The Making Of… “The Viking’s Witch” (Part 1)
By Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi
everyone,
I’m pleased to announce the release of my latest
historical romance. The Viking’s Witch is set in Celtic Scotland and blends a
sensual love story with adventure and paranormal elements.
In
this blog, I’ll discuss how the book came about, the research involved, and the
violence that takes place in the story. (Yes, even though it’s a romance,
everything’s not all hearts and flowers.) In Part Two, I’ll talk about creating
the characters, developing Odaria’s magic “witch” powers, and more.
The
Viking’s Witch is
a traditional historical romance with paranormal elements set in Scotland in
803 A.D. The main character, Odaria, is
what they called a witch back then—nowadays we’d call her a psychic and a
healer. Here’s the plot summary:
The Viking’s Witch
Scotland,
803 A.D.
About to be burned at the stake by her fellow
villagers, Odaria does what any betrayed witch facing certain death would do.
She calls down a curse. Within seconds, rampaging Norsemen raid the village,
capturing everyone except her.
But her reprieve is short-lived, and Odaria lands in
the clutches of the Norse leader Rothgar. Can she remain true to herself and
fight her growing attraction to this domineering man, or will she fall under
his influence and be used for his ambitions?
After Rothgar witnesses Odaria’s powers firsthand, he
strikes a bargain with her. The raven-haired beauty will use her magical
abilities to help him with his quest in exchange for safe passage off the isle.
But can this cunning woman be trusted, or is she using him to exact vengeance
on her village?
Together they must fight bloodthirsty villagers,
battle a mutinous band of Norsemen, find a missing Norse ship, and learn to
trust each other…before time runs out.
***
Interviewers
and readers have asked what my inspiration was when I was writing the book, and
are curious about how much research I had to do to create the unique characters
and detailed setting.
Like
many of my books, the idea for the story came to me out of the blue. One
day, the entire opening sequences popped into my head and I knew I had to start
writing. At the time, I had the basic plot (Viking warrior falls in love with
Celtic witch), but I wasn’t sure about most of the details, like the character
names, their backstories, and the subplot. All of that came later, along with
the secondary characters, Brennan and Nordskog. (I’ll talk more about them in
Part Two of this blog.)
Scotland
is a beautiful place and I’ve always wanted to set a book there. (I still may
write another historical set in the Highlands.) Having the story take place on
the remote Orkney Islands added a sense of urgency and tension to the plot.
In
a sense, Rothgar and Odaria are “trapped” on the island and are forced to deal
with a pack of angry villagers and other Norsemen. The action is condensed into
a few days on a very small island, so there’s really nowhere for the characters
to go. They’re forced to work together in order to get off the island—and
survive.
Before
I wrote a word, I had to do a lot of research on where to set the story. I knew
the book would take place in Scotland where the Vikings traveled in their early
years of exploration, but I didn’t want it to be a populated location. Once I
decided on the Orkneys, I had to pick which island to set the story. (There are
70 different islands, but only 20 are inhabited.)
I also had to research what life was like in that
time period for Odaria and Rothgar. (What kind of clothes did they wear? What
food did they eat? How did Norsemen travel so far? What were their ships like?)
Odaria and Rothgar come from different backgrounds and technically would have
been speaking
different languages, so I had to blend their two cultures together in a way
that flowed with the book.
After
I got a feel for what everyday life was like for each of them, I weaved the
details into the story. For example, Rothgar’s Norse background intrigues
Odaria, and she is curious about their clothes, customs, food, how they travel,
etc. Having Rothgar show her how he lives was a good way to introduce readers
into the culture.
And
of course, if you were living back in 803 with bands of invading Norsemen and
crazy villagers, you could expect some measure of violence. Readers might think
that there’s no place for any violence in a romance, but I think that type of
realism (when kept in check) enhances
the story.
In 803, life was completely different from how we
live now—especially on a remote island. People got
hurt, took sick, and died. The Viking’s Witch features a violent man (Brennan) and a group
of Norsemen with terrible reputations, so including some violence in the story
is necessary to move the plot along—while also helping the reader get deeper into the minds and lives of the
characters.
I didn’t cringe when I wrote the “gritty” scenes; I
was happy to include them. I like history and it drives me crazy when people in
1500, 1791, or 1870 are perfectly clean and neat, have perfect teeth, and look
like they stepped out of a beauty salon. In The Viking’s Witch I
included enough details to bring the story alive, yet showed how some degree of
conflict was necessary for Rothgar’s and Odaria’s survival.
I hope you enjoyed Part One of this “Inside Look” at The
Viking’s Witch. Next time, I’ll delve more into the characters and discuss Odaria’s
magic.
Here’s
a mini-excerpt from The
Viking's Witch:
Rothgar inched closer to her. She tried to move away, but she had nowhere to go. Her back was pressed against the door. Rothgar grinned and cupped her chin in his wide hand. What was he doing? His rough beard grazed her cheek as his lips lightly brushed against hers.
Her entire body tingled, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. The room spun and seemed to grow dim. As everything faded, she had a clear vision of wrapping her arms around Rothgar's neck and eagerly pulling him close for a kiss. Dizzy, she pitched forward. Rothgar caught her and clutched her to his chest.
"Shh," he soothed, running his hand through her loose hair. "I will not harm you, Odaria."
She relaxed against his broad chest, letting him support her weight. His touch was calming, and she felt safe here, leaning against Rothgar as she would rest against a thick tree. She inhaled deep. Rothgar didn't stink of rancid sweat like the other men. He smelled clean and salty, like the sea. The scent comforted her. She could almost fall asleep where she stood.
After a few moments, her dizzy spell passed, and she gazed at him. "You are not like the others. You are different, Rothgar."
He smiled. "Ja, in some ways. But fear not, Odaria. I will not share you with the others. I wish to have you all to myself." Rothgar chuckled and winked at her.
Rothgar inched closer to her. She tried to move away, but she had nowhere to go. Her back was pressed against the door. Rothgar grinned and cupped her chin in his wide hand. What was he doing? His rough beard grazed her cheek as his lips lightly brushed against hers.
Her entire body tingled, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. The room spun and seemed to grow dim. As everything faded, she had a clear vision of wrapping her arms around Rothgar's neck and eagerly pulling him close for a kiss. Dizzy, she pitched forward. Rothgar caught her and clutched her to his chest.
"Shh," he soothed, running his hand through her loose hair. "I will not harm you, Odaria."
She relaxed against his broad chest, letting him support her weight. His touch was calming, and she felt safe here, leaning against Rothgar as she would rest against a thick tree. She inhaled deep. Rothgar didn't stink of rancid sweat like the other men. He smelled clean and salty, like the sea. The scent comforted her. She could almost fall asleep where she stood.
After a few moments, her dizzy spell passed, and she gazed at him. "You are not like the others. You are different, Rothgar."
He smiled. "Ja, in some ways. But fear not, Odaria. I will not share you with the others. I wish to have you all to myself." Rothgar chuckled and winked at her.
Order
The Viking’s Witch here:
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 latest historical romance, The
Viking’s Witch, was released in June 2019. This full-length novel takes
place in Celtic Scotland and blends a sensual romance with paranormal elements.
In March 2019, Kelli published Dangerous Indenture, a historical mystery romance set in Colonial Pennsylvania. She released 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 or
blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more
about all of her writings.
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