Hi everyone,
Happy September! We’re fast approaching my favorite holiday,
Halloween. I’ve decided to blog about my paranormal romances in September and
focus on my horror stories for October.
I’m sharing Part Two of a blog series about my historical
romance, The Viking’s Witch. The book is set in Celtic Scotland and blends a
sensual love story with adventure and paranormal elements.
In my last blog, I discussed how the book came about, the
research involved, and the conflicts that take place in the story. Now I’ll
give readers insight into the origins and development of the characters, as
well as Odaria’s magic “witch” powers.
The Viking’s Witch is a traditional historical romance with
paranormal elements set in Scotland in 803 A.D. The heroine, Odaria, is what
they called a witch back then—nowadays we’d call her a psychic and a healer.
Here’s the plot summary:
The Viking’s Witch
Scotland, 803 A.D.
About to be burned at the stake by her fellow villagers,
Odaria does what any betrayed witch facing certain death would do. She calls
down a curse. Within seconds, rampaging Norsemen raid the village, capturing
everyone except her.
But her reprieve is short-lived, and Odaria lands in the
clutches of the Norse leader Rothgar. Can she remain true to herself and fight
her growing attraction to this domineering man, or will she fall under his
influence and be used for his ambitions?
After Rothgar witnesses Odaria’s powers firsthand, he
strikes a bargain with her. The raven-haired beauty will use her magical
abilities to help him with his quest in exchange for safe passage off the isle.
But can this cunning woman be trusted, or is she using him to exact vengeance
on her village?
Together they must fight bloodthirsty villagers, battle a
mutinous band of Norsemen, find a missing Norse ship, and learn to trust each
other…before time runs out.
Order The Viking’s Witch and read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/the-viking-s-witch
***
Interviewers have asked me how I can create such interesting
and diverse characters for all of my books. They want to know where Rothgar and
Odaria came from. Well, there’s no real way to answer that other than, I just
made them up. (Chris Hemsworth from Thor is pretty much what I envisioned
Rothgar to look like—even though I wrote the book long before the movie came
out!)
When I create my heroes and heroines I always give them
“baggage” and flaws—along with problems to overcome. This way, they can grow
and change over the course of the book. Odaria is a strong-willed “witch” who
is tired of being abused and ridiculed by the people in her village. She swears
she doesn’t need anyone’s help to get by. Rothgar was once a powerful warrior,
but a personal tragedy has softened him and left him broken and unwilling to
love anyone again.
When they first meet, they each play off the others’
weaknesses. Odaria has no qualms about standing up to Rothgar and arguing with
him, and he respects her willful and fearless behavior. Eventually they realize
that they need (and want) to be with each other forever.
I like to introduce secondary characters and subplots into
my books to flesh out the story. I’m often asked about the secondary Norse
character, Nordskog. He’s not the type of “hero” one would typically find in a
romance, but he serves an important role in the story. Where did he come from?
Well…
I used to work with a woman whose last name was Nordskog and
I told her that one day I’d use her name in a book, so I did! Nordskog is a violent,
vicious berserkr and has a history with Rothgar dating from Rothgar’s old
fighting days. Nordskog’s hatred of Karnik draws him closer to Rothgar’s side
as the story develops. After Odaria helps heal his leg, Nordskog displays a
protective fondness for her, as well. He’s an impulsive brute, but he’s not
stupid. He knows that Rothgar is wealthy and will reward him for his services
and loyalty.
But if readers thought Nordskog was bad, the antagonist,
Brennan, is even worse.
Brennan has been described by one reviewer as “a perfectly
evil villain” which was exactly my intention. I wanted to portray him as an
arrogant, self-righteous SOB—but not have his character be too over-the-top.
Brennan is a lying, murdering, religious zealot—and that makes him dangerous to
Odaria and the other villagers.
Most of the terrible things Brennan’s done happen off-page
and we learn about them through Odaria. Each time I wrote a scene for, or
about, Brennan, I made him a little more unstable and psychotic, so by the end
of the book readers see that he needs to learn his lesson and pay for what he’s
done.
Odaria’s “magic” is the catalyst that sets the story in
motion and helps bring about Brennan’s demise. When the book opens, Odaria is
about to be burned alive for being a witch. She calls down a spell and curses
the villagers while unknowingly invoking a Viking raid. Or so it seems…
Odaria uses her “powers” for self-preservation and to get
revenge on the people who hurt her. Rothgar doesn’t believe in her “magic” and
thinks she’s merely pretending to be a witch to frighten people. But after a
highly-charged interaction with Brennan, Rothgar gets a taste of what Odaria
could really do if she set her mind to it.
I loved showing readers (and Rothgar) Odaria’s powers of
clairvoyance, telekinesis, and psychometry. The scenes that included the
“magic” elements were a lot of fun to write. I’ve always been interested in
psychic phenomena and other New Age/paranormal subjects, so it was easy for me
to incorporate what I know into Odaria’s character.
I hope you enjoyed Part Two of this “inside look” at The
Viking’s Witch. I’m happy to say that readers and reviewers fell in love with
the characters and the book has received dozens of excellent reviews. (And it
also won a Gold IPPY Award for best romance ebook!)
If you love historical and/or paranormal romances (or want
to learn about my other books), visit the Romance section of my site:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/romance
Happy Reading,
Kelli
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 8 mystery/horror
ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare
readers with her horror and mystery stories.
Her twenty-fourth romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic
historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.
In August 2024, she released Surreal Escapes, a collection
of 7 speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this
anthology.
Kelli also released her fourth gay romance, A Thousand
Summer Secrets, in 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. Look for a follow-up story coming in 2026!
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins
and visit her website
www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.
