the reason why Eros was doing his best to avoid Edward to the point of being brazen with him when every chorus boy, cupid, and Ancient Greek deity seemed to be in a constant state of frenzy each night in the hopes of roping themselves a wealthy patron.

“Have I done something to offend you?” Edward took hold of Eros’s hand again, refusing to let it go. After the second tug, Eros let out a sigh and left his hand in Edward’s grip. Eros was absolutely enchanting, even when he was irritated.

“No, nothing. I apologize.”

Then it struck him. How could he not have seen it? He’d been looking at this all wrong. The thought had Edward smiling from ear to ear. “It’s not me you’re upset with, is it? You’re upset with yourself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Eros scoffed. “I happen to be quite fond of myself.”

“You were hoping I’d be here.”

Eros tugged at his hand again. “Well, aren’t we sure of ourselves. For Pete’s sake, would you let go of my hand?”

“You’ve been curious about me since we met. Only now you know the extent of my wealth, you feel threatened. You believe I’ll be no better than the others, wanting nothing more from you than what I pay for, and it’s disappointed you.”

Eros narrowed his eyes at him, at which point Edward promptly let go of his hand. For a love God, Eros certainly had one hell of a murderous glare. Edward was pushing his luck, but he went with his gut feeling.

“Edward, if I felt threatened by a man’s wealth, I would hardly be in this line of work. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. I feel empowered.”

Eros closed the distance between them and ran his hands slowly up Edward’s chest, over his shoulders, and down his back, smiling triumphantly when Edward gave a start at the feel of Eros’s fingers digging into his backside.

“You see, you may have wealth, but I have the power to take it away.”

Eros gave a low, sultry moan before running his tongue over his bottom lip. Pressing himself against Edward, one hand discreetly moved around the front to grip Edward through his trousers. Edward shut his eyes, willing himself to breathe.

“I can feel how hard you’re getting, Edward. Don’t play games with me, or I will make you wish you never set foot in here. Do you think I haven’t come across men like you before?”

His hand slowly started to stroke Edward through his trousers.

“Jesus,” Edward breathed, his hands going to Eros’s shoulders. He had to put a stop to this madness. It was clear Eros was willing to take this as far as he needed to in order to get his point across, and Edward was foolish enough to stand here and let him.

“Honey-sweet words mean little to me, Edward. Do you know how many men have offered to whisk me away from my filthy, devious life? Put me up in some Fifth Avenue penthouse, pay me an allowance, and give me anything I wish for? Do you want to make me your personal whore?”

Edward gently pushed Eros away, drawing a look of surprise from him. “Enough. I neither believe so little of you nor of myself. I won’t have my character insulted. If you have the power to take my wealth as you say you do, why didn’t you take it? You saw how eager I was, yet you continually push me away.”

“You turned him away?” Pothos asked, gaping at Eros.

“Of course not.” Eros lifted his chin defiantly and took a step back. “He stated he would make an arrangement with Aphrodite, and I didn’t object.”

“Only after I refused to leave,” Edward reminded him. “You had ample opportunity to take what you wanted from me, yet all you wanted was for me to leave. Why? What are you afraid of?”

Eros rolled his eyes. “Being bored to death. Honestly, why aren’t you doing Vaudeville with your act? I choose my clients, Edward, and I didn’t choose you. Your bruised ego will simply have to get over it. Now if you will excuse me.”

“Why haven’t you told anyone else who I am? Do you refuse to share me, or are you protecting me?” Edward held back a smile when Eros spun around and marched back to poke him in the chest.

“You seem to have developed this ridiculous notion I care about what you do, Edward. I haven’t spoken of it to anyone as it’s not my place to do so. I pride myself on my discretion and integrity. However, if you wish to announce your wealth to the whole damned club, be my guest! And you’re right; you aren’t like the others, because no one is as infuriating as you are!”

Eros threw his arms up in frustration and stormed off.

“Did I mention you look stunning when you’re angry?” Edward called after him.

Eros grabbed a champagne glass off a passing waiter’s tray and hurled it at Edward. “Go fly a kite!”

With a laugh, Edward managed to jump out of the way in the nick of time, the glass shattering on the floor where he’d been standing. By the time he looked up, Eros was nowhere in sight.

“I think he likes me.”

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

The Pillar Release Day — and Contest!

Today is release day for my newest novella, The Pillar! You can buy it at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, ARe, or other booksellers. To celebrate, I’m running a contest. Details are below, but first, the blurb:

During his youth, orphaned thief Faris was flogged at the pillar in the town square and left to die. But a kind old man saved him, gave him a home, and taught him a profession. Now Faris is the herbalist for the town of Zidar, taking care of the injured and ill. He remains lonely, haunted by his past, and insecure about how his community views him. One night, despite his reluctance, he saves a dying slave from the pillar.

A former soldier, Boro has spent the last decade as a brutalized slave. Herbs and ointment can heal his physical wounds, but both men carry scars that run deep. Bound by the constraints of law and social class in 15th century Bosnia, Faris and Boro must overcome powerful enemies to protect the fragile happiness they’ve found.

That lovely cover is by Shobana Appavu.

I’m really excited about this book and I fell hard for Faris and Boro. I hope you do too! Even if historicals aren’t usually your thing, give this one a try. Maybe you’ll discover you adore medieval Bosnia.

Now for the contest. I had such fun with the haiku contest that I wanted to try something else kind of different. Here are the rules:

To enter, comment on this entry with a piece of m/m flash fiction no more than 140 characters long! Any rating is fine, but they must be your original words. Your characters can be your own originals or you can borrow guys from any of my books. (Please don’t use anybody else’s guys because we don’t have permission.)
Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.
You may submit up to 3 entries.
Contest ends August 20, 2014 at noon Pacific time.
A panel of judges will choose the winner. The decision is final. The winner will receive a copy of the audiobook version of my award-winning fantasy novel, Brute.
If there are more than 30 valid entries, we will choose a second place winner as well. The second-prize winner will receive a copy of the ebook version of my paranormal novel, Motel Pool.

If you have any questions, please email me: kim@kfieldingwrites.com

The Pillar

My new novella is The Pillar. In part, the title refers to a literal pillar of stone. In my story, criminals and disobedient slaves are tied to the pillar and whipped as punishment. Some of them are left there to die–unless a kind stranger saves them.

The novella is set in a fictional town in 15th century Bosnia. Although I’ve exercised creative license with medieval Bosnian law, punishment pillars did in fact exist in that general region.

I took this photo a few years ago in the town of Zadar, which is located on the coast of Croatia:

(Yes, Spike the vampire travels with me. He’s been to over a dozen countries. He’s a good travel companion.)

Zadar was once a part of the Roman empire, and the city had a large Roman forum, or square. This photo shows a part of the forum (although the buildings are newer). See that stone column to the right of Spike? That was the Pillar of Shame. Wrongdoers would be chained to it and humiliated or beaten.

Other cities in Europe also had punishment pillars, and some still remain. When I googled, I found one in Senec, Slovakia. And here’s one in Germany and one in Portugal. In England and the early U.S., we had a slightly different version of this form of punishment; we called it the pillory.

In my novella, an orphaned thief named Faris barely survives the pillar as a youth. years later, he rescues another man from the pillar–a slave named Boro. As for what happens next, you’ll have to read the book! It’s available now for preorder and releases August 13.

Andrew Q. Gordon on the Allure of Fantasy

The Allure of Fantasy

For the past few years, the MM Romance group on Goodreads has organized the ‘Don’t Read in the Closet’ [DRitC] event. Readers find a picture that speaks to them. They explain what the picture means and then ask an author to write the story. The stories are posted on both Goodreads and on a website where readers can download the story for free in whichever format they choose.

There were a wide mix of things, but when you toss out things I don’t like—BDSM (not IRL or in fiction), Gay For You, (don’t get me started), Tentacle (I so don’t get this, sorry to all who do)—the remainder were contemporary romance or Sci-fi/Fantasy/Paranormal. I went with Fantasy. Here’s the prompt I selected:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1729208-dear-author-ilona—claimed-by-andrew-q-gordon

Now, those who’ve read Kim’s work extensively know she is quite the Mistress of Fantasy Fiction Extraordinaire. It’s something of a fan boy moment to be talking fantasy to her readers, but I’ll try to keep my fawning to a minimum.

I’ve always loved fantasy books, one of the first books I read just to read, was The Lord of the Rings. After that I would scan the fantasy aisle at the local B. Dalton (a relic of my lost youth that is sadly gone forever) and bought darn near every fantasy book and/or series I could find. I would say there are two different ‘classes’ of books, those that follow the mighty hero, i.e. the wizard with all the shiny toys and awesome spells, and those that follow the Frodo Baggins of the world. I think for the most part I prefer to write from the mighty wizard’s point of view.

When it came time to write Ashes of Life, I opted for a different approach. I wanted to write from the everyday man’s point of view. The guy who wanted to save the world, but who didn’t have the power to match his or desire. I wanted the perspective of the man who had everything at stake, but could do little effect the outcome.

One of the more difficult things about fantasy is world building. Doing it in under a trilogy is an achievement. Although the event didn’t have a word limit, the time frame—45 days, 60 days max—created its own cap which made it that much harder. That made this story that much harder.

My focus was to create the world with enough detail that it kept the story together, but not so much to bog it down and eat up the limited words I had to work with. The result? I made the story less about the magic, or the fight and more about the relationship between Thane, the everyday man who saves the phoenix, and the phoenix Eraq, who is at the heart of the battle to save the world.

I hope I struck a good balance. If you get a chance to read the story, let me know if I succeeded.

You can download the book for free in ePub, Mobi or PDF from the MM Romance Groups website: Ashes of Life, by Andrew Q. Gordon

Ashes of Life, By Andrew Q. Gordon

Blurb:

When Sergeant Thane asked his best friend and second in command, to go riding, he had no idea how much his life would change. Taken by his horse to a forest that shouldn’t exist, Thane hears a cry for help.

Answering the plea, Thane releases a phoenix—Eraq—from his centuries long imprisonment. Eraq’s first act of freedom is to claim Thane as his own.

But the phoenix is more than he appears. A mage-shifter, Eraq sets his sights on the man who answered his call for help. Thane returns the interest despite learning that his act of liberation has set in motion events that will change the world.

When he learns his relationship with Eraq places him at the center of events beyond his understanding, Thane refuses to abandon the man he’s come to love. Even if it hurtles him toward certain death.

About the Author:

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write. He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes.

Social Media Links:

You can find his books at

Wayward Ink Publishing

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Follow Andrew on his website: www.andrewqgordon.com,

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon,

On Twitter: @andrewqgordon,

Or just email him: andrewqgordon@gmail.com

Mostar

If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you know that my upcoming novella, The Pillar, is set in 15th century Bosnia. The story was inspired by a few days I spent in Bosnia & Herzegovina last year. I’ve already posted pictures from the country’s fascinating capital, Sarajevo. But The Pillar is set in a fictional town called Zidar, which is based loosely on the real town of Mostar.

The photo at the top of this entry tells you right away why Mostar is a popular tourist destination. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

It was raining the November day I visited, so my photos look like watercolor paintings. Mostar is just as beautiful close-up, with the cobbled streets and multicolored houses.

The city has a long history. One of my favorite places to visit was this beautiful mosque–now a museum. It’s the same mosque you can see on the left side of the photo above. It was built in the 17th century. Here’s the interior:

The courtyard outside the mosque is the direct inspiration for the courtyard in The Pillar where Faris the healer first meets Boro, a dying slave. In real life, there’s no pillar in Mostar–although there is one In a coastal town in Croatia. I’ll share that photo in a later post. You can see the fictional courtyard in Shobana Appavu’s gorgeous cover for The Pillar.

As in much of the rest of the country, some of Mostar’s history is tragic. During the war in the early 1990s, much of the city was under seige. Whereas in Sarajevo, it was mostly Bosnian Serb forces that beseiged the city, in Mostar it was mostly Bosnian Croat forces. Local Bosniaks (Muslims) had to flee or live under terrible conditions, and there was a lot of damage to the city. (I won’t even attempt here to explain the complexities of that war. I’m hardly an expert on the subject anyway. Suffice it to say that I’ve seen enough to understand that the human toll was chilling.)

Perhaps the most heartbreaking damage was the destruction of the Old Bridge (Stari Most), which was built in the 17th century. The town itself was named after the bridge: Mostar means bridgekeeper.

Several years after the war, the bridge was rebuilt using stones from the same quarry as the original, and using the same techniques. It’s a centuries-old tradition for young men to dive into the river from the bridge. Nobody was diving on the chilly day I was there, though!

I took this photo from one end of the bridge. In my book, I describe an important office building. I imagined it looking much like the yellow building you see to the right of the tower.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very conducive that day to lingering by the bridge with some Bosnian coffee. But I did have a very nice meal:

That’s local trout with blitva (sauteed Swiss chard) on the side. Mmm, I love blitva. And yes, my dear American readers, it is customary in Europe for fish to be served whole, eyes and all. For some reason, here in the US we don’t like our dinners looking back at us.

Aside from being proficient in English, the waiters at this restaurant also sailed instantly and effortlessly between three currencies, maintaining the proper exchange rates the whole time.

I really only had half a day in Mostar. I very much hope to return someday soon!

Please welcome Dani Myrick!

Hello, everyone! My name is Dani Myrick, and Kim has kindly loaned me her blog today to tell you about my debut novella, His Familiar Scars.

Since I’m a new, unknown author–all shiny-eyed and just happy to be here in that annoying fashion newbies have–let’s start with a few things about me, quick and dirty-like…

Occupation: full-time college student (returned last year at age 36)

Personality: anxiety-prone, obsessive-compulsive, chronically lost, socially awkward introvert with a severe overload of imagination

Obsessions: writing and anime

Hobbies: reading and drawing

I’ve written fiction for as long as I can remember–fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, cyberpunk, even horror–mostly to bring some stability to the churning morass my brain becomes once characters take up residence, clamoring to be heard (yes, I’ve seen professionals; no, they didn’t prescribe medication–yet).

His Familiar Scars is my first romance, an experiment to push the limits of what was comfortable and “safe” for me to write. I couldn’t be happier with the results, and the fact that I’m able to share it with others is truly exciting! My writing passions include voicing unique characters, capturing the equal parts awkwardness and awesomeness of real relationships, and bringing together people who just, well, belong with one another (sometimes because no one else could handle them).

Now, onto the exciting stuff!

Description:

Ever since Ben’s childish dare caused Nazil to break his arm, the two have been inseparable best friends. Over the last three years, Ben has grown accustomed to Nazil’s outspoken personality and crazy schemes, but he is totally unprepared for the secret Nazil has been hiding–Nazil’s feelings for Ben go way past friendship. Spurred into action by a family move out of state, Nazil finally confesses. After the initial shock wears off, Ben finds that he returns Nazil’s affection. Now they must pull off Nazil’s wildest scheme yet in order to convince Nazil’s homophobic parents that he should stay behind with Ben when the rest of them move away.

His Familiar Scars is available at the Dreamspinner Press website here http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5268

While I leave cover art to the professionals, that doesn’t stop me from drawing my own characters to the best of my (limited) artistic abilities. So, to conclude today’s post, here is some of my own artwork showing Ben and Nazil!

Also, if you’re interested in my online presence, you can find me at http://danimyrick.wordpress.com/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/danimyrickauthor

GRL Swag Poll

I’m excited that I’ll be attending GayRomLit this year as a supporting author! I went in 2012 and had a blast, but had to miss it last year because I was in Europe (I know–boo hoo). Now I’m trying to make a decision about swag, and I’d love your input.

I will definitely have two free stories to give away! One of them is a sequel to Guarded. But I wanted to give out something else too. I’ll have two releases in October and I thought it would be fun to theme my swag with one or both of those.

Bone Dry will be coming out that month. It’s the 3rd book in the Bones series. I will also have a vodou-themed novella called “The Dance.” It’ll be one of the stories in the second Gothika anthology, which is called Bones. So bones-themed swag makes sense to me.

But also, Bone Dry includes a pair of ducks and a dream unicorn named Skuld as minor characters. So maybe that would be fun.

Please vote your choice below. Feel free to spread the word so your friends can vote too. Oh, and comments are very welcome! Thank you!

online poll by Opinion Stage

Please welcome Bru Baker!

Thanks for hosting me, Kim! I’m wrapping up my blog tour for Finding Home, which was released in June. I feel like the blog tour—and the summer—has just flown by, which I suppose is to be expected when you’re having fun, right?

Finding Home is the second book in the Dropping Anchor series. The book’s main character is Ian Mackay, who was a briefly mentioned secondary character in the first book, Island House. It was an interesting challenge to take him from the unapologetically selfish playboy we met in Island House and make him into the kind of character readers would want to see get his happily ever after, but there was always more to Ian than met the eye.

He helps Niall through an emotional journey in the first book, and the second book shows Ian’s own trek from one night stands to a serious, monogamous relationship. I had so much fun writing Ian, since even though he’s a good guy at heart, he’s still a jackass. I love multifaceted characters, and Ian sparkles like the shiniest gem out there. *g*

He also makes quite a few appearances in book three, which was just contracted this month. (Yay!) That book, tentatively titled Playing House right now, is a little different from the other two in the series. While books one and two showed the main characters meeting someone and falling in love, book three picks up with a couple who has already been together for a decade and a half. Their struggle isn’t their relationship, which is solid, but the question of whether or not to expand their family and adopt a child. Like all books in the Dropping Anchor series, though, at its heart it’s the story of the main character growing into himself and discovering who he really is. In this case, that’s Frank coming to terms with issues that have defined him for all of his life and figuring out how to manage those and move forward in a way that will keep his relationship with Warner healthy, whether or not they actually decide to bring a child into their family.

That third (and final) book in the series will be out in late 2014. The series is about personal growth and accepting who you are, and it’s managed to play that part in my writing career as well. I’ve spent the last two years with these books, and they’ve helped me grow and develop as a writer. I’m going to be sorry to see them end!

Blurb:

When an inheritance fell in Ian Mackay’s lap, he fled the high-pressure banking industry and didn’t look back. Since then, he’s spent four years living carefree on the island of Tortola, his life a series of hookups and hanging out with friends.

After his best friend moves to Seattle and gets married, Ian finds himself lost. His unapologetic existence doesn’t hold the same appeal, and he wonders if he’s throwing his life away. After visiting Niall in Seattle, Ian decides to stay, but that means taking his life off hold and finding a real job. Meeting Luke Keys, who is about as far from a player as possible, isn’t the plan but might be just what Ian needs. Luke and his values intrigue Ian, and he pursues Luke ruthlessly until Luke agrees to a date.

Their courtship sweeps Ian off his feet, and when the relationship gets complicated, Ian has the chance to cut and run. Habits born from years of being on his own are hard to shake, and self-proclaimed playboy Ian must decide if love is worth fighting for.

Finding Home is available through Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AllRomance, and other book retailers.

Bru Baker is a freelance journalist who writes for newspapers and magazines. Fiction makes her happiest, whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s. She and her husband live in the Midwest with their two young children, whose antics make finding time to write difficult but never let life get boring.

Visit Bru online at www.bru-baker.com or follow her on Twitter.