Interview with Kelli A. Wilkins, Amber Quill Press author

Kelli has published a dozen romances with Amber Quill Press. Her newest book, A Perfect Match (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PerfectMatch.html ) was released in March. It’s a sizzling contemporary set in the world of professional wrestling.
Q: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A: I’m definitely a plotter! Before I start writing a word, I make sure I have an outline completed – and I know what the first line of the book will be. As I develop the story in my head, I make an outline for each scene, what the purpose is, which character’s point of view the scene will be in, high points of the scene, and any snippets of dialog I want to include. When I sit down to write the book I have a map of where the story is going. I find that it’s easier (and faster) for me to write this way, and I don’t get lost in the middle.

I have written a few books (A Midsummer Night’s Delights (http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MidsummerNightsDelights.html ) is one of them) without an outline, and quickly learned that plotting is the way to go (for me at least)! I wrote a bunch of scenes I thought I would need (or would lead somewhere) and then ended up deleting them and rewriting from an outline.

Even though I plot out my books, I always give the characters (and myself) permission to add new scenes as needed, veer off course, or take scenes in an unexpected direction. The plot for A Perfect Match (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PerfectMatch.html ) came to me in a dream, so I wrote the outline based on the dream, then wrote the book from there. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen, but it’s nice when it does!

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a romance writer?
A: My favorite thing about being a romance writer is that I get to create different characters, worlds, settings, relationships and romances, and then share them with readers. I enjoy writing the story – meeting the characters and following along on their adventures. It’s a very creative part of the writing process, and it’s a lot of fun.

I write in several romance genres (fantasy, historical, paranormal and contemporary), so I get to dream up very different characters, plots, and settings for my books. My fantasy romance, A Most Unusual Princess (http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MostUnusualPrincess.html  ) is a lighthearted novella that introduces readers to a headstrong princess. On the other hand, my paranormal, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/ConfessionsVampiresLover.html  ), is written in first person from the hero’s point of view. My historical, The Dark Lord (http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/DarkLord.html  ) is about a brooding, mysterious lord living in an isolated Carpathian castle with a naive female companion. I never know where my next book (or characters) will take me!
Q: If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?
A: This is a tough question! I guess it would depend on what genre you like to read. A Most Unusual Princess (http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MostUnusualPrincess.html)was my first book with Amber Quill Press, so most readers started with that one. It’s a sensual fantasy and gives readers a good dose of my writing ‘voice’. I had so much fun writing that story, that I wrote two sequels, Dalton’s Temptation (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/DaltonsTemptation.html ) and The Pauper Prince. (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PauperPrince.html )

Contemporary readers would enjoy A Perfect Match (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PerfectMatch.html). It’s a full-length novel set in the world of professional wrestling. Another contemporary, Trust with Hearts, (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TrustWithHearts.html) has a sexy country singer as a hero. Both books have a good balance between character development, sensuality, and plot.

Paranormal readers with a sense of humor would definitely enjoy Beauty & the Bigfoot (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/BeautyBigfoot.html). It’s a funny, quirky, and strangely erotic look at the legend of Bigfoot. Since it’s a flat-out comedy, I was able to let my own odd sense of humor shine through in the wacky characters.

Q: What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
A: I hope readers will be satisfied with a happy-ever-after romance. I also hope that they’d think the book was a fun and sexy read, that they loved the characters and rooted for them to be together. (I’d also hope readers would recommend it to friends!)
Q: Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
A: I’m always multi-tasking. Although I can only write one book at a time, I constantly find myself adding something extra to my ‘to do’ list. I might be writing a book, promoting another book, blogging, Tweeting, and writing my newsletter all in the same week! I also write short horror fiction, so I’m toying with those storylines while thinking about other romances to write.

*Please share with us your future projects and upcoming releases.

My newest release, A Perfect Match (http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PerfectMatch.html), was released by Amber Quill Press in March. It’s a full-length contemporary set in the world of professional wrestling. Here’s the summary:

A PERFECT MATCH
Falling for the wrestler she had been assigned to interview wasn’t part of Danni’s plan, until Vinnie Valentine pinned her heart in a flash.

Disgruntled with her job as the office gopher for a national sports magazine, Danni Stone impersonates a reporter to prove herself to her boss. Her assignment? Spend thirty days on the road with Vinnie Valentine, a sexy professional wrestler.

Life isn’t going well for the Heavyweight Champ. Vinnie is struggling with a manipulative boss, prepping for the most important match of his career, and feuding with his arch-enemy, Thorn. The last thing he needs is a nosy reporter following him around—even if she is hot.

Thrown together in close quarters, Danni can’t help falling for Vinnie. Their mutual attraction grows, and Danni gives in to the lustful feelings she’s repressed for years. As their relationship deepens, she finds herself drawn into Vinnie’s world and becomes a key player in his title bout. But before Danni can tell Vinnie that she isn’t the reporter she claims to be, he discovers her deception. Her lie threatens to destroy everything between them. Is their fragile love destined to fail, or are they a perfect match?

In May, Amber Quill Press will release my first gay romance. Four Days with Jack is a contemporary set at a tropical resort. The book explores the budding relationship between two best friends.



Please share any links you would like listed in the Interview. Website, Myspace, blog, facebook, yahoo group etc.
I enjoy hearing from readers and invite everyone to visit me on the web. Here are a few of my favorite places:

Website: http://www.kelliwilkins.com/  – Catch up on all my romances, read reviews, excerpts, and sign up for my newsletter, Kelli’s Quill.
Blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/  - Each week I share book news, writing tips, exercises, and whatever else is on my mind
Twitter: @KWilkinsauthor
Amber Quill Press author page: http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/bio_Wilkins.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelli.wilkins1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/profile/KelliWilkins
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a987940/Kelli-A-Wilkins/  

Q: What’s a guilty pleasure you have?
A: Curling up on the couch to watch mindless TV. When I need to relax and let my mind unwind, I find I’m drawn to reality shows.
Q: If you came with a warning label, what would it say?
A: “She only looks sweet and innocent.”
Q: If you were a superhero, what special power would you have?
A: Teleportation. I’d love to be able to teleport to places instantly – pop in and out like Samantha did on Bewitched! Want to go to a concert in London? Snap my fingers and I’m there. It would save time traveling.

Q: If you could have three wishes granted, what would you wish for?
A: 1. My first wish - no more homeless cats. I wish that all pet owners (and breeders) would be responsible and stop adding to the pet overpopulation problem. I’d love it if all the unwanted kitties in the world had good homes. (I wrote three cat-care books and mention this in my books, too!)

2. My second wish would be that people would stop hunting down endangered and/or wild animals (tigers, lions, elephants, wolves, etc.) for sport (or medicinal parts!) and that people in general would wise up and start taking care of nature and planet.

3. $200 million dollars (tax free!) to give away and help charities. (I’d also go out to dinner with it.)

Q: Who’s more fun, bad boys or perfect gentlemen and why?
A: Why not a combo? How about a guy who’s a perfect gentleman during the day and at night turns into a sexy bad boy? Both have their advantages, but it would be fun to alternate – you’d never know what to expect!