Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
About Me
- Kelley Heckart
- Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Monday Musings: Arizona cloud formation pics # 12
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite new T.V. series
The Last Kingdom
Plot description
on IMDb:
The year is 872,
and many of the separate kingdoms of what we now know as England have fallen to
the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and
defiant under the command of King Alfred. Against this turbulent backdrop lives
our hero, Uhtred. Born the son of a Saxon nobleman, he is captured by the Danes
and raised as one of their own. Forced to choose between the country of his
birth and the people of his upbringing, his loyalties are ever tested. What is
he? Saxon or Dane? On a quest to reclaim his birthright, Uhtred must tread a
dangerous path between both sides if he is to play his part in the birth of a
new nation and, ultimately, recapture his ancestral lands.
Amazon series
description for episode 1:
When Uhtred loses
his father in battle, his lands and inheritance are taken by his scheming
uncle, Aelfric, who becomes a puppet-lord for the ruling Danes. Uhtred is
captured by his father’s killers and brought up by Danish warlord Ragnar. Now a
young Danish warrior, when his surrogate family is murdered by a group of
vengeful Danes, Uhtred finds himself alone; neither Saxon nor Dane.
I’m a huge
Vikings fan so I thought I would check this one out. It’s based on a series of
books called the Saxon Tales by Bernard Cornwell. I really like it so far. We
see a different side to the Viking invasions of what is now England.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
biramous
adjective bi·ra·mous \(ˌ)bī-ˈrā-məs\
Definition of
BIRAMOUS
: having two branches
Origin of BIRAMOUS
1bi- + Latin ramus
branch
First Known Use: 1877
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, November 09, 2015
Monday Musings: Arizona Sunset pics #11
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, November 06, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite new T.V. series
Favorite T.V.
Series: The Bastard Executioner
Show blurb:
Wilkin Brattle, a
warrior knight in the charge of King Edward I, trades his sword for a peaceful
farming life -- until the violence of his past finds him and forces him to pick
up the bloodiest sword of all.
It started kind of slow, but I really like
this dark medieval series by the creator of Sons of Anarchy and hope it doesn’t
get cancelled. It’s the real deal as far as medieval politics, complete with
people being tortured and killed for heresy by the church. The upper class is
greedy and cares little for the poor. I guess times haven’t changed much. The
main character is easy to like because he may be one of the few with actual
compassion and remorse.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
biocenosis
noun bio·ce·no·sis \ˌbī-ō-sə-ˈnō-səs\
plural bio·ce·no·ses
\-ˌsēz\
Definition of
BIOCENOSIS
: an ecological community especially when
forming a self-regulating unit
Variants of
BIOCENOSIS
bio·ce·no·sis or
bio·coe·no·sis \ˌbī-ō-sə-ˈnō-səs\
Origin of BIOCENOSIS
New Latin, from 2bi-
+ Greek koinōsis sharing, from koinoun to make common, from koinos common
First Known Use: 1883
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, November 02, 2015
Monday Musings: Sharing an excerpt from The Bear Goddess
Resting her head
against the edge of the tub, she stared at the sky. Kasin, the Zeus lover,
surprisingly treated her gently. She had expected to be brutalized or worse.
With the fair skin and height of those imposing men from the northern
mountains, he looked like those who worshipped the Sky god above the goddesses,
yet he also possessed a temperate manner unlike those brutal, warlike people.
She couldn’t imagine living under the rule of the vile centaurs.
Her skin prickled
in response to the cooling water. “I am ready to get out now.”
He appeared,
holding his hand over his eyes, and tripped over a branch.
She giggled.
Regaining his
balance, he said with some annoyance, “I am glad you find that so amusing.”
“You do not have
to close your eyes. Just refrain from staring at anything worth staring at.”
She laughed, not sure why she told him that. He made her feel giddy, something
that had never happened to her before now in the presence of this man.
Opening his eyes,
he kept his gaze lowered as he helped her stand. Keeping his eyes fixed on her
lower legs, he wrapped a large cloth around her and then lifted her out of the
tub.
Her body didn’t
ache as badly as it had before the bath. Gradually, her body was healing.
“How was the
bath?” He helped her put on her tunic, which covered her upper body to her
mid-thigh.
“It was quite
enjoyable. You can look up now if you wish.”
His gaze swept up
her body in a way that made her face and body flush. She was entering into a
dangerous game, but her vow didn’t seem to apply here so far away from Artemis.
With his help, she
pulled on her leggings. His hands felt hot each time he brushed against her
bare skin. Her skin tingled beneath his seemingly innocent touch. He hesitated,
holding on to her hips a moment longer than was necessary.
The air between
them felt like the aftermath of a lightning storm. She had no idea what was
happening, but she knew it wasn’t what she should be feeling when in the
presence of a man.
****
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite fairy tale movie
Favorite
fairy tale movie: Snow White and the Huntsman
Product
Description
From the producer
of Alice in Wonderland comes a new vision that turns a legendary tale into an
action-adventure epic. The evil Queen Ravenna (Academy Award winner Charlize
Theron) will rule forever if she can take the life of Snow White (Kristen
Stewart), so she dispatches the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down.
But the wicked ruler never imagined that the Huntsman would train the girl to
become a brave warrior, skilled in the art of war. Filled with intense battles
and spectacular visual effects, Snow White & the Huntsman is a thrilling
experience that “shouldn’t be missed” – Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV.
************
I really liked this new version of Snow White. It is darker than the original. I loved Chris Hemsworth as the huntsman. Ravenna's outfits were stunning. There were some cool surprises in this version--the way Snow was revived was my favorite one. Highly recommended.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
bioassay
noun bio·as·say \ˌbī-(ˌ)ō-ˈa-ˌsā, -a-ˈsā\
Definition of
BIOASSAY
: determination of the relative strength of a
substance (as a drug) by comparing its effect on a test organism with that of a
standard preparation
— bio·as·say \-a-ˈsā,
-ˈa-ˌsā\ transitive verb
First Known Use of
BIOASSAY
1912
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Monday Musings: Arizona Monsoon pics
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite vampire book
Favorite vampire book: 'Salem’s Lot by Stephen
King
Book Description:
Ben Mears has
returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten
House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him
cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when
two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Mears begins
to realize that something sinister is at work—in fact, his hometown is under
siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a
small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that is growing within the
borders of this small New England town.
With this, his second novel, Stephen King established himself as an indisputable master of American horror, able to transform the old conceits of the genre into something fresh and all the more frightening for taking place in a familiar, idyllic locale.
With this, his second novel, Stephen King established himself as an indisputable master of American horror, able to transform the old conceits of the genre into something fresh and all the more frightening for taking place in a familiar, idyllic locale.
**************
This is one of my favorite Stephen King books. I love the way he takes an ordinary town with ordinary people and fills it with something terrifying. Highly recommended for horror and vampire fans.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
binaural
adjective bin·au·ral \(ˌ)bī-ˈnȯr-əl,
(ˌ)bi-\
Definition of
BINAURAL
1
: of, relating to, or involving two or both
ears
2
: stereophonic
— bin·au·ral·ly
\-ə-lē\ adverb
Origin of BINAURAL
International
Scientific Vocabulary
First Known Use: 1861
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Monday Musings: Lessons I learned from my dogs
This article was printed in our local newspaper back in July. I decided to share it on my blog because I know there are a lot of pet owners out there.
Lessons I learned from my dogs
Lessons I learned from my dogs
Besides loyalty and companionship, dogs have a lot more to
offer us. If we take the time to watch and connect with them, we can learn some
important lessons.
Having dogs helped me through a dark time when I didn’t know
if I would be permanently disabled. Crippled by severe pain, it was easy to
give in and stay in a pain-medication fog, but my dogs depended on me to care
for them while my husband was at work. So, I forced myself to get up and fight
to get better.
My recovery had a lot to do with lessons I learned from my
dogs. The first one is perseverance. Animals don’t allow an illness or injury
to stop them from enjoying life. One of my dogs hurt her leg and managed just
fine by hopping around on three, even chasing rabbits, until her leg healed. In
the animal world, only the strong survive and unfortunately, this is also a
harsh truth in the human one, a frightening reality I came close to
experiencing.
Another important lesson is living in the moment. Dogs know
how to relax in the sun and watch birds or sniff the different scents in the air.
This reminds me to stop and enjoy a sunset or take in the wildlife in my
backyard, to put my troubles aside. I’ve also learned the importance of
exercise and play to keep physically and mentally fit. Dogs love to play. I
have a nightly ritual with my Chihuahua. We play a game where I try to take his
toy (a plush chicken or banana) away from him, if I can. He’s very fast. I come
away from this refreshed and ready to work on writing or editing. This also
helped me heal because exercise and physical therapy was very important to my
recovery and for the regular management of my chronic condition.
My dogs have also taught me the importance of taking breaks,
letting me know when it is time to eat or go outside—and always at the same
time each day. This routine keeps me from sitting too long at the computer and
worsening my back pain. After a break, I return to work, my energy restored.
Dogs have remarkable intuitive abilities. They know when a
storm is approaching, when someone is coming home, or whether they like someone
or not. This has taught me to listen to my intuition, especially when it came
to finding the right occupation and exercise schedule that suited my health
issues. I kept trying to do things the way I had before my illness. Once I
stopped fighting myself and listened to my gut feeling, everything fell in to
place.
The unconditional love dogs offer us might be the most
important lesson. They love you regardless of your problems, your physical
appearance, or your imperfections. This lesson has helped me strengthen my
human relationships.
The lessons I learned from my dogs improved my life in ways
I never realized until I opened my eyes and took notice, and I can’t imagine
living without at least one dog by my side.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite historical fantasy book
Favorite historical fantasy book: The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie
Book description on Amazon.com:
In the harsh
wastes of the barbarian north, a child is born on dirt and straw in the rude
thatched hall of a Germanic tribal chieftain. She is Auriane, destined to
follow the pathway of her tribe’s most revered seeress. But as ruthless Roman
invaders plunder her people's lands, burn their crops and kidnap their young
men for the imperial army, Auriane is chosen to lead her tribal people in their
struggle against the empire.
When the Emperor
Domitian crosses the Rhine with four legions, the north’s hope resides in a
woman…
And as the only
world she has known collapses around her, Auriane is captured and taken to
Rome, and into a life of horror and glory no seeress could have foreseen.
In Rome, senator
and Stoic humanist Marcus Arrius Julianus rises to the loftiest pinnacles of
government. Through wit, daring and brilliant maneuvering, he struggles to
check the murderous whims of the increasingly corrupt Emperor Domitian. As a
reign of terror begins, Julianus orchestrates a vast plot to assassinate the emperor.
Cultured Marcus
Julianus and barbarian Auriane meet — and form a powerful bond across the gulf
of their vastly different ways of life.
Domitian condemns
Auriane to the arena, where in the halls of a gladiatorial training school she
discovers the tribesman who betrayed her people in war. As Julianus’
assassination plot rushes to its cataclysmic conclusion, Auriane must carry out
the solemn rite of vengeance before a maddened throng in the Colosseum.
An immediate
international bestseller, The Light Bearer is the product of twelve years of
research into the history, culture and mythology of classical Rome and the
proto-Germanic tribes.
************
I loved this book. It is beautifully written and well-researched. I loved Auriane's strength. Highly recommended to anyone interested in classical Rome and the ancient Germanic tribes.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
bimillenary
noun bi·mil·le·na·ry
\(ˌ)bī-ˈmi-lə-ˌner-ē, -ˌne-rē, ˌbī-mə-ˈle-nə-rē\
Definition of
BIMILLENARY
1
: a period of 2000 years
2
: a 2000th anniversary
— bimillenary
adjective
Variants of
BIMILLENARY
bi·mil·le·na·ry or
bi·mil·len·ni·al \ˌbī-mə-ˈle-nē-əl\
First Known Use of
BIMILLENARY
1850
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Monday Musings: Arizona Backyard Wildlife
 |
| The quail go to each backyard. One acts as a lookout for the others. |
 |
| Quail family including the babies. |
 |
| Quail family visits the backyard. |
 |
| Baby Godzilla sitting in the same place as mom and dad. |
 |
| Doves that always visit the backyard. |
 |
| This little guy scared my husband when it got inside the house. I got him safely back outside. |
 |
| This quail was either scolding Loki or warning the other quail of a dog. |
 |
| Loki ignored the scolding. |
 |
| Another shot of baby Godzilla.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
|
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, October 09, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite Romans vs. Picts movie
Favorite
movie: Centurion
Product
Description
AD 117. The Roman
Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in
northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in
the face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and
terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias (Fassbinder), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on
a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' (West) legendary
Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and
destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar
ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep
his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and
evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by the revenge hungry Pict Warrior
Etain (Kurylenko), the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to
reach the safety of the Roman frontier.
I really like this movie. My favorite scene is when the Roman legion marches into the mist-filled forest of Caledonia (Scotland) and the Picts attack. It gave me goosebumps. I loved Michael Fassbender as the centurion who survives being captured and pursued by the savage Picts. Olga Kurylenko does a great job as Etain, a frightening Pict warrior driven by revenge against the Roman soldiers. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this time period.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
bimbette
noun bim·bette \ˌbim-ˈbet\
Definition of
BIMBETTE
slang
: an attractive but vacuous woman
Origin of BIMBETTE
bimbo + -ette
First Known Use: 1982
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, October 05, 2015
Monday Musings: Sharing some new moon pics
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Friday, October 02, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite fantasy book
Favorite
fantasy book: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Amazon.com book description:
Tolkien
considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was
published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends
clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of
the world and of the the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the
characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them,
such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels
created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the
Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by
Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived
on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown,
which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of
Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and
his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to
Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the
great Enemy.
I know I may get some hate emails for this, but I like this better than the other books. lol I loved reading about the history of Middle-earth and the collection of legends that led to The Lord of the Rings. Highly recommended! I need to get the Kindle version.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
Bimah
noun bi·mah \ˈbē-mə\
Definition of BIMAH
: a raised platform in a synagogue from which
the Torah is read
Variants of BIMAH
bi·mah also bi·ma
\ˈbē-mə\
Origin of BIMAH
Yiddish & Late
Hebrew; Yiddish bime, from Late Hebrew bīmāh, from Late Greek bēma raised
platform — more at bema
First Known Use: 1941
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
My author page at amazon.com with all my books listed
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
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