Kim Fielding | Authentic Voices and Unconventional Heroes
As you might know, I’ve been traveling lately. In the past month I’ve visited Zagreb, Paris, and Los Angeles. So I thought I’d share some vacation photos.
Today a random tour of Zagreb. Nothing earth-shaking, but I love walking around this city, so of course I took some pictures as I went.
A Full Plate is my 20th (!) novel, but the excitement of release day never fades. This one was fluffy and fun to write, set in one of my favorite states. I got to include lawyer jokes (I am a lawyer, so this pleases me) and one of my favorite tropes. I hope you enjoy it too.
And be sure to follow my blog tour!
and other booksellers
I’m pleased to announce that my blog tour for A Full Plate begins today. Each stop includes unique content, often about things that helped inspire the book. And since one of the characters is a cook, most stops include recipes too. Please stop on by, and if you try out the recipes, let me know if you enjoyed.
Anne Barwell spins the wheel today!
Thanks for hosting me today, Kim!
I’m going outside the box with this question. Simon, my vampire from Shades of Sepia, is allergic to silver as all vampires are in The Sleepless City universe. Silver can be used to restrain a vampire, and it burns, so he has fine silver lines around his wrists and ankles after a nasty experience at the hands of another vampire. This is going to be problematic later as the scars on his wrists can be mistaken for something else. Since that incident he usually wears long sleeves to hide them to avoid any awkward questions.
Cheesecake, chocolate, carrot cake, celery with cream cheese, cheese and crackers, and cordial (because I don’t drink coffee and need some beverage in there).
Keep writing whatever happens, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet your word per day goals. Little bits grow into bigger bits even though that big picture is sometimes very scary, and seems unachievable.
I don’t travel often so I prefer to have everything planned out and pack in advance. I’ve also had a lot of experience with ‘whatever will go wrong will at the worst possible moment’ so I don’t like to leave things to the last minute.
Years ago I went on a family picnic by a river, and sat on the side of the riverbank with pen and paper and wrote. It was a great place for inspiration but sadly I got interrupted by people wanting to know what I was doing.
Housework (although apparently if you’re thinking through what you need to do while you’re doing it, it’s not exactly procrastinating), baking or cooking (as it needs to be done ;)), and Facebook.
I’d watch them for a while from a safe hidden distance and try to work out whether they’re friendly or set on world domination. If I decide they’re friendly and make contact I’d still be wary until they’ve proven themselves as I’ve read far too much SF. I’d also need to be sure they’re a threat before contacting authorities because in most SF I’ve read they tend to shoot first and presume all aliens are hostile whether they are or not.
A Knight to Remember – Dragons of Astria #1
“The last of your line will be in the embrace of a dragon.”
Aric, Crown Prince of Astria, has been brought up to believe that all dragons are evil. But when he speaks with one, he finds himself questioning those beliefs. The dragon tells him to find a sword in Sherwin Forest to save not only his kingdom but also his sister, Georgia, who must otherwise wed the prince of a neighboring kingdom.
At the start of his quest, Aric dons a disguise and meets Denys, an archer and herbalist who lives alone at the edge of the forest. Denys agrees to guide Aric into the forest, but then Georgia appears, revealing Aric’s true identity.
However Aric learns he is not the only one keeping secrets. Denys has a few of his own that could change both of their lives forever.
Book buy links:
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-knight-to-remember-by-anne-barwell-1469-b
https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Remember-Anne-Barwell-ebook/dp/B00DOUG4QC/
Author bio:
Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with two cats who are convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date it appears as though the cats may be winning.
In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.
She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts other authors, reviews for the GLBTQ Historical Site “Our Story” and Top2Bottom Reviews, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.
Anne’s books have received honorable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.
Author contacts:
As you might know, I’ve been traveling lately. In the past month I’ve visited Zagreb, Paris, and Los Angeles. So I thought I’d share some vacation photos.
Today’s photos come from one of my favorite methods of transport: trains. I find train travel relaxing, plus I love to gaze out the windows. Last month I took a night train from Zagreb to Munich, then high speed trains from Munich to Stuttgart to Paris. This month I took Amtrak to LA.
We’ll begin in Zagreb. I’ve caught trains at this station many times; for a semester, a lived 5 minutes’ walk from there. This was the first time I splurged on a single sleeper. It was cozy and comfy, and I slept well except when we stopped in Ljubljana and a group of noisy Slovenians boarded.
Breakfast on the train leaves much to be desired, but no problem. I had time in Munich for a pastry and a pretzel. As you can see, it was a chilly morning in Germany. I took that fourth photo as we crossed the border on the ICE train into France.
I don’t often travel by train in the US, but the 15-yr-old and I took Amtrak for a mini vacation in LA. As you can see, Union station in LA is gorgeous.
Do you enjoy train travel?
I’m so excited to share with you the cover for Creature, book 3 in the Bureau series.
Alone in a cell and lacking memories of his past, John has no idea who—or what—he is.
Alone on the streets of 1950s Los Angeles, Harry has far too many memories of his painful past and feels simply resignation in facing his empty future.
When Harry is given a chance to achieve his only dream—to become an agent with the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs—all he has to do is prove his worth. Yet nothing has ever come easy for him. Now he must offer himself and John as bait, enticing a man who wants to conquer death. But first he and John must learn what distinguishes a monster from a man—and what a monster truly wants.
Isn’t that beautiful? It’s by the extremely talented Reese Dante.
Although Creature is the third book in the series, it–like the other stories–can be read as a standalone. It’s the longest yet of the stories, totaling about 34K words. I’ll be doing a blog tour, complete with excerpts, unique posts, and a giveaway.
Creature releases May 7 and you can preorder it now. As with the rest of the series, all my proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.
Oh, and if your preference runs to audiobooks? Joel Leslie will be narrating a collection of all three stories. Look for that to be available in June.
As you might know, I’ve been traveling lately. In the past month I’ve visited Zagreb, Paris, and Los Angeles. So I thought I’d share some vacation photos.
Today’s post? Food!
I began with an Impossible Burger at the airport.
Here are a few of of my favorite Croatian treats. Photo 1: Cookies, poppyseed cake, and my favorite cheese. Photo 2: Kremsnite (somewhat toppled after I carried it to my apartment). Photo 3: Me with a friend, eating strukli and drinking mistletoe brandy. Photo 4: Big Croatian pizzas! Photo 5: Sri Lankan food in a Zagreb restaurant.
In Paris? Of course I had crepes. I also got to enjoy a dinner with this crew. Later it was time for Algerian tagine.
And in LA I introduced my daughter to the joys of room service.
Have you picked up your copy yet of The Little Library? If so, and if you’re looking for your next red, I have good news for you. A Full Plate releases April 17! This is a Dreamspun Desires book, so it’s on the light side, and it centers around one of my favorite tropes: opposites attract. You can preorder it now.
Here’s the blurb to tempt you:
Opposites come together for a spicy surprise.
Bradford “Tully” Tolliver has everything—money, a great car, a beautiful condo, and a promising career as one of Portland’s hottest young lawyers. Sure, he puts in long hours and has no social life to speak of, but who needs romance when corporations pay top dollar for his expertise? He hesitates when a colleague asks if her cousin can live with him, but the arrangement will last less than a year, and then the cousin—Sage Filling—will return to his tiny hometown.
But Sage is handsome and intriguing, and his cooking makes Tully swoon. Sage has obligations back home, though, and Tully has offers he might not refuse from a persistent—and very wealthy—ex. Since Tully and Sage each have a full plate, can they make room for a side of love?
And if that gives you your fill of fluffiness? My third book of the year comes out May 7, and it’s a dark paranormal, the third in the Bureau series. It’s also almost 35K words long, so it’s a novella you can sink your teeth into… so to speak.