About Me

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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Creating Villains

This is something that can be quite tricky for writers. For me, I like to create characters that are not pure evil. I want readers to feel for my villains so I try to give them redeeming qualities.

For instance, in my latest story, White Rose of Avalon, Morgaine may be seen by some readers as the villain of the story, but she isn't evil. She is desperate to save something that she believes in and she makes some decisions that sadly backfire on her.

In fact, I don't like to create any characters that are black and white. The hero and heroine of my Celtic Mythology series are conflicted in many ways. Nemu has a dark past that she has fought to overcome. Ambiorix deals with the consequences of acting on revenge. I think flaws in a character make them more real to readers. In real life, no one is perfect. We all have a dark side.

Is there such a thing as pure evil? Or do certain circumstances make us act on our dark side? These are the kinds of questions I ask myself when I am creating a villain or a dark character.

I think a great example of this on television is the show Lost. Most of the characters on there have a dark past, but you can't help feeling sorry for them and liking them. I think that is what I like most about that show. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was another television series that dealt with a lot of conflict with the characters, thinning the line between good and evil.

There is nothing more exciting to me then a character with a dark past.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Editing for White Rose of Avalon is finally done!

Finally, after trying to edit while dealing with three barking dogs that demanded my attention, I have finished the editing for White Rose of Avalon. Yeah!

I am very pleased with this story and it is generating a lot of interest on some of the writer-related Yahoo groups I belong to. It seems that a lot of readers are interested in Arthurian inspired stories. I believe that mine is a unique take on a timeless tale. My bookshelves are filled with books on King Arthur and the legend has been told very well by some authors. I didn't want to just write what they had already done so well so I decided to focus just on the love triangle and I wrote the story from the point of views of Lancelot and Morgaine, Queen of the Faeries. All of the books I read were about Arthur or Merlin so I wanted to do something different. Lancelot has always been the most intriguing character of the legends and the least understood. Morgaine is also a character that lives in the shadows. I have brought them to light in my book, White Rose of Avalon.

This has got me to thinking that I may spin a new tale on some other old legends. I haven't decided which ones yet, but my mind is working on some ideas.

Stay tuned!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Editing sucks

I am on my 5th revision of my White Rose of Avalon story. I keep finding things to change. It is driving me crazy! Every time I read through it thinking it will be the final time and I find something else. To most people, the changes probably would seem minor, but I am so anal about everything that I can't control myself. Do all writers have to make numerous changes or am I doing something wrong? There is so much to think about when I am editing that I can only focus on certain things each time. I have a raging headache now from reading this ms over and over again. Editing has to be the worst part about writing.

I hope this is the final revision. This is taking way too long. It's time to move on to other stories I am working on.

The good news is I am very pleased with how this story turned out. Stay tuned!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Author Party at Novelspotters

Hi all,

I am working hard to promote my book to online groups. On Tuesday, August 15th, I will be hosting an author party at Novelspotters from 2-6 pm EST. There will be contests and prizes. To join the fun, all you have to do is join the group. It's that easy. Hope to see you there.

Promoting online is the best way for me to promote because I don't have to leave my house. There are many Yahoo groups that cater to authors. I enjoy doing book signings every once in a while, but it costs money to travel. It is nice to meet readers face to face though so I will continue to do them. In fact, I will be doing more Celtic fairs in the future, which I really enjoy doing. Those men in kilts are an awesome sight to see!

It is a neverending journey to promote my books. I do my best to make it as fun as possible for myself and for readers.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Tasteful sex scenes

What does this mean? Tasteful sex scenes. Is there such a thing? My novella, WHITE ROSE OF AVALON, was originally supposed to be erotic, but now I need to tone down the sex scenes. I still want it to be sensual, but it can't be as explicit as it was because I changed publishers. This is tricky because what offends one person may not be that bad to another person. The first changes I made were to the terms referring to certain body parts. Some terms are more offensive than others. I don't mind toning downs some of the scenes, but I still want it to be hot because I have never read a sensual version of the Arthurian Romances and I thought it would be cool to write a sensual version. The story is still strong without the sex scenes, but they do add some spice. I don't want the final version to end up being too 'vanilla.'

How many more ways can you describe the female genitalia? My sister has been a huge help with this. I don't know what I would do without her input.

Anyway, this is much more difficult than I thought it would be. It will take me a few times to get this right. Are there guidelines on tasteful sex scenes? Anyone?

Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ

I just got back from attending the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ. It was a wonderful experience. I did a book signing in the Hastings booth on Sunday and I made some contacts that could be helpful to me in the future.

Flagstaff is beautiful this time of year with temperatures in the 80's. It was much nicer than the 120 degree temperatures we left behind in Lake Havasu! Surrounded by mountains and tall pine trees, I felt at home there. I enjoyed watching the men in kilts wandering around the festival. I am trying to talk my husband into buying a kilt.

The trip to Flagstaff was an enlightening experience for me. I found out that my paternal grandmother's maiden name, Murray, is a Scottish clan descended from the ancient Picts. The Picts were one of the founding races of the British Isles and were believed to arrive in Scotland about the 5th century B.C. There are many legends surrounding the Picts and controversy about where they originated from before they arrived in Scotland. Some scholars believe they are descended from the Scythians or the Basques of Spain. In some myths, the Picts are believed to be the 'faery folk' of the Sidhe. I was very excited to learn that I have Pictish blood surging through my veins. Long before I was aware of this, I was intrigued by the Picts and the many mysteries surrounding them. Maybe this explains why I am enamored of mist-filled glens, fierce warriors and tales of the Fae, all of which appear in my books. This also explains my fetish with wooden chests and keepsake boxes. The Picts had wooden chests called kists that they kept their belongings and keepsakes in. These boxes were sacred to them. I must have at least twenty boxes and chests of varying sizes around my house.

I hope to attend more festivals like this one in the future.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Inspiration hits me!

The writing funk I was in the other day is over. I had given up on the story I was working on for that day and turned off my computer to give my brain a rest. Well, I thought of some ideas while brushing my teeth later that evening. Ideas come to me in the strangest places. Today, I thought of something while vegging out watching t.v.

I guess sometimes it is better to just put the story down for a while. Anyway, that works for me.

Here is a new word I learned: 'mouse potato,' a person who spends a lot of time at the computer. That's me!

I am off to the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ where I will be doing a book signing in the Hastings booth. Looking forward to cooler temps. It is supposed to be 122 where I live. Ouch!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Writing Funk

I am in a writing funk right now. I know it will pass so I won't let it freak me out. Do other writers have 'writing funks?'

Creative work cannot be forced. It flows when it wants to. That is something I have learned to deal with. Sometimes my funks have to do with certain times of the month. I am sure other female writers can relate to that. I just can't think today! Aggg!

So, instead I am bitching about it here. Maybe that will get the 'flow' started again.

I am working on two projects at once and that might have something to do with it. While I am researching one novel, I am writing another one that doesn't require a lot of research. Sometimes the research part fries my brain so to give it a rest, I work on another story. I know other writers are able to work on multiple stories at the same time. How do they do it? I think I am just tired today. It is better to put the story down and come back to it. Otherwise I just get frustrated.

Anyway, if anyone has any useful tips on how to get out of a writing funk, I am listening. Maybe a nap would help. I even tried music, which usually works. Not today.

Oh well. Happy writing! At least someone out there is having a happy time at it.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

My third book

Hi all,

I am busy doing research for my third book, which is a prequel to OF WATER AND DRAGONS and RAVEN WOLF. This book is untitled at the moment, but will be filled with Greek and Celtic mythology and faery lore. The main setting for this novel will be Minoan/Mycenaean Crete. I have come across many writings by ancient Greek writers, but my favorite is Hesiod. I like him because he sympathized with the followers of the lost Goddess religion, which is a main focus of this story.

I am reading all the old classic Greek novels--the first one being the Iliad. I am exited to read this because I love ancient history, but most of my research has been on Celtic mythology and I hadn't had the chance to read any Greek classics yet. Most authors do not like to do research, but I love it. Learning about ancient cultures is intriguing to me and I don't mind putting the extra effort in to do the research.

One interesting bit of information I came across while reading THE CHALICE AND THE BLADE was that there were female Greek writers--only they aren't mentioned much at all in the history books. And most of the classical myths are written by men who suppress anything positive about the female deity, which makes me wonder if these classic myths are truthful. In my research, I found many discrepancies between the pre-Hellenic myths and the Olympian myths. This peeked my interest and gave me great ideas for my story. I will mix history, mythology and fantasy to create an exciting story, but of course I will use creative license to create the kind of characters I think will be interesting. I have already started to outline this story and I am very excited about it. I hope readers will like it as well.

Stay tuned!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

My novella, WHITE ROSE OF AVALON, has been accepted for publication by Awe-Struck. The release date is set for early 2007. Originally, it was supposed to be published by HeatWave Romance (sister company of Awe-Struck), but they decided to close down that site. WHITE ROSE OF AVALON is a sensual romance based on the Arthurian Romances. Here is a short description:

With the land falling into Saxon hands, the Christian monks make a pact with Morgaine, Queen of the Faeries. 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. She hopes this will restore the Goddess faith, bringing Avalon back to its rightful place and not hidden within the mists.

Morgaine’s lover, Lancelot, is sent to guard the future High King, Artorius. The Saxons are driven back by Artorius’ army and his kingdom reigns until he weds Gwenhwyfar. A love potion meant for Artorius and Gwenhwyfar falls into the wrong hands, sending the kingdom into ruins. Gwenhwyfar is the only hope for the future of Britain, but betrayal, revenge and forbidden love surround her, threatening to destroy the lives of four people.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Booksigning at the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ

I have some opportunities for promoting OF WATER AND DRAGONS coming up.

On Thursday, June 15th, I will be co-hosting a chat at Romance Studios with Vicki Gaia, a fellow Awe-Struck author. Vicki's latest release is a historical romance set in WWII titled WARRING HEARTS: CRADLE THE LIGHT. The chat is from 9-11 pm EST. Come join the fun! Here is the link to the chat room. Just click on 'I am over 18' and you will be able to join the chat. http://www.theromancestudio.com/chat.php

On Sunday, July 16, I will be signing copies of OF WATER AND DRAGONS at the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ. I will be in the Hastings booth from 11-2 pm. If you live near Flagstaff, come and join the fun! This is an annual event that has been extended to two days. I love Celtic Festivals anyway so I can't wait.

That is all I have planned right now, but I will probably host some more author parties. Stay tuned!

Happy writing!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Brenda Williamson's Romance Party Yahoo Group

A writer's work does not end when the book is completed. It is a continuous cycle of promotion after the book is released. Setting up reviews, interviews, author parties and chats are a constant part of my time. Doing author parties and chats are new territory for me and I was lucky to have Brenda Williamson's expert advice on how to prepare for a party or a chat. Brenda is the talented author of numerous erotic romances. I will share some of her advice with the newbies out there.

When preparing for an author party or chat, it is best to have an itinerary word doc file ready so you can post everything quickly. Some emails do not convert the word doc correctly so you should turn off the smart tags. To do this go to Tools>Auto Correct Options>Auto Format (uncheck straight quotes with smart quotes).

If you are hosting a four hour party, then posting every 15 minutes is good, but if you are hosting an all-day party, you may want to spread the posting out to 30 minutes apart. Make a schedule according to what you want to accomplish within the time period.

Excerpts should be short so people can read them fast. People love contests so have at least one contest where you give something away. I gave away gift certificates to fictionwise and ebookwise. This is easier because you don't have to ship anything. It might be good to give away items that relate to your book rather than the book itself so that people will buy your book. But it is up to you. I also gave away a couple of signed copies of my book. To make the contest open to everyone (even the people who may come to the party late), it might be better to announce the winners the next day. I had four contests. To make it easier to organize the entries, I created four different folders in my mailbox to move the contest emails from my in box.

Weekdays are usually better because most people spend time with their families on the weekend. Evenings may be better because most people are home and at their computer in the evening. Either way, people will probably see your posts even if they see them later or the next day.

The itinerary helps to keep you posting in the event that people do not show up. Most people lurk, but will still read the excerpts and hopefully buy a book. Just keep on posting. Any promotion you do is a step toward selling more books.

Happy writing and promoting!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Yeah! I finally finished my second book, RavenWolf, which is a sequel to Of Water and Dragons. RavenWolf takes the reader on a journey to an ancient land filled with spiteful goddesses who threaten to tear Ambiorix and Nemu apart. Can their love survive?

I worked every day for two weeks to get it finished and I feel so relieved right now. It is in the publisher's hands. My brain is fried from over use. Now I can take a short break before starting work on my third book in this series, and also work on an erotic romance set in medieval Scotland tentatively titled, Cat's Curse.

I learned my lesson about procrastinating and I will not do that again. I could have finished it three months ago and then I would not have been so stressed out to get it finished. Anyway, I will keep people informed on the release date as soon as I know it.

It is exciting to see where these characters are taking me. There will be two more books for sure. One will be a prequel set in ancient Greece, Britain and Ireland. I need to do more research for that one because I have never written about ancient Greece. I know the basics about Greek mythology, but I am going to read the Iliad and the Odyssey to prepare for it. Yikes! These are not short books. I also have some books by Greek writers on ancient Greece that I will go through. So I have a lot to do. Wish me luck!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Well, I have been taking my time to finish my second book (sequel to Of Water and Dragons) and now I have to bust my butt to get it to the publisher. That is what I get for procrastinating. I had been messing around and not making final decisions about certain character names and dates so I just stopped working on it. Well, I was forced to make the decisions and I am glad because sometimes I need a kick in the butt to get a project finished. Is that the way with other writers? Or am I damaged in some way?

Anyway, I should have it completed and ready to send to the publisher by the end of next week. I still have to finish the synopsis, which is my least favorite thing to write. It is the opposite of how a writer thinks and I have to switch to the other side of my brain to do it. There is no room for outstanding prose in a synopsis. Publishers want a concise summary of the complete story. It really is a challenge to describe in one or two pages an 80,000 word story. The best advice is to keep it simple and to the point.

I am off to read through my manuscript and make the final changes.

Happy writing!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

I am often asked how I come up with my story ideas. For me, it is not something that I can force out. Ideas come to me at their own will, but I do try to stimulate my mind to help the creative process. Something as simple as a song can give me a story idea. For example, 'Ghost of a Rose' by Blackmore's Night inspired an erotic romance that will be released by HeatWave Romance in 2007.

I read a lot of books on Celtic mythology and a lot of ideas come from this. I try to read as much as I can about ancient history. Currently, I am going through 'The White Goddess' by Robert Graves and taking notes. This book has a wealth of information on history relating to the Great Goddess cults that thrived in the Middle East and Europe for thousands of years. Another great book that has inspired me is 'When God Was a Woman' by Merlin Stone. A book on faery lore gave me the idea for one of my main characters (Nemu) in 'Of Water and Dragons.' From there, I devised a whole history for her just from one paragraph out of this book. Even fiction in the genres I like can help inspire a story. Reading is probably, for me, the best way for the Muse of Inspiration to grant me story ideas.

Sometimes ideas will come to me out of the blue when I am sleeping. I will go days with no ideas and then all of a sudden an idea will come to me--it's truly magical sometimes.

Is this the same for most writers? I would love to hear what other writers have to say about their source of inspiration.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

New Release from Awe-Struck--Of Water and Dragons

Of Water and Dragons is now available in ebook format from Awe-Struck.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with ebooks, I will be happy to enlighten you. Ebooks do not take up space in your bookshelves and they are a lot cheaper than print books. You can either read them from your computer monitor in html or pdf format or purchase an ebook reader, which can accept other formats. I just bought an E-Bookwise reader for 115.00 and it takes pretty much all formats except for pdf. A memory card enables storage of numerous books in the reader. Book files can also be stored on your computer. This E-Bookwise reader is about the size of a paperback and you can buy from fictionwise.com, which also has New York Times bestselling books available for download. That is the other positive thing about ebooks--you can download your book and not have to wait 2 weeks for it to be shipped to you. And you save some trees by not buying a print book. See how good they are? Have I convinced you yet?

I know that you are probably thinking that ebook publishers don't publish great books, but I can say from experience that I have read some ebooks that are way better than some of the bestselling NY Times books. For one thing, ebook authors have a little more control over what they write and don't have to stick to a certain formula, which always bugs me about "big publishing houses." Ebook authors can cross genres without being punished for it. For example, my book crosses over into romance, historical, fantasy and erotica. Of Water and Dragons is an unusual romance, not your typical Harlequin Romance. (No offense meant to any Harlequin authors out there) I was able to pick my own cover design, which I know won't happen with a big publisher. The author has very little input over their creative work with a large publishing house. Have I convinced you yet? You can't knock it until you try it. Download one ebook onto your computer to check it out--just make sure it's my book. I'm kidding of course! Psyche!

Happy Reading!

New Review for Of Water and Dragons at Coffee Time Romance

4 Cups! This tales speaks of another time. A time of faeries, soldiers, druids, and magic. Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words, making them believe for just a little while that they too can call on dragons or control armies. For the time it takes to read this book, we just might have the power to control the universe. Of Water and Dragons is a romance to make you believe again.
Karen MagillReviewer for Coffee Time RomanceReviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

Coffee Time Romance is another review site for authors who write any type of romance--in any format. I think they have even branched out to other genres like mysteries and non-fiction. They are easy to work with and authors and/or publishers can contact them to request a review. A review is a great way to promote your book even if it isn't a great review. Everyone has their own opinion.

Happy writing!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Writing and stylistic preferences

When writing stories set in historical settings, a writer needs to make a choice between using historically accurate dialogue or dialogue that compromises between modern phrasing and historically accurate words so the readers can best understand the dialogue. This was a choice I had to make and I know I will take some flack for it.

My books, though set in historical settings, are not true historicals. They lean more toward fantasy. To gain a wider range of readers, I have opted for the latter choice. I avoid any modern slang from slipping into the story, but my phrasing is more modern and simple. I admit that I even have a hard time reading a historical novel that uses "historically accurate dialogue." I realize by not sticking to the historically accurate diologue that it could discolor the atmosphere somewhat, but I make up for this by writing detailed descriptions to pull the reader into the story. I realize that some readers (especially those that are sticklers for accuracy and those that read straight historicals) may not agree with my stylistic choice. But maybe these readers would not be interested in my book anyway.

Hopefully, readers will still enjoy my stories. So far I have received favorable reviews. I stick by my choice, but I welcome comments related to this topic.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Editing--overuse of certain words in a ms

As I go about editing my second ms, I realized that I have a bad habit of repeating certain words. This was pointed out to me in my first ms and I thought I had it under control, but obviously not. In my first ms I overused the word "glared." All of my characters "glared" at each other. I went through and substituted some of these words for "stared hard" and "fierce stare." In my second ms I discovered that I am overusing the word "somber." Everyone has "somber" eyes. So I must find other appropriate words to use in place of some of these "somber eyes." I just wanted to point out one thing that everyone should be on the lookout for when editing their ms--do not overuse words. It can pull a reader out of the story and that is never a good thing.

One book I recently read overused the "ly" words. Every sentence had at least two of these, as my editor calls them, "tom swiftlys." Adverbs are nice to use, but they should be used sparingly--(hey, I think I just made a joke), to modify a verb, adjective, or other adverb by describing or limiting to make meaning more exact. I was pulled out of this story many times because of this. And this was a best-selling author! Lucky for her the story was otherwise very interesting and I was able to finish the book.

Happy writing! And remember not to overuse certain words throughout your ms.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

The dreaded research

I am in research mode and it is not fun. It is one of those necessary evils of writing. I write romance/fantasy books that are set in historical times. They aren't true to history, but they still need to be historically correct when it comes to people and places. I also write about ancient history, which is even more of a challenge because there are holes in most of the history and experts disagree on timelines and such things. So what does a person do? I read different books on the same subject to get a middle ground on the information. I also read books that are recommended by experts. Amazon.com is a great place to find out about a book before buying it because there is a wealth of information in the customer comments. I buy most of my books because I live in a small town that doesn't have a huge ancient history section. I also conduct research online as well.

Now what to do with all the information that will soon leave my brain? I discovered that if I take some notes while I am reading a book, it helps my brain to retain the information. The only problem with that is I have been writing my notes in whatever notebook happens to be nearby at the time. Bad idea! I can't find what I am looking for. So now I am in the process of typing the notes into the computer and organizing them into categories. I should have done this in the beginning. I am slapping myself right now for being stupid.