Today I am so pleased to welcome Kim Fielding to Joyfully Jay. Kim has come to talk to us about her latest release, The Little Library. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Hi! I’m Kim Fielding and I’m very excited to announce the release of my newest novel, The Little Library! Set in California’s Central Valley, this story stars a guy with a slightly obsession with books. What’s not love about that, right?

I love books. I know! What a shock, huh? I learned to read when I was three, thanks to a Montessori preschool, and I’ve been hoarding books ever since. It’s a personality trait I’m thrilled to have passed down to my kids as well.

I have to say that I love my Kindle, onto which I’ve downloaded hundreds of books. I travel a lot, so the tiny size and portability are huge pluses. I appreciate that I can access my e-books on multiple platforms, so even if I’m unexpectedly stuck somewhere without the Kindle—a doctor’s waiting room, maybe—I can pick up the book on my phone instead. And of course the ability to obtain instant gratification through a new purchase is amazing, if dangerous to my budget.

But as much as I adore my Kindle, my first love, my deepest passion, is for print books. I own several thousand; they’re double-shelved in nearly every room of my house as well as in my office at work. I have enough books to last me the rest of my life, yet still I buy more, and I have a really hard time parting with the ones I’ve already finished.

What is it about print books? Many things. The beautiful covers. The satisfying feel of paper under my fingers. The inviting way they call to me from stacks and shelves. The ease of leafing through them—and falling into them. The way they can spark interesting conversations with strangers when I read the books in public. The lovely fonts. I even love the smell of them. You know that slightly musty, dusty smell of used bookstores—especially the ones that have a cat or two wandering around? It’s better than expensive perfume.

I love how used books can tell you a story besides the one printed on the pages. That name or inscription on the flyleaf, the occasional bit of paper once used as a bookmark and then left inside, the highlights and stains, and the wear and tear on the cover—these are all like tiny mysteries. I once even wrote a short story inspired by an index card discovered in a library book (you can download that story for free here: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/no-place-like-home/).

I also find printed books more practical than electronic ones when I’m doing research. I find it so much easier to hunt through physical pages for the relevant passages and to mark those passages for later use. Plus, of course, I can have several books open at once on my desk.

One more advantage: print books never run out of batteries.

So while I accept that opinions may differ, I will stand steadfast behind my lifelong infatuation with print. It’s a feeling shared by the protagonist in my newest book, The Little Library. In Elliott’s case, accumulating books helps soothe anxieties stirred up by some personal disasters. When he has more books than he has space for, he comes up with a creative solution that eventually changes his life. Maybe print books can even lead to love.

How do you feel about print books? Please comment with your thoughts!

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Blurb

The Little LibraryElliott Thompson was once a historian with a promising academic future, but his involvement in a scandal meant a lost job, public shame, and a ruined love life. He took shelter in his rural California hometown, where he teaches online classes, hoards books, and despairs of his future.

Simon Odisho has lost a job as well—to a bullet that sidelined his career in law enforcement. While his shattered knee recovers, he rethinks his job prospects and searches for the courage to come out to his close-knit but conservative extended family.

In an attempt to manage his overflowing book collection, Elliott builds a miniature neighborhood library in his front yard. The project puts him in touch with his neighbors—for better and worse—and introduces him to handsome, charming Simon. While romance blooms quickly between them, Elliott’s not willing to live in the closet, and his best career prospects might take him far away. His books have plenty to tell him about history, but they give him no clues about a future with Simon.


Bio

Kim FieldingKim 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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