Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning romance and
horror author who has published more than a hundred short stories, nineteen
romance novels, and five nonfiction books. Today, she answers a few fun questions readers often ask her.
Learn more about Kelli and her books at her website and blog.
How
would you describe yourself using only five words?
Busy romance and horror author.
Do
you have any guilty pleasures?
Of course! I lounge around on the couch in front of the TV when I
should be writing or cleaning or doing something else. I usually devote my
Friday nights to being lazy.
How
do you get yourself in the mood to write?
I block out a chunk of time and review my outline. Then I envision
the scene I want to write, and I just do it. My first draft is nowhere near
perfect—I write it out just to get the scene on paper. When I go back and
revise, I add dialog tags, sensory details, and fix up the word choices to make
the scene come alive.
If
someone hasn't read any of your work, what book(s) would you recommend that
they start with and why?
That depends on what genre they like to read. My romances include
almost all sub-genres, and the heat levels vary from mildly sensual to
scorching-hot.
Historical romance lovers would enjoy The Viking’s Witch. It’s a spicy historical novel set in Celtic
Scotland. Or, if they like Westerns, they could read Lies, Love & Redemption. It takes place on the Nebraska prairie
in 1877.
Readers of historical/fantasy romance would like either my Royal Desires series (A Most Unusual Princess, A Most Intriguing
Temptation, and A Most Unfortunate Prince) or my
Naughty Nobles trilogy (Midsummer Night’s
Delights, Midwinter Night’s Delights, and
Ultimate Night’s Delights).
Contemporary romance readers can fall in love with Vinnie, the
hero from A Deceptive Match, while paranormal lovers
would like Confessions of a Vampire’s
Lover.
And readers of gay romance should enjoy A Secret Match, Four Days with Jack (coming in June), or Killer in Wolf’s Clothing. I like to say
I have romances for everyone!
Most people envision an author’s life as being really
glamorous. What’s your take on this?
That’s a fantasy! Most
people want to believe that writers sit around contemplating what to write all
day, crank out a book in a week, then sit back and collect outrageously huge
checks. Yes, sometimes that happens to a few authors, but the rest of us put in
lots of hard work. Many non-writers don’t understand that creating a book out
of thin air is a time-consuming (and sometimes frustrating) process.
I’ve had well-meaning (I
think!) people ask me how come I don’t have a million dollars or why haven’t my
books been on the New York Times Bestseller
List yet. The reality is that some authors can and do quit their day jobs to
write, while others put in forty hours a week doing something else and then
carve out time from the rest of the day to write. It’s not always glamorous,
but creating characters and writing about them is fun, and that’s why I do it.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who
would it be and why?
I’d probably be Odaria from The Viking’s Witch. Odaria is a very
strong woman who has magical/psychic powers. It would be interesting to see
what I would do with her abilities—although the idea of living in 803 and
giving up all modern conveniences isn’t terribly appealing. Odaria also has
Rothgar, a hot, sexy Viking warrior as her lover, so spending time with him
would be a big plus!
If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive,
for lunch, who would it be and what would you eat?
I’d have lunch with Stephen
King (his schedule permitting, of course). Most people probably don’t know that
in addition to my romances, I also write horror fiction. I read Stephen King’s
short stories at a very young age, and his writing style and distinct voice
have always stuck with me. I think his book On
Writing is a must-read for anyone who writes or wants to write. And lunch?
We’d go someplace low-key and casual (like a retro diner that has its fair
share of unique characters) and be so busy talking about all sorts of stuff (writing,
the horror genre, Dwight Yoakam, and Lucas Davenport!) that we’d forget to eat!
Tell us about your latest release(s).
This spring, I released my Naughty Nobles trilogy of erotic
historical/fantasy romances. Although the books are related, each stands alone
as an individual read. In January, I released Loving a Wild Stranger, a historical/pioneer romance set in the
Michigan Territory in the early 1800s. Lies,
Love & Redemption, my historical/Western was published last September.
What’s next on the horizon for you?
Currently, I’m revising a
new historical romance (as yet untitled) and I’m re-editing three of my contemporary
romances previously published with Amber Quill Press. After that, I have ideas
for a few other romances (another historical, a paranormal, and a gay
contemporary).
Where can readers get in touch with you or find you
on the web?
I love getting feedback and
comments about my books. I enjoy learning which characters and scenes readers
love best. Readers can find links to
all my social media hangouts and a sign-up link for my newsletter at my
website. www.KelliWilkins.com
Lies, Love &
Redemption
Shot and left for dead, Sam Hixton stumbles into
a general store on the Nebraska prairie and collapses into the arms of Cassie
Wilcox.
Cassie’s world is turned upside down when the
handsome stranger drops into her life. Sam is another complication she doesn’t
need: her business is dying and her trouble with the townspeople is escalating.
Yet she’s determined to keep the store open — no matter what the cost.
As Sam recovers from his injuries, he hides the
truth about his identity and convinces Cassie to let him work in the store.
He’s attracted to her and admires her independent nature but quickly realizes
Cassie’s in way over her head. They fight their growing attraction, and Cassie
questions whether she can trust her fragile heart to a mysterious stranger. Will
he accept her once he knows about her troubled past?
Cassie resists Sam’s advances and represses her
feelings until one fateful night when they give in to their fiery passion.
Together, they work out a plan to save the store but find their efforts are
thwarted—and their lives endangered—by the locals.
Sam’s secret returns to haunt him and pulls him
away just when Cassie needs him the most. Will he regain her trust when she
learns the truth? Cassie has everything invested in the store—can she save
it and find true love with Sam before it’s too late?
Thanks for the interview!
ReplyDelete-Kelli