What
Readers Want to Know…
A
Chat with Author Kelli A. Wilkins
Today, romance
author Kelli A. Wilkins is answering a few fun questions about herself, her
books, and writing in general. Readers want to know…
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 just do it. My first draft is nowhere near
perfect—at that stage, all I want to do is write the scene so it’s out of my
head and on the paper. When I go back and revise, I add dialogue 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 genres, and the heat levels vary from mildly sensual to scorching-hot.
Historical romance lovers would enjoy Dangerous Indenture. It’s
a full-length novel set in Pennsylvania Colony and blends a sensual
romance with mystery and suspense. Or, if they like something with more adventure, they could read Loving
a Wild Stranger. Redemption from a Dark Past is
perfect for Gothic romance lovers.
Readers of historical/fantasy romance would like either the Royal Desires series (A
Most Unusual Princess, A Most Intriguing Temptation, and A
Most Unfortunate Prince) or the 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, or Curtis, the sexy country singer from Trust
with Hearts. Paranormal lovers would like Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover
or Beauty
& the Bigfoot.
And readers of gay romance have a choice between A
Secret Match, Four Days with Jack, 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. People want to believe that writers sit
around contemplating what to write all day, crank out a perfect book in a week,
then sit back and collect outrageously huge checks. That’s fiction! Many
non-writers don’t understand that creating a book out of thin air is a
time-consuming (and sometimes frustrating) process that takes a lot of hard
work and dedication.
I’ve had people ask me how come I don’t have a million
dollars or why haven’t my books been on the New
York Times Best-seller List yet. The reality is that some
authors can and do quit their day jobs to write, while others put in 40 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.
Yes. Sometimes when I haven’t been writing for a while and I’m slacking off, a little voice pops into my head and says, “You’d better sit down and start writing something, now!” This usually happens after I’ve taken a week or so off after a new release to recharge.
Have you ever written about your own bad habits/personality flaws?
I haven’t yet – at least not consciously! But Elara in A Most Unusual Princess can be pushy, stubborn, opinionated, and doesn’t always listen. (Some people might see a bit of me in her…) I do give my characters some of my better traits: a wacky sense of humor (Beauty & the Bigfoot), inner strength and determination (Dangerous Indenture) and belief in a good cause (Trust with Hearts). I like to include character traits or incorporate aspects of real people into my stories, so I always tell friends and family (and others), “be nice to me, or I might put you in a story.”
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).
In March, I released Dangerous Indenture. This full-length novel is set in Pennsylvania Colony and blends
a sensual romance with mystery and suspense. Earlier this year I published the
second half of my flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes. These two volumes
of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or
an after-work indulgence. Readers can learn more about them on my website.
What’s next on the
horizon for you?
Currently, I’m re-editing my historical romances previously
published with Medallion Press. After that, I have ideas for a few other
romances (a paranormal, and a gay contemporary). Of course, in between all
this, I’m also working on a few new horror stories.
Where can readers get
in touch with you or find you on the web?
I just launched a brand new website - www.KelliWilkins.com - same url, totally new look! It’s the best place to read
about all of my books and find me on social media. There’s also a contact form
where readers can get in touch with me and ask me questions or leave feedback.
I invite everyone to stop by for a visit. I enjoy learning which books, characters,
and scenes readers love best.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts today.
Happy Reading!
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an
award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance
novels, 5 non-fiction books, and 2 online writing courses. Her romances span
many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her
horror stories.
Her historical romance, Dangerous
Indenture, was released in March 2019. This full-length novel is set in
Pennsylvania Colony and blends a sensual romance with mystery and suspense.
She published the second half of her flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes, in early 2019. These two volumes of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.
Kelli released her latest
Teachable mini-course, Fiction Basics: Finding Ideas in
February 2019. She authored Fiction Writing for
Beginners through Teachable in 2018. These courses are
perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to write. Visit: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/ for more details.
If you like horror fiction,
don’t miss her latest novella, Nightmare in the North.
Not just an author, Kelli is also an
amateur photographer. Visit her pages on Shutterstock
https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins and iStock https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins to
view her photos.
Kelli posts on her Facebook
author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins
and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her NEW website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more about all of her writings.
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