Behind the Scenes: Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover (A
Paranormal Romance)
By Kelli A. Wilkins
This “Behind the Scenes” blog is part of a
series examining my romance novels. In each blog, I’ll talk about why I wrote
the book, share my thoughts on the plot and/or characters, and reveal what I
loved most (or least) about writing the book. Warning: Blogs may contain
spoilers.
Confessions
of a Vampire’s Lover is a unique end-of-summer romance. The story is told
in first person by Brian, the hero. Why? It just came out that way. As I was
writing, it felt more believable to have Brian tell the story of how he met and
fell in love with a vampire. Readers meet Brian and are swept into the story as
it unfolds for him, so they’re more personally involved.
Most romances are told in third person and
alternate between the hero and heroine’s points-of view. This story is
different in that we don’t hear from Anya (the heroine) at all, other than in
dialogue, and we only get to know her through Brian.
The setting also makes it a bit unusual.
Most readers don’t think of the beach as a place to find a vampire. When Brian
first sees Anya, she is sitting on the beach at night reading a book by
moonlight. I wanted to contrast the differences between Brian and Anya from the
start. He’s a sun-worshipping surfer who is outside all day, and she’s a
nocturnal loner, happy to lose herself in a romance novel when nobody else is
around.
The idea for the story came to me as I was
sitting on the beach one afternoon in late October. It was cool and windy, and
I had on a light jacket and sunglasses. Nobody else was on the beach (except
for my surfer husband) and I liked the desolate surroundings.
I started thinking… what if a vampire went
to the beach at night to do all the things regular people did during the day?
What if the vampire fell in love with a surfer? It would be like night and day.
Would he give up his life in the sunlight to be with the woman he loves? That’s
the main question of the story, and Brian’s ultimate dilemma.
As I was writing, I wanted to capture the
essence of what Brian was experiencing when he was with Anya. So I gave the
book a surreal, almost Gothic, dreamlike feel. I also knew that a vampire
romance could easily become too gory or too realistic when it came to feeding
and turn into a horror story.
When I’m writing a paranormal romance, I have
to be careful I don’t cross the line from paranormal romance into horror. The “monster”
character must retain human traits and remain a sympathetic character the
reader can identify with and like.
If your paranormal creature is too scary or
the story gets too gory it will turn off romance readers and cross over into the
horror genre. I liked creating Anya. And I deliberately kept a lot of her
background a mystery. Anya is a gentle, sensitive vampire… up to a point. We do
get to see a more violent and assertive part of her vampire nature—but she has
a good reason.
Confessions
of a Vampire’s Lover is also a very explicit erotic romance. Anya is a sensual
woman with needs that must be satisfied, and Brian is all for helping sate her desires.
(Believe it or not, some e-book sales channels won’t carry the book because
it’s erotica).
But this isn’t just an erotic love story; there’s
plenty of plot and drama for all romance lovers. It’s a unique blend of vampires,
romance, and the beach. Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover makes a great summer read and I’m proud to say it
got several excellent reviews.
Confessions of A Vampire’s
Lover
The moment Brian spotted Anya sitting on the moonlit beach, he was hooked.
Beautiful, smart, and sexy, Anya was the girl of his dreams. She didn’t mind
that he spent the hot summer days riding the ocean waves, because once the sun
set, he belonged to her—all night long!
Everything is perfect between them—until Brian discovers Anya’s shocking
secret. Can Brian give up the sun, sand, and surf to be with the woman he
loves?
Read Brian’s first-hand account of their unusual love story in… Confessions
of a Vampire’s Lover.
Order Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IBYWYCI
All
other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/49xp1J
Read
reviews & more here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/confessions-of-a-vampire-s-lover
Want more? Follow my Facebook Contemporary Romances page: https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/
I hope you enjoyed
this “Behind the Scenes” look at the making of this hot summer romance. I
welcome questions and comments from readers and other authors. Contact me via
the form on my site or on social media.
Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins
is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20
romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 3 horror ebooks. Her romances span
many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror
stories.
She
released Journaling Every Week:
52 Topics to Get You Writing in early 2021. This fun and innovative guide to
journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get
you writing about your feelings and emotions.
In 2020 Kelli
published Love, Lies & Redemption, a western romance set in 1877
Nebraska. This novel blends a sensual love story with mystery and danger.
Kelli posts on her
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her
website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media
links.
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