5
Fast Questions for Author Kelli A. Wilkins
1.
Greetings! We’re glad to have this chance to catch up with you. Let’s start
with the basics. Why don’t you introduce yourself to readers who may not be
familiar with your books?
Sure! My name is Kelli A. Wilkins and I write romance
novels and horror/mystery stories. My unique romances cover nearly every
subgenre (contemporary, fantasy, gay, historical, mystery, and paranormal) and
vary in heat level from mild to super-spicy. My horror and mysteries tend to be
more psychological/spooky instead of gory. Halloween is my favorite holiday and
many of my short stories are set in October. I like to say that I write
something for everyone.
2.
Let’s focus on your romances for a minute. You certainly have an impressive
title list, and in 2025 you released your 24th romance. Can you tell
readers about it?
For
Love’s Sake is an epic historical/fantasy romantic
adventure. The book is divided into three parts: The Castle, The Ship, and The
Palace. Each part is devoted to a specific section of the longer, overall
story, and they’re almost novellas unto themselves. Here’s the book summary and
buy link:
For Love’s Sake: An
Epic Historical/Fantasy Romantic Adventure
She
left everything behind to be with him.
He risked losing everything to stay with her.
They were willing to sacrifice everything… for love’s sake
Through a case of mistaken identity, Prince Kevan of
Alborg narrowly avoids an assassination attempt and wakes to find himself
trapped in mad King Torok’s rat-infested dungeon. Just when he is about to give
up hope, he is rescued by an unlikely ally—Torok’s daughter, Princess Adrianna.
Adrianna is desperate to flee her father’s kingdom and
agrees to help the handsome stranger escape, but only if he takes her with him
when he leaves. Although Kevan knows bringing Adrianna home will not sit well
with his father and lead to other complications, he agrees.
They make their way to a waiting ship captained by
Kevan’s brother, Mikhael, and set sail for Alborg. Along the way they are lost
at sea during a ferocious storm, battle a murderous mercenary sent by
Adrianna’s father, and try to deny their intense romantic feelings for each
other.
When they arrive in Alborg, Kevan’s father, King
Lenard, disapproves of Adrianna and drops the bombshell that Kevan is already
engaged to be married. While Kevan tries to get out of the arranged marriage,
Mikhael introduces Adrianna to members of the nobility in an effort to win over
the king.
At his engagement ball, Kevan is forced to choose
between his duty to his father and his loyalty to Adrianna. Soon after,
Adrianna is kidnapped and Kevan and Mikhael band together to hunt down her
abductors and rescue her before it’s too late.
Read reviews and order it here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/romance/for-loves-sake
3.
That sounds very appealing to romance readers or anyone who enjoys a good
story. What did you like best (and least) about writing it?
I loved creating the characters and getting them into (and out of) their harrowing situations. Although the love story is central to the plot, For Love’s Sake is more than a romance; it’s also an epic adventure. The characters experience lots of action outside of the bedroom: escaping a dungeon, fighting pirates, being lost at sea, getting kidnapped… And there’s plenty of emotional drama. The book is filled with lies, deception, sadness, secrets, jealousy, revenge, regret, and love in all its forms. It was a lot of fun to write.
However, because there’s so much going on, this is a
long book! It took more than a year to write, edit, revise, and proofread. I did
four rounds of edits/revisions to get the story the way I wanted it (and I even
cut several scenes). Doing the final edit and proofread was my least favorite
part of creating the book, but I’m happy with the finished product, and I think
it’s a great, engaging read. I’m glad it turned out the way I wanted, because…
it’s my last romance. (Yes, you read
that right!)
After writing two dozen romances, I’ve decided to step
away from the romance genre. I love all the characters I’ve created over the
years (they’re like my children), and I had a lot of fun writing those books,
but that phase of my writing life is over. I’ll still promote my backlist, but
I won’t be writing new romances.
In 2026, I started focusing on my first love:
horror/mystery stories.
4. Let’s talk about your horror and mystery stories. According to the “Horror, Mystery & More” section of your site, your short fiction has been included in several anthologies, and yet you’ve also self-published your own longer horror/mysteries. Why is that?
Where I submit depends on the story’s subject matter or length. I still submit stories to e-zines, anthologies, and print mags when the story matches up with what the market is looking for. However, when my “short” stories are too long or nobody likes the subject matter, I self-publish them. That happened with my novella Nightmare in the North (https://www.kelliwilkins.com/nightmare-in-the-north). It’s a great story, but because of the length and topic (my husband called it “disturbing”) it couldn’t find a home. So I self-published it. I also self-published Extraterrestrial Encounters, a collection of 18 sci-fi stories. (https://www.kelliwilkins.com/extraterrestrial-encounters)
In 2024 I gathered up 7
spooky stories and self-published them in an anthology called Surreal
Escapes. In these 7 speculative stories, ordinary people start off
having an average, normal day… until they encounter the world of the surreal.
They quickly realize they’re in another realm where anything can—and
does—happen. (Readers can order their copy and read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror/surreal-escapes).
I love this collection. It features ghosts, vampires, and an epic Halloween vs.
Christmas showdown. Some of the stories are spooky, some are sad, and a few
showcase my odd sense of humor.
I’ve also published two mystery/thrillers: The
Route 9 Killer and The Route 9 Stalker. The
Route 9 Killer is a police procedural with a hint of the paranormal
thrown in. Initially, Detective Rourke is looking for a missing woman, but then
he stumbles across a serial killer. The book got several excellent reviews and I
loved creating all the twists and turns in the story. (Read reviews and more
here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/the-route-9-killer).
The Route 9 Stalker was released in January 2026. Here is the full book summary and links:
The Route 9 Stalker
(A
Mystery/Thriller)
It
started with a body in the woods — and turned into a hunt for a deranged
stalker.
Late one evening, Megan Graystone enters a police
station and reports that she witnessed a man dumping a woman’s body in the
woods.
But with no concrete proof and no sign of foul play,
Detective Jim Rourke dismisses her story —
until a woman’s mutilated body is found close by. As Rourke investigates
the victim’s past, he learns that she was being stalked by a mysterious
stranger — and so were several other
murdered women.
Rourke discovers that the elusive stalker is playing a
twisted game; changing identities and vanishing after each murder. With no
other option, Rourke enlists Megan Graystone’s help to trap the stalker — although it means putting her in grave
danger.
Can Rourke stop the stalker before he kills and
disappears again?
Order
your copy here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGTTNPXG
Other Platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bxll2P
5.
Good luck with your horror/mystery stories! They sound intriguing. What do you
have planned for the rest of 2026? Any last words before we sign off?
As for the future… Who knows where my writings will
show up? I may have a horror tale chosen for an anthology. My suspense story
might be included in an e-zine, or I could self-publish my own short stories. I
recently wrote two short stories (okay, one is almost a novella….) and I’ve
been submitting them to print and online publications. So we’ll see what happens!
Someone suggested that I write one more Route
9 book featuring Detective Rourke. I’m not sure about that… but I am
considering some ideas.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and talk about
my writings. I welcome comments and questions from readers and other authors.
Be sure to follow my blog https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog
for the latest updates and visit my site www.kelliwilkins.com
for a full title list and links to my social media.
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 9
mystery/thriller/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and
she likes to scare readers with her horror, mystery, and thriller fiction.
Her latest book, The Route 9 Stalker, was published
in January 2026. This mystery/thriller is set in Central NJ and follows
Detective Jim Rourke on a disturbing new case. Meet him for the first time in The
Route 9 Killer.
Kelli's 24th
romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic historical/fantasy
romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.
In 2024, she
released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7
speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this anthology.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full tit
