Behind the Scenes: Love, Lies and Redemption (A Historical Western 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.
Hi everyone,
Love,
Lies and Redemption is one of my favorite historical romances. Although
I have written a lot of historical romances, the time periods are always
different. I’ve used Medieval (A Most Unusual Princess), Scottish (The
Viking’s Witch) and Colonial (Dangerous Indenture)
settings. When I’m writing a historical romance, I never know when (or where)
the characters will take me.
Love,
Lies and Redemption is set on the Nebraska prairie in 1877 and blends a
sensual love story with mystery and danger. Here’s the book summary:
Love, Lies and
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?
Order
Love, Lies and Redemption here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0849LN73Z
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mdzL6W
I had never written a full-fledged western
before, but I am a fan of the genre and I’ve seen my share of western movies
and tv shows. One thing that always bothered me about westerns is the lack of
realism.
In many cases, everyone is too clean and
looks too perfect. Life out west was harsh and rugged, and it drives me batty
when the women all have perfectly plucked eyebrows, all their body hair has
been waxed away, and their clothes never get dirty. The men are all gorgeous
and have straight, white, capped teeth and never seem to sweat or smell bad—no
matter what chores they’ve been doing or how many horses they’ve been
riding.
When I wrote this
story, I decided I was going to portray life in the prairie as authentically as
I could. I owed it to myself as the author, and I owed it to the characters. Before I started writing, I researched what life was like in
the 1870s. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.
People died of infections, diseases, and other ailments all
the time. If you broke your leg or got a severe cut, there was a good chance
you could die. Need an operation? Good luck. Doctors didn’t know (or
understand) anything about using sterile surgical instruments or antibiotics,
and there was no anesthesia for the patient. I’ve visited recreations of
historical towns from the time period, and I have seen actual doctors’ offices
and medical equipment—it’s amazing that anyone survived.
And then there was the threat of violence to consider. The
west was known for being “lawless” and some people took advantage of the fact
that you practically could do whatever you wanted. Banks, stores, and other
businesses were always under threat from outlaws and thieves. People had to
protect themselves from strangers who might be riding into town looking for
trouble.
Life for anyone in the “wild” west was tough. But combine
that with the fact that women were considered the property of their husbands
and had no rights, and you have the makings for pretty rough times for women.
I incorporated some of these elements into the book. How
could I not? The setting and time period have to be realistically represented
in a historical romance. Although readers might take issue with including
violence in a romance, it has a place in the story (to a degree). If everything
was too perfect or too pretty, the book would lose the
richness in details that bring it—and the characters—to life.
Authors are always
told to make life difficult for the hero and heroine. If there is no conflict
or drama, the story becomes dull, and the characters have nothing to strive for
and don’t grow. And boy, did I make life hard for these two. Having Sam face the threat of a potentially lethal
infection, Cassie trying to help a woman escape a violent marriage, and Sam
admitting the horrific truth of his past, all work together to give the book an
authentic feel.
When I started writing, the plot unfolded in front of me, almost like I was
watching a movie. Opening Scene: A man limping along the prairie. He’s been
shot and left for dead. He’s bleeding and hurt bad. And thirsty. So thirsty.
It’s hot and he wants to rest, but he knows he has to push on. If he collapses
again, he’s not going to get up and he’ll die here. But maybe he’s already dead
and this is hell. Or maybe not...
Cut To: A young woman working in a general store. She’s physically and
mentally exhausted. She questions why she even bothers keeping the store open
and wonders aloud if this is how the rest of her life is going to be… miserable.
Then the mysterious stranger stumbles into the store and collapses at her feet.
That was how I introduced readers to Sam and Cassie. The rest of the book
also played out like a movie. The supporting cast of Luke, the sheriff,
Cassie’s lady friends, and the troublesome townspeople all moved the plot along
and added different levels of drama, humor, suspense, and action to this
anything-but-boring historical romance.
I really loved creating the secondary characters and drawing readers into
this small town setting I invented. The book was a lot of fun to write, and I
enjoyed giving Cassie and Sam their happy ending after all the pain and
suffering I put them through. Writing the more violent and darker scenes was
tough, but again, for realism, they needed to be part of the book.
In the end, it was all for the best. Sam and Cassie overcame their pasts,
learned to love and trust again, and have a brand new start together. Readers
loved the book as much as I loved writing it. Here are a few kind words:
“4 Stars! From the first page I was hooked!
The plot was clever, engaging, and I was full of anticipation for what would
happen next since there were several twists and turns. The plot was believable.
The author did a good job securing a happy ending for all involved, leaving me
feeling justified, vindicated, and with a sweet closure. It was a nicely
wrapped happy ending.” - LAS Reviewer
"Kelli A. Wilkins rustles up a thoughtful
frontier romance between a grieving shop owner and a wounded stranger who stumbles
into her Nebraska dry goods store in1877. Cassie Wilcox is nearly bankrupt from
shoplifters, nonpaying customers, and the reverend's judgmental wife, who has
turned the town against her. Cassie's only friends are the sheriff and the
women of the brothel until handsome Sam Hixton staggers into her store, shot
and near death, and collapses. Cassie nurses him back to health, unaware that
his identity is a sham. Wilkins is adept at tackling serious themes of
domestic violence, bereavement, and trust.” - Publisher's Weekly
I hope you enjoyed this look at the making
of Love,
Lies and Redemption. I welcome comments and questions from readers. Be
sure to follow my blog for the latest updates and visit me on social media. You
can read more “Behind the Scenes” blogs here: www.KelliWilkins.com/blog
I also made a Facebook page for my
historical romances: https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/
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 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes
to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, In Another World, was
released in early 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set
in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, More
Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In 2021, Kelli published Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics
to Get You Writing. 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.
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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