Enter a world of enchantment and passion. I am a Historical fantasy/Paranormal romance author, editor, musician, and artist living in Arizona. My latest series is based on my time as a rock and roll bassist. All five books in my Shadow-walkers series are available now on Amazon: Awakening, Awakening the Wolf, Awakening the Vampire, Awakening the Fae, and Awakening the Dragon. This blog is all about writing and other aspects of my life.
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.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Characters with Disabilities or Health Issues
Do readers like to read stories with characters that are disabled or have a health issue? I know there are a lot of romances with heroes that are depressed or somewhat mentally scarred from dealing with a painful past, but I don’t see many heroes in romances with physical issues. Some of the heroes I’ve read about had scars, but not any other physical disorders. Beauty and the Beast is a great example of a story with a character that has physical scars. These types of romances are popular, but what about a hero that is crippled?
I would like to see more stories like this. Maybe I will write one. I had an idea for a romance with a crippled hero—he can walk but walks with a pronounced limp and it limits him from doing things he used to do. Being crippled can make a man feel less of a man and I think this is a great concept for a romance—how does he overcome his fears? Or his frustration and anger? How does the heroine help him cope with his disability? This was something that came to mind—what if the heroine caused his crippling injury?
This gives a writer a lot to think about.
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Friday, April 01, 2011
Long Hair Hottie for April!
Historical fantasy romance
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Writing a Virgin Heroine
I want to avoid mistakes in creating this kind of character. One thing I want to make sure I do right is writing a realistic scene when she loses her virginity. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Too many times I’ve read books with virgin heroines and that didn’t seem realistic to me because the characters experience the perfect first time sex. Seriously? Not one bit of awkwardness? Or pain? I know what I’m talking about here. Most sexual encounters are imperfect, but for sure the very first time a woman has sex is painful.
I realize that romance books are supposed to be a fantasy for women—the guy is a total hunk and the sex is so hot. And that’s okay with me, but how about putting some reality into at least one sex scene, especially if the heroine is losing her virginity.
And just because she’s a virgin, it doesn’t mean that the character has to be completely innocent and stupid. That’s stereotypical to me. The character I am working on has been trained to wed a king, an enemy king, so she is well versed in the workings of court and her role as a queen. She’s intelligent and strong-willed. But when it comes to love, she is inexperienced—unsure of her feelings and easily charmed by the wrong man. I think most women remember being fooled by a guy at some time in the past because of inexperience.
Who knows, the virgin heroine may end up being my favorite character to create. At the very least I will get to revisit my own past as I recall what it was like being a virgin—if I can remember that far back.
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Long Hair Hottie for March!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376540/
Historical fantasy romance
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Stepping into the Action
One of the hardest parts of writing a book for me is the beginning. I have to remind myself of this writing rule: ‘never start your story at the beginning.’
Huh?
Exactly what I thought at first.
Then I gave it some thought. How a writer starts the story is really important. A story that starts too slow might lose readers.
Gone are the days when a writer can start a story with pretty prose and no action, and be able to lull readers into the story. Modern stories have to begin with action or at a significant part of the story.
As I was writing a new book I thought about this writing rule, and ended up cutting the first three chapters. Since I already know that beginnings are my weakest point, I took a hard look at this latest WIP and decided it needed to start with more action. The great thing about writing today on a computer is I can always go back and add the three chapters if I want to, but I doubt I will. If I thought the beginning was too slow then readers will certainly think it is slow.
Writing a good story is about making hard choices. A writer needs to be able to step away from the story and take an unbiased look at their work. This isn’t easy to do. I had a hard time with deciding to make changes to the beginning after slaving over the first three chapters. In the end though I decided the changes were necessary to improve the story.
So, get out there and write your heart out, but don’t be afraid to take scissors or that delete button to that beginning.
Happy writing and reading!
Note: In addition to my long hair hotties feature on the 1st of each month, I will also be posting on the 15th of each month about writing tips or life experiences.
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
For some, spring’s song is the sound of a harsh battle horn, for others, new love, for all—certain danger.
My book page at Awe-Struck
http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Long Hair Hottie for February!
http://www.hey-drew.com/
Historical fantasy romance
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Long Hair Hottie for January!
The hunky guy for January is from Spain. Of course all the hot ones are from another country. He is Roni Benise a Spanish guitarist with an edgy, exotic sound that is also romantic and sensual. Nice. His bio also describes his music as fiery melodies with high energy rhythms. I like.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Pagan Conspiracy
Dear Daily Mail
An open letter on behalf of The Pagan Conspiracy.
Just to make it absolutely clear that there is a pagan conspiracy. We have systematically infiltrated every profession, and each branch of government. We are subtle, and clever and we get everywhere. This is of course a deliberate attempt to take over the country and undermine all its traditional values - you know those values about fear, racism, ignorance and intolerance, shafting the poor to uphold the rich, and wrecking the planet for short term material gain. In our attack on these oh so important values we are, of course, threatening to destroy western civilization and bring about the end of the world as we know it.
When we have taken over the world, you will all be forced to accept our liberal and tolerant policies. There will be no escape from this. We will inflict upon every man, woman and child the horror of having to listen to their own consciences. We will demand that people act responsibly and treat each other with respect.
Once we have secured enough positions of power we will be promoting education and waging war on bigotry, stupidity and the kind of people who make money by feeding off the fear of others.
You are right to be afraid of Paganism. If everyone goes Pagan, who will read the Daily Mail?
(Join The Pagan Conspiracy today. Copy the above, and then email it to your friends, post it on your own blog, spread it about as a facebook note, #paganconspiracy on twitter, print it out and pin it to the toilet door...)
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for December!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkIc3sAxQbR0A7RqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DEicca%2BToppinen%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=295&h=327&imgurl=i661.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu331%2Ftiia_01%2Feicca3.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.findfreegraphics.com%2Fimage-10%2Ftoppinen.htm&size=8.6+KB&name=Eicca+Toppinen+Graphics%2C+Pictures%2C+%26amp%3B+Images+for+Myspace+Layouts&p=Eicca+Toppinen&oid=fc81a62a839e529551e1fd642b662744&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Eicca%2BToppinen%2BGraphics%252C%2BPictures%252C%2B%2526amp%253B%2BImages%2Bfor%2BMyspace%2BLayouts&b=0&ni=42&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11la8d4u8&sigb=13aun1occ&sigi=11k21iooo&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://apocalyptica.apocello.ru/apocalyptica/eicca-toppinen.php
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Monday, November 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for November!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPiesAxQzlQAbHqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DJosh%2BSteely%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D3&w=396&h=594&imgurl=www1.pictures.zimbio.com%2Fgi%2FDaughtry%2BPerforms%2BNBC%2BToday%2BMfwzaRQ2DFkl.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zimbio.com%2Fpictures%2FkV9fOXU_bQr%2FDaughtry%2BPerforms%2BNBC%2BToday%2FMfwzaRQ2DFk%2FJosh%2BSteely&size=80+KB&name=Josh+Steely+Musician+Josh+Steely+of+the+band+Daughtry+performs+on+NBC+...&p=Josh+Steely&oid=25b6bccf72f7244d3bc6a0447160caf2&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Josh%2BSteely%2BMusician%2BJosh%2BSteely%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bband%2BDaughtry%2Bperforms%2Bon%2BNBC%2B...&b=0&ni=48&no=3&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12ulkfpsb&sigb=137djf2mt&sigi=1280kemm9&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.daughtryofficial.com/us/josh-steely
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Friday, October 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for October!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkIcGsQxQLHQAEsmJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DTuomas%2B%2528Thomas%2529%2BHolopainen%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=266&h=400&imgurl=www.documentingreality.com%2Fforum%2Fattachments%2Ff185%2F110132d1260323967-tuomas-holopainen-attached-file-5.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcastingsevenwaters.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F11%2Ffaolan%2F&size=29.5+KB&name=Tuomas+Holopainen&p=Tuomas+%28Thomas%29+Holopainen&oid=f49e6070fd8fc919ebbb4db312de3192&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Tuomas%2BHolopainen&b=0&ni=48&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11q1m1k58&sigb=13qd3lgjn&sigi=139eelm86&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/tuomas-holopainen
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for September!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkCL5sQxQLRoAbfGJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DAntonio%2BBanderas%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=1024&h=768&imgurl=3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-JervF6DoQZA%2FTdvcYBJl87I%2FAAAAAAAAPL4%2FIV_lKGtJuIE%2Fs1600%2Fantonio%252Bbanderas%252B%2525282%252529.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fotosbrasil.net%2F2011%2F05%2Fantonio-banderas.html&size=477.1+KB&name=Antonio+Banderas&p=Antonio+Banderas&oid=18253276e57c9e7d42bb40ba776bbb62&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Antonio%2BBanderas&b=0&ni=48&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11o4c6ag6&sigb=13cjrtdls&sigi=13dhu9jvm&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://theantoniobanderas.com/
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for August!
http://benbarnesfan.com/gallery/
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for July!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJke7PswxQ7HoADrKJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DClay%2BMatthews%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=750&h=500&imgurl=www.theepochtimes.com%2Fn2%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Flarge%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Fclay_matthews_108696157.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theepochtimes.com%2Fn2%2Farts-entertainment%2Fclay-matthews-packers-linebacker-to-present-grammy-award-51028.html&size=47.7+KB&name=Clay+Matthews%2C+the+Super+Bowl-winning+linebacker+for+the+Green+Bay+Packers%2C+will+present+a+Grammy+Award&p=Clay+Matthews&oid=e13b8e1a8946cc34e1c2c6c6fb5635ce&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Clay%2BMatthews%252C%2Bthe%2BSuper%2BBowl-winning%2Blinebacker%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BGreen%2BBay%2BPackers%252C%2Bwill%2Bpresent%2Ba%2BGrammy%2BAward&b=0&ni=42&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=13m15i21o&sigb=1396ocmal&sigi=12k4omq9d&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.mdepict.com/web/cm/index.html
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for June!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkCFotAxQqUEA0ceJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DJake%2BOwen%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=500&h=666&imgurl=userserve-ak.last.fm%2Fserve%2F500%2F27182737%2FJake%2BOwen%2BJakeOwen2.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.last.fm%2Fmusic%2FJake%2BOwen%2F%2Bimages%2F27182737&size=34.9+KB&name=Jake+Owen+Pictures+%286+of+15%29+%E2%80%93+Last.fm&p=Jake+Owen&oid=07551eb1e7123eef057e85bdaa425b5d&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Jake%2BOwen%2BPictures%2B%25286%2Bof%2B15%2529%2B%25E2%2580%2593%2BLast.fm&b=0&ni=42&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11j2kdglm&sigb=135ikoovm&sigi=11vo69v3u&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.jakeowen.net/
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for May!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPrTtAxQLmMAKAaJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DCharlie%2BHunnam%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D32&w=480&h=589&imgurl=www.thehunkies.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F05%2Fcharlie_hunnam_4.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehunkies.com%2Fcharlie-hunnam%2F&size=41.5+KB&name=Charlie+Hunnam+%7C+The+Hunkies&p=Charlie+Hunnam&oid=c2a8c3b71cbd5f9e23cfb1adc0c53c65&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Charlie%2BHunnam%2B%257C%2BThe%2BHunkies&b=0&ni=42&no=32&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=1193d3mqn&sigb=13b431emc&sigi=122cuci9a&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://charlie-hunnam.us/
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for April!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkK2UtQxQPn4Ad6uJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DMichael%2BGreyeyes%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=288&h=350&imgurl=content9.flixster.com%2Fphoto%2F41%2F57%2F17%2F4157179_ori.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rottentomatoes.com%2Fcelebrity%2Fmichael_greyeyes%2F&size=19.2+KB&name=Michael+Greyeyes+-+Rotten+Tomatoes&p=Michael+Greyeyes&oid=23ea4cf4df4acb3a480f8a225e61700d&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Michael%2BGreyeyes%2B-%2BRotten%2BTomatoes&b=0&ni=42&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11prns0mo&sigb=13cvldr8i&sigi=11k8fso65&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340729/
Kelley Heckart
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Monday, March 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for March
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPwbtgxQQkUAkryJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DBilly%2BWirth%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D12&w=720&h=544&imgurl=www.jaehakim.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F08%2F29147_108048665908313_100001095413310_62015_7868502_n.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jaehakim.com%2Ftag%2Fbilly-wirth%2F&size=41.6+KB&name=Billy+Wirth&p=Billy+Wirth&oid=15f16cfb413c30527d2bfea32c26415c&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Billy%2BWirth&b=0&ni=48&no=12&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=118b0sn4k&sigb=1389kisi0&sigi=135tc3bjl&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0936198/bio
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Sunday, February 07, 2010
New review for Cat's Curse on ecataromance
She's a vampire, he's a cursed warrior; can true love keep them together?
3.5 stars! This was a remarkable book to read. It has all the earmarks of an enduring romance: suspense, danger, misunderstandings, true love and great sex. At the same time, it also has the elements of a wonderful fantasy story. The author’s detailed descriptions in the book brings you into the land she’s created, a fascinating escape from the day to day drudgery of our lives. I’m looking forward to the next book of this wonderful trilogy.
Reviewed by Kris Plausky at ecataromance
Link to complete review: http://sensual.ecataromance.com/index.php?p=3590
Book Two, Beltaine's Song will be out soon from Awe-Struck!
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
Monday, February 01, 2010
Long Hair Hottie for February
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkexHuwxQ9yAA8PiJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DTaylor%2BKitsch%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=471&h=650&imgurl=images1.fanpop.com%2Fimages%2Fimage_uploads%2FTaylor-Kitsch-taylor-kitsch-1035879_471_650.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanpop.com%2Fspots%2Ftaylor-kitsch%2Fimages%2F1035879%2Ftitle%2Ftaylor-kitsch&size=40+KB&name=Taylor+Kitsch+-+Taylor+Kitsch+Photo+%281035879%29+-+Fanpop+fanclubs.&p=Taylor+Kitsch&oid=d97ff64189f5aee84e47f3d1214b3cd7&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Taylor%2BKitsch%2B-%2BTaylor%2BKitsch%2BPhoto%2B%25281035879%2529%2B-%2BFanpop%2Bfanclubs.&b=0&ni=42&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12cu490qt&sigb=1393ohd0t&sigi=12nu157o6&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://taylorkitsch.net/gallery/
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604