Please say hello to Kim Fielding with
Drawing The Prince
a Stars From Peril novel
a Dreamspun Desires title
a Dreamspun Desires title
Hi! I’m Kim Fielding, here to celebrate the release of Drawing the Prince.
In this book, Cal is an artist from small-town Nebraska who falls for a European prince named Teo. And really, I can hardly blame him. Not only is Teo handsome and charming, but he lives in a castle. A castle.
I love castles. Not just because the architecture can be amazing and the scale and sumptuousness spectacular, but because they tell stories. If you walk the halls of a castle, you know you’re following in the footsteps of royalty; it’s pretty damn cool to know that kings and queens once stood exactly where you are.
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit several French chateaux with Shira Anthony. Each of them was different, but they were all wonderful. I think maybe Chenonceau was the most beautiful. It’s built right over a river and has a long gallery that served as a hospital during WWI. It’s such a beautiful place that after King Henry II died in 1559, his widow, Catherine de Medici, forced Henry’s mistress to trade it to her for a different chateau. I was also especially fond of Chateau d’Amboise, which contains some whimsical sculptural details. But you have to be careful—King Charles VIII died there after bashing his head on a door lintel.
Of course other countries have fascinating castles too. Also this year, I enjoyed visiting Gravensteen in Ghent. It has an interesting history as a court and prison. In fact, I try to stop at castles whenever I can. I have yet to sleep in one, which is a little disappointing, but I did have lunch in a German castle once, so there’s that.
One drawback of living in the United States is that we’re woefully short of castles. I mean, the Hearst Castle is very impressive, but not as much as places that have been around for hundreds of years. I think if I somehow became fantastically rich, I’d find myself a nice castle somewhere in Europe and move on in. I’d want a large staff to take care of the upkeep and gardens, of course. And I think I’d opt for modern heating and plumbing. But I’d definitely want a dungeon.
The castle in Drawing the Prince is loosely based on a real one, Ljubljana Castle in Slovenia. Some parts of it date back about a thousand years. Since it’s atop a hill, nowadays you can get there by funicular and then climb a tower to enjoy some wonderful views. Alas, no dashing princes live there today. For that we’ll have to join the fictional world of Cal and Teo.
Painting themselves a life together will be a royal ordeal.
Small-town boy Cal Walters doesn’t know whether he owes his phenomenal success as an artist to talent or to his connections to famous people. Doubt leaves him secluded—until a lost bet lands him on yet another blind date. But this one is different.
To Teofilo Vabriga-Kastav, playboy prince of the tiny nation of Porvunia and passionate art lover, Cal’s paintings are as intriguing as Cal himself. When Teo invites Cal to his country for an art competition, a whirlwind romance sweeps them up. But it can’t last—loyalties and obligations bind them to lives that are worlds apart.
Cal and Teo might’ve found their perfect complements in each other, but to hold on to their happiness, they’ll have to get creative.
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About the author:
Kim Fielding is the bestselling, award-winning author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.
Having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls California home. She lives there with her family and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.
Promotional post. Materials provided by the author.
Thank so much for letting me visit today!
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