Spotlight: A Deceptive Match by Kellie A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
Today I’m sharing an inside look at
the making of my sizzling contemporary romance, A Deceptive
Match.
A Deceptive Match is a
full length novel 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. But
this book is different from all of my other books because the entire
story came to me in a rather unusual way—in a dream.
One morning I woke up and said “Uh-oh!”
and grabbed the pen and paper next to the bed. (I keep it there in
case of inspiration.) I knew that if I didn’t immediately start
writing down everything in my head, it would be lost forever. So I
sat there, furiously scribbling the outline. At this point, it was
just the bare bones of the plot and the characters, but I knew I was
onto something.
Over the course of the day, more bits
and pieces came through. Now I had a subplot, secondary characters,
and knew more about what was happening in this wrestling romance that
suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I was fortunate enough to actually
“see” the book in my head like a movie—some scenes were
missing, but I had a clear picture to work from.
People who have read the book and know
about my love of wrestling always ask me the same questions: Which
wrestlers are the characters based on? How do you know all this
stuff? How much of it is real?
It’s easier to answer the second
question first. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to be on
friendly terms with a bunch of wrestlers. My husband and I would go
to matches and hang out with the guys after the shows. (No, I wasn’t
a ring rat.) I picked up a lot of terms and got a real feel for what
they did and how they experienced life on the road.
At the time, the thought of being a
writer never even crossed my mind, so I had no idea that one day I’d
use what I learned in a book. When I got the idea for A Deceptive
Match, I was able to incorporate much of what I knew into the
plot through Danni’s point of view.
The male characters in the book
(Vinnie, Ev, Thorn, and Nick) aren’t based on any one wrestler or
any real person. I specifically made sure that Vinnie and the others
aren’t linked to real wrestlers, because it would take away
from the story. Like characters in any book, I invented whatever
quirks, flaws, and backstory I needed to help move the plot along.
And how much of it is real? Well,
anyone who knows anything about wrestling can tell you that it’s
technically termed “sports entertainment” for a reason. But that
doesn’t discredit all the training, hard work, and other sacrifices
the wrestlers go through every day. A Deceptive Match touches
on the subject of what’s “real” and what goes on behind the
scenes that most fans are unaware of.
Author Kellie A. Wilkins
A Deceptive 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 assistant 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, and she unwittingly becomes a key player in his title match. Their mutual attraction grows, and late one night, they give in to the lustful feelings they’ve been fighting.
Disgruntled with her job as the office assistant 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, and she unwittingly becomes a key player in his title match. Their mutual attraction grows, and late one night, they give in to the lustful feelings they’ve been fighting.
As their relationship deepens, Danni
considers telling Vinnie her secret. But before she can confess the
truth, Vinnie discovers she isn’t the reporter she claims to be.
Her lie threatens to ruin everything between them. Will their
relationship be destroyed by her deception or will their love win
out?
Danni hurried down the hall to the locker room. She
hadn’t meant to be late picking up Vin tonight, but the moron lot
attendant wouldn’t let her back into the parking area. She pushed
open the locker room door and rushed inside. “Vin, I’m sorry I—”
Her tote bag slipped through her fingers and dropped to
the floor. Vin stood less than three feet away, soaking wet. A white
towel barely covered his waist.
“Oh, my God!” Her entire body flushed as a tingling
sensation built deep in her belly. Vin was practically naked and
dripping wet from the shower.
“I…um…you’re…I…oh God,” she muttered and
whirled around. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Vin’s warm hand settled on her shoulder. He gently
turned her to face him. Beads of water dripped down his chest, and
she longed to lick them away. “Um…you…you’re wet.” She
glanced at the towel and prayed it would fall off his waist.
“And you’re not?”
She squealed as Vin drew her to his chest. His mouth
covered hers, and she lost all sense of reason.
A wet heat built between her legs as Vin’s tongue
entered her mouth. She clutched him tight and dug her fingers into
the solid flesh of his back and ribs. He smelled like soap and water
and yet there was a hint of something manly, musky about him.
Vin moaned and cupped her buttocks through
her sundress, melding her body against his. A high-pitched mewing
sound escaped her throat as a long-denied lust flared within her. Was
this really happening? She’d had this fantasy for so many nights,
would she wake up and discover it was only another erotic dream?
She slid her hands down Vin’s flat stomach to the edge
of the towel. For a second, she hesitated, unsure. Did she dare do
what every instinct commanded? Vin’s tongue plunged deeper into her
mouth, wordlessly urging her on.
Vin moaned as she ran her hand along the length of him.
It was so huge, it would never fit inside her—but that didn’t
matter—she wanted to try.
***
I enjoyed creating the characters in
this wrestling universe, and as I was writing, I fell in love with
Everett, Vinnie’s best friend. I knew I had to tell Ev’s story
and give him his own book, so I wrote A Secret Match. That
book is all about Everett, but Danni and Vinnie play supporting roles
in the storyline. Although the books are connected, they each stand
alone as individual reads.
I hope romance fans and wrestling fans
alike will check out A Deceptive Match and A Secret Match.
They’re a good blend of action, drama, romance, humor, and spicy
love scenes.
Happy Reading!
Kelli
Order your copy of A
Deceptive Match here:
Look for A Secret Match,
coming in late May!
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels.
In 2016 Kelli is re-releasing her romances previously published by Amber Quill Press. Visit her website and blog for a full title list, book summaries, and other information as it becomes available.
Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative non-fiction guide based on her 15 years of experience as a writer. It’s filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.
If you like to be scared, check out Kelli’s horror ebooks: Dead Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor. She also writes a weekly blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/.
Visit her website, www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of her writings, read book excerpts, reviews, and more. Readers can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb.
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