Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite TV show

Favorite TV show: The Originals

I enjoy this spin-off of the Vampire Diaries mainly because of Klaus, the troubled vampire/werewolf hybrid of the Mikaelson family. Joseph Morgan plays him well. With Klaus in the family, there is always some kind of conflict happening to keep my attention. He’s the guy you love to hate.

Series description on IMDb:

Many years ago, an original family of vampires lived in the city of New Orleans where they lived happily. However, all has changed and it's up to them to take back what they built.

Creator:

Julie Plec

Stars:

Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt |

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

bibelot

noun bi·be·lot \ˈbē-bə-ˌlō\

plural bibelots \-ˌlō(z)\

Definition of BIBELOT

:  a small household ornament or decorative object : trinket

Examples of BIBELOT

1. <practically every horizontal surface in the Victorian parlor was blanketed with fussy little bibelots>

Origin of BIBELOT

French

First Known Use: 1873

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Tuesday Tips and Tweaks with Kelly Heckart

BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Tuesday Tips and Tweaks with Kelly Heckart: This week author Kelley Heckart joins us with her tip . Kelley Heckart’s stories are steeped in myth and magic, filled with fierce warri...

Monday Musings: Not ordinary nymphs

What do you picture when you hear the word nymph? I’m guessing most people think of a flighty, beautiful woman with flowers in her hair that serves Artemis and romps with satyrs in the forest. In my Arcadia series, this is partly what nymphs might be like. But since I grew up watching Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my nymphs had to be like hunters and warriors.

There are different types of nymphs and some are more serene than others. I decided to give the mountain nymphs that serve Artemis a little more substance and structure. The descriptions I’ve read about them depict them as ferocious hunters. Some of the nymphs that serve Artemis have a gentler nature. I thought about what these nymphs might be like and used the four elements to create different types of nymphs. In my story there are earth, air, fire and water nymphs. Each of these groups of nymphs can control their element. In some stories, the Oreades, or mountain nymphs, were born from the union between five dactyls and five original nymphs. So what was I going to do since I only have four elements? Well, in alchemy there is a fifth element—the aether, the air that fills heaven. The fifth nymph is the aether, but she was banished for betraying the nymphs.

I created Guardian nymphs, the elite warriors that protect Artemis’s forest. They dress in gold and black deerskin to distinguish them from the other nymphs.

I had a lot of fun creating the nymphs for this series. What can be better than a kick-ass nymph?

The first book in this series, The Bear Goddess, is available now on Amazon.

Forbidden love… Broken vows… Betrayal…

A nymph. A centaur. Enemies in love.

On the run, danger and betrayal follow Callisto and Kasin. To survive they must evade those who want to keep them apart and no place is safe.

Kindle Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P74X0WY

Trade Paperback Buy Link on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Goddess-Book-Arcadia/dp/1502982684/ref=asap_B002BMOQ3C_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415503605&sr=1-7

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite Greek goddess

Artemis the the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, childbirth, and virginity. She refused to wed any of Zeus’s brothers, which is one of reasons I like her so much—she was fiercely independent. She is often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. Another think I like since I have taken up archery. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Originally, she was a pre-Greek deity, a great goddess. Here the information I have on this goddess on my website, my Pre-Hellenic goddess page:

ARTEMIS: She is the Goddess of untamed nature. Central to her worship are ecstatic dances and the
sacred bough, probably derived from ancient moon tree worship, the source of immortality, secret
knowledge and inspiration. Artemis assists females of all species in childbirth and gave the name artemisia
to the medicinal herb now called mugwort, which is used to encourage delivery. She was worshipped
throughout Greece, but was most popular in Arcadia where she lived in the wild forests and was the most
virginal of the Goddesses. Another important site for her worship was Ephesus in Anatolia where her
qualities of Mother Goddess were emphasized. Two early forms of Artemis were Britomaris of eastern
Crete and Diktynna of western Crete. In Olympian myths Artemis is Apollo’s sister and she takes on the
role of patron of hunters. 

http://www.kelleyheckart.com/Pre-Hellenic_Goddesses.html

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

bibber

noun bib·ber \ˈbi-bər\

Definition of BIBBER

:  a person who regularly drinks alcoholic beverages

— bib·bery \ˈbi-bə-rē\ noun

First Known Use of BIBBER

1536

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Monday Musings: Too many rules can kill a good story

Don’t have a prologue, don’t use ‘ing’ words, don’t use adverbs, don’t use ‘was’ or ‘were,’ don’t use that, when, once or as—don’t, don’t don’t… Grr. How many writers out there have heard one or more of these? Just about every writing group I’ve been involved with has said all of the above, especially about never having a prologue. I have stories with prologues—published ones. Breaking that rule didn’t seem to hurt me. With all the restrictions, how is a writer supposed to be creative?

It can be stifling to have to follow a bunch of rigid rules. It can also take the feeling out of your story. These words are around for a reason. The key is knowing when to use them and not to overuse. Some stories need a prologue. You do what is right for your story.

Here’s my advice:

Learn the rules but write what feels right and use balance—don’t do too much of one thing. Balance is the key to a well-written story.

I’ve discovered that worrying about the rules too much can take the feeling out of my writing. This is especially true while writing the first draft. In fact, I think some of my earlier writing is better because I wrote more from the heart and worried less about rules. Let it go and let the words flow. Worry about revisions later.

But letting go can be the hardest part. Just take a deep breath and go for it. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that it’s wrong to use any of the above taboo words or techniques.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday: Sharing a new TV series

Favorite new TV series: The Lizzie Borden Chronicles

This is a new series on LMN. I wasn’t sure about watching it at first because I didn’t see how they could continue it after she allegedly murders her parents, but I decided to check it out. It seems the creators are doing a fictionalized story and portraying her as a serial killer, which is kind of cool. Christina Ricci does a great job and so far I like it.

Series description on IMDb:

Fictionalized account of actual events and people surrounding Lizzie Borden after her controversial acquittal of the double murder of her father and stepmother in 1892.

Stars:

Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Cole Hauser

This is the movie that started the series:

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

bialy
noun bi·aly \bē-ˈa-lē\
plural bialys
Definition of BIALY
:  a flat breakfast roll that has a depressed center and is usually covered with onion flakes
Origin of BIALY
Yiddish, short for bialystoker, from bialystoker of Bialystok, city in Poland
First Known Use: 1965

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Interview with Kelley Heckart

Interview with Kelley Heckart

Monday Musings: Shredding the past

You can learn a lot about someone by their bank statements/cleared checks.

I’ve been shredding old records from 1983 on up to 2000 and it’s a tedious job made a little interesting by seeing what I spent and where.

Here’s what I learned:

My priorities have changed. In the 1980s and ’90s, I spent a lot of money on my hair and on clothing (Wilson’s Leather) and very little on food and other necessities.

Things were cheaper then. I only spent 25.00 on cable and 50.00 on food, and only 10.00 co-pays to see the doctor. Gas was cheaper too. Now my cable bill is 74.00, and I pretty much have the same amount of channels I did back then. I’m lucky if I can leave the grocery store now without spending close to 200.00. That one hurts. But some things were more expensive. My car payment was almost what I pay now for a mortgage. And although my co-pays are higher, because of the Affordable Care Act, more medical procedures are covered now, which saves me money.

Some things never change though:

I still spend money on books, though now I purchase ebooks instead of shopping at Borders or B. Dalton. Department stores come and go, some still remain. I used to shop a lot at Mervyns and The Broadway, which no longer exist. Though JC Penney is still around. I shopped at malls back then in stores like The Limited, Wet Seal, Contempo Casuals… Now I shop online at JC Penney or Kohls for sensible clothes, not the sexy outfits I used to buy. LOL

One thing I realized that didn’t occur to me until I sat down and started shredding: A big chunk of my life passed before me and into the shredder.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite book

Favorite book: Game of Thrones

I’ve been a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones and decided to read the books. I’m reading the first one titled Game of Thrones and love it. It is so well-written and engaging, it’s hard to put down. The characters are very vivid. I can see why they decided to make a cable series.

Book description on amazon.com:

A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW ON HBO.
Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.
A GAME OF THRONES
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

Bezel

be·zel

noun \ˈbē-zəl, ˈbe-\

Definition of BEZEL

1

:  a rim that holds a transparent covering (as on a watch, clock, or headlight) or that is rotatable and has special markings (as on a watch)

2

:  the oblique side or face of a cut gem; specifically :  the upper faceted portion of a brilliant projecting from the setting — see brilliant illustration

3

:  a usually metal rim of a piece of jewelry in which an ornament (as a gem) is set

Origin of BEZEL

probably from dialect form of French biseau bezel, from Middle French

First Known Use: 1611

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Monday Musings: AZ Sunsets pics # 7

Some more unique, gorgeous AZ sunsets.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite cable channel

I wish we could just pick the cable channels we want to watch instead of having to pay for a bunch of ones we never watch. It used to be that way. I only watch a handful of channels. One of my favorite ones is the CW. Right now I watch iZombie, The Originals, Supernatural, Arrow, Beauty & The Beast, The 100, Reign and the newest show, The Messengers. With the exception of Reign, all of these shows have a similar theme--paranormal or Sci-Fi/Fantasy. That's me!

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com        

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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