Kelli’s Quill
Bountiful November 2017 Issue
Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween. Believe it or not, “the holidays” are rolling around again. For me, November is Medallion Month, and I’m featuring my Medallion Press historical romances, links to guest blogs, new stuff, free reads, and I answer 5 FAQ.
New things are happening…
My blog has been updated and refreshed… I’ve got new
pages for historical romances and contemporary romances… New banners are up for
my Twitter page and Facebook author page...
FREE READS from all of my romances (all genres) are
now on my Manic Readers page: http://www.manicreaders.com/KelliAWilkins/
It’s Medallion Month!
All through November I'll be highlighting my
Medallion Press historical romances on my blog and Facebook pages. These
full-length romance novels are available on several ebook platforms and all are
just $2.99. If you haven’t read any of them, why not give them a try?
Here’s a look at each title:
Lies, Love & Redemption: This full-length novel
is set on the Nebraska prairie in 1877 and blends a steamy romance with
mystery, and danger.
Lies, Love & 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 your copy here:
Links to other platforms:
Dangerous Indenture is set in Pennsylvania Colony
blends sensual romance with mystery.
Dangerous Indenture
Eager to escape her past in Ireland, Shauna Farrow
signs on to become an indentured servant to Joshua Stewart, a wealthy man in
Pennsylvania Colony.
But a life of servitude quickly turns to drudgery,
and her hopes for starting over and creating a better life for herself are
waning—until she meets her master’s roguish son, Ashton.
Shauna fights her growing attraction to Ashton, torn
between propriety and acting on her emotions. But amidst their flirting,
something dark stirs. Shauna soon discovers why no other servants will work for
the strange Stewart family.
Stewart House has an unsavory reputation: a previous
servant died there under mysterious circumstances. When another servant goes
missing in the middle of the night, Shauna is convinced that a member of the
family is responsible.
When Shauna’s investigation leads her too close to
the truth, it’s up to Ashton to save her before time runs out.
Order your copy here:
Other platforms:
The Viking’s Witch: This historical/paranormal novel
won a gold IPPY award for best romance and has received several excellent
reviews.
The Viking’s Witch
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 is up.
Order your copy here:
Other platforms:
http://medallionpress.com/books/the-vikings-witch/
Guest blogs & Fun Stuff
Read an exclusive excerpt from Lies, Love & Redemption:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Exclusive-Excerpt-Lies-Love-Redemption-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins
Ever talk to a Viking? Read a chat with Rothgar, the
hero from The Viking’s Witch…
https://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-chat-with-rothgar-from-vikings-witch.html
Like historical romance? Read about the making of
Dangerous Indenture:
https://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/2017/11/dangerous-indenture-historical-mystery.html
Don’t miss my guest blog about writing historical
romances:
http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/2017/01/on-genres-with-kelli-wilkins.html
Looking for something more modern? Read an exclusive
excerpt from my contemporary romance, Trust with Hearts:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Exclusive-Excerpt-Trust-With-Hearts-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins
Read my blog Writing Across Genres:
http://mariacatalinaegan.com/2017/10/10/writing-across-the-genre-spectrum-by-kelli-a-wilkins
Need some motivation to write your book? Check out
this blog about finding time to write. Post includes fun writing exercises.
https://princessofthelight.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/finding-the-time-to-write-by-kwilkinsauthor-nanowrimo-writingtips-tuesdaybookblog/
See what's on my desk & read about my writing
routines... “What’s on your desk, Wednesday” http://bit.ly/2zaMDGm
Kelli’s Corner
This month, I answer the Top 5 Questions Writers are
Often Asked. I hope you find them interesting.
1. How do I get published?
“How do I get published?” is one of the most common
questions writers want answered. The truth is, you can’t “do” anything to get
published other than submitting your best work to the appropriate publication.
The rest is up to the editor. He or she will like it – or not.
But here are quick three tips to getting published:
1. Write the best story you can (revise as needed!) 2. Research the market(s)
you’ll be submitting to 3. Pick the best place to send your story, and submit
it. Really, that’s all you can do! After you’ve submitted your story, forget
about it and write something else. It may take months to hear back about your
submission.
2. Any advice for aspiring authors?
The best advice I can give to any writer (regardless
of what genre he or she likes to write) is to keep writing. It takes a lot of
dedication and determination to sit down every day and write something. But the
more you write, the easier it gets. Writing classes are also a great way to
learn the basics of storytelling. (That’s how I got started!) If possible, join
a writer’s group or a critique group to get feedback on your stories. When
you’ve written, revised, and polished your story, submit it! You can’t get
published if you never submit, and you never know when your first acceptance
will arrive. You can also check out my non-fiction writing guide, You Can Write
— Really! It’s packed with advice, tips, and writing exercises.
3. Where do you get the ideas and titles for your
books?
Ideas are everywhere… you just need to find them. I
tend to be a bit nosy and I like to explore, so I come up with ideas just by
noticing my surroundings and observing what’s going on around me. I also have a
vivid imagination, which helps give me ideas. Once in a while, a story idea or
character will come to me out of nowhere. Sometimes I take two ideas and
combine them into one, or I take an idea and ask myself “what if” to invent new
scenarios and plotlines.
Titles are harder to come up with than the whole
book! In some cases, I’ll have a title in mind before I start writing the story
(such as Four Days with Jack and Midsummer Night’s Delights), but many times I
don’t have the title until well after I’ve finished writing. I try to find a
theme or a line in the story to use in the title or as the title. (A Most
Unusual Princess is a good example.) If that doesn’t work, I’ll brainstorm
about the characters or related words, then mix and match potential title ideas
until something clicks.
4. What are some of the public misconceptions or
myths you’ve encountered when people discover you write romances?
The first one that comes to mind is that romance
authors are basing the love scenes in their books on their own private lives,
and that we “act out” the love scenes. Not true! The stories are fiction, not
confessionals. Another misconception is that writing romance is “easier” than
writing stories in other genres because there’s no “real” plot or
characterization. Again, not true! Writing good romance (at any heat or
sensuality level) is just as difficult and as labor-intensive as writing
horror, sci fi, or mystery.
5. How long does it take to write a book? Do you
spend a lot of time researching topics for your historical romances?
Once I have the time period for a historical
romance, I do research for details and/or ideas for setting, clothing,
occupations, or even the food that people ate. (I did a lot of research for
Dangerous Indenture and The Viking’s Witch.) I like to weave little details
into the stories and blend them in as naturally as possible. When I’m writing
fantasy romance, I try to make the details believable, even if I’m making them
up!
The only contemporary romance I did research for was
Beauty & the Bigfoot. I had to know everything about Bigfoot so I could
create the quirky characters and give the story an extra boost of realism.
Depending on the length of the story or the scope of
the book, it can take anywhere from a week to a month to write the first (very
rough!) draft. Shorter stories like Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover and Four
Days with Jack took a week to make it onto paper. Full-length books such as
Lies, Love & Redemption and Loving a Wild Stranger took a month. I write
all my stories in longhand, so after the first draft is finished, I edit it as
I type it.
I love the process of writing. Creating characters
and telling the story of their adventures is a lot of fun. It’s interesting to
see what the characters do, to watch them fall in love, and to learn how they
overcome their troubles to have a happy ending.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed this issue of the Quill. Please
share it with your social media friends. I welcome feedback and questions from
readers, so drop me a line with your comments.
Here’s a list of where you can find me on social
media:
Amazon Author Page:
www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins
Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb
Medallion Press Author Page: http://medallionpress.com/author/kelli-wilkins/
Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins
Facebook Historical Romances:
https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/
Facebook Contemporary Romances: https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/
Facebook Gay Romances:
https://www.facebook.com/GayRomancesbyKelliAWilkins/
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/
FREE READS: Manic Readers page: http://www.manicreaders.com/KelliAWilkins/
Until next time…
Kelli
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