Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
Beauty may be the real beast
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, April 18, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Sunsets #18
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
caoutchouc
noun caou·tchouc
\ˈkau̇-ˌchu̇k, -ˌchük, -ˌchü\
Definition of
caoutchouc:
Rubber
Origin of caoutchouc
French, from obsolete
Spanish cauchuc (now caucho), probably from a language of Amazonian Peru or
Ecuador
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
Beauty may be the real beast
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday Musings: Do memories reside in your home or do they exist in any place you call home?
I come from a family of gypsies,
not in the sense that we have gypsy blood, though I wouldn’t discount that, but
in the sense that we moved all the time when I was a child, and my parents
continued to move well into my adulthood. They just moved from the dream house
they had built and had no trouble leaving it behind.
How do they do this?
I know so many people who refuse to
leave a home they have lived in for many years because “all of their memories
are in that home.”
Now, you would think that I’d be
like my parents, having moved so much, but I am not. My husband, on the other
hand, who’d lived in the same house since he was born, has no problem moving.
See, I get attached to things. And
I’m having trouble with our latest move. We made the decision to downsize. It’s
for all the right reasons, but I’m having trouble letting go of the home we
lived in for 15 years, the longest I’ve ever lived in any home. There are so
many memories there—good and bad—but for me there is a special energy in that house
and it’s hard for me to leave it behind.
There is the beautiful, large Palo
Verde tree we planted and is what I call, “the tree of life,” because of all
the wildlife that gathers around that tree. There are my desert iguanas, Mr.
and Mrs. Godzilla, I see each year in spring and summer and are more like pets
than wild animals.
There are so many great memories of
my dogs that have since passed away.
There are memories of when we first
moved into the house and how excited and happy we were to be embarking on a new
path in life.
There are also the not-so-good memories
of struggling to get through the Great Recession, but we prevailed, mostly
unscathed, from that troubling time and found hope again.
Will I forget all of that once I
have left that home behind?
I sure hope not.
As I settle into our new home, surrounded
by my possessions and photographs, I sense a new special energy forming like a
familiar, comfortable blanket. I think
it’s clear to me now. My memories live inside me. They are a part of me. I will
still have my old memories and will make new ones here in this place I now call
home.
 |
| This is my new Palo Verde tree. I'm watering it and hoping it will grow to be as large and beautiful as my old tree. |
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
Beauty may be the real beast
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
calaboose
noun cal·a·boose
\ˈka-lə-ˌbüs\
Definition of
calaboose
Popularity: Bottom
30% of words
: jail; especially : a local jail
Examples of calaboose
Origin of calaboose
Spanish calabozo
dungeon
First Known Use: 1792
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, April 04, 2016
Monday Musings: An Easter surprise, my hummingbird visitors
I woke up on Easter morning and went about my usual chores, which included watering the Palo Verde tree growing on our back slope. We just moved and I've been a little bummed about leaving my old house with the large, beautiful Palo Verde tree and a multitude of Arizona wildlife, my desert iguanas and all the birds we had visit that tree. This Easter morning was pretty special and a bit magical because as I was watering the tree with the hose, a hummingbird appeared. She buzzed around the water's spray and then she landed. I let the hose rest between the chain links in the fence and hurried to grab my camera. When I returned, she was taking a bath in the water puddles. Then another hummingbird appeared to do the same. I wasn't fast enough to catch both of them, but I managed to get a couple of shots of one. Having the hummingbirds visit me made my day. Even though I will miss my lizards at the old house, it looks like I will have some new backyard wildlife here at the new place.
Easter is all about rebirth and new beginnings. The hummingbirds symbolized this for me.
 |
| This hummingbird appeared on Easter morning.
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
|
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
calabash
noun cal·a·bash
\ˈka-lə-ˌbash\
Definition of
calabash
Popularity: Bottom
30% of words
1
: a tropical American tree (Crescentia cujete)
of the bignonia family; also : its large
hard-shelled globose fruit
2
: gourd; especially : one whose hard shell is used for a utensil
3
: a utensil (as a bottle or dipper) made from
the shell of a calabash
Origin of calabash
French & Spanish;
French calebasse gourd, from Spanish calabaza
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, March 28, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona cloud formations #18
Line from The Wolf Queen:
He pulled away, his eyes warm and glittering playfully
beneath his heavy brows.
“If you keep doing that, I will need to have you again, my lovely
princess.”
Kelley Heckart,
Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
cajeput
noun caj·e·put
\ˈka-jə-pət, -ˌpu̇t\
Definition of cajeput
Popularity: Bottom
20% of words
: an Australian and southeast Asian tree
(Melaleuca quinquenervia syn. M. leucadendron) of the myrtle family that yields
a pungent medicinal oil and has been introduced into Florida
Origin of cajeput
ultimately from Malay
kayu putih, from kayu wood, tree + putih white
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, March 21, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Sunsets #17
Quote from The Wolf Queen:
“Gods, woman. You are the most stubborn female I have ever
met.”
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
caipirinha
noun cai·pi·ri·nha
\ˌkī-pə-ˈrēn-yə\
Definition of
caipirinha
Popularity: Bottom
30% of words
: a cocktail consisting of lime, sugar, and rum
Origin of caipirinha
Brazilian Portuguese,
from caipira backwoodsman, rustic
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, March 14, 2016
Me, a Tee-ball coach? Yeah, that’s what I said
I never would have thought I’d end
up coaching Tee-ball. It was the last thing I thought I’d be doing. But here I
am. Coach Kelley. I did it reluctantly to help my dad, who only volunteered to
manage the Tee-ball team because none of the other parents would. And he is a
great grandfather. With all the experience I had as a softball player, I have
the knowledge to teach, but trying to work with a group of four to six-year-olds
is like trying to herd cats. No, I take that back. I think herding cats might
be easier. At least for someone like me who never had any children, only the
four-legged kind.
So, I dusted off my old mitt and
bought a couple of new sports bras and dragged myself to the ball field,
thinking it would be a chore I would have to endure for a few weeks. But these
kids surprised me. It’s turning out to be a fun experience watching them so enthusiastic
about playing ball. And it’s rewarding to give something back to the community
and help shape some future baseball or softball players. There are three girls
on the team, which I like to see, and they are really trying hard. A couple of
them are already hitting the ball better than some of the boys. LOL
Now I look forward to Tee-ball
practice. This old fart is actually enjoying herself.
Quote from The Wolf Queen:
“Gods, woman. You are the most stubborn female I have ever
met.”
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth and magic
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
cahow
noun ca·how
\kə-ˈhau̇\
Definition of cahow
Popularity: Bottom
10% of words
: a dark-colored petrel (Pterodroma cahow)
formerly abundant in Bermuda but now nearly extinct
Origin of cahow
imitative
First Known Use: 1615
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, March 07, 2016
Downsizing is harder than it seems
We made the decision to downsize
last year. Well, my husband wanted to do this more than I did, but after
dragging my feet, I decided it was the right thing to do. That didn’t make it
any easier for me. We went from a 3-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom duplex. Even
after having four garage sales, we still had too much stuff. Physically, this
was the hardest move for both of us. That might be because we are a lot older
now, but it’s not easy trying to fit everything into a smaller place. Whenever we
moved in the past, it was always to a larger home. I think the hardest part was
spending a year sorting and cleaning out all my stuff. The process was so time-consuming
and stressful. It’s difficult deciding what to get rid of and what to keep.
However… I’m discovering that I
didn’t really need all of those things I had and there are many creative ways
to organize a smaller home. Pinterest has been a great help with people sharing
so many great ideas. We are quickly adapting to our new place. After a year of
cleaning out stuff, hosting garage sales (when you start recognizing the people
shopping in your garage, you’ve had too many), and finally moving, I’m looking
forward to new beginnings and moving on with my life.
 |
| The view from our new home.
Quote from The Wolf Queen:
“Tantaus, you Cyclopean idiot,” Niren said, “can you not see
Lycaon is infatuated with the girl?”
|
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth and magic
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
cahoot
noun ca·hoot
\kə-ˈhüt\
Definition of cahoot
Popularity: Bottom
50% of words
: partnership, league —usually used in plural
Origin of cahoot
perhaps from French
cahute cabin, hut
First Known Use: 1829
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, February 29, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Sunsets #16
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.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: Ever wonder what it's like to be a wolf?
Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: Ever wonder what it's like to be a wolf?: Wouldn’t it feel great to be in the body of a wolf? I’ve always wondered what it would be like. Alas, I don’t have that extraordinary abili...
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
cadastre
noun ca·das·tre
\kə-ˈdas-tər\
Definition of
cadastre
Popularity: Bottom
30% of words
: an official register of the quantity, value,
and ownership of real estate used in apportioning taxes
Origin of cadastre
French, from Italian
catastro, from Old Italian catastico, from Late Greek katastichon notebook,
from Greek kata by + stichos row, line — more at cata-, distich
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, February 22, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Cloud Formations #17
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, February 17, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
cabal
noun ca·bal
\kə-ˈbäl, -ˈbal\
Simple Definition of
cabal
Popularity: Top 30%
of words
: a small group of
people who work together secretly
Full Definition of
cabal
1
: the artifices and intrigues of a group of
persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such artifices and
intrigues
2
See cabal defined for
English-language learners
See cabal defined for
kids
Examples of cabal
a cabal plotting to
overthrow the government
Origin of cabal
French cabale cabala,
intrigue, cabal, from Medieval Latin cabbala cabala, from Late Hebrew qabbālāh,
literally, received (lore)
First Known Use: 1614
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, February 15, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Sunsets #15
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, February 10, 2016
Weird Word Wednesday
bwana
noun bwa·na \ˈbwä-nə\
Definition of BWANA
: master, boss
Origin of BWANA
Swahili, from Arabic
abūna our father
First Known Use: 1875
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, February 08, 2016
Monday Musings: Arizona Cloud Formations #16
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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