Q&A With Vi Keeland 

My next guest is Vi Keeland who writes romance books that make your cheeks red that are on the New York Times, USA Today &Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. Vi has also co-written romance with author Penelope Ward. 

Q: Vi would you like to tell the readers about any recent and upcoming releases?

A: Yes! My most recent release, Something Unexpected, is one of my favorite books I’ve ever written.  It has a lot of heart, but also the spiciness my readers have come to expect.  I’m also super excited for my debut thriller, The Unraveling, coming in May 2024 from Simon & Schuster’s Atria/Emily Bestler Books!  The Unraveling is something I’ve wanted to write for years. I think my existing readers will love it, because it has a sexy edge to it, yet it’s also a brand new genre for me so I’m hoping existing thriller readers will love it too.

Q: Do you get ideas for your romance from real people and places to create fictional worlds and people?

A: I do!  I get ideas from everywhere. While none of my characters are based completely on real people, many of them get their traits from people I know in real life, or…from me! (Like the heroine who sniffs everything!)

Q: If you were to write in other genres that aren’t romance, which genres would you choose and why?

A: This is an easy one.  Thriller! And I’ve done it. My debut book, The Unraveling, coming in May 2024 from Simon & Schuster’s Atria/Emily Bestler Books!  

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to write a great romance as you do?

A: Don’t be afraid of the work it takes to change your story when you feel like what you’re writing isn’t in your heart.  Some of my bestselling books ended up with very different plots than they began with.  It can be a lot of work to rewrite a book at thirty or forty thousand words, or even start completely over, but you’ll be glad in the end.

Q: What’s it like co-authoring books with Penelope Ward? How did the two of you meet?

A: It’s so much fun!  We met ten years ago when we were both part of a multi-author box set.  Writing can be a very lonely career at times—you spend all day lost in your head.  Having a co-writer to talk things out with makes the characters come alive so much earlier in a story, too.  We laugh a lot together, and it makes work not seem like work.

Q: Where is your favorite spot or spots to sit down and plot, write and edit your work?

A: My desk! I have an office and keep regular office hours.  I do admin from 6AM to 8AM and then you can almost always find me at my enormous desk in my office typing away.  My office also has a massage chair and a couch, so when I get stuck, I walk away from my desk and take a yellow legal pad to change things up a bit.

Q: What advice do you give to anyone wanting to co-author a book with a friend and family member? 

A: I think the most important advice is—have trust in each other.  Trust each other’s words—don’t rewrite your partner’s work because it might not be exactly as you would have done it.  If you can’t do that, don’t write together.

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to your work? The entertainment industry needs new content again. 

A: Yes they do! I always seem to have some active options and things being shopped. Passionflix has made three of my short stories (two co-written and one solo) into films, but other than that there is nothing I can announce…yet.