Happy Summer everyone!
To celebrate the season, I’m sharing a look at my
hot summer romance, Trust with Hearts.
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!
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.
Here’s
the book summary and links:
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 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 blog. I welcome questions and comments from readers and other
authors. Contact me via the form on my site or on social media.
Happy Summer!
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, and 6 mystery/horror
ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare
readers with her horror and mystery stories.
Kelli released her fourth gay romance, A
Thousand Summer Secrets, in April 2024. This tender contemporary
romance takes place over a summer weekend, where two friends reconnect while
seeking love and acceptance.
She published The Route 9 Killer, a
mystery/thriller set in Central NJ, in 2023.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her
website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.
