Interview with Kelli A. Wilkins:
Hi Kelli. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
I’m pleased to announce that THE PAUPER PRINCE was released in March. (It’s available in electronic and paperback formats.) THE PAUPER PRINCE is the follow-up to DALTON’S TEMPTATION and is the last book in the “Royal Desires” series that started with A MOST UNUSUAL PRINCESS. This time, we follow the adventures of Prince Allan.
Banished by the Royal Family, pampered Prince Allan is forced to abandon his life of luxury. Lost in a commoner’s world, Allan is miserable—until he has an unusual encounter with a shop girl named Claudette.
Allan must earn the respect of the woman he loves while concealing his true identity. In a final effort to redeem himself, he exposes a dangerous smuggling operation involving the Royal Fleet—but at a deadly price. Can he keep Claudette and his royal title? Or will he lose her forever when she discovers his shocking secret?
Although this book is part of a series, it stands alone as a single title. Elara and Dalton are secondary characters in the story, and they become parents for the first time. I think readers who liked the first two books in the trilogy will enjoy this one, as well. It wraps everything up nicely and has a good story arc.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m taking part in an AmberPax anthology of short stories entitled The More the Merrier. My story is tentatively titled A Midsummer Night’s Delights and is scheduled for release in October. After that, I have several other books that are just waiting to be written.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
Readers can find out about my books via my contest-winning website www.kelliwilkins.com The site covers my fiction and non-fiction books. It has links to order, excerpts, reviews, news, and more.
You can also visit the Amber Quill Press website and do an author search for my name.
- How may readers contact you?
Readers/fans can write me via the “contact the author” form on my website. They can also use the form to sign up for my monthly newsletter, Kelli’s Quill.
- How many readers/fans contact you?
I’ve had a few readers contact me. It’s nice to hear that someone likes your writing and has fallen in love with characters you’ve created.
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I write in a lot of different genres, including romance, horror, and non-fiction. I have lots of story ideas “floating around” in my head, and I generally go where the next story takes me. Sometimes I’m able to blend a bit of gothic horror (or mystery) with romance, as I did in THE DARK LORD.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I think that I have a consistent writing ‘voice’ that comes through in all of my stories. I don’t intentionally add any of my own life experiences into my work - it’s more interesting to make stuff up!
- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?
I’ve always liked to read, and when I was young I sat around writing stories that never went anywhere. So, I guess that started me out as a writer.
As I grew up, I took short story and creative writing classes in high school. After I graduated from college, I enrolled in a Commercial Writers program. After the first class, I gained confidence in sharing my work and I got excellent feedback from the teachers and other students.
A few months later, I entered a few contests and won. That prompted me to take my writing from the “hobby” stage to the “professional” stage, and start submitting short stories and books.
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
That depends on the story. For the most part, I know what I want to write ahead of time, so it’s just a matter of sitting down and doing it. THE PAUPER PRINCE is a full-length novel, and it took me about two months to write. Then I had to edit and revise. The book is fairly long (62,000 words), so it took a while. Shorter stories/novellas take less time.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
Before I start a book, I think about the story and get that settled away. I need to know who the characters are and what’s going to happen. After that, I make a list of scenes and start writing. As I write, I allow myself some leeway to explore things I hadn’t considered in my outline/list. Sometimes I add entire scenes or I write scenes that are later omitted. I tend to go where the story takes me.
- What is your writing routine?
I write every day, even if it’s just for an hour here or there. Sometimes I’ll spend 5 or 6 hours writing, other days I’ll write for an hour. I write the first drafts of my stories in longhand, so I can take a pen and paper with me anywhere I go. Depending on the season/weather, I write outside as much as I can.
- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?
I try to write when nobody else is around, or I go into my office and close the door. My husband has his own hobbies, so we give each other time to pursue our own interests. Usually my only interruption is the phone - for some reason people know when I’m trying to write and like to call then.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I do yoga and go for walks. Walking is a great way to refresh your brain after writing all day.
- Where do your ideas come from?
I think ideas can come from anywhere or anything. Writers need to be open to situations, people, and everything else around them, because there’s always a story somewhere. Sometimes I get ideas from hearing a conversation or taking a walk, and sometimes they just pop into my head. I’ve gotten ideas at the store, at flea markets, and even sitting around. Whenever I get an idea for a story (or a character) I write it down and put it in a folder to come back to later on.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
I don’t find them difficult to write because they are part of the story. My books have different “heat” levels of love scenes, and I match the intensity/situations with the characters. I try to make the love scenes as natural and as real for the characters as I can---given the story, the characters’ personalities, motivations, and backgrounds, and what level of intimacy they share.
- What kind of research do you do?
If I’m writing a historical story, I’ll go to the library and read up on the time period, the people, and the technology from the era. I also refer to maps, atlases and travel brochures to give me details and other useful information.
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
I write in many genres now, and my romances reflect that. The “Royal Desires” series is pure fantasy, while THE SEXY STRANGER is contemporary, and THE DARK LORD is historical. I have lots of ideas for other romances, including paranormals, more contemporaries, and a futuristic. (It seems I have more ideas than I have time to write the stories!)
- What does your husband think of your writing?
My husband has always supported me in my writing and understands that I sometimes need to lock myself up and write/edit for hours. He’s thrilled to read my stories and is amazed at all I’ve accomplished.
- Do you ever ask him for advice?
Sometimes I’ll bounce story ideas off him if I’m stuck on something. Or I’ll ask a few questions to get a man’s perspective on things. He’s also given me a few ideas for short stories, and he came up with the name for my newsletter, Kelli’s Quill.
- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)
I was raised in a small town in rural upstate New York. I went to Hofstra University and majored in Communications and minored in Drama. After college I moved to New Jersey.
- Fill in the blank favorites –
Dessert. – Brownies
City – London
Season - Autumn
Type of hero - tall, dark and handsome, reliable and strong, with a gentle inner nature.
Type of heroine - a clever woman who can take care of herself, yet chooses to be with the man she loves.
- What are some of your favorite things to do?
For hobbies, I like to read, watch some TV (Lost, Dr. Who and Torchwood are my favorites now), and go to the movies. I also enjoy gardening and going to flea markets (you’ll never know what you’ll find - and I’ve gotten story ideas there).
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I am a member of RWA-PRO.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I hope to have published at least ten more books and dozens of short stories. I’d like to branch out into full-length horror/mystery/suspense novels. I have a great idea for a series!
- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’ve been writing “professionally” (with sales) for about 8 years. Even when I was young, I’d write little stories, illustrate them, and staple them into books. So I guess I’ve always been a writer at heart..
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
In addition to my five erotic romances published with Amber Quill Press, I have completed five full-length “traditional” romances (three historicals and two contemporaries). Three of the books have won or finaled in national writing contests (including the first “American Title” contest). I’ve also published four non-fiction pet care guides.
- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
I try not to read anything I’ve written after it’s been published. Whenever I do, I tend to find things that I’d like to change after the fact. Plus, by the time the book is out, I’m usually focusing on the next book and am too busy writing to read.
- Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
I love them all. I think that most readers enjoy A MOST UNUSUAL PRINCESS. (It’s my husband’s favorite.) When I was writing DALTON’S TEMPTATION I fell in love with Prince Allan, just because he was so…unique! I knew when I was writing that book that Allan needed to have a book of his own. So I wrote THE PAUPER PRINCE.
- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
They all have different moments…some parts of the books are easier to write than others. Occasionally I’d get stuck on a plot point and that made the writing a little harder than I’d like, but overall, they were all a lot fun to write!
- What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
THE PAUPER PRINCE is longer than the other books in the series. (Each book got progressively longer.) A MOST UNUSUAL PRINCESS was a novella, and DALTON’S TEMPTATION and THE PAUPER PRINCE are both novel-length titles.
One thing that sets this book apart from the others in the series is the “heat” level. This book is more intense in its sexuality, and so is Allan.
- In what way is it similar?
It’s similar to the other books in that I keep the same “voices” for Allan, Elara, and Dalton. Readers who fell in love with their personalities will find that they still carry over into this book. Although Dalton and Elara are secondary characters, they play an important role in the book. I think readers will like the way the series ends.
- What will your next book be about?
My next book is tentatively titled A Midsummer Night’s Delights and is part of the AmberPax anthology, The More the Merrier. It’s a fantasy story about a repressed newlywed couple who attend an unusual midsummer night’s ball. The book is scheduled for release in October. After that’s finished, I’m planning on starting a paranormal/fantasy story---unless another book “jumps” to the head of the line!
- What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I think getting published is a significant achievement for any writer. Finishing the manuscript (whether it’s a book or a short story) is another achievement in itself. I think writers should consider each completed work, each contest submission, and each acceptance as achievements, and set their own goals.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Each book comes to me in a different form. Sometimes I’ll have an entire story “jump” into my head, and I’ll know everything that happens to the characters. Other times, I’ll get bits and pieces of the story and parts of the characters. Once in a while, I’ll have a character come first, and once I get to “know” and develop the character, I’ll find out the story. The setting usually comes with the story. Once I know the story, the other pieces fall into place, like a puzzle.
- What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest?
The hardest part of writing (for me) is sitting down to do the editing and revisions. Once the “fun” part of writing the story is done, you need to edit and revise. Although it’s not difficult, you have to sit in the chair and do it, even if you’d rather be outside on a nice day. A friend gave me this phrase: “I love having written.” - which means that I love having the whole thing done.
The easiest/most fun part is when I’m writing the story and watching it unfold before me. It’s interesting to see where the characters go and what they do.
- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
I’m in control to a certain (tiny) degree. Once I know the characters and the plot, I let them tell the story and go about their lives. Sometimes they’ll do things that surprise me and don’t follow the outline. If it works in the story, I’ll leave it in, but if it doesn’t I’ll go back later and revise or edit out that part. I’ve often said that I’m not in control of the process, and I go where the story takes me.
- Have you experienced writer's block? If so, how did you work through it?
Once in a while I’ll get stuck on a plot point, or the story just refuses to work. When that happens, I take a break from writing/thinking about the book and do something else. After a day or so, I’ll usually know how to fix the problem and go back to it. If not, I’ll skip over the troublesome scene and leave it for later.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
One of the most rewarding things about being a writer is the fact that I’m able to share my stories with readers. I like the idea that all of these ideas, characters, and adventures are out of my head and into the real world where other people can enjoy them.
- If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
I can’t imagine not writing. My “real world” job involves writing and proofreading, so I’m naturally drawn to it. If I didn’t have all these ideas/stories, I think I’d be doing crafts of some sort, or working with animals.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
For beginners, I’d suggest taking some writing classes. It’s an excellent way to connect to other beginning writers, learn the craft, and get feedback on your work. For unpublished writers…keep writing and submitting. It’s hard work and it takes a lot of dedication, but you never know when you’ll get the first “yes” on a manuscript.
A Last Note:
Thanks for the interview! It’s always nice to share my thoughts with readers.
I’d like to thank everyone who’s bought my books over the years! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
Thank you very much Kelli for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Reviews Coming soon...
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