Please say hello to Kim Fielding with
The Spy's Love Song
a Dreamspun Desires title
Hi! Kim Fielding here, and I have a new book out. Yay! The Spy’s Love Song is the tale of a jaded rock star and a State Department operative who end up in deep trouble in a country with a repressive totalitarian government. And there’s romance.
Today I’m talking about sort of the opposite of romance: spite. And not just any old garden-variety spite. We’re talking about people who take the emotion to such levels that it manifests in architecture. The result is something called, logically enough, a spite house. These are structures built or decorated with the intention of pissing off the neighbors. Perhaps my favorite example of this is the group that bought a house across the street from the homophobic Westboro Baptist Church—and painted the house rainbow colors. This article has more examples, with photos.
I just returned from a trip to Sarajevo, which has its own spite house (Inat Kuća in Bosnian). Back in 1892, when Sarajevo was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, officials wanted to build a fancy city hall. They picked a nice spot on the river and bought all the houses there—except one. The guy refused to sell, even when they offered him a lot of money. Finally, after three years of stubbornness, the guy agreed to sell—but only if they’d rebuild his house, brick by brick, across the river. They agreed. According to the story, he spent the following days standing on the bridge and watching them move his house.
His house is still there, now as a restaurant. I had a nice lunch out on the patio beside the river. I had a lovely view of the city hall.
Have you ever been tempted to do something spiteful?
About the book:
For a singer and a spy, love might be mission impossible.
Jaxon Powers has what most only dream of. Fame. Fortune. Gold records and Grammy awards. Lavish hotel suites and an endless parade of eager bedmates. He’s adored all over the world—even in the remote, repressive country of Vasnytsia, where the tyrannical dictator is a big fan. The State Department hopes a performance might improve US relations with a dangerous enemy. But it means Jaxon’s going in alone… with one exception.
Secret agent Reid Stanfill has a covert agenda with global ramifications. Duty means everything to him, even when it involves protecting a jaded rock star. Jaxon and Reid’s mutual attraction is dangerous under Vasnytsia’s harsh laws—and matters get even worse when they’re trapped inside the borders. Romance will have to wait… assuming they make it out alive.
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About the author:
Kim Fielding is the bestselling 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.
After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, 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.
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Promotional post. Materials provided by the author.
Thanks for letting me stop by today!
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