White luminescent glow against a stygian-black sky.
Full moon peeking out from sun-painted clouds.
This angle reveals more of the different cloud layers.
The full moon looks huge hanging over this house.
I like the detail I was able to capture in this full moon.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite book: Confessions of a Pagan Nun
This is a beautifully written, stunning, heartbreaking story of a former pagan who becomes a nun in order to survive. The story takes place in Ireland around 500 AD when Ireland was on the cusp of Christianity. All alone in a hostile world, Gwynneve, a druid, has no choice but to keep her pagan beliefs to herself and become a nun where she copies the manuscripts of the church fathers and also records her own life story and the melodramatic events at the convent. This is the compelling story of a strong woman’s fight for survival and also a lesson in what happens when a new religion takes over. Highly recommended!
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ā-ˈlan(t)-thəs\
: any of a small Asian genus (Ailanthus of the family Simaroubaceae, the ailanthus family) of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs with bitter bark, pinnate leaves, and terminal panicles of ill-scented greenish flowers; especially : tree of heaven
See ailanthus defined for kids »
New Latin, from Kamarian (Austronesian language of the Piru Bay region, Seram) ai lanito, literally, the sky tree, or from a cognate phrase in a related central Moluccan language
First Known Use: 1789
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
This month I turn 50. Yeah, I’ve been alive for 50 years. It feels much longer. I have mixed feelings about my birthday this year. Part of me is happy to have made it this far in life without too many mental or physical scars, and I’ve accomplished more than most people, but part of me is depressed that soon I will be entering the Crone phase of a woman’s life. There isn’t another phase after Crone. So, I was thinking about the positive things about turning 50.
I will become popular with AARP and will soon be receiving membership offers from them on a regular basis. I won’t have to worry about an unwanted pregnancy soon or the monthly inconvenience we females have to suffer. I have the senior discount to look forward to.
I do feel pretty good about myself these days. My health is okay, and I am able to manage my chronic medical condition. I think I may be in better shape than I was when I was much younger because I take care of myself now and don’t drink alcohol and party like I used to do. Maybe turning 50 won’t be so bad after all. I don’t focus much on my age anyway. If I don’t think about it, I won’t feel old. You are only as old as you feel and if you feel young, you are young.
Then: Me (on the right) with my best friend Julia in the ‘90s.
Now: Book signing event at Book Exchange in Lake Havasu.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite book: The Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton
This is a reinvention of the Welsh myths and not to be confused with an actual translation of the myths. What I really like about this version is Ms. Walton manages to bring the people and stories alive in a way not possible in a translation. She has turned The Mabinogion into a masterful work of fantasy fiction comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Her poetic writing style resonated with me, her descriptions of ancient settings and rites made me feel as if I stepped into the pages. Highly recommended!
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ˌā-gwi-ˈlet\
: aglet; specifically : a shoulder cord worn by designated military aides — compare fourragère
French — more at aglet
First Known Use: 1812
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
We have some pretty nasty, terrifying monsoon storms here in the Arizona desert each summer. We get a whole year’s worth of rain in a half hour, which makes driving dangerous. I am terrified to drive during a monsoon storm. I got lucky so far this year and only found myself out on the road once the storm had passed and dealt with a small amount of rain. But what happened was I forgot that because of the hot, dry weather, windshield wipers don’t last and need to be checked before the summer. Well, while out on the highway, I turned on my wipers only to have them get stuck in the middle of my windshield. Yikes. Anyway, despite the downside to summer storms, after these rainstorms pass, the air smells so clean and everything that was dry blooms.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this cactus bloom.
A bee finds this bloom enticing.
This plant was dry and looking dead before the rainstorm.
In the wake of the storm: beautiful sun-painted clouds.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite stone: Turquoise
Turquoise is a hydrous copper aluminum sulfate found in every color of blue, greenish blue or deep green. It has been prized by every culture, including Egypt, Persia, Tibet, and the Aztecs and Incas of South America. In the East and Far East, it was honored as a lucky stone and was given the nickname, ‘Turks’ stone. For the Indians of Mexico and Southwestern U.S., it was used to guard burial sites. Indian priests wore Turquoise in ceremonies when calling upon the great spirit of the sky. Turquoise manifests spiritual qualities, healing, friendship and love. It helps with communication and the 5th chakra, grounding.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ā-ˈgwēl, -ˈgwē\
: a sharp-pointed pinnacle of rock
French, literally, needle — more at aglet
First Known Use: 1809
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Nasty cloud bank.
This was part of two nasty storms.
The beauty of a storm.
Coming at us.
The storm clouds create a pretty sunset over the mountains.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite book
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This is one of my favorite books based on the King Arthur legend. What I really like about it is the story is told from the point of views of the women in Arthur’s life, which gives us a different perspective. This is mostly a fantasy tale with magic, focusing on the mysterious Isle of Avalon. The Mists of Avalon's Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes. Highly recommended.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ā-ˈgret, ˈā-ˌ\
1
: a spray of feathers (as of the egret) for the head
2
: a spray of gems worn on a hat or in the hair
French, plume, egret, from Middle French — more at egret
First Known Use: 1630
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
On the morning I was driving home after watching my dog get euthanized, I couldn’t help noticing all the beauty in the world even though my dog had just died. Inside, my world was bleak and empty of any joy. Outside, the sun was shining and life was evident in the smiling people going about their day.
I thought maybe all that life and beauty was meant to taunt me. And then I realized that I wasn’t the only one that had just lost something precious to me. Every day people and other living things die, which means there are grieving people around at all times affected by death. And yet there is still beauty in the world even when death is present. The sun still shines, painting the sky in layers of light and dark shades of amber rose, the birds still sing as if unaware that death is present—a silent, grim shadow hidden amongst all the beauty…waiting.
While I was driving, this one thought rose to the surface: Maybe all the beauty is meant to help us move on, to be inspired to keep living.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
adverb \ˈā-blənz\
chiefly Scottish
: perhaps
able + -lings, -lins -lings
First Known Use: circa 1605
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite gemstone
Amethyst
The amethyst is a purple variety of quartz and the February birthstone. Ancient Romans and Greeks wore this stone to ward off intoxication. It is also a healing stone and used for healing the soul, body and mind. Amethysts hold the universal vibration and this enables the holder of the crystal to be connected to it, so this makes the amethyst a good meditation stone. I feel a connection to amethysts, possibly because of their properties or maybe because of their beauty.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
adjective \ə-ˈgäg\
: full of interest or excitement because of something
: full of intense interest or excitement : eager <kids all agogover new toys>
See agog defined for English-language learners »
1. The news has chemists agog.
2. Her supporters were agog at the idea.
3. The town is agog over the plan.
Middle French en gogues in mirth
First Known Use: 1559
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
This was taken at the archery range where I go with my friend to shoot at targets. I love being outside in a place with no other people. It’s so quiet, except when gun shots go off at the nearby gun range. I see lizards running around, and we are usually bothered by a pesky fly that won’t leave us alone. Haven’t seen any rattlesnakes yet. Don’t really want to unless it’s far away from me.
This is Cupcake Mountain. This picture was also taken at the archery range.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite Show—Witches of East End
Yes, I do like my witch shows. This one is dark. I really like how they have linked the witches to Asgard and the Norse gods. Long ago these witches came through a portal to escape their hateful father, the king. They escaped his wrath but ended up cursed. The witches have different magical powers to aid them, but magic can’t solve everything. This season they have to defend themselves against something that came through the portal. And for the ladies, there are some hot guys in this show.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ˈa-jə-tə\
: a feeling of agitation or anxiety
1. <took a deep breath to dispel her agita as she stepped onstage>
S Italian dialect pronunc. of Italian acido, literally, heartburn, acid, from Latin acidus
First Known Use: 1982
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite music—Loreena McKennitt
I wrote a bunch of books to her music. Her songs create an otherworldly atmosphere that takes you back to another time. Mediterranean style beats evoke ancient Rome and Greece, while more primitive music and earthy vocals call upon the ancient Celts, white-robed druids gathering in a moon-splashed grove.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \(ˌ)ā-ˈga-mə-ˌspər-mē,ˈa-gə-mō-ˌspər-\
: apogamy; specifically : apogamy in which sexual union is not completed and the embryo is produced from the innermost layer of the integument of the female gametophyte
Greek agamos + English -spermy
First Known Use: 1944
Next Word in the Dictionary: agamospore
Previous Word in the Dictionary: agamospermic
All Words Near: agamospermy
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
This is my favorite one because of the reflection in the pool. I caught the light at just the right moment.
Magical.
I like the blue spaces between the clouds painted by the sunset.
I like the deep hues and different layers of color.
I like this one because of the different colors.
The sky looks like it’s on fire. Beautiful.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite TV show
Defiance
I wasn’t sure about this show at first, but I watched it and was drawn into the story of a post-apocalyptic earth and different alien races living alongside humans. What I like about this show is that instead of taking place during an alien invasion, it takes place after an alien invasion that almost destroyed earth, and we get to see how all of the different races try to come together and rebuild society. I see parallels between our world today and a world where aliens replace different races. There is racism and differing religious beliefs that cause conflict in the new mixed society.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ˌā-ˌga-mə-ˌglä-byə-lə-ˈnē-mē-ə\
: a condition in which the body forms few or no gamma globulins or antibodies
— agam·ma·glob·u·lin·emic adjective
New Latin, from a- + International Scientific Vocabularygamma globulin + New Latin -emia
First Known Use: circa 1952
noun (Medical Dictionary)
: a pathological condition in which the body forms few or no gamma globulins or antibodies—comparedysgammaglobulinemia
agam·ma·glob·u·lin·emia or chiefly Britishagam·ma·glob·u·lin·ae·mia
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Godzilla has been hanging here for a couple of weeks. He doesn’t run away from me anymore.
This one is hard to see, but he is looking right at me.
I hope he eats all the bugs in my yard.
This freaked me out. I saw it the other morning. Something big was digging in my yard. I think and hope it was a rabbit trying to hide, but I don’t know. Yikes!
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite TV show
Motive
I didn’t want to watch this show at first. I was kind of bored with all the cop procedure shows, and I didn’t see the point of watching a show that reveals the murderer and victim in the beginning. It turns out this is a genius idea. I started watching it because there wasn’t anything else on at that time I wanted to watch. And now I want to watch it every week. Why? Because after I see the murderer and the victim, I have to know why that person killed the other person. At first, it appears so unlikely that the seemingly normal, nice person would kill someone. But I guess everyone has a breaking point. And that is the draw for me to keep watching. This show focuses more on the killer and victim and less on the private lives of the cops, though we do get to see some of their private battles play out.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
adjective \(ˌ)ā-ˈga-mik\
Greek agamos unmarried, from a- + gamos marriage
First Known Use: 1816
Adamic, balsamic, ceramic, dynamic
adjective \(ˈ)ā-ˈgam-ik\ (Medical Dictionary)
—agam·i·cal·ly adverb
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Moon at sunset (This is my favorite and the most beautiful time of the day.)
Moon in the black of night (I like the contrast between the bright moon and night sky.)
Moon with a side of palm tree
Moon in the midst of sunset colored clouds (This one was captured by accident. I caught it at just the right time to get the moon’s detail and the clouds colored by the setting sun.)
Crescent moon framed by palo verde branches
Crescent moon and jet stream (Another happy accident.)
Crescent moon glimmering in the night sky between branches
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Favorite TV show
Dominion
I just watched the pilot for this new SyFy series. It’s based on the movie Legion about the archangel Michael siding with the humans in a war against the angels. In the movie, he protects a young pregnant woman who carries the savior who will end the war. The series picks up 25 years later when the “savior” is all grown up and just discovers what he is. The war between humans and angels has been on hold. Factions run the country. This is a dark series and not for those who believe angels exist to help us. In Dominion, angels, all but Michael, hate humans and want to destroy us. I like it. Maybe because I tend to like dark tales and don’t believe angels are nice with halos and white wings. SyFy has also turned up the heat lately. There were a few partial nudity scenes in the pilot. I can live with that. Recommended to fans of dark angel stories with angel orgies (yes, this is true) and post-apocalyptic worlds.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
noun \ˈa-ˌfrēt, ə-ˈfrēt\
: a powerful evil jinni, demon, or monstrous giant in Arabic mythology
afreet or afrit
Arabic ʽifrīt
First Known Use: 1786
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Lately I have been in a revision funk. What’s a revision funk? For you non-writers, a revision funk is when a writer has trouble revising, or making improvements, to the story they are trying to finish. You’d think after writing and revising 7 books, the 8th book would be a piece of cake. But no. It seems I’ve hit a wall for some reason. It may be that I’ve become too lackadaisical, or I’ve become complacent and not taking the process seriously, thinking I can just breeze through revisions without much thought. Not a good attitude to have if you want to put out a good book.
Looking for inspiration, I bought a book on revision to help me refresh my memory. Even experienced writers need to keep learning and exercising the writing muscle. And my writing muscle has been in need of some toning. This book has some really helpful tips and techniques for doing revisions and self-edits. I’m glad I decided to do something about my funk rather than just sit around and complain about it. Or even worse, turn out a crappy book. This doesn’t mean I can skip the editor, but it’s given me some inspiring ideas and helped me turn revisions into something fun instead of a tedious chore.
The book I’m reading is called Revision and Self-Editing for Publication (2nd edition) by James Scott Bell.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
