Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Setting the Stage for a Summer Romance







Hello romance lovers!
 
To celebrate the release of my paranormal summer romance, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover, I’m sharing a few thoughts on how to set the stage for your summer romances. 

Take a minute and consider this scenario: A young woman runs a bed and breakfast in a resort beach town. While kayaking early one morning, she sees a swimmer caught in a rip current. She helps him get to shore safely and learns that he’s spending the summer in town. They are attracted to each other, but don’t immediately act on their feelings. 

How would you write the rest of the story? Where would you take it from there?

As an author, I’m free to invent anything I want in my books. I create the characters, their backstories, goals, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. I’m also in charge of the setting and the details—and they are two important things to consider when writing a summer romance.

Summer is generally considered a “fun” time (except for the mosquitos!). Kids are out of school, people take vacations, friends and families gather around the pool, lake, or barbeque, and everything is more relaxed. All that can lead to summer love.

Everything’s hotter in the summer—including romances! Characters get hot—physically, as temperatures soar and the humidity rises—and hot for each other. Suppose a hero and heroine meet on the beach. They can get an eyeful of the other person’s muscular chest or long, lean legs. They’re both hot and sweaty (maybe he just finished playing a volleyball game). They may flirt, playfully touch each other, ask the other to apply sunscreen, or simply fantasize about what’s under that bathing suit. 

In my summer romance, A Deceptive Match, Vin and Danni are stuck driving across the country in July. At the start of the book, she’s professionally dressed, but as things heat up between them, she starts wearing playful summer sundresses, sandals, and shorts. Her outfits were a great way for Vin to notice her legs and fantasize about touching her. (And his tank tops showed off his huge arms…) 

Setting a story in the summer months opens a world of possibilities. Writers have more opportunities to bring the hero and heroine together and keep the interest going with summer escapades. Where you set your romance often leads to the types of encounters between your characters and also can influence the plot.

Suppose your heroine lives in a beach town. Give her an interesting job that gets her out in public and she could meet Prince Charming. Maybe she’s a waitress at a tiki bar, is a lifeguard, or just happens to meet a hot guy on the beach. Or, maybe your hero is on a beach vacation to get over being dumped by his ex and finds himself falling for the woman (or man) he meets on the boardwalk.

When writing any story, it’s always fun to play the “What if…” game. What if your hero is a lifeguard at a pool and rescues the heroine—or her child? What if a boater is stranded out in a lake? Suppose your hero and heroine meet on a fishing trip? They play on opposing volleyball teams? Meet at a Civil War reenactment event?

Don’t be afraid to turn things around and try something unusual. What if a surfer meets someone who absolutely hates the sun? (That is the premise to my summer paranormal romance, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover.) What if the hero is terrified of the water and has to overcome that fear to be with (or rescue) the person he loves? 

But not every summer romance has to involve the water, sun, and sand. Anywhere you can get your characters together doing any summer activity is a great way to create mood and setting. Suppose your single mom heroine is taking her son to day camp and falls for the camp instructor? 

Maybe your hero loves the woods and likes to hike, camp, or rock climb. Is your heroine attracted to the hot guy who mows the lawns in her development? The hero meets a sexy new neighbor at a community barbeque or fireworks display? 

And don’t forget about summer sports: surfing, baseball, softball, or any outdoor event is a good way to have your characters meet. County fairs and concerts in the park are also great settings for love to blossom. Maybe your heroine falls for a member of the band…
 
Some summer romances have nothing to do with people on vacation or doing “outdoorsy” things, but can still retain that summer heat. How? Work in plenty of seasonal details to give the book a summer “flavor” and spice things up! (See my blog on summer details for more specifics.)

If it’s really hot outside and your characters are the naughty, adventurous types, have them go skinny-dipping in a pool, a lake, or the ocean. If your lovers are camping and feel the urge for a quickie, they could sneak off and do it in the woods (with the added thrill of the risk of getting caught), under the stars, in a tent (where someone might hear), or on a boat during a fireworks display. 

Readers love being swept away by summer romances and writers enjoy creating them. In fact, summer romances could very well be a separate romance genre. They’re fun reads for a day at the beach—and they’re an excellent way to add a little “summer heat” to cold winter nights. 

So… grab an icy beverage, set out that lounge chair, and lose yourself in a hot summer romance before the end of the season.

Want more writing tips, exercises, and advice? Get a copy of my fun writing guide, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction. (It’s available on Amazon and other platforms). If you’re ready to write, order your copy here:

Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins





ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels. 

In 2016 Kelli began re-releasing her romances previously published by Amber Quill Press. Visit her website and blog for a full title list, book summaries, and other information as it becomes available. Look for her Medallion Press historical western romance, Lies, Love & Redemption, coming in September. 

Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative non-fiction guide based on her 15 years of experience as a writer. It’s filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.

If you like to be scared, check out Kelli’s horror ebooks: Dead Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor. She also writes a weekly blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/.
 
Visit her website, www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of her writings, read book excerpts, reviews, and more. Readers can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb.

 

CATCH UP WITH KELLI

Here are a few links to find Kelli & her writings on the web
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Heating Up Summer Romances with Sizzling Details




Hi Everyone,

To celebrate the release of my paranormal summer romance, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover, I’m sharing a few thoughts on how to use details to spice up your summer romances. 

Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the beach. The ocean waves are rolling into shore… you feel the sun on your skin and the warm, gritty sand beneath your toes… the air smells like salt water mixed with coconut scented suntan lotion… You open your eyes and see a tanned hunk standing in front of you. A bead of sweat drips down his six-pack abs…

Did it feel like you were on the beach? Could you sense everything happening around you? Good, because conveying sensory details to readers is an excellent way to draw them into the book and make them part of the action. 

More than anything, readers want to get inside the story, feel what the characters are feeling, and live vicariously in the world the author has created. When writing a summer romance (or any romance), authors should make the most of the five senses to bring the story alive. Exploring all the details of a scene gives the reader the experience of “being there.” 

Here are a few examples of how you can bring everyday surroundings to life and enhance the sensory details in your story:

What’s the weather? What time of day have you set your scene? Early morning sunrise? In the blazing afternoon heat? A cool summer night? Does a sudden thunderstorm send everyone at the baseball game running for cover?

Liven it up with color!
Summer colors are usually bold and bright. Describe your heroine’s hot pink bathing suit, the hero’s cherry red convertible, or the vibrant turquoise beach towel they make love on…

Add some flavor:
The sense of taste is usually hard to work into a romance, but you can get inventive. When the characters kiss, what do they taste? Zingy lemonade? Beer? Mint chip ice cream? Spicy BBQ? Does she taste like the strawberries she’s just eaten?

The sounds of summer: People spend lots of time outdoors in the summer, so what do your characters hear in the background? People talking? Kids yelling and playing games? Splashing in a lake or a pool? Carnival-ride sounds from a boardwalk? Sea gulls calling? Lawn mowers buzzing?

Look around:
What do your characters see as they go through a scene? Fireflies? Bees buzzing around flowers? A tattoo peeking out from under a bathing suit? Her long legs? Are people watching them kiss on the beach?

Breathe deep: The sense of smell isn’t always crucial to a romance, but having your character follow his nose to the scent of burgers cooking on a grill or relaxing in the comforting smell of smoke from a campfire can enhance a scene. Maybe your heroine is turned on (or off!) when she smells suntan lotion. Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers. Flowers are blooming all summer, and your heroine can be an avid gardener who loves the scent of roses, while your hero has allergies.

Reach out and touch: Summer is a great time of year for your main characters to touch each other. Explore the feel of a shirt stuck to her body, sweat trickling down his back, the brisk coolness of walking into an air conditioned room, jumping into a cold lake, what it feels like to touch the other person’s hot, sweaty skin…

My summer paranormal romance, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover, is set at the beach. (Yes, it’s quite an unusual setting for a vampire romance!) In the book, I used a variety of details to describe the hero’s obsession with the sun, sand, and surf (or as he put it: wax, water, and waves). 

I contrasted that with details of being with the vampire heroine at night (moonlight reflecting off the ocean, making love on the deserted beach, and swimming at night). By enhancing the details, I showed how Brian and Anya lived in completely different worlds (literally, night and day) and still found summer love.

The next time you read a summer romance, pay closer attention to the little details the author has added. Notice how they draw you deeper into the world of the characters and the story. And don’t we all want to get swept away into another world for a while?

Whether you’re writing a summer romance, or losing yourself in one on a lazy afternoon, enjoy the rest of the summer!

Happy Reading,
Kelli


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels. 

In 2016 Kelli began re-releasing her romances previously published by Amber Quill Press. Visit her website and blog for a full title list, book summaries, and other information as it becomes available. Look for her Medallion Press historical western romance, Lies, Love & Redemption, coming in September. 

Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative non-fiction guide based on her 15 years of experience as a writer. It’s filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.

If you like to be scared, check out Kelli’s horror ebooks: Dead Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.

Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor. She also writes a weekly blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/.
Visit her website, www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of her writings, read book excerpts, reviews, and more. 

Readers can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb.

CATCH UP WITH KELLI

Here are a few links to find Kelli & her writings on the web
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Spotlight on… The Royal Desires Series






Hi everyone,

Today I’m sharing an inside look at the making of the Royal Desires Series. This trilogy of historical/fantasy romances is made up of A Most Unusual Princess, A Most Intriguing Temptation, and A Most Unfortunate Prince. Together, they are a fun series, but each story stands alone as a separate read. Why? Because when I wrote A Most Unusual Princess, I never knew I was writing a trilogy.

I’ve been asked how I plotted the series. Did I use note cards to keep track of each character’s description? Did I make an overall outline of the whole trilogy, and then write each book? 

Nope. The truth is… I just wrote the story that was in my head. I didn’t intend to write a trilogy—it kinda happened on its own. (With a lot of typing on my part, of course!) I wrote each book by itself, with its own setting and theme, apart from the book that came before. So, although they share characters, each book can be read apart from the others. 

A Most Unusual Princess is a sensual novella about unruly and willful Princess Elara, and Dalton, the handsome (and incredibly patient) guard tasked with protecting her while she searches for a suitable husband. The book is a unique blend of comedy, human drama, and romance. It’s also the first fantasy romance I ever wrote—and it was a lot of fun. 

I liked the idea of following a very headstrong and spoiled Princess Elara as she looked for a husband. From the outset, we learn that Elara is an opinionated young woman who is used to getting her own way. When Dalton innocently catches Elara doing something very unladylike, the Dalton-Elara love/hate/love relationship is born. 

I enjoyed writing Dalton and Elara’s story and fell in love with them. I never expected I’d visit these characters again, but not long after completing A Most Unusual Princess, I knew Dalton needed his own book, so I wrote A Most Intriguing Temptation

A Most Intriguing Temptation focuses on the theme of fidelity. Elara wants to test Dalton’s loyalty, so she masquerades as a sultry kharim girl in a pleasure palace. Naturally, she gets in over her head and into big trouble. I took Elara out of her element and gave her new challenges and experiences. We also got to see a different side to Dalton’s character and learned about his weaknesses and desires. 

While writing A Most Intriguing Temptation, I introduced readers to Prince Allan. He’s basically the male version of his sister, Princess Elara—hedonistic, selfish, and utterly wild at times. I had fun creating the character and enjoyed setting him free in a pleasure palace completely without limitations. I soon realized that Allan needed a book of his own, so I wrote A Most Unfortunate Prince. (Several readers also asked me if Allan’s story would be told, and I was happy to oblige!)

But before I wrote a word, I knew that Allan was going to have to face the music for his bad behavior. At the start of the book (yes, right there on page 1) Allan is banished for his actions stemming from A Most Intriguing Temptation. His father kicks him out into the real world alone and broke, and he’s forced to make his own way in life.

I decided to take this carefree, roguish prince and turn his world upside down. I asked myself: How bad can you make things for him? He has nothing: no food, no fancy clothes, certainly no job skills, and no real sense of identity. He had lived a pampered life where everything was handed to him on a silver platter (literally), and now was in for a rude awakening. I really put the screws to poor Allan, and at times left him broken, sad, and utterly miserable. 

Over the course of the book, Allan suffers life’s lessons at the hands of his evil employer and falls in love—twice. The story introduces us to Claudette, a sassy seamstress who fancies Allan and helps him adjust to the life of a commoner. Once a carefree womanizer, Allan discovers a secret side to himself, and through his relationship with Claudette, he learns what is truly important in life. And to round things out, a more settled Elara and Dalton also appear in the book and help wind up the series. 

I enjoyed writing each of these books. It was fun to create the characters, give them unique adventures, and complicate their lives—all in the name of love. Although these are historical/fantasy romances, there’s enough spicy love scenes, adventure, drama, sadness, and humor to keep readers of all genres entertained and enthralled. 

Read the Royal Desires Series from the start:

Book 1: A Most Unusual Princess

Book 2: A Most Intriguing Temptation:

Book 3: A Most Unfortunate Prince:


If you’ve read the trilogy, let me know what you think. What was your favorite book? Which scenes did you like best? Post a comment here, contact me via the email address on the “News” page of my site, or connect on social media.

Happy Reading!
Kelli