Happy Wednesday Readers! Today’s guest is my good friend Kim Fielding. Kim was one of the first authors I met in person. She was kind to me when I attended my first writing conference and didn’t know anyone. Little did she know I wasn’t going to disappear any year soon. Over the years, I’ve read many Kim Fielding books and loved them all. (Brute is still my favorite.) Kim’s works span different subgenres so there something for every reader. With that, let’s chat with Kim.
After reading, be sure to leave a comment to win a copy of The Bureau: Volume 1 and The Bureau: Volume 2!
ACwA guest: Kim Fielding
- Origin: How did the first story you ever wrote influence your career as an author and how do you feel about that story now?
I’ve been writing stories since I was a little kid. The earliest I remember was something about a haunted spacesuit (a concept I may or may not have plagiarized from Arthur C. Clarke; I can’t recall!). But my writing really kicked into gear decades later when I began writing fanfiction (Buffyverse, and it was Spike slash; thanks for asking). Eventually I wrote my first original novel, Stasis, a dark fantasy set in an alternate universe, with gay men as the protagonists. I self-published it.
That book (which eventually became part of a trilogy) was exactly the jump I needed to become a professional author. It gave me confidence in my abilities to sustain a novel-length story and draw in readers. It taught me a lot about the writing process. And, when an author I really liked (hi, Amy Lane!) read Stasis and urged me to submit future work to a publisher, well, who wouldn’t be inspired by that?
I haven’t reread Stasis in a while, but I’m still proud of it. I like the characters, plot, and themes. I’ve written 30 novels since then, so of course there are things I’d do differently now, but I still like to think it’s a good book!
- Which of your characters is most like you (or someone close to you.)
Most of my characters don’t resemble me much, although they might share one or two of my characteristics. I suppose Elliott Thompson of The Little Library might be the closest. He lives near to where I do, and like me he’s a college professor with a book-accumulation problem. In the novel, he ends up building a Little Free Library. As an example of life imitating art, I installed my own LFL after I wrote the book. My library, however, has not caused me to fall in love with an ex-police officer (much to my husband’s relief!).
- What is your favorite trope and why?
Probably my all-time favorite is hurt-comfort. From an author’s perspective, it gives me the chance to get my characters physically and emotionally close, and it puts even the roughest, toughest protagonist in a vulnerable situation. It has all sorts of opportunities for both sweetness and angst. A character’s response to his own or someone else’s hurt can tell us a lot about him. It’s also endlessly flexible: you can fit it into any genre or setting, and you can make the hurt part as minor or as catastrophic as you like. And I’m sort of cruel, so sometimes I enjoy causing my guys some pain before they get their happy ending.
- How many half-written stories are on your hard-drive and what do you plan to do with them?
Surprisingly few, mostly because I usually don’t let myself start one story until I’ve finished the last. I do have three or four that I got a few pages into before dropping for one reason or another. I hope to return to them someday.
I also have a really, really long file of story ideas. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to them all, but I just recently finished a draft of a novel that came from the very first idea in that file, which has been kicking around for a decade. I had a lot of fun with it too!
- What are you working on next?
In March, I have a short story called Gravemound releasing. It’s based on a Grimm fairy tale but with a science fiction setting. I just sent a long space opera off to my editor for the first round of edits. That one’s going to take a while to see the light of day. I’m also almost done with the first draft of a fantasy novel called Farview. It’s set in the same world as my novella Treasure, and I hope to have it ready for release in late May. After that, I have plans for the 8th book in the Bureau series. The last one had a bit of a tease about Charles’s father, and I’d like to follow up on that. And after that… remember that long idea file? Oh! And also this year, I have at least two audiobooks set for release. Joel Leslie will narrate both The Muffin Man and also my holiday short, “Christmas Present.”
Kim Fielding’s Newest Release
The Muffin Man
Morli is a prince on a mission—but he’d rather be baking.
Baxter is a lonely production artist stuck in a pandemic lockdown.
They are literally universes apart. But with a little help from a magic shop, a raven, and a dead great-aunt who was possibly a witch, Morli and Baxter are joined together on a cross-worlds adventure. Battling killer brambles in order to rescue an enchanted princess seems simple compared to their real challenges: discovering their strengths and creating a future together.
The Muffin Man is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone is in dire need. This book contains reluctant heroes, sentient sourdough starter, lots of carbs, and a guaranteed HEA.
Buy Link
| Amazon |
Giveaway
Leave Kim a comment for a chance to a copy of The Bureau: Volume 1 and The Bureau: Volume 2 in your choice of audio or eBook format! You can enter here on the blog or for those who’d rather not fill out the form to comment, head over to my FaceBook Group – Gallorious Readers and comment there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/galloriousreaders.
About Kim Fielding
Kim Fielding is very pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. A Lambda Award finalist and two-time Foreword INDIE finalist, she has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and currently lives in California, where she long ago ran out of bookshelf space. She’s a university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full time. She also dreams of having two daughters who fully appreciate her, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a house that cleans itself. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.
Where to Find Kim Fielding
| Website | Newsletter Signup | Facebook Group |
I’m excited for the Magic Emporium series! And The Little Library sounds good too. Thanks Andy and Kim!