Kim Fielding is here today to talk about her newest Dreamspun Desires release, The Spy's Love Song, and a brewery that helped save a city. Read on and learn!
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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 have the story of a beer that helped save a city.
In the early 1990s, Yugoslavia fractured into several smaller countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. (There are actually several issues of dispute in this list, but the politics of the region are far, far too complicated for a blog post on beer.) Parts of the breakup were relatively smooth, but others were atrocious and bloody and horrifying.
One of the most terrible chapters in this tale occurred in the city of Sarajevo. For almost four years, the citizens of Sarajevo were held in siege by Serb forces. This is one of the longest sieges in modern warfare. Over 11,000 people died and many more were injured—many of them children. I’ve heard that every building in the city was damaged; over two decades later, the damage is still clearly visible.
But we’re here to discuss beer.
During the siege, regular water supplies were destroyed. A river runs through the city, but its water was undrinkable due to pollution, and collecting water from the river put people at considerable risk from the snipers on the surrounding hills. But on the south side of the river stood Sarajevska Pivara—Sarajevo Brewery—which was established in 1864. The brewery sat atop a natural spring, and that meant it had an uninterrupted supply of potable water.
Throughout the siege, Sarajevans would trek to the brewery (an often dangerous journey) to fill canisters and bottles with water, which they carried home. I’ve spoken to several people who were children during the war, and they remember well making that daily trip. The brewery was often attacked from the hills, and some people died there. But it remained open, supplying the locals with water and even occasionally managing to brew some beer.
The brewery is still there, the war damage repaired. Their beers are ubiquitous in Sarajevo. The building now also contains a museum and a restaurant. I didn’t have time to visit either during my recent visit, but I did see the building—and I drank some of their product.
What does this have to do with my new book? Not a whole lot, except that Starograd, the fictional city where most of the action takes place, was inspired partly by Sarajevo. But in my story, it’s a glass of wine rather than beer that plays a pivotal role.
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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.
Buy Link:
Dreamspinner
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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.
Follow Kim:
Website
Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Email: Kim@KFieldingWrites.com
Thanks so much for letting me stop by today!
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