Hi everyone!
Today I’m sharing an inside look and an excerpt from
one of my latest historical romances, Dangerous Indenture. In my next
guest blog, I’ll share an inside look at my other historical romance, Wilderness
Bride.
Although both books are historicals, they’re very
different. Wilderness Bride is a traditional historical that takes place
in the wilds of the Michigan Territory in the early
1800s. Dangerous Indenture is a spicy historical/mystery set in
Pennsylvania Colony in the early 1700s. Here’s the summary:
Dangerous Indenture
Eager 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 her hopes for starting over and creating a better life for herself are waning—until she meets her master’s roguish son, Ashton.
Shauna fights her growing attraction to Ashton, torn between propriety and acting on her emotions. But amidst their flirting, something dark stirs. Shauna soon discovers why no other servants will 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.
When Shauna’s investigation leads her too close to the truth, it’s up to Ashton to save her before time runs out.
***
So, how did the book come about? Dangerous
Indenture is one of those books that just jumped into my head. (Yes,
every so often that happens to writers.) One day, I overheard the name Shawna
Farrell, but I thought I’d heard Shauna Farrow. The name stuck with me and I
wrote it down. A few minutes later, I knew all about her: she was an Irish
indentured servant who came to Pennsylvania Colony and worked at a house where a
previous servant was murdered. Once I knew that, I started outlining the book.
Before I wrote a word, I did a lot of research. I
was starting from a good place with the book – I knew where I wanted to set the
story and in approximately what time frame it should take place. From there, I
spent time in the library going through history books, reading up on Colonial
times (What life was like, What people wore, ate, etc.) and indentured servants
in general (Where did they come from? Why did they leave their home country?). As
I wrote the book, I incorporated my research as background information. This
gives the story a rich historical feel without going overboard with details
that might bog down the book or be of no interest to readers.
I especially enjoyed creating the characters and
setting the stage for the drama that’s about to unfold. Right from the start,
we’re told that Stewart House is haunted, and then we (and Shauna) meet the
master of the house, Joshua Stewart, and his strange family. When I developed the
secondary characters, I made sure to give them all interesting backstories and
unusual quirks. Joshua comes off as a mean bear of a man, Minerva just might be
crazy (and a murderer), Colin is… a villain in many senses of the word, and
Lila thought she had everything going for her – for a while.
Shauna and Ashton (our heroine and hero) are not
entirely innocent and without flaws. They each have sordid pasts, wicked
desires, and are not afraid to stand up for themselves – and each other.
I love the characters, the setting, and the fact
that
Dangerous Indenture is a
romance blended with mystery. I had never written a romance set in Colonial times
before, and mixing romance with suspense/mystery to make a Gothic-type story was
a lot of fun.
I hope you’ll check it out. Here’s a steamy
mini-excerpt:
Excerpt:
Ashton wrapped his arms around her. “Come here. Let
me hold you.”
She relaxed against him, and her worries drained away. A familiar heat built between her legs as Ashton leaned forward and kissed her. Ashton moaned, and she felt a hardness jutting out from the front of his breeches.
Her mind flashed back to Ashton in his robe. His chest, his flat stomach, the glimpse of a tiny trail of hairs leading lower... What would Ashton do if he knew how desperately she craved his touch?
She fought the urge to slide her hands to the front of his breeches and stroke him, make him ready. What would it feel like to make love to him? She ached to be crushed under his body as he entered her and—
Without warning, Ashton pulled away.
“Forgive me,” he said, releasing her. “I tend to lose control and let my urges take over. I’m not used to being around a decent woman.”
He thought she was decent? That was a joke. If he knew what wicked ideas were swirling through her head, he’d probably faint.
She relaxed against him, and her worries drained away. A familiar heat built between her legs as Ashton leaned forward and kissed her. Ashton moaned, and she felt a hardness jutting out from the front of his breeches.
Her mind flashed back to Ashton in his robe. His chest, his flat stomach, the glimpse of a tiny trail of hairs leading lower... What would Ashton do if he knew how desperately she craved his touch?
She fought the urge to slide her hands to the front of his breeches and stroke him, make him ready. What would it feel like to make love to him? She ached to be crushed under his body as he entered her and—
Without warning, Ashton pulled away.
“Forgive me,” he said, releasing her. “I tend to lose control and let my urges take over. I’m not used to being around a decent woman.”
He thought she was decent? That was a joke. If he knew what wicked ideas were swirling through her head, he’d probably faint.
***
Dangerous
Indenture is available from:
Medallion Press:
Happy
Reading,
Kelli
ABOUT KELLI A. WILKINS
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who
has published more than 90 short stories, 18 romance novels, and 4 non-fiction
books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels. Kelli had three romances
published in 2014: A Secret Match, Wilderness Bride, and Dangerous
Indenture. Look for her story, “Home for Halloween” in the Moon
Shadows horror anthology here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N232UEG
Kelli publishes a blog: (http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com) filled with excerpts,
interviews, writing prompts, and whatever else pops into her head. She also
writes a monthly newsletter, Kelli's
Quill, and posts on Facebook and Twitter. Kelli invites readers to visit
her website, http://www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of
her writings.
Catch up
with Kelli on the Web:
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