May 26, 2019

Welcome Kelli A. Wilkins

Exploring the Writing–Gardening Connection

One day after working in the yard, I stood back and took a look at my handiwork. I had just finished

pruning my lilacs and weeding a huge flowerbed. Everything seemed to be glowing and vibrating with a renewed energy. The yard looked better and felt better.

I always feel kinda bad about cutting back the lilacs, but then I thought, “The pruning needs to be done, otherwise everything gets overgrown and suffocated.”

Then it dawned on me that I’ve been doing the same thing with my writing—pruning and weeding what’s been long overgrown.

For the last two years I was in a cycle of writing new books while re-releasing my romances previously published by Amber Quill Press. Now it’s 2019 and I’m doing the same thing with my historical romances released by Medallion Press. (I guess that says something about small publishing houses, huh?)

I’m rediscovering the stories and characters after being away from them for many years. Each book is being revised, re-edited, and in some cases, parts have been completely rewritten.

I’ve deleted scenes that no longer work, added new ones, and given each story a pruning—of dialogue tags, excess words, too many exclamation points, and yanking other “weeds” that need pulling from these gardens. As a result, the books are stronger and better than ever. (And they all have fabulous new covers.)

If you’re editing a short story or a novel, ask yourself, “What is necessary to this scene? What can I cut?” You might be amazed to find that tightening a scene or a chapter makes it stronger and helps the story flourish in the long run.

But I’m not stopping my “pruning” process with my books. I’m also weeding out other things in my writing world that are overgrown and need to go—old market guidelines, bits and pieces of story ideas that I no longer need, romance stories that never went anywhere… the list goes on. I’ve sorted through about a hundred file folders and recycled bins full of paper.

It’s refreshing to have less stuff to maintain. I now have a clearer path to what I want to work on next,

and I’m not bogged down with clutter or overwhelmed by “writing weeds.” And I’ve extended this “restart” to my electronic world by launching a brand new website.

Each spring, I ask myself a few questions about my flowerbeds: What do I want to plant? Where? What died off over the winter that needs to be replaced? I’m asking these types of questions about my writing life too, wondering: What do I want to write next? Do I want to go back to writing horror stories for a while? Write a new romance novel? Should I take some time off from writing?

I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’ll sit in the garden and think about them!

Writing a novel or a short story is a lot like planting a flowerbed. First, you need an idea or a basis for the story (a place where you’ll plant). Then you start the hard work, writing the book (digging and planting). After your first draft is finished (your flowers are blooming), you have to edit and revise your work (weed and prune as needed!). Once that’s all done, you’ll move on to marketing your story (inviting friends over to see your flowers).

Writing and gardening take time, energy, and commitment, but in the long run, the results are worth it. After a long day, you can sit back and admire all your hard work.

Enjoy the warm weather!

Kelli A. Wilkins

Here’s a look at my latest romance release, Dangerous Indenture.

This full-length novel is set in Pennsylvania Colony and blends a sensual romance with mystery and suspense.

DANGEROUS INDENTURE

Indentured for five years… how long can Shauna resist her master’s son?

Desperate to escape her past in Ireland, Shauna Farrow signs on to become an indentured servant to Joshua Stewart, a wealthy man in Pennsylvania Colony. But a life of servitude quickly turns to drudgery, and Shauna’s hopes for starting over and creating a better life for herself are waning—until she meets her master’s roguish son, Ashton.

Ashton needs to redeem himself in his father’s eyes and earn the respect he has always longed for. Meeting Shauna turns his life around, and he sets out to win her heart. Torn between propriety and passion, Shauna struggles against her growing attraction to Ashton as long as she can.

But amidst their flirting, something dark stirs. Shauna soon discovers why no other servants wanted to work for the strange Stewart family.

Stewart House has an unsavory reputation: a previous servant died there under mysterious circumstances. When another servant goes missing in the middle of the night, Shauna is convinced that a member of the family is responsible.

Shauna’s investigation leads her close to the truth, and yet, she’s not sure who she can trust. Events take a deadly turn when she confronts the murderer and discovers the mystery of the Stewart family.

Will Shauna be rescued before time runs out, or will she meet with the same fate as the other servants?

Order your copy here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PJVQ7XJ

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

Like historical romances?

Follow my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/

Visit my NEW website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more about all of my writings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, 5 non-fiction books, and 2 online writing courses. Her romances span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her horror stories.

Her historical romance, Dangerous Indenture, was released in March 2019. This full-length novel is set in Pennsylvania Colony and blends a sensual romance with mystery and suspense.

She published the second half of her flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes, in early 2019. These two volumes of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.

Kelli released her latest Teachable mini-course, Fiction Basics: Finding Ideas in February 2019. She authored Fiction Writing for Beginners through Teachable in 2018. These courses are perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to write. Visit: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/ for more details.

If you like horror fiction, don’t miss her latest novella, Nightmare in the North.

Not just an author, Kelli is also an amateur photographer. Visit her pages on Shutterstock https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins and iStock https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins to view her photos.

Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.

Visit her NEW website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more about all of her writings.

CATCH UP WITH KELLI

Here’s a full list of where you can find Kelli on the web.

NEW Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com

Blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/

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