Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing Part 1 of a recent interview. Enjoy!
1.
Greetings! We’re glad to get this chance to catch up with you. Let’s start with
the basics. Why don’t you introduce yourself to readers who may not be familiar
with your books?
Sure! My name is Kelli A. Wilkins and I write
romance novels and horror/mystery stories. My unique romances cover nearly
every subgenre (contemporary, fantasy, gay, historical, mystery, and
paranormal) and vary in heat level from mild to super-spicy. My horror and
mysteries tend to be more psychological/spooky instead of gory. Halloween is my
favorite holiday and many of my short stories are set in October. I like to say
that I write something for everyone.
2.
Let’s focus on your romances for the first four questions of this interview and
save your spooky stuff for Part Two. You certainly have an impressive title
list, and according to your website, you’ve recently released your 24th
romance. Can you tell readers about it?
For
Love’s Sake is an epic historical/fantasy romantic
adventure. The book is divided into three parts: The Castle, The Ship, and
The Palace. Each part is devoted to a
specific section of the longer, overall story, and they’re almost novellas unto
themselves. Here’s the book summary and buy link:
For Love’s Sake: An
Epic Historical/Fantasy Romantic Adventure
She
left everything behind to be with him.
He risked losing everything to stay with her.
They were willing to sacrifice everything… for love’s sake
Through a case of mistaken identity, Prince Kevan of
Alborg narrowly avoids an assassination attempt and wakes to find himself
trapped in mad King Torok’s rat-infested dungeon. Just when he is about to give
up hope, he is rescued by an unlikely ally—Torok’s daughter, Princess Adrianna.
Adrianna is desperate to flee her father’s kingdom
and agrees to help the handsome stranger escape, but only if he takes her with
him when he leaves. Although Kevan knows bringing Adrianna home will not sit
well with his father and lead to other complications, he agrees.
They make their way to a waiting ship captained by
Kevan’s brother, Mikhael, and set sail for Alborg. Along the way they are lost
at sea during a ferocious storm, battle a murderous mercenary sent by Adrianna’s
father, and try to deny their intense romantic feelings for each other.
When they arrive in Alborg, Kevan’s father, King
Lenard, disapproves of Adrianna and drops the bombshell that Kevan is already
engaged to be married. While Kevan tries to get out of the arranged marriage,
Mikhael introduces Adrianna to members of the nobility in an effort to win over
the king.
At his engagement ball, Kevan is forced to choose
between his duty to his father and his loyalty to Adrianna. Soon after,
Adrianna is kidnapped and Kevan and Mikhael band together to hunt down her
abductors and rescue her before it’s too late.
Order it here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/romance/for-loves-sake
3.
That sounds very appealing to romance readers or anyone who enjoys a good
story. What did you like best (and least) about writing it?
I loved creating the characters and getting them
into (and out of) their harrowing situations. Although the love story is
central to the plot, For Love’s Sake is more than a
romance, it’s also an epic adventure. The characters experience lots of action
outside of the bedroom: escaping a dungeon, fighting pirates, being lost at
sea, getting kidnapped… And there’s plenty of emotional drama. The book is
filled with lies, deception, sadness, secrets, jealousy, revenge, regret, and
love in all its forms. It was a lot of fun to write.
However, because there’s so much going on, this is a
long book! It comes in at 86,000 words and took more than a year to write,
edit, revise, and proofread. I did four rounds of edits/revisions to get the
story the way I wanted it (and I even cut several scenes). Doing the final edit
and proofread was my least favorite part of creating the book, but I’m happy
with the finished product, and I think it’s a great, engaging read.
4.
You write romances in nearly every subgenre, and your two other most recent
romance releases are very different from For
Love’s Sake. How did they come about? How do you switch from one genre to another
so easily?
When I get an idea for a story I go where it takes
me, regardless of the genre. The plot and characters dictate the setting and
genre for me, and from there I just write. Every story needs the same basic
elements: a believable plot, realistic characters, a detailed setting, and good
dialog. Once you have the foundation down, you can write just about anything.
(And if you can really write, you won’t have to fall back on AI or other
computer-generated writing programs.)
My two recent releases are both contemporary stories, but are very different. In 2024, I released A Thousand Summer Secrets, a gay romance that takes place over a long summer weekend. Here’s the summary and link:
A Thousand Summer
Secrets
You
can’t outrun your past…
Ten years after being disowned by his family for
being gay, Eric Warren pays a visit to his family’s summer cabin. It’s his last
attempt at reconciliation before moving on. But a surprise from the past is
waiting for him.
Eric’s intolerant brother, Jamey, has several
friends staying at the cabin for the weekend, including Matt, Eric’s boyhood
friend and secret crush. The years haven’t faded their mutual attraction, and
they quickly reconnect. But Eric is hesitant to get romantically involved. He’s
emotionally broken and scarred from his traumatic past.
As Matt tries to help Eric, Jamey goes out of his
way to sabotage his brother. And when the weekend events take a disastrous
turn, Eric finds himself at a crossroads.
Should he follow his search for love and acceptance
with Matt? Or leave the past behind forever?
Order it here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/thousand-summer-secrets
There’s lots of heartache, drama, love,
and lies as the characters come to terms with who they are and what they want
out of life.
In Another World was released in 2023 and got several excellent reviews. This contemporary romance blends a murder mystery with the world of the paranormal. Here’s the summary and link:
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 and read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/in-another-world
In Another World is one of
my favorite books. It’s a blend of mystery, sensual romance, humor, and even includes
a bit of sadness and regret.
This was the first book I wrote where
the mystery/police procedural investigation was central to the story. (My
historical romance Dangerous Indenture has a mystery sub-plot, but this was
full-on.) I had to make sure I got all the details right and kept the love
story moving alongside the investigation.
It was also the first time I wrote a
romance where the hero is dead and can only be seen or heard by his psychic
medium girlfriend. That made writing certain scenes interesting, because
sometimes people think Julie’s crazy and talking to herself when she’s actually
talking to Eddie. I loved writing this book and I’m sure readers will enjoy it.
Thanks
for sharing your thoughts about your romances and answering the first four of
the “Easy 8” questions. Next time, we’ll focus on your horror and mystery
stories. Part Two of this interview will be continued in our next blog. Any
closing words?
This was fun! I welcome comments and questions from
readers and other authors. Be sure to follow my blog https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog
for the latest updates and visit my site for a full title list and links to my
social media.
Until next time,
Kelli
A. Wilkins
