Equipoise by Kim Fielding Guest Post & Excerpt!

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Hi guys, we have Kim Fielding popping in today with her upcoming DSPP release Equipoise, we have a brilliant guest post and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~

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Equipoise

(Ennek Trilogy 03)
by

Kim Fielding

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.

Release date: 29th November 2016

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Kim Fielding!

Hi! Kim Fielding here to talk about the magic number.

A few years ago I was in Vienna. I was leaning out my apartment window, enjoying perfect weather and a view of Stephansdom, when a father with a couple little kids walked past on the sidewalk below. One of the kids got distracted by something and, when the dad called him over, refused to come. The dad put his hands on his hips and said, “Ein…. Zwei….” The kid came running before his father made it to drei, and I laughed with delight. As a parent myself, I was pleased to discover that the Magic Counting to Three works in other languages too.

And, as Schoolhouse Rock reminds us, three is the magic number, isn’t it? It features prominently in several religions. Third time’s the charm. Three is the number we count to when we want to do something together (“Okay, everybody go on the count of three….”). Three pops up in superstition and mythology. Three dimensions give us not just an outline, but an overall shape.

I’m not sure why, but three just feels right and complete.

So maybe it’s no surprise that trilogies are so common. Sure, sometimes authors write two-parters or longer series, but the specific names for those aren’t commonly used. And sometimes even longer series end up in cycles of three—such as the Star Wars movies, for instance. Trilogies make sense with story arcs, which naturally have three parts: beginning, middle, and end.

All of this is a prelude to announcing the imminent release of Equipoise, the final book in my Ennek trilogy. I comes out November 29 and is available now for preorder from DSP Publications—with a lovely cover by Reese Dante.

I was only a little way into writing the first book when I realized the story was going to become a trilogy. In the first book, Stasis, Ennek meets Miner and faces difficulties related to his own magical powers and attraction to men, as well as Miner’s slavery. In Flux, Ennek and Miner are fugitives who travel far, building their relationship while dealing with troubles from several sources. Now, in Equipoise, they undertake a reverse journey toward home, facing the consequences of the choices they’ve made and seeking to create an equitable system of power. It’s not just the scope and length of their story that called for three volumes, but also the rhythm of the tale.

Now that the trilogy is over, I miss Ennek and Miner. But I feel as if their narrative is complete. Does that mean I’d never revisit them? Of course not. It’s possible that someday they might start a new cycle of adventures. I never know with my muse.

One final comment, this one having nothing to do with the number three. I donate all my proceeds from this trilogy to Doctors Without Borders. So if you decide to give the books a try, you’ll also be contributing toward a wonderful cause.

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Excerpt

OVER THE top of the ridge, black smoke curled dark and sinister against the bright blue sky. Miner came to an abrupt stop, holding out his arm to halt his companion as well. “Ennek!”

“I see,” Ennek snapped. His tone was nastier than he’d intended, and he sighed. He was angry at himself, not Miner. He pushed past Miner’s arm, but Miner grabbed at his sleeve.

“Maybe we shouldn’t just march right in,” the former slave said, his pale eyebrows drawn with concern. Ennek wanted to stop and smooth the worry away, but now wasn’t the time for that. In fact, it was rather too much… smoothing… that had led to their delay. But Miner had still been recovering from the nearly fatal wounds the wizard Akilina had inflicted on him—wounds that Ennek had barely mended in time—and their grassy spot by the river had been so peaceful, the fish practically sacrificing themselves on Ennek’s spear. Miner had wanted to return immediately to Luli’s village after defeating Akilina, but Ennek had insisted they pause for a few days. Foolish of him, he knew, but he wanted Miner to regain his strength and, selfishly, he wanted a little time alone with his lover.

“We can’t just stay here,” Ennek said irritably. “And we don’t know any way around.”

“I know. Just… let’s be cautious, okay? We’re not much of an army, the two of us.” He patted the short sword that hung at his hip. It was poorly made and it hadn’t been well cared for, but it and the scythe Ennek now carried over his shoulder were the only weapons they had managed to scavenge from the hastily abandoned village where Akilina had lived. Miner carried a knife as well—the same knife with which he’d killed Akilina—and that completed their arsenal. Unless you counted Ennek’s magic, of course, but his magic was a blunt and terrible instrument as likely to bring cataclysm to the innocent as to defeat enemies.

Ennek nodded. “Akilina was able to send herself inside birds.” He waved at a flock of small brownish creatures twittering in the nearby treetops. “Maybe I could try that. I could fly over the hill and see what’s going on.”

“And you could miscalculate and end up killing yourself somehow, or—gods! What if you couldn’t put yourself back in your own body after your spying mission was complete? You’ve never tried anything like that before. What if you make yourself so ill we can’t go on, or we end up even more vulnerable?”

Ennek scowled, but he knew Miner was right. Working magic always made him weak and nauseous for a time. His element was water, and he’d only inherited Akilina’s affinity for air when she magically bound him to her right before her death. He hadn’t practiced with it at all. “I can’t fly and we can’t stay here. You don’t want to go back, do you?”

“No. We need to get to Luli and—”

“And warn her that Akilina’s dead and things are going to be unsettled around here for a while. I know.” Ennek tucked his hair behind one ear and squeezed Miner’s shoulder. “Means we have to march forward, Mine.”

Miner smiled a little, as he always did when Ennek used the nickname. “Fine. Just… carefully. I’ll lead.”

“No! I’ll—”

“I’ll lead,” Miner repeated firmly and resumed walking along the narrow path.

“You’re not my bloody bodyguard,” Ennek grumbled to Miner’s back.

“No, but I was a guard. I’ve had fight training, and even a little experience.”

“Three hundred years ago.”

Miner shot him a look over his shoulder. “Ancient experience is better than none.”

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About Kim

Kim Fielding author pic sKim Fielding is very pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. Her books have won Rainbow Awards and span a variety of genres. She has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and currently lives in California, where she long ago ran out of bookshelf space. She’s a university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full time. She also dreams of having two perfectly behaved children, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a house that cleans itself. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.

Contact Kim:

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