Gratitude & Giving Day 3 - Kim Fielding

I’m Kim Fielding, and I’m grateful to K-Lee for letting me visit here today!
Ghost of Gratitude PastI am eternally grateful to NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. I used to think I couldn’t write a novel. But then I heard about NaNoWriMo and I decided to give it a shot. And you know what? Turns out I couldwrite a novel! That was in 2009 and the book became Stasis, which I self-published. I’m also very grateful to the lovely Amy Lane, who read Stasis and suggested I consider sending a manuscript to one of her publishers, Dreamspinner Press. She gave me the confidence to submit a book to a publisher.
Just this week I finished the first draft of my 14th novel—so actually, I can write lots of novels. And publishers will publish them, and people will read them. And man, I am so grateful for that!
Ghost of Gratitude PresentI always dreamed of being an author. But one side benefit I hadn’t expected was the people I’d get to meet. Through writing, I have gotten to know some amazing readers, authors, editors, artists, and narrators. Let me tell you, there isn’t a group of people I’d rather hang out with. I am grateful for those people every day.
Also, my older daughter recently had a party. Thirteen 16-year-olds. And when she told them that I’ve had a story published in a Japanese yaoi magazine, I instantly became Coolest Mom Ever. Who wouldn’t be grateful for a dose of Cool Mom Cred?

Ghost of Gratitude Yet to ComeI have a day job as a university professor. I love teaching and research. The administrative part? Not so much. I have a dream that in the not-so-distant future, I will be able to wave adieu to that job. Then I will be extremely grateful to spend my days writing full-time and traveling. My dream isn’t just to flit around the globe—although that’s fun too—but to stay put places for a couple of months at a time, so I truly get a chance to get to know them. I love to live like a local: paying bills, going grocery shopping, hanging out in cafés. And of course all those places will make their way into my books.
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More GratefulAs it happens, my newest story was released this week, and it’s called… Grateful! It’s a fluffy Hanukkah story, which you can get from Dreamspinner and Amazon.
One More ThingAre you feeling grateful and wanting to share the giving spirit? I’m donating all my royalties from my anthology, The Sacrifice and Other Stories , and from my audiobook, The Festivus Miracle , to Doctors Without Borders. I’d be grateful if you considered buying  a copy or two!
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A Giveaway!Comment here with your email and tell me where you think I should travel when I’m done with the day job. I’ll randomly pick one winner on December 10. Winner gets a choice of either the audiobook version of Good Bones or the ebook version of Rattlesnake.
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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.
Website: http://kfieldingwrites.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/KFieldingWrites Twitter: @KFieldingWrites