This “Behind the Scenes” blog is part of a series examining my romance novels. In each blog, I’ll 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. Warning: Blogs may contain spoilers.
Trust with Hearts is an example of how a story idea can come
to an author anytime, anywhere. One night I was waiting for a concert to start
and a premise for a romance popped into my head: A woman falls in love with her
cousin’s best friend, but doesn’t realize he’s a famous country singer. I knew
I had to write it down, but the only paper I had was the envelope the concert
tickets came in. (Yes, this was years ago!) I scribbled a brief outline and a
character list before the concert started. And that’s how Trust with Hearts was
born—but not right away.
I was in the middle of revising another romance at the time,
so I took a few hours and wrote a detailed outline, snippets of dialogue, and
character information about Trust with Hearts, then set it aside. About a year
later, I pulled out my notes and started writing. The idea was still fresh in
my head, and the book practically wrote itself. (I always advise writers to
take down ideas as they appear—otherwise they might fade into oblivion.)
Trust with Hearts was an interesting book to write. The
heroine, Sherrie, has left a bad relationship, and on the spur of the moment,
goes to West Virginia and moves in with her cousin Dave. Unknown to her, Dave
already has a houseguest—his friend Curtis. Curtis is a country boy and Sherrie
is all city.
I enjoyed playing off their differences and had fun
inventing vexing situations for them to get on each other’s nerves. And boy, do
they! Right on page 1, Curtis and Sherrie start an on/off love/hate
relationship—and soon realize there’s more to their teasing and feuding. Before
long, they discover they have a lot in common, and begin a steamy summer
romance.
Some of my favorite scenes are when Curtis climbs a tree to
rescue a kitten, when Curtis and Sherrie realize they like each other, and the
big bombshell scene when Sherrie learns Curtis’s secret. I also liked writing
the scenes where Dave plays matchmaker and counselor to each of them. In his
own way, he brought this unlikely couple together.
But you can’t have a good romance without drama, and the
book is filled with it. Sherrie confronts her abusive ex-boyfriend, reexamines
her life, and finds her purpose. Curtis is healing his wounded heart, dealing
with a major family crisis, and going out of his way to keep a huge secret from
Sherrie. Throughout the book Cutis and Sherrie face their pasts, work on their
personal issues, and learn to love and trust again.
Trust with Hearts is not just a romance, it’s also a summer
romance, so when I was writing the book I made sure to include specific details
to bring out the “summer romance” theme: hot, sticky, sweaty days and nights,
cool iced tea, gardening, and even heat stroke. The details pull the reader
into the story and into Curtis and Sherrie’s world. And since Curtis is an
expert in country music, I worked those details into the plot and even had
Curtis give Sherrie a very erotic guitar lesson...
When I was writing Trust with Hearts, I fell in love with
the characters and considered writing a sequel. (A few readers were interested
in a sequel too!) The basic plot would have been Dave falling in love with
Curtis’s girl cousin (we briefly meet her in the book). But I’ve since
abandoned the project. If enough readers want a sequel, I might be persuaded to
write a novella-length version of my book idea. (Readers: Let me know your
thoughts about this on social media.)
Trust with Hearts is a summer romance with interesting
characters, an unusual storyline, and plenty of sizzling love scenes. It will
make you laugh, cry, and root for love. I hope you’ll add it to your summer
reading list.
TRUST WITH HEARTS
After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her
cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into
Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie
wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is
sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.
Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off
to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever
imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their
desires and start a sizzling summer romance.
Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers
that Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will
change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them
apart forever?
Order Trust with Hearts here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074422FHY
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgrK7R
Read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/trust-with-hearts
I created a Facebook page for my contemporary romances.
Visit it here:
https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/
I hope you enjoyed this “Behind the Scenes” look at the
making of this hot summer romance. I welcome questions and comments from
readers and other authors. Contact me via the form on my site or on social
media.
Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
