Meet the Character
Day: Chatting with Katarina from Redemption from a Dark Past
By Kelli A. Wilkins
This “Meet the
Character Day” blog is part of a series examining my romance novels. In each
“Behind the Scenes” blog, I 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. The “Meet the Character Day” blogs are fun chats with the
heroes and heroines from my romances. Warning: blogs may contain spoilers.
Today
we’re chatting with Katarina, the heroine in Redemption from a Dark Past, a Gothic historical romance
from Kelli A. Wilkins. Let’s see what’s on her mind…
What was your life like before
your author started pulling your strings?
Before
the book started, my life was pretty miserable. I was working on a goat farm in
a tiny village in Hungary, and I was terribly lonely. When I was a child, my
“employers” took me out of an orphanage and brought me to work for them in
exchange for food and shelter.
Unlike
most of the young women in my village, I always wanted more for myself. I
wanted to explore new places, have adventures, and fall in love. I’m happy to
say that Kelli made all those wonderful things come true for me.
Describe yourself in
four words.
Clever.
Headstrong. Independent. Fearless.
What do
you like least about yourself?
I was always ashamed that I couldn’t read or write. Even though most
people from the lower classes (men and women) can’t, I felt that I should know
how. Being uneducated made me feel stupid, and I thought that I was missing out
on a lot of things.
When I met Lord Adrik, I’d spend hours looking at the books in his
library, wondering what stories and adventures were locked away inside them. Now
I can read and write, and I even play three musical instruments.
What is
the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?
Well… this is a bit personal, but in the book, Kelli wrote a scene
where I was bathing and Lord Adrik came into the bath and… Let’s just say, he
showed me the ecstasy a woman feels when making love. I thought it was strange
at first, but after receiving Lord Adrik’s affections, I was quite pleased!
Kelli also wrote a few other strange happenings in the book. One
night, I chased down the ghost haunting the castle, and on another night I
followed Lord Adrik into a strange room and discovered one of his deepest
secrets. Kelli says that Redemption from a Dark Past is a
romance blended with mystery and suspense, and she’s right.
Do you
argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?
I don’t really argue much with her. After writing 20 romances, Kelli
knows what she’s doing. Although I’ll admit, at times I was concerned with how
the book would end and what would happen to me. The story has lots of twists
and turns, but Lord Adrik and I trusted that Kelli would make everything work
out just fine in the end.
What is
your greatest fear?
I don’t have many fears, but I suppose I share one with just about
everyone—I worry about losing the people I love. Life is very short and I think
everyone should enjoy the time they have here with the people they love the
most.
If you
could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?
I would rewrite the part of the story where Lord Adrik and I have
to attend a meeting at Count Varady’s estate. That’s where I encountered a
group of fancy noblewomen who were very nasty to me. Lord Adrik also had a lot
of troubles there, and basically, everything fell apart. If I had my way, I’d
change the book so that we never went there at all.
But as Kelli reminds me, all that bad stuff had to take place so
the story could develop and other important things could happen. I know she’s
right, because if I changed that scene, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Of the other characters in your
book, which one bothers you the most? Why?
There
were a few characters who bothered me. Mr. and Mrs. Gurka, the owners of the
goat farm, were always mean to me. They also tried to arrange for me to marry a
horrible man named Oleg. And then there was Baron Radych—he plotted against
Lord Adrik and tried to kill me. I’m happy to say that Kelli made sure he
didn’t bother anyone again.
Tell us a little something
about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?
Kelli asked me to tell readers
that she is
an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20
romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat
levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her horror stories. She
just released two new mysteries: More Than I Bargained For and Silent
Sentinel.
She
says readers can visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more about
all of her writings.
I
can’t wait to read all of her historical romances. I want to see what other
interesting characters she has written about and follow their adventures.
Anything else you
would like to add?
What's
next for you?
Well, I
don’t want to give away anything from the book, but Lord Adrik and I are
expecting our first child soon. I’m very excited about that.
Thank you for letting me chat
here today. I hope everyone reads Redemption
from a Dark Past and all of Kelli’s other romances. If you missed any blog in this
series, you can catch up here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog
Here is
the book summary, an exclusive excerpt, and links.
Redemption from a Dark Past
Lord
Sebestyen Adrik has an unsavory reputation as a madman, murderer… and worse.
Lonely and searching for love, he seeks the companionship of local young women,
hoping one of them will ease his torment and bring him the happiness he longs
for. Katarina is his last chance—but will she fear him like all the others? Or
is she the one who can lift his curse?
Desperate
to avoid a forced marriage, Katarina agrees to become Lord Adrik’s latest
companion, despite the rumors she has heard about him. She discovers the “Dark
Lord’s” secret past and realizes he’s not the monster everyone thinks he is.
As their
love blossoms, she renews his passion for life—yet they cannot escape the
ghosts of the past.
When a
meeting of the nobility goes horribly wrong, Sebestyen’s world unravels, and
his enemies plot to destroy him. As all seems lost, a mysterious stranger
arrives at the castle. Sebestyen must decide if he is a friend or a foe…and if
he can find redemption in his love for Katarina, or lose her and everything
else that he holds dear.
An exclusive excerpt:
He
glanced at her. “What would you say if I told you the castle is haunted?”
He
held his breath and scanned Katarina’s face to gauge her reaction. Why in
heaven’s name of all the nights, did this have to happen? He was getting along
perfectly with Katarina. They had been in the throes of a passionate embrace.
Then this happened, shattering their mood. Of course, that’s why it happened
now. He was kissing Katarina. And she
had decided to ruin his enjoyment.
“Haunted?
You don’t believe that, do you?”
“Yes.”
He motioned for her to stand. There would be no more kissing tonight. There
would be no more anything tonight.
“How
do you know?” she asked as she stood. “Someone—a person—knocked on the door.”
“No,
it was the ghost. It’s happened before.” He rose from the settee and picked up
his cane.
“The
same knocking?”
“Knocking?
It was more like pounding, angry pounding. The castle is haunted. Doors slam in
the middle of the night. Things move around on their own. If that’s not proof
of the place being haunted, then what is?” He walked to the sideboard and
poured himself a drink. “Care for one?”
“No
thank you. I’d rather hear about this ghost. Who is it?”
He
sipped his drink. “I don’t wish to discuss it.” He hated being sharp with her,
but now was not the time to get into a long story. Katarina didn’t need to know
that his dead wife was haunting him, trying to drive him mad and into his
grave.
“Fine,
then. I want to meet this ghost,” Katarina said as she crossed the room.
“What
are you doing?” He dashed to the door and blocked her way. “Don’t open it.”
“Why
not? What’s going to happen?”
“I
don’t know, but you shouldn’t go out there. It’s not safe. Let’s sit here and
have a drink.”
“Don’t
you want to look? What if someone has broken into the castle? What if the front
door is open, or—”
“It’s
not. I locked it. I always check all the doors and windows in the castle, every
night. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and check them to make
certain they’re secure,” he said in a rush.
Too
late, he realized how strange and panicked his words sounded. He walked back to
the sideboard. As he picked up his glass, he noticed his hand was shaking. Why
couldn’t anything ever work out for him? Now that Katarina knew the castle was
haunted, she’d leave him, just like all the others.
Katarina
bent down next to the keyhole.
“What
are you doing?” he asked.
“Looking.
There’s nothing out there.” She straightened up. “If there was a ghost, I
wanted to see it.” She stepped to his side. “Why would a ghost knock? What does
it want?”
“I
don’t know,” he lied. “Can we please pretend it never happened? If we talk
about it, it might come back.”
“It
comes back?”
“Yes,
sometimes.” He didn’t want to admit that on several occasions the ghost had
banged on the door every ten minutes, until he was nearly driven out of his
mind. On those nights, he drank until he passed out, too afraid to open the
door and go upstairs. Who knew what horrors would await him?
Katarina
frowned. “If it’s a ghost—”
“If? You don’t believe in them?”
“No.
Why should I? I’ve never seen one. I may be a simple peasant girl, but I don’t
believe in superstitious nonsense. Until this ghost does something I can see, I
refuse to be afraid of it.”
She
was quiet for a second. “And if this is a ghost and it wants in, why doesn’t it
turn into a fog or a mist and float in through the keyhole? Why would it knock
if it could do that? A door can’t stop it if it truly is a spirit.”
A
chill ran down his back. “Dear God, I never thought of that.” Now he’d never
feel safe from it. “Don’t talk like that,” he admonished.
Order Redemption from a Dark Past here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DL1FXYW/
All other platforms: https://www.books2read.com/u/3R1aYD
Read reviews here: kelliwilkins.com/redemption-from-a-dark-past
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 non-fiction tale, “The Dog That
Wouldn’t Bark” recently appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious,
Heroic, Human Dog anthology.
She also released two horror
shorts, More Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In January 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.
