Hi everyone,
This is part one of a two-part blog about the making of my
paranormal mystery romance, In Another World. In this blog, I’ll talk about the
origins of the story idea and the overall theme of the book.
So… how did this unique romance come about? Well, it’s a bit
complicated… In Another World has been a labor of love for at least ten years,
if not longer.
As most readers know, I also write horror fiction and I have
a great love of the paranormal. One night several years ago I was watching one
of those “paranormal caught on camera” programs and they showed footage of a
dead woman/spirit walking around a car. The backstory to the video was that the
woman had been killed in a car accident and her spirit was haunting the car as
it sat in a parking lot.
The video clearly showed a nearly-transparent woman popping
in and out around the car. It was pretty freaky, and the video stuck with me. I
started wondering… What would happen if someone bought that car? Would the
woman come with the car, or would her spirit move on?
A few years after that, my mother had a story idea come to
her in a dream. Her idea was that an undercover police officer in a black
leather jacket had been shot and was lying on a deserted street in the middle
of nowhere, reviewing his life and lamenting that he was going to die before he
had a chance at living a happy life. That sounded like an interesting
premise/start to a story, but I wasn’t sure where it would go or what type of
story it would be. I told my mother to write all the details down, and she did.
A couple of years later, I was driving to Vermont and had a
lot of time to let my imagination wander… I thought about my mother’s story
idea and the dead woman haunting the car… Then it hit me…
What if the undercover cop was killed in the car and his
spirit haunted the car? And what if a woman (who just happened to be psychic)
bought the car and could communicate with him? And what if he wanted her to
solve his murder?
From there, the story started forming in my head. By the
time I got to Vermont, I had the basic premise worked out and I bounced the
idea off my husband and my brother. We all brainstormed and ironed out a few
details, plot points, and other stuff… I took a lot of notes and wrote a quick
outline so I wouldn’t forget anything…. And then I went back to working on my
other romances and writing projects.
The idea for the “ghost cop book” (as I referred to it) sat
for several more years until I got around to writing it. I probably wrote the
first draft six or seven years ago. (Yes, this book really was over a decade in
the making.) After I finished the draft, I typed it up and it sat for another
year or so while I worked on other things.
Over the next three or four years, I worked on the book
sporadically; I would edit a few chapters here and there, make revisions to
scenes, delete stuff that wasn’t working… Other book projects and personal
issues kept me from working on it full time, which was very unusual for me.
I’m happy to say that letting the book sit actually helped
with the revisions and editing. Every time I went back to the book I was
looking at it with fresh eyes and found things that needed to be changed or
fleshed out, scenes tightened, details added, etc. Not rushing to get the book
finished made it better.
I never intended for the book to have a theme or a message,
but as I was writing, one developed naturally. I’m sad to report that during
the last few years of the book’s development, several of my family members
passed away, starting with my mother.
As you can imagine, I was devastated. My attention had to
focus on other things, and I put my writing on hold for a while. (At one point,
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to write anymore.) In time, I got back to the book,
but the writing took a different turn. I used the plot and characters to help
me deal with what I was going through emotionally after suffering many losses.
If you’ve read the book, you know that Eddie (the hero) is
bitter because he died too soon. He still had things to do and expected to live
a long and happy life. Julie, the heroine, tells him that there are no
guarantees in life, and you need to make the most of each day. Don’t take
anyone or anything for granted.
That basically became the theme of the book. Sadly, it’s
true. Life is too short, and everyone should make the most of the time they
have here and appreciate the people (and even the pets!) in their life. That’s
the lesson I learned, and I used Eddie, Julie, and Lou to make that point to
readers.
Writing some of the emotional scenes (between Eddie and his
dad, conversations with Eddie and Julie, Eddie and Lou) were very hard for me,
and brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t want to bring the mood of the book down
and have it be depressing, but I felt that it needed to be addressed. And it
made Eddie’s character more authentic – he has every right to feel a sense of
loss (and rage toward his killer) since his life was snuffed out way too soon.
The ending of the book is a bit unusual for a romance (I
won’t spoil it here), but even before I started writing, I knew how the story
would end. Readers and reviewers fell in love with the characters and everyone
who has read the book says the plot pulls you in right from the start, and you
just can’t stop reading.
That’s excellent praise all authors love to hear. And it’s
especially rewarding considering how much time, effort, and energy went into
writing, revising, and editing what is most likely my last full-length romance
novel. Yep, you read that right. I pushed through finishing this romance
knowing that I’m probably not going to write another one. I’ll share more about
that life decision in another blog, but in the meantime…
Here is the book summary and links to In Another World:
IN ANOTHER WORLD
A Paranormal Mystery/Romance Novel
Disgraced psychic medium Julie Kershaw has finally met her
soul mate. The problem is he’s dead… and his spirit haunts the car she just
bought.
The spirit of Detective Eddie Mahoney is determined to find
his killer and needs Julie’s help. At first, she refuses. She’s tired of being
called crazy and swore she’d never use her abilities to speak to the dead
again—even if Eddie is handsome and charming.
Eddie persuades Julie to contact his former partner, Lou
Kaplonski, to ask him to reopen his case. Skeptical, Lou dismisses Julie as a
fake—until she proves she can communicate with the dead—and he finds out Eddie
has a lot to say.
Julie channels Eddie’s spirit and together with Lou, the
unusual trio tracks down leads and follows clues to solve Eddie’s murder. The
case takes them down a dark and dangerous path filled with secrets, where
nobody can be trusted.
As they work to find his killer, Julie falls for Eddie.
Funny, smart, and sexy, Eddie is the guy of her dreams—and he doesn’t look or
act the least bit dead. To her surprise, Eddie discovers a clever way they can
be together, and they begin an ethereal romance.
When Lou’s investigation brings him too close to the killer,
his life and Julie’s are put in danger—and Eddie may be the only one who can
save them.
Order your copy here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R11STRN
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bpw16g
Catch up on all my titles here: www.kelliwilkins.com
In the second part of this blog, I’ll talk about the
paranormal elements of the book, how I finally got the title, and my research
into the “cop stuff” I needed to know for the story.
Until next time, happy reading!
Kelli A. Wilkins
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 latest novel, In Another World, was released in early
2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, More Than I Bargained
For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In 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.
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