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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Weird Word Wednesday

Babushka

ba·bush·ka

noun \bə-ˈbüsh-kə, -ˈbu̇sh-, ba-\

Definition of BABUSHKA

a : a usually triangularly folded kerchief for the head

b : a head covering (as a scarf) resembling a babushka

: an elderly Russian woman

See babushka defined for kids »

Examples of BABUSHKA

1. <an elderly Russian woman with a babushka>

Illustration of BABUSHKA

Origin of BABUSHKA

Russian, grandmother, diminutive of baba old woman

First Known Use: 1938

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Monday, February 09, 2015

Monday Musings: Snow in Lake Havasu, AZ and using weather in fiction

We had snow in Lake Havasu, AZ for the first time in 30 years on New Year’s Eve. It was awesome for me. I haven’t been in snow in years. I ran around filled with excitement taking pictures. From an artistic point of view, it was beautiful, but I guess if you have to drive in it, it’s not much fun.

Just about everyone in my desert city posted about the snowfall that was only about an inch or two. My Midwest and East Coast family and friends made fun of us for sure.

But it made me think of how I use weird weather patterns in some of my stories to add some drama to an otherwise drab scene or to force characters together. I’ve had an unusual, early season blizzard that portended a change brought on by an ancient curse in Winter’s Requiem, the third book in my Dark Goddess trilogy. In Beltaine’s Song, the second book in this trilogy, I had a sudden, dramatic thunderstorm that made everyone run for cover and brought characters together that wouldn’t normally be with each other. This technique worked to move the plot forward and add some twists. And in Daughter of Night, a sudden storm brings my hero and heroine together in the stables where they share a tender moment. The was the defining moment that brought them together. I used storms in Of Water and Dragons and Ravenwolf to make the mood dark and frightening.

To all the other writers out there: Have you used weather as a writing tool?

Readers: Is there a favorite weather scene in a book you read?

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Friday, February 06, 2015

Favorite Friday: Favorite cable TV series

Homeland

Product Description

Hailed as TV's best new drama by critics everywhere, the award-winning HOMELAND* delivers compelling characters, thrilling twists and breathtaking suspense. Carrie Mathison (Golden Glober winner Claire Danes), a brilliant but volatile CIA agent, suspects that a rescued American POW may not be what he seems. Is Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) a war hero...or an Al Qaeda sleeper agent plotting a spectacular terrorist attack on U.S. soil? Following her instincts, Mathison will risk everything to uncover the truth - her reputation, her career and even her sanity. Packed with multiple layers and hidden clues, Season One offers something new every time you see it...watch carefully.

I’m watching this with my husband. There are few shows we watch together because he doesn’t care for my fantasy shows with vampires, etc., but both of us like Homeland. One word to describe this series is “intense.” It’s fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Weird Word Wednesday

BABIRUSA

bab·i·ru·sa

noun \ˌba-bə-ˈrü-sə, ˌbä-\

Definition of BABIRUSA

: a large wild swine (Babyrousa babyrussa) of Indonesia

Origin of BABIRUSA

Malay, from babi pig + rusa deer

First Known Use: 1673

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Monday, February 02, 2015

Monday Musings: Moon pics #6

I happened to catch this jet stream streaking beneath the moon.

A ghost of a moon.

A sliver moon in a sea of blue.

Bright moon sliver among the wispy clouds.

The dark side of the moon is faintly outlined against a twilight sky.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Friday, January 30, 2015

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite book

Favorite book: Night Calls by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

Book description:

"When you have the Gift, your life is not your own."
I was born to a family that harnessed the winds and could read futures in fire and water. Yet my mother kept her secrets.
Then the werewolf came, sharing his madness.
Now it's my turn to keep secrets....
Descended from powerful magic-users, but ignorant of her heritage, young Alfreda Sorensson learns magic and wisdom from her extended family in an alternate early 1800s Michigan Territory.

This is Little House on the Prairie with werewolves, vampires, witches and magic. Alfreda is born into a family with special powers and lots of secrets.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Weird Word Wednesday

BABESIA

ba·be·sia

noun \bə-ˈbē-zh(ē-)ə\

Definition of BABESIA

: any of a genus (Babesia) of sporozoans parasitic in mammalian red blood cells (as in Texas fever) and transmitted by the bite of a tick —called also piroplasm

Origin of BABESIA

New Latin, from Victor Babeş †1926 Roman bacteriologist

First Known Use: 1911

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Monday, January 26, 2015

Monday Musings: Overview of Spartacus—Character studies

I just finished watching the final Spartacus series. One thing that struck me was how many coldhearted characters were on each side, but I think the Romans scored more in this department, starting with the House of Batiatus and ending with Marcus Crassus.

If only Spartacus had been able to forgive for what happened to his wife then maybe he could have escaped and lived out his life. I have to wonder if this lack of forgiveness has something to do with serving gods that don’t preach forgiveness. But despite this, Spartacus, a slave and a murderer, ended up having the kindest heart in my opinion. He gave his life so that other slaves could escape to freedom.

I was surprised that the two remaining warriors from Spartacus’s army were the two gay lovers. But after thinking it over, I realized their love was the truest of them all. Spartacus couldn’t find love after losing his first wife; Gannicus couldn’t find peace after losing Melita who really belonged to his best friend; Crixus couldn’t be satisfied unless he was avenging what happened to his love and she(Naevia) couldn’t rest until all the Romans were dead.

The one that bothered me the most was the coldhearted Marcus Crassus and the way he treated his slave, a slave I thought he loved but then realized she was only a possession to him. But to crucify her—that beat all the rest. Even though she did join the rebellion for a time, it was for a good reason. And yeah, she killed his son, but his son brutally raped her. He couldn’t forgive her? No. He could only see in black and white.

With so much treachery going on, it’s hard to find a kind-hearted character in this bunch. Even the ones who started out as innocent ended up with ice around their hearts. And despite all of this, I couldn’t hate any of these characters because they were so complex in their cruelty. We should hate them but instead we are drawn to them and even feel sorry for them in a way. That’s great writing.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Friday, January 23, 2015

kboards: Book Discovery! (Friday Jan 23)

kboards: Book Discovery! (Friday Jan 23): It's Book Discovery Day! Twice a week we bring you a selection of books that are newly-published, or that have been overlooked. Every ...

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite movie

Favorite movie: Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time

A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time. I really enjoyed the banter between Jake Gyllenhaal’s character ( the prince) and the princess who resents his people for destroying her temple. The mix of magic and some time travel drew me in to the story.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Weird Word Wednesday

BABA GHANOUSH

ba·ba gha·noush

noun \ˌbä-bə-gə-ˈnüsh\

Definition of BABA GHANOUSH

: an appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon

Variants of BABA GHANOUSH

ba·ba gha·noush or baba gha·nouj

Origin of BABA GHANOUSH

Arabic dialect bābaghanūj

First Known Use: 1977

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: Kelley Heckart's THE BEAR GODDESS Spotlight, Guest...

Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: Kelley Heckart's THE BEAR GODDESS Spotlight, Guest...: Sexy Centaurs Guest Post by Kelley Heckart When deciding on a romantic lead for my nymph in The Bear Goddess, I knew he had to...

Monday, January 19, 2015

Monday Musings: Thoughts on The Red Tent mini-series

This post came about because I read a scornful review by Neal Justin about The Red Tent, a Lifetime mini-series based on a novel by Anita Diamant about Jacob’s (from the Bible) only daughter. What really struck me is why was a man reviewing this obviously female-oriented series in the first place? How can a man possibly understand what female’s have to endure? Well, it was quite obvious that this man had no clue.

The Rent Tent is about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob. She is only given one line of mention in the Bible. No surprise there. The female’s of Jacob’s tribe, his many wives and their daughters, meet in the red tent during their monthly bleeding and when someone is giving birth, which happened quite often then. The red tent is more than just a place where “its club members gossip like desperate housewives.” But I wouldn’t expect a man to understand. It’s a place where women can bond and share stories handed down from their mothers, where they can go for comfort in dealing with what women had to endure in a time when life was difficult for females, when they were treated like livestock, when they were nothing but a piece of property.

Another quote from the review that bothered me is: “No matter how much you try to beef up the role of the Genesis gals their stories have a hard time living up to the trials and tribulations of Jacob and his favorite son, Joseph.” Really? Is this guy serious? I’d like to see him try to give birth without modern medicine (most women died giving birth in that time period) or be treated like property by a father and then by a husband, to live in constant fear of being sold into slavery or to an abusive husband, of having no control over his destiny. Or how would he like to live in constant fear of being killed for not pleasing a father or husband and have the killers go unpunished because that was the law—women had no rights. Zero rights. How is that for trials and tribulations?

I did agree with one of his comments in the review, which was “It’s a fairly safe bet to say “The Red Tent” won’t be screened at Sunday schools.” Yeah, and you know why? Because no one wants to point out the reality of life as a woman in Biblical times: women weren’t just treated like livestock, they were treated much worse, and this mistreatment came at the hands of the men who are the heroes of the Bible and who the male reviewer places on a pedestal. I applaud author Anita Diamant, for giving a voice to these beautiful, courageous women who are barely mentioned in the Bible. They deserve much more than that.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Fifty Authors from Fifty States: Kelley Heckart’s Arizona Desert Home

Fifty Authors from Fifty States: Kelley Heckart’s Arizona Desert Home: I have lived in Arizona since 2001 after living in Southern California for most of my life. I never thought much about the desert, dismi...

Friday, January 16, 2015

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite dog breed

Favorite dog breed: Chihuahua

I don’t know why but I love the smaller dogs. I think because they are easier for me to take care of and they can sit on my lap when I work. Chihuahuas are really cool dogs. Ours is a trickster. That’s how he earned his name: Loki.

He waits patiently for me to finish taking my sunset and/or moon pics

He loves to lay in my husband’s lap. It’s so cute. LOL

Our family Christmas pic for 2014.

Christmas morning 2014. He likes his new toy—a frog.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Weird Word Wednesday

BABASSU

ba·bas·su

noun \ˌbä-bə-ˈsü\

Definition of

: a tall pinnate-leaved palm (Orbignya phalerata syn. O. barbosiana) of Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding a valuable oil

Origin of BABASSU

Portuguese babaçú, from Tupi * i̵βáwasú, from i̵βá fruit + -wasú large

First Known Use: 1917

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Monday, January 12, 2015

Monday Musings: AZ Monsoon pics #3

Monsoon storms turn the sky an eerie pink hue.

A rainbow let in the wake of the monsoon storm.

A sunset against monsoon storm clouds.

The remnants of the monsoon paint the sky.

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Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly