Awakening the Fae, Medieval Monday, #MedMonFall20, Excerpt #1

Welcome to another round of Medieval Monday. Starting today and lasting until December 7, we will be sharing snippets from one nature-themed excerpt from one of our books on each of our blogs. Join the fun and follow all the blogs. #MedMonFall20 Go to the Medieval Romance Lovers FB page for a full list of all the blogs. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1401384450126130/

Excerpt snippet #1 Sept 21

I landed on a hard ground of rock and grass. The air knocked from me, I gasped for breath. For long moments, I couldn’t move, and I fought the urge to vomit, my stomach roiling. I slowly sat up. The bench, Selena, and the cemetery were nowhere in sight.

For as far as I could see, rows of trees filled the view, not the trees I was used to seeing in Los Angeles. The pines and oaks here differed from the ones I remembered from Big Bear, the forest…primordial, the moss-covered trees so thick and tall they hid the sunlight.

Where was I?

Fragrant pine and earthy scents permeated the grove, and I stilled. Odd. There were no car engines or airplane noises, just singing birds. It was both serene and eerie.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pants pocket. No signal.

“Mierda,” I muttered, turned it off, and put it back in my pocket.

*

Buy links:

Buy links: Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YYNKSYZ

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1691908231

Also available in KU

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AWAKENING THE FAE

SHADOW-WALKERS BOOK 4

(This is a standalone story in the Shadow-walkers series.)

*Erotic paranormal romance*

Time can’t separate them, but fate can.

Do you like time travel stories with a hot elven king and lots of twists? The women are the rock stars here, and they command the supernatural alpha males in their lives. Grab a copy now and enter the sexy, scary, and thrilling world of Shadow-walkers. This compelling romance will capture your soul.

She’s the most powerful Shadow-walker…and the most vulnerable.

Dina, the wild, strong-willed drummer for Hecate’s Fury and wearer of the Gateway rune, is thrust back in time where she meets a tall, handsome faery king. Beneath all the beauty of the aes sidhe city lurks a dark, menacing danger, and nothing is as it seems. She may be the only one to help them, but the cost to her is high.

Beware a kiss in moonlight.

Roan may be the only male to tame Dina’s restless spirit, the king’s cold nature both enticing and challenging. However, another covets her Shadow-walker and bruja powers. The rival’s obsession is relentless, his magic difficult to resist, even for a Shadow-walker.

Past and present collide as both males vie for her. Only the power of love and sacrifice can unite her with her true mate.

*

Listen to Hecate’s Fury music here: https://www.reverbnation.com/hecatesfury

And on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75YOEjUjM0D8JV6lY2YD5w?si=cfxko5lXSy6jeb0z7CntIw

Author website: http://www.kelleyheckart.com

https://www.kelleyheckart.com/shadowwalkers.html

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New Book Release: White Rose of Avalon, An Arthurian Romance

This is the second edition of a book previously published by Mundania Press. I got my rights back and decided to revise and re-publish it. I've expanded scenes in this version, so even if you read the first edition, you won't want to miss this one. Grab your copy now while the price is only .99 cents.

More information and buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084S4QC1F

Blurb:

Do you like captivating, passionate historical fantasy featuring King Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, Merlin, Nimue, Morgaine, and Lancelot? Inspired by The Mists of Avalon, this sensual retelling of the Arthurian romances brings these legendary characters to life.

Destiny cannot be altered.

With Britannia falling to the Saxon hordes, Morgaine, Queen of the Faeries, has no choice but to make a pact with the Christian monks. She promises to give them a High King who will unite the Britons against the Saxons if he takes a queen from the faery realm. Morgaine hopes this will restore the Goddess faith and return Avalon to its rightful place. She sends Lancelot to guard the future High King, but when a love potion falls into the wrong hands, all seems lost.

Gwenhwyfar is the only hope for the future, but betrayal, revenge, and forbidden love surround her, all of which could send both Britannia and Avalon into ruins.

Excerpt:

“When I see Lancelot, I will tell him you came looking for him.” Nimue began her descent into the lake.

Morgaine stopped and glanced back. “That is not true. I did not come here to find him.”

Nimue smiled, a knowing gleam sparking in her clear eyes just before her head disappeared beneath the water.

Morgaine could not hide her true feelings from Nimue, which was why she preferred to keep her distance from her. There were things that Nimue did not need to know.

She sighed. Nimue had spoken the truth. Morgaine had hoped to find Lancelot here. She wanted to see him before he left...again. This time she was the one who was sending him away, and her decision made her heart ache.

*

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

https://www.kelleyheckart.com

Monday Musings: A Beltaine's Song excerpt in honor of Beltaine

Prologue

“I give you the branch (of victory),

Said the crow to the old woman;

You are as old as the old grandmother,

Long ago, who ate the apples.”

‘From Legends of Saints and Sinners’

Eireann, AD 559

Beltaine.

The word rang through her mind like a beautiful melody. It was all she remembered.

Under cloudy skies, she stood inside a circle of stone giants, the earth vibrating beneath her feet. Touching the weathered stones sparked a familiar sensation inside her, and she knew this place meant something special to her once. Light mist swirled around the powerful stones like restless serpents. In her mind’s eye, she saw cloaked figures moving and chanting inside the circle. Their rich, joyful voices were lost to her now, the once sacred stones abandoned.

Sighing, she moved on, wandering the countryside. The clouds parted and summer skies greeted her with a smile. In the distance, puffy white and gray clouds floated against a bright blue sky the color of a robin’s egg. A gentle breeze tousled her hair and the fresh scent of summer, of things fresh and new, brightened her spirits. Swallowed by rolling green hills clothed in a light mist, she walked without knowing her destination, pausing when she came to a break in the hills.

Below her sat clusters of roundhouses and fields surrounded by raths. The earthen walls surrounded the homes in a protective embrace. Farther away, a jumble of forest and pasture land rolled to the horizon. Beyond this stretched mixed landscapes of low mountains, vast bogs, and dense woodlands. She descended the hills, passing families moving their cows and sheep to the summer pastures high in the mountains.

All around her, the earth sang of life. Milk and honey flowed freely in the summer months. Shimmering fields of wheat sprouted from the well-tended earth, its green grass-like stalks gradually changing to a ripe golden color.

It was all familiar and yet foreign to her.

She watched all of this taking place around her, the men, women, and children going about their summer chores, smiling, grateful for the blessed time of rebirth. They passed by her with nary a glance in her direction.

It was as if she did not exist at all.

While everyone around her exuded happiness, sorrow filled her heart, and she wandered the countryside without purpose, lost and alone.

Beltaine's Song is the second book in my Dark Goddess trilogy, set in Dark Age Scotland. A mix of history and mythology, it is filled with spring themes of new beginnings and loss.

For each of them, spring's song has a different meaning.

Now king and queen of the powerful kingdom of Dal Riata, Aedan and Domelch have more than just Cailleach's wrath to contend with. Aedan struggles with being a king and being a husband. Domelch struggles with her beliefs, trying to be the Christian woman Aedan wed, but her heart still thrums with the voices of old gods. They must battle earthly foes—enemy kings and traitorous allies. For the first time, the arrival of spring heralds the sound of a harsh battle horn as their foes close in. Through all this turmoil, can their love survive?  

Gartnait, the first-born son of Aedan and Domelch, has lived in secrecy most of his young life to escape Cailleach's wrath. Fostered in Fortriu, he has earned his first mark of manhood and on his way to becoming a formidable warrior. He grapples with the awakening of his true destiny and the meaning of the appearance of a beautiful maiden in spring only he can see. Does she mean to harm him? For him, spring brings with it the promise of new love and the thrilling sound of the battle horn, putting those he cares about in danger.

***

“Even those who can see the future cannot be certain that the future they see will not change. One small ripple can change the future.” –from Beltaine’s Song

The story of Cardea (now called Domelch) and Aedan mac Gabrain continues…Reading this book makes me ask, again, why humans inflict such suffering on each other, and why we cannot stop fighting each other. Why is it so difficult to truly forgive someone? The ending of Beltaine’s Song is a tear-jerker (my mind decided to play the theme song from Braveheart). And I wonder: can one really find peace in death?

I’m looking forward to Book 3, Winter’s Requiem. Review by Jane Li

Multi-published author Kelley Heckart lives in Arizona with her musician husband, dog and a number of backyard “pets.” Her stories reflect her passion for ancient and medieval time periods, storytelling and the supernatural. Inspired by the ancient Celts, her tales are filled with fierce warriors, bold women, otherworldly creatures, magic, and romance. When not writing, she works as a freelance editor and practices target archery. She can be found online at http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

To sign up for my newsletter and receive special notices like new book releases and giveaways only for my subscribers: http://kelleyheckart.com/Contact_Kelley_Page.html

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Kelley's books on amazon.com:

www.amazon.com/author/kelleyheckart

Stepping into the Action

One of the hardest parts of writing a book for me is the beginning. I have to remind myself of this writing rule: ‘never start your story at the beginning.’

Huh?

Exactly what I thought at first.

Then I gave it some thought. How a writer starts the story is really important. A story that starts too slow might lose readers.

Gone are the days when a writer can start a story with pretty prose and no action, and be able to lull readers into the story. Modern stories have to begin with action or at a significant part of the story.

As I was writing a new book I thought about this writing rule, and ended up cutting the first three chapters. Since I already know that beginnings are my weakest point, I took a hard look at this latest WIP and decided it needed to start with more action. The great thing about writing today on a computer is I can always go back and add the three chapters if I want to, but I doubt I will. If I thought the beginning was too slow then readers will certainly think it is slow.

Writing a good story is about making hard choices. A writer needs to be able to step away from the story and take an unbiased look at their work. This isn’t easy to do. I had a hard time with deciding to make changes to the beginning after slaving over the first three chapters. In the end though I decided the changes were necessary to improve the story.

So, get out there and write your heart out, but don’t be afraid to take scissors or that delete button to that beginning.

Happy writing and reading!

Note: In addition to my long hair hotties feature on the 1st of each month, I will also be posting on the 15th of each month about writing tips or life experiences.

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

For some, spring’s song is the sound of a harsh battle horn, for others, new love, for all—certain danger.

My book page at Awe-Struck

http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact

Technorati Tags: writing tips,kelley heckart,romance novels,ebooks,editing,story beginnings,starting with action

New Release! Cat's Curse from Kelley Heckart

Kelley's latest Celtic romance release from Awe-Struck is titled Cat's Curse and is the first book in her Dark Goddess trilogy.

Blurb: Cardea, follower of the Great Goddess is cursed to live an eternity as a blood drinker.

Aedan mac Gabrain, prince of Dal Riata and a Christian, trusts no one after suffering a curse that keeps him from touching any females or he will turn into a black cat.

Can two tortured souls find love while battling a dark goddess determined to destroy them?

To purchase Cat's Curse or to read excerpts: http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact

Kelley's website: http://www.kelleyheckart.com/