To celebrate the release of my 12th Amber Heat romance, Perfect Match, I thought I’d share a few insights and little-known tidbits about all of my romances. So in chronological order, here goes!
A Most Unusual Princess
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MostUnusualPrincess.html
This was the first erotic romance I ever wrote, and with the exception of one scene, the entire first draft was completed in two days. This fantasy novella introduced readers to witty Princess Elara and her guard, Dalton. The characters were so interesting that I continued their romantic adventures in two sequels: Dalton’s Temptation and The Pauper Prince.
The Dark Lord
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/DarkLord.html
Set in an isolated Carpathian Mountain castle, Lord Adrik has a sinister reputation. I wrote this Gothic historical without an outline (which is unusual for me). For a while, I was tempted to make the Dark Lord into a vampire, but then considered it a little cliché. This is one of my “original three” Amber Heat contest winning romances (along with A Most Unusual Princess and The Sexy Stranger).
The Sexy Stranger
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/SexyStranger.html
This short and fun contemporary puts a different spin on hitchhikers and mistaken identities. I wanted to add some elements of danger, but without putting my characters into too much jeopardy. This story is a very condensed version of an idea I had for a full-length romance (which I might write one day).
Dalton’s Temptation
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/DaltonsTemptation.html
The sequel to A Most Unusual Princess. A few weeks after finishing Princess, the idea for this fantasy novel came to me. Dalton is sent off to a pleasure palace on business, and Elara just has to keep tabs on him (in her own unusual way, of course). I wanted to explore the concepts of fidelity and cheating. Is it still cheating if you cheat with your own spouse? This novel introduced Elara’s brother, Prince Allan to readers. Halfway through writing this, I knew Allan needed his own book, so I wrote The Pauper Prince. (At that point, I dubbed the three books the “Royal Desires” trilogy.)
The Pauper Prince
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PauperPrince.html
After being banished from the royal family, pampered Prince Allan is forced to live like a commoner. The book is a bit violent and gritty and has a “medieval” feel to it. I enjoyed exploring the plot and setting of a darker fantasy novel for a change. Allan undergoes a tremendous personal transformation over the course of the book. However, one thing I dreaded was killing off a secondary character that Allan (and I) had fallen in love with. This is the final book in my “Royal Desires” trilogy. And Elara and Dalton’s storyline is also wrapped up.
Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/ConfessionsVampiresLover.html
My first paranormal romance. Inspired by the premise of “what if a vampire went to the beach and fell in love with a surfer?” I blended horror and romance into an ethereal paranormal. It’s different from my other romances because it’s written in first person from the hero’s point of view. My husband is a surfer, so I sat on the beach surrounded by “research” as I outlined and wrote this story. It’s a great beach read!
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MidsummerNightsDelights.html
This hot historical (and Amber Heat bestseller), follows inexperienced newlyweds as they partake in naughty games at a Midsummer Ball. How did this erotic tale come about? One day, the entire first scene popped into my head. I thought the characters and premise were interesting, and I knew I had to write the rest of Annabelle & Julian’s story. Parts of the novella are so intense/graphic that for the first time ever; I had to turn off my internal editor while writing it. Believe it or not, I wrote a sequel, A Midwinter Night’s Delights, that’s even hotter!
Naughty Nobles
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/NaughtyNobles.html
My first anthology! This is a paperback collection of three fantasy novellas (A Most Unusual Princess, The Dark Lord, A Midsummer Night’s Delights) never before in print. It’s a good overview of different storylines, writing styles, characters, settings, and heat levels. Three hot stories in one book – how can you beat that?
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/BeautyBigfoot.html
Have you ever read a Bigfoot romance? This paranormal/comedy came about from the premise “what if a girl fell in love with Bigfoot?” I knew the story would have to be a comedy – because who could seriously believe a Bigfoot romance? When writing it, I had to make “Joe” into his own character so readers would see him as Tara does – as a really hairy guy. I’m happy to say that readers loved the humor and wacky characters in the story, and it got great reviews!
Trust with Hearts
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TrustWithHearts.html
This full-length contemporary romance won Honorable Mention in the 2009 Reading Writers “Romantic Encounter” writing contest. This book has a country setting and is more laid back then my other romances. Sherrie and Curtis have a whole summer to get to know about each other, fall in love, and discover a few secrets along the way. I wanted to explore another side of being famous and show that it’s sometimes not as glamorous as people think. The subplot with Sherrie helping save Kitty Corner gives her a sense of purpose and makes her stronger. Adopting pets from shelters is one of the things I advocate, so I inserted a bit of my own personal feelings into the story.
A Midwinter Night’s Delights
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/MidwinterNightsDelights.html
This hotter-than-hot sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Delights takes place six months after the first book. In this tale, Julian and Annabelle are sent back to Vincent’s estate – to be disciplined! Midwinter has a slightly darker tone than Midsummer, as our young newlyweds are taught self-control – or face Vincent’s erotic punishments. Although this is a sequel, the book stands alone as an individual read.
A Perfect Match
http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PerfectMatch.html
My newest release is a contemporary romance set in the world of professional wrestling. Wrestling has always been a part of my life, so it was only natural that one day I’d write a book with wrestling as the backdrop. A Perfect Match won several writing contests and was a top ten finalist in the first-ever “American Title” contest. It’s a fun and sexy story about finding true love – even if you’re not looking for it!
Excerpts and reviews for all of the books are on my website: http://www.kelliwilkins.com/ .
I enjoy hearing from readers and would love to know which book (or character) is your favorite!
Here’s to the next dozen books!
Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
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