Coming soon! Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing

 

Hi everyone!

I’m pleased to announce news about my latest non-fiction guide, Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing.

This fun and innovative book is filled with hundreds of journaling prompts that cover your childhood, friendships, beliefs and values, your career, coping with grief, fears, forgiveness, your purpose, and much more.

Here’s the book summary and a few sample prompts:

Whether you are experienced in journaling or completely new to the process, this book is designed to get you thinking about—and writing about—your life, relationships, patterns, goals, and some of your fondest memories. You’ll benefit from writing about these thought-provoking prompts and learn something about yourself along the way.

Journaling is a useful tool for self-discovery. In your journal, you can explore a wide range of subjects, themes, and ideas, revisit the past, and vent about anything (or anyone). In a way, you play counselor to yourself by digging deep into your innermost thoughts and emotions and writing about how you feel.

Sample prompts include:

* What are your favorite childhood memories? List at least ten, and then write about each one.

* What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you that now? If not, when did that idea change? Why? How is your current job different from the one you thought you wanted?

* Write for fifteen minutes about the changes in the last ten years of your life, and change in general. Do you embrace change? Resist it? Why? What feelings or emotions does the thought of change bring out in you?

Journaling Every Week is now available for pre-order, and will be available everywhere on January 3, 2021.

Journaling Every Week makes a great gift for yourself or someone you care about. Order it today and start your journaling adventure in the New Year!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Journaling-Every-Week-Topics-Writing-ebook/dp/B08QH4HQPD

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/b5kBZA

Enjoy the holiday season!

Kelli

Fun FAQ with Author Kelli A. Wilkins (Part 2)

 

Hi everyone!

Today I'm answering a few more FAQs and sharing a look at my unsettling horror novella, Nightmare in the North.

Who, or what, has influenced your writing?

Although most people think of me as a romance author, I also write short horror stories. The author who has had the most influence on my writing is Stephen King. The first “grown up” book that had a major effect on me was Stephen King’s Night Shift. I read this collection of stories when I was nine or ten, and I was impressed. Up until that point, I’d read the Little House books and Nancy Drew mysteries. They were okay reads to pass the time, but something about horror clicked with me. I was entranced by the way the stories were told, the characters, the descriptions, and the tone.

King creates interesting characters, brings the reader into the setting with sensory details, and sets up unique plots. The telling of the story (regardless of genre) is the core to any good book. I think his On Writing is a must-read for anyone who writes or wants to write.   

Once I discovered King’s writings, I was hooked. I decided I wanted to write horror fiction and have my stories published in a book someday. From then on I read every horror novel and short story I could find. Eventually I began writing my own tales of terror. In addition to my horror fiction, I’ve also published a collection of 18 science fiction stories called Extraterrestrial Encounters. Readers can learn about it here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/extraterrestrial-encounters

 

You write horror fiction, so readers want to know… what’s the most shocking book or story you’ve ever read?

The first horror story I ever remember scaring me is “Wendigo’s Child” by Thomas F. Monteleone. It was in an anthology for children called Monster Tales: Vampires, Werewolves, & Things. I read it when I was in grade school. Anyone who has read it understands the last line: “It was looking up at him.” I’m still searching for a copy of that book and the illustrated version of the story.

In addition to your full-length romance novels, you’re also a prolific science fiction and horror short story writer. What is your key to creating a successful piece of short fiction?

The best advice I ever got for writing short stories is: write tight. Take out anything and everything not essential to the story, such as extra words, details, and dialogue tags. This is especially important when I’m writing sci-fi or horror. Too many words or distractions can break the tension, ruin the suspense, or otherwise distract the reader.

You also need a compelling plot that draws readers into the world of the characters and holds them there. Not everyone believes in ghosts, but if you write a ghost story that sucks readers into that world and scares them, you’ve done your job. A “hook” beginning and a great ending are musts in creating a good short story.

Have you ever started a project, felt it run out of steam and had to abandon it?

Yes. I think most writers have, for one reason or another. I’ve started a few horror stories, then wondered, “Why am I writing this?” and either scrapped what I had entirely, or revamped it. I have lots of story ideas, so if one project isn’t working out, I can start another story. I have more ideas than I have time to develop them.

Want more? Follow this link to read the rest of this blog:  https://www.kelliwilkins.com/post/fun-faq-with-author-kelli-a-wilkins-part-2

 

 

FAQ with Author Kelli A. Wilkins (Part 1)

 

Hi everyone!

Today I'm answering a few fun FAQ and sharing a look at my historical/western romance, Love, Lies & Redemption.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I’ve always known I was a writer, and I began writing short stories in high school and college. After college, I took a writing class for fun and I learned a lot about the art of creating interesting characters and telling a great story. After being encouraged to submit my work, I decided to pursue writing seriously. Currently, I divide my time between writing novels, novellas, and short stories.

Where do you write?

I write anywhere I can. When the weather is nice, I like to write outside in my back yard. In the winter, I generally write in a comfy chair in the living room.

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

When I’m writing and proofreading I play quiet New Age or instrumental music in the background. (I find silence is too oppressive.) When I’m typing up a manuscript and/or making edits, I listen to all kinds of music: rock, pop, or whatever I’m in the mood for. My musical tastes are very diverse.

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

Bits and pieces of my characters come from people I know or people I observe. However, no one character is 100% anyone from real life. I was asked about this a lot when I wrote my wrestling romance, A Deceptive Match. Everyone wanted to know which wrestler the hero, Vinnie, was based on. He’s a composite of a lot of different wrestlers (and other people) all rolled into one.

As far as plots go, 99% of them are just things I make up. I have a vivid imagination and my day-to-day life is not as exciting as the worlds I create for my characters.

Describe your process for naming your characters.

Sometimes this is a hard process for me. When characters “introduce” themselves to me (aka “show up” in my head), I usually learn about them and their problem/situation before I’ll get a name. Usually, I’ll get a first initial or a first name only, and then have to discover more about the character before I get his or her whole name and backstory.

Love, Lies & Redemption is one example. Before I wrote a word, I had the whole opening sequence in my head. I knew Sam and Cassie’s first names, and a bit about their backgrounds, but that was it. Sometimes my characters are a mystery to me until I get to know them better—even though I’m the one creating them!

Real settings or fictional towns?

I set my stories in fictional towns that are loosely based on real places. When I’m writing, I change up the details to make them my own. I can add buildings or rearrange the layout of a town to suit the story. The town of Holloway in Love, Lies & Redemption was my invention, but it was typical of a small prairie town of that time period.

 

Want more? Read the rest of this post here: 

https://www.kelliwilkins.com/post/fun-faq-with-author-kelli-a-wilkins-part-1

New Release - Madame Gray's Creep Show

 

Hi everyone!

Halloween may be over for another year, but horror isn’t just for Halloween!

My short story “What the Peeper Saw” is included in…

Madame Gray's Creep Show

A veritable smorgasbord of twenty-three deliciously terrifying treats, each one simmered to blood-curdling perfection and seasoned with just the perfect amount of gallows humor. From murder and madness to monsters and the downright macabre, the stories awaiting you within in this superlative anthology push the boundaries of horror to the next level... and way, way beyond!

Order your ebook or paperback copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LZQZ495

Stay tuned to this blog for some changes!

Kelli

Kelli’s Quill Newsletter - Happy Halloween 2020

Hi everyone,

As you all know by now, Halloween is my favorite holiday, and this year there’s a Full Moon on the 31st. Not only that, but it’s a “blue” moon! Very rare! I hope everyone gets to celebrate the holiday in one way or another.

In this issue of the Quill, I’m sharing news about a new Halloween-themed anthology, highlighting my horror novellas, sci-fi anthology, paranormal romances, and more…

New Release!

Halloween Horror Vol. 2

My short story, “The Uninvited” appears in this collection of spooky Halloween tales. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, so let’s just say it’s about a children’s Halloween party that goes horribly wrong…

Here’s the official book blurb and buy link:

Halloween Horror Vol. 2

The season's best and darkest tales of Halloween.

Stories of adventure, mishap, magic, and macabre happenings on All Hallows' Eve.

The night when spirits walk among the living and dead things crawl from their dark hiding places to unleash Halloween Horror.

Available as an ebook or paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Horror-2-DBND-Publishing-ebook/dp/B08K4QPV2B/

And if you want to really get creeped out, check out my other horror ebooks:

Dead Til Dawn is a Civil War themed ghost story,

Kropsy’s Curse takes place in a cemetery on Halloween,

and Nightmare in the North is a cautionary tale about travelling alone…

Read summaries, reviews, and get links here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror

Here’s a pre-Halloween treat! Read my flash fiction story “Unpleasant Dreams” for free here:

https://www.fabledcollective.com/journal/unpleasant-dreams

 

Stay tuned… more horrors await! Another of my horror stories will be included in Madame Gray’s Creep Show anthology.

Want more?? Read the rest of Kelli’s October newsletter here:

https://www.kelliwilkins.com/post/kelli-s-quill-newsletter-happy-halloween-2020

Enjoy the holiday!

Kelli

Just Released! Halloween Horror Volume 2

 

Hi everyone,

Halloween will be here before we know it, and to celebrate my favorite holiday, I’m sharing a look at a new Halloween-themed anthology, Halloween Horror Vol. 2.

My short story, “The Uninvited” appears in this collection of spooky Halloween tales. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, so let’s just say it’s about a children’s Halloween party that goes horribly wrong…

Here’s the official book blurb and buy link:

Halloween Horror Vol. 2

The season's best and darkest tales of Halloween.

Stories of adventure, mishap, magic, and macabre happenings on All Hallows' Eve.

The night when spirits walk among the living and dead things crawl from their dark hiding places to unleash Halloween Horror.

Available as an ebook or paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Horror-2-DBND-Publishing-ebook/dp/B08K4QPV2B/

And if you want to really get creeped out, check out my other horror ebooks:

Dead Til Dawn is a Civil War themed ghost story,

Kropsy’s Curse takes place in a cemetery on Halloween,

and Nightmare in the North is a cautionary tale about travelling alone…

Read summaries, reviews, and get links here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror 

Here’s a pre-Halloween treat! Read my flash fiction story “Unpleasant Dreams” for free here:

https://www.fabledcollective.com/journal/unpleasant-dreams

Stay tuned… more horrors await! Later this month, another of my horror stories will be included in Madam Gray’s Creep Show anthology.

Happy Haunting!

Kelli

Taste of Halloween Pumpkin Bread Recipe

 

Hi everyone,

To celebrate the start of October (and Halloween season) I’m sharing my recipe for pumpkin bread.

Next week, I’ll be showcasing a new Halloween-themed anthology, Halloween Horror Vol. 2. Stay tuned for links and more!

Taste of Halloween Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup water

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until it’s all just combined (don’t over stir!) Add chopped walnuts if you’re using them.

Pour into well-buttered 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until done in the middle. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Options: If you like your pumpkin bread extra spicy, feel add a little bit more of the allspice and nutmeg. (I do!) Or add a ¼ tsp. of pumpkin pie spice to give it an extra boost.

Serving suggestions: I like this bread plain, but you can eat it with butter, or transform it into a dessert by adding whipped cream, or serving it with ice cream. However you eat it, it makes a yummy snack!

And if you’re looking for something spooky to read, why not check out my horror novella, Nightmare in the North? Read all about it here:

https://www.kelliwilkins.com/nightmare-in-the-north

Happy Haunting!

Kelli