Happy 2021!

A new year is the perfect time to make a fresh start and implement changes in your life. It’s a time to simplify and streamline—to let go of what’s not working, and what’s no longer a passion or a priority. For me, it’s time to restructure my writing life.

Some readers may have noticed that I’m not releasing two romance novels a year, my blogs aren’t as frequent, I’m writing more horror stories, and I’m doing less social media posts. Why? Well, I’m stepping back a little and changing things up in my writing world.

I’m still going to write—because as a writer, I can’t not write—but what I write and how often I’m published will change.

For example, as far as I know now, I’m only planning on publishing two more romances (a contemporary gay novella, and a contemporary/paranormal mystery). I have ideas for another historical or two, and another contemporary, but will I write them? Maybe.

I’ll be writing a blog series about my romance novels called Behind the Scenes. I’ll focus on each romance and explain why I wrote it, how the idea came about, give the history of the title, what went into writing it, and share insider secrets (including what I loved most and least) about the book.

I’ll be doing this for each title, so with 20 romances, this series should continue through most of 2021. I also plan on blogging about romances in general, the use of music in my books, and unusual secondary characters—along with anything else that comes to mind.

Horror fans will be happy to hear that I’m focusing more of my writing time on short horror fiction. Horror is my first love, and I have lots of ideas for spooky stories waiting to be developed.

In new release news… I just finished a big project, Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing. It’s my second non-fiction guide (the other one is Romance Every Weekend). Journaling Every Week is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions. (Read more about it here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/journaling-every-week) I hope you’ll check out one (or both) books in 2021. 

As for social media, I’ll still be posting news and links on my various Facebook pages and Twitter. (I invite everyone to follow me—links are at the end of this post). I’ll be blogging at least once a month, and I’ll still be releasing my newsletter, Kelli’s Quill—but not as frequently.

So I’ll be around... but if you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m probably just busy writing something!

Thank You to everyone who ordered my books, visited my blog, followed my social media pages, and supported my writing in 2020.

Best wishes for a great 2021!

Kelli A. Wilkins

 

Follow Wilkins on the Web…

Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com

Blog: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins

Facebook Horror Fiction: https://www.facebook.com/HorrorFictionbyKelliAWilkins/

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/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelliwilkins2/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelli-a-wilkins

Books2Read: https://www.books2read.com/ap/nkvddR/Kelli-A-Wilkins

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/

Shutterstock: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins

iStock: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins

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Teachable Online Writing Courses: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/

Want more romance in the New Year? Start this weekend!

Hi everyone!

If one of your New Year’s goals is to add more romance in your life, why not start this weekend? How? With Romance Every Weekend: 104 Fun Ways to Express Your Love.

Whether you’re just starting out dating, in a committed relationship, newlyweds, or you’ve been married for twenty years, Romance Every Weekend will show you how you can strengthen the bond between you and your loved one and deepen your relationship.

Romance shouldn’t be reserved for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or an anniversary. Why should people wait for a special occasion to show someone they love that they care? Love can (and should) be expressed every chance you get.

Romance Every Weekend features 104 fun and easy ways you can express your love to that special someone in your life. Perfect for men or women, it focuses on tender, everyday gestures that let your partner know how much you love him or her.

Everyone has his or her definition of “romance.” Some people like to send mushy cards, while others are more practical. But however you define it, romance is more than giving flowers, buying a box of chocolates, or getting frisky in the bedroom. Romance is all about making tender, everyday gestures that let your partner know how much you love him or her.

They say “It’s the little things in life that count.” and I believe that’s true. A simple expression of love can go a long way to cheer someone up, make them feel special, and show you care. And let’s face it—everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated.

Romance Every Weekend contains 104 romantic suggestions designed to make your weekends sparkle. Why 104? There are 52 weeks in a year, and two suggestions per weekend will keep you and your partner busy. If your schedules don’t give you a lot of free time on the weekends, that’s okay. You can do these any time during the week.

If you're looking for ways to keep your romance fresh, this is the book for you! Why not order it now and try all 104 suggestions in 2020?

Get your copy here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08124HBMS

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/3npVVP

I hope you (and your partner) enjoy the suggestions. You may even be inspired to come up with a few of your own!

Kelli

Set Your Writing Goals for the New Year

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my first blog of 2018!

If you’ve visited my social media pages in the last few weeks, you may have noticed that I made some changes. I have new banners on my Facebook Author page, my Twitter feed will feature fun photos as well as book news, free reads of all my books are available on the Manic Readers site, and I’m now on Instagram. (Whew!)

It’s appropriate to think about changes at this time of year. After all, we have brand new calendars hanging on our walls that are filled with unexplored days yet to come. Every day is filled with hope, possibilities, and opportunities to make this year really great.

As we head into the New Year, it seems that everyone’s talking about changes and goals. What are your writing goals for 2018? Do you want to finish the novel you started last year (or haven’t started yet)? Send out a dozen short stories? Enter a contest? Now is the perfect time to sit down and make a list of all you want to accomplish. Having a list of projects and priorities will help keep your writing objectives on track.

For example, if you’re determined to start a new book, make a timeline for research, character development, plotting, etc. Give yourself a deadline for when you want to start writing and stick to it. Decide how many pages or chapters you want to finish each day/week/month. Little by little, your book will take shape, and you’ll be amazed at your progress. (Need help getting started? Check out my non-fiction writing guide, You Can Write - Really!)

No matter what your writing goals are, a little pre-planning will help you focus and allow you to flow from one writing project to another. Preparation also keeps you motivated and fends off writer’s block, because you always have “the next thing” to work on.

Take ten or fifteen minutes to evaluate your writing career. What did you accomplish last year that you’re most proud of? What would you like to achieve this year? What markets did you crack that you’d like to write for again? Which publications do you really want your work to appear in?

When you write down your goals, start off your sentences with a positive statement, such as: “I will finish my novel by June 1” or “I will submit six articles to magazines.” After you’ve made the list, note what you need to do to get started. This could include setting aside specific times to write each day, getting writer’s guidelines, or sending out query letters. Then, pick one project (the most time-sensitive one, or your personal favorite), and get to work. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to publication!

One of my goals was to get my latest historical romance novel “done” by today. (It’s my birthday!) It’s “done” in the sense that the latest draft is finished. I need to give it another proofread before I send it out, but that’s one goal down so far. (Another goal is to find a title for the book ‒ but that’s a whole other subject…)

This is also the perfect time of year to let go of things that no longer serve you. Simplify as much as you can, and you’ll make room for new opportunities and events in your life. (This applies to everything – not just writing.)

For example, if certain social media sites or groups aren’t working for you, or are taking away from your writing time, scale back on the time you spend there. Everyone get 24 hours each day, so choose how you use your time wisely. 

What are your writing goals? Is there a topic you would like to see me address on the blog this year? I welcome comments/feedback about the blog, my books, and my newsletter. Sign in and leave a comment or email me via the “Contact the Author” form on the News page of my website.

Until next time,

Kelli