The Making of… The Viking’s Witch (Part 1)
By Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
Today I’m sharing a look at my historical romance, The
Viking’s Witch. The book 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.
Order
The Viking’s Witch and read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/the-viking-s-witch
***
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 back
stories, and the subplot. All of that came later, along with the secondary
characters, Brennan and Nordskog.
Scotland is a beautiful
place and I’ve always wanted to set a book there. 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 researched what life was like in that time period for Odaria and Rothgar.
(What kind of clothes did they wear? What 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 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.
If you love historical and/or paranormal romances (or
want to learn about my other books), visit the Romance section of my site: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/romance.
Until next time,
Kelli
A Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 8 mystery/horror
ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare
readers with her horror and mystery stories.
Her
twenty-fourth romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic
historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.
In August
2024, she released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7 speculative/spooky stories. Anything
can—and does—happen in this anthology.
Kelli also released her fourth gay
romance, A Thousand Summer Secrets, in 2024. This tender contemporary
romance takes place over a summer weekend, where two friends reconnect while
seeking love and acceptance.
She published The Route 9 Killer, a
mystery/thriller set in Central NJ, in 2023. Look for a follow-up story coming
in 2026!
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social
media links.
No comments:
Post a Comment