Kim Fielding is here today to talk about the re-release of the third book in her alternate universe series, the Ennek Trilogy
I’m Kim Fielding, and I’m
not exactly a fashion plate.
As I write this, I’m
wearing fuzzy blue socks, skull-print leggings, one of my several Dreamspinner
T-shirts, and a slightly ratty oversized gray sweater I bought a few years ago
at H&M in Croatia. Yeah, I doubt Vogue
will come calling on me anytime soon.
While I may not often
expend a lot of thought and energy on my own wardrobe, I think about clothing a
lot when I write. What a character wears tells us a great deal about his place
his life, his socioeconomic status, his goals, and the image he presents to
others. For example, in a book I have coming out next month (Love Is Heartless), small but mighty
Detective Nevin Ng wears custom-tailored suits with bright-colored dress
shirts. On the other hand, Jimmy from Rattlesnake
wears work boots, old jeans, and whatever T-shirts he happens to own—although
nowadays he also wears the blue Pendleton flannel shirt that his boyfriend
Shane gave him. Chris from the Bones series is also in old jeans, but his
T-shirt probably sports a faded logo from a rock group. And William from The Tin Box tends toward loafers, khaki
slacks, and button-down shirts.
Dressing characters in
contemporary stories is important, but the details become even more vital when
writing in other genres. For example, when I wrote The Pillar, I did a fair amount of research on clothing from 15th
century Bosnia, and for my upcoming short, “The Tale of August Hayling,” I
needed to know what a gold miner in 1850 California would be wearing.
Fantasy stories give a
writer all sorts of chances to be creative about costuming. But of course
clothes should reflect the culture, the climate, and the level of technology.
The first book of my Ennek trilogy, Stasis,
takes place in the city-state of Praesidium—which is essentially late 19th
century alternate-universe San Francisco. Ennek is the son of the city’s Chief,
so he wears formal wool suits with long top coats. When he and Miner travel
across the ocean to alternate-universe China in Flux, however, their clothing changes considerably, falling more
along the lines of loose trousers and silk tunics—and a scarf for Miner, to
hide the slave collar he still wears. And now we’ve come to the final book, Equipoise, where they’ll return home.
They’re still fugitives, however, and they end up spending time in a nearby
city-state where clothing styles tend more toward 19th century
frontier wear.
I have a lot more fun
dressing my characters than I do choosing my own outfits. Clearly.
What do some of your
favorite fictional people wear?
Blurb:
Ennek, the
son of the Chief, and Miner, a former slave, have escaped the totalitarian
city-state of Praesidium and remain fugitives. Having defeated two mighty
wizards, they begin to realize complete freedom can be as dangerous as absolute
power. Now Ennek and Miner must face battles, corruption, and further journeys
through lands both new and familiar.
As they grow
more secure in their relationship, they learn the greatest challenges sometimes
come from very close to the heart and everything of value has a price. With the
help of a few allies, they seek equipoise—a balance for themselves and for their
world.
Buy Links:
About Kim Fielding:
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.com
Twitter:
@KFieldingWrites
No comments:
Post a Comment